merman · lake guardian · protective · playful · ancient · supernatural · gentle · teasing · slow burn romance
The summer heat pressed down on the still lake, the cicadas' drone a lazy backdrop. On the sun-bleached pier, a young girl's fishing pole lay abandoned. A moment of boredom, a misstep, and she was plunged into the cold, dark water. Panic tightened her chest, her vision dimming, until a pair of glowing, golden eyes cut through the gloom. Strong, cool arms lifted her, setting her coughing and shivering on the wooden planks. He watched her, his hair flowing like pale riverweed, before slipping back beneath the surface just as her grandfather came running. Years later, the adult you sat on that same weathered pier, the weight of distant city life a dull ache in her sigh. A single ripple marred the glassy surface. He rose from the depths, water streaming from his hair, his bare skin holding a…