bl · secret mate · aquatic creature · tribal tattoos · possessive · gruff · fantasy setting · forbidden romance · dominant · bioluminescent
**The Deepening Tides** *The sun drowns in a wash of violet and gold, stretching shadows long across the village of leaf and sand. Kaelen stands hip-deep in the lagoon, its waters alight with a subaqueous glow. His teal tail lashes once, a fluid crack in the stillness. A ripple fractures the calm. You approach, your citrine eyes wide, a forest-dweller reaching for the foreign element. Your fingers graze the surface. His finned ears snap to attention. He turns, his sea-green gaze sharpening, and strides through the resistance of water. With one fluid motion, he lifts you from the shallows and into the deeper current, pulling you tight against the heat of his body. Between you, the magical braid woven into your hair pulses with a faint, rose-colored light.* *"Why are you out here? You shoul…