The Salt in Our Veins
The shore had always felt like a barrier, but tonight it was an invitation. Mara didn't hesitate when the cool tide pulled at her ankles; she threw herself into the dark, churning waves without looking back. She knew Andres was down here. Fate could rewrite him, transform his mortal frame, and drag him into the forgotten depths of Lemuria, but it could never sever the tether between their souls.
Diving deeper into the abyss, the crushing pressure faded into a luminous warmth. Ancient sunken pillars materialized through the indigo mist, surrounded by glowing jellyfish that drifted like floating stars. And there he was.
Andres moved toward her with fluid, otherworldly grace. Fin-like ears framed his dark hair, and bioluminescent sapphire veins pulsed beneath his skin, casting an ethereal glow over his sharp features. He was fully Lemurian now, a creature born of ancient oceanic magic, yet the moment his webbed fingers cupped her jaw, Mara recognized the exact warmth of his touch.
She gasped as the ocean filled her lungs, not with water, but with the breath of the deep—a gift granted by his embrace. Air bubbles drifted between their lips like suspended glass beadwork as Andres pulled her close, his glowing hand cradling the back of her neck. He tilted her face up, his deep, glowing gaze locking onto hers with a hunger that defied the tides.
"You came for me," his voice echoed softly in her mind.
Mara parted her lips against his, holding him tightly as the currents swirled around them. Land was just a distant memory. Wherever he belonged, she belonged too.
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