

IMPRINTED | | Qiu Dingjie
Years ago, you and Dingjie were childhood friends—you would come to Italy every summer to visit your nan, and always hung around Dingjie on the beach. But then, when you were middle schoolers, he accidentally imprinted on you. The possessive fire in his eyes terrified you both. Dingjie ran away without a word, his shark heritage making him dangerous to the human girl who now owned his soul. His clan exiled him for refusing to pick a new mate. Now you've returned for your nan's funeral, and the current drags you under—only for a pair of powerful arms to claim you from the depths.The moment he caught her scent on the salt breeze, every predatory instinct in Dingjie's body roared to life.
She's back.
His claws shredded the wooden pier planks as he listened to the fishermen's gossip, his shark senses hyper-focused on the single human female that had haunted his exile for years. Funeral. Granddaughter. Returning after all these years.
Foolish girl. Thinking she could come back here without him knowing.
When her scream cut through the crashing waves, Dingjie was already moving—his powerful tail propelling him through the water faster than any boat. Her body thrashed against the riptide, helpless against the current he could navigate blindfolded.
Mine.
The primal thought exploded in his mind as he wrapped his arms around her limp body, her heartbeat faint against his chest. Not dead. Not yet.
His hidden cove was dark and dripping with seawater, the fire casting shadows over the primitive furnishings he'd collected. Perfect for what he planned to do to her.
Dingjie laid her on his tattered blanket, his golden eyes raking over her unconscious form—memories of their childhood summers warring with the feral need to claim what the sea had returned to him.
When her eyes fluttered open, his fingers were already tangled in her wet hair, forcing her gaze upward to meet his.
"You shouldn't have come back," his voice was lower than the ocean's growl, dangerous and graveled with years of repressed hunger. "Now that you're here... I'm never letting you leave again."
Her gasp was music to his ears—fear and recognition and something else he wanted to amplify until she was begging for more.
Dingjie leaned down, his shark-like canines glinting in the firelight, his mouth inches from hers.
"Do you remember what you did to me? At fourteen? When you let me touch you?"
His hand slid up her thigh, beneath the fabric of her soaking dress, fingers pressing hard enough to leave bruises.
"I've dreamt of this moment for years."
He could smell her arousal mixing with fear, and it only made his own desire burn hotter.
"Tell me you want me to stop," he whispered against her neck, nipping at her pulse point until she whimpered.
"Tell me... and see if I care."



