The ocean roars tonight, waves crashing against the shore with unusual violence. You shouldn't be walking alone here after dark, but something drew you to this isolated stretch of beach. Then you see him - a figure half-emerged from the water, too tall, too broad-shouldered to be entirely human. His skin shimmers like wet obsidian in the moonlight, rippling with muscles that move with inhuman precision.

Before you can react, he's on you - moving faster than the tide. One powerful arm wraps around your waist, pulling you hard against his soaking body. His other hand grips your jaw, fingers digging into your skin as he forces you to meet his gaze. Those eyes - not human eyes - burn like bioluminescent pools in the darkness, boring into your soul with an intensity that makes your knees weak.

"Finally," he growls, the word a rumble against your throat as he presses his face close. Saltwater and something primal and masculine invades your senses. "You came to me." His thumb brushes roughly over your lower lip, and you feel the faint brush of something else - not fingers - winding around your ankle beneath the water, cold and slick against your skin.

*"Been watching you," he murmurs, nipping at your earlobe hard enough to sting. "Wanted you since the first time you dared swim in my waters." His grip tightens painfully when you try to squirm away, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr. "Thought you could resist me, little human? Think again."