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She gave him an odd look, rubbing her palms along her arms. “Swimming… obviously.”

Raziel rolled his eyes at the snark in her voice. “Obviously… is it very different from where you come from?”

A sad look crossed her face. “It’s very, very different,” she whispered. “But not bad.” A pause. “The water is cold.” Her tone said she didn’t like it.

He grinned at that. “The water isn’t cold.” His arms hadn’t even broken out with goosebumps.

She snorted, shaking her head. “That’s because you haven’t swum in the warm waters of the Thalassan Sea in the south. It’s akin to the warm waters of your lake.”

“I did at one point.” The words just popped out. Raziel tried not to remember his time during the Warlord’s War. Nor the time he almost drowned.

Her interest grew keen, her eyes sharp upon him. “Continue.”

“During the war, I was stabbed in the back.” He turned slightly so she could see the large scar on his back. “I fell off the ship and almost drowned. I remember the water settling over me like a warm blanket.”

“But you survived,” she commented, no inflection to her voice, her face a placid mask. The Sirenidae dropped his gaze and drew patterns along the surface of the ocean.

“I did.”

A shiver ran through Mer as the wind picked up and he watched as her scales lifted slightly on her arms—a trait he’d noticed was akin to goosebumps.

“You’re cold?” he asked, frowning. “If you want to get out, I’ll look away.”

A sardonic smile lifted her lips. “You pretend that you haven’t seen my naked body, nor had your hands all over it.”

A flush of heat went through him, and he scowled.

Bloody Lure.

“Well then, look away while I get out,” Raz muttered.

She crossed her arms, the waves gently lapping at the tops of her breasts, giving him glimpses of a tattoo she kept hidden most of the time.

“You saw me naked. Now it’s my turn to see you.” She wiggled her brows. “We’re married after all.”

He huffed out a laugh. It felt good to laugh after the last few days. Raziel turned around and pushed toward the beach, swaying his hips—the water slowly lowering. Peals of laughter followed him and he couldn’t help but look over his shoulder and grin at the Sirenidae who held a hand over her mouth.

It was the first moment he’d ever seen her truly free. Speedily, he scooped up his belongings and hustled into the cottage, making sure to wipe his feet at the door. He dumped hisclothes into the tub and slipped on a fresh pair of pants. Raziel retrieved a blanket and then moved back to the beach. She was still in the water, watching him.

“I won’t look,” he said, holding the blanket out and averting his eyes. “Or I can leave it on the beach for you.”

“I’m in my seal skin,” she called. “It’s perfectly modest.”

He barked out a laugh. “Maybe for a maid of the sea.”

The sound of footsteps registered and Mer pulled the blanket from his fingers, wrapping it around her body.

A flicker of heat ignited in his gut as Raziel stared down into Mer’s sparkling, solemn magenta eyes.

She searched his face. “Why are you so kind to me? Do you pity me?”

He reached out and tucked a strand of starlight hair behind her ear. “I know a wounded soul when I see one,” he answered. Raz had his own demons that he had to fight night after night. “No one should feel powerless. But no, I don’t pity you, but I wish someone had been there to show me an ounce of comfort when I was struggling with my own problems.”

She huffed, brushing off his touch and moving around him.

The moment was broken as she moved back to the cottage. He stared at his hand, the feeling of her skin permanently imprinted there.

Just the Lure.