Kael flopped his tail against the top of the water with more force than necessary. He released a loud sigh and pushed his head back so all Sela could see was the top of his hair resting on the moving water. His frustration jumped across the waves and pushed itself out towards her on the rocks.

She frowned. Her urge to go comfort him didn't waver as she wondered if she should just go out into the rocky waters. He warned her against it when they first arrived, both worried for her safety and wanting to remember on her own. But so far, nothing had come to him and her concern only increased.

"Sela," he called out, his voice heavy.

Sela halted her fingers from rolling over the top of the rocks. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she stood up from her place on the ground. "Yes, Kael?" She responded, hesitant.

Kael spun himself back around so his upper body pushed above the water. His dark hair pooled around his shoulders, forcing his pretty blue eyes on her. They shimmered with the hazy blue sea below him. She admired them from her distance and waited patiently for him to speak.

"Can you—" he hesitated, but continued. "Can you swim out here with me, Sela? It might help."

Sela furrowed her brows. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, his gaze warm on her despite the distance between them. "I am sure."

She supposed she could sneak back to her chukka before her family caught her in wet clothes. Again. With a man who was not her betrothed. While her cousin contained affections for him that all of Mikasi perhaps knew about by then.

Swimming with him in the water was not a good idea. She knew that.

But did she listen to her mind's clever suggestion?

"Okay, I am coming."

Of course not.

She slipped out of her moccasins, waddled across the rocks, and eagerly rushed into the refreshing embrace of the water. Kael positioned himself closer to the shore, ready to assist if needed, but his help was unnecessary. The sea was a second home to her. The water wasn't as cold to her body as the river was, a current never took her, and she swam fairly well. Not as well as a fish man, of course, but well all the same.

As Sela reached Kael, her toes could no longer touch the sea floor, leaving only her head above the water. She relied on the swift movements of her arms and legs to keep herself afloat, but she would soon tire. Sensing her struggle, the sea gently nudged her closer to Kael. With ease, he caught her with a secure arm around her waist, relieving her of the weight of supporting herself.

"Thank you," Sela breathed, despite the warmth unfurling in her cheeks at their proximity. She tucked a wet curl behind her ears and looked up at Kael.

His lopsided smile made her heart jump high in her chest. "Of course."

To avoid looking into the allure of his beautiful eyes and fully recover from her blush, she glanced between them and caught sight of his moving tail. She brightened for a moment, but then thought about something she shouldn't have while in the sea. Especially since she couldn't see too far below the surface.

"How um—how dangerous are the creatures in the sea?" she questioned, her panic spiking just slightly.

"As dangerous as the ones on land, I suppose," he mused. "But I can sense them if they get too close, Sela. It can be pretty fascinating, actually."

Sela frowned at the excitement pulsating in his gaze. Imagining him so close to danger left her uncomfortable. Sick, even. "Fascinating?"

Kael read the look in her eyes and offered a soft smile. "Don't worry, Sela, I always make sure I am careful. And if there is anything dangerous that comes along when I have you with me, I'll do everything I can to protect you."

The tips of her lips curved at that, loosening the tension from her shoulders. Her fingers brushed over the tips of his wet hair that spilled out around them. "You wouldn't have to, Kael. Your life is essential to the sea and—"

"And your life is essential to both the land and the sea," he cut in. She could have very much imagined it, but she swore his thumb brushed in a soothing pattern against her waist. His fin beat against her own legs in a steady rhythm, keeping the both of them up over the waves.

"The land and the sea?"

"Yes," he said simply, his eyebrows furrowed. "Your life matters most to me, Sela, and I am the chief of the sea. Therefore, your life is essential to the sea because it is to me. To think about a life without you in it is . . . "

Kael swallowed and shook his head. "I've swum across the sea my whole life, Sela. And not once have I encountered someone like you. You are so selfless and nurturing, clever and kind, and everything else you can think of. The land and the sea would be a darker place without your light in it, Sela."

Sela melted at his words. Every part of her body screamed at her to wrap her fingers around his face and kiss those perfect lips. She wanted to wrap herself around him and truly thank him for the way his words made her feel. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had seen her the way he had.

"How do you always know just what to say?" Sela whispered, a smile sprawling across her cheeks.

Kael plucked a wet curl from her face and rubbed it between his fingers. His grip on her waist pulled her closer. She held her breath, her gaze roaming over his sharp but defined features.

"Because I only speak the truth," he said, tugging on the curl before releasing it. "You don't see yourself the way we all see you. Hence why Tushka is so in love with you."

Sela's blush deepened. Her gaze fell back on the moving gap of water between them, unsure of how to fully respond to that. But Kael pressed his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her head up, drawing her eyes back up to his. Her heart stuttered in her chest at the rush of emotion in them as his eyebrows drew closer together over them.

"Do you not think yourself worthy of such affection?" he asked, the muscle in his jaw tightening at her hesitation.

"It is only that . . . his love never made sense to me," she whispered, thinking deep into her fears. Thinking back to that old friend who she had compared herself to her whole life; especially when her want for Tushka became clear. "There is nothing about me that is special. I'm the chief's daughter, yes, but that is all. I cannot see myself through his eyes."

"Then see yourself through mine," he murmured. "Because that is not what I see."

Sela stopped, furrowing her eyebrows. She decided to try something different and thought about his words thoroughly. Did she not see herself clearly? Was he right?

She thought about it for a moment. Her eyes closed.

Behind them, there was a girl.

A girl with a stream of curls racing across pebbles to pick up a man whose fins had become legs. A girl who carried him as far as she could before getting help and bringing him to her family for healing. That same woman was fierce in her protection against her flesh and blood, and later shared her roof with the man so he'd have a place to stay. Followed by getting him accustomed to her village's lifestyle and finding something important for him to do. Not to mention she made it her mission to help him retrieve his memories so he could go back home.

Even if that meant the girl would one day lose him.

The girl behind her eyelids was selfless. Nurturing. Clever and kind.

And in a light she'd never seen herself in before. A light shining through the darkness; just as he said.

When Sela opened her eyes again, they were wide as she looked over at Kael, who watched her in silence with a small smile tugging at his lips. His fingertips touched her cheek and smoothed over the soft skin there with a tenderness she hadn't expected.

The water pushed her closer to him with another wave of pressure. Sela fixed her grip on the back of his neck with her arm. Their eyes locked. His eyes dropped down to her parted lips and he swallowed hard.

Sela hadn't realized how close they had gotten until their eyes became half-lidded and their heads tilted.

But then she heard someone calling her name.

And when she looked back to the shore, her heart dropped.