Bred in the cold devotion of an undersea cult, Aqua was taught to worship his father-the Voice of Jonah as both prophet and god. Blood runs dark in the deep, and when he's manipulated into committing the unthinkable, Aqua is cast as both a traitor and executioner. With a soul stained by patricide and a bounty on his head, he begs a forbidden ocean sorcerer for an escape. The price? His tail. His name. His past.

Now walking among mortals, Aqua hides behind false nobility in a coastal kingdom, where silk is softer than seaweed and secrets flow as freely as wine. He doesn't expect to find desire, let alone in the arms of Prince Dorian-a man too sharp to be fooled, but too broken to care. Their chemistry is immediate, volatile... magnetic--but passion has a cost.

The cult is rising again and Aqua's can no longer ignore his guilt. As his lies begin to unravel, Aqua must choose between the safety of his deception and the terrifying truth of who he is—and what he's done. Love is a risk-even more so when your past can drown you!