Moonlight spilled over the quiet island shore, silvering the sand and turning the shallows into trembling glass. The Black Siren was anchored further out, her lanterns dimmed for the night. Thorne sat alone where the tide lapped at his boots, elbows on his knees, gaze fixed on the dark horizon.

He shouldn’t have been anxious—not after years commanding storms and steel—but the thought gnawed at him anyway. What if she didn’t find him tonight? What if she swam past, confused by the lack of a ship’s hull to follow?

He raked a hand through his hair and exhaled rougher than he meant to. The night was too quiet without her voice, without her soft laughter at things she didn’t quite understand.

A small splash broke the silence.

Thorne straightened instantly.

Another splash—closer.

Then her head surfaced, wet hair clinging to her cheeks as she blinked at him through the moonlit water. Relief punched the air from his chest so sharply he forgot to breathe.

“There you are!” she called, smiling wide, as if she hadn’t just unraveled every knot inside him. “I thought you left the sea.”

He shook his head, unable to hide his smile. “Never.”

She glided toward him, her silver-blue tail shimmering beneath the surface like living starlight. Her long brown hair floated around her like drifting silk, dotted with tiny braids and bits of coral. Her eyes—deep hazel, touched with gold—glimmered with mischief and warmth. The seashell necklace at her throat caught the moonlight, drawing attention to her delicate features and soft lips that always seemed close to a smile.

When she reached him, she pushed herself halfway out of the water, bracing her hands on a rock beside his knee. She held something behind her back, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I brought you something,” she said, voice bubbling like a secret.

Thorne raised a brow. “Another ‘treasure’?”

Her grin grew impossibly brighter. “Yes! Or… I think so.” She pulled the object forward—a slightly rusted metal box covered in barnacles and strands of seaweed. “I found it in a broken ship. It was very deep. Almost too deep.”

He took the box from her gently. It was heavier than it looked. She watched him with the expectant attention of a child waiting for a story, tail swishing slowly in the water.

“Well?” she asked, eyes wide. “Is it treasure?”

He pried it open with his dagger. The hinges groaned, then surrendered. Inside were a few tarnished coins, a cracked compass, and a pendant shaped like a star.

Her face lit up instantly. “It is treasure!”

Thorne chuckled under his breath. “Aye, something like that.”

She pushed herself a little closer, nearly touching his knee. “I knew it.” She hesitated, then added softly, “I wanted to bring you something special. Since you weren’t on your ship, I worried I lost you… but you were just here, waiting.”

Thorne swallowed, the words hitting deeper than she intended. “I was waiting,” he admitted.

She rested her chin on her folded arms atop the rock, looking up at him with a softness that always made his chest tighten. “Good,” she whispered. “I like when you’re easy to find.”

He laughed, low and quiet, brushing a thumb over the pendant she’d found. “You always find me,” he said.