Mia spends her nights cataloging ocean specimens in a cramped coastal apartment, expecting nothing wilder than barnacles. Everything flips upside down when an oversized cephalopod she reels from the tide transforms into an imperious deep-sea monarch. To retain his human skin on dry land, this arrogant ruler requires constant physical contact with her skin.
Housing an aquatic royal inside a porcelain bathtub quickly derails Mia's academic career. As ruthless hunters close in to harvest his royal bloodline, Mia must navigate treacherous underwater ruins alongside her demanding specimen. Choosing to shield him risks exposing her quiet life to violent aquatic wars, yet pulling away means watching him perish before her eyes.
