Witnessing two different reactions from the people around her, Ruby figured Digger was overly excited and Ava was angry on a level she’d never seen, given the voluptuous woman pulled her hand out of Ruby’s calloused fingers. “Digger, two things. Swear’n to themes ya do. These now be part of our blood pact, they are savvy?.”

  Overwrought with the lustful tale Digger did the best he could to hide his obvious hardness from his captain. Struggling to talk he mumbled, “I’ll swear it as long, just please don’t stab me again, Captain Ruby.”

  “Very thee well then, the dagger isn’t hungry anyway.” Ruby boasted, “First, I’ll be need’n ya to never again repeat me name or mention mermaids. Tanya Rankles is mostly dead to me, except for Ner-Ner and Ava here.”

  “Yes, Captain Ruby. I swear on my blood?...I won’t breathe a word of that to anyone. I am gd you are trusting me with the knowledge.” Digger half whimpered as he adjusted himself for relief that wasn’t about to come.

  Holding up a second finger, Ruby continued. “Second, go from here and find Delzie. Call her that specifically. She’ll know Ol’Ruby sent ya.” She watched the anxious young man nod and scurry off. Turning her good eye towards a very annoyed Avanora, Ruby leaned forward and tried to get Ava to look at her. “Since when are you jealous my dragon-dy? I have been with dozens of women since we met, but you refuse to look upon me with those shiny silver baubles.”

  “Zo.” Ava flipped her head and caught Ruby’s intense hazel eye drilling into her heart. “You have a…what did you call Zhis dy…a dymate? The way you describe it iz like she is part of your zoul.” Avanora gripped Ruby by the chin. “You’ve told me that I am your zoulmate, so which is it?”

  Fshing her hallmark smile, Ruby deftly pulled free of the grip on her chin and kissed Ava’s fingers one at a time. “Both.” She calmly replied and put her rum bottle on the ground. “I can see that wasn’t the answer you wanted. So come on.” Ruby stood up and held out her hand and watched Ava refuse to stand up. “Don’t make me haul you over those dunes on my shoulder, Ava.” Ruby cackled lightly. “Seriously, there is something back here I want to show you.”

  “You would do it, I think.” Ava hummed to herself then reluctantly stood up and took her lover’s hand. “Other girlz, Ava can accept. Another woman so close to…” Ava pced her hand over Ruby’s heart. “...Thiz, I am not able to what is the word, sharez?”

  “Different situation, Avanora.” Ruby gripped Ava’s hand and skip ran over the dunes, and to the edge of a dark copse of palm trees. “Use your light, those are just like what I described.”

  “I fail to zee how this is better. You are just, what..uffirmings?? What you said as truth.” Ava let out a tiny yelp when Ruby took off running with her stumbling behind. “Crazy dyz…let me find my feet.”

  “Well, you are too slow and I am excited.” Ruby winked, “A little excited below too, you sexy devil.” Ruby purred and blew Ava a kiss.

  Just past the grove of palms, Avanora had come face to face with the pool Ruby described within the st hour. Lotuses, lilies and irises lined the marble pool just as the exciting pirate expressed. “So beautiful..” Ava walked to the calm water and spshed some on her palms, noting all of the oils Ruby described. “What did you want to zhow me, my Ruby?” Ava squeezed Ruby’s hand, “You speak the truth this time. Which I find a little heartz breaking, love.” Without warning or any indication that they weren’t alone, Ava felt another hand crest over her shoulder, bearing a set of blue fingernails with shell shapes all over them.

  “Tanya..” Nerice massaged Ava’s shoulder. “You waited long enough to introduce us. I didn’t know how much longer I could avoid her catching us in the cabin.” Nerice leaned close to Ava’s ear. “You know me as Natasha, dear.”

  Spinning on her bare heel, Ava raised her hand and sent a line of white glowing fireflies from the squiggly rune embedded in her hand. Illuminating the area in a soft light, Ava hesitantly touched the bck cy blindfold. “But..but..Natasha…how did I mizz this?” Ava took a step away from Nerice and studied the scaled woman. “She is as godlike as you have described, my Ruby.”

  “You told her all of it, Tanya?” Nerice ughed and skipped beside Ruby and felt for Ruby’s scar to be sure it was her dymate. “There you are…and you called me godlike?” Nerice innocently giggled and broke out in goosebumps.

  Ruby kissed Nerice’s light fingers and walked to Ava. “Yes, Nerice. I told her everything.” escorting Ava to the pool, Ruby kicked off her boots again and dangled her feet in the lively pool. “Ner-Ner, I once asked you what would happen if I fell in love with someone else.”

  “I remember.” Nerice cooed and sat down beside Avanora. “I told you then that nothing would or can change. You are wrapped around my heart as I am around yours.” Nerice began probing Ava’s features, committing them to her memory, and sighed contently when Ruby added her own visuals to the lovely discovery. “Always thinking of me, Tanya.”

  “Always, Ner-Ner.” Ruby untied all of her armor and set it off to the side, then stood in front of Ava. “Join me, Ava.” Ruby pyed in the water for a couple of minutes and swam up to Avanora again. “You are my soulmate, Avanora. We anticipate each other's ideas, thoughts and emotions almost at the same time. You know what I desire and like before I even bring it up.”

  “Zo does she.” Ava coolly pointed to the blue siren. “According to the story.”

  Nerice stipped off her own clothing, leaving her blindfold on as the only thing she wore. “That is true.” Nerice sniffed the air and faced Ruby. “We do anticipate each other’s needs, Avanora.”

  “Then I do not understand.” Ava protested and stood up. “I am finding myself wanting to cry, Ruby..love.”

  Stepping out of the pool, shimmering with luscious red-bck scales all over her legs, Ruby took both of Ava’s hands and walked back into the pool. “Why can’t you both surround my heart?” Ruby shook her head and made her cornrows fall away and a long watery bck mane extended to the bottom of her ankles. “You will now be loved by two, not just me.” Ruby pulled Ava into the deep part of the pool, where Nerice quickly came up behind Avanora, and pced little blue lip prints on the mage's shoulders before hugging her tight. “Have I treated you badly, or less?”

  Ava shook her ptinum locks and hopelessly leaned into Nerice’s touch. “Not that I have zeen, love.”

  “That should tell you … that my love for you runs deeper than you can fathom.” Ruby added and swam up to Ava and cupped her cheeks lightly. “I had to find the right time to expin this to you. Now is the right time.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, Tanya.” Nerice curled her tail around Ava’s shapely calves. “I think it’s your turn, darling Tanya.”

  Peering deep into Ava’s silver-cd irises, Ruby made one final decration. “For your eyes only my love…my Ava, my fire-woman.”

  A split second ter, Avanora felt another thin and wispy tail wrap around her thighs keeping her afloat. “Mine eyes only?” Letting her frustration go into the wind, Ava half-twisted and reached for Nerice. “Come, rest here on mine shoulder please.” Ava waited until Nerice complied before touching her face with her runic palm. “This is how you know it’s me. My aura is white as snow.”

  “Oh, she’s good, Tanya.” Nerice bubbled happily then addressed Ava. “Most mages don’t even know their potential, here you are embracing it like you do … well mermaids.” Nerice ughed. “All the same, thank for for allowing me to memorize your…magic.”

  Laughing with the two mermaids locked around her body, Ava made a quick joke. “I suppose this is now called a triad?”