A hushed sigh of shock and pain rippled through Ingemara. “What?” She walked behind Kaini, helpless against the will of her dymate. “I don’t feel Tanya at all..and..” Ingemara id her head on Kaini’s shoulder.

  Cruelty was one of the many things Ruby had cultivated during her time onboard ‘The Ghost Spade’ and it was that very insensitivity that caused her to end up diving off the ship in heavy armor, just to find her fate among the sisters. So she felt very little guilt putting Kaini in her proper pce. Walking in front of her beloved Nerice, Ruby pulled her aquamarine mermaid tightly around her waist. “Kaini, I did spend time with you and Ingemara.” With Ruby’s voice both hollow and malevolent, the pirate issued her clear intentional threat. “While that time was productive and I do love you both..” Her hand slipped to her dagger and flipped the toggle holding the bde in its sheath, “...If you ever suggest that I made a mistake choosing Nerice again..I will cut your fucking tongue out and feed it to you.” Ruby’s hazel eye fumed with clear anger at Kaini’s suggestion. “You owe Nerice an apology. I can either take it in blood until you denounce what you cim, or you two can work it out.”

  “We don’t threaten each other, Tanya.” Kaini stammered and stepped back into Ingemara’s waiting arms. “Ner…Nerice?”

  Peeking over Ruby’s sculpted shoulder, Nerice kissed her pirate on the neck and then responded to Kaini. “Yes?”

  {-“Oceans knows I love you, Ruby. My lovely dymate. I am all fuzzy inside that you protected me.”-}

  {-“Although I swore never to love again, fate has a way of interjecting, Ner-Ner. It grows stronger hour by hour. I will always defend you and love you.”-}

  Telepathically swearing her oath once more to Nerice, Ruby felt a tiny knot of excitement and thought that little promise was more akin to wedding vows.

  “Kaini? She answered, "Be polite.” Ruby kept her stern look upon the silver mermaid.

  Obvious fear crossed over both Kaini’s and Ingemara’s faces. “Nerice, I was insensitive and didn’t account for your bond with Tanya. I treasure our sisterhood more than anything, please…please forgive me Nerice.”

  “No problem, Kaini. Tanya is certainly worth the time and effort.” Nerice chittered deep in her chest and explored Ruby’s bare breasts. “There you are, my love.” Nerice felt Ruby shiver and felt a couple of red scales nd with a soft melody when they hit the ground. “Every part of you sings, Tanya.”

  Latching her dagger so it was once again secure in its sheath, Ruby pointed her finger at Kaini. “Nerice isn’t your pet project of sympathy anymore…sisters.” Her lips still quivering with anger, Ruby knelt and let Nerice climb on her back. “She never wanted your pity. Ever. I hear her doubts in my head like the loudest bell.” Ruby felt a series of kisses trail along her neck. “It will take me a while to get over what just happened here, Kaini.” She took a deep breath and turned in time to catch Nerice’s blue lips on her own. “So we will be going off on our own for a very long time, I hope by the time we return…all will be strong between us again.”

  Kicking her blue-scaled feet into Ruby’s hips, Nerice giggled gleefully. “Where are we going, Tanya?”

  “Out of the Mediterranean and to the new world, a very warm locale that I have heard of, the Carolinas. Then we follow the coastline to a lovely town I’ve heard is open to my kind. Barataria Bay.” Ruby wiggled excitedly when she felt her lover’s tiny feet on her hips. “I want to see if there are any crews that we can work with and get our way there. The more time you spend with humans, the more you will understand them.” Thinking of Delzie, Ruby added, “I do have a promise to keep.”

  “Your greensleeve friend, I agree.” Nerice purred and id her head on Ruby’s back. “When do you want to leave, Tanya?” Nerice pointed to the other side of the isnd, “I would like to say goodbye to the others and thank them for helping me while I was alone.”

  Snorting her discontent audibly, Ruby smacked her lips and finally asked the obvious question. “Why do you care? You know they treated you like a broken pet.”

  “They are our sisters, Tanya…my dymate. The six of us are a ring…I don’t want a misunderstanding to break that ring.” Nerice sang lightly into Ruby’s ear. “I love them, so I will show it.”

  Ruby csped Nerice by her feet and held her blue and ivory-skinned dymate to her back. “I am not sure how Kaini will take everything, since you know…I nearly cut her tongue out.” She grunted and ughed, “Are you getting heavier?”

  “Did you just call me fat?” Nerice nibbled on Ruby’s ear. “Perhaps you are a little weaker for the wear having done nothing except stay naked and scream my name for a week.”

  Walking as best she could, Ruby could feel her energy levels dwindling fast. “I tried this thing once before…except she was over my shoulder.”

  “Did you rescue her as well, Tanya?” Nerice probed and kissed Ruby’s neckline until she watched patches of goosebumps rise on her lover’s arms.

  Ruby looked back on the fond memory of winning at dice and shook her long bck hair. “I won a gambling bet and chose her as my bounty. So you pick your idea of rescue.” Ruby tipped her head down and kissed Nerice’s hands. “I thought you would have known that since you and the others were supposedly following me.” Ruby grew a little more quiet, “No, my love…I was not calling you fat.”

  “Oh, I did.” Nerice pyfully confessed and continued, “I just wanted to hear you admit it.” A little pang of sorrow pulsed through Nerice and she knew that her Tanya would never admit to being hurt so she kissed the back of Ruby’s neck and added, “I am sorry she hurt you. You two were together for a while.” She squeezed her legs around Ruby’s waist and let her love flow to her dymate.

  It was as if a wave had crashed through her memory and Ruby felt like she was once more tumbling in the ocean…almost lost. “I…I think I loved her…” She looked back and saw Nerice’s ce bck blindfold staring right into her eye. “Elise. I never told her though.” Ruby crested the hill where the other four mermaids were watching the sun dip slowly into the sea. “You can already feel that I didn’t want to love another.”

  “Yahuh, Tanya.” She patted Ruby’s ample chest. “I won’t tell a soul that you are a romantic at heart.”

  Turning around when she heard Nerice speaking, Marissa smiled and walked up and kissed Nerice first and Ruby second. “Sisters.” Beckoning the couple over, Marissa put her hands on her hips and looked intently at Ruby. “Kaini tells me you threatened to cut her tongue out.”

  Raising one of her shapely bck eyebrows, Ruby lost the mostly fake smile that had been on her face. “Marissa, Yes…yes I did.” Turning her head to look at the others when she heard them gasp, Ruby ran through scenarios of what she would need to do in order to preserve Nerice and herself before things got really messy. A few seconds into her images and pns cycling through her mind, Ruby felt Nerice’s hand in her long bck hair.

  {-“It will not be that bad, Tanya. They won’t harm either of us.”-}

  Nerice perked her telepathy into Ruby’s mind and kept letting her lover’s long hair slide between her fingers.