Page 13 of The Pirate Queen of Ruin
She touches the vision of me, and I swear I feel it too. There is danger as she slips her hand down to my throat, but all I feel is the building heat between my thighs. Another monster with green skin begins to kiss my neck. The odd protrusions in her mouth scrape against my warm skin. Thrill zip down my spine at the sensation. Pleasure overwhelms my initial fear, and my body accepts the unnatural and seems to hunger for more of it. The woman kissing my neck directs me to look at something, at someone.
Through the steam, surrounded by tiles and tentacles, sits a woman. Her skin is flushed red from the heat. There are marks on her body, but I can’t figure out what they are. I just know they are glowing, calling to me. In the vision, she runs a hand over her shaved head before tracing it down her body. They trace the curls between her legs, and as she spreads her fingers apart, a thick tentacle rises from the water, blocking my view. She moans as it touches her skin.
My breathing turns to panting.Yes, yes, mine, my lips form the words, but there is no sound. The woman in steam looks at me like I am her salvation as the tentacle sucks on her clit.
“Come to me, Delphini,” she calls.
I blink, and suddenly, there is a different scene. The nude woman from before is dressed but covered in blood. Her clothes cling to her front and I see the defined muscles of her arm as she raises a knife again. She brings it down onto the man kneeling before her. I can’t see him. Her body is glowing so brightly; he’s just a shadow, but I am enraptured at the sight of her. The brutal, yet precise, force she exerts has my body heating in a different way.
The rage from early returns, the urge to strike, overwhelming my arousal.
I want to kill.
There is an explosion of pink light; tentacles rise around me, consume me, and feed me all at once, and I am whole. Everything in the world is new and correct. I am as I always should have been.
Then, the vision ends.
The neon-lit tentacles around me ripple, like the beast shivers, just as I do when I feel my pulse between my legs. Its pupil dilates, turning from one long slit into an endless dark void like the one I woke up in. I don’t see myself in a reflection like I should. Instead, I see her again: the woman with tanned skin and angry eyes staring back at me. Her beauty is soul-deep, yet weary. It’s like she has been waiting for a safe place to rest, waiting for me.
There is no explanation why I know she is waiting for me, why I know that she is mine. Deep in the crevices of my soul, there is a rumbling, a clattering behind the cage that holds my heart. More tears pour from my eyes as I am flooded with a sense of longing. I’m open and exposed, yet still surrounded by tentacles. They vibrate and emit a low purr that seduces all feelings away until I simply am.
“Yes,”the monster hisses.“You are the one.”
“Who was that?” I ask. “How do I know you aren’t trying to trick me?”
“Trust us, Delphini Fields. All you must do is accept us, join in our mission, join with us, and all will be right in the world.”Tentacles slip around my body more, fluid dripping onto my skin, etching a mark on my chest.
“Join with you?” I gasp, trying to see what they are doing to me. Each dribble tickles the space between my breasts and my nipples harden at the sight of the suction cups pulsing.
“In time, all will be revealed. First, you must seek your revenge, use your fury to feed us their souls, their power. Our mate waits for you, but will you join our mission?”
Everything about this could be a lie. This could be hell, but flashes of that woman, my soulmate, keep drawing me back. The ache in her soul, the hunger in her eyes, I know she is real. If she is real, then everything else about this is as well. The monster said my destiny is split in two. This is my chance to seize control and take charge of my choices.
“I accept.”
Chapter six
Orthia
2 Days
Cuttingthenylonropeoff the woman’s ankle is simple enough. My filleting knife snaps the plastic and I collect the woman in one arm and the pathetic gym weight tying her down in the other. The water at this depth is dark and silent– peaceful. If I could remain here forever, I would be tempted to. But I can’t let my life’s work falter because I want something as simple as peace. Failing my Love isn’t an option.
I break the surface of the water and slowly swim back towards the small boat I used to get out this far. A few miles off, a yacht that is lit up like fucking Christmas is partying away. I wonder if she is a part of that group? There are no signs of any other vessel out here, but judging by the state of this one’s skin, she’s been under the water for a few hours. I’d been ashore, hunting, when Love signalled me.
When I arrived back atThe Princess’s Despair, my quartermaster had the sailboat ready for me. The older Selkie and I have been through this a few times now. She knows this routine well enough to know I don’t want assistance. What no one knows is that I’m terrified one day one of these rescues will lead to my soulmate. That I will drag them back into this life and they will be shackled to someone who can’t love any more.
Even if she accepts us, returning to this reality is still hard. We don’t know what her life was before she was abandoned to the sea.
I throw the weight aboard first, the large disk clattering against the metal. With one arm gripping the side of the boat, I try to haul the woman up. Her once-white dress keeps catching on the edge. I have no choice but to cut the garment off her and push it away from the boat so it doesn’t get caught in the motor. This time, I haul the woman up and crawl in behind her.
Once I have my jacket on, I look at her again and try to assess the physical damage to her body. She is bruised, the side of her face scraped and somewhat swollen, and one of her wrists appears to be broken. Love must still be trying to convince her that her revenge is a cause worth fighting for if it isn’t fixed yet. Where her appearance isn’t marred with bruises, it is a soft, deep terracotta colour that reminds me of the statues of a place I have long cast from my mind. Her figure could have easily been cast and fired by a great artisan, organic and perfect all at the same time. Something ancient people would have left at temples to honour gods and goddesses in hopes they would bring good fortune to the land.
But this woman has been ignored by them, like we all have.
I toss the oversized towel I brought along over her body and crank the motor on. She doesn’t flinch as it fires to life. We set course back to the dock. I watch the area around us, looking for anyone who might be out. The Coast Guard is quiet as usual, but now that the weather is turning warm and the tourist season has begun, late-night fishermen and reckless university students abound. The last thing I need is for them to shine a light in our direction and believe I am dumping a dead body.
She still could be a dead body if she doesn’t accept.
