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The ring is beautiful, silver with a crescent moon hugging a dark blue stone, the same color as the sea.
You are the moon, I am the tides, he had once told me.
“This is for you,” he says, clearing his throat. “Maren, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
My chest tightens, like I have too many euphoric feelings at once, and I steal a glance at his face. For once Ramsay looks positively boyish. Younger and unsure and there’s something so achingly vulnerable about him that in this moment you’d never think he was a bloodthirsty pirate who—
I stare back at the ring.
“Wait now, whose dead body did you lift this from?”
His vulnerability fades and his glower returns. “I’ll have you know, Princess, that I had the ring specially made for you while we were in Panama City. I just wanted to wait until the right moment to give it to you.” He pauses. “And the right moment happens to be right before you turn into a fish and that brand on your hip disappears. So that you remember you belong to someone.”
I glare at his use of the termfishbut I can’t stay mad at him for long because the ring is absolutely beautiful.
“Can I put it on you?” he asks.
“I didn’t say yes yet,” I tease him.
His face radiates impatience as he stares at me, waiting. “Well? If you’re going to tear my heart out and eat it, Maren, least make it quick.”
I laugh, the joy escaping me. “Yes,” I tell him. “Yes, you dirty pirate. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He slips the ring on my finger and then laughs, grabbing my face and pulling me into a long hard kiss that reaches every inch of my soul. When he’s done, we’re both breathless and he rests his forehead on mine, my face still cupped in his hands.
“You are the moon, I am the tides,” he whispers.
“I love you,” I whisper back.
Then I glance down and admire the ring on my finger.
“By the way I am not adirtypirate,” he scoffs after a moment.
“I know you’re not dirty, but I’m also not a fish.”
He chuckles at that and shrugs and then a familiar scent wafts over me, like sea salt and something deeper, muskier.
“We’re here,” I say anxiously, quickly getting to my feet.
“Are you certain?” he asks, getting up beside me.
I look around and then point to a small narrow island. “See that island? See the tip? I know that land. I used to haul myself up on shore all the time and look for ships.” I look back at him excitedly. “Limonos is right there.”
“Belay the ship!” Ramsay bellows to the crew below, then he waves his hand at the sails which deflate considerably.
I start climbing down the rope ladder as fast as I can and, as soon as my feet hit the deck, I’m running to the rail, shucking my stays and dress off until I’m completely nude.
“What the devil?” Cruz says as I run past him naked. He looks to Ramsay for an explanation.
“I don’t know,” Ramsay says. “I asked her to marry me and this was her reaction.”
I laugh at that and I’m still laughing as I launch myself over the side of the boat, swan diving into the sea.
The minute I hit the waves, my body transforms and I sigh with relief. Even though my teeth and claws have always come at will, my tail and gills never materialize until I’m in the water.
I use them both to my advantage and start swimming down as fast as I can, both eager and terrified to see what’s left of Limonos. But the deeper I go, the more my smile fades. There are some ruins of what was, coral formations and rocky caves and sea mounts, but there’s not a soul to be found.
“Hello?” I call out. Then I try calling from inside my head.Hello? It’s me, Princess Maren. Is anyone there?
