Tamara glared up at him, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady her breath.
"Why did you capture , human?" she demanded.
Daniel was still leaning over her, one hand planted in the sand beside her shoulder to stop her from bolting again.
"You speak human language quite fluently," he observed calmly. "As for why I captured you… you're the one who dragged into the sea."
Tamara's jaw tightened.
He wasn't wrong.
She had been the hunter. She had wrapped her extended fingers around his waist, pulled him from the deck like prey, and taken him below with every intention of tearing into him.
In all her years as a rmaid, no human had ever resisted once subrged. They panicked. They drowned. They scread.
None of them smiled.
Now she was the one pinned to the sand, forced into foreign clothing, breathing air she did not want, staring up at the sa man she had tried to devour.
Humiliation burned hotter than anger.
She snapped her head to the side, refusing to look at him.
"This is shaful," she muttered through clenched teeth.
Daniel tilted his head slightly. "You started it."
Tamara's glare didn't soften.
"So," she said after a tense pause, voice quieter but no less sharp, "are you going to eat ?"
Daniel blinked. "What?"
She held his gaze without flinching.
"You captured ," she continued. "You dragged from my tide. You forced strange coverings on my body. That is what predators do before they feed."
For a mont, Daniel simply stared at her, genuinely confused.
"Why would I eat you?" he asked flatly.
Tamara frowned slightly, as if his reaction made less sense than the question.
"You showed fangs," she said, recalling the burning skull. "You wore the face of a spirit of fire. You said, 'Shall we eat.'"
Daniel paused. "…That was sarcasm."
Tamara frowned. "What is that? Is it sothing to eat?"
He stared at her. "Can you think of anything besides eating?"
"What else is there?" she shot back. "Eating is survival."
Daniel sighed and finally stepped away from her.
The mont his grip loosened, Tamara moved.
She sprang to her feet and bolted toward the shoreline with startling speed, sand scattering behind her.
Daniel didn't chase.
A massive shadow rose from behind her—an inky, oversized hand forming out of darkness itself. It closed gently but firmly around her waist before she could reach the tide and lifted her clean off the ground.
Tamara hissed and kicked as the black hand carried her back.
"You are an exhausting rmaid," Daniel said as she was deposited beside him. He reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.
She snapped at his fingers.
"But you're caught," he added calmly. "And I'm taking you ho."
***
On the deck of the Black Pearl, a ripple of dark mist spread across the planks as Daniel reappeared.
Tamara stood just behind him, stiff and furious, eyes flicking toward the sea. She calculated the distance. She knew she wouldn't make it.
"Welco back, my friend," Jack said smoothly, eyeing the figure behind Daniel. "And I see you did not return alone."
Ragetti leaned forward. "Is that a rmaid?"
Pintel squinted. "She looks… pleasant."
Tamara slowly turned her head toward them.
Her mouth opened.
Rows of sharp fangs slid into view.
One hiss—low and predatory—was enough.
Both n stumbled backward imdiately.
"On second thought," Ragetti muttered, scrambling behind a barrel, "not pleasant."
Pintel nodded rapidly. "Very not pleasant."
Tamara closed her mouth and glared at the rest of the crew, daring anyone else to speak.
Elizabeth and Evelyn stepped forward at the sa ti. Their eyes moved from Daniel… to Tamara… then back to Daniel.
Relief flickered briefly—they had feared he might return with an entire swarm.
Then ca suspicion.
Daniel cleared his throat. "Before anyone misunderstands, this requires context."
Both won folded their arms.
"She followed ," Daniel began smoothly, "after hearing a tragic love story between a certain prince and a certain rmaid. Naturally, she was overwheld. First sight. Instant devotion. Kidnapping ensued."
Tamara blinked at him.
That was not even remotely close to what happened.
She opened her mouth—
Daniel imdiately clamped a hand over it.
"That," he said firmly, nodding toward her muffled protests, "is exactly what she was about to confirm."
Tamara bit his hand.
Hard.
He winced but did not remove it imdiately.
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "Why does that not sound believable?"
"And," Evelyn added calmly, studying Tamara's furious expression, "what exactly did she see in you that made her decide to kidnap you for romance?"
Daniel forced a light laugh. "Are you doubting my natural charm?"
Tamara managed to yank his hand away. "He—"
"Right, wonderful discussion, everyone. Very productive. We'll never continue."
Daniel gently but very decisively turned her around and began steering her toward his cabin.
"Almost beca a battlefield," he muttered, turning the lock with a click.
Tamara, standing right beside him, did not waste the opportunity.
Her eyes flashed.
If she couldn't reach the sea, she could at least draw blood.
She lunged for his neck.
At the last second, Daniel turned.
Instead of sinking her fangs into his throat, her mouth collided with his lips.
Both of them froze.
For half a second, there was only stunned silence.
Tamara's eyes widened.
Daniel blinked.
*****
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