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“You did the right thing,” Sam says quietly, joining me at my side.

I glance at her. “You’re siding with me instead of your dear husband? I never thought I’d see the day.”

She gives me a faint smile. “Don’t get used to it, Bones.” She smacks me lightly on the arm. “But going back for Sedge is the right thing to do. I know he’s not truly one of us, but I consider him as part of the Brethren all the same. You’re doing what a good, fair captain would do.”

“And you’re saying the quartermaster isn’t any of those things?”

She sighs and tucks the windblown strands of red hair behind her ears. “You know how Thane is. Stubborn as the devil made him. I have no doubt he would go back for any of the Brethren, but you know how distrustful he can be of others. Even someone as harmless and helpful as Sedge, someone who is truly part of the crew. You can’t really blame him or any of us for possibly feeling that way. Not in this world.”

I know what she means. “Humans can be nice.”

She chuckles at that, giving me a wry smile. “Humans can be nice? This is coming from the Captain Ramsay Bones Battista, who slices heads off first and asks questions later?”

I shrug. “We all have the capacity to do monstrous things.”

I think of Maren. She might not be “human” in that sense, or perhaps she is, but she’s a good example, nonetheless.

Sam must pick up on an expression on my face because she says, “You know, the princess would make a fine pirate.”

“Aye,” I agree with a nod. “Though she’s not a princess anymore,” I add quietly.

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

I can’t help but wince as I tell her the truth. “The prince is dead. The mermaid too.”

“The mermaid and the hostage are dead!?” Sterling suddenly bellows from behind me.

Fuck. Why does he have to overhear everything?

I sigh heavily and turn around to see Sterling standing behind me. The rest of the crew has frozen in place, staring at me in horror.

I run a hand down my face, wishing I didn’t have to say any of this.

With another loaded exhale, I address my crew, ignoring Sterling entirely.

“Unfortunately, the mermaid was dying.” Everyone gasps. “She didn’t have any blood left in her to give and whatever she had probably wouldn’t have worked in the state she was in. She was a decaying fish in a tank, that’s all. So I killed her out of mercy.”

“You could have at least let us try!” Sterling growls. “We still could have fed from her! She had a hole we could have fucked.”

I glare at him. “It was the right thing to do.”

“And you killed the prince too?” he adds, spitting as he talks.

I hesitate. I don’t want to throw Maren under the keel, but I don’t want to lie either.

“The princess killed him. She had enough of his abuse,” I say.

“Then the princess is to be put to death!” Sterling yells.

“The princess, Maren, still belongs to me. Body if not soul. You know how it works, Sterling. I claimed her as mine and that is a bond that doesn’t break for any member of the Brethren.”

He lumbers toward me, trying to look intimidating. He reminds me of a rhino.

“A brand doesn’t mean she’s yours,” he ekes out.

“What about her orgasm?” I say, running my fingers under his nose, knowing the smell of her desire still lingers.

His nose wrinkles, his face going red hot.