Alice, ever observant, spotted the fleeing thief almost instantly. "Stop right there!"

  She conjured her gloves and dashed forward, her movements quick and fluid, trying to intercept the fleeing shark woman. She shot out thread from the tips of her gloves and ensnared Delphina with them, wrapping her up nice and tight, before yanking her closer to her.

  Delphina grunted in frustration as she found herself snared in Alice's thread, her plans abruptly thwarted. She struggled against her restraints, but they held fast, holding her in place.

  "Damnit..." she cursed, her voice a hushed growl as she tried to wriggle free.

  Alice, her eyes narrowed, took a step closer, her voice cold. "Stand down."

  Behind Alice, Rachel also approached, her eyes scanning the captured thief with a mix of curiosity and wariness. "Looks like we caught an interesting one, huh?”

  The shark lady tugged futility at the threads, her frustration growing. "Get...these damn things... off!" she demanded, each struggle only tightening the woven bonds further.

  Zalgo approached as well, her figure looming behind Alice and Rachel. "What's your name," she asked, eyeing the woman's shark tail.

  The shark lady's eyes flicked to Zalgo as she felt the girl's presence.

  "What's it to you?" she retorted, her voice still tinged with defiance despite her predicament.

  Zalgo's eyes narrowed, her voice cool. "Just curious. Never seen a shark woman like you before. You...don't seem natural.”

  The shark lady tensed, a hint of unease crossing her face. "What do you mean by 'natural'?"

  Zalgo's gaze remained fixed on her, her eyes scanning her features. "Your shark tail... it's not an illusion, is it? You can really breathe and function underwater with it, can't you?”

  The shark lady's jaw tensed as she realized her secret was exposed. She gave a slight nod. "Yes, the tail is real. I can breathe and move underwater without any issue."

  Zalgo let out a soft hum, her eyes still studying the shark woman. "I see. So you're not entirely human, then.”

  The shark lady's jaw clenched, a mix of annoyance and weariness in her voice. "And what of it? Does it matter?"

  Rachel jumped in. "Nah, it just means you're a rare catch. Not every day you run into a human with a friggin' shark tail."

  Alice's curiosity got the best of her as her hand started reaching for Delphina's tail…

  Delphina, her tail being her most sensitive area, jolted at Alice's attempt to touch.

  "Don't...touch it," she hissed through gritted teeth, her body tensing against her restraints.

  Alice drew her hand back, giving a reassuring, "Relax. Not gonna hurt you or anything..."

  She reached out again…

  Delphina let out a sharp gasp, her body tensing again as she felt Alice's touch on her tail. It was very sensitive, almost intimately so, and feeling someone else's hands on it sent a sharp shock through her body.

  “This is soft," Alice mused, clearly mesmerized. "Almost like...silk."

  Delphina, her body now trembling with frustration and an odd sensation, swatted the hand with her tail, leaving a nasty mark on it.

  Alice let out a sharp cry as Delphina swatted her hand away. She took a step back, clutching her hand and wincing at the bruise that was rapidly forming.

  Rachel, watching from the side, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Alice's antics. "For someone so smart, you have absolutely zero self-preservation skills sometimes.”

  Delphina, seeing the effect her tail had on Alice's hand, felt a twinge of satisfaction mixed with annoyance.

  "Serves you right," she huffed, her voice dripping with spite. "I told you...not to touch...my tail…”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Alice, her hand still smarting from the hit, let out a small laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, no touching the tail. But damn, it is a nice tail, I must admit."

  Rachel, her interest piqued, moved closer to inspect the tail as well. "Know what, I won't pretend anymore. Can I try something?”

  The shark woman, now even more irritated by their continued interest in her tail, growled in protest. "No! Stop...what are you-"

  But before she could finish, Rachel's hand reached out and gently pressed on the base of the tail.

  Delphina's body tensed again, a sharp gasp escaping her lips at the touch. The base of her tail was even more sensitive than the fin, and the pressure from Rachel's hand sent a powerful rush of sensation through her body. She tried to pull away...but the restraints held her in place, so she did as before and retaliated with another harsh tail strike, this time aimed at Rachel's face.

  "Fuck-!" Rachel cried out as the tail struck her face. The hit left the entire left side of her face a deep red shade, and she instinctively rubbed the spot where she had been struck.

  Delphina, a smirk creeping onto her face at causing such an impact, huffed out a harsh breath.

  "Damn right it is," she retorted, her eyes glinting with a mix of pride and annoyance. "And it doesn't like being pawed at like some doll.”

  Rachel, clearly amused by the whole situation, let out a snicker. "Damn, your tail is a damn weapon!”

  Alice, still rubbing her face where the tail had struck, chuckled softly. "You sure have a way of making your point clear..."

  Rachel, still not letting this go, suddenly had an idea as she returned her attention to Delphina. "Y’know what? I have the perfect plan. Either ya give us what we want, or we'll have all the fun we want with your tail while you're tied up.”

  The shark woman's eyes widened in realization at the threat. The thought of her tail, a sensitive and personal part of her, being manipulated and prodded at by these women made her blood boil.

  "You...you wouldn't dare..." she hissed through clenched teeth.

  Rachel, her smirk growing, stepped closer and gently ran her hand along the fin once more. "Oh, I think we would dare. Just give us what we want! First off, what's your name? Wouldn't wanna call ya ‘Shark Lady’ all the time.”

  The shark woman, her body tensing under the touch, let out a low growl. Despite her defiant exterior, the threat of further manipulation clearly had her rattled.

  "It's...it's Delphina," she grudgingly spat out, her eyes locked on Rachel's hand on her tail.

  Rachel, now satisfied with having a name to call her, chuckled as she continued gently stroking the fin. "Delphina, huh? That's a pretty name."

  Alice, who was still recovering from the hit, chimed in. "And fitting, considering your tail. I mean seriously, a huge ass shark tail is definitely memorable…”

  Delphina, her body still reacting to Rachel's touch, gritted her teeth. It was maddening, the way her tail seemed to have a mind of its own, responding to each touch with a mix of sensations that she couldn't control.

  "Shut...shut up about the tail," she hissed, her voice laced with frustration. "It's just...a part of me..."

  "The hell it is!" Rachel called back, reaching down to the base of Delphina's tail and giving it a nice squeeze, which earned her a yelp and a swift tail swipe straight to the face, just like Alice earlier.

  Alice, watching the scene, winced in sympathy as Rachel got nailed again. "Damn, that thing is like a whip!"

  Rachel, rubbing her face, let out a groan as she staggered in place, dizzy from the blow. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that."

  Delphina, seeing her attacks had the desired effect, smirked. "And don't you forget it. My tail is not a plaything, got it? Keep your hands off.”

  Rachel, her face now sporting a matching bruise to Alice, took a step back, clearly having learned her lesson. "Right, we get the picture. Tail is off-limits..."

  Zalgo, however, couldn't help but notice the smirk on Delphina's face as she asked. "What's so funny, Delphina?”

  Delphina, her smirk growing, responded to the question with a hint of sarcasm.

  "Oh, nothing much. Just enjoying watching you idiots get smacked in the face by my tail. It's quite...satisfying.”

  Rachel, her face still smarting from the last swipe, couldn't help but shoot back with a biting comment. "Yeah, yeah, real nice. You're loving the fact that your tail is a freaking weapon, huh?”

  Delphina, her smirk turning into a cocky grin, replied in a cocky tone. "Damn right I am. It's a damn useful weapon, and it serves its purpose well. Can't fault me for being proud of it, can ya? Check this,"

  Seeing Alice was still within range, she swung her tail again, aiming for Alice's face. The impact this time, which landed on the right side of her face instead, was several times stronger than the first strike. Alice's Aura Shield broke from the impact, and her thread holding Delphina consequently weakened, the latter finding it easy to wriggle out of the cocoon of thread now.

  The room fell quiet again as the girls stared at Delphina, who now stood free. Rachel and Alice exchanged a grim look, their bruised faces a testament to Delphina's strength and deadly tail.

  Alice looked particularly sore, her nose still oozing blood from the hit as she laid on the floor of the balcony, dazed out of her mind and staring into space.

  "Al, get up!" Rachel yelled, shaking Alice's body frantically. But Alice remained unresponsive with the same spaced out look on her face.

  Rachel, growing more worried, shook Alice's body more vigorously, to no avail. "Al, come on! Snap out of it!"

  Delphina, amused by their predicament, smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, looks like your friend's not doing too hot, is she? Guess that tail-strike really did a number on her.”

  Rachel shot a glare at Delphina, her hands still shaking. "Just shut it, alright! I'm trying to help her!"

  Delphina chuckled, enjoying the sight of Rachel's distress. "Good luck with that. You saw what my tail did to her face. She's probably got a concussion or something from that blow. She won't be getting up anytime soon. Now if you'll excuse me..." she trailed off, reaching into her trench coat’s pocket to show Rachel and Zalgo the key she just stole from the auction. Except...it was gone?!