Page 127 of Sea's Secret

“But if you did–you would say it was her?” I heard Peter ask as he was still looking at Dominick. “I am excited to have half-mer nieces and nephews.”

“Peter!" Gwendolyn scolded again.

“What?”

“I should have remembered how annoying you always were. It has really been nice without you here,” Dominick grumbled.

“You missed me,” Peter said with a laugh,

“I am not sure I did. It is nice to have you here, Gwendolyn.” Dominick nodded to her.

“I do not understand. Why are their parents not searching for them?” I asked, looking again at the children.

“Pixie dust. The pixies cover their tracks by sprinkling this dust over the children’s families before they take them away, and the families forget, forget about their children,” Gwendolyn said, sadly.

“They forget that they have children? That is frightening,” I whispered.

“Don't worry, I charmed the pixies. They love me now, and we have an agreement,” Peter said with a puffed out chest. “These children will be safe and will be reunited with their families, who will remember them upon their return.

“Really? What agreement did you make with those unstable creatures?” Dominick asked.

“Really. The agreement is mine and mine alone thank you. But really is of little concern. Like I said, they are dimwitted,” Peter said, pulling Gwendolyn into his arms from behind and walking with her, very awkwardly, across the room to the door, and then they left.

Dominick chuckled, and the lightness of it was so beautiful.

My eyes locked onto his.

“I know we must speak, Meria. Thank you for being patient,” he said, touching the scruff of his jaw.

“Of course.”

“But, I promised if you helped me through these seas, I would help you find your mother, and I will keep my promise. I know that Ancient Celia said that your mother would come to you when you need her most, but I will stay with you till you are reunited with her, and make sure you are safe.”

“Thank you. What about your sister? Do you know where she is?” I asked. Needing to know if he finally received the answer to that question, what he had been wanting the entire time.

“No, I do not. I am no longer searching for her. We will arrive at Marren Island tomorrow. After that, I can take you wherever you desire to go,” Dominick said; then he walked over to me, picking up one of the little girls attached to my leg and tucked her into the bed. I watched in silence as he cared for those little children and placed them side by side in the bed. He walked back to me and reached out his hand to help me up. He wore gloves, and I took his gloved hand in mine.

“Those children are too cute for their own good,” he said with a chuckle. “I have not spent much time with children, but I have taken away pain from many children. I will gladly do so again tomorrow.”

“I healed them; I could not stand the pain in their eyes,” I told him.

Dominick nodded. “You should get some sleep, then, Meria. I am sure you are exhausted,” he said, caressing my face. It was the first time since the Mirror Sea that he had touched me like that, and I craved more.

All the answers I had ever searched for could only be given to me by him. Of course, I wanted to find my mother, but I wanted to have a future with that man. I wanted to be his. But I could not speak up and say those words. He took his hands out of mine and brushed some hair from my cheek. Then he lifted one hand and reached into his pocket. He held up a teal colored seashell.

“I found this, it reminded me of your tail. I remember you saying that you collected seashells,” he said, clearing his throat, looking a little uncomfortable.

“I do, I love it,” I said, taking the pretty shell from him with a gleaming smile.

“Beautiful,” he said with a nod. He cleared his throat again. “Once we face the rest of these treacherous waters, we shall converse more, I promise. I only need a little more time to gather my thoughts. I am not used to sharing things,” he said, clenching and unclenching his gloved hands.

“I understand. Thank you for telling me. I am willing to help you if you ever need me. We can figure it all out together.”

“I will always need you, Meria. Do not doubt that.”

Then before I could say anything else, he turned and walked out of the room.

Chapter Forty-Four

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