Page 46 of Sea's Secret

“Even a beautiful prison is a prison, and a prisoner is what you are if you cannot do as you desire.”

“I never thought about that. But I am not soft.”

“It is not a bad thing to be soft, Meria. I am rough and hardened by the bad things in this world. Believe me, that is a compliment, coming from me.”

I was not sure exactly what that meant, but I nodded and went on with my story. It felt good to get it all out. “I refused to marry him, and then I was banished for telling my father that mermaids might have the ability to have legs. ‘We do not speak of such things,’ he said. ‘It is treason.’ My mother–she was banished for the same thing, I believe. For my entire life, I did not know all the reasons as to why she had been banished. But now I understand: she was banished, trying to save our people. All this time, I was led to believe that she had betrayed our kind—but she had not.”

“I wish I could help you.”

“I need to find her. You can help me; you can help me find her in Walden.”

“I told you–I am banished from Walden.”

“Yes, but if you come back with your sister, you will no longer be banished, right? Then you can help me. I am sure the royals have records, and that they could help me locate my mother.”

He paused as if thinking. I watched him. His profile as he looked at the waves was very attractive. It was strange because he was so different from Edmar–the man I had believed was so perfect. Edmar really was perfect by mermaid standards. I had no idea what humans considered perfect in a male, but I was starting to discover that there was something perfect in the imperfection that was Dominick. As odd as it sounded, it felt right sitting there and telling him everything. My soul was pleased to be with him. It was more obvious than ever before; that man before me–that human–was better than Edmar. He cared about my safety as Edmar did, but it was different. He did not belittle who I was. He liked that I loved children, that I was kind, even reserved. But I had been sheltered all my life from the world, and I was ready to experience what was out there, even if it changed me.

Dominick turned his head, and I felt my cheeks warm as his eyes locked onto mine. They were so dark, so blue, like the depths of the fathoms below the surface of the ocean, and I wanted to get lost inside of them. He lifted his lips into a very attractive smile. I took that as a good sign.

“So do we have an agreement? I help you cross the Misted Seas and help you find your sister, and then, you help me find my mother?”

“Are you sure this is what you want? Once you see what evil is in this world, I am afraid you can never go back to the time when you did not know about it.”

“I have spent most of my life sheltered from anything but what my father wanted. I am ready to choose for myself what I do, even if that brings me into danger.”

“If we do this, I will do all in my power to keep you safe, but I won’t be able to keep all the horrors of the human world from you.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that. So? Are we in agreement?”

There was a long silence. I looked at Dominick, and he looked at me.

I watched as a small smirk appeared at the left side of his mouth.

“Well, I do need a mermaid, and you are so conveniently here–” he said with sparkling eyes of what appeared to be mischief, although there was nothing mischievous about it. It was a handsome, playful glint within his eyes. It made my stomach feel as if I was caught up in a wave, spinning and then crashing upon the shore. Yet, somehow, it was not painful–or even scary, only—exhilarating.

This is right.

“So, Meria, how would you feel about that? Being my mermaid? If I claim you as mine, that will keep you safe from other men, at least,” he said with a wink.

“Claim?”

“Do mermen not claim mermaids?”

“I mean, I guess so.”

“I think it best if we make it clear that you are mine. Just so you know, I may have been born Prince Dominick of Walden, but I have not been that for a long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am a pirate. I have done many bad things, and I will continue to do bad things in the future, I can assure you. I am not like your well-behaved and obedient betrothed.”

“I do not want you to be like him.”

“So, you are okay with me being a pirate? I am not a kind pirate,” he said, running his hand over his jaw, which was covered in scruff. It was getting thicker every day.

“Whatever you must do,” I said, too curious to say more.

He nodded and leaned back on his hands in the sand, stretching out his booted feet in front of him. I was still holding my knees to my chest but slowly removed them.

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