Page 73 of Sea's Secret

“Okay, and after, be sure to get some sleep. There is no telling what danger lurks in those waters, and I need you sharp.”

“I am the sharpest dagger–”

“Sands–” I sighed.

“Okay, understood. I do hope there is gold near the Mirror Sea.”

“I hope my sister is there. I do not think it has been traveled upon by sailors since before the Great War. Any magical creatures will not take kindly to us being there.”

“I am not afraid of a few magical creatures,” he said with a slap to my back. “I will be back,” Sands said, and he slipped away from me, ordering the crew members below deck.

I waited until everyone was beneath the deck, then dimmed the four main lanterns on the ship, hoping that by doing so, it would stop most of the light from shining upon the water, avoiding giving Meria away.

I walked to my new sleeping quarters in the royal cabin and stripped off my boots, pulled on a worn pair of pants, and took off my jacket, vest, and shirt. If she was going into the water, I was going to accompany her, for safety reasons, of course.

She’s a mermaid. The ocean is the safest place for her. She does not need you. I shoved that thought away. I looked down at my gloves which reached up to my mid-arm. I did not have to wear them around Meria, so I pulled them off, feeling a release as I looked at my hands. The black in my veins spread every single time I took away someone's pain, a darkness that I was sure would overpower me, someday–and eventually, it would be my end. A rightful end for me after what I had done. I looked more closely at my veins and noticed that on my hands, the veins were not as dark–it was as if they were lessening.

How is this possible?

I walked quickly from the room, feeling the wooden boards beneath my bare feet, and missing the loud click of my boots as I walked. I reached the captain’s cabin door and knocked three times. Meria opened it and stuck her head out, looking back and forth, before her eyes rested upon mine. Her eyes widened as she looked at me. People did not like my black veins, which is why I covered them, or at least, that was part of the reason. She had seen them on Marren Island, but only part of them. They were, at that moment, on full display. A part of me was incredibly anxious to know what she thought of them. Did she hate them? Did they make me look like the monster I was?

“I know–” I began to apologize for my appearance.

“Dominick?” she gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. Then she did something I never expected. “Oh, Dominick!” she whispered and touched my chest, her warmth reaching deep inside of me. She began to trail one particular black vein with her finger.

It was hard to speak, hard to do anything, but I cleared my throat.

“This is my curse; I am fine. Sorry, it is unsightly. Are you ready to swim?” I wanted to sound confident and strong, but my voice was airy and light, tentative, and to my shame, fearful.

“Unsightly? Is that what you think of yourself? That is the last thing I think or anyone else who sees you thinks, Dominick.”

“What?”

“You are the most handsome human, or merman, I have ever seen, dark veins and all.”

I gulped. I liked that. My heart seemed to like it as well, for it was beating erratically, as if it was trying to reach her touch–those fingers on my bare chest. My heart always beat faster whenever I was around Meria, especially when she said kind things to me or touched me.

“Thank you, Meria,” I said, not knowing what else to say. I looked down at her, examining her, seeing–

Is she wearing a dress? I thought.

What she wore was a thin slip of some sort, barely reaching to her ankles.

“What is that?” I asked in shock, taking a step back and breaking the connection. Meria looked down at herself, touching the thin fabric of the dress at her stomach.

“Sands gave it to me; he said it was a good idea to wear it when I swim. I can tie up the lower part like this.” She began to lift up her dress to tie it, exposing way too much of her legs than what was proper, once again, and I grabbed her hands. It felt so strange not needing to fear touching her with my bare skin, and I caressed her skin, looking into her eyes, waiting for her to be in pain–to pull away from my painful touch. But she only smiled and moved in even closer to me.

She moved closer to me. She wants my touch. What is happening?

“Do not do that here.” I was unable to fully draw in breath. Meria was going to make my heart explode from my chest.

“But it is only you and I; I trust you,” she shrugged.

She should never trust any man that much, except maybe her husband. I gulped again and ran a hand down my face, trying to forget the image of her bare legs that were seared into my memory. She may have been a mermaid, but she had such beautiful legs. I shook my head.

Stop thinking about her legs.

“I cannot even begin to explain.” I cleared my throat. “Wait till we are in the water, okay?” I tried to sound kind, but knew I was doing a bad job of it.

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