Page 106 of Sea's Secret

She had, but was it our jest? Or was it that she truly wanted to be my mermaid? We had kissed, and that was something, something I would never let go of. I was far too selfish to give her up, ever.

I tangled my hand in her messy hair. “Tell me what happened,” I asked as I began to caress her hair.

She turned.

“Will you braid it again? It’s driving me to madness.”

“Well, we cannot have a mad mermaid aboard this ship,” I chuckled. She turned around, and I began. It took some time to untangle it, and then, I slowly sectioned and braided her very long hair.

“You were taken by a siren,” she said.

“A siren?”

“One of the crew members pushed you over after being coaxed by one of the sirens. One of them explained that after you fell, a siren knocked you unconscious.” I closed my eyes and stopped braiding. I had no memory of such a thing.

“If I was taken by a siren, why is my heart not ripped from my chest?”

“Did you know that not all humans are affected by the siren call?”

“No,” I said, continuing to braid.

“Only those with willing or weak hearts. It seems your heart was strong. They could not take your heart.”

“Because my heart was already taken?” I wanted to say something about it being hers. But no, it was way too soon to tell Meria that she had begun to take up a large place in my heart. I did not know anything about true love–or even the idea of love for that matter, but I felt something with Meria that I had never felt before.

Was that love? I was not sure. So until I was sure, I would stay silent on matters of love.

“Or you are strong enough to resist them.”

“I am sure that I am strong because of all the pain I endure.”

“I am so glad you are well. We did not know if you would wake up. We were able to save most of the crew, but Sands said we lost about seven men to those soulless abominations.”

“Horrible loss. Did the crew honor them?”

“Yes, a true sea burial. Sands performed it all, and only just this morning.”

I nodded. A sea grave was the way I wished to go someday, but, hopefully, after a longer life–that is, as long as I can live it on my terms.

“Thank you, again, for saving me, and the crew,” I said, but there was so much more I wanted to say. She had done so much, and I would never be able to repay her. I finished her braid and took a small piece of ribbon sitting on the side table, and I tied it at the end. I placed the end over her shoulder, and she touched it.

“You are so good at this, Dominick."

“I told you, it is nothing. Maidens have much prettier ones on land. They don't look so much like a rope when they do it,” I shrugged.

“My sister would sometimes braid sections of my hair, but usually I did nothing to it.”

“Do you miss your family?” I asked curiously.

“Not my father, but I do miss my cousin, sisters, and my nieces and nephews.”

“How many nieces and nephews do you have? I am sure you are a wonderful aunt.”

“Nineteen boys and twenty-five girls. I love children, and I hope to have a large family someday,” she said, standing with her head down as if that was a shameful thing.

That was the opposite of shameful. She would be an incredible mother. I could see it already in the way she was so kind, gentle, and loving. She was someone who deserved to be protected, yet she always cared for others. I never had a mother in my life, of course, aboard Veeto’s ship, but for the years I did, my mother had been all those things–although it had been an act. With Meria, it would not be.

“That sounds perfect,” I said.

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