32. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

Meria

T here was a knock at the door, just as I finished my breakfast. The fish was a thousand times better than their horrid porridge, and I was becoming more tolerant of dry, air-drenched fish–although only if uncooked.

“Come in,” I called, and I saw Dominick standing there with something in his hands.

“You should not say that. When someone knocks, you should ask who it is. For safety reasons, I do not want anyone in here if you do not wish them to enter,” he said, walking to where I sat, behind his desk. He had a small smile on his face, his eyes brighter than usual. He seemed content–even happy. It made me smile. Perhaps, he was not in as much pain.

Did my tears help him? How could I help him even more? Until I had taken away all of the pain he held inside of his veins, I would find ways to continue healing him.

“What is this?” he asked, looking down at his clean desk.

“I cleaned it,” I said, trying to sound more confident with the choice I’d made, even if he did not agree with it.

“But, I knew where everything was,” he said, moving his brown hair from his eyes.

“Well, I placed it all in the drawers. It seemed you were making little use of them, and they will help keep your things from constantly falling off your desk. There was so much all over the floor.”

“As this is a stolen ship, most of this is not mine–” he trailed off as he touched the side of the desk.

“Well, regardless, you are using it,” I said.

“I took most of these out of the drawers because they were not mine, and I did not know where things I wanted were kept,” he said.

“Oh–”

“It is fine,” he said with his tight shoulders dropping within an exhale.

I quickly continued on. “If you need something and cannot find it, I will tell you where it is. I have a good memory,” I said with a smile.

“Is this a mermaid thing? Organizing?” he asked, looking up at me with a small upturn of his lip on the right side. Did that mean he was not upset with me?

“No–that is a me thing. You should see my shell collection. I have them all sorted by color and size. Drives my cousin crazy.”

“You collect shells?” he asked, his eyes darting around the desk, but his body was still, as if trying to appear nonchalant, but I could see his interest, and I smiled.

“Yes, I used to do it all the time. Well, I did collect them more before I had to entertain my betrothed. It has been less frequent over the past two moon cycles,” I said.

He nodded, cleared his throat, and lifted his hand up. I then realized he was carrying a sack.

“I brought you new clothing. It's still men's clothing, but it will better protect you while on the isle.”

“I can go?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes, if you wish, or you can stay here with the rest of the crew,” he said, setting the sack on the cleaned desk.

“Yes! I mean, yes , I wish,” I said with excitement.

“I don’t believe my sister is on this island. I think she is across the Mirror Sea. But Peter, as I am sure you know, is looking for his friend.”

“Yes, he told me about her. It seems that his theory is that his friend, Gwendolyn, was stolen by misguided pixies and brought here. So dreadful,” I said. I knew very little about pixies, but they sounded horrid.

“Yes, so we must be careful of them if we run into one on the island,” he said.

I nodded. “Of course, yes.”

He pointed to the sack and cleared his throat, his cheeks darkening in a rather adorable way. I never would have thought ‘adorable’ could have been used to describe the strong and rough Dominick, but it fit him right then. “Are you certain that you can put these on in a way that they cover your body? Or would you like my help?”

“Last time you gave me new clothes, I think I did a good job–much better than I did when we were on Marren Island,” I laughed.

“Yes, true,” he said faintly and looked in front of him. “It seems like forever ago when we were on Marren in that cave. I have never slept so well as I did then,” he whispered that last part, and I felt my mouth turn upward.

I felt the same way.

“Me, too–I miss that time, before you had to act like a pirate,” I said with a laugh.

“I told you, or rather, I warned you, that I was not a good man, that I was a wicked pirate,” he said with a wink and a smirk that made me want to throw my arms around him and never let him look at anyone else that way.

“You are a good man, Dominick. You are rough, strong, and fierce, but also kind and thoughtful.”

“If anyone heard such talk of The Cruel Hand–”

“Do you still want to be him? The Cruel Hand?”

“No–but–”

“But?”

“That is all I know. It commands respect and fear, so that I will have a crew who will work for me.”

“You know, Prince Peter’s crew respects him.”

“He is their ruler; they have to or will be thrown into prison. I have no such power over a crew. When I took over this ship, it was my reputation as The Cruel Hand that kept this crew in line.”

“No, Peter was the reason they have not fought you, why they did not release him and Captain Willaim,” I said. I figured he had not truly known how much Peter had done to try and placate his crew so that he could get closer to his brother. I had asked Peter over and over again if I could help him–even in the earlier days aboard the ship before Dominick had released him–even though it went against Dominick. Peter told me over and over again, to Captain William’s annoyance, that he was going to give Dominick time, and that he did not want to act rash. He even went as far as to say he appreciated the break from being the perfect prince as he leaned his back against the wall of the tiny cell underneath the ship’s deck, where he had been placed.

“Peter?” Dominick asked.

“Everyone from his crew attempted to release him and Captain William. He ordered them to obey you, telling them he ‘needed a break .’”

“Why would he do that?” Dominick’s brow creased with confusion.

“You are his brother. He wants to know you, not fight you.”

“I never wanted to hurt him, but I have a plan,” he said with determination.

“I know. But, you are a good man,” I said and watched as his rigid shoulders relaxed as he let out another long breath.

“It is so strange seeing him again. I want a relationship with him, but I'm not sure I can.” He looked down to his hands–his gloved hands–cursed hands, hands that I so badly wanted to heal for him.

“He wants that, too, Dominick. What happened to you? How did you get so separated from him and from your family?”

There was a long silence. Dominick did not look at me, but I waited. I waited, hoping he would explain.

“My mother, she sent me away when I was a lad, sent me off with my Uncle Veeto and the Crimson Blade. It was horrible. He locked me up without food or drink unless I did as he asked. He would force me to torture people, over and over again. So many times, I begged the Ancients to just kill me, but I still woke up each and every single morning. I was near to tossing myself overboard for the sharks, when Sands came aboard the Crimson Blade. He gave me hope for a goal and a future, away from Veeto.”

“Dominick,” I said, a tear dripping down my cheek. I walked to him from behind the desk. Slowly, I touched his face, and he looked into my eyes. His eyes made me tremble. So much pain and sorrow locked inside of them. I wanted to obliterate it all. He would not know if I tried a little to help him. I wiped at my cheek, then quickly pressed my tear to his cheek.

Heal , I sang within my soul’s melody, reaching out with all my power. I wanted to probe into him and search for his soul’s melody, find it, hear it, and connect to him and to who he truly was. But I knew humans had not used souls’ melodies for hundreds of years. I thought I heard a slight hum inside of him, but I was distracted when he took his gloved hand and pressed it to my hand, there on his cheek, locking me there. His head moved down closer to mine. His body moved closer as he took a few steps, our bodies only an inch apart.

I then heard the hum inside of him again–a piece of his soul’s melody, clearly trying to reach out to mine. He did have a melody. That brought me hope and reassurance; Dominick was good. He may have been made to do bad things, but his soul was good. I looked up at Dominick, and I began to caress his cheek. His hand was still pressed against mine but not enough to restrict my movements.

How much you have endured.

How much you have gone through,

I sang with my melody and with my voice.

I traced the scar on his cheek, that one symbol of his pain that made him appear even more

fierce and uniquely himself. He sucked in a breath as I gently touched the marred skin.

“What is this from? Will you ever tell me?” I whispered.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

“I can’t, Meria, not yet. I need–” he said deeply with a grit to his voice that shook me to my core. He closed his eyes and bent his head down.

I tugged his face in front of mine and caressed his jaw, his cheeks, and every inch of that handsome face until he finally opened his eyes. I quivered as I realized those stormy eyes, beautiful, dark, fathomless eyes, held even more pain than I had ever seen before. I did not want to remind him of something so painful.

“You do not have to tell me. Take all the time you need,” I said.

He nodded. “Thank you. I want to–”

“It’s okay, I promise. I will be here when you are ready,” I smiled. “But, Dominick, I want to help you with your pain. I can help take it away,” I said, caressing his cheek, wanting to tell him about my tears and how they could accentuate my touch, about my ability to remove his curse.

“No,” he said, taking a step back and breaking the vulnerable bubble between us. His walls were up again. “Don't ever try to take it away; I can handle it. I have for my entire life.”

“No, I do not agree with you,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“This argument will never end, will it?”

“Yes, I can help you, and I care about you.”

“I care about you, too, which is why I would never let you take on my pain to give me relief.”

“That is not how it works. I feel no pain when I use my magic.”

“Have you ever tried to heal someone like me? Someone cursed? Who knows what would happen? What if you healed me, and then the curse fell upon you? No. Absolutely not, Meria,” he said, shaking his head quickly. His voice was getting louder with determination, and with that fear, I saw a flickering in his eyes.

“That wouldn’t happen.” Although I said it, I had no idea, really. I doubted Ancient Draken would allow such a thing to happen to a magical being; still, the Ancients had abandoned us to the sea, and they also neglected our flickering lights. Who knows what Draken thinks of us.

“Meria, please. I already have a hard time living with myself and the way I have lived most of my life. I cannot add you to the list of people I have done wrong.”

“I can’t say I will never help you, but I will drop it for now. However, I would like to discuss it again.” He had to be okay with that because the feelings I had for him would not let me do nothing when he was in constant pain, and when I could do something about it.

“I will not change my mind. I may be many things, and I may have hurt many people, but I am not going to hurt you .” He stepped away from the desk and toward the door. “I will leave you to get dressed. We will leave soon.”

“Dominick?” I asked as he placed his gloved hand on the handle. He turned to look at me.

“I am sorry for your curse. You do not deserve it in the slightest.”

“Thank you, but I do deserve it more than you’ll ever know.”

Before I could say anything else, he was out the door.

My clothing was easier to put on than it was before. There was a small mirror on the inside door of the closet, and as I finished dressing, I took a look at myself and straightened my shirt and vest, making sure they were on correctly. I knew how it was to appear from observing the crew’s dress. The clothing fit me rather snugly. I was surprised. The outfit I had worn before was so large that it was hard to move in it. Even the boots were a size or two too large. The pants were too long as well as the sleeves of the shirt, and I realized I was rather short for a human. Perhaps, human females were shorter than males, though. I had yet to meet a female human, so I was not sure. But the men aboard were all taller than me.

The only thing I disliked was my hair. It was always wild. I still had the comb that Dominick had given to me on Marren, and I attempted to tame it a few times, but it never looked as it had when Dominick had fixed it before. In the ocean, my hair was never a problem. It floated about me, and I brushed it out, but being dry, I had no idea how to do it. I found a ribbon at the bottom of the cabinet and tried to tie my long hair back.

When there was another knock on the door, instead of granting entrance, I called out: “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Dominick said from the other side of the door.

“Come in!” I called. There was a noise, like the handle was being turned, and then it stopped.

“Are you dressed? As in fully dressed? Like you have the shirt on correctly, and your legs are in the pants? The only skin showing should–” He stopped talking as I opened the door and smirked at him with one hand on my hip.

“I think I’ve figured out human clothing.”

I’d spent the last twenty or so minutes before he knocked, making sure I had put on the clothes correctly. Although the thought did cross my mind more than once that it was a shame to do so, because the darkening of Dominick’s cheeks and his eyes darting this way and that when I did not wear human clothes correctly, was one of my favorite looks on him.

But alas, I put them on correctly, hoping to impress him.

He looked me up and down, silently, then cleared his throat. When his eyes met mine, I saw relief there. I smiled, holding back a giggle. What did he see in my eyes when he looked at me then? He seemed to hold my gaze like he was holding onto me, forever, anchoring me to him.

I would not have minded such a thing in the slightest.

“Well done,” he nodded, as he cleared his throat. He then looked at my hair, which I knew was ridiculous. I had given up on my hair; no matter how much I brushed it, the wind always tangled it up again.

“Let me help you with your hair,” he smiled; then he came inside, closing the door behind him. He motioned for me to sit in his chair, and he came around to stand behind me.

“I hate this hair. It does not do well out of the ocean. Perhaps I should cut it off?” I asked as he began to untie the ribbon.

“I beg of you to not cut it. Something so unique and beautiful should not be lost.”

I liked having my hair long. All mermaids had long hair, and we treasured it. I would not feel like myself without it.

“No, I do not wish to cut it, but it irritates me.”

He walked closer to me, and I breathed in sharply with surprise when he began to touch my hair, twisting it in his fingers.

“Is this okay?” he asked in a whisper.

I nodded, and he stepped away. I wondered what he was doing until I noticed he was pulling out a comb from his pocket. He smiled at me and stepped around, standing behind me.

I tried to compose myself as he lightly combed out the tangles with his comb, gently gathering my hair into sections as he quietly worked, tickling my neck every so often with the brush of his fingers. I closed my eyes, enjoying every single moment. I could have stayed there forever.

“There–is that alright?” he asked after a few minutes. His hands were no longer in my hair.

I reached up to touch my hair, which was all gathered together.

“I only know the braid we use for making ropes,” he said, moving from behind me to look at me directly. I could feel his eyes on me, but I did not meet them with my own. I felt the top of my hair and trailed the grooves down until I reached the end. I rested the braid over my shoulder and looked down at the way he had braided it. It did, indeed, look like the weave of the rope I'd seen on the ship. I smiled; it was pretty. I walked over to the small mirror on the closet to see it even better.

I looked different, older–stronger. I had never seen myself that way. I smiled wide at the pretty way the pink and blond strands twisted together.

“This is–Dominick! I love it! You have such skill.”

“I assure you, I am not good at it, but I hope it will suffice. Sorry, I do not have another lady here to help you more.”

“I enjoyed it. I mean, your hands felt good on my head.” I felt my cheeks darken.

Dominick smiled and walked over to stand behind me.

“I am glad to help. I have never seen such beautiful hair before,”

I watched both of our reflections in the mirror. He was so handsome. His features were so dark, where mine were light. A beautiful contrast. It was possible that I was growing more and more attached to that human. My heart was bursting with feelings for him, and my soul was constantly reaching out to sing a melody with him.

“We are ready to go,” his deep voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I turned around to face him and nodded, “okay.”

I looked at his lips. Edmar’s lips were a disappointment, but I couldn't stop wondering, over and over, how it might feel to kiss Dominick’s lips. I had a strong feeling it would feel completely different. Everything with him was different.

“Are you ready for an adventure?” he asked, his eyebrows moving up and down with that playful smirk he sometimes gave me. I laughed and touched his shoulder. His warmth was so addictive.

“I have been on an adventure ever since saving you. I would go on a thousand million adventures with you.”

“A thousand million, huh?” he questioned and motioned for the door.

“Or more, endless really,” I shrugged.

“Sounds like you like me a bit,” he said with a teasing smile.

“A bit, yes.”