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“Aria, please. No formalities necessary. And thank you for the compliment.” She hesitated, then motioned to the sack. “Can I help you with that?”

Brack jerked, seeming to have forgotten the sack, and gathered the three large packages against his chest. “Oh, no, no. Not at all. Caspian wishes for you to rest and eat. He has a few ships coming to dock today, but hopes to be through with work before the sun sets. If there is anything you need, I’m at your service.”

Aria crossed to the table and peered into the sack. A bunch of potatoes and root vegetables. A few items of lighter fare, fruits and cheeses. Two loaves of bread wrapped in cloth. A click and smack, a muffled clatter, came from the kitchen area. She had yet to explore that space. She never explored Jethro’s castle, fearing his wrath if he found her wandering the grounds. Her mother’s stories made her believe human life was a mixture of ancient times with modern amenities. Simplicity and convenience all in one. According to her mother, Alamari was one of many villages to be found on a separate realm, a place unreachable to mortals of other realms. As confusing as her mother made it sound, her curiosity often left her wondering how advanced other realms were compared to the one she knew.

She never shared the secret of traveling between realms.

Brack returned to the main room, brushing his hands on his pants. “Sit, miss. Please. Caspian won’t like that you aren’t eating. It helps you maintain your human appearance, right?”

Aria stiffened as she met Brack’s innocent gaze. A long stretch of unnerving silence passed as she played his question over in her head. Well, if he heard the rumors about her, he knew she was a mermaid. Caspian most likely confirmed the rumors, especially if he trusted this man.

With a tense nod, Aria took a seat at the table and gingerly picked at her food. Maybe her appetite would return.

“How long have you known Caspian?”

“Oh, about ten years.” He dug into the sack and began to load up an arm with produce. Aria stared at him, another piece of bacon between her fingers. He chuckled. “Yes, ten. He had just arrived on the docks, looking for work as a manager to oversee inventory. Lucky for him, the old manager came down with fever and happily handed off his position…for a piece of the earnings until he recuperated. Well, the old man never quite got over his fever, suffered a stroke, and Caspian built a name for himself faster than any manager before him. He stopped three shipments of weapons from being smuggled into the village and intercepted two additional shipments of smuggled spices. All within the first year. Earned a seat at the king’s table, he did. And the king’s trust. Quite a feat, considering the king’s reputation for torture.”

Brack’s proud smile faltered. He dropped his gaze and busied himself with unloading the produce. “Sorry, miss. I shouldn’t bring up such topics.”

Aria plastered on a smile. “It’s okay. It happened a long time ago.”

“Long time, aye, but your name is still on the tips of tongues and the king reminds his people often of rewards for the capture and maiming of you and yours. Some believe his wife’s jealousy over your rumored beauty—no rumor, or my eyes lie to me—refuel the hunt for you when it starts to die down. Others believe the king himself mad with jealousy, hence the reason he…well, that’s not a wise conversation to indulge in.”

Brack hoisted the armful of produce and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Aria to suffer the icy reminder of the past. Misjudged emotions. A false love that left her scarred inside.

“How does Caspian keep the trust of Jethro when he releases merfolk? Surely, after a decade of this charade, the king has begun to think something about Caspian is unusual?”

“Caspian doesn’t discuss the darker side of his dealings, miss. Not with me. He told me once, long ago, to trust him and not to question his motives or his choices. To understand that things happen without explanation and the less I know, the better it would be for me. I have a daughter, you see. She was only twelve when I first met Caspian, so I took his words as a warning and valued his secrecy. Never has he let harm come to me or my daughter. I believe he intervened a few times, but I never inquired, nor did I care to. My daughter is now happily married with a little one, far away from this wretched village.”

Curiosity had always been a weakness of Aria’s. “Then why stay? Surely there is nothing holding you here? Caspian would understand if you decided to leave. To follow your daughter and be closer to your grandchild. Wouldn’t he?”

Brack chuckled as he returned to the sack and dumped the rest of the contents on the table.

“Caspian is a good man, miss. A dearly good man with a selfless heart. He has tried to get me gone several times over the last couple of years, but I stay. I don’t wish to leave him to find another man he can trust as he trusts me. I owe him so much, and he will never accept anything material. So, I give the only thing I can that I know he appreciates and that’s my loyalty. Maybe when he finally decides to give up the dock life and settle down with a woman, I will find it time to part ways.”

The man’s brown eyes landed on her at the mention of a woman, a silent implication in the wistful gleam in his irises. A flicker of something warm—hope?—stirred in her belly.

“Ah, but that is neither here nor there. Eat up, miss. I’ve filled your ear and distracted you from your meal enough.”

“Not at all, Brack. I’m enjoying this conversation.” She took a bite from a slice of cured meat, her appetite making a comeback. “Would you be kind enough to tell me one other thing?”

Brack flashed her a bright smile, laying stalks of celery in the crook of his elbow. “I can try, miss.”

After a couple more bites, allowing him time to put the last of the produce away, she gained the courage to move ahead. “What has Caspian told you about me?”

When Brack returned this time, he carried two glasses of sweet wine. He placed one in front of her with a friendly nod. She thanked him, sipped, and sighed with delight. Human food was definitely a treat.

The man took the seat across from her and contemplated his answer, rolling the stem of the wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. Aria picked patiently at her food, savoring the strong flavors mixed with the more delicate essences. As the minutes stretched, she waved her question aside.

“Nevermind. It’s not right of me to put you in the position of breaking Caspian’s confidence. My apologies.”

“It’s not that.” He sighed and took a hearty drink of wine, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth when he was done. He lifted his gaze to hers and shrugged, a look of regret on his face. “You see, he confides much in me, but too much drink can make a tongue loose. Too loose. Has he spoken of you? Aye, he has. But to what extent would he have shared such confidences had he not been drunk? So, you see, I feel I can’t disclose much to you other than that he does speak of the friendship you once shared every now and again.”

Their friendship. A friendship she took for granted and cast to the bottom dwellers without a thought as to how her actions would hurt him. Well, ten years older and ten years wiser, she was beginning to understand regret with a clarity she cared not to admit.

“Would you mind walking with me to the docks when we’re done here? There’s some things I need to discuss with Caspian, sooner than this evening.”

A frown pulled at his full lips and a crease formed between his brows. He shook his head. “There’s been an uptick in activity from the royal guards this morning. I’ve been trying to find out why, but haven’t been fortunate. Caspian assured me there were no unusual ships coming to port today. He does not want you leaving his house without him, and I must say I agree. I’m aware he has some special”—Brack wiggled his fingers over his wine glass—“abilities that are far more helpful in protecting you than my fists.”