The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea - Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,18

so no one questioned the amount of drool coming from his mouth.

He dropped down lower and passed over the ship so he could hear them talking.

“Look! There’s another one.” Maeve pointed at the ocean, where a shiny black seal had just surfaced.

“It’s not Brody,” Nevis muttered. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Maeve sighed. “I know. I’m just so terribly worried about him.”

Worried? She was worried about him? Brody tipped to the side and landed clumsily on deck. He hopped out of the way when a sailor nearly kicked him, then flapped his wings to lift himself up onto the railing not far from Nevis and Maeve.

“Seems to me that you’re more than worried,” Nevis mumbled. “Brody’s on your mind all the time.”

Maeve blushed. “I just hope he’s on the Isle of Mist. Or, if he isn’t, that the Seer will be able to tell me where he is.”

Brody waddled along the railing so he could get closer. Maeve had come all this way to look for him? Damn.

“And I hope the Seer can tell us where the Embraced army is hiding,” Maeve added.

Brody flinched and one of his webbed feet slipped. Splat. He hit the deck hard. Dammit to hell! What was Maeve doing? She shouldn’t be involved in this. It was too dangerous! She should be safe at Ebton Palace. Why the hell had Leo and Luciana let her come here?

Apparently, his fall had made too much noise, for Maeve and Nevis spun around and spotted him. He folded his legs under him and squatted down as if it was something he did all the time. He slanted a wary glance their way to see if they were still looking at him.

Maeve’s eyes narrowed. “Brody?”

“Oh, for Light’s sake!” Nevis shouted as he clenched his fists. “Would you please stop calling every animal you see Brody?”

Maeve shot him an annoyed look. “I have good reason to be suspicious. Brody has taken the form of a pelican before.”

With a snort, Nevis motioned toward the pelican. “That’s the scroungiest-looking bird I’ve ever seen. Brody would never look that bad. And did you see its eyes? It obviously has the intelligence of a flea.”

Brody aimed a glare at Nevis, then flapped his wings to take off.

“I think you hurt his feelings.” Maeve’s voice could barely be heard as he flew toward the island.

“It didn’t understand me!” Nevis yelled. “It’s a bloody bird!”

Back in the cottage, Brody shifted into a dog. What should he do? He paced back and forth, considering his options. Soon, Maeve and Nevis would be taking a rowboat to the Isle of Mist. Should he meet them in human form? But which human—Brody or the Seer?

If he met them as Brody, they would be happy to see him. He paused in his pacing to marvel once again that Maeve had been so worried about him, she’d come all this way in hopes of finding him.

He’d always thought that she didn’t care for him. After all, she kept insulting him by calling him Julia.

But he certainly cared about her. From the minute he’d first seen her, he’d known she was special. He’d known that she would grow up to be beautiful. And she had. He’d known that just the sound of her voice and laughter would attract men in droves. And it had. She had a long line of suitors at Ebton Palace.

He hated it. He wanted to growl at all of them and chase them away. It was laughable. Pathetic. A dog who wanted the most beautiful woman in the world for himself?

So he had decided to avoid her. Remain aloof. The only time he allowed himself to enjoy her company was once a month when he could disguise himself as a seal or river otter.

He would need to disguise himself once again. This time, as the Seer. He could tell her that Brody was alive and well. And that, as the Seer, he had envisioned her future. She was supposed to go back to Ebton Palace, where she would be safe.

His heart ached at the thought of deceiving her, but what else could he do? If she had any feelings for him, he had to put a stop to them. He didn’t know if he would ever get rid of this damned curse, and he could never ask her to share his accursed life. Maeve was too special, too sweet to be stuck with a man who could be a husband for only two hours