Page 127 of A Yulean Sister’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped

He also took that pocket watch that used to be Coltar’s and launched it off the side of the ship.

Bramwell showed me the book he found when we got back too. The necklace I was wearing, officially called Lestia’s Grand Compass, was one of the many artifacts hidden in the sunken city.

The details had been muddied since it had been so long, but when the city fell to the ocean, there were wars fought over whose jurisdiction it would fall under, especially with all the treasure it contained.

Eventually, the siren’s took control and had been hiding it ever since. Where the necklace was in all that time, I wasn’t sure, but it was obviously at risk to have ended up with me.

It wasn’t a complete story, but the pieces were enough for me to understand. I’d had a purpose, and a job, this whole time.

One I’d ended up being really fucking good at apparently.

The door creaked open and I jumped, setting my project down on the side of the bed.

“You’re back early,” I said.

He slithered over, getting himself situated on the bed until he was laid in my lap. “It doesn’t feel like it,” he said. “I didn’t even want to leave this morning.”

“I didn’t want you to leave either.” I ran my fingers through his hair, letting it wrap around my fingers.

“Well, we should get used to it,” I said.

His brows pressed together. “What does that mean?”

“I have to go home,” I said dumbly.

“Uh-huh,” he said, as if that didn’t mean anything.

“And you’ll be… here,” I gestured around. “We won’t be together.”

“Is that what you think?”

I blinked. “Was I supposed to think something else?”

He sat up, letting his tail fall off the edge of the bed and faced me head on. “I thought I had made it clear,” he tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, and I leaned into the touch. “We’re never going to be apart again.”

“What about your ship?”

He swallowed. “I’m taking a bit of a… leave of absence.”

“What does that mean?”

He gathered me up, pulling me towards him.

“It means, that I’m going to go home with you and convince your parents they should let their youngest marry a pirate.”

My heart thudded in my chest. “Marry?”

“Well,” he shrugged, the slightest bit of pink touching his cheeks. “Not quite yet, but one day.”

“And who will be here?” I asked. I’d grown quite fond of this crew, and I didn’t want to see anything happen to them.

“Connie will take over for a little while. She’s my second, and I trust her.”

I nodded. “She’ll be good at that.”

We’d been on much better terms since I returned. I didn’t think we would be best friends any time soon, but I could walk across the deck without getting the evil eye from her. So that was… something.

“You really want to come back?”