"What I am getting at here, Señorita, is that you could do no better than to marry into the Beringer family. You and Dominic are well suited to each other."
Alannah had only half heard what he said, for her mind was on something that Santiago had said earlier in the conversation, and that was her being a child of war, and what that implied.
Dominic arrived as the last rays of sunlight faded beyond the horizon, leaving the sky and her mood in darkness. Looking up at the stars, she reflected on the fact that they were in fact a beacon leading the way for her father to find her, glittering high above the earth like the reflections of daggers in a killer's eyes. Looking at Dominic there was something about him that night that was just as dark and dangerous as the night itself. Yet Alannah's fear for his safety vanished and in its place was a mixture of awe and trust. Santiago filled him in on the days events, the intruders and a strange connection between Alannah's father and the two men. Dominic took the news without expression, all the while watching Alannah with a combination of fear and love in his eyes.
He sighed deeply as Santiago finished telling the tale, "Gracias" was the only thing that he managed to say, and that was to Tresa as she handed him a cup of fresh brewed coffee. Dominic took out one of his cheroots and lit it with a match which, he then tossed the match into the fire. Sitting down and stretching out his long legs, he put his hands over his head and bowed as if he were praying for guidance, after a long moment in silence he raised his head and said -
"I will have my men scower the island for these men. We must also talk to Erik and Jakob and see what they know of the men on the island. We will look for Matias and bring him in along with a few of his friends picked up and brought in for questioning. It is possible that he saw you Alannah and recognized you." he said with a sense of authority that was not to be messed with. "I should have put an end to his mischief a long time ago. It could be that my leniency on him that has contributed to this new sense of tom foolery. If he is behind the failed attack on you, he will pay dearly, I will not have the lives of my friends or family or the life of my fiance threatned. He cares nothing for the laws of this land."