Dominion by Marissa Farrar

terrified of anyone having any hold over her at all.
    Elizabeth’s muffled sobs drifted down to her as she mounted the stairs. Her heart twisted.
    She knocked gently and popped her head around Elizabeth’s door. The little girl lay on her stomach on her bed, her face buried into her pillow.
    “Mind if I come in?”
    Elizabeth didn’t look up, but she shrugged. Serenity took her response as a “yes” and entered the bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her daughter’s back.
    “Everything’s okay, sweetie. Your daddy and I were just talking.”
    “No, you weren’t,” she said, her voice muffled in the pillow. “You were fighting.”
    “Okay,” Serenity admitted. “Maybe you’re right, but sometimes grownups fight.”
    Elizabeth sat up, sniffed, and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Does this mean Daddy is going to go and live somewhere else?”
    “No!” Serenity said, surprised. “Why would you think that?”
    “Some of the other kids at school have Moms and Dads who don’t live in the same house.”
    “Well, that isn’t going to happen to us.”
    “But it did happen before, didn’t it? When I was a baby, Sebastian didn’t live with us.”
    Serenity sighed. “Things are different now.”
    “Are they? So why won’t you marry him and why are you fighting?”
    “Sometimes grownups don’t agree on everything. But don’t worry, we’ll work things out. I promise.”
    Elizabeth’s eyes searched her mother’s face and seemed to accept what she’d said. “Okay, Mommy.”
    Serenity smiled. “You’ve had a long day. I expect you’re tired. Why don’t we get you ready for bed?”
    Elizabeth didn’t put up much of fight. “Can I have a story?”
    She’d grown out of having a story every night, the request a childlike need for routine and comfort.
    “Sure, honey. Go brush your teeth and wash your face first, though. ”
    Elizabeth grabbed her pajamas from beneath her pillow and wandered off to her bathroom. Within seconds, Serenity heard the faucet running and the sound of scrubbing as her daughter got herself ready for bed. She lay down in Elizabeth’s spot, the pillow warm and slightly damp from her daughter’s tears.
    Elizabeth came back from the bathroom and grabbed a book about a princess and a dragon from her bookshelf and snuggled up next to her mother. Serenity put an arm around her, pulling her child close, and began the story. Something about having her near always made life a little sweeter.
    “What would dragons eat?” asked Elizabeth , interrupting the story .
    “ Mice,” said Serenity, resolutely. “Dragons eat mice.”
    Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Mom! Dragons would not eat mice!”
    “Why not?”
    She thought for a moment. “I don’t know! Where would dragons live?”
    “They live in the clouds.”
    “Don’t be silly.” She put her hands in her lap, punching down the blankets. “Anyway, I don’t believe in dragons.”
    Serenity gave a gasp of horror. “Don’t say that! Every time a child says they don’t believe in dragons, a dragon dies.”
    Elizabeth laughed. “That’s fairies, Mommy!”
    “No, it’s dragons as well.”
    “Well , I don’t believe in them.”
    Serenity darted forward and clapped a hand over her daughter’s mouth. “Shhh! You’ve killed two dragons now. Any more and they’ll come after you. And you don’t want to make a dragon angry.”
    Elizabeth squealed with laughter, twisting her head away to try to get out of her mother’s grasp.
    Serenity laughed along with her. It felt good to not only see Elizabeth happy, but to laugh again herself. Sometimes she needed to remind herself Elizabeth was only a child—despite all of her abilities—and she needed to be allowed to act like one.
    The bedroom door opened and Sebastian stepped into the room.
    “I came to say goodnight.”
    Serenity offered him a smile and then kissed Elizabeth’s soft cheek. “Your father’s right. It’s late. Time to get some