She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Danny. He embraced her without hesitation.
“It was probably just a coincidence,” she said. “You know the seizures vary in length. Maybe this one was just shorter and happened to end when he touched me. But I’m okay, really.” She pulled back. “I’m assuming since we’re both still here and he made the effort to carry me to a couch that he doesn’t intend to kill us?”
Danny snorted. “So long as we don’t touch his peanut butter.”
Adalynn chuckled. “Then I guess we better not touch it.”
“I grabbed our water though.” He dragged his pack closer, unzipped it, and pulled out one of the bottles, handing it to her. “You should drink some.”
“Thanks.” She unscrewed the top, lifted it to her mouth, and drank the whole thing in a matter of seconds. There was no need to conserve right now; this place had running water! They’d just refill everything before they left; so long as they showed respect to their host, she didn’t think he’d deny them that.
After she handed the empty container to Danny, she studied the room again, frowning. It was dark, aside from the gentle light coming from the fireplace. Rising from the sofa, she walked to the nearest window, drew back the curtain, and looked outside.
Night had fallen. The sky had an eerie gray glow, a result of the halves of the shattered moon backlighting the clouds, and everything below it was varying shades of black and gray. The cleared ground behind the manor led to the impenetrable darkness of the surrounding forest—though there was something different straight ahead. It looked like an overgrown wall of hedges, but it was difficult to tell for sure in the gloom.
“How long was I out?” she asked.
“A while. At least a few hours.”
Adalynn released the curtain and returned to her brother’s side as he stood up and stretched. “And he hasn’t come back?”
“Nope.”
That had to mean he wasn’t going to hurt them—or she hoped it did, anyway. If he’d planned to do them harm—and he had reason to, considering what they’d done—he could’ve done so several times over. She’d been helpless for hours, but he’d left her and Danny alone.
Adalynn sat on the sofa, grabbed her bugout bag by the strap, and dragged it closer. She opened it and rummaged through its contents until she found a couple protein bars.
“Here,” she said, offering one to Danny. “Eat.”
Danny groaned, his posture sagging. “Those things taste like cardboard and sand, Addy. I know he’s got real food in the kitchen.” He held his empty hand up, palm toward the ceiling and fingers slightly curled. “I had peanut butter right here, in my hand.”
She smiled. “But this is our food, and that’s his food—food he didn’t offer us. Do you really think it’s a good idea to press our luck?”
With a comically exaggerated sigh, Danny accepted the protein bar, tore the wrapper, and slowly—so slowly it almost seemed to pain him—peeled it down. He lifted the bar to his mouth and nibbled the corner, shuddering as he chewed.
Adalynn opened her protein bar and took a bite. It really did taste like cardboard and sand. She chewed anyway, forcing herself to swallow—it was better than nothing. Supplies were scarce, and their stores were limited; they couldn’t afford to be picky. Food was food. Survival trumped taste.
She’d only eaten half of the bar before she curled the wrapper around it and stuck it back in her pack. Danny finished his despite his complaints and followed it up with a big gulp of water.
He wiped his mouth with his arm and grinned. “We should check this place out.”
Adalynn shook her head. “We should stay here and wait for that man to come back.”
“Addy, it’s been hours. He might not come back at all until morning. Why not explore the place?”
“Even if he doesn’t check on us until morning, this is his house, Danny. He’s being gracious enough to let us stay for now, despite everything.” She looked her brother over and frowned; his clothes were tattered and filthy, there was dirt smudged on his cheeks, and his hair was a tangled mess. She probably didn’t look any better, but at least she’d had a few hours of rest. “You need to get some sleep, anyway.”
“I can’t sleep. I’m bored, and restless, and I just need to move.”
Adalynn, strangely, felt that same restlessness—as though she were brimming with energy. But that didn’t mean they should sneak around a house that didn’t belong to them, no matter how curious they were.
“Danny, we—”
“Please?” he begged, lacing his fingers together and staring up at her, pleading with his big, baby blue eyes. That look always swayed her. “I won’t touch anything. Promise.”
Adalynn flopped against the backrest, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling. “Ugh, why do I always give in to you?”
He smiled. “Because you love me.”
She sat forward and jabbed a finger at him. “Don’t touch a single thing. Nothing. Got it? If he catches us, we’ll just say we’re looking for the bathroom.”
“I mean, I really do have to pee, so it’s not exactly a lie, right?” Danny’s smile shifted into a mischievous grin.
Adalynn chuckled. “Me too, so no, not really.”
There was running water here, so there had to be a working toilet, right? God, to be able to use a toilet again! It was one of many conveniences she’d taken for granted before the Sundering. Her parents had taken her camping once a year when she was younger, but even then, digging a hole in the ground and squatting had never been her idea of a fun time.
Adalynn closed her bag and, as she stood up, swung it into place on her back. Danny followed suit. They’d learned early on that they could be forced to run at a moment’s notice in this new world; it was always best to keep their belongings with them no matter the situation.
They exited the sitting room together, pausing just beyond the entry; it was dark. Every curtain in every room must’ve been closed.
This is silly, Adalynn thought as she reached back and pulled her little flashlight from the small pouch on the side of her bag. Batteries were a rare commodity, and using some of that juice just to explore this place seemed wasteful, but she couldn’t shake her curiosity. How many places like this still existed?
She clicked on the flashlight and swept its beam around the foyer, taking a few moments to admire the craftsmanship, before steering Danny into the left hall—away from the kitchen. She knew he’d try to talk her into checking for food again if they passed that room, despite what they’d already been through, and that was an issue best avoided.
The hardwood-floored hallway had a patterned rug running its length. There were paintings on the walls—all of them depicting landscapes and inanimate objects, totally devoid of people—and sculptures in a few of the alcoves. The sculptures were primarily of animals, all of which were in that classical, realistic style.
All the rooms they peeked into were elegantly furnished—even the bathroom, which they both hurriedly used—and Adalynn couldn’t guess at what some of their purposes were. A living room? A family room? A den? How many rooms did a person need for sitting?
But it was the room at the end of the hall that called to her the most. It was a large, open space with a polished wooden floor—a dancefloor—and a high ceiling with intricate patterns in its wood. The windows were at least ten feet tall, running along the walls to either side, and three large, tiered chandeliers hung in a row down the center of the ceiling.
When her flashlight’s beam fell on the far end of the room, Addy’s eyes widened, and she froze. The low stage situated there was empty save for a grand piano with a leather-upholstered bench. Its black exterior gleamed in the light.
“Wow,” Danny said.
“Yeah, wow,” Adalynn echoed, entering the room.
As she crossed the distance to the stage, the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up; she had the sudden, disorienting sense that there was something here,
that she was being watched. She paused a few feet away from the piano and looked behind her, swinging the flashlight around to scan the room. No one was there but Danny, who’d walked to one of the tall windows and was peering through a tiny gap in the curtains.
“This place is huge,” Danny said. “And he has it all to himself.”
Adalynn smiled and brushed the strange sensation aside—it was likely just an aftereffect of her seizure catching up with her. “We don’t know that, just like we didn’t know he’d be here. There could be others.”
“True.”
She stepped up onto the stage and approached the piano. The instrument was so much more beautiful up close. She ran her fingers over the top of the fallboard; there wasn’t a single speck of dust. How could a place this large possibly be kept so clean, especially if the owner really was here alone?
That question was swept away on a rising wave of excitement as she lifted the fallboard to reveal the keys beneath. It had been so long since she’d last played. Unable to resist, she settled her fingers on the keys and tapped a few notes. The sounds echoed across the room. She cringed at how loud the piano was, at how out of tune it was, but those notes were still the most wonderful things she’d heard since the Sundering had birthed a world lacking in music.
“Addy! You said no touching!”
Grinning guiltily, Adalynn turned toward her brother. She gasped, nearly dropping the flashlight, when she caught a flash of glowing blue eyes—there and gone in an instant—in the shadows near the door.
“And I told you to stay in the parlor, boy,” the man said, his deep voice amplified by the room’s acoustics.
As that voice swept over Adalynn, it raised goosebumps on her skin—just as it had the first time she’d heard it. But her head was clear now, no longer clouded by pain and dizziness, and her goosebumps were accompanied by a thrill that raced straight to her core.
No one’s voice had ever affected her so strongly.
“Uh…we were looking for the bathroom?” Danny glanced at Adalynn. “Right, Addy?”
Adalynn jerked her hand from the piano and took a step away from it. “Right. The bathroom.”
“Oh?” The man entered the ballroom, his steps silent. His features grew more distinct as he neared the glow of Adalynn’s flashlight. “I suppose you missed the bathroom two doors down the hall on your way here, then?”
Cheeks warming, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other and cleared her throat. “Um, actually, no, we didn’t. We were exploring. We didn’t touch anything though! Well, except…” She waved toward the piano. “Sorry. It’s just that your home is so big and beautiful and…”
Her breath caught as the man closed the remaining distance between them, granting Adalynn her first clear look at him. Long, dark hair hung past his shoulders and framed a strikingly handsome face that was only enhanced by his hard expression. His features were sharp, with a short, neatly trimmed beard and mustache framing his sculpted lips. He had a straight, narrow, aristocratic nose, and thick, slashing, arched brows which rested above bright citrine eyes. A scar began an inch or two over his left eyebrow, slicing it in half, and continued just beneath his eye to end midway down his cheek.
It didn’t mar his appearance in the slightest. If anything, it only made him more attractive.
The man was straight-out-of-a-romance-novel hot.
With him this close, she smelled a hint of leather and cedar in the air. The scents were strangely calming…and enticing.
She stared up at him—he was at least a foot taller than her—and Adalynn could’ve sworn there was music playing from somewhere near him. It was a faint melody she felt rather than heard, tickling the edges of her consciousness but too intangible to define. “…and…oh, wow.”
He arched one of those devilish brows—the one with the scar—and held her gaze. His shoulders were broad, and she could tell he had an athletic figure despite the old-fashioned black suit he wore.
Was it possible to orgasm just from looking at someone?
“Oh, wow?” he repeated in a dry tone. “Why are you here, Adalynn? Of all the places you could’ve attempted to burgle, why mine?”
“Burgle? Who says that?” Danny asked.
The man glanced briefly at Danny. “People who speak English.”
“Sick burn, man,” Danny replied in a bored voice.
Their exchange pulled Adalynn out of her trance, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the man. “Danny, hush. Our car ran out of gas down the road and we were looking for shelter.”
He was silent for several seconds. Adalynn had heard people say things like he looked right through me, but this was different, this was more—she felt like he was looking straight into her. And there was something familiar about him, something that made her want to take a few steps closer to eliminate the remaining distance between them. Something that made her want to reach out and touch him.
The muscles of his jaw ticked. “You may stay until morning, but you will leave with the sun whether by choice or by force.”
His words were enough to wipe away whatever ridiculous, girlish, romantic fantasies she might have entertained. This was real life. Things didn’t work like in her books. Her shoulders sagged, and she looked away from him, nodding. His offer was more than she could’ve hoped for; at least he wasn’t kicking them out into the night.
But that still left her to worry about Danny. For a few moments, this had seemed like a perfect place for him to have stayed after she was gone. What were they going to do now?
“Thank you,” she said.
The man’s brow furrowed as though he were uncertain of how to take her response, but his mild confusion vanished faster than it had appeared. He turned and walked toward the door, saying over his shoulder, “Keep to the parlor.”
“Got any food we can have?” Danny asked. “We’re starving.”
“Danny,” Adalynn warned.
The man paused mid-stride, his posture stiffening. “Yes, you must be. I imagine breaking and entering is hunger-inducing work.”
Adalynn frowned, her body tensing. “We said we’re sorry. We thought this place was abandoned.”
“And I said you may spend the night. If that’s not enough for you—which it clearly isn’t—then by all means, come to my pantry. I’ll feed you little beggars, too, so your bellies are full before I kick you out.”
Little beggars.
She pressed her lips together as anger roared through her. She had no right to be angry, not now—the world had fallen apart, leaving everyone to fend for themselves, and she was the one who’d broken into his home—but she couldn’t put it aside. That he was being more helpful than necessary didn’t mean he wasn’t being an asshole—or that she and Danny had to stay here and endure that treatment.
Danny scowled and opened his mouth, but Adalynn moved to stand beside the boy and grabbed his hand tightly, silencing him.
“No, thank you,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to bother you any more than we already have. We’ll find somewhere else to sleep and spare you the inconvenience of having to be a decent person for one night.”
The man turned to face her, his brows low and eyes narrowed. “You come into—”
“I don’t need to be reminded of the circumstances,” Adalynn snapped, stepping toward him. Her heart was racing; this was foolish, dangerous, but she couldn’t stop herself now. “I was there, remember? All we’re looking for is a safe place to live and a little food to eat. We made a mistake in breaking in. You don’t owe us anything after that. But we don’t have to stand here while you insult and belittle us.” She looked at Danny, who was staring at her with wide eyes, and gave his hand a tug. “Come on, Danny. We’re leaving.”
She led her brother past the man, keeping her gaze fixed ahead.
This was what Merrick had wanted—the humans gone, along with all the potential problems and complications they would’ve caused. His house would be spared further damage, his stores would be spared un
necessary depletion, and his mind would be spared the constant irritation of having mortals nearby. It should’ve been a moment of petty triumph—which was sometimes the most satisfying sort. It should’ve been a moment of quiet celebration.
Adalynn and Danny leaving on their own was the ideal outcome for all concerned parties.
Why, then, did her walking away—without giving Merrick a second glance—sting tenfold more than the angry words she’d hurled at him?
He was angry, yes, but he was also…disappointed. Sorrowful. Confused. Panicked. These were not emotions befitting an immortal being with unfathomable arcane power at his command. Catering to the needs of a pair of humans was beneath him. Humankind was beneath him—over his long years, they’d certainly demonstrated that they saw beings like Merrick as little more than monsters and abominations. Why should he show any compassion toward their species?
But the thought of Adalynn spending the night out there—though she must’ve spent so many nights out there already—sparked unexpected concern in him.
How could he be so concerned and yet so frustrated all at once?
He spun on his heel to face the humans just as they reached the ballroom entryway.
“You will join me in the kitchen presently, Adalynn. Even if your pride is too large to exist in this home alongside my own, that is no reason to deny your brother security and food tonight.”
She stilled. A moment later, she released her brother’s hand, turned, and marched back toward Merrick, her expression hard.
She raised a hand and jabbed a finger at him. There was fire in her dark eyes. “Don’t you dare use my brother to guilt me.”
There was something…exciting about her anger. It charged the air with energy he’d scarcely encountered, a fleeting, mortal energy made more intriguing by its ephemeral nature. The crackling power coalescing deep in his belly seemed to be in direct response to her. It was a gathering of magic, but it was something more, something impossible to define because it was entirely new.
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