Merrick followed the music down the hall. By the time he was a few paces away from the ballroom’s entrance, he knew what the music was, knew why it was familiar. It had been a long time since he’d heard it, but he couldn’t forget Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number Fourteen, Sonata quasi una fantasia. Whatever his opinions on humans, Merrick could not deny that they sometimes produced works of immense beauty.
His stride faltered when he reached the entryway—his eyes were called immediately to Adalynn, who was dancing to the melancholy music in an impromptu ballet. Her arms and legs moved with an expressiveness as haunting as the notes of the song, even if she seemed a bit uncertain and out of practice. The patter of rain and occasional peals of thunder seemed only to urge her on, and added another somber layer to the scene; she danced like it was the last time she would ever do so, danced like she was mourning the world, danced like she was alive.
Merrick’s chest tightened, and for several seconds, it was difficult to draw breath. Her emotions were clear in her movement, in her features—she was feeling everything. Joy, sorrow, pain, fear, comfort; she carried it all with her, and it was both terribly human and more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen. He knew there were dancers with far more skill and grace—he’d seen some in his time—but he knew also there was no dancer in the history of the world who could’ve moved him as much as his Adalynn did right here, right now.
My Adalynn?
Yes, his soul replied. Mine.
His body responded, flooding with arousal, with desire, with need. Only the overwhelming beauty of her dance kept him in place, with eyes transfixed, until the song finally ended. To interrupt had seemed like the gravest crime he could possibly have committed. The little cassette player she’d placed on the piano went quiet, emitting only static for several seconds, which was largely swallowed by the steady sound of falling rain. Adalynn came to a halt, her chest heaving with her quick breaths.
She straightened and turned toward the piano, halting abruptly when her eyes fell on Merrick. She sucked in a startled breath, her eyes rounding, and raced toward the piano to press a button on the cassette player. The device fell silent with a click.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize it was that loud. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Merrick crossed the threshold and approached her. His mouth was dry, his blood heated. Each step closer to her was easier than the last, as though her pull on him only increased as the distance between them shrank. “It wasn’t loud, you didn’t disturb me, and there’s no need for you to be embarrassed. That was lovely, Adalynn.”
Her already flushed cheeks colored further. She ducked her head slightly and smiled. “Um, thank you. It’s…been a while. It felt good to dance again.”
“Your brother mentioned you being a talented piano player, but he did not mention you were also a dancer.” Merrick stopped a few feet away from Adalynn and slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket to prevent himself from reaching for her.
She grinned. “I think you’re just being nice. I’m not that great a dancer. I stopped in my senior year of high school, so I’m especially rusty.”
“As with any art, the true power lies in the emotion. And the emotion you expressed while you were dancing…it was powerful, Adalynn. Do not discount yourself.”
“Thank you.” Adalynn shifted her weight from one leg to the other and slid one of her palms along her forearm to grasp her elbow. She glanced away briefly, her soft smile curling into a smirk. “So, Danny was talking about me, huh?”
God, those lips…
Merrick wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to feel her soft, pliable lips against his, to feel the heat of her body directly, to sample her taste.
“He was,” he said. “He is incredibly fond of you, and remarkably protective.”
“He is. That protectiveness is a trait that I both love and fear.”
Merrick tilted his head slightly. “What about it do you fear?”
“That he won’t leave me when he needs to. We already lost our parents, and I know I’m all he’s got now, but…”
“He mentioned that, as well. To have lost them both so suddenly must’ve been difficult on the two of you. But you’ve both demonstrated immense inner strength.”
Her features tightened. “He told you about our parents?”
The sudden pain in her voice wrapped around Merrick’s heart and squeezed.
“That they were killed in a car accident while going to visit you in the hospital,” he said.
Tears welled in her eyes, and after a moment, she looked toward the window. “Danny was in the car with them. They were coming to support me for the first round of my new treatment when the quake happened. I was standing at the edge of the parking lot waiting for them when I saw them driving up…and saw the ambulance plow into their car. My parents were in the front seat and took the brunt of it. They…they were dead by the time I got to the car. Danny was in the back, shaken up pretty badly, but he didn’t seem hurt.
“I calmed him down as best I could and was helping him get out of the car when we heard a choking sound from the front seat. We thought maybe they were alive, maybe there was a chance to save them. We were at the hospital, so close to help. But the things in the front seat…those weren’t our parents anymore. They were like wild beasts, with glowing eyes and gnashing teeth and…” She shook her head. “They were trying to grab at Danny, making these inhuman, gurgling growls. It was like they wanted to eat him. But they couldn’t reach because they were pinned in their seats by all the mangled metal. I got him out of there as quickly as I could.”
She turned her face back to Merrick. Her gathering tears fell, rolling down her cheeks. “They were our parents, and that was the last thing he’ll remember about them.”
Frowning deeply, Merrick closed the remaining distance between them and settled his hands on her shoulders. That pulse of energy—which he’d already come to crave—raced up his arms, but he ignored it this time. “He didn’t mention any of that.”
“No, he wouldn’t have. I think he’s tried to block it all out, has told himself it didn’t happen. That he wasn’t there.”
“That’s how he made it sound when he told me about it.”
“He has nightmares sometimes. He never talks about them, but I’m pretty sure it’s about that accident. Even with all the other things we’ve seen, that was the worst. The most traumatic. To see the people you love most killed, and then to see their faces contorted in rage and hunger, to see nothing left of who and what they were but their…their soulless husks…”
Merrick slid one hand up along her neck and over her jaw, settling it on her cheek. He brushed his thumb lightly across her cheekbone, wiping away her falling tears. Her skin was so smooth, so soft, reminding him again of how delicate and precious she was.
“And you fear it will happen again if he is still with you when you succumb to your sickness,” he said in as gentle a voice as he could; the words hurt to speak aloud.
Adalynn nodded. “I don’t want him to see me turn into one of those things. I don’t want him to stay with me and get hurt.”
Her voice held an unsettling degree of certainty that made Merrick’s stomach churn. She had no question of what would happen to her—only of what would become of her brother afterward. Everything within Merrick railed against it, but his magic couldn’t help now. She wasn’t looking for a cure, and he didn’t have one to offer, but he could provide some sympathy, perhaps, however inadequate it felt.
“I witnessed my parents’ deaths when I was young,” Merrick said. “Not much younger than your brother. I carry that pain, carry those scars on my heart, to this day. But it is possible to continue on.”
Her eyes searched his as she gently tilted her head, pressing her cheek into his palm. After a few moments, she lifted her hand to cover his. “I’m so sorry, Merrick. It’s hard to have lost people you love, no matter how long ago it happened.”
This was
the second time in two days that someone had offered Merrick sympathy and condolences for the loss he’d suffered so long ago. It was no less strange than the first time, but he found a certain sense of peace with Adalynn that he’d never experienced before.
Despite their short lives, perhaps mortals weren’t so different from him as he’d told himself for all those years—or at least Adalynn and Danny weren’t.
“Daniel is strong,” he said, “just as you are strong. It is not fair that he must deal with this world, especially that he must deal with it alone, but he’ll survive.”
“I know he’s strong, but I worry for him. This world…it’s so dangerous, and he’s so young. Nothing’s guaranteed out there. Nothing but…but hardship and death and terror. He doesn’t deserve that. No one deserves that. And if I can’t even be there to protect him…”
Fresh tears spilled from her eyes, running hot over his hand.
Merrick shifted his hand to hook his finger beneath her chin, guiding her face up so he could look into her dark, glistening eyes. He’d come down here to tell Adalynn she would have to leave tomorrow. He’d come down here because he couldn’t risk growing attached, because he couldn’t risk the potential danger she posed.
But it was already too late. Even if he hadn’t realized it then, he’d been attached to her from the first moment he saw her.
“So stay here, Adalynn.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes flaring. “What?”
“Stay here—you and Danny—for as long as you’d like. I can offer you safety, security, comfort…all the things you don’t have out there.”
She grasped his wrist. “You mean that? You want us to stay? With you?”
The way she clutched his arm was oddly satisfying; he wanted her to need him, wanted her to depend on him, because in the back of his mind he knew, somehow, that he needed her regardless.
He nodded. “I do. This house…it’s been so quiet, so lifeless, for so long. Of course,” he hastened to add, “my offer cannot be without stipulations.”
Her expression faltered as a hint of wariness entered her eyes. She stiffened and pulled away, and the distrust she must’ve harbored toward him from the beginning was suddenly palpable.
“I will not lie to you, Adalynn. I want you. But I will ask nothing untoward of you in exchange for what I’m offering.” Merrick lowered his arms to his sides and clenched his fists to keep from reaching for her, to keep from pulling her back, from drawing her against him.
She frowned. “Sorry. It’s just that…people have offered food or supplies before, but what some of them asked for in exchange…”
“I would never ask that of you,” he said, swallowing a sudden surge of possessiveness and anger. “As I’ve stated, my study and bedroom will remain off limits. I expect the two of you to clean up after yourselves and be responsible with the food stores. And…I would ask that you and Daniel contribute. There is not much work to be done, but the harvest is approaching, and assistance in the garden would be welcome.”
“And that’s really all?”
“That’s all.”
Her tension faded, and she smiled. “Then yes. We’d love to stay here with you. You have no idea how much it eases my mind knowing Danny will be safe.”
When I’m gone, were the words she’d left unspoken, but Merrick heard them all the same. The reminder of her impending death jolted him like an electric shock. If he couldn’t find a means of saving her, she would be gone soon.
Even if he did save her from her current illness, her life would run its course so quickly, too quickly. She was mortal—her existence was ephemeral whether she lived to the limits of the human lifespan or not.
“It eases my mind knowing you will be safe.” He raised a hand and tucked a dangling lock of Adalynn’s curls behind her ear. “We do, however, have one more serious matter to address.”
There was a shyness in her stance, in her smile, and a light blush stained her cheeks. She tilted her head and arched a brow. “What other serious matter?”
“I’ve not had a dance partner in many years. Would you do me the honor?” He stepped back and offered his hand. “I’m certainly more out of practice than you, but if it’s all for fun, it shouldn’t matter.”
Her eyes lit up, and her smile widened. “Really? You want to dance with me?”
Warmth blossomed in Merrick’s chest at the sight of that smile. “At the risk of embarrassing myself, yes. I do.”
Adalynn placed one hand in his and reached back toward the cassette player with the other. “I don’t have anything current. Just some classical.”
He curled his fingers around her hand, marveling at the way his skin thrummed when in contact with hers. “Perfect. I wouldn’t know anything current, anyway.”
She pressed the play button and turned to face him fully, settling her free hand on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, settling his hand at the small of her back. She looked up, met his eyes, and smiled again.
The lightly crackling static from the tape player gave way to the lively opening notes of Für Elise—a song which itself had not emerged until some decades after its composer’s death. But it was lively and upbeat, and Merrick led Adalynn into a spinning, waltz-like dance that sped and slowed in time with the music.
Her smile grew with each step, her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she laughed as the ballroom whirled around them. He couldn’t help but laugh, too; her joy was infectious. She followed his steps expertly, as though anticipating his every move. Merrick’s heart sped, and the heat in his veins intensified.
They stopped with the music, which ended only a few short minutes after it had begun. Though the next song began, they remained still, panting softly.
“I would swear you’re from another time,” Adalynn said.
“Though I don’t appreciate you implying I’m an old man, it often feels that way,” he replied.
She chuckled. “That’s not what I was implying.” She lifted her hand from his shoulder to touch his hair, brushing it aside from his forehead. “You don’t look old at all.”
Tingles pulsed across his skin, and he nearly shut his eyes against the bliss of that simple touch. It meant more than should’ve been possible; it meant she was growing comfortable with him.
“And you look…beautiful,” he said. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles.
Her breath hitched and her eyes dipped to his mouth. Desire flared in the depths of her eyes, and it sparked an answering desire in his core—sparked it in his soul. His magic swelled, bolstering the heat in his veins as it flowed along his arms to gather in his fingertips as though it were desperate for her, desperate for a connection beyond anything he’d ever known.
She eased toward him, her lips parting, and Merrick tightened his grip on her, pulling her pelvis against his.
It was, apparently, too much, too quickly.
She drew back, her wide eyes snapping to his. “I…I should check on Danny. Make sure he’s behaving.”
Her body tensed as she prepared to pull away from him, and it triggered something else atop his need—that same possessiveness he’d felt at the idea of other men lusting after her. This time, these moments, belonged to Merrick and Adalynn, and he wasn’t willing to give them up. Not when they were finite. Not when they could end forever in an instant. It was an instinctual drive, still fresh, still new, and one that was proving difficult to ignore.
“Do you fear me?” he asked.
“I…” Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “No.”
“Then why are you trying to flee?”
“I-I’m not. I just… I’m not scared of you, Merrick. I’m…scared of what you make me feel.”
“If it’s anything like what you make me feel, Adalynn, there is nothing to fear.” He turned her hand over and kissed her palm, trailing his mouth first to the tips of her fingers and then to her inner wrist.
She shivered, her breath quickening. Her pulse race
d beneath his lips.
Never in a thousand years had he wanted a woman as much as he wanted Adalynn. Never had he burned so hot, never had his thoughts been so clouded by desire. There shouldn’t have been any connection between them, especially considering how little time she had left. It could only lead to complications, to unwanted, unwarranted pain.
Even if she only had a few weeks of life remaining, Merrick had eternity to carry the pain of her loss. Why torture himself like that? Why allow this to go any further?
Because I want her. She has consumed my mind during every minute since her arrival. So, I will take from her all I can while she is here—and give to her as much as I am able.
"Adalynn," he said, his voice rough and silky all at once, his eyelids heavy.
Her eyes met his for a split second before she caught his face between her hands, pulled him down, and pressed her mouth to his.
Merrick’s eyelids drifted shut as her warmth and softness enveloped him, and the energy that seemed ever-present when they touched flooded him. He lifted his hands, slipped his fingers into her hair, and leaned over her, deepening the kiss, deepening the overwhelming sensations it produced. He’d shared kisses with other women, but this was something entirely new. Something entirely different. His mana song interwove with hers and resonated in his heart, spreading throughout his body and into hers.
A delirious thought flitted through his mind—this is not a kiss, it is destiny.
Delicious heat spiraled through Adalynn, coiling tight in her core. She opened her mouth eagerly and kissed him in full, savoring every detail of this moment—the firmness of his mouth, the soft bristles of his short beard tickling her palms, the solidness of his jaw, the tingling sting on her scalp caused by his grip on her hair; every stroke, nip, and lick of his lips, teeth, and tongue.
He took her mouth with an intensity that left her weak and trembling with need.
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