The Warlock's Kiss

by Tiffany Roberts

  “Can we bring lunch?” Danny asked.

  Adalynn’s excitement was palpable as she beamed at Merrick. “We could have a picnic.”

  “Anything you’d like, Adalynn,” Merrick said. “Do you still have the shotgun?”

  “It’s in my room.”

  “I want you to bring it along. Any time you’re outside, even on the estate grounds, keep it with you.”

  Danny raced toward the stairs. “I’ll get it!”

  Merrick’s eyes widened slightly as he swung his gaze from Danny to Adalynn. He’d already been adept at using several potentially deadly tools by the time he was Danny’s age, but modern children seemed so much less mature in comparison. Certainly, this world had forced Danny to grow up faster than normal for his generation, but he was still a boy—and a gun was amongst the deadliest of mundane tools.

  “Tell me I’m not the only one uncomfortable with the notion of him running to fetch a shotgun,” Merrick said.

  Frowning, Adalynn stared at the open entryway through which Danny had disappeared. “You’re not. Let’s go make sure there’s no tripping involved.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Large, slow-drifting clouds of pure white provided ample shade from the afternoon sun as Merrick, Adalynn, and Danny walked past the garden’s walls and onto a wide footpath leading into the woods. Their lunch was split between two wicker baskets—Adalynn had declared them perfect for picnicking—with Danny carrying one and Merrick the other. Adalynn had a folded blanket tucked beneath one arm and the shotgun in her opposite hand.

  Fortunately, Danny had managed not to hurt himself in his somewhat reckless race to collect the weapon from her room.

  Birds sang in the trees, and a light, warm breeze rustled the leaves. Everything was green and alive, but there was still a hint of approaching fall—a hint of eminent decay. Summer was rushing to its end, and this winter would likely be a harsh one in too many ways.

  Merrick moved a little closer to Adalynn and plucked the blanket from beneath her arm, tossing it atop the basket. When she looked at him questioningly, he answered by taking her now-free hand in his and squeezing it gently.

  Nothing will ever harm you again, my Adalynn.

  Danny glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes before increasing his pace, putting a little more distance between himself and the couple. Merrick smirked.

  “Does the wall go all the way around?” Danny asked.

  “It rings the entire property, yes,” Merrick replied.

  “No wonder there haven’t been any revenants around,” Adalynn said. “Was there always a wall?”

  Merrick shook his head. “The wall in front was in place when I purchased the property. The rest was somewhat more rudimentary in nature—just piles of stone, really, running through the woods in a few places. I’ve extended and upgraded it extensively over the years.”

  “Did you know the Sundering would come?”

  He’d not been aware they’d planned on conducting an interrogation during the trip, but he found himself oddly unbothered by it. When Adalynn and Danny had first arrived, he’d been loath to answer questions, and even ones as simple as these would’ve annoyed him, but now…it just felt good to talk to people he trusted. It felt good to not have to hide himself, hide his truth.

  “I knew something was coming. I could feel it in the months and weeks beforehand. The forces of magic that run through this land, that run through everything, changed. It was both ominous and exhilarating.”

  “Did you have magic before it happened?” Danny asked, swinging his cane back and forth, smacking long blades of grass and overgrown weeds. It was preferable to have him carrying a cane over a firearm, but the cane almost seemed just as dangerous in his hands.

  “Yes, though it was but a shadow of what it is now.” Even now, without being connected directly to the ley line, Merrick could sense the mana of everything around him—the trees, the undergrowth, every rock and clump of dirt, and all the little creatures scurrying about through it all. But all of it was faint compared to her. Her song had only strengthened in his perception, had become a steady accompaniment to his own.

  Danny turned around to face them and walked backward, his brows raised high. “Can I use magic?”

  “There’s mana in you—in everything—but no. You do not have that capability. The magic in you is a small, dormant force that will only be roused when it is released from your body.” Merrick didn’t add the upon death to that statement—he’d no desire to speak with a thirteen-year-old about his inevitable demise. “Very few humans are born with mana powerful enough to wield in the way my kind can…and for those who do possess it, it is often more a curse than a gift.”

  “Why would it be a curse?” Adalynn asked.

  “Because magic is energy, and it’s never quite still. Many humans have no idea how to harness that energy, how to channel it, so it builds and builds. Think of it like…a pressure cooker without a release valve. All that pressure, all that steam, keeps growing and growing, but it has nowhere to go. Eventually”—Merrick released her hand to flick all his fingers outward, pantomiming an explosion—“it bursts. With magic it’s more of a consumption from within, but it’s a similar enough process.”

  “Do you feel that kind of pressure?”

  Merrick shook his head. “No. My body is adapted to it. Magic flows easily in and out of me. It’s possible to overload, but I can withstand far more than any mortal.”

  Danny glanced behind himself occasionally, altering his course to keep on the path, as he continued to walk backward. “So, what are you?”

  “I suppose there are many names for it. Mage, sorcerer, wizard. I prefer warlock, because people tended to use it with the highest degree of fear and hatred in ages past.”

  “Was Merlin a real wizard?”

  “He was quite real. Even while our magic was limited, he was immensely powerful.”

  Danny grinned wide, and his eyes sparked with excitement. “That’s so cool! I knew it! I knew he was real.” He turned around and strode forward, brandishing his cane like a baton as he sang, “Hockety pockety wockety wack…”

  “And what exactly is that gibberish he’s spouting?” Merrick asked.

  Adalynn chuckled. “Danny’s favorite cartoon as a little kid was The Sword in the Stone.”

  Merrick took Adalynn’s hand again. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the film. I imagine it’s some retelling of the Arthurian legend?”

  “Yeah, it is. Just with more singing.”

  “Ah. Because I’m sure singing adds to its historical accuracy.”

  She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. “It’s entertainment for kids.”

  “Most of the stories are utter nonsense, at any rate. Humans don’t have a particularly long or accurate memory, as a whole.”

  “Then you’ll have to tell us the stories…” Her smile faded, and she looked away—but not before Merrick caught sight of the darkness clouding her eyes. “How old are you, anyway?”

  He chose not to comment on that hint of despair; Adalynn seemed at her happiest outside of such conversations, and he couldn’t blame her for that. This was a fine afternoon, despite the state of the world. Merrick wanted it to remain a fine afternoon.

  “One thousand and fifty-three,” he replied. “Or fifty-four. It was harder to keep track of the years while I was young.”

  Adalynn snapped her face toward him, eyes wide. “How old?”

  “One zero five three.”

  “Do not tell Danny that. I’ll never hear the end of it.” Her cheeks pinkened, and she turned her face down, her expression taking on a decidedly shy cast. “I knew you were older, but I never imagined you were that old.”

  Something about the look on her face heated Merrick’s blood and roused his hunger. “If it makes any difference to you, I’m sure I don’t look a day older than however old it is I look.”

  She laughed and peeked at him from the corner of her eye. “At least thirty
-five.”

  “I’ll assume that’s good, then. I’ve had more and more trouble gauging the age of humans as time has gone by—especially in the last few decades. I dare not guess your age.”

  Adalynn grinned. “Why not?”

  “Because I will either guess too high or too low, and either direction can be taken as an insult.”

  “I’m twenty-five.”

  “That’s a rather large age gap between yourself and your brother, is it not?”

  “A bit larger of an age gap between you and me, don’t you think?” Her warm, humored smile made it clear she wasn’t concerned about their age difference. She looked at her brother, who continued marching on ahead of them, still singing his gibberish song. “But yeah, it is. Danny was both an accident and miracle baby.”

  “Oh? It seems you’ve a bit of a story to tell, yourself.”

  Up ahead, the gap in the trees created by the path widened; the ground beyond was open and bright, free of the shadows cast by the woods currently stood to either side of Merrick and Adalynn.

  “No way!” Danny shouted from up ahead. He ran forward, into the wider opening, and turned to his left. Just before he darted out of sight, he added, “This is awesome!”

  Adalynn turned her wide, worried eyes toward Merrick. “What’s ahead? Is it safe?”

  “As safe as anywhere else, though I’m sure that means little these days. And you’ll have to see for yourself if you want to know what’s up there.”

  A moment later, Danny’s voice echoed over to them. “Woooooo!” It was cut off by a large splash.

  Her brows rose. “Water? Is there a pond?”

  “A pond, Adalynn? You should know by now I don’t do things small on my estate.”

  She quirked a brow, grinning. “A lake?”

  When she quickened her pace, Merrick matched it. Her grin widened as the first hints of the lake became visible through the trees to their left. Within a short while, they had reached the open area along the shore, which had long ago been cleared as a private beach for the estate’s previous owners. Merrick had maintained it with a bit of magic only because he found it pleasant to sit beside the water from time to time.

  Adalynn stopped when the lake was in full view. “This is beautiful!”

  The blue sky was reflected on the lake’s mirror-like surface, albeit darkly; the scene was made only more beautiful by the tall reeds and thick trees along much of the shore. The water was disturbed only by a gentle breeze, a flock of waterfowl a couple hundred yards away, and Danny, who’d stripped out of his suit and leapt into the lake without any sign of hesitation.

  Merrick set the basket down and spread the blanket over the sand. “This spot will do, yes?”

  Adalynn turned back toward him, smiled, and moved to the basket, placing the gun on the ground nearby. “It’s perfect.”

  He collected Danny’s basket and the pile of discarded clothes and brought them back to the blanket as Adalynn set out the food, all of which had been collected from the garden save for the peanut butter and the cold turkey; the meat he and Danny had brought home two days before had given Merrick a reason to power the ice box with some magic.

  Once everything was arranged, Adalynn sat down, and Merrick seated himself across from her. Danny, seemingly oblivious to the food, continued to splash, swim, and hoot in delight.

  “So, you were saying about Danny?” Merrick asked.

  Adalynn smoothed her hands over the satin skirt of her dress. Merrick’s attention caught on her low bodice and the delectable way the tops of her breasts rose and fell above it with every breath. His fingers itched to tug the dress down, to bare her breasts to his gaze, to his mouth and tongue; more than that, he wanted to bury his face elsewhere—somewhere warm and sweet.

  She chuckled, calling his eyes back to hers; the same heat he felt was evident in her gaze. Leaning forward on hands and knees, Adalynn brushed her lips lightly across his, and, surprisingly, scraped her nails along the hard length of his shaft through his pants. Merrick jolted as fire blazed inside him; he was sure he’d seeped from the tip of his cock.

  “Later,” she promised as she pulled away and sat back down.

  “You are a tease, Adalynn. You’ve no idea the amount of restraint I’m exercising to keep from throwing up those skirts and taking you right here. To keep myself from shoving my tongue between your thighs and licking—”

  “Merrick!” Her cheeks burned red as she glanced toward her brother.

  He loved it when she blushed, loved the shy, yet aroused gleam in her eyes.

  “Anyway,” she said, glancing at him from behind her thick lashes, “my parents had trouble conceiving after me. They tried for years, but it just never happened. I guess they even consulted a few fertility specialists, but after her first miscarriage, my mom couldn’t go through it anymore. They stopped trying. Then, years later, out of the blue, there was Danny, a complete and utter surprise.”

  “Their accidental miracle,” Merrick said.

  A soft smile touched her lips, and she glanced toward Danny again. “Yeah.”

  “And how did young Adalynn handle his arrival?”

  “I was ecstatic. I always wanted a little sister to play with growing up, but by then, I didn’t care. A brother was just as good. He was the cutest little thing ever, all squishy cheeks and pudgy thighs. I bragged about him all the time at school and showed him off to my friends.”

  Merrick turned his head to glance at the boy playing in the water—a boy with a good, brave heart. He didn’t doubt that Adalynn had a hand in shaping Danny into the person he was now. “That must feel as though it was so long ago now.”

  “It does and doesn’t at the same time, you know? I look at him, see how tall he’s gotten, see how much he’s changed, but I can still see the little boy he was as if it were yesterday.”

  “My perspective is different than yours, but I believe I understand. For me…time seems to go by faster and faster with each passing year. These days with you have been the first time I find myself wishing it would slow down, wishing I could stretch out every moment.”

  She smiled up at him. “Me too.”

  Adalynn picked up a piece of turkey and took a bite, turning her face toward the lake with a wistful light in her eyes. He knew she was thinking about her future—her lack of a future—but this didn’t seem the time or place to discuss the spell he’d found with her. She’d already said she didn’t want Merrick to harm himself to help her, and he couldn’t guarantee the soul binding was without risks.

  He plucked up a strawberry and bit into it, relishing the sweet juice as it ran over his tongue. It was enough, for a little while, to simply sit here and enjoy the food, to sit here and enjoy the mana song radiating from Adalynn’s core.

  “Did you…have a wife?” she asked.

  The question jarred him from that brief sense of serenity with its unexpectedness. He looked her over briefly; there was a new tension in her posture, and one of her hands had caught the fabric of her skirt, knuckles paling as she squeezed. Was she jealous at the very thought of him having had a spouse?

  That notion gave him a strange sense of satisfaction; it meant she might’ve felt as possessive of him as he did of her.

  “No wife. I’ve had fleeting relations with women over the years, but none of them ever awoke anything in me like you have.”

  A flush spread along her skin, and her lips fell into a small, contrite frown. “I’m sorry. I…I know it’s stupid to be jealous. You’re…old.” She winced. “That sounded worse than I meant it to. But what I mean is, I can’t expect you to have never been with anyone else, and it’s sad that you never had anyone meaningful in your life—despite my being so relieved by your answer. I know that’s wrong…”

  “Nonsense,” he said, shaking his head. “The only reason I haven’t asked about your past romances is to spare myself a bout of jealous rage.”

  Adalynn laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad, if you feel the same way.”
>
  He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his lips from curling into a sneer; now that he’d said it aloud, he couldn’t help but wonder who she’d been with. She was lovely, and kind, and a joy to be near—he had no doubt she’d had many men interested in her, and he hated them all. He refused to ask. She was with Merrick now, until whatever end they reached, and that was enough. She was his.

  Danny joined them shortly after. Water dripped from his hair and glistened on his skin, and his feet and legs were covered in sand. He plopped onto the blanket between Merrick and Adalynn. “That was amazing.”

  “I would appreciate it if you could avoid dripping lake water all over the food,” Merrick said.

  “I’d eat it anyway.” Danny flashed Merrick a grin. As though to prove his point, he snatched up a chunk of bread with his wet hands and shoved it into his mouth.

  Conversation dwindled as they all ate, each seemingly content to enjoy the food. Merrick took his time to relish the flavors; he’d been eating much more than he normally would have because he’d been sharing so many meals with Adalynn and Daniel, and though he wasn’t hungry now, he had no problem with delighting in the taste of their bounty.

  Once they’d eaten their fill, Danny ran his hand through his damp, floppy hair, shoving it back, and leapt to his feet. As he ran toward the lake, he called over his shoulder, “Come on, guys! Join me.”

  Adalynn chuckled and packed the leftover food.

  “The boy is nothing if not enthusiastic,” Merrick said.

  “I hope he never changes.” She closed the last wicker basket, turned her face toward Merrick, and smiled wide. “Shall we?”

  Before Merrick could answer, Adalynn got to her feet, tugged up her skirt—baring her feet, ankles, and lower shins—kicked off her slippers, and ran toward the water.

  A smile crept to Merrick’s lips as he watched her. Despite his age, he’d never felt old, but being around her…it made him feel young in the best ways. When was the last time he’d gone for a swim just for the fun of it? When was the last time he’d loosened up and enjoyed himself?