To have it back now, while she still had some time…
It was incredible beyond words.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Adalynn separated her hands, stretched her fingers, settled them on the keys, and played—starting with River Flows in You and shifting into Moonlight Sonata. She moved right into another song when it was done, and then another and another, smiling as the music filled the room. It didn’t matter if her fingers ached; they needed this as much as she did.
The sun roamed across the sky as she played, shifting the position of the rainbow, refracted lights cast by the chandeliers’ crystals.
She paused, fingers hovering over the keys, after she finished Elton John’s Your Song. She’d heard the lyrics in her head as she’d played, and it had turned her mind toward a different song—one she’d never played before but which she knew all the same. She’d never heard it; it was a song she’d felt inside her heart ever since she’d come to this house. And it was always at its clearest when she was near Merrick.
Closing her eyes, Adalynn set her fingers back down and let instinct take over. The melody came as naturally to her as breathing. Her fingers danced over the keys as the haunting, yet beautiful song took form, swirling around her like a physical presence.
Merrick and Danny carried their harvest—two baskets laden with produce—into the kitchen through the back door and deposited it on the floor along the wall. Between today and yesterday, they’d picked far too much for the three of them to eat before it started spoiling, but Merrick would use it as an opportunity to teach Adalynn and Daniel the canning process. Summer was speeding toward its end; now was the time to bolster their long-term stores in preparation for winter.
“Think Addy’s still mad at us?” Danny asked, brushing his hands together to dislodge some of the dirt that had caked upon them.
Merrick frowned at the flecks of dirt falling to the floor in front of the boy, but the mess was less troubling than the way he and Daniel had treated Adalynn earlier. She’d only wanted to contribute, but Merrick and Danny had sent her away without listening to her protests, united in their concern for her health.
As Adalynn—making no effort to mask her anger—had stormed into the house, Merrick had recalled their conversation from last night. His worry did not grant him the right to dictate her actions, and no matter how deeply he felt that she was his, she was not bound to his will. Only Adalynn knew her limits.
But Merrick couldn’t shake his memories of her latest episode, and that had hardened his resolve. He could not dismiss the possibility that it had been her overexerting herself—rather than a failing of his magic—that had brought on the resurgence. Even if that didn’t ring true in his heart, any chance of it was one too many.
“I don’t think she is. At least not as much so as before,” Merrick replied. “You know her better than I do; what do you think?”
Danny shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Dunno. Addy doesn’t really get mad all that often. I think she hides a lot of what she really feels since the Sundering. But…”
“But you can still see the sadness in her eyes,” Merrick said softly. A lump of regret solidified in his upper chest and sank slowly into his gut.
“Yeah.” Danny looked down and absently toed the dirt he’d brushed onto the floor. “But you can make her better, right, Merrick?”
When the boy lifted his gaze, his eyes—glistening with unfallen tears—held such sadness, such hope, such desperation, that Merrick found himself being crushed under the weight of that question.
Though Merrick wasn’t human, he understood the raw emotion on display. He understood, even after a thousand years, what it felt like to be young, powerless, and desperate not to lose the last person who loved you, the last family you had. He’d been that boy once—but in the end, no one had been there to comfort him, to care for him.
Without thinking to, Merrick drew the boy into an embrace. “I will find a way, Daniel. We will not lose her.”
Danny clung to him for several seconds, his hold almost tight enough to hurt.
The thought of losing Adalynn filled Merrick with despair, sorrow, and impotent fury.
How had she come to mean so much to him already? Eight days meant nothing in a lifetime spanning hundreds of thousands of days. Yet the bond between them was so strong it was almost tangible. He felt it constantly, had been aware of it every moment since he’d first sensed it. No one, mortal or otherwise, should’ve been able to draw him in so quickly and completely.
He knew her passing would leave a massive wound on his heart—a wound that would never heal.
Even Danny had earned Merrick’s affection—Danny, who always wore so brave a face despite the burden of loss, terror, and responsibility thrust upon him. Merrick didn’t want the boy to suffer any more. It wasn’t right, wasn’t fair, wasn’t acceptable. Merrick’s magic could shape reality, could bend the natural laws to his whim. There had to be some way to alter Adalynn’s fate.
There had to be a way to save her.
Danny sniffled and pulled away, averting his face as he lifted a hand to wipe the moisture from his eyes. “I’m gonna go take a shower, okay?”
“Don’t use too much hot water, or I will have to cut your food portions.”
Danny walked toward the door. “Dude, don’t you use, like…magic to heat the water?”
While it felt strange to openly acknowledge his magic to a mortal, it was also somewhat…liberating, like an immense burden had been lifted off Merrick’s shoulders. “I do.”
“So, just magic yourself some more. No need to be so dramatic.”
Despite everything, Merrick smirked as Danny hurried out of the kitchen. Though the boy’s voice had still been raw, it was clear he’d been trying to lighten the mood, had been trying to push aside the sorrow and uncertainty that had suffused their brief but meaningful conversation.
With Danny out of sight, Merrick’s thoughts shifted entirely to Adalynn. Merrick didn’t want her anger; he wanted her joy, her passion, her heart. He needed to talk to her, to apologize, to explain himself, to hear what she thought and felt.
He glanced down at himself. His clothes were sweat dampened and dirty. There was no shame in it—it was proof of an honest day’s work—but he didn’t want to present himself to Adalynn in so disheveled a state. She deserved only Merrick’s best. And regardless, a shower earned by hard work was always more satisfying.
Merrick lost himself in thought—which usually happened only when he was locked away in his study—as he made his way upstairs.
The usual no longer applies. I’ve been consumed by thoughts of Adalynn every day since she arrived.
Once he was in the shower, with steaming water coursing over his bare skin, his thoughts of Adalynn shifted again. His imagination conjured an image of her naked in the shower with him, water coursing over her dark hair and streaming in rivulets over her breasts and belly, and his cock hardened, immediately rousing an urgent, uncomfortable ache in his loins.
Despite the desirous fires that burned in her eyes when she looked at him, despite the way she’d melted when they kissed, she’d not yet come back for more. She’d not yet told him her decision—would she give in or not?
It was maddening.
He felt like he’d been unfulfilled for his entire life, like he’d always yearned for her, had always needed her, even though he’d only learned of her existence days ago. That need had always been present, but he’d only been able to identify it after her arrival. It had flared several times over the last few days, but none of those flares had been as powerful as this one.
Growling, Merrick braced one hand against the wall and wrapped the fingers of the other around his shaft. The ache only intensified. He pumped his fist up and down, each stroke building more pressure within him. Soon, his breath was short, and in his imagination, Adalynn was dancing again—dancing naked, dancing for him and him alone, brushing her bare flesh against his. For a fleeting instant, h
e could almost feel her touch, could almost feel the fullness of her mana song in his heart.
He reached a sudden, explosive climax that made his breath shaky and uneven and left him shuddering. For a long while, he stood beneath the water with his head bowed and his long, wet hair dangling in his face, chest heaving as he caught his breath.
But something had been missing, something significant. He still felt unsatisfied, still felt that deep, throbbing desire for her—a desire that was only greater now.
He cleaned himself and exited the shower quickly, drying off and dressing in clean clothing with equal haste. He needed to see Adalynn now. He didn’t bother with socks or shoes, didn’t bother tucking in his button-down shirt—which was damp thanks to his also-damp hair—and didn’t slow down for even a moment on his way to Adalynn’s bedroom.
He stopped when he arrived at her door and curbed his urge to barge in; she was upset with him, and he was here to apologize. Bursting into her room could only undermine the sincerity of his intended apology, could only make things worse between them. He lifted a hand and rapped upon the door.
When she offered no answer, he reached for the latch, only to halt his hand in midair. She wasn’t in her bedroom. He would’ve realized that sooner had he not rushed here on a wave of overwhelming, unthinking urgency. He sensed her presence, though it was faint—she was somewhere on the opposite side of the house.
Merrick strode to the loft overlooking the foyer and stopped with his hands on the bannister. He focused on that warm, tingling sensation and reoriented himself.
Downstairs?
He descended the steps and moved into the hallway between the foyer and the parlor, where he stopped again. He turned to face the southern hallway; that was the direction from which he sensed her, though the corridor was dark, everything was still, and all the doors were closed.
But it was not silent. Music drifted down the hall from behind the closed ballroom doors, and he could feel the power in it this time, he knew it was from the piano and not from Adalynn’s cassette player.
Merrick walked toward the ballroom without hesitation. As he neared it, a strange sensation settled over him, raising goosebumps on his skin and sending electric tingles outward from the base of his skull. He knew the music playing inside the ballroom, but not because he’d heard it in some concert hall a hundred and fifty years ago, not because he’d heard it playing over a staticky radio broadcast in a bygone decade; he’d never heard this music before.
He pushed the doors open. The song flowed over him, swirled around him, swept through him. The haunting, melancholic notes, fraught with flashes of bitterness, frustration, power, and bits of hope, spoke directly to his soul—because they already resided there. They always had.
This was a mana song—Merrick’s mana song.
He crossed the threshold.
Adalynn was sitting at the piano. Loose, spiral locks of hair dangled around her face as she gently swayed with the music, her fingers striking each note as though she’d practiced them a thousand times before, as though she’d always been meant to play them—as though the song had been written just for her to perform.
Merrick padded across the dance floor. He felt like he was floating rather than walking, and his magic swelled to resonate along with Adalynn’s music, matching it note for note.
No, not note for note. Something was missing from her rendition, something vital—an underscoring, complimentary melody that gave his mana song new harmony, a melody that strengthened inside him with his every step nearer to her.
He mounted the low stage in front of her. Adalynn’s eyes were closed. His magic thrummed, encouraged by the vibrations the piano sent through the floor, and the air felt charged with anticipatory energy. He approached the piano slowly, reverently, unwilling to startle her and break the song—she looked more passionate, more carefree, now than she had at any other moment during her stay here.
As though sensing his presence, Adalynn opened her eyes and met his gaze. She didn’t seem surprised—she smiled at him and continued playing without missing a note, soft pink staining her cheeks.
Merrick walked around the bench. Adalynn slid aside, and he sat next to her. For a few seconds, he watched her fingers, so graceful and confident, fly over the keys. He’d learned to play many years ago, and, even if he was out of practice, even if he could not match her skill, he knew he could play what needed to be played now.
He raised his hands and set them in position, closed his eyes, and played the missing melody. Played her melody.
The two pieces came together beautifully, each unique and individual but wholly complimentary to the other, entering an intricate dance with one another.
He sensed Adalynn’s gaze upon him. He opened his eyes to meet hers, which were sparkling with joy over her wide smile. She leaned toward him, brushing her arm against his. Magic pulsed along his forearm, and fire sparked low in his belly. But that stirring of desire was nothing compared to the sound of their songs mingling in the air.
The music seemed a prelude to something larger, something deeper, something inevitable. It was like a taste of…fate.
He wasn’t sure how long they played together—it might’ve been a few minutes or a few hours— but it felt like forever in the best of ways because it was so right, so perfect. They stopped in unison, and the final notes faded slowly, leaving Merrick and Adalynn’s soft, panting breaths as the only sounds in the large room.
“What was that?” she asked.
“It was you.” He lifted a hand and slid his palm over her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. “It was us.”
Her dark, sultry eyes suddenly burned with undisguised need. Within the next instant, she was in his lap, straddling him, with her arms wrapped around his neck and her mouth against his. Merrick slipped his fingers into her hair and cupped the back of her head. He wrapped his other arm around her, drawing her close as he returned the kiss with everything inside him.
Crackling pulses of energy arced outward from his mouth, setting his every nerve ablaze, teasing him with a sampling of the pleasure she could provide. When she moaned and undulated her hips against him, he knew she felt it too.
Adalynn broke the kiss, keeping her mouth close to his. Merrick forced his eyes open to meet her gaze.
“I’m not denying myself anymore,” she rasped, brushing her lips against his in a feathery caress. “I want you, Merrick.”
His cock strained against his trousers, eager for her heat, but their clothing remained a barrier between them. Lust hazed his mind; he needed her, needed her now, needed to have all of her…but was this the place?
My room. My bed, where she belongs. My Adalynn.
Merrick dropped his hands to her thighs and guided her legs around his waist as he stood, sliding his palms to her backside once he was upright. She tightened her hold on him with arms and legs alike and kissed him again. He returned the kiss, deepening it, using his tongue to coax her lips apart so he could gain entry. She obliged. Heat poured through his veins, and his fingers flexed; he pulled her closer still, pressing her soft body against his hardened shaft.
Now. He needed her now.
Without breaking the kiss, he carried her off the stage and out of the ballroom, navigating primarily by his familiarity with the manor and the layers of magic he’d embedded in its walls. Adalynn rubbed her pelvis against him. He could feel the maddening heat of her core through their clothes; it nearly drove him to take her right there, on the stairs.
He climbed the steps and hurried down the hallway, everything passing in a blur. He shoved his bedroom door open, rushed through, and slammed it shut behind him, pausing only to lock the deadbolt before striding to his bed.
Merrick leaned forward, laid Adalynn on her back, and pulled away to look down at her. Her arms fell to either side of her head. Her lips were luscious, pink, and kiss-swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright with desire. She was beautiful beyond words.
And she w
as his.
Chapter Ten
Adalynn was awash with desire, intoxicated by Merrick’s taste and scent, and eager for more. She stared up at him, and her heart leapt. He was breathtaking. His long, damp hair hung around his face, his features were hard and fierce, and his eyes glowed a vibrant, electric blue.
Hands trembling in anticipation, she reached up to unbutton his shirt. She’d only managed to unfasten two buttons before he grasped the sides of his shirt and tore the garment open; several detached buttons fell away as he shrugged off the shirt and let it fall to the floor.
She settled her hands on his chest. His flesh was hot, and his heart pounded beneath her palms. She trailed her hands down, over the lean muscles of his abs, and lower still to his pants. With her fingers a bit steadier, she unclasped his pants, lowered their zipper, and shoved them down. An instant later, she grasped his hard cock.
Merrick hissed and bowed his head, placing his hands on the bed to either side of her to prop himself up. “Adalynn…”
Encouraged by his reaction, she tightened her grip and stroked her hand up and down, relishing the feel of him. His shaft was long and thick, scalding iron encased in velvet, and oh, it was glorious. Liquid heat flooded her. Her sex clenched as she imagined him entering her, thrusting inside her, filling her.
Merrick’s body went taut, and he squeezed his eyes shut, his lips parting as he panted softly.
Lifting her face, Adalynn pressed her lips to his neck, trailing sultry kisses along his throat from one side to the other until she reached his ear. She snagged his earlobe with her teeth and bit down hard enough to make him growl and shudder. Something wet aided the glide of her hand as she continued to stroke him. She moved her hand up to the head of his shaft and slid her thumb over his slit, from which pre-cum had seeped.
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