For the rest of his free time, Danny, who’d never been much of a reader before the Sundering, had taken to enjoying the stacks of books and old magazines Merrick had provided—many of them old pulp adventure and fantasy stories dating back to the twenties and thirties.
While Danny occupied himself, Adalynn would sneak away with Merrick to his study or his bedroom—which looked as good as new after his repairs—to satisfy their mutual desire for one another, often for hours at a time. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other once they were close. Unfortunately, her illness always loomed in the backs of their minds; it was something neither of them spoke about, seemingly both unwilling to shatter the happiness they’d found.
When Adalynn wasn’t spending her free time with Merrick—the occasions upon which he reluctantly isolated himself in his study for research—she danced or played the piano.
Today, Adalynn and Danny decided to change things up while Merrick was shut away with his old books. They explored parts of the house they’d not had access to when they first arrived. So much had changed since that night; this was their home now, and Merrick had opened every door to them to make it true in every possible way.
After some wandering, they found themselves in a surprisingly clean attic—which shouldn’t have been all that surprising considering how Merrick kept the giant house magically dust free. Adalynn couldn’t help a bit of disappointment, however, after the expectations set by dozens of horror movies featuring musty attics full of cobwebs and ghosts.
Instead of restless supernatural entities, they found boxes upon boxes of books, some dating back hundreds of years. Any bibliophile would’ve gone crazy over the hidden collection. All the books were in perfect condition, their pages as crisp as though they’d just been printed. Adalynn knew magic had a hand in it. There were also old toys and trinkets—an entire nursery all packed away—antique furniture, stores of candles, and mounds of like-new, Victorian-era clothing.
“Where’d Merrick get all this stuff?” Danny picked up a black disc and pushed on the middle; it opened into a top hat with a pop.
Adalynn stood before a tall, antique floor mirror, holding an elegant, royal blue ballgown against her body. It had a square neckline, long sleeves that flared at the elbows, bows on the bodice, and delicate lace trim. It was absolutely gorgeous, and she could just imagine wearing it as she spun around the ballroom downstairs.
“I don’t think any of this was his. I think it came with the house, left here by whoever owned it before him,” Adalynn said, running her hands over the satiny dress.
“Huh. Probably. How old do you think he is?”
Adalynn glanced at Danny’s reflection in the mirror as he picked up a cane and attempted to twirl it. It promptly slipped out of his hand and clattered loudly on the floor. He winced and bent to pick it up, peeking at Adalynn with a sheepish grin.
She smiled and shrugged, shifting her gaze back to the dress. “I don’t know. Old.”
“And you don’t mind doing it with an old guy?”
Adalynn twisted to look at her brother, mouth agape. “Danny!”
He laughed. “What?”
She jabbed a finger at him. “That is none of your business.”
Danny laughed and set the cane down. He lifted his chin toward her. “You should try it on.”
Adalynn looked back down at the dress. It really was pretty. What could it hurt playing dress up for a little while?
“Why not?” She grinned and gestured to the suit hanging in the armoire. “Are you going to dress up, too?”
“Nah.”
“Oh, come on. Please? For me?”
He pointed at her. “That isn’t fair.”
“It’s not every day that I get to see my little brother in a fancy top hat and suit.”
Danny’s lip curled. “Fine. But you owe me.”
“You can have my share of peanut butter.”
“Deal!”
Adalynn laughed and glanced around the attic, her gaze falling on the folded-up privacy screen leaning against the angled ceiling. Laying the dress over her arm, she picked up the matching slippers, walked to the screen, and opened it up. She stepped behind it and bent down to remove her boots. When she straightened, she was hit by a wave of dizziness. She stumbled, catching herself before she fell over, and closed her eyes until it passed.
A flash of fear followed the brief episode, and Adalynn waited with bated breath for something more to happen, for a twinge of pain, a flaring headache, a hint of nausea, but nothing came.
Only vertigo. Slow down, Addy.
She was okay. She felt fine. Better than fine. It was nothing like before, and she wouldn’t let fear ruin her day.
She removed her shirt and pants, leaving on her bra and panties, and stepped into the dress, carefully pulling it up her body. The slippers came next. The bodice sagged, so she held it to her chest to keep from giving her brother a heart attack as she stepped out from behind the screen.
“Come help me with the laces,” she said.
Danny, who was buttoning up the double-breasted vest of his suit, looked up at her. “Wow. You look great, Addy.”
“You’re looking pretty handsome yourself.”
A dark blush stained his cheeks. He moved toward her, and Adalynn turned, facing the screen. She swayed slightly as he pulled the laces tight and tied them off.
“So…do you think there’ll be others?” he asked.
“Others?”
“People.”
“There are still a lot of people, Danny.”
“No. I mean, like…people like us. Good people. Do you think they’ll come here? Do you…do you think Merrick would let them stay?”
A pang of regret filled her chest. She could understand how he’d feel lonely here, even with her and Merrick; he probably craved the company of someone closer to his age. And once she was gone…
Adalynn turned to face her brother, placed her hands on his shoulders, and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I can’t say what Merrick would do. But he took us in, didn’t he?”
Danny nodded.
“The supplies here are abundant, but they’re not unlimited. So long as the crops continue to produce, and so long as there’s game in the woods, you’ll never be hungry. But the more people there are, the faster those resources will be used up. Merrick couldn’t open his doors to every person who might come here, but I believe, in time, he’d allow some people to stay. But we are his priority—our safety is his priority.”
“I know.” He inhaled deeply and released the breath in a rush. “I just…”
“You’re thinking about the future.”
“Yeah.”
Adalynn leaned closer, and her lips stretched wide into a smile. “And about getting a girlfriend?”
Danny’s face turned bright red. “No! I’m just…no! It’s not that.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Shut up and let me finish tying your stupid dress.”
Adalynn laughed, but gave him her back once more.
Once he’d finished, she helped him don the suit jacket and a pair of white gloves, then pulled on a long pair of lady’s gloves herself. They stood side-by-side before the mirror.
“Check us out!” Danny said. “It’s like we went back in time.” He curled a finger beneath his nose like a moustache and pursed his lips, deepening his voice. “Hello, m’lady.”
Adalynn curtsied. “Hello, kind sir.”
Peals of laughter flowed freely from Adalynn and Danny as they posed and acted out the parts of fancy, well-to-do people from some vague, bygone era.
It was times like these during which Adalynn could forget about her illness, forget about the Sundering, forget about how broken, terrifying, and dangerous the world had become, if only for a little while. She was simply living in the moment, having fun with her brother. Nothing else mattered. Seeing his smile, hearing his laughter, and knowing he was happy filled her with joy.
Her only goal now that Danny had a saf
e place to live was to fill every second she had left with this joy, this happiness.
Merrick clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the scorched patch on the back lawn through one of the rear windows of his study. Though everything else had been cleaned up, he’d made no attempt to regenerate the grass—the land would heal on its own, given time. But for the last four days, that spot had bothered him, and he found himself looking at it more and more often.
It was a reminder of his near failure.
Even with his property warded, even with the forewarning of approaching danger, he’d come close to failing to keep Adalynn and Danny safe. If he’d been more prepared, if he’d been more decisive, more aggressive, he might’ve been able to prevent any harm from befalling them. Only luck had saved Danny from serious injury. Only seconds had saved Adalynn from being violated by that beast.
But he’d spent little time in bolstering the estate’s defenses. He wasn’t entirely sure how to do that without extensive research into the proper magic-shaping techniques, and his research was spent on something even more important lately—searching for a permanent cure for Adalynn.
He knew the measures he’d taken were only temporary, and they’d proven quite taxing—on himself in the short term, and on Adalynn in the long term. Days had passed; her second relapse loomed ahead of them, potentially only minutes away. Would he be able to save her this time?
Even if he could, it would eventually prove too much for one of them; it was unsustainable. But today, he’d made his first breakthrough, had found the first real possibility.
Merrick glanced down at the yellowed scroll laid on the windowsill before him. Though it was preserved by his magic—as was most everything in his home—it had already been quite old when he’d obtained it. In all likeliness, it had already been old before he was born. But this seemed to be the key. The best chance of saving her. The only option he’d found so far.
And it came without even a modicum of certainty.
Soul binding. That’s what it all came down to—the interweaving of two lives, of two souls, forever. The text was vague on what exactly that entailed, but it gave hope in the mention of mortal being made immortal. If he could share his immortality with her…would that be enough? Could that overcome the ailment that was killing her, or would it simply spread her illness to him and make him susceptible to its ravages?
Would it prevent her from being killed by her cancer but allow that illness to continue worsening, thus lengthening her suffering into eternity?
There were no answers to find here.
“Written in a different era,” he muttered to himself.
And it had been. Even in his youth, there’d been more of his kind than now—and that was after millennia of decline for all supernatural beings. In the centuries before his time, there’d been more still, and they’d maintained a collective knowledge of their magic and its uses that, unfortunately, only existed in fragments today. Twelve hundred years ago, there would’ve been someone alive who could explain this soul binding to him, who could tell him what it would and would not accomplish, who could guide him through all this.
Merrick shook his head and growled in frustration. “To be a thousand years old and still know so little…”
Something about the information on the scroll, something about the magic it described, spoke to him on a deep level. It was familiar, though he knew he’d not given it more than a cursory glance since obtaining it a great many years before. But he couldn’t place why it was familiar, and his mind was too preoccupied to determine the reason.
The spell was something, which meant it was a great deal more than he’d had a day ago. And if nothing else came up before her next relapse—which could well be her last relapse—he would take the risk. He knew already that he could not continue on without her. The world, his own life, would be too empty with no Adalynn. It seemed mad that she should mean so much to him in so short a time, but it was the truth of his heart.
He loved her. That was more than he’d felt for anyone in his entire life—there’d been love between himself and his blood kin, of course, but that had been far more muted, and they’d all been taken from him by the time he could’ve been considered a grown man.
Nothing would take Adalynn from him.
With great care, he rolled up the scroll and returned it to its case. He’d spent enough time pondering it, enough time fretting over how jarring the werewolf attack had been, enough time brooding. Each moment of research was a moment apart from Adalynn, and he didn’t want to waste any more of those than was necessary to save her.
He set the scroll case on his desk and strode out of his study without allowing himself another moment to pause in contemplation.
Once he was in the hallway, he followed the muffled sound of laughter to the attic staircase. The door leading to the staircase was open, and he could clearly hear Adalynn and Danny above. His steps were silent as he ascended, and the lightness of their laughter, the joy, eased Merrick’s worries along the short journey.
He’d only taken a few steps away from the stairs before the siblings came into view. They were dressed in some of the old clothing that had been stored up here—a blue dress for Adalynn and a slightly over-sized suit with a double-breasted vest for Danny, the boy’s outfit capped by a top hat. It was clothing that had already been here when Merrick purchased the property, slightly outdated even then, and he’d not given it a second thought in over a hundred years.
Adalynn and Danny were standing in front of a tall mirror, posing, speaking in silly voices—using terms and accents they must’ve thought old-fashioned—and giggling. It was endearing. Adalynn was beautiful all the time, but now, with that dress on—which fit like it was made for her—and all the worry smoothed from her face by laughter, she was utterly radiant.
The things I’d do to her right here, right now, if her brother weren’t nearby…
Imaginings of Adalynn against the wall, caged by Merrick’s body, with her lips parted, her eyes hooded, and her skirts raised flitted through his mind.
He shook them off; this was innocent fun. He could let it be simply that.
Merrick moved closer, unable to keep a smile from his own lips. “Seems you two are putting on the Ritz.”
They both started and spun toward him. Adalynn’s surprise quickly transformed into delight. Her smile widened, and her eyes sparkled—but there was something deeper in her gaze, something grounded, powerful, and potent.
Merrick’s heart thumped a little faster, and a flare of heat raced across his skin. Perhaps it was too much to hope for, but that look in her eyes seemed to perfectly reflect what he felt for her.
Danny’s brows furrowed. “Why are you talking about crackers?”
It took an immense amount of willpower for Merrick to shift his attention from Adalynn to Danny. “I’m not talking about crackers, and I’ve not the slightest idea why you’d think I was.”
Danny gave him a droll look, as though Merrick had lost his mind. “Ritz? The crackers?”
Merrick put on an equally droll expression. “No, Ritz. The hotel. The song. What does that have to do with crackers?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, man.”
Adalynn burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. “Merrick, I’m sorry to say it, but you’re showing your age.”
Merrick frowned at her. He knew human culture changed quickly—he’d been around for a thousand years of it—but the rapid advancement of technology over the last half-century or so seemed to have left him further behind than normal. “I assure you both that the reference, however dated it may seem to you, is timelier than the clothing you’re currently wearing.”
Danny turned his face toward Adalynn, brows raised. “Old.”
She punched him in the shoulder.
“Ow!” He slapped a hand over the spot she’d hit, rubbing it with a pout.
“And you seemed so happy a moment ago,” Merrick said dryly.
“I’ve been dressed up the entire time you’ve been here.” Merrick spread his arms to the sides and glanced down at his vest, dress shirt, and slacks—the attire he wore most days. He’d thought his clothing, despite having been designed and purchased many, many years ago, had something of a timeless quality to it, at least through to the modern day.
Danny plucked his top hat off his head and tossed it to Merrick.
Merrick caught the hat by its brim and held it upside down. “I suppose you expect me to pull a rabbit out of this or some such nonsense simply because you know I can use magic?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Put it on.”
“Can I see a rabbit?” Adalynn asked with a grin.
With a sigh, Merrick dipped a hand into the hat. He knew Adalynn was teasing, but he found himself unwilling to deny her request. He called up just enough magic to shape into the appropriate form—a glowing, translucent blue rabbit, its details somewhat vague—and lifted his hand to make the illusory creature rise above the brim.
Danny and Adalynn’s eyes widened, and their lips parted in wonder as the magical creature leapt out of the hat and hopped around the floor. It darted between Danny’s legs, beneath Adalynn’s skirt—lucky bastard—and around the furniture before it dissipated.
Danny’s face was lit up with excitement when he turned back to Merrick. “That was so cool!”
Adalynn closed the distance between them, the swaying of her hips sweeping the fabric of her skirt from side to side as she walked. She plucked the hat from Merrick’s hand, placed her free hand on the back of his neck to tug him down, and pecked a kiss on his cheek before placing the hat atop his head. “Thank you.”
He tipped the hat, unable to prevent himself from grinning. “My pleasure, madam.”
She chuckled and looped her arms with his. “You’re finished early. What brings you here to visit with us?”
“I spend enough time cooped up in that room. Livelier company seemed in order.” He adjusted the lay of the hat atop his head. “And, since we’re already dressed up, might I suggest a stroll around the grounds? There’s far more to my estate than you’ve seen thus far.”
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