He couldn’t recall many occasions like this—at least not before Adalynn had come into his life.
Merrick pushed himself to his feet and strolled along the trail she’d blazed through the sand, approaching the water’s edge with as much leisure as he’d taken in eating the bit of food he’d consumed—though his full attention remained on Adalynn.
Adalynn stopped at the beginning of the dock and reached behind her, awkwardly unfastening the ties of her dress. To Merrick’s surprise, she shoved the dress down once the ties were loosened. The whole of her tantalizing body—apart from the skin covered by navy-blue bra and black panties—was exposed to him in the bright summer sun.
That was more than enough to pour heat into Merrick’s veins and reawaken that too-familiar ache in his groin. He gritted his teeth. Once again, he knew that, were it not for Danny’s presence, he’d be unable to keep himself off her.
“Come on, Addy!” Danny yelled from the water.
“I’m coming!” Adalynn stepped out of the dress and padded down the dock. Her steps picked up speed; she was running, brown hair streaming behind her, by the time she neared the end of the dock. She leapt off the edge and disappeared into the water below with a splash.
Merrick maintained his slow pace as he stepped onto the dock and walked to the end. With Adalynn almost naked, he couldn’t guarantee his own restraint once he was in the water…so perhaps, this time, it was best to avoid the situation and stay on dry land.
Her head broke the surface, and she swept her hair out of her face as she treaded water. “Woo! Oh my God, this feel so good.” She closed her eyes and titled her head back. Refracted sunlight sparkled in the water droplets on her skin.
Danny swam to the dock, grabbed hold of the edge, and looked up at Merrick. “Let’s go Merrick. Get in here!”
Adalynn opened her eyes and moved toward them. “Come in with us.”
Merrick turned his palms upward and lifted his hands slightly. “I’m not dressed for swimming.”
“Neither were we.”
Adalynn’s coy smile certainly wasn’t making it easy for him to resist.
He drew in a slow, steadying breath. He’d spent a thousand years in control; he would not let that self-discipline falter now. “Would it not be more prudent for me to maintain vigil while the two of you enjoy yourselves?”
“I didn’t realize you were such a prude,” Danny said.
Adalynn burst out laughing.
Merrick parted his lips to run his tongue across the upper one. “A prude? Now who’s talking like an old man, dude?”
“Learned that from Addy’s romance book.” Danny winked and smirked. “You sound a lot like the guy with the big—”
A wave of water hit Danny in the face, causing him to cough and sputter.
“Danny!” Adalynn admonished, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
Danny laughed. “Okay! Jeez. Just saying.”
Scowling, Merrick lifted his hands and unbuttoned his vest. “I can assure you, Daniel, that your sister has no need of any romantic fantasy any longer.”
“Oh, that’s gross.” Danny shuddered and gagged. “I don’t need to picture that!”
“No, you really don’t,” Adalynn said, but her eyes were fixated on Merrick.
Merrick dropped the vest onto the dock and untucked his shirt, unfastening its buttons with a deliberate appearance of forcefulness now that she was watching. “Anything inappropriate in your imagination is a result of your own tainted mind, boy. There’s nothing gross about my relationship with Adalynn.”
“No, it’s just that she’s my sister.” Danny shuddered again and ducked under the water, swimming away.
Once his shirt was off, Merrick divested himself of his shoes, socks, and pants, leaving his clothing in a pile. Standing only in his boxers, he took a moment to steel himself and focus on the feel of the warm air against his bare skin, on the scent of vegetation and fresh water drifting around him, on the bird songs sounding from the trees—on anything but Adalynn’s coy smile and her current state of undress. It was hard for Merrick to maintain his composure while she was staring at him so intently, and Danny really didn’t need to see anything inappropriate.
Merrick tipped his head back and scanned the lovely blue of the sky and the soft white tufts of cloud dotting it. These dying days of summer would mark the end of an era for him, and would stand out as unique in his long, long life, no matter what happened before the next summer arrived.
Adalynn chuckled softly, and Merrick knew the reason for it. She knew her effect on him, knew how hard it was for him to resist, and he would make sure she paid for it later.
Fortunately for her, she’d enjoy the price he would exact.
He stepped off the dock and plunged into the water.
The initial chill was exhilarating, rousing him to move his body to combat it. He swung his arms and kicked his legs to tread water—the lake reached a surprising depth near the end of the dock—and filled his lungs with fresh air once he broke the surface. It felt good. How had he let himself forget this?
Merrick turned his head toward Adalynn to find her already approaching him. With a smirk, he swam to meet her. Once she was within reach, he looped his arm around her waist and drew her against him.
She wrapped her arms and legs around him instantly, her gaze locking with his. Droplets of water shimmered on her eyelashes, hair, and skin, and desire burned in her eyes. Merrick groaned at her heat, the softness of her body, the slide of her limbs. His struggles a few moments earlier had done nothing to prepare him for this all-out war against his yearning; it took everything in him to keep from taking her right then.
“So, what’s this romance book your brother spoke of?” he asked.
“What do you think it is? I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“I’ve never been jealous of a book before. I think you’ll need to dispose of it.”
She chuckled and leaned her face closer, brushing the tip of her nose against his. “You don’t need to be jealous. I have my very own hero right here. And”—she slipped one of her hands between their bodies and grasped his cock—“he’s quite well endowed.”
Despite releasing another groan, despite the intensifying ache deep in his belly, despite the delectable torture of her touch, Merrick grinned. “Is that all you want me for, Adalynn?”
“No.” She released his shaft and pecked a quick kiss on his lips. “Though I am craving it something fierce right now. However”—she let go of him completely and pushed herself away from him—“now is not the time.” She grinned cheekily, turned, and swam.
“I’m going to remind you of all the torture you’ve put me through tonight,” Merrick said as he swam after her. “You’ll be begging for release long before I’m through.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” she called behind her, laughing.
Merrick was, too.
“Guys!” Danny sent a splash toward Merrick. “Knock it off! Let’s keep it family friendly!”
Smirking, Merrick halted his pursuit of Adalynn. That pause gave him enough time to ask himself a question more profound than he’d realized possible—was this what it was like to live a normal life alongside family and friends? He’d been younger than Adalynn when the last of his known blood kin had died, and he couldn’t recall any moments like this from before they were gone.
If he could’ve traded the thousand years he’d lived for the chance to have met Adalynn sooner, to have experienced this sooner, to have lived one mortal lifetime in happiness with her, he would’ve done so without hesitation.
Realizing the fullness of his powers paled in comparison to this. He’d never known it, but Adalynn always would’ve been enough for him.
Chapter Fifteen
Adalynn lay against Merrick’s side with her eyes closed. Night had fallen a couple hours ago, Danny—who’d been yawning almost uncontrollably—had put himself to bed, and there was a warm, cozy fire crackling in the fireplace. The sofa
she and Merrick were relaxing upon wasn’t the most comfortable seat in the house, but she wouldn’t have moved for anything. His arm was around her, strong and secure, and his soothing scent enveloped her. This was exactly where she wanted to be.
Today had been a good day. Today had been the best day Adalynn could ever have asked for.
She took in a deep breath, took in Merrick’s aroma, and released it slowly as she curled up against him.
“I never realized how empty this house felt before you and your brother came,” Merrick said, his voice deep but soft.
Adalynn opened her eyes and tilted her head back to look up at his face. He was staring into the fire, his eyes glowing a faint blue.
“You’ve reintroduced me to being alive,” he continued, his words growing heavy with solemnity. “You’ve shown me that the Sundering wasn’t the end of the world. It was a new beginning.”
“Were things really that bad for you before all this?”
He turned his face toward her and offered a sad, understated smile. He shook his head slightly. “I didn’t think so. In hindsight, it wasn’t bad…just lonely. I never realized how much so before you. Mortals lived and died around me and I simply lingered. Even if I trusted them, what point was there to building relationships? What questions would I have had to answer as they grew old and I remained the same? Now I know what I’ve missed all this time…but I don’t think anyone other than you could’ve shown it to me.”
The sorrow in his tone washed through her, and she lowered her eyes before he could catch sight of it in them. What was she doing? She was being so…selfish. It was stupid to believe she could embrace these moments with Merrick while keeping everything between them purely physical, stupid to believe that no deeper, stronger connection would be forged between them.
She was dying. She knew it, Merrick knew it—even if he refused to accept it—and it was just so…
Unfair.
Adalynn couldn’t regret their time together, couldn’t view it as wrong, no matter how selfish she thought she was being. Everything about Merrick felt right. But he…he would live on. He would have to carry the burden of grief and loss. Forever.
It felt like a knife twisting in her heart when she thought of what she was doing to Merrick and Danny. Every day, she made new memories with them, happy memories. But at the same time, it felt like she was just deepening the eventual wounds they would suffer.
What if…what if I left? Before it’s too late. Before he comes to…love me.
Could she leave? Her very soul screamed no. But to force them to watch her suffer when her next attack came on, to force them to watch her die? To force them watch her…change into one of those things knowing they’d have to kill her?
The thought made her sick.
She couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t want Danny and Merrick’s last memory of her to be of an undead monstrosity that was ravenous for their blood. Seeing her parents that way had already been too much.
I can’t stay.
It was a depressing, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking thought.
Merrick’s fingers squeezed Adalynn’s upper arm, calling her back into the moment.
“What’s wrong, Adalynn?” he asked. “I can sense your unease.”
Adalynn held him just a little tighter, rubbed her cheek against his chest, and shook her head. “Nothing. Tell me about your past.”
“I shouldn’t let you dodge my question that easily.”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, Adalynn.”
Adalynn lifted her head and met his eyes, careful to keep her thoughts from affecting her expression. She smiled softly and brushed her lips over his. “I’m happy. The happiest I’ve ever been. I want to know more about you. About your past, about why you live in this big old house all by yourself, and how you got this.” She lifted a hand and lightly traced the scar from his forehead down to his cheek.
Merrick eased back on the sofa, letting out a soft sigh. “My past is long and largely uneventful. Survival in a hostile world necessitated as much—keeping suspicions to a minimum was vital. I was born in what was at the time called Mercia, though the name ceased to mean anything not long after my birth. It is part of central England in modern times, though I suppose those names may well change again, given the current state of the world.
“I was young during a time of unrest. The king was considered ineffective and was despised by many. The Danes were fighting the Saxons, power was shifting…it was a messy era, and my perspective during that period was that of a child with a very limited world view. Few humans ventured more than a few miles from the towns of their birth, in those days. My parents were careful with their magic, but anything outside of what people considered wholly natural in those days—even the use of natural remedies to cure ailments—was often a target of suspicion.
“They were dragged out of our home when I was eleven or twelve and lashed to a stake to be burned. Being a child, I had little understanding of what was going on apart from there being an angry mob seeking to harm my parents. I’d not grown into my magic yet, but even if I had, I know now there was nothing I could’ve done. This”—he touched his fingertip to the top of the scar and slashed downward along its path—“is what I received when I tried to help them. The mob spared me because they deemed me yet innocent, but the owner of the dagger I lunged for was unappreciative of my attempt to take his weapon. I was able to pull back before I lost my eye, but I wasn’t fast enough to avoid his blade completely.”
Adalynn’s eyes widened. She’d learned about the witch trials in school—though they’d occurred several centuries after his childhood, with him being over a thousand years old—had seen movies, read books, but she’d only understood the cruelty with which those people had been treated as a distant thing. It was something that she’d never thought could’ve happened in the modern world; it was something by which she’d never be affected. But such things had affected Merrick. That had been his life.
“Did you have siblings?” she asked. “Did they…”
“Two. A pair of older brothers. They’d been sent off on an errand—I can’t remember what—and arrived only after the fire had burned down to embers and there was nothing left. They dragged me away from the pile of ashes, and we fled that evening. My kind is far more resilient than yours, but we are by no means invulnerable, and there was no magic at our disposal that could’ve saved my parents from that fate.”
Icy horror spread through Adalynn; even having seen the aftermath of the accident that took her parents, she couldn’t imagine how traumatizing it must’ve been for Merrick to watch his parents burned alive. “I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t need to be. It was a very long time ago, as I said, and you were not one of the people who took part in it. My brothers and I traveled for a time afterward, taking work where we could to keep from going hungry. With my magic not yet unlocked, and without having reached my point of immortality, I was essentially human. My brothers, though in possession of their magic, had not yet reached that immortal state either.
“It was a difficult existence. Most people were distrustful of outsiders, but we managed as best we could. Within two years, both my brothers were dead. Killed in a scuffle over food.” His hold on her tightened a little, and she could sense the discordance in the song of his soul. “Perhaps they’d been overconfident in their blossoming power, or perhaps it was merely desperation to keep our bellies from feeling so hollow. I’ve been alone since then.”
“How did you survive?” Adalynn laid her cheek on his chest and grasped the fabric of his open vest.
“I just…did. In that case, I was just young enough that men saw it as beneath them to kill me. If there had been a war raging, it would’ve been different, of course…but a lone child was easier for folks to trust, and I worked hard enough to earn my meals. In some ways…it was easier, on my own. No one had to worry about me, and I didn’t have to worry about anyone else.
Merrick extended his free arm and held it with his palm up and fingers slightly curled. A small blue orb coalesced in the air just over his hand, pulsing and swirling. “This seemed so difficult back then. Nearly impossible. It took me years to build up to being able to produce something like this. After the Sundering, it’s as effortless as breathing.”
Adalynn reached for the orb. Touching it was like touching one of those plasma balls that were always sold in novelty shops; it produced a thrum that flowed through her fingertips and up her arm, tickling rather than painful. The tiny hairs on her forearms stood on end.
“Amassing wealth over the centuries has been both simple and increasingly complicated. I’d grown into my immortality some time during my thirties. My magic felt fuller, and my need for food and drink dwindled. That made it easier to survive, easier to save what I earned. I started scouring the world for anything I could find that would grant me insight into my magic, gathering a massive collection of texts with bits and pieces of information from around the world—some of them containing what I might call spells. That collection is in my study currently.”
“Did you ever find anyone else like you?” She turned her hand over, trailing her fingers across the orb before lowering her hand onto his palm.
The magical sphere vanished. Merrick laced his fingers with hers and lifted her hand to brush his lips over her knuckles. “A few. But the need for discretion and secrecy has only amplified with the passage of time, so my interactions with them were brief. It seems most of us who were left have survived as loners and had grown distrustful even of each other.”
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