Page 52 of The Warlock's Kiss

When she reached the stage, she climbed up and sat on the piano bench. The fallboard was upright. She skimmed her fingertips over the keys, too lightly to produce any sound, and found herself overcome with an indefinable sense of sadness.

No, no sadness. I’m living, right?

She pressed down on a few keys.

The notes were strong, resonant, and in tune.

“What?”

Startled, Adalynn moved her other hand up to the keys and played a few bars ofRiver Flows in You. Though her fingers felt stiff and a bit clumsy after so long, the music flowed from her, the notes crisp andperfect.

Merrick. He’d done this. For her?

She brimmed with excitement, and joyful tears welled in her eyes. She clasped her hands together and lifted them to her chest, which was tight with overwhelming emotions. It’d beenmonthssince she last played, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missedit, hadn’t realized how big a hole its absence had left inside her, until this moment. Music—especially piano—had been the core of her life since that first time her father played herMoonlight Sonata.

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 withRiver Flows in Youand shifting intoMoonlight 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’sYour 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 sheknewall the same. She’d neverheardit; it was a song she’dfeltinside 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 Dannycarried 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 hefeltthat 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, anychance 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 lastfamilyyou 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 willnotlose 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.

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