Page 72 of The Warlock's Kiss

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 thedeadliestof mundane tools.

“Tell me I’m not the only one uncomfortable with the notion of himrunningto 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 themperfectfor 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 knewsomethingwas 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 canealmostseemed 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 toher. 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. “CanIuse 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 theupon deathto 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 isenergy, 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.”

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