Page 18 of The Warlock's Kiss

“I know, right?” The boy managed to match Merrick’s sarcasm, if not his dryness.

Danny turned into the kitchen. Adalynn and Merrick followed close behind.

Merrick walked toward the pantry. “Go sit down.”

The humans moved to the table positioned near the back corner of the kitchen. Adalynn set the flashlight atop it, pointed upwards to create a wide circle of light on the ceiling. Slipping their packs off their shoulders, they dropped them onto the floor, pulled out their chairs, and sat next to one another.

“Do you always wander around this place in the dark, Merrick?” Danny asked, drumming his fingers on the table’s surface.

Merrick paused in front of the pantry door and glanced back to see Adalynn reach out and place her hand over Danny’s to still his fingers. However poorly Merrick thought of humans, they were perceptive, and it was in his best interest to mask his true nature from them—to hide, just as he’d done for so many centuries.

“There are candles in most rooms, but I’ve lived here for many years. I’m quite familiar with the layout of my home. I find it wasteful to use candles when I don’t require additional light for navigation.” Merrick opened the pantry door. “And I don’t often make a habit of wandering the halls in the dead of night, young Daniel. Circumstances tonight have dictated otherwise.”

“Does anyone else live here?” Adalynn asked.

“No.” Merrick entered the pantry; he assumed it would’ve been black as pitch to their human eyes, but he could see the stores he’d built up over the last several years quite clearly. Whatever his qualms about interacting with humans, he couldn’t deny the convenience of the food preservation methods they’d innovated over the last century or so.

“So, you’re alone here?”

“Yes.”

Just as he preferred.

Merrick selected a few tomatoes and cucumbers from the baskets on the shelves—he preferred to hold onto his jars of preserve and canned goods for when the fresh crops ran low during the long winter months—and a sleeve of buttery crackers.

He carried the food into the kitchen.

Danny stared at Merrick with huge, excited eyes. “I knew it! Itoldyou there was food here, Addy.”

Adalynn’s eyes widened when they settled on the food in Merrick’s arms. “You havefreshproduce?”

Merrick leaned forward to place the food atop the table, letting the produce roll gently from his arms. “Yes. And you, apparently, have an endless supply of questions.”

A flash of irritation crossed her face, and she pressed her lips together.

“A jest, Adalynn,” Merrick hurried to say; hewantedher to stay, so why was he pushing her away? “Forgive the dryness of my tone.”

I suppose the years have made me somewhat cantankerous, haven’t they?

Her expression softened, and she nodded.

He tore open the package of crackers and placed it on the table between the two humans. “I’ve always kept a bountiful garden, even before the world changed.”

Danny tore into the crackers the moment they touched the table, shoving two into his mouth and chewing noisily. He released a satisfied groan.

Adalynn looked at the vegetables. “It’s a good idea, but a lot of people, especially in the cities, didn’t have the space to grow anything. These days…it’s more a matter of not being able to stay in one place long enough.”

Merrick moved to the counter, taking two plates out of the cupboard and a knife from the block. “I imagine its more difficult now to maintain one than ever. Things are…badout there?”

“Realbad,” Danny said before stuffing another cracker into his already full mouth.

When Merrick returned to the table, he frowned; it was already covered with crumbs around Danny. Merrick slid one of the plates directly in front of the boy, catching a few of the falling crumbs. This was going to be harder to tolerate than he’d thought.

Merrick set the other plate in front of Adalynn and settled the knife atop it.

“Thanks.” Adalynn picked up the knife, grabbed a tomato, and began cutting it.

“My only expeditions into this altered world were made soon after the moon split,” said Merrick, “and I imagine the small towns in this region are not exemplary of the wider world.Real badhow?”

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