Page 28 of The Warlock's Kiss

But it wasn’t theirs. It belonged to Merrick.

Her mind shifted to last night, producing startlingly crisp memories of Merrick barging into the bathroom while she was naked and completely exposed to his captivating, citrine eyes. Despite everything, she hadn’t been scared.

Well, perhaps she’d been alittlefrightened, but beneath that fear had been excitement, had beendesire.

Adalynn knew that any sane woman would’ve demanded he leave, would’ve reached for a weapon when he advanced on her, would’vefought. She was sure that, had she told him to leave, he would have. But she hadn’t. She’d stood still as his hungry eyes ran over her body, as he closed the distance between them and touched her. That simple brush of his fingers on her shoulder had sent a shock of electricity through her, sparking her body to life, had made her sex pulse, flooding her with delicious heat.

And she’d wantedmore.

It hadn’t mattered that he was a stranger. All that mattered, in that moment, was that she hadwanted. With every bit of herself, she’d wantedhim.

She’d resisted. She wasn’t sure if it had been out of habit or because he’d be sending them away with the morning, but her will had held longer than she would’ve expected. He was so damn sexy, and so intense—even if he had a talent for being abrasive when he wanted to be—and what would the harm have been? What was a little mutual pleasure between consenting adults?

Even after she’d asked for privacy—as close as she’d been able to come to asking him to get out—she might’ve stopped him, might’ve given in to her urges, were it not for thecandles.

At first, she’d thought she was dreaming. The entire situation had been surreal—a secluded, rundown mansion that was in perfect condition inside;hot, running water; her standing naked in front of a mysterious man she desired without any concern for her own safety. The candles suddenly flaring to life must’ve been her imagination completing the fantasy in which she’d found herself.

But the heat of the flames had suggested that it was allveryreal.

There had to be an explanation for it. Maybe she’d lit more than two candles and had forgotten? It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d spaced doing something, especially with her condition—memory loss was a common symptom, according to the doctors, and her experiences had supported that.

Maybe her interaction with Merrick had never happened, and she’d just had a particularly vivid dream after taking a cold bath, brushing her teeth, and getting back into bed.

But it had felt soreal.

Another crack of thunder pulled her out of her thoughts.

It was time to go.

Her stomach cramped with hunger; she hoped Merrick would be kind enough to offer something more to eat before they headed out into the storm.

With a sigh, Adalynn pushed herself up and swung her legs around to get into a sitting position. “Danny, it’s time to wake up. We don’t want to overstay our welcome and anger our host.”

There was no movement, no response. Not even a groan of protest.

Turning her head, Adalynn reached out to shake her brother awake. “Dan—” Her eyes widened.

He was gone.

“Danny?” she called, scanning the room. He was nowhere—he wasn’t rummaging through the tall, dark armoire against the wall, wasn’t standing by the door bouncing impatiently, wasn’t standing in front of the window or sitting on the floor. But his bugout bagwassitting on the floor. A flare of frustration joined her alarm, but she quickly stamped them both down.

We’re okay.Danny’sokay. This is our first taste of comfort and security in a long time, and he just…just got a little complacent. He’s just a kid.

But he still needed to remember. As much as she hated being hard on him, she wasn’t going to be around forever, and he needed to be careful. He needed to stay alert regardless of how safe things seemed. Merrick was a stranger, and people hid their true nature all the time; why would he be any different? That didn’t mean hewascrazy, or a killer…but it didn’t mean hewasn’t, either.

Oh, sonowI take that into consideration, after I stood there and let him gawk at my naked body. Way to go, Adalynn.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Adalynn grabbed her boots and shoved her feet into them, tying them quickly. She stood, picked up their bugout bags—swinging one over each shoulder—and left the room to find her brother.

As she walked down the hall toward the spiral staircase, she glanced into the currently unoccupied bathroom, where her drying clothing dangled from the curtain rail over the tub; she’d have to collect her clothing after she collected Danny. But she lingered at the doorway, finding herself again fighting back the memories of what had transpired within.

Just a dream. It wasn’t real—couldn’thave been real.

She descended the steps, and when she reached the bottom, her eyes flicked to the front door, catching a glimpse of the rain through the windows flanking the entrance. She stopped abruptly as she was turning away and swung her gaze back to the left window—a fully intact window.

Brows falling low and eyes narrowing, Adalynn slowly approached it.

“I broke it,” she whispered. That was how they’d entered—she’d broken the window, reached through, and unlocked the door.

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