Page 36 of The Warlock's Kiss

“And that’s really all?”

“That’s all.”

Her tension faded, and she smiled. “Then yes. We’d love to stay here with you. You have no idea how much it eases my mind knowing Danny will be safe.”

When I’m gone,were the words she’d left unspoken, but Merrick heard them all the same. The reminder of her impending death jolted him like an electric shock. If he couldn’t find a means of saving her, she would be gone soon.

Even if hedidsave her from her current illness, her life would run its course so quickly,tooquickly. She was mortal—her existence was ephemeral whether she lived to the limits of the human lifespan or not.

“It eases my mind knowingyouwill be safe.” He raised a hand and tucked a dangling lock of Adalynn’s curls behind her ear. “We do, however, have one more serious matter to address.”

There was a shyness in her stance, in her smile, and a light blush stained her cheeks. She tilted her head and arched a brow. “What other serious matter?”

“I’ve not had a dance partner in many years. Would you do me the honor?” He stepped back and offered his hand. “I’m certainly more out of practice than you, but if it’s all for fun, it shouldn’t matter.”

Her eyes lit up, and her smile widened. “Really? You want to dance with me?”

Warmth blossomed in Merrick’s chest at the sight of that smile. “At the risk of embarrassing myself, yes. I do.”

Adalynn placed one hand in his and reached back toward the cassette player with the other. “I don’t have anything current. Just some classical.”

He curled his fingers around her hand, marveling at the way his skin thrummed when in contact with hers. “Perfect. I wouldn’t know anything current, anyway.”

She pressed the play button and turned to face him fully, settling her free hand on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, settling his hand at the small of her back. She looked up, met his eyes, and smiled again.

The lightly crackling static from the tape player gave way to the lively opening notes ofFür Elise—a song which itself had not emerged until some decades after its composer’s death. But it was lively and upbeat, and Merrick led Adalynn into a spinning, waltz-like dance that sped and slowed in time with the music.

Her smile grew with each step, her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she laughed as the ballroom whirled around them. He couldn’t help but laugh, too; her joy was infectious. She followed his steps expertly, as though anticipating his every move. Merrick’s heart sped, and the heat in his veins intensified.

They stopped with the music, which ended only a few short minutes after it had begun. Though the next song began, they remained still, panting softly.

“I would swear you’re from another time,” Adalynn said.

“Though I don’t appreciate you implying I’m an old man, it often feels that way,” he replied.

She chuckled. “That’s not what I was implying.” She lifted her hand from his shoulder to touch his hair, brushing it aside from his forehead. “You don’t look old at all.”

Tingles pulsed across his skin, and he nearly shut his eyes against the bliss of that simple touch. It meant more than should’ve been possible; it meant she was growing comfortable with him.

“And you look…beautiful,” he said. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles.

Her breath hitched and her eyes dipped to his mouth. Desire flared in the depths of her eyes, and it sparked an answering desire in his core—sparked it in hissoul. His magic swelled, bolstering the heat in his veins as it flowed along his arms to gather in his fingertips as though it were desperate for her, desperate for a connection beyond anything he’d ever known.

She eased toward him, her lips parting, and Merrick tightened his grip on her, pulling her pelvis against his.

It was, apparently, too much, too quickly.

She drew back, her wide eyes snapping to his. “I…I should check on Danny. Make sure he’s behaving.”

Her body tensed as she prepared to pull away from him, and it triggered something else atop his need—that same possessiveness he’d felt at the idea of other men lusting after her. This time, these moments, belonged to Merrick and Adalynn, and he wasn’t willing to give them up. Not when they were finite. Not when they could end forever in an instant. It was an instinctual drive, still fresh, still new, and one that was proving difficult to ignore.

“Do you fear me?” he asked.

“I…” Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “No.”

“Then why are you trying to flee?”

“I-I’m not. I just… I’m not scared of you, Merrick. I’m…scared of what you make me feel.”

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