Merrick walked toward the ballroom without hesitation. As he neared it, a strange sensation settled over him, raising goosebumps on his skin and sending electric tingles outward from the base of his skull. He knew the music playing inside the ballroom, but not because he’d heard it in some concert hall a hundred and fifty years ago, not because he’d heard it playing over a staticky radio broadcast in a bygone decade; he’d never heard this music before.
He pushed the doors open. The song flowed over him, swirled around him, swept through him. The haunting, melancholic notes, fraught with flashes of bitterness, frustration, power, and bits of hope, spoke directly to his soul—because they already resided there. They always had.
This was a mana song—Merrick’s mana song.
He crossed the threshold.
Adalynn was sitting at the piano. Loose, spiral locks of hair dangled around her face as she gently swayed with the music, her fingers striking each note as though she’d practiced them a thousand times before, as though she’d always been meant to play them—as though the song had been written just for her to perform.
Merrick padded across the dance floor. He felt like he was floating rather than walking, and his magic swelled to resonate along with Adalynn’s music, matching it note for note.
No, not note for note. Something was missing from her rendition, something vital—an underscoring, complimentary melody that gave his mana song new harmony, a melody that strengthened inside him with his every step nearer to her.
He mounted the low stage in front of her. Adalynn’s eyes were closed. His magic thrummed, encouraged by the vibrations the piano sent through the floor, and the air felt charged with anticipatory energy. He approached the piano slowly, reverently, unwilling to startle her and break the song—she looked more passionate, more carefree, now than she had at any other moment during her stay here.
As though sensing his presence, Adalynn opened her eyes and met his gaze. She didn’t seem surprised—she smiled at him and continued playing without missing a note, soft pink staining her cheeks.
Merrick walked around the bench. Adalynn slid aside, and he sat next to her. For a few seconds, he watched her fingers, so graceful and confident, fly over the keys. He’d learned to play many years ago, and, even if he was out of practice, even if he could not match her skill, he knew he could play what needed to be played now.
He raised his hands and set them in position, closed his eyes, and played the missing melody. Played her melody.
The two pieces came together beautifully, each unique and individual but wholly complimentary to the other, entering an intricate dance with one another.
He sensed Adalynn’s gaze upon him. He opened his eyes to meet hers, which were sparkling with joy over her wide smile. She leaned toward him, brushing her arm against his. Magic pulsed along his forearm, and fire sparked low in his belly. But that stirring of desire was nothing compared to the sound of their songs mingling in the air.
The music seemed a prelude to something larger, something deeper, something inevitable. It was like a taste of…fate.
He wasn’t sure how long they played together—it might’ve been a few minutes or a few hours— but it felt like forever in the best of ways because it was so right, so perfect. They stopped in unison, and the final notes faded slowly, leaving Merrick and Adalynn’s soft, panting breaths as the only sounds in the large room.
“What was that?” she asked.
“It was you.” He lifted a hand and slid his palm over her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. “It was us.”
Her dark, sultry eyes suddenly burned with undisguised need. Within the next instant, she was in his lap, straddling him, with her arms wrapped around his neck and her mouth against his. Merrick slipped his fingers into her hair and cupped the back of her head. He wrapped his other arm around her, drawing her close as he returned the kiss with everything inside him.
Crackling pulses of energy arced outward from his mouth, setting his every nerve ablaze, teasing him with a sampling of the pleasure she could provide. When she moaned and undulated her hips against him, he knew she felt it too.
Adalynn broke the kiss, keeping her mouth close to his. Merrick forced his eyes open to meet her gaze.
“I’m not denying myself anymore,” she rasped, brushing her lips against his in a feathery caress. “I want you, Merrick.”
His cock strained against his trousers, eager for her heat, but their clothing remained a barrier between them. Lust hazed his mind; he needed her, needed her now, needed to have all of her…but was this the place?
My room. My bed, where she belongs. My Adalynn.
Merrick dropped his hands to her thighs and guided her legs around his waist as he stood, sliding his palms to her backside once he was upright. She tightened her hold on him with arms and legs alike and kissed him again. He returned the kiss, deepening it, using his tongue to coax her lips apart so he could gain entry. She obliged. Heat poured through his veins, and his fingers flexed; he pulled her closer still, pressing her soft body against his hardened shaft.
Now. He needed her now.
Without breaking the kiss, he carried her off the stage and out of the ballroom, navigating primarily by his familiarity with the manor and the layers of magic he’d embedded in its walls. Adalynn rubbed her pelvis against him. He could feel the maddening heat of her core through their clothes; it nearly drove him to take her right there, on the stairs.
He climbed the steps and hurried down the hallway, everything passing in a blur. He shoved his bedroom door open, rushed through, and slammed it shut behind him, pausing only to lock the deadbolt before striding to his bed.
Merrick leaned forward, laid Adalynn on her back, and pulled away to look down at her. Her arms fell to either side of her head. Her lips were luscious, pink, and kiss-swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright with desire. She was beautiful beyond words.
And she was his.
Chapter Ten
Adalynn was awash with desire, intoxicated by Merrick’s taste and scent, and eager for more. She stared up at him, and her heart leapt. He was breathtaking. His long, damp hair hung around his face, his features were hard and fierce, and his eyes glowed a vibrant, electric blue.
Hands trembling in anticipation, she reached up to unbutton his shirt. She’d only managed to unfasten two buttons before he grasped the sides of his shirt and tore the garment open; several detached buttons fell away as he shrugged off the shirt and let it fall to the floor.
She settled her hands on his chest. His flesh was hot, and his heart pounded beneath her palms. She trailed her hands down, over the lean muscles of his abs, and lower still to his pants. With her fingers a bit steadier, she unclasped his pants, lowered their zipper, and shoved them down. An instant later, she grasped his hard cock.
Merrick hissed and bowed his head, placing his hands on the bed to either side of her to prop himself up. “Adalynn…”
Encouraged by his reaction, she tightened her grip and stroked her hand up and down, relishing the feel of him. His shaft was long and thick, scalding iron encased in velvet, and oh, it was glorious. Liquid heat flooded her. Her sex clenched as she imagined him entering her, thrusting inside her, filling her.
Merrick’s body went taut, and he squeezed his eyes shut, his lips parting as he panted softly.