Page 128 of Enchanted Kisses
His eyes narrowed with suspicion and he backed away, turning his attention to my room, as searching for clues.
Ignoring him, I dropped the shirt into the bag and returned to the closet. I yanked a few dresses from the hangers and tossed them into the bag, too.
Caiden wandered about, touching perfume bottles and fingering my makeup. He lifted a picture frame from my dresser.
I gasped. It was a picture of us. A note tucked into the back fell to the floor.
Caiden didn’t notice. He turned and held up the frame. “So you and Raysa are pretty close?”
The picture had been switched out to one of Raysa and me. Bianca didn’t miss anything with her spell, did she? I hated her—hated being here.
Tears of anger blurred my vision. I blinked them back, more determined than ever to leave. Maybe I didn’t need the poetry book to reach my mom. Maybe all I had to do was call her. Wasn’t that what she had said? I couldn’t remember but decided it had to work. I’d completed my task. She’d hear me. She’d come.
I went to my closet for a change of clothes and brushed by Caiden on my way to the bathroom. “Excuse me,” I said with attitude. At the door, I stopped and glared over my shoulder.
He stood near my open bag.
“Don’t even think about touching that shirt.”
His brows lifted with amusement. “Or what?”
My breath heated. I wanted to toss him out the front door. Why was he still here?
I narrowed my gaze. “Or I’ll tell you the truth about us. Then you’llraceback to your precious Bianca.”
I stormed into the bathroom, so ready to be out of this gown. It was on the floor within seconds. I slipped on a hot-pink sundress—the color way too bright for my mood, but whatever. I was leaving. Maybe I’d get a dress like my mom’s when I arrived at her realm. The thought was nice, but not as comforting as I’d hoped. I gathered my toothbrush and hair products, unsure of what I’d need in a godly realm.
When I entered my room, I found Caiden sitting at the end of my bed. His head hung low, his bangs hiding his eyes. The note from the floor was clutched in his hand.
“What? Now you’re reading my personal notes?” I dumped my toiletries into the bag and snatched the paper from his hand.
My eyes widened with shock at the blue pen scribbling. He’d found the good-bye letter I’d written—started to write—him months ago. It was meant to be a form of closure, but I hadn’t been able to get through it, so I’d stuffed in the back of a framed picture of us and forgot about it. Bianca must have missed it when cleansing my room of all things Caiden.
He lifted his red, glossy eyes to me. “What’s going on?”
I hesitated for a second.Tell him. I couldn’t. It would hurt too much.
“Nothing.” I turned away, placed the letter on the dresser, and grabbed a handful of bras and panties from a drawer. Into the bag they went.
He stood. “That note is about me.”
“It’s possible to know more than one Caiden,” I said, impressed with how quickly I had twisted the truth. It came easily. I recalled the many times Dagan had done it—manipulated the truth—Caiden, too. They hadn’t found a way around lying, like I’d thought.
“I’m right.” Caiden swiped the note from the dresser. “This is about me and you’re running from me. Why?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I continued to fill my bag with shorts, tank tops, pajamas…anything I might need.
“Lily?” He said my name in an intimate tone, as if he knew me.
I kept my back to him. “I’m not running from you. I’m leaving because there’s nothing here for me anymore.” It dawned on me. If I left now, I wouldn’t get to tell Raysa good-bye.
I turned but averted my gaze. “How long do negotiations last?”
“You want me to answer your question, yet you refuse to answer mine.”
“Forget it. I’ll figure it out myself,” I mumbled on my way to my desk. On the shelf above, I shuffled through books, searching for the poetry leatherback. It wasn’t there, and then I remembered why. I’d left it in New Orleans.
I blew out a frustrated breath, shook my head, and willed myself to stay calm. “Can you please tell me how long Raysa will be?”
