Page 26 of Enchanted Kisses
I lifted my gaze and lost my train of thought. Caiden’s eyes glowed brighter than their normal gleam.
“Lily?”
“Yeah?” I stared, captivated.So beautiful.
“Are you scared?” He sounded nervous.
“No.”
“Good.” His posture softened with an exhale, but his eyes held mine. “And you understand who Dagan is?”
I had to look away and take a moment to search my brain. “He’s your brother. The terrifying older Prince of Death who you used to describe in your stories.”
“Yes. He’s also a master manipulator, void of remorse, and because of me, he’s interested in you. I can’t express how sorry I am for that.” His tone turned somber, and his gaze fell away before returning with a seriousness that had me tensing. “You must be wary of him at all times, Lily. He can never discoverwhatyou are.”
“What do you mean? I’m not anything. Well, besides a person with freaky eyes and a best friend who’s a sentry and prince from the Realm of Death.” I snorted and then sobered at the truth of my words.Holy crap. Hallucinations seemed like a lesser ordeal.
Caiden studied me and drew in a breath, as if he were deciding whether he should continue.
He couldn’t possibly be thinking of stopping. I knew too much and needed to know what I’d gotten myself into.
I opened my mouth, but he spoke first.
“Before I say any more, if at any time this becomes too much, tell me. There are…otherthings I can do to help relax you.”
Other things?My bottom lip fell, and my mind went to dirty places. For a guy who hadn’t wanted to kiss me a few months ago, he was coming on strong now. Unless I was interpreting this wrong.
“As in, I can ease your stress with my powers,” he clarified, with a ghost of a grin.
Oh God. He’d read my thoughts. It was all I could do not to cover my blazing face.
“I know,” I said, my voice too high to sound casual. I pulled my sweaty hands from his and scratched my neck. “So…what is this? I mean, why me? Am I a supernatural charity case or something?”
“On the contrary, you’re special. One of a kind. Half-mortal, half-nature goddess with healing powers.”
I choked on a laugh. “Right.” I could believe Dagan and Caiden and his mythical stories had all been real, but me being a half-nature goddess?Pa-lease.
He took my hand and laced our fingers together, anchoring them to his lap as if he feared I’d run away. “Youarethe daughter of a nature goddess. Your mother didn’t die when you were a baby. She was forced back to her realm. Gods and goddesses aren’t meant to stay on Earth.”
“Stop.” I jerked my hand away and turned on the bed, planting both feet on the floor. “This isn’t funny. My mom’s dead.”
When I stood, Caiden grabbed my wrist. A calming warmth floated up my arm and spread throughout my body, like soothing bath water.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t time you knew the truth. You must listen and you must believe. I won’t make it without your help.” He sounded sincere.
I sat back down and tried to keep an open mind.
“Your motherisa nature goddess, and sheisalive. She gives life to vegetation on Earth and has powerful healing abilities. She comes here to check on you and your father. That’s when he sees her, though he shouldn’t be able to. For years, Eve, a sentry from the Realm of Life, has been altering his memories with spells—and still, he manages to break through them whenever your mother is nearby. That should tell you something about the power of love.”
My brain struggled to accept his words, even though my heart or gut told me he was telling the truth. Dr. Eve was a sentry and she treated Dad with spells, not hypnotherapy. Dad wasn’t crazy. This information made sense. It explained Dr. Eve’s miracle-working techniques and why Dad’s memory was wiped clean afterward. But my mom being a nature goddess and me being half-goddess, with powers…I wasn’t sure I could believe that.
“That’s great about my dad, but I can’t see myself as special. I’m quirky, defective, and…short.” Surely, nature goddesses were more like supermodels and ballerinas—tall, lean, and graceful.
Caiden chuckled. “If you can believe that I’m a Prince of Death, then you can believe that you’re special. It’s the truth, and somewhere in there,” he touched my temple, “and in there,” he touched my heart, which made my breath hitch, “you know it’s true. Your eyes are proof. Like your mother, they change colors with the seasons. It can take supernatural beings as long as their eighteenth or nineteenth year to mature. It’s not that different from puberty in humans, only our bodies change—enhance—in greater ways. Until your last birthday, no one was certain of you. It’s a first for the Gods of Souls.” He glanced upward.
“Who?”
“Gods of Soulsis merely a job title. They’re really guardians who determine, predict, and oversee all supernatural beings on Earth.” His jaw tightened and his gaze cast down. “They’re the reason my kind is here.”
