Page 30 of Enchanted Kisses
The sculpted Burberry model from the woods stood before me—complete with chiseled features, gilded highlighted hair, and shimmering gold skin.
This guy was too perfect, too majestic. I stepped back.
His brows pinched together. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t say anything, just stared at the glorious person before me. When I found my voice, the first thing I asked was, “What is this?” I gestured to the guy’s tall, sculpted body and glittering skin. “Where’smyCaiden?”
He frowned. “You’re frightened.”
“No, I’m confused.”
“This is why I never kissed you.” He shook his head. “Certain things like kissing, or fighting, or getting incredibly worked up can knock glamours loose.”
“Glamours?” I knew from his stories that the word meant magical disguises. “So this isn’t you? It’s a disguise?” Hope rang in my voice. I could never get used to a person as extraordinary as this.
Caiden’s frown deepened. “It’s not. Sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh.” I tried to hide my dismay.
“The other Caiden—yourCaiden—was a disguise. This is the real me. My true form. And this reaction is why I never showed it to you. I suspected you’d be this way.”
I folded my arms in defense. “What way?”
It was childish of me, but I’d grown used to my Caiden’s appearance. I liked his imperfections. It was comfortable, more on my level. This sensational being was perfection from head to toe. Other girls would drool over him, but I couldn’t get past how different he looked—nothing like the Caiden I knew and adored.
He ran frustrated fingers through his hair and turned his eyes away—turquoise blues that hadn’t changed at all, except for their radiance.
“Sorry,” I said, noting the hurt on his beautiful face. “It’s just…I don’t know you.” He was foreign, extraordinary, and no one I’d ever befriend.
He caught my gaze. “You know me better than anyone. And I know you.” He took a slow step toward me, then another. The glint in his eyes said he wouldn’t stop until he was in my personal space.
“Wait.” I lifted a hand.
“Lily, I’ve been waiting three months to do this. Longer. All I’ve wanted is to be here with you. And now I am.” He raised his arms, gesturing to the area around us.
Wow. Until this moment, I hadn’t looked beyond Caiden.
We stood on a sun-drenched lawn, so bright it reminded me of the plastic Easter grass you stuff in baskets. To my right, flowerbeds full of blooms in shades of pink, purple, and yellow decorated the lawn like tiny mazes. Each plot had a topiary in the center, trimmed into different shapes—a butterfly, a bird, an egg, a couple dancing.
To my left was a thick forest, filled with varying shades of brown and green. It seemed to enclose the property, surrounding it like a fortress wall, and in the middle stood the biggest house I’d ever seen.
Reminiscent of a castle, the manor’s exterior was a faded apricot shade. Large windows—some square, some arched—marked three floors, with one section covered in ivy, growing in a crisscross pattern over the stone.
A glittering lake followed along the side of the manor, curving around to the back.
My breath caught and I touched my chest. “I hadn’t imagined this. Wow. I—” There were no words.
I turned to look at the flowerbeds again. Then at the lake, and then the manor. There were too many beautiful things to appreciate. “I had no idea.”
Caiden came up behind me and touched my hair. “I knew you’d like it.” In my peripheral vision, I watched him lift a few strands to the sun and twist them in the light.
I tried not to let his appearance throw me and enjoyed him playing with my hair like he used to do. With a sigh, I relaxed and watched a few butterflies circle a bird-shaped topiary. This place was heaven.
“You have your mother’s hair. Did I tell you that? Same texture and color. The females of my kind will be envious. They all have straight hair.”
Funny, all I ever wanted was straight hair. I focused on a topiary shaped as a woman with long, wavy tresses like mine. She wore a flowing gown made of flowers and a garden of stargazer lilies sprouted beneath her.
“Who’s that?” I pointed.
