Page 32 of Enchanted Kisses
“To access my powers?” If that were even possible. I didn’t feel magic or energy flowing through me.
“Yes. So you can save my grandfather, Alliston. He’s the main reason you’re here.”
“Your grandfather?” I asked in shock.
“Yes. He’s the most important person in this realm. He’s the king.”
Oh God.“And you want me to heal him?” Nausea rolled in my stomach. “I can’t. That’s too much pressure. Seriously, Caiden. You need to get someone else. Like a doctor or someone qualified to heal kings.”
Too quickly for me to react, he closed the distance between us, took my hands, and lowered his face to my level.
Warmth moved up my arms and throughout my body, leaving me woozy.
“Youare the only being on Earth with healing powers great enough to help my grandfather,” he said. “I can do many things, but no sentry can heal. Not unless they’re from the Realm of Life, and even then, their abilities are limited. Yours can alter destiny.” His eyes softened. “It’s inside you, Lily. It’s always been inside you. All you have to do is bring your powers forth.”
“You say it like it’s nothing.” My words slurred. “Like, if I think it, I can do it.” I wobbled and Caiden loosened his hold on my hands.
His softer grip lifted the haze clouding my emotions and my light-headedness.
“Sorry.” He grinned. “Trial and error. I’ll get it, though. Just as you’ll get your powers to work. Youcando this. If you can’t have confidence in yourself, have it in me. Have I ever directed you in the wrong way?”
I thought back to the many times Caiden had helped me in the past. The instances—rumors about my dad being crazy, town jerks teasing me about it, my concerns about leaving for college or attending the local one—had probably seemed so trivial to him. Still, he always listened, advised, and was supportive.
I focused on the familiar color of his turquoise blues. “You haven’t,” I said with certainty.
“It was your eyes that first captivated me.”
“What?”
“Not because the hazel coloring was reminiscent of the earth and nature—mesmerizing, really. It was the way you looked at me, like I meant everything to you. It’s the way you’re looking at me now.”
He did mean something to me, but then he left, and now I wasn’t sure how I felt. No. I knew how I felt about him; that hadn’t changed. And my reasons in part were the same as his—I liked the way he looked at me, too.
I fought my nerves and the urge to shy away from his magnetic gaze. Everything was happening so quickly, as if we’d been in a year-long dance that was finally coming to an end—or rather, a beginning.
“Lily,” he breathed, “kiss me.”
My eyelids closed, andmyCaiden’s image formed in my mind.
9
Kiss, Wind, Words, Touch, Song
The world around me disappeared while I waited for Caiden’s lips to touch mine.
A throat cleared to my right, the guttural sound startling me from the moment.
My eyes popped open.
A short, crude-looking creature stood beside us. No more than four feet tall, with a large nose, pointed ears, and rough-textured skin, he looked like a troll dressed in a black three-piece suit.
“Sorry to interrupt, Lord Caiden,” he said, his voice deep and raspy. His tongue rolled when he spoke in what sounded like an Irish accent.
Caiden—who was still bent toward me, his eyes on my face, his breath warming my now-turned cheek—let out a disappointed sigh and straightened. “What can I do for you, Greer?”
“Forgive the intrusion, but your grandfather is asking for ye.”
“Oh. Good.” Caiden smiled. “I’ve brought him a surprise.” He took my hand.
