Page 39 of Enchanted Kisses
The more she spoke, the more I felt betrayed—not by her, but by Caiden. Even if it wasn’t fair, considering she’d lied, too. How dare he play me like that? He was my best friend…or so I’d thought. It didn’t matter that he’d left to renounce his throne and realm for me. How could I ever trust him again?
Reading my expression, or maybe sensing my anger, Raysa brushed my hair behind my shoulder. “Don’t be angry with him. He was raised differently. His parents were a doomed match from the start. The King of Death and the Queen of Life weren’t meant to be together. Their union caused epic chaos among our realms. They had no choice but to separate. It was the king’s fault, really; he shouldn’t have kidnapped her.”
“Kidnapped her?” I gasped. Caiden never mentioned that in his stories.
“Indeed.” She raised her brows. “It’s what prompted the Gods of Souls to create the protective-charms order over the realms. No kidnapping or glamours. It was one god, really.” She rolled her eyes. “The one who oversees our duties and everything else we do.”
“Who’s this god?” I asked, sensing a story there, because who rolls their eyes at a god?
Raysa blew a strand of hair from her face and turned toward the lake. I hadn’t seen her this perturbed since last summer, after she had broken up with a guy she’d dated while in England. Wait. Was she here and she just said she was in England, like she said she was from the UK?
“He’s my ex,” she confessed.
“You dated agod?” I gaped. “How?” Talk about a long-distance relationship.
“He’s not really a god. He’s more like an archangel with an impressive title.”
I’ll say.
“He’s perfect for the job, too. All about the rules.Allthe time.” She huffed. “Gabriel.”
“The guy from last summer was Gabriel? You had it bad for him. Still do,” I teased and nudged her side with my elbow.
“You’re one to talk,” she said with a laugh.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not the only one who has it bad for someone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I strolled away, headed for the front gardens.
Raysa appeared at my side.
I stopped and glanced in shock at the lake at least fifteen feet away. Caiden would sometimes move that quickly, but I dismissed it as my mind playing tricks on me. “Can you fly?”
“More like move extremely fast.” She shrugged, as if it was no big deal.
“So you shimmer and fly,” I murmured in awe. “What else can you do?”
Again, she shrugged. “Lots of things.”
Throughout our entire friendship, I’d never begrudged Raysa for her height, beauty, accent, or poreless skin, but this—magical powers—I envied. “Like what?”
“Like teleporting you home.” She took my hands. “It’s late.”
I glanced around at the sun-drenched sky.
“It’s late in Georgia,” she clarified. “And you have classes tomorrow.”
There she goes, acting like my older sister again. I didn’t let it bother me. Instead, I smiled, happy to know that even though she was a magical being who’d dated a god, she didn’t act differently.
I glanced back at the manor one more time, wondering—maybe hoping—Caiden would appear.
He didn’t.
11
Inner Demons, Lies, And Fountains, Oh My!
