Page 72 of Enchanted Kisses
Eyes that promise to fill my needs
Lips I might taste if the moment is right
Unbeknownst to her, my simple delight
A delicate flower and mine for the taking
Her tender heart I will mold without breaking
When her blood runs potent, my torment will end
Grant me her love, if only until then.
The saddest part was I really liked the poem. It was beautiful—in a twisted way. He hardly needed a wish-granting fae to get me to love him. It wasn’t like I had been a challenge. I had fallen for the geeky version of him after a few conversations, even though it took me forever to figure it out. Why couldn’t he have just come to me and been honest? I would have helped him. I would have…
It doesn’t matter.
I folded the poem and gave it to Dagan. “Here.”
“Don’t want it as a keepsake?”
I looked directly into his eyes. “You like this, don’t you? Proving he’s bad.”
“I don’t like seeing you sad, pet.”
I sighed. “I should have addedcall me Lilyto the vow.”
“What?” He perked up. “Don’t like your nickname?”
I hung my head.
“Hey.” He touched my chin and turned my face to him. “I won’t call you that anymore. You have my word, Lily. And try not to let Caiden’s actions bother you too much. It’s not personal. It’s how we are; it’s in our nature. We’re sentries of death. We manipulate to get what we want, what we need.”
“Thank you. For being honest. Even though your tactics are heart-wrenching, the honesty part means a lot.” I slid from the bed. “Oh, and I’ll need two weeks to get things in order. My dad’s gone until the end of this week, and I’d like the next one to be with him before I leave.” I slumped, my heart sinking to my feet, and waited in the center of the room for Dagan to take me home.
“Two weeks then,” he said. “If I tire of waiting, I could always send someone for your father.”
I straightened with a fright. “You wouldn’t.”
“Not to kill him,” he said. “Really, Lily. I don’t go around offing people like you think. In regard to your father, I meant I would have a sentry tweak his mind. We do it all the time. I can have them implant a happy memory of you leaving. Or if you’d prefer, I can wipe you clean from his mind. It would be as if you never existed. How does that mortal saying go…?What you don’t know can’t hurt you?”
I mulled that over for a moment. “I don’t want him to suffer. He’s been through enough because of me. Which method would be easier on his mind and which one would last? I don’t want him having flashbacks of me like he does of my mother.”
“Erasing your existence would work best. It’s permanent. That’s why it holds.”
His words triggered a thought. Maybe I was the reason Dad still saw Mom and was able to remember her and that she wasn’t human.
I fought to keep my chin from quivering. “Erase me permanently, but not until I’m ready. Okay?”
He nodded and took my hands. His touch was cold but gentle. “When you’ve settled your affairs, call for me by name.”
“Right,” I said, remembering when I called for Caiden by name. Had it always been that easy to reach him?
Dagan leaned his head forward, seeking my gaze. “When you come to live here, I want you to be focused and ready to learn about your powers. Understand?”
“You teach prisoners?”
He laughed and it sounded like cracking ice. “You will be my guest—ourguest. My father would never torture one as lovely as you. Perhaps in time, you will consider us your family.”
