Page 94 of Enchanted Kisses
“You can’t leave.” I walked to him. “I need to know why.” When he didn’t face me, I slipped between him and the door. “You’re not leaving until I get answers.”
Even if he were telling the truth and hadn’t killed my father, he had to know who did. I placed my hand on his chest and pushed. This time he didn’t budge, but he did crack a smile.
“You stole me. You owe me.” I pointed to the chairs near the fireplace. “Sit.”
“Can’t steal what belongs to you,” he mumbled before turning. I followed him to the chairs. He paused by one, then continued to the glass doors and opened them. “Some fresh air might do you good. I’ll answer what I can out here.”
“Fine.” I marched through the doors and crossed my arms.
On the balcony, the view stunned me to silence. I might have even relaxed. Snow-capped mountain peaks stretched for miles. The sky matched their hazy shade, becoming darker the higher I looked—the same as last time I was here.
“Does it ever turn night?”
“When the king wants it to.”
Like before, the air was motionless. No wind. No sound. No nothing. Even the billowy clouds appeared stagnant. It was hard to feel alive in such a place. I glanced down at my coral-painted toenails.
“You don’t find the view alluring?” Dagan asked.
I shrugged.
“You would prefer sun-filled blue skies and miles of green grass.”
I smiled, recalling the grounds of the manor and my home in Georgia. The butterfly garden. The woods. My smile faded the instant I realized none of those were mine anymore. I had no home. No father. No future. No best friend. No Caiden. I had nothing but this—endless mounds of gray silence. Thank God I wasn’t immortal. Death would truly be a blessing.
“Give it some time, Lily. Givemesome time.”
I didn’t get his soft tone and pleasing demeanor. Was this another game? “It won’t matter.” I turned and placed my hands on top of the low stone wall that bordered the balcony.
“My mother felt as you do at one time, and even she was swayed by the passion of our realm.”
“Is that what you expect—for me to fall for you like your mother did your father? I love Caiden and he loves me. Nothing will change that.” Saying it charged me with hope.
“If he loves you as he claims, then why is he not here, right now, storming the castle in search of you?”
I turned to him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Another prize for your father. But I know he can’t cross here, so don’t waste your time trying to confuse me.”
His mouth twitched with a crooked grin. “You wear anger well and your heart on your sleeve. Caiden is lucky to have such devotion. Too bad you still don’t know the truth.”
I shook my head. He wouldn’t sucker me this time.
He backed up and leaned against the stone railing. His black clothes, hair, and eyes stood out like coal against the gray scenery. No matter how handsome, all I saw was darkness and death.
“The sooner you grasp the fact that I can’t lie, the better. But if you’d rather gawk at me like that, then the truth can wait. Admit it, you like what you see.”
“I do no—” The word cut off.What?I gaped and tried again. “I don—”Argh!“You don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
“Based on what you can’t say, I think I do.” His gaze radiated satisfaction.
I stared off into the distance, wishing a breeze would cool the clammy frustration on my skin. “What do you know about my dad’s death?”
“You sure you feel up to this?”
I pinned him with a glare.
His brows lifted as if to say,Suit yourself.“My father ordered the removal of his soul but didn’t execute it. I believe Bowen, his second-in-command, did. Fortunately, Bowen’s current flavor of the month owes me a favor. She’ll bring me the details this evening.”
“This evening? Nice.”Pig. “I hope you enjoy yourself while I fester in here, waiting to hear who killed my dad and why.”
