Page 15 of Enchanted Kisses
I tucked my feet under my knees and sat cross-legged. “No, thanks. I don’t like heights.”
He grinned in a way that made me wish I hadn’t shared that weakness with him. “Come now. There’s nothing to be afraid of...unless you think I’ll push you off.”
I stiffened and gave a shaky laugh. He was joking, right?
What if I couldn’t remember this person other than his name because he was a creep, and my mind was blocking him from my memory out of protection?Or...what if I was imagining him? Both were plausible. If the first were true, I should leave. Right now. If the second were true, I should still leave and then call Dr. Eve.
“Sorry.” Why was I apologizing? “I have to go. I’m meeting someone.”
I slid to the spot where the platform met the steps. Leaves stuck to the back of my thighs and clammy palms, but I didn’t dare brush them away or take my eyes off Dagan.
“No need to dash off, pet. I have even more fun planned for us today. And Caiden won’t be here for a while.”
I froze. “How do you know he won’t be here for a while?” Did Caiden send this…friend of his to smooth things over? A worse thought popped into my head. “Did Caiden leave again?” I’d never forgive him. Never.
The guy let out a dramatic sigh. “Caiden, Caiden, Caiden. Don’t you get sick of hearing his name? I know I do. Let me see if I can help you with those lost memories.”
“How do you know about my memories?”
Instead of answering, he grabbed my wrist, jerked me to my feet, and positioned me so my ankles hung off the edge of the platform.
I clutched his shoulders. “Don’t,” was all I could get out. I wasn’t even sure where that sentence was headed.
Don’t push me?
Don’t let go?
“Don’t drop you?” he asked, his breath a haunting scent of cloves. He shoved me backward.
I screamed and reached for him, for anything, to no avail. I was falling. My hair blew over my face and my arms flailed as I dropped at a speed that coiled my stomach. Terror shot through me and then it was over.
I didn’t smash onto the hard ground, but I did land on something solid and cold. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. It took me a moment to comprehend that Dagan had caught me.
“Fun, right?” He bounced his dark brows. When I didn’t respond, his features scrunched. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle a little fall? I have a secret for you. It’s not your first.”
Can’t breathe,I mouthed.
“Oh!” Fear flickered across his face. He pressed his palm to my chest.
A shock of electricity blasted my upper body.
I gasped and struggled to breathe normally as much-needed air filled my lungs. When my head fell back, Dagan cradled me so his arm supported my neck. I didn’t want to be near him, but I was too weak and shaken to protest. Tears threatened to spill. I held them back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
Dagan set me on my feet after a few moments, steadying me before letting go.
I drew in my arms and hugged my quivering body.
Dagan backed away, his features twisting with disappointment—or was it worry? “You’re ruining the fun.”
Anger matched my fear. “This is not fun,” I ground out in a weak voice.
“Because you can’t remember me. If you did, you’d know how hard I’ve been working to recreate our past scenarios. You’d laugh.”
“I doubt that.” I hugged myself tighter. “Whoever you are orwhateveryou are”—a hallucination? An alien? A cruel magician?—“I don’t want to see you ever again. Do you understand me?” I turned and walked away, not yet trusting my legs to support me if I were to run.
“You can’t actually believe I’ll allow you to leave,” he called. “We have unfinished business.”
I kept walking. I was almost to the trail when a wall of leaves formed at the entrance. I turned. Another wall appeared, and another, until a box made of tightly woven leaves closed around me. The walls fused together, trapping me inside. I clawed at them, trying to escape. Thorns sliced my hands and wrists. Cuts burned and oozed blood.
