Page 4 of Enchanted Kisses
I’m good.Nothing to worry about.I texted and debated whether or not to tell her where I was and who I was meeting.
Raysa was like a nineteen-year-old going on thirty. By nature, she was protective and motherly. At times, she seemed downright psychic, like now. But I couldn’t involve her in this. For far too long, I’d relied on her to help me through tough times. I needed to do this on my own.
Another blast of cold air whirled through my car, cutting under my cropped tee. I shivered. Earlier it had been nice out, the perfect spring day. What happened?
I searched the backseat for the hoodie I kept in the car for times like this. Nothing was there except for a plastic liner on the seat. I’d placed it there yesterday so I could take home three woodland sages from the nursery.
They were dying and had been left by the dumpster. It broke my heart to see any flowers or plants left for dead. I’d always had a natural green thumb and made it my duty to nurse them back to health.
I got out of the car and opened the trunk of my Volkswagen Beetle. Inside was my green hoodie. I pulled it on, wishing I’d fixed myself up a little—at least put on cute jeans instead of this old baggy pair. Not that Caiden deserved to see me done up, but I would have felt better.
Ready or not, I was doing this.
I stuffed my phone into one pocket and my keys in the other but missed. They landed on the pavement with a clink.
When I bent to pick up the keys, someone got them first.
I snapped upright and locked eyes with a tall guy.
He looked around my age, nineteen or maybe a bit older, and stood way too close. For a moment, I was mesmerized by his milky skin—so stark compared to his black chin-length hair, and black shirt and pants. Even his eyes looked black. He was gorgeous, in a creepy way.
The streetlight flickered off, casting us in near darkness.
Concern tore through me. I was alone in the back of a parking lot of a sports bar/pool hall in the middle of nowhere.
The full moon emerged from behind a cloud, brightening the area. The guy’s skin shimmered in the light, as if covered with silver dust.
I gasped and stumbled back a step.
The air turned colder and carried a strong scent. Cloves?
I clutched my hoodie tighter and dug into my pocket for my keys. Empty. Right. Because he had them. I shivered.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” the guy said with a grin that suggested otherwise.
My bottom lip fell. Not because his voice was as haunting as his appearance, but because his accent was familiar. I’d only known one other person with that same inflection.Caiden.
“Wh-who are you?” I asked.
His grin widened. “Don’t fret, Lily. I’m not interested in you, only what my brother wants with you.”
“How do you know my name?” I stepped back again, but my feet stuck in place, as if they were glued to the pavement.
“I know many things.” He circled me, sizing me up like a predator learning his prey. “However, my brother’s attraction to you has left me as baffled as his recent actions. I won’t deny that, for a mortal, you are enchanting. But what could he possibly want with someone of your kind?”
Mortal?My kind?This guy was insane. I tried to move to get away, but my feet remained locked in place. Panic sent a surge of adrenaline to my heart. I opened my mouth to scream, but my throat closed so tightly I couldn’t breathe.
The guy leaned near my face. “Relax. I won’t hurt you…provided you cooperate.”
His clove breath assaulted my nose, and I teetered, tipsy all of a sudden.
The warning bells blasting in my head quieted, replaced with a light melody.
The guy tilted his head close enough to kiss me. “Your eyes are most unique. I’ve never seen anything like them. Tell me, which parent did you inherit the color from?”
“They’re contacts,”I blurted the lie I always told, surprised I could speak and breathe.
“I don’t think they are, but I’m curious why you’re lying about them. Now tell me the truth.”
