Page 75 of Enchanted Kisses
My cue.
I raced to Dad’s room and locked the door before running to the glass sliders that led to the garden. Outside, I tried shouting Raysa’s name, but fear tightened my vocal cords. Wind, smelling of rain, tousled my hair. Thunder crashed in the distance. For a second, I thought it was Caiden beating down the bedroom door. I stumbled along the stone path of Dad’s low-fenced private garden and stopped at the gate.
I was about to open it when Caiden grabbed my arms.
“I’ll take you to Raysa.”
He sounded calm. Or was it defeated? He didn’t make me face him. Instead, he pulled me close to his body, and I hated how much I liked it. Next, we appeared at the front of the manor.
Across the lawn near a topiary, Raysa talked with two beautiful girls—sentries, no doubt. As soon as Caiden released his hold on me, I ran.
“Raysa,” I cried, still worked up.
Everything had happened so fast—Caiden coming after me, then catching me, only to bring me here.
Her eyes widened when she spotted me, and in a flash, she appeared in front of me. “What’s wrong?” The other two girls materialized at her sides.
“Is everything all right?” asked a pretty girl with long, white hair, silvery skin, teal eyes, and the body of a model.
“Um, can we talk in private?” I addressed Raysa, feeling the chill of the other girl’s stare. I glanced at her but ended up gawking. She was beautiful, with long, ebony hair that fell to her waist, golden skin, and crystal-blue eyes.
The way she glared at me—as if I’d done something to earn her hatred—clued me into who she was.Bianca.I gulped loudly, hoping she hadn’t heard.
“Of course.” Raysa moved to my side and placed her hands at my shoulders. “Isla,” she nodded to the blonde, then turned to the raven-haired beauty, “Bianca. I’ll be inside if you need me.”
Raysa guided me to the manor. I wanted to yell, “What are you doing withher?” but I thought it best to wait until we were farther away. Much farther away.
Before passing through the front door of the manor, I glanced over my shoulder. Only the blonde girl stood in the garden. Bianca was gone, probably searching for Caiden.
I followed Raysa up the tree-banister staircase in silence. We rounded the second-floor stairs and continued up to a third floor. Everything was brighter on this level.
Rustic stone layered the first floor’s walls. Slate covered the walls on the second, and here, wallpaper made of dried purple flowers coated the long hallway. The scent of lavender perfumed the air.
“This place just gets better and better,” I muttered, bitterness lacing my words.
“This floor is for the ladies,” Raysa said. “It’s very feminine. The second floor is for the males.”
She led me toward the end of the corridor. Every ten feet or so, we passed a white cottage-style door.
I was about to ask if this was some kind of sentries bed-and-breakfast when Raysa pushed open a set of double doors. “After you.”
I stepped into a lavish bedroom. The furniture and walls had a pearlescent sheen, as did the satin fabric on the bed. It shimmered with tiny jewels that looked like beads of rain. The white color scheme changed with the light, taking on different pastel shades of purple and blue. As if the windows were made of prisms, a colorful glow bounced around the room. Crystals dangled everywhere—they lined the vintage lamps, the chandeliers, the sconces, the curtains, the canopy over the regal bed. It was breathtaking.
My gaze stopped on an out-of-place turquoise suitcase on the floor at the foot of the bed. The color was jarring against the peaceful palette.
I walked to it. “Why is my luggage in here?”
“Caiden put it there. He picked this room for you. No one has stayed in it since his mother died. It was hers.”
I stepped away from the bed. What if she’d died in it? “I can’t stay here. I wouldn’t feel right. Besides, this should beyourroom.”
“’I’m in the room one over.” She pointed to her left. “We’ll be close. And Caiden wants this room to be yours.”
It seemed Raysa was oblivious to what had been going on. If I told her the truth, she’d probably take it as a personal defeat—think even less of her ability to be queen. Worse, she’d be mad. I had done exactly what she told menotto do. I joined the Realm of Death.
She walked to a tall window near the bed and looked out to the front yard. “We can talk now. They can’t hear us.” She faced me. “I knew something was wrong when you and Caiden returned so quickly. What happened?”
“A lot,” I said, without lying. I joined her at the window. Isla stood near the topiary again, with Bianca at her side. “So that’s Caiden’s Bianca.”
