Chapter 2

BELLAMY

I watched as Kenzie left from the room without even being able to look at me as if she was ashamed of what I witnessed. There was nothing at all for her to be ashamed of.

My eyes turned back to Luca who looked after her with a worried expression. That alone scared me.

“What’s in the vial?” I asked him, holding up the empty one.

He took the vial and needle from me and disposed of them before washing his hands.

“It’s not my place to say. Sorry, Bel. You know that I would if I could. It’s for Kenz to decide if she wants to tell you,” he said, sitting on the floor next to me.

I always respected that about Luca. He never told other people’s business. However, I wished this one time that he would choose otherwise. Especially with it being about her.

“Is she okay though?” I asked.

I would be lying if I said I did not care. Kenzie had always been on my mind. The past year was filled with constant thoughts, dreams, daydreams, and so on all about her. Those thoughts were glorious and just as beautiful as she was.

Seeing her this morning was enough to make my heart actually skip a beat. She was gorgeous and carried herself without an ounce of shyness. Except when she tried to escape from being near me.

We were close when we were younger, but duty pulled me away a long time ago. Okay, honestly, it was also because I loved her. I knew that I had to get far away to keep her from getting hurt with my magic. My magic was not dangerous, but it always got stronger around her, and I was afraid of not being able to stop it. I would never put her in danger even if it meant I had to suffer miserably without being able to see her at all.

I was a Siphon, so I could utilize other people’s magics as long as I came in contact with them. Right now, I was able to utilize sixty-one different magics, which was a historical record. Siphons were incredibly powerful witches, so only a handful had ever been recorded.

I was two years older than the twins, who would turn eighteen in the next month. Kenzie sure grew up in the past three years. It was great to see the woman that she had become.

“Yes and no. She’s strong. There’s no doubt about that. However, life is a cruel bitch and has given her a lot to handle. I just hope it’s not too much. Anyways, man I’m glad you’re back. It’s boring here without you. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”

I knew he would not tell me more about Kenzie, so I decided to drop it for now.

I laughed at his eagerness. He always enjoyed hearing about the places I had been to. We were always in contact with one another, but it was different being face-to-face. Luca was my best friend, and I always enjoyed hanging out with him. We were more like brothers than even my own siblings were.

“I’ve been training witches and working on a lot of great programs to help the community. Aunty once promised Dad that life would be different for witches, and he never doubted her. They don’t have to hide in the shadows anymore. Part of my job is to weed out the ones who are dangerous or need to have an eye kept on them. I also get to help train brand new witches which is very rewarding.”

“Nice. So, what brought you back here? A pitstop?” Luca asked me. I shook my head because it definitely was not that.

“No, something was pulling me back here. I don’t know what, but I just knew that this is where I needed to be.”

I tried to ignore it at first, but the pull just kept getting stronger and stronger until I finally caved in. My parents were thrilled to have me home. My little brother, Benji who was twelve, and little sister Gracie, who was nine, were also excited for me to come back. I did not know how long I would stay, but I definitely missed my family.

“So, any visions about when I meet my mate or who she may be?” he joked.

My laughter echoed throughout the room. “Doesn’t work like that. Plus, it’s not fun to see things like that beforehand. It takes away the magic of the entire thing. Live in the moment, bro.”

He rolled his eyes with my answer and bumped my shoulder. “Do you know who your mate is?”

I knew who I wanted it to be, but alas I had not been able to figure out who I would get paired up with. If it was not her, then I did not even want a mate. It was her or nobody. Some might think that was ridiculous, but I could not help how I felt.

“Nah, believe me that I’ve tried. It’s just a blank space in my mind,” I explained with a shrug.

I would love to have all the answers. People tended to think I did once they learned I was an Oracle. I tried to keep that part of my power hidden from the public. Only those I truly trusted knew about it. Oracles were often sought after by all the supernatural races because of their ability. I was more attached to life than to let that secret out.

We talked for a while longer before I went to look for Kenzie. I wanted to make sure that she was okay. She was not in her room, but I remembered that she used to go to the roof when she wanted to get away from things. I took my chances and made my way up there.

She sat on the ledge of the roof with her knees pulled up to her chest. The ringlets of her hair moved in the breeze, and I had an urge to see if they were as soft as they looked.

Shaking my head, I walked over and sat down next to her. At first, she did not realize I was there, so I waited.

The breeze came from behind me, causing her to look up at me with a gasp. Her doe eyes looked at me in surprise. They were incredibly beautiful, and I felt like they were pulling me in. I could definitely get lost in them.

“What are you doing up here?” she asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

Not exactly the reaction I was aiming for. She always had kept me on my toes, so it was good to see that some things had not changed.

“Should I take that negatively?” I teased. Accomplishment filled me when she had to bite back a smile. “I wanted to make sure you were okay after earlier,” I explained.

She turned her head sharply and looked back out over Aedrul. My family became part of the kingdom, but I was not an heir like she was. There was such sadness etched into her features when she looked out over it, but I could not fathom why. Aedrul was a majestic kingdom that was filled with a variety of creatures and adventure. It was literally magical.

“I’m good,” she said softly, keeping her gaze in front of her.

I really wished she would look at me, but I would not push her. I did disappear after all. Many times, I picked up my phone to ask Luca for her number, but I would chicken out. My love for her had been a secret I kept from every single person.

“Good to know,” I said.

I got comfortable on the ledge next to her and looked out over the kingdom with her. I did miss it if I was being honest. I also loved my apartment in Atlanta, Georgia though. It was a good thing that I could portal where I needed to go, or travel would be an absolute bitch.

“There’s this great bistro on the Eastside of the kingdom that serves the most incredible magic mochas. Want to go?” I asked, flashing her a smile.

Her head snapped towards me as her eyes lit up. They dulled a moment later, and she shook her head.

“Thanks, but I can’t. You should go though. It seems like you enjoy the place.”

I was just striking out left and right today with her. Were my communication skills really that bad?

“Why can’t you go?” I asked, curious about her phrasing.

“Like you don’t know,” she scoffed.

I looked at her closely. She really had grown up since the last time I saw her. There was no escaping her beauty. I always thought she was beautiful, but she grew into her features quite a bit. I loved how she had her father’s hair. The curly black hair was well past her shoulders and had ringlets of blue throughout it. She came up to my shoulders in height, and she definitely inherited her mother’s curves in all the right places. She was sexy as fuck.

“I really don’t,” I said honestly. Her gorgeous blue eyes held such sadness, and I wanted to know why.

She looked at me carefully, trying to gauge my sincerity. Kenzie was always a topic that my parents spoke very little about. I never looked into her future, knowing that it was an invasion of her privacy. I had been tempted just to be able to see her, but I never gave into my weaker thoughts.

“My parents don’t let me go outside the castle grounds without Papa.”

“Why?” I asked.

My lips turned down as I was starting to see the source of her sadness. Was she really confined to this castle? I could not imagine how isolating that life would be. Everyone else was able to leave as they pleased. I knew that Luca even visited packs, but if she was not able to leave the castle grounds then was she allowed to do that? I seriously doubted it.

“I’m highly surprised you don’t know already,” she said, looking at me intently. “Mom had a run-in with the Nokaura before I was born, and the poison ravaged her body. When she gave birth, it passed on to the lucky twin that sits before you,” she said.

I knew about the poison in Aunty, but I did not know that it passed on to Kenzie. Now today made sense. There was no bitterness in her tone, and I could tell that she was genuinely glad that it was her and not her brother that had to deal with it.

Fuck. I knew how badly it hurt Aunty. I had to learn all about it when preparing to insert myself into her past. It destroyed her body time and again, and it was a miracle that they found a workaround using Uncle K.

She shivered in the breeze, so I shook off my leather jacket before setting it on her shoulders. She looked surprised but smiled and held it closed around her. Kenzie in my jacket made it hard to focus, especially with being so close to her.

“Is that what the vials were for?”

She nodded, resting her chin on her knees. She was quiet for a moment before she turned her gaze back to me.

“My parents developed an antidote. It affects me differently than it did her. So, the serum is used, and Papa can temporarily help with his blood if need be,” she said, shrugging.

“So, does the antidote work to keep it under control?” I asked hopefully.

She nodded, looking at me curiously. Her beautiful blues peered at me as if trying to connect the dots in my mind. We were both analytical thinkers which was something that annoyed the shit out of Luca growing up because he definitely was not.

“Great, then let’s go get permission to get the Princess out of her tower,” I said, nudging her and standing up.

She smiled deviously and took my hand. Damn her hand was so warm and soft. She pulled it away all too soon before heading towards the staircase but stopped when she realized that I was not behind her.

“Are you coming?”

“Now, dear Kenzie. Why would we walk all the way down when I can portal us to their office? This is why I believe that they’ll approve of you going out into the kingdom with me.”

I held my hand out to her, and she hopped over and grabbed my hand with enthusiasm. Yes, this was much different than her not even being able to look at me. It was progress that I liked very much.

“Hold on,” I told her.

My free hand moved to open a portal and we stepped through it, ending up right outside the door of their office. I knocked and entered when I heard them beckon us forward.

Aunty was sitting on Uncle Xander’s lap while Uncle K stood behind them. Having two mates was an intriguing concept but not one I wanted to ever have to be part of.

The trio helped revolutionize the shifter world, giving shifters the choice to either share a body with their wolf or become the shifter and the wolf. Oddly enough the shifter world was fairly split in half in their choice. Even now, though, Aunty still separated any wolf who wanted to be free of their human. It was not fair that the wolves were not given the choice, so she gave it to them.

“Aunty.” I smiled widely, knowing that she had a soft spot for me. I held my arms open for her. She hopped up and came to embrace me. “I missed you,” I told her sincerely.

She had always been important to me. Important enough to tempt fate and implant my essence into my developing form to ensure their success in their plan to overthrow Selene and Asry. It worked though, so that was all that mattered.

She hugged me tightly before placing a kiss on my forehead. “Bellamy, it’s great to see you. We all missed you here.”

“I missed you all too. I plan on sticking around this time. I was actually hoping that I could have permission to take Kenzie to a bistro on the Eastside,” I said with the smile that always made her cave.

She bit her lip and looked at her mates for their weigh in.

“Look, I know why you’re hesitant. Kenzie and I talked about it. I’ll even take a dose of the antidote with me, and we’ll portal there and back. If anything were to happen, I can get her back instantaneously,” I promised them.

Uncle K looked at Kenzie before nodding to Aunty.

“He has a point, Doll. She can’t be locked away in here forever. She knows her body. Plus, she’s our daughter. Who better to kick ass than our offspring?” he asked, winking at Kenzie.

Aunty rolled her eyes at him and nodded to me. I looked hopefully at Uncle Xander. He hesitated for just a moment but agreed with us. The three of them looked concerned, but they still allowed it.

However, Uncle Xander looked at me pointedly with his infamous stare. “We’re trusting you with the utmost precious thing in this universe,” he said seriously.

As if I did not already know that, but I would not say it out loud.

“I will ensure that doesn’t get back to Luca,” I joked. “Yes, sir. I do understand. I won’t let anything happen to her. I feel she’s far more capable of protecting herself, but you have my word.”

With a nod of my head, I tugged Kenzie out of the office before they changed their minds.

“Holy shit. How did you do that?” she asked me with the biggest smile that lit up her face. Goddess, she was gorgeous.

“Logic my dear Kenzie,” I said with a wink. “Look, I said what I needed to. I know you don’t need me looking after you. I have a feeling you could definitely kick my ass. They just needed reassurance,” I told her honestly.

She smirked and nodded her head. We grabbed an extra dose of the serum and headed out to experience the kingdom together.