Chapter 3

KENZIE

I was nervous about going out of the castle, but it was not because of the action but because of who I was going with. Only Bellamy could make me nervous. The happiness on his face when I agreed made me smile.

“Would you like to portal or just stroll? It’s about a twenty-minute walk,” he said, looking to me for my preference.

I was not used to people asking my opinion on things, so it was a nice change of pace.

“I’d rather stroll and talk if you’d like,” I said, praying that I could keep my blushing at bay. It was great being close to him like this because I missed him like hell when he was gone.

“I’d like nothing more. What would you like to talk about? Ladies choice.”

I stopped and planted my hands on my hips. He just raised a single eyebrow in response. I could see the amusement etched in his eyes.

“That’s not how this works. I offered an option. You chose the option, therefore it’s your responsibility to carry out said option. C’mon, Bel,” I huffed.

He crossed his arms over his chest, and a sinful smirk pulled at his lips. His eyes flashed with his challenge. I always loved how his eyes changed like that. Goddess, he was a fine specimen of perfection.

“Are we still playing by Kenzie’s rules that always change based on her whims? That shit worked when we were kids. It won’t work on me anymore, sweetheart.”

The way that he said sweetheart sounded damn near like a purr. The audacity of this sexy man. I closed the distance between us and poked his chest with my finger. I looked up into those eyes that I dreamed about for years.

“You’re trying to tell me that you’re more stubborn than I am. Fat chance, Bel.”

He looked down at my finger before his eyes slowly traveled back up to my face. There was something about the way he was looking at me, the spark of challenge in his eyes was like hidden promises that I would give anything to know.

This back-and-forth was just like the old days. We always challenged each other and refused to back down. It was nice to see that some things never changed.

“I’ll play nice this one time,” he murmured. “ How about we play twenty questions?”

“Sounds good,” I said, smirking. “Favorite color?” I asked.

“Red. Favorite movie genre?”

Damn. That was not an easy question to answer because I was a huge movie buff. I could be the biggest fan or worst critic and very ruthless.

“Hmm. That’s a tough one. It’s a tie between action and comedy, but the action has to be convincing and realistic. The comedy has to be rich. Adam Sandler is one of my favorites, and nobody can compare to him.”

We turned left down a side road. I had never been to this part of Aedrul. It was lined with little shops. People meandered about, enjoying the warmth that was hanging around today.

There were a group of females gawking at him, and it annoyed me for some reason. I got that he a fine piece of sexy craftsmanship, but have some class and not make it so obvious.

He turned to see what caught my attention and saw the females. He just rolled his eyes at them and placed his hand on the small of my back, leading us forward.

I tried to keep my heartbeat even, but it sped up regardless. I was not certain why he did it, but it felt great, nonetheless.

“Sunsets or sunrises?” I asked him.

I loved getting a chance to really talk to him again after going so long without it.

“Sunrises because it’s the beginning of a new day that we get to make our own.”

Being out and about right now was completely different than any other time before, and it was all because of who was walking next to me.

The questions continued until we made it to a place called Jemanina’s. It was a quaint place that was tucked between a clothing shop and a jewelry shop. It was one of those places that seemed unassuming. You would have to know that it was there. He held the door open for me and ushered me inside.

The little doorbell rang when we stepped inside. The smell of espresso nearly had my mouth drooling.

“Welcome to Jemanina’s. How can I serve you today?” a busty brunette asked Bellamy while unabashedly checking him out.

That was something I never really understood. So many women got pissed off when males did it to them, but they did not seem to mind if the females did it to the males. Total double standard.

Bellamy placed his hands on the tops of my shoulders and turned me towards the menu.

“Why don’t you choose for us both?” he asked hopefully.

The cashier was very dejected when I ordered two large magic mochas. I had yet to have one, so I was insanely curious. He also added two goldenberry pastries which reminded me of the old days when Bellamy and I would sneak into the kitchen and steal all of the goldenberry pastries.

The bistro was sectioned into two separate parts. The part we were in was the café part. The other part was for lunch or dinner. The café had plenty of comfortable seating. It was filled for the most part, but we were able to snag a corner table.

Today was the first time that I felt normal in a very long time, and it was all thanks to Bellamy. He did not walk on eggshells around me. He did not have to hide anything. We talked about anything and everything.

“When you’re not here in Aedrul, where do you stay?” I asked, sipping my drink. It was absolutely delicious.

“I have an apartment in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s my homebase really. Portals are fairly nifty, so I’m able to go anywhere I need to immediately. It helps with my work since I work with witches from all over.”

How awesome would that be to just up and leave? You could go somewhere new, and nobody would know who you were. You could reinvent yourself into whomever you wanted to be.

“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” he asked me.

He broke a pastry in half and handing it to me as payment for the answer. I took a bite of it while I thought. Anywhere at all.

“I honestly don’t know. Dad, being the literary geek that he is, always brings me books. If there were no limitations or boundaries, I would like to go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Not the fake kind with all the fabulous costumes and beads. The traditional Cajun Mardi Gras.”

Bellamy moved his hand, and a hologram of it appeared. I did not care if my gasp was heard by all. The smile that stretched my face felt foreign. I did not always have things to smile about, but Bellamy elicited more smiles in one day than I did all year.

“What about you? Where would you go?” I asked, handing him the last piece of pastry.

He leaned forward with a soft smile on his face. Another hologram appeared of Italy. It was a gorgeous country that was filled with so much history.

“This is where I would go. Portals allow for instantaneous travel. We should go one day. Make an adventure out of it,” he said with such sincerity that it gave me pause.

My heart thudded, and I prayed that he could not hear it.

“Then we will. Only if you promise to be on your best behavior, Bel.”

He threw his head back and laughed, slapping his hand over his heart. His hazel eyes twinkled with deep amusement.

“You know damn well that it would be both of us getting into trouble,” he said, winking at me.

I just shrugged because he was right. We grew up getting in trouble together, and I doubt that changed very much.

We decided to grab a quick bite before we headed back home. I dreaded this trip coming to an end. It was a surreal experience.

“Thanks for coming out, Kenzie. I really enjoyed it,” he said once we crossed over the threshold of the castle door.

“No. Thank you, Bel. It’s exactly what I needed.” I side-eyed him and saw a smile, so I did not mind returning it.

We walked side by side into the dining room, and all of the chatter quieted down immediately. Mom, Dad, Papa, Nonno, and Macario looked at us.

The silence was awkward, and I knew exactly why it got quiet. It was always like this.

“Thanks again, Bel. I’ll see you later,” I murmured.

I looked around at all the adults and shook my head before I left. Once I hit the hallway, I took off running to my suite just so I could escape it all before I crumbled underneath the weight.

Poor Kenzie that had no magic. Let us not talk about magic around her. Poor Kenzie who was cursed with Nokaura poison that wanted to destroy her. Let us not talk about going outside because it was safer for her in here.

Did they not see what that did to me?

Did they not care?

I tried not to be bitter all these years but fucking hell. It hurt. It all hurt.

*****

BELLAMY

I was at a complete loss of what just happened.

We had a fantastic time out. Goddess, it was perfect. I was surprised when Kenzie got jealous when the other females were eye-fucking me. They would never compare to the goddess that I was walking next to and talking to, so I tried to reaffirm who I was with when that happened.

Why did it quiet down once we walked inside? There was something seriously off about that reaction.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, trying my hardest to keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Absolutely. It is good to see you, Bellamy,” Macario said as he stood up and embraced me.

Macario was the one to train my magic growing up. He was the best damn teacher I could have ever had. I was the man and witch that I was today because of his dedication.

“It’s good to see you too, Macario. I’m going to head to my suite, but I’ll catch up with you later,” I told him.

Something was going on, but there was no way that they would discuss it with me. The problem was Kenzie’s reaction to them growing quiet as if it was a regular occurrence. I wanted to check on her, but I did not want to come off as pushy. She knew where my suite was if she wanted to talk.

 I just could not shake this gut feeling that something was off. My gut feelings had never been wrong before, so they were reliable.