Chapter 4

KENZIE

After a long shower, I was able to push away the dining room scene. I just sighed and shrugged it off. It was not worth my heartache anymore.

Getting out of the castle felt absolutely thrilling.

Sure, I had been out with Papa, but that did not compare to going outside the gates with Bellamy. I knew that guards followed us, but everything was perfect. It was the first time that I felt normal in a long time, so I had a lot to thank Bellamy for.

We spent time at the café and grabbed some food before we headed home. Females approached him and flirted quite a few times, but he simply kept his focus on me. It made me feel special if I was being honest. I realized I truly enjoyed spending time with him. He was intelligent and hilarious. He held this confidence that did not come across as egotistic but as sexy.

I liked him for so many years that being able to actually spend quality time with him was damn near a dream come true. Our conversation went very smoothly and did not feel awkward at all. He enthusiastically talked about his work with the witches. He explained some of the projects he worked on and what it was like to train new witches.

He also told me all about different places he visited. I soaked up every piece of information he shared. He was the only one to ever talk freely with me about their time outside Aedrul.

Bellamy also wanted to get to know me. He hung on every word I said which was really nice. I did not do anything as exciting as him, but I did have a love of knowledge. I got it from Uncle Ethan. I told him about training with Brian when I was younger. The Strength of Aedrul was a beast of a trainer. We even talked about places I would like to visit one day. When we spoke about it, he made it seem possible. He told me to think about some places and let him know so that we could maybe plan a trip.

A smile had been firmly planted on my face all day long. The happiness I felt was completely genuine.

Sleep claimed me quickly, but the happiness of the day faded away when the darkness sucked me in. I had been plagued with nightmares since I was four years old. They were always the worst things I could imagine, and this time was no different. The darkness sucked me in, and I could not breathe. I screamed and screamed, but I could not move. Laughter echoed all around me, bouncing off of something in the darkness. An icy cold seeped into my body, making it agonizingly painful.

As quickly as I was sucked into the dream, I was thrusted back out. Light blazed all around me, causing me to wince at its brightness. My mind was still hazy going from being asleep to waking up. That limbo in between.

“Kenzie, can you hear me?” The voice sounded far away as she struggled to latch onto it.

I blinked a few times before I could focus on what I could feel, see, and hear. I felt warmth, it was no longer cold. The warmth was shooing the pain away. I could see the light and my bedroom walls. I could hear Bellamy’s voice. That was the surprising part.

I turned my head and saw his face hovering over me. I was pulled into his lap, and he was talking to me. His face looked pained, so I placed my hand on it, trying to comfort him. He leaned into it immediately and without hesitation.

“What’s wrong? How did you get into my room?” I asked him softly.

He looked at me with wide eyes and laughed. His laughter was deep and made me smile. Oh, how I missed his laugh. It was always enough to make me feel better despite any circumstance. This was no different.

“You’re something alright. You were in a nightmare and called out to me, so I used a portal to get in and saw you levitating above your bed.”

He pushed hair off of my face, running his fingers along my jaw. His touch felt was soothing and felt warm. It was like he was trying to reassure himself that I was okay. It was such a gentle gesture.

“Did you say that I was levitating? I’ve never done that before.”

I had never showed any affinity for magical abilities before. That would require access to magic which was impossible for me. I was the only Venscothi without my own magic.

“Has anyone ever tested you for abilities?” he asked after thinking through something.

I shrugged and said, “Just when I was a kid. I showed absolutely no affinity for it unlike Luca. So, they assumed that he was the one with the abilities.”

I got all the poison, and he got all the gifts. So fair.

Being the only Venscothi that did not have magic was such a letdown. Hell, even my fathers had access to magic despite them originally being shifters.

To make it less awkward, everyone tried not to talk about magic around me. It did not make it less awkward at all. It was like they were hiding part of their identity as to not make her feel bad. Those were all certainly the ingredients for awkward.

I tried to tell them in the past that it was okay for them to talk about it, but they refused. It was the same thing as people talking about being outside Aedrul.

“I can test you tomorrow if you would like,” he offered.

A wide grin split my face. “Hell yes. What do you mean I called out to you? I was stuck in darkness and couldn’t talk.”

“Not called out vocally,” he said looking down at my lips. He subconsciously ran his tongue over his own, which just made it even worse for me to focus. “Something in you called out to me while I was sleeping,” he said pulling his eyes up to mine.

That was when reality came back and made me realize that I was still in the tank top and underwear that I wore to bed.

I stood up in a hurry but lost my footing and fell backwards. Bellamy caught me and pulled me into him so that I would not hit the floor. I was now effectively straddling him while he held me securely to him.

I knew he could feel my body’s reaction to him, but I could not find it in me to be embarrassed. Not even I could deny the way that he made me feel. The way he was looking at me made me both shiver and feel heated at the same exact time. It was easy to tell that he was affected by me as well if the bulge underneath me was any indication.

His eyes dropped to my lips again, but he stopped himself.

“Do it if you want to,” I said, wanting him to make the first move in case I was misunderstanding the situation.

His eyes flashed an intense green before his hand cupped the back of my head, pulling it to him. His lips brushed over mine softly and captured them while he kept eye contact. I had never kissed anyone before, but it felt natural to kiss Bellamy. It was a common occurrence in my daydreams, but I never imagined he would actually be kissing me.

His lips were soft and tasted just like his scent – wintergreen. His tongue ran over the bottom of my lip, seeking entrance, and I let him in. His mouth moved against mine with such intensity that I realized he truly wanted this too. I would not deny how much I enjoyed that both of us explored one another hungrily.

My body acted on its own and pushed him backwards onto the floor. My hips were straddling him, and I pushed my weight onto him entirely. I could feel the hard contours of his muscles and wondered what they actually looked like. He was ripped, so I would assume his body would look like a masterpiece of strength. A body carved from absolute perfection. My dream guy.

I could not get enough of him. Was this really happening? I had wanted Bellamy for years. Now, he was willingly kissing me. Perhaps this was another dream.

He broke the kiss and leaned back to look at me. Our heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. If that was what it felt like to kiss him, I wanted to do it some more.

“Sorry, my magic pulled you a bit strongly,” he apologized with his tempting lips.

I tilted my head in confusion, unsure of what he meant.

“You reacted to my magic. I normally have complete control over it, but for some reason, you make me lose a bit of that control.”

His hands were on my hips, and I leaned into his electrifying touch.

“It wasn’t your magic. I felt the magic, but it didn’t compel me,” I told him honestly.

I leaned down and captured his lips again. This time it was softer. His lips responded instantly, as if he wanted this just as much as I did. Add his darkened eyes and the hard bulge underneath me, and I could tell that he was incredibly turned on. Was it possible that it was me who turned him on, or was it just the situation?

“What do you mean?” he asked once we broke our kiss.

He pulled me further onto his chest and trailed kisses down my neck. I arched it to give him better access, which he certainly took. His lips left a blazing trail of warmth that I could never get enough of.

I wanted him to consume me while I had the opportunity. My fingers threaded into his hair and tugged gently. Fuck, his hair was just as soft as I thought it might be. Everything about him was perfect.

“You magic is green, like your eyes when they flash. I felt it reach out to me, but it never touched me,” I assured him, not wanting him to think his magic made me kiss him. I kissed him because I had desired it for years.

He observed at me carefully. His eyes flashed, and I felt his magic push out again. I raised my hand and held it against his magic. It was incredibly warm and caused my hand to tingle. I pushed against it, and it receded back into him.

“How did you do that?” he asked incredulously.

I shrugged, not knowing at all. I was not well versed in anything to do with magic. It seemed to be almost a taboo subject around me which was so fucking stupid. Aedrul was filled to the brim with magic, yet all talks of it was kept from me.

“I have no clue. It just happened instinctually. Surely others can do the same thing.”

He shook his head and sat up with me on his lap. “No, they can’t. I have never met anyone who could stop my magic like that before. Have you really never practiced magic?”

I shook my head, and he got an excited glint in his eye. I knew that glint because it promised excitement and possibly a bit of trouble.

“Do you want to?” he asked with a sly grin and anticipation shining in his eyes.

“How? I don’t have any,” I pointed out.

Would I love to? Yes. Could I? No, you would have to have it for it to work.

His deep laugh caressed my skin like smooth silk and wrapped around me.

“Yes, Kenzie, you do. This proves that. Perhaps it was you calling me back all along,” he said softly, placing some hair behind my ear.

I was not sure why those words elicited such a reaction in me, but I felt giddy. I was not a giddy type of person, but Bellamy could always pull out reactions in me that nobody else could.

“Tomorrow we can begin,” he promised me.

He stood up and held his hand out to me. His hand was smooth and warm, just like him. I stood up and smiled at him. I never imagined that Bellamy would elicit more smiles in just one day than I had given in an entire year.

To think that I might have magic was an amazing feeling. I felt slighted for so long with Luca getting the talent and me getting the curse. I never said that out loud, and nobody ever guessed it. However, I thought Bellamy could tell, which was why he was offering to help me. Who better to help than the best witch and magic trainer there was?

“We can begin after breakfast if you would like,” he said.

I nodded and watched him walk to the door. Panic set in instantly. He turned around immediately and looked at me closely. I had no idea why I was panicking. That was irrational and stupid.

“Would you like me to stay the night in case the nightmare comes back?” he asked.

“Can you read my mind?”

“No. I can read you, Kenzie. C’mon, let’s get some sleep,” he said, leading me over to the bed.

I got in bed and patted the side next to me. He pulled his shirt off and slid in next to me. Holy fuck. His muscles were truly sculpted from complete perfection. I had never seen someone as fit as him. Was there a better classification than sexy?

He waited for me to make the next move, so I slid over and laid my head on his chest, nuzzling into him. I felt every muscle of his. He had to put a lot of work into keeping his body this chiseled.

My arm draped over his waist, holding him to me. It did not feel weird or awkward. It felt just right. Even if this was just for tonight, I would take whatever chance I could get to cuddle up to the man of my dreams.

“Thanks for being here, Bel,” I murmured into his chest as I drifted off to sleep.

I slept peacefully for the first time in years and woke up energized. I was enveloped in incredible warmth and opened my eyes, surprised to see hazel ones looking down at me softly. I smiled and pulled back some.

“Good morning, Bel,” I said, blushing. I realized I was completely wrapped around him.

“Morning Kenzie. How did you sleep?” he asked, smiling brightly. Damn, his smile made my heartbeat quicken a little.

Last night had not been a dream then. We had really made out. Bellamy got my first kiss.

“Better than I have in a long time actually. Thanks for staying.”

I stood up and stretched my sore muscles, completely forgetting about what I was still wearing. Faster than I had ever moved before, I quickly ran to the walk-in closet. I threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a maroon sweater that hung off my shoulders.

I slipped into the bathroom to brush my hair out and attempted to tame my curls. After a huff, realizing taming was out of the question, I walked back to the bedroom.

Bellamy leaned against the post of my bed with his arms across his chest. He was fully dressed and smirked when I gawked at him. Hell, he had to know how sinfully delicious he looked. He looked pleased that I seemed to always gawk at him. He also checked me out, causing butterflies.

“Do you want to walk to breakfast or want to portal?”

“As much as I want to portal…I think it’s best if we walk,” I said, making my way towards the door.

How did I tell him that the poison recognized his power and wanted it? Yeah, that would not go over well.

“As you wish.” He smirked, opening the door for me.

I was granted to the sight of Luca with his arms crossed. He looked furious to find his best friend and his sister coming out of her bedroom together. Was he serious right now?

“Well, isn’t this a surprise, Kenz,” he said keeping a straight face. Yeah, he had perfected Dad’s intimidating stare. It did not work on me, but he still tried.

I rolled my eyes and shoved past him. How dare he act high and mighty. I could punch him for his bullshit right now and not feel an ounce of regret.

“Luca stop acting like an Alpha-hole. Bellamy was kind enough to help me with a nightmare last night and was also kind enough to check on me this morning.”

Well, that was true. He helped me with the nightmare and did check me out this morning. Not a total lie. I just left out the fact that I fell asleep and woke up encased in his muscular and warm arms.

“Oh, gotcha. Why didn’t you tell me your nightmares were back?” he asked, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

“They never went away. I just stopped telling you about them five years ago because you all have enough to worry about. Lu, I know you all are paranoid about the poison.”

Luca darted a glance at Bellamy, and that just infuriated me more. It was such a big fucking secret.

How could they never see what that did to me?

Or did they not care?

“Yes, he knows everything. There is nothing wrong with it. You guys are the ones to make me feel like I’m some fucking ticking time bomb which will either explode or go on a murder rampage. I bet you all have a pool going to see which one it is.”

I shrugged Luca’s arm off and kept walking. I was over his shit right now. I loved my twin, but I hated my family’s treatment.

“Kenz, it’s not like that,” he insisted.

I spun around quickly, making him stop so that he would not run me over. He might have perfected Dad’s stare, but I perfected Mom’s, and mine actually worked. His face fell when he saw it on me.

“Then what is it like, Luca? You were born with the gifts of our family, and I was born with the fucking curse of our family. I have always seen how you guys watch me, wondering when the poison will overtake me. Mom dealt with the full blast of it for three years before we were born and passed it on to me. I’ve dealt with it for seventeen fucking years. Ever wonder how such a nasty poison didn’t kill a defenseless baby?”

I took two steps toward him and pushed my finger into his chest. My anger had overtaken my rationality at this point, so I truly hoped he took this to fucking heart because I was done keeping shit to myself.

“I am not some weak breakable figurine that this family has to worry over. Bellamy took me out of this castle yesterday, and guess what? Nothing fucking happened. I’m stronger than you all give me credit for. So, if you want to continue worrying, do it away from me and fuck right off,” I yelled before turning around and walking off.