The Devil's Fool (Devil Series Book One) Read Free Page B

together, and their mouths turned down. Lines I never knew existed appeared in sync with bulging veins on their necks. It was a comical scene, for they were still trying to keep up the appearance of having a wonderful time. Their poor faces looked as if they were having twin seizures.
    I grinned and walked away. That felt much better than I’d expected. I headed straight to the veranda and stepped into the night, strangely elated. That was the first time I’d done exactly what I wanted without fearing the consequences.
    “Very good,” Boaz said.
    I jumped. He was resting in a chair as if he’d been there all night. There was no trace of a handprint on his face. Next to him, a massive black wolf stared with one blue eye and one white.
    “How did you—” I looked back toward the ballroom. There was no way he could’ve beaten me here.
    “Don’t be naïve, love. You know what I am.”
    My gaze lowered to the strangely still wolf. Without a sound, he bared his sharp canine teeth. “And who’s this friendly beast?”
    The wolf growled.
    Boaz ran his fingers through its thick, bristly fur. “This is Hunwald.”
    “Interesting name. Where did you get it?”
    “I didn’t
get
it anywhere. He chose it.”
    “All right,” I said, not understanding. “How long have you had him?”
    “He’s had
me
since I was a child,” he corrected again.
    “What do you mean?”
    Boaz leaned forward. The movement was too quick, too smooth, reminding me again how inhuman he really was. Instinctively, I stepped back.
    “My mother was a vicious woman. The kind of woman who should never have had a child, but apparently Fate thought it amusing, and she bore me. Though in the end, I’m not sure who the joke was really on.” He smiled to himself. “My mother used to carry a big stick everywhere she went. She called it
Thorne
, and every time she said its name, she would laugh atrociously, as though it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Her saying
Thorne
meant only one thing—that I was to receive a severe beating for failing to fulfill one of her absurd expectations. It was in the middle of one of these beatings that Hunwald found us in the woods. He tore my mother to shreds right in front of me.” He turned to Hunwald and ruffled the fur on his face between his hands. “Didn’t you? You good boy!”
    “That’s terrible,” I said.
    Boaz’s head snapped up. “Don’t tell me you haven’t ever wished your parents dead.”
    “I couldn’t, wouldn’t—”
    “Give it time.”
    I stepped toward the ballroom. “I should go inside—”
    Boaz appeared in front of me, blocking the door. Air caught in my chest. He took hold of my wrist and, with his thumb, rubbed the flesh beneath my palm, exactly where my pulse beat.
    “Stay for just a moment longer,” he said, his tone commanding.
    My head spun. The circular motion of his thumb on the sensitive part of my wrist made me lightheaded as if I’d had too much to drink.
    “I want to wish you a happy birthday,” he purred.
    It took me a moment to process his words. “How did you know?”
    “How could I forget?”
    I tried to communicate that I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t clear the growing fog from my mind.
    While continuing to stroke the underside of my wrist, he said, “Your dress is extraordinary.”
    He lifted my hand to his slightly parted mouth and pressed his lips to my flesh. I felt the gentle pressure of his tongue wet my skin. I slowly shook my head.
    Finally I broke free of his spell and stepped away, my arms falling limp at my side. I looked down at my dress, suddenly realizing why Sable had chosen it. “This dress was meant for you.”
    He laughs. “I hope not. I don’t think it would fit.”
    “Sable,” I stutter, hating that he’s flustering me. “She chose it because she knew you would like it.”
    “Mmm. She does have impeccable taste.”
    “You can have it if you like.”
    “Only if I can have what’s inside, as well.”
    In