The Devil's Fool (Devil Series Book One)

by McClellan, Rachel

  “Your loss mutt,” Liane muttered and straightened. “I guess only Boaz receives a prize.”

  She placed her hand upon Boaz’s chest seductively. As she leaned in to kiss him, Boaz’s eyes flashed to mine. Deep down, I wished he wouldn’t kiss her back, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop them. Instead, I simply watched as Liane closed her eyes and lifted her mouth to his.

  Just as their lips were about to touch, Boaz put his hand up, stopping her. “I must politely decline as well.”

  I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  Liane glanced back at me with a smile and winked.

  “Whose turn is it now?” William asked. He was back sitting at the table, straightening the table. The rest of us joined him.

  “I’ll go next,” Liane said. “Eve, you’re the demon I dare.”

  12

  My stomach dropped as if I’d just been asked to speak in front of a crowd of people with no preparation. “I’m not—”

  “Choose someone else,” Boaz said. “Eve’s not feeling well tonight.”

  I looked at Boaz, surprised. I couldn’t figure him out. Sometimes he was incredibly thoughtful and other times he was … something else entirely. I studied his face. His porcelain skin was void of any wrinkles, making it difficult to read his expression, but his eyes. They were filled with so much intensity that I couldn’t look away. Maybe it wasn’t him but me. Maybe I’d been too hard on him. He’d been so kind to me these last few weeks. And I couldn’t forget that he saved my life and took me away from a world that I hated.

  “I think Eve looks fine,” William said.

  “I agree,” Liane said. “You don’t need to cover for her, Boaz. If she doesn’t want to play then simply say so.”

  “I am just fine,” I said, still staring at Boaz, his gaze boring into mine. “And I will play. What are you daring me to do?”

  Boaz raised his eyebrows and smiled. I could only imagine how pleased he was with me.

  “How about this?” Liane said. “Since it’s your first time, you may do whatever you’d like. But it has to amaze us.”

  “Deal.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Under the table, Boaz reached for my hand. I gripped it tightly and concentrated hard, focusing on the power that always lay on the fringes of my mind as if waiting for me like some long, lost friend. I invited it in.

  Surprisingly, I didn’t have to feel hate to conjure the magic like all the other times. Instead, it was pride that invoked the power within me, for I knew in that moment I was more powerful than anyone on the patio. I could feel it inside me as sure as I could see the silver light of the moon, hanging above us, barely a crescent. With this thought, I had a sudden urge to laugh as I prepared to show them my strength.

  The candles blew out when I summoned a cold wind. It swirled all around us, lifting my hair off my warm neck. It felt amazingly good, and I squeezed Boaz’s hand; a burning heat passed between us. This time the effects of using magic didn’t bother me at all. Even the normally pungent smell wasn’t as bad. It reminded me of burnt toast.

  I kept my eyes closed and imagined the floor all around us sinking. I saw it in mind, how the earth would open, where the concrete would have to break, and the depths to which I would take it. My destruction became a reality.

  I didn’t move a muscle, not even to open my eyes when the ground shook making the china on the table clank together. Liane gasped and William swore, but I ignored it all and continued to focus on my desire to impress them, which only strengthened my magic.

  In place of the stamped concrete, which was sinking quickly, I summoned water from the earth. It bubbled upwards at an alarming rate from every crack and crevice, filling the spaces. The burning intensity of my power seared my chest, but it was a pleasurable feeling, one that spread throughout my body.

  I opened my eyes and took a deep breath when the water became level with the only piece of concrete left—the same space we sat on.

  “It’s an illusion of water, right?” William asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Boaz let go of my hand and stood up. “Do you smell it?”

  They inhaled deeply. I smiled, already knowing the truth.

  “I think he’s right,” Liane said. “It smells like the sea.”

  William leaned back on his chair. “All part of the illusion.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Liane kicked his chair backwards.

  William’s arms flung out as he tried to catch himself. A high-pitched girly scream tore from his lungs when he plunged into the murky water. He surfaced a moment later and doggy paddled in front of us, gasping for air.

  “I can’t believe it's real,” Liane whispered. She bent over and skimmed her fingers across the wet surface.

  “A little help here?” William asked, breathing heavy.

  Boaz reached out and easily pulled him up.

  “I don’t know how you did this, but you must teach me,” Liane said, grabbing my hands.

  I shrugged, as though it was no big deal. “I just think about it, and it happens.”

  Liane stared at me, mouth open. “It really is true what people say about you.”

  “What do they say?”

  “That you will be an unstoppable witch and will transform this world. You’re amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  I blushed, but inwardly grinned.

  “Well, I’ve had enough for one night,” William said. “Can you please get rid of this water so we can go home?”

  Liane slapped him in the shoulder. “You’re such a bore sometimes, do you know that?”

  “Yes. Now let’s go.”

  This time I didn’t close my eyes. I simply looked at the water and willed it away. A wave of energy passed over me as the magical power left my body. I kept my gaze on the water, making it recede just as fast as it had come. A moment later, after the earth shook, the dirt and concrete moved back into position, fixing itself where needed. Only a few minutes had passed, and the patio looked unscathed, no cracks, not even a drop of water left behind as evidence of my power. Except for William, of course. His clothes were dripping wet, and he was drying his hair with a cloth napkin.

  Liane hugged me suddenly. “We’ve had such a wonderful time. Let’s do it again soon.” In my ear, she whispered, “He loves you.”

  I looked at her, surprised. Liane nodded her head as if to say, “It’s true.”

  “Do you have a towel I can take with me?” William asked Boaz.

  “Of course.” Boaz opened the glass doors. “Come inside.”

  I followed everyone into the house, my body pulsing with magic’s power. I wanted to suggest that we all go do something, dancing maybe, or even hiking. I didn’t care that it was night. I needed a release.

  “Are you sure you guys have to go?” I asked. “Maybe we could play a game? Or go—”

  “Sorry, sweetie,” Liane said, her eyes flashing to Boaz’s. “But we can’t. We’ll get together soon, though. I promise.”

  William patted himself with a towel he’d retrieved from the foyer’s bathroom. “Next time alert me in advance to any plans of swimming? This suit was expensive.”

  “I’ll pay to have it dry cleaned,” Boaz said.

  William glared at Liane. “Liane will pay.”

  She laughed as though that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard and walked out the front door. “See you soon!”

  William followed her out, mumbling to himself.

  After waving goodbye and closing the door, Boaz turned to me, his body inches from mine. “You didn’t have to use magic tonight.”

  I swallowed. “I know.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “It was fun.”

  “It was, wasn’t it?” He grinned, something alight in his eyes.

  I nodded.

  His gaze dropped to my lips for the briefest of moments, but enough to make the magic swell within me again, taking my breath away.

  “I have somewhere I ne
ed to be,” he said. “Do you mind if I call it a night too?”

  “Of course not,” I stuttered, feeling suddenly stupid. Maybe the kiss we’d shared earlier had only been amazing to me. I faked a yawn. “I was going to go to bed anyways.”

  “Very well then,” he said and disappeared behind the door I wasn’t allowed behind.

  “No, it’s not very well,” I whispered as I turned to go up the stairs. My whole body was tingling and yet numb at the same time. I glanced down at my feet. They were still there and moving, yet I felt like I was floating.

  I spun a few steps before I danced into my bedroom and closed the door behind me, trapping me in a dark room. I reached for the light, but then stopped. My arm lowered to my side. Breathing in deeply, I focused on the darkness, the way it crawled over my skin and the way it breathed on my skin, whispering seducing words I couldn’t understand but could feel.

  I opened my eyes as realization dawned on me.

  Darkness felt good.

  13

  That night, I lay awake, unable to sleep. Magic’s power still pulsed through my body, and it ached for a release, but I fought the urge. I rolled over and faced the window. It must’ve been at least two in the morning by the way the moon’s light crowded into my room.

  I thought of the evening I’d shared with Boaz, wishing I could fully enjoy this fairy-tale that was beautiful, yet dark. Like the fair maidens in the stories, I, too, had been whisked away to a far off, mystical place. But whisked off to where? The fairytales spoke of far off places as being full of light, with colorful flowers, talking animals and mystical creatures.

  There were beautiful flowers, and Hunwald was strange enough that he probably could talk, and Boaz, he couldn’t be more mystical. But my fairytale lacked the light and the constant beauty that should exist, too. Maybe that’s why they’re called fairytales—because something as beautiful as all that just wasn’t possible.

  I moved out of bed and welcomed the moonlight by opening the window. The cool wind rushed in and raced around the room, catching and twisting my long gown in its wake. I wrapped my arms around me and closed my eyes. I could still see the faint glow of the moonlight behind my eyelids.

  I stayed like this for some time, my front bathed in moonlight, my back immersed in darkness. I only opened my eyes when the faint sound of hooves galloping nearby drew my attention to the window. Not far off, a rider dressed all in black dismounted a horse and walked toward me. My heart skipped a beat.

  The rider stopped just below my window and looked up. Boaz’s eyes met mine, and I sucked in air when my magic seemed to shock my entire body. I giggled inwardly. This is what I wanted, to feel this every second of every day. My desire for dark magic’s power snuffed out any thoughts I once had for light and purity. The desire to be different, to be good, was now gone. I simply didn’t care anymore.

  I stepped up to the tall window and looked down briefly before I jumped. I used my powers to cushion the thirty-foot fall, and then walked toward Boaz, my chin up and arms at my side. I didn’t care that I wore a revealing black nightgown.

  Without saying a word, Boaz held up a dark cloak. I stepped into it. The weight of it seemed to suck the moon’s light away from me.

  Boaz lifted the hood over my head and stared back and forth into my eyes, as if searching for something. “Come with me?”

  I nodded and accepted his outstretched hand without hesitation.

  We walked across the cold earth; the heavy mist parted for us as if on command. Boaz’s black horse was waiting for us at the edge of the forest like a loyal soldier. He stood erect, eyes forward.

  Boaz leapt onto the horse’s back and pulled me up easily. My hands slid across his abdomen and locked tightly. Boaz didn’t have to kick the horse to get it go forward; it seemed to move on his own as if sensing Boaz’s thoughts, even knowing what direction to turn. Boaz gripped the horn with one hand, and his other hand he pressed into mine. A strength, intense and powerful, expanded around us, making my muscles tighten and then release. Every last one of them. I moaned from both pleasure and pain.

  I threw my head back when an indescribable feeling of invisibility overwhelmed my entire being. It grew inside me like a noxious weed, snuffing out any gentleness, kindness, good thoughts. I let go of Boaz’s waist and stretched out my arms into the night, feeling that at any moment I might be thrown from the horse. I began to chuckle and then laugh. It escaped from deep inside me, from somewhere dark and cold. Boaz didn’t join in my laughter, but I knew from our connection that he was as intoxicated as I was.

  Boaz continued to ride the horse hard and fast through the forest, maneuvering the large animal as if it were an extension of him. We rode faster than I thought possible, and I wondered if there was something supernatural about the horse, too, like Hunwald.

  While the horse continued to race forward, Boaz, in a move faster than I could see, twisted and turned until he was riding the horse backwards, my legs suddenly wrapped around his waist. He took hold of my shoulders and stared into my eyes, his expression serious. I thought he was going to kiss me, but without warning, he leapt into the air, taking me with him. We seemed to float for a moment before we landed on the ground with me in his arms. I exhaled. The running horse disappeared around a bend and into the darkness.

  “Where are we?” I asked. The overgrown woods were thick with vegetation and a thin layer of frost covered the ground.

  “Quiet.” He placed a finger to my lips. “Follow me.” He crept through the woods like a panther, stealthy and agile. I tried to move as gracefully as he, but it was impossible. Thankfully, Boaz said nothing about my noisy footsteps.

  “Over here.” He motioned to a tall and still leafy bush.

  I glanced down to mind my footing, but when I looked up, Boaz was gone. I walked to the shrub. “Boaz?”

  A hand shot out from beneath the branches and jerked my ankle. I threw out my arms to catch myself from falling, but came up empty handed. Just as I was about to smack my head against the ground, I was yanked underneath the bush. Boaz caught my head in his hand before it made contract with the earth, his face only inches from mine.

  “Oh!” I cried. “We’re under a bush.”

  “It’s the only safe place for you to be for what I’m about to show you.”

  “There’s not much room under here, is there?” Turning over was a slow process. Branches poked at me, and the wet ground soaked through my cloak.

  “It will be worth it, just wait,” Boaz said as if sensing my frustration.

  Finally, I maneuvered myself onto my stomach and whispered, “Do vampires usually hide under bushes?”

  “No. This is a first.” He peered into the darkness, scanning the forest. “He’s coming. Any second now.”

  “I don’t see anything,” I hissed, craning my neck in each direction.

  “You’ll smell him before you see him.”

  Even before the words left his mouth, the pungent smell of decay and feces filled my nostrils. I moved my hand to cover my nose and mouth. The smell grew stronger and a rumbling destroyed the peace of the forest. Something rotten was moving toward us.

  I spotted a shadow in the distance, sauntering between two trees. It was enormous. “What is it?”

  Boaz didn’t answer.

  The beast moved closer, grunting as it swatted a large paw against a fallen tree. It shoved its enormous head into a log, splitting it in two. And then I knew.

  “A grizzly bear?” It was at least a head taller than me, with shoulders just as wide. “But how? I thought only black bears lived around here.”

  “How he got here doesn’t matter. He goes where he pleases.”

  The bear rose tall and clawed its massive paws into a tree. Moonlight shined on its back through the cracks of the forest canopy. The tips of its fur were blond, almost silver looking, and for just a moment, I thought it shimmered.

  “Look at him, Eve,” Boaz said. “Watch how he moves with strength and power, while creatures
around him cower in fear. The bear doesn’t waste time thinking about others. He cares only for his desires and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He who can show his might holds the greatest power.”

  I held my breath, while his words sunk in. The bear dropped to all fours. I was beginning to understand what Boaz had been trying to teach me all along.

  “You wanted me to see this,” I said aloud, not as a question, but more of a statement.

  “Yes. The bear is the king of the forest, invincible.”

  I turned my head to him. “Not invincible. We could kill it.”

  A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “We could, couldn’t we?”

  “Yes. But we won’t. He is like us.” Before I knew what I was doing, I wriggled free from beneath the bush.

  “Eve!” he called in a hushed tone. I heard him scramble after me, but he stayed back. I didn’t doubt that he was as anxious as I was to see what the bear would do.

  When my footsteps cracked a twig, the grizzly lifted its head and growled low. I closed the distance between us until we were maybe forty feet apart. The bear sniffed the air and snorted in my direction. We watched each other then, a silent assessment of one’s capabilities.

  I reached out my hand. The motion caused the bear to charge. It stopped only a dozen feet in front of me, lifted onto its hind legs, and let out a monstrous roar that shook me to the core. As if waking from a dream, I quickly realized my dangerous predicament. My body froze, and I stopped breathing, afraid any movement might make him attack.

  Boaz’s voice appeared in my mind. “Do something! Use your powers!”

  “Get out of my head.” I pushed the thought back to Boaz and closed my mind. If there hadn’t been a bear standing over me with fangs bared, saliva dripping from razor sharp teeth, I might’ve been surprised that Boaz and I could suddenly communicate telepathically, but under the stressful situation, I could think of nothing else.

  The bear crashed down on all four legs. It bounced its upper body up and down, threatening me, but I didn’t budge. Adrenaline coursed through my blood, and although I was frightened, I wanted to see what the bear would do next. I wouldn’t use magic just yet, even though it was racing through my blood as if searching for a release.