My eyes never left Boaz’s, even when our feet barely lifted off the marble floor. We continued to spin in a whirlwind of darkness and power that seemed to grow stronger the more I stared into his now entirely black eyes. He opened his mouth to give room for growing fangs, and his eyes rolled back. My own body seemed to be experiencing the same climactic sensation, and I moaned in excitement.
The force between us reached an epic high and took on a life of its own. Below us, snakes appeared. They slid and twisted in and out of each other, hissing and spitting almost in time to the music. I should’ve been scared, but I wasn’t. Boaz flashed me a wicked smile.
It was the smile that stopped me.
This is wrong, I told myself, even though I couldn’t understand why. I closed my eyes and tried to fight against the dark magic. Finally, I dropped my arms and stepped away. The illusion instantly disappeared, and all was as it was before.
Boaz’s black eyes bulged from his sockets, and his upper lip sneered. Frightened, I stepped back and glanced behind me toward the closed glass doors, but when I looked back at Boaz, there was no hint of malice on his face.
Touching his head as if it ached, he said, “That was strange.”
“What?”
He collapsed into his chair, breathing heavily. “I’ve never experienced magic like that before.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re saying I did that?”
“It sure wasn’t me. I’m not that powerful.”
“It couldn’t have been just me,” I whispered.
A loud chime echoed above us.
“My friends are here,” Boaz said, and he left me alone outside to go greet them.
The air was cold, but I didn’t move closer to the table where I could get warm. There’s no way I could’ve produced something so dark and disgusting with my magic. My parents did those sorts of things, not me. I was not like them. I said this over and over in my mind.
Muffled voices echoed from within the house, but as they drew closer, they became clearer.
“If William would learn what a gas pedal was for, we might’ve arrived only half an hour late instead of a whole hour.” The voice was shrill with a hint of playfulness.
I turned around to peer through the glass doors. Coming toward me was a petite woman in a low-cut, tight green dress. She looked a little older than myself. Next to her was a tall, mousy-looking man in a dark blue, tailored suit. The sides of his brown hair held patches of gray. They were both smiling and chatting with Boaz as if they were all close friends. I quickly turned away and took several deep breaths.
The door opened, and Boaz said, “I’d like you both to meet Eve Segur, although she hardly needs an introduction.”
I turned around and forced a smile. I hated that everyone knew who I was, yet I knew no one.
“Eve, this is William Mioni and Liane Basset. William lives in Italy, but he is visiting the states for a few months, and Liane’s from New York City.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I said.
William approached me and placed a light kiss on each cheek. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said and stepped back. His short, slicked-back hair looked wet—so much so that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see water drip onto his shoulders. His blue eyes lay hidden beneath bushy eyebrows, and his nose looked too large for his narrow face.
“Boaz has told us all about you,” Liane said, her eyes flashing to Boaz, just before she embraced me in a quick hug. Her brown hair was shaped into a stylish bob that cradled her delicate facial features. Her unnaturally wide eyes matched the color of her dress—they were her most striking feature.
“Did we interrupt something?” Liane asked, glancing around the candlelit patio.
Boaz turned to me, as though expecting me to answer.
“Not at all,” I said. “We were just finishing up.”
Liane’s gaze lowered to the table. “You say you’re finished?”
“Apparently we are,” Boaz said.
“Boaz,” Liane said, “be a dear and bring in two more chairs. This is much too beautiful not to enjoy, and I see you’re being wasteful.” She sat down in my chair and eyed the food greedily.
William chuckled. “Really, Liane, you’re such a scavenger.”
“Waste not, want not,” she said, and then plucked the leaf of a cooked artichoke and scraped the meat from it with her teeth.
I liked her instantly.
“So tell me, Eve, what do you like to do?” Liane asked as she drank from my cup.
I joined her at the table and sat on a chair brought in by a servant. Boaz sat next to me. “I love the outdoors. There’s something mysterious and beautiful about nature.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” William said.
Liane wrinkled her nose. “Nature is dirty and smelly. Have you smelled New York City lately?”
William coughed. “New York City is hardly nature. Have you ever walked into a forest or climbed a mountain?”
“Now why would I want to do that?” Liane asked. “What else do you like, Eve?”
“I enjoy reading.”
Liane took a bite of pasta, the white sauce dripping onto the top of her breast. William rolled his eyes, but Liane wasn’t embarrassed in the least. She dabbed at the sauce with a napkin. “Do you like to go to dancing? I know some great clubs in the city.”