Hunwald and Boaz took off together, trailing the edge of the forest. We could just barely see them, two shadows that looked more like they were out on a nightly run instead of being in the middle of a race.
Liane frowned as they both ran past us on their first lap. “You run like bunch of old ladies,” she called after them.
Boaz looked down at Hunwald, grinned, and then was off. He raced near the line of trees faster than I’d ever seen anyone run, but when he reached his home, he jumped onto the stone exterior and scurried along it like a spider. Hunwald had also picked up speed and was right below him, his powerful hind legs propelling him forward. In a matter of seconds, the two became a blur as they raced around the final lap.
Liane burst out laughing, William snorted, and I just stared in awe. When they both finished the final lap, they stopped abruptly at the edge of the concrete. There was no slowing down or screeching of feet. They simply stopped moving.
“Who won?” Boaz asked, not out of breath in the least. Hunwald, however, let his tongue hang from his mouth and panted heavily.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” I said.
Liane clapped. “Perfect! A kiss for both winners.” She bent down and tried to hug Hunwald, but he backed away with a growl.
“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.”
Chapter 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.