“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 na?ve, 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 response to my growing anger, the power within me stirred to life for the second time that night, but I resisted its pull.
“Let me make this perfectly clear,” I said, pointing my finger at his chest. “You will never have any part of me.”
“But, my love, I already have,” he said, licking his lips.
My bravery exhausted, I darted around him and returned to the ballroom, leaving him and the wolf to the darkness where they belonged.
Chapter 4
I returned to my bedroom for the remainder of the party. I knew it would upset my parents, but by their earlier expressions, they couldn’t get much angrier. Alone, I waited for my punishment, my heartbeat growing louder by the minute.
Several hours later, the party died down, until all I heard were the servants cleaning up after the guests. I didn’t get ready for bed. My night was not over. Not yet.
It wasn’t long before Erik and Sable’s heavy footsteps slapped against the marbled floor. The steps reminded me of a hammer and a pickax. I slowly stood from my bed, swaying slightly, prepared for what was to come.
Erik pushed open my door. He was still dressed in a black tux that looked too tight for his solid frame. Behind a row of perfectly shaped teeth, his tongue clicked repeatedly. Next to him, Sable, who must’ve sensed his impatience, said, “Eve, dear, if you would just use your abilities, we could stop these training exercises.”