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

gentle touch linger against my skin longer than I should have. Finally, I exhaled and opened my eyes.
    It didn’t take me long to find Boaz leaning against a tree on the other side of the brook, his arms folded to his chest. His black hair fell long to his shoulders. When a familiar flutter of confusion clouded my mind, I quickly averted my gaze.
    “You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said. Hunwald, the wolf, stood absolutely still by his side.
    I kept my focus on the book, even though a part of me wanted to look up and see his face, to feel the power lurking behind the glossy surface of his eyes. “I’m perfectly fine alone, and if you don’t mind, that’s how I’d like to stay.”
    “What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a fair maiden alone in the big, bad woods?”
    “I can assure you, you are no gentleman and therefore are not required to act like one.” I continued to pretend to read, but after a minute under the pressure of his stare, I dropped the book and said more forcefully, “Please leave.”
    “I told you: I’m not leaving you alone.”
    I slapped the book down at my side. “What are you even doing here?”
    “I heard you were in trouble.”
    “Trouble? What are you talking about?” I sat up, thinking hard. Maybe my parents came home early and found me missing. They would definitely be upset if they knew I left without permission. A wave of nausea washed over me.
    “You don’t look so well,” he said, stepping toward me.
    “I have to go.” I quickly gathered my belongings, praying my parents were still away.
    “I should see you home,” Boaz said.
    I shook my head and lifted onto Storm’s back, my thoughts torn between him and getting home. “I’ll be fine.”
    With a nudge to her gut, Storm galloped away. My heartbeat matched the rapid rhythm of her hooves, bu-bum, bu-bum, over and over. Boaz appeared in my mind. Bu-bum, bu-bum. His caress sliding down my skin, his tongue against my wrist. Bu-bum, bu-bum.
    I pulled the reins, bringing Storm to a slow walk. What was wrong with me? I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see Boaz, but I was alone. I shouldn’t have these feelings, but I couldn’t deny there was something that drew me to him. The air hummed in his presence, and it electrified my skin and vibrated my nerves. It was as though the magic inside me was reacting to him, as if he were metal and I a magnet.
    Storm stopped abruptly, jolting me out of my thoughts. She stomped her feet and snorted.
    I patted her broad neck. “What is it, girl?”
    Without warning, she reared, making me lose my balance, and I tumbled to the ground. The bone in my arm snapped just before my head smacked against a rock and exploded in pain. Stunned, I reached for the back of my head with my good arm and felt something warm and wet. I moved my hand in front of my eyes and sucked in air—blood.
    To my right, an unnatural movement caught my eye. Something shaped like a man with grayish white skin from head to foot stepped out from behind a tree. His chest was abnormally large on top of his skinny legs. Each bulging rib looked like it was about to burst from his leathered skin. His patchy hair and wide eyes shined a brilliant white; only his lips were a dark gray. The creature hobbled awkwardly toward me, shifting in uneven spurts. There wasn’t anything particularly frightening about his expressionless face, but his intentions clouded and darkened the air around him.
    He meant to kill me.

Chapter 6
    I scooted backwards on the ground, away from the gray creature whose strides were extraordinary long. His upper lip flared into a snarl, revealing razor sharp teeth, and he snapped them like a rabid dog. My mind raced, trying to recall any kind of spell I might use against him, but my head was more full of pain than any useable thoughts.
    He was almost upon me when out of nowhere a dark blur slammed into the monster, flipping his grayish body into the air. As the beast fell down, I recognized my