Malevolent (The Puzzle Box Series Book 1) by K.M. Carroll Read Free Book Online Page A

people. I gave them a wide berth anyway.
    I followed the edge of the orchard around toward the Christmas tree plantation on the north side of the farm. The sweet aroma of blossoms mingled with the fresh scent of pine resin, and I inhaled it deeply. The smell of spring--the very aroma seemed to fill me with energy.
    I struck the access road and spotted Mal's tacky brown and orange camper. It was parked at the side of the road, the wheels supported on planks to keep it level.
    As I approached, the door swung open and Mal stepped out. Maybe it was the sunlight, but today he looked even thinner than before, with hollows in his cheeks and under his eyes. His chin stuck out like a spike, and he wore a straw hat to keep off the sun. But as he looked at me, his eyes flashed a bright, cheerful green. "Hello, Libby."
    "Hi, Mal. I brought back your jar." I handed it to him.
    He took it and set it inside the camper. "Thank you. Did you enjoy it?"
    "Very much! I think it made me well!" I did a little dance on the spot.
    He gazed at me for a long moment. "Yes, you seem much improved."
    Suki frisked around us and approached Mal with her head and tail down, collie-language for uncertainty. He offered her the back of his hand. She sniffed it, then trotted to me and sat down, as if she were trying to be protective and friendly at the same time. It was enough to remind me of my old suspicions.
    "Let me know if you feel sick again, and I shall give you more honey." His voice was courteous, but he stared through me, as if his mind was elsewhere.
    "Okay. Thanks." And because I was well, I indulged my old habit of talking too much. "Are you a vampire?"
    Mal's eyes focused on me and changed to amber. "What?"
    I laughed to show I wasn't serious, but my mouth kept going. "Oh, you know, you're so pale, and you never let the sun touch you."
    He touched the brim of his hat. "I burn easily."
    "So do vampires! Foom, they go up in flames. And you never explained how you move so fast." Crap, why had I said that? I was curious, yes, but not this much. It was my annoying habit of finding a point of conflict and beating on it until it gave way.
    He said nothing, but he turned away and gazed across the orchard with his arms folded, as if my words hurt him.
    My conscience whispered at me to shut up, but my mouth wouldn't stop. "And you're still avoiding explaining! I've read all the books, you know, and it fits."
    I kept expecting him to realize I was kidding, and to joke along with me. Instead, I was offending him. As if he really was a vampire. Why couldn't I shut up? I clamped my mouth closed.
    He smiled a thin, tight smile. "If you wish to learn about vampires, you should ask your friend Robert."
    "Rob's not a vampire. He goes out in the sun all the time." But I was nervous now. I stroked Suki and avoided looking at Mal.
    Mal closed and locked the camper door with slow, deliberate movements, as if giving himself time to think. "How long have you dated him?"
    "Since September, so just over six months."
    An emotion flickered across Mal's face. Pain? Anger? But it vanished before I could identify it. He walked toward the bee station, and I followed him in relief at the change of subject. Suki trotted alongside, ears up.
    "Libby, how often does he kiss you?"
    Wow, that was totally none of his business. I rolled my eyes. "What, is this one of those conversations about how nice girls don't kiss boys?"
    "No." He sounded matter of fact, like when my dad talks about finances. "He disguises his feeding with kisses. Yesterday I saw him kissing the hand of a girl at the local high school."
    I knew he messed with other girls--it was one reason I planned to dump him. But ... my stomach curled as if I had looked over the edge of a high cliff. Feeding?
    Woodenly I said, "He does that. He's such a flirt."
    Mal glanced at me, and his eyes were green-brown, more human than usual. "I suggest you pursue a relationship with someone more stable than my brother. He is a