The Seven Devils (YA "New Adult" Romance) by Sara Danvers Read Free Book Online Page B

the result is the same. It won’t be easy being my girlfriend. Are you ready to put up with being labeled the evil hypnotist’s latest victim?”
     
    I giggled and said, “Oh sure, sounds like a blast,” absolutely beaming inside at the thought of being Neil’s official girlfriend.
     
    Neil pointed out my house as we drove by it so I’d know how to get to and from his house from then on. “Neil?” I said. He looked over at me and I grinned wickedly. “You’re not really an evil hypnotist, are you?” I asked and tried to fake a frightened look.
     
    “Well,” he said, rubbing his chin as if in deep thought, “I can honestly say that I don’t know hypnosis. This evil business though, I would classify that as a judgment call, and I don’t think that I am the most impartial judge in this instance. I suppose I’ll have to let you decide whether or not I am evil. Or maybe you’d find it more beneficial to assign me an evil rating, from 1 to 100 perhaps. That sounds rather fair and scientific.”
     
    I laughed and hit him playfully on the arm. He pulled into a driveway and I stared up at the house in awe. “This is where you live?” I asked. The place was absolutely beautiful. The exterior was stone and there were huge windows all across the front. The lawn was immaculate and there were bright flowers all across the front of the house and along the walkway to the front door.
     
    “Sort of,” Neil said. “I don’t spend much time in the actual house.” We got out of the car and approached the house. He ignored the front entrance and instead took me through a door on the side of the garage. “My room,” he said as he brought me inside.
     
    It was a typical garage with a cement floor and room for two cars. There was a spot where a third car could have gone, but it was sectioned off with floor to ceiling black curtains. Neil headed to the drapes and opened them, revealing a small bed, lamp, nightstand, and a desk. It was horribly cramped. “It’s not much, but it works,” he said.
    I smiled politely and wondered how he could possibly stand living in a cold garage when there was such a beautiful house just a door away. Picking up on what I was thinking, he said, “Believe me, it’s better out here than in there. Let’s venture in though and grab a drink and I’ll find you a towel.”
     
    We entered the house and he led me to the massive steel and glass kitchen which, despite its beauty and its obvious expense, seemed very cold and unwelcoming. Neil put some water in a kettle and set it to boil and then found a couple of packets of powdered hot chocolate mix and mugs.
     
    As he ran off to grab me a towel, I looked out the window into their backyard. The sight of their huge in-ground pool made me shudder, and I immediately turned my back to the window. On doing so, I saw a tall blond woman in a doorway at the edge of the room, staring at me with her arms crossed.
     
    “Who are you?” she demanded.
     
    “I… my name is Ellen,” I said quickly. “I’m new here. Neil invited me over.” Her eyes narrowed, and as she walked over to me I felt like a rabbit cornered by a fox.
    “My son is bad news,” she said, her piercing blue eyes only inches from my own. She grabbed my arm harshly and said, “You’d do best to stay away from him.” Her fierce red nails bit into my skin and I was so surprised that I couldn’t move.
     
    “Mom!” Neil shouted, entering the room. The woman jumped slightly and dropped my arm. I rubbed it carefully and backed away towards Neil. I wanted nothing more than for us to leave that kitchen, but looking up at Neil I was suddenly startled. He didn’t seem to see me at all and was glaring with fierce intensity at his mother. His fists were clenched and he seemed somehow much larger than he was before. I could almost feel the anger radiating out from him in waves.
     
    His mother was holding her ground and I saw nothing but hatred in her eyes. Her eyes focused on me