Eric blinked at her, looking hazy already. He didn't seem to know what to say.
That wasn't unusual. Guys always got tongue-tied around Blaise.
"I'm Blaise Harman." The voice was low and liquid. "And you're... Eric?"
Eric nodded, still blinking.
Yes, he's dazed all right, Thea thought. The jerk. She was surprised at her own vehemence.
"Good, because I wouldn't want to give this to the wrong person." Blaise produced the notebook from behind her back like a magician.
"Oh-where'd you get that?" Eric looked relieved and grateful. "I've been looking everywhere."
"My cousin gave it to me," Blaise said carelessly. She held onto the notebook as he tried to take it, and their fingers touched. "Wait. You owe me something for bringing it back, don't you?"
Her voice was a purr. And now Thea knew, without a doubt, what was going to happen.
Eric was doomed.
Chapter 3
one for, lost, a goner. Blaise had chosen him, and it was only a matter of how she was going to play him.
A parade of names marched through Thea's mind. Randy Marik. Jake Batista. Kristoffer Milton. Troy Sullivan. Daniel Xiong.
And now: Brie Ross.
But Eric was talking, sounding animated. "Your cousin? Is she that other new girl? Thea?"
"Yes. Now-"
"Look, do you know where she is? I really want to talk to her." The hazy look descended again, and Eric stared into the distance. "She's just... I've never met anybody like her...."
Blaise let go of the notebook and stared.
From her hiding place, Thea stared, too.
It had never happened before. This guy didn't even seem to see Blaise.
That was strange enough. But by the Blue Monkey-headed Goddess of Inquisitiveness, what Thea really wanted to know was why she herself felt so relieved by it.
A bell rang. Blaise was still standing there flabbergasted. Eric stuffed the notebook in his backpack.
"Could you just let her know I asked about her?"
"She doesn't care if you asked about her!" Blaise snapped, voice no longer honeyed. "She said very explicitly that she never wanted to see you again. And I'd watch out if I were you. Because she has a temper." The last word was uttered in rising tones.
Eric looked slightly alarmed-and crestfallen. Thea saw his throat move as he swallowed. Then, without saying good-bye to Blaise, he turned and walked out the far side of the corridor.
Well by the Red Crow-headed Thunderbolt Goddess.
Blaise turned around and stalked up the corridor in Thea's direction. Thea didn't even try to hide.
"So you saw all that. Well I hope you're happy," Blaise said waspishly.
Thea wasn't. She was confused. Strangely agitated-and scared, because the Cup of Death was still floating before her eyes.
"I guess we should both just leave him alone/' she said.
"Are you kidding? I'm going to have him," Blaise said. "He's mine. Unless," she added, eyes glittering, "you've already staked a claim."
Thea floundered, shocked. "I... well no..."
"Then he's mine. I like a challenge." Blaise ran a hand through her hair, disordering the black waves. "Isn't it nice that Gran has so many love charms in the shop," she mused.
"Blaise..." Thea had a hard time collecting her thoughts. "Don't you remember what Gran said? If there's any more trouble..."
"There isn't going to be any trouble for us," Blaise said, her voice flat and positive. "Only for him."
Thea walked to her next class feeling oddly empty.
Ignore it, she thought. There's nothing you can do.
She didn't see many Night People along the way to class. A young kid, probably a freshman, who looked like a shapeshifter; a teacher who had the hunting light of the lamia-the born vampires-in his eyes. No made vampires, no werewolves. No other witches.
Of course, she couldn't be certain. All the people of the Night World were masters of secrecy, of blending in, of passing unseen. They had to be. It was what allowed them to survive in a world where there were so many more humans... and where humans loved to kill anything different.
But when she was sitting in the world literature classroom, Thea noticed a girl in the next row.
The girl was small-boned and pretty, with thick eyelashes and hair as black and soft as soot. She had a heart-shaped face-and dimples. But what caught Thea's eye was the girl's hand, which was playing with a pin on the girl's blue-and-white-striped vest. A pin in the shape of a black flower.
A dahlia.
Thea immediately turned to a blank page in her notebook. While the teacher read a passage from the story Rashomon, Thea began drawing a black dahlia, tracing it over and over until it was large enough for the girl to see distinctly. When she raised her head, she saw the girl was looking at her.
The girl's lashes swept down as she looked at the drawing, then up again. She smiled at Thea and nodded slightly.
Thea smiled and nodded back.
After class, without any need to discuss it, Thea followed the girl to the front of the school. The girl looked around to make sure no one was in earshot, then turned to Thea with something like resigned wistfulness.
"Circle Midnight?" she said.
Thea shook her head. "Circle Twilight. Aren't you?"
The girl's face lit up with shy delight. Her eyes were dark and velvety. "Yes!" she said and rushed on, "But there are only two more of us-two seniors, I mean-and they're both Circle Midnight, and I was afraid to hope!" She thrust out her hand, dimpling. "I'm Dani Abforth."
Thea felt her heart lighten. The girl's laughter was infectious. "Thea Harman. Unity." It was the age-old greeting of the witches, the symbol of their harmony, their oneness.
"Unity," Dani murmured. Then her eyes widened. "Harman? You're a Hearth-Woman? A daughter of Hellewise? Really?"
Thea laughed. "We're all daughters of Hellewise."
"Yes, but-you know what I mean. You're a direct descendent. I'm honored."
"Well, I'm honored, too. Abforth is 'All-bringing-forth,' isn't it? That's a pretty impressive line itself." Dani was still looking awed, so Thea said quickly, "My cousin's here, too-Blaise Harman. We're both new-but you must be, too. I've never seen you around Vegas before."