Free Spellbinder by Lisa J. Smith

said. "They shut it down. Leave it to Randy-he was always a royal pain." Then her face changed; she blinked and put on a sweet smile. "And who are you, darling?"
    In the doorway to the corridor, Rosamund backed up, Madame Curie clutched to her chest. She didn't say a word, but her hostile green eyes never left Blaise.
    "Uh, sorry," Eric said. "That's my sister. She's- shy."
    "So this is a family affair," Blaise said. "How nice."
    Thea said, "I think it's time to be going home." She needed to talk to Eric, but alone, not with a disgruntled munchkin and a suspicious witch looking on.
    She glanced at Eric, feeling a little shy herself. He looked the same.
    "Well-see you at school."
    "Yeah." Suddenly he smiled. "You know, that's something else I was going to mention. If you're even
    thinking about going to
Davis
, you might want to get into honors zoology. It's a good class."
    "Um-we'll see." She was aware of Blaise watching her.
    But outside, all Blaise said was, "Sorry if I was rude. But I've been looking all over for you, so I could tell you what a great time I wasn't having. And"-she shook her midnight hair out with a charming smile;-"it's so much fun to be a bitch when you want to be."
    Thea sighed, then stopped in her tracks. "Blaise, the car!"
    Kevin's silver-gray Porsche looked as if it had been through a war. The front bumper was caved in, the passenger door was mangled, and the windshield was cracked.
    "I had a little trouble," Blaise said coolly. "It's all right, though; I met a guy tonight named Luke Price, who's got a Maserati." She looked at Thea, then added, "You don't disapprove, do you? Of treating humans that way?"
    "No-of course not. I just don't want to get expelled again."
    "It's not illegal to have an accident. Here, you have to get in through the driver's side now."
    She drove, not seeming to choose any particular direction. Thea sat quietly, acutely aware of the probing glances cast her way every so often.
    "So," Blaise said at last in her silkiest voice, "did you get it?"
    "What?"
    "Don't be funny."
    Thea held out her hand with the crumpled Kleenex on her palm. "I didn't fill the vial; that was ridiculous. But I used my ingenuity and got enough."
    "Hmm." Blaise's tapering fingers, tipped with blood-red nails, dosed delicately on the tissue. Startled, Thea snatched it back and the Kleenex tore. She ended up with only a corner.
    "Hey-"
    "What's the problem? I just want it for safekeeping," Blaise said smoothly. "And so how did everything else go?"
    "Fine," Thea said. Her palms were getting damp, but she managed to keep her voice airy. "I think he's hooked," she added, trying to imitate Blaise's most languid and arrogant tones.
    "Oh, really?" They had ended up on the strip, which meant the car was now crawling through traffic. Neon highlighted the curious half-smile on Blaise's lips. "And what was that about
Davis
?"
    "Nothing. It's where he's going to college, so of course he'd like me to be with him."
    "He's already thinking about the future. Well, that was fast work. Congratulations."
    Thea didn't like the way she said it. More than ever, she wanted to protect Eric from Blaise-but she wasn't sure how. It depended on how much Blaise suspected.
    "You know, I think it's the pop that's the most fun," Blaise went on reminiscently. "Human boys are all different-but in the end, they're all the same. And when they give in completely, you can almost hear it. There's a 'pop.' Like a balloon breaking."
    Thea swallowed, staring at the huge golden lion in front of the MGM Grand Hotel. Its green eyes reminded her of Eric. "Really? Sounds interesting."
    "Oh, it is. And after the pop, they just kind of collapse, and everything they are, their whole self, just sort of pours out in this internal hemorrhage. And after that, of course, they're useless. Like a stag that's too old to mate. They're just-over."
    "How nice."
    "You know, I think Eric's ready for that pop. He's already in love with you; I could see that. I think