Part 8 (2/2)

”All right, Blaise, you do know me. We've always been like sisters, and I k now that however you act sometimes, you still love me-”

”Of course I do,” Blaise said impatiently, and Thea realized that was part of the problem. In the changing light of the Bally hotel's neon pillars, she co uld see that Blaise's eyes were wet. She was frightened for Thea-and angry at being frightened.

Thea grabbed her cousin's hand. ”Then you have to listen to me.” It was a nak ed plea. ”Blaise-when I first met Eric, something happened. I can't explain i t-I can't even really describe it. But there was a connection. And I know thi s is going to sound insane, and I know you're not going to like it, but. . .”

She had to stop to breathe. ”Blaise, what if you found your soulmate, and th ey were something that everybody said you shouldn't love. . . .”

She stopped again, this time because Blaise had frozen. For a moment they b oth just sat, and then, very slowly, Blaise withdrew her hand from Thea's.

”Found . . . your . . . soulmate?” she said.

Warmth pooled in Thea's eyes. She had never felt so alone. ”I think so,” she whispered.

Blaise turned to face the winds.h.i.+eld. Purple light shone on her black hair. ”

This is more serious than I thought.”

The tears overflowed. ”But will you help me?”

Blaise tapped her slender fingers on the steering wheel a few times. Finally s he said, ”Of course I'll help you. I have to. We're like sisters-I would never abandon you when you'r e in trouble.”

Thea was so relieved she felt dizzy. Paradoxically, it made her cry more. ”I'

ve just been so scared.... Ever since it happened, I've been trying to figure things out.” She hiccupped. Blaise was looking at her again, smiling, gray e yes glittering oddly. ”Blaise?” ”I'm going to help you,” Blaise said, still s miling, ”by getting him myself. And then I'm going to kill him for putting my sister in danger.”

There was a moment when everything inside Thea seemed absolutely still-and the next instant it all exploded into chaos.

”Never,” she said. ”Do you hear me, sister? Never.”

Blaise stayed calm, driving. ”I know you don't think it's best-now. But one day you'll thank me.”

”Blaise, listen to me. If you do anything to him-if you hurt him-it's me you're hurting.””You'll get over it.” In the rainbow light of the Riviera, Blaise looked like so me ancient G.o.ddess of fate. ”It's better to hurt a little now than to be execute d later.”

Thea was so angry she was shaking. So angry that she made a mistake. If she'd kept on arguing the same points, she thought later, Blaise might eventually have started to listen. But she was furious and terrified and she blurted out , ”Well, I don't think you can do it. I don't think you could take him from m e if you tried.”

Blaise stared, as if caught for once at a loss for words. Then she threw back her head and laughed.

”Thea,” she said. ”I can take any boy from anybody.

Any time, any place, any way I want to. That's what I do.”

”Not this time. Eric loves me, and you can't change that. You can't take him.

Blaise was wearing a secret smile. But she said only two words as she turned off the strip and onto darkened streets again.

”Watch me.”

Thea didn't sleep well. She kept seeing Randy Marik's face, and when she dr eamed, it turned into Eric's face, blood-streaked and vacant-eyed.

She woke up to see suns.h.i.+ne streaming in the room.

It was a bedroom with a split personality. One side was fairly neat and deco rated in pale blues and spring greens. The other side was messy and was deco rated in the color, the primal color, the one that roused emotions, that mea nt pa.s.sion and hatred both. Red.

And usually Blaise was lying on that side underneath her red velvet Ralph Lauren bedspread, but this morning she was gone already. A bad omen. Blais e only got up early for a reason.

Thea got dressed and went downstairs warily.

The shop was empty except for Tobias sitting gloomily in his usual place be side the cash register. He grunted when Thea said h.e.l.lo and went on staring at the wall, one hand clutching his curly brown hair. Wis.h.i.+ng, undoubtedly , to be outside on the weekend like other nineteen-year-old guys.

Thea went into the workshop.

Blaise was sitting at the long table, wearing earphones and humming to herse lf. A project was spread in front of her. Thea stalked up close.

She could see right away that it was beautiful. Blaise was a genius at creati ng jewelry, most of it based on ancient designs. She made necklaces of bees a nd b.u.t.terflies, spiraling flowers, serpents, leaping dolphins. It was all ali ve, all joyous ... all magical. That was where the real genius came in. Blais e put each element of the piece together with a purpose in mind. The gems wer e chosen to enhance each other: ruby for desire, black opal for obsession, to paz for yearning, garnet for heat. And asteria, the smoke-gray form of sapphire with a six-pointed star. Blaise's stone, just the color of her eyes.

Blaise had them all laid out loose. But her magic wasn't just in the gems. I nterwoven into every piece were herb caches, tiny compartments that could be filled with potions or powders. She could literally drench the jewelry in s orcery.

Even the design itself could be a spell. Every line, every curve, every flo wer stem could have a meaning, could make the eye follow a pattern that was as powerful as any symbol traced on the floor in chalk. Just looking at th e piece could be enough to charm you.

Right now Blaise was working on a necklace to knock you dead.

Thea could see it taking shape. Blaise used the lost wax method of jewelry- making, which meant that she carved out her pieces in stiff blue wax before casting them in silver or copper or gold. What she was carving now was bre athtaking. Heart-stopping. An intricate masterpiece that was going to have roughly the same effect as Aphrodite's magic girdle- which meant no male wa s going to be able to look at it without falling under the spell.

And she had some of Eric's blood. The vital ingredient that meant she'd be ab le to personalize this spell for him.

The one good thing was that it would take Blaise a few days to finish this pie ce. But once it was done. . . .

Eric didn't have a chance in Hades.

Thea backed up, not knowing-and not caring- whether Blaise had noticed he r. She headed blindly for her bedroom.

She and Eric were soulmates. But Blaise was, in some ways, Aphrodite herse lf. And who could resist that?

What am I going to do?

She had a little of Eric's blood herself on the corner of the tissue. But she c ould never outmatch Blaise in creating love spells. Blaise had years of experie nce and a natural talent that left everyone else in the dust.

So I have to think of something else. Something to keep her from getting to hi m in the first place. To protect him . . .

Thea straightened up.

I can't. It's too dangerous. The summoning spells aren't for maidens. Even th e Inner Circle has to be careful with those.

But Grandma has the materials. I know she does. I've seen the box.

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