Page 11 of Hex Appeal

"That was one time!"But she was laughing, and his answering smile made her breath catch."And technically, it was an improvement.Have you heard our fight song?It's terrible."

They finally stood, heading back toward the parking lot.The conversation shifted to lighter topics—the mysterious food that appeared every Tuesday in the teacher's lounge that no one would claim responsibility for, the rumor that the school mascot had originally been designed as something completely different, the betting pool on when Professor Vector would propose to his calculator for real.

Ceries watched him as he got in his car and drove away, her traitorous heart doing that complicated little dance again.Why did he have to be her boss?And why couldn't she forget that night?She made a mental note to stop by the magical supply store and pick up some extra batteries.Her vibration-enchanted "personal massager" was getting quite the workout lately.

***

MALACHAI HAD INTENDEDto spend his free period catching up on budget reports.Instead, he found himself in the teachers' lounge, watching Ceries devour one of Diana's infamous "Love Potion #9.75" brownies.The "point seven five" was apparently because they weren't quite as potent as the original recipe, which had resulted in three marriage proposals, one very awkward faculty meeting, and the mysterious appearance of a peacock in the staff bathroom.

"These are ridiculous," Ceries mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate, her eyes closed in an expression of bliss that was doing terrible things to Malachai's concentration."What's in them?Illegal potions?Enchanted cocoa beans?The distilled essence of pure happiness?"

"Diana won't tell anyone."Malachai took a sip of coffee, trying not to notice the way a tiny smudge of chocolate lingered at the corner of her mouth."Though I suspect dark magic and possibly sacrificial rituals to ancient dessert deities."

Movement caught his eye.Alarick Blackthorn, the new maintenance wizard, was attempting to stealth his way to the brownie plate.Considering he was six-foot-three of flannel and tool belt, with shoulders that suggested he wrestled rogue magical architecture for fun, "stealth" was optimistic at best.

"That's your fourth one," Malachai pointed out.

"Fifth," Alarick corrected through a mouthful of brownie."But who's counting?Besides Diana.Who keeps glaring at me.While making more brownies."

"Wonder why," Ceries said with a knowing smirk.

Alarick grabbed another brownie and retreated to his corner, leaving them alone again.Well, alone except for the stack of essays still grading itself in the corner, which had developed a concerning tendency to award extra points for dramatic handwriting and creative use of exclamation marks.

Ceries reached over and stole his coffee mug with the casualness of someone who'd been doing it for years rather than weeks."I saw your car in the lot at midnight last night."

"Budget reports wait for no man."He watched her add a third sugar to his coffee, transforming his sensible beverage into something that would make a hummingbird vibrate into another dimension."Though I could say the same about your classroom light at 2 AM."

"Modifying a deflection hex."She grinned at his raised eyebrow."Don't worry, nothing exploded.This time."

From his corner, Alarick snorted into his brownie.

"Don't you have something to fix?"Malachai asked pointedly."Perhaps a leaky pipe or a door that's developed sentience and started offering unsolicited dating advice?"

"Nope."Alarick grabbed another brownie."This is way more entertaining.Besides, the door's advice isn't half bad.It suggested I try 'being less intimidating,' which according to Diana is apparently impossible because my very existence is a threat to proper medical conduct."

"You know," Ceries said, turning back to Malachai, "you don't have to stay here until midnight doing paperwork.The school won't fall apart if you go home occasionally."

"Says the woman experimenting with hexes at two a.m.."

"That's different.That's for the students.I had a brilliant idea about how to make shield charms more instinctive by linking them to emotional responses instead of just verbal cues."

"And making sure the school stays funded and functioning isn't for the students?"

She studied him over the rim of the stolen mug."When's the last time you did something just for fun?Something with no educational value, no administrative purpose, just pure enjoyment?"

"I have fun."

"Reading the updated hexing regulations doesn't count."

His lips twitched."I went to a concert last weekend."

"Really?"She leaned forward, interested."Who'd you see?Please say it was The Hex Pistols or Charm Offensive."

"The Magical Philharmonic."

"Of course you did."But she was smiling."Let me guess.You sat in the exact center of the theater, precisely eight rows back."

"Seventh," he corrected."Better acoustics."

---