by J. R. White
A fire sparked in her light brown eyes, and Malcolm had to stop himself from really taking a step back. It was a tense moment with her staring at him, gauging his honesty. Then it was over and she dropped her head down and stared at the counter. “Fine. Just get me home,” she muttered.
Downing the last of the whisky in his glass, Malcolm swore to himself that he’d find a way to get those books back to the library. “As you wish,” he said, placing the glass down carefully onto the counter. Walking back into the living area, he stepped right up beside her and waited for her to put her arm around his waist.
Meredith was slow to reach up and press herself to his side, but wasted no time snapping her fingers to spark the candle wick to life. Malcolm was left with the very real feeling that he’d be spending all the upcoming nights on his own until he returned those books.
Chapter Two
It was midmorning before Meredith dragged herself out of bed. While it had been after one in the morning at the Lacuna Library it had been late evening when she’d made it back to her apartment and promptly sent Malcolm on his way.
Stumbling through her tidy living room, Meredith was thankful for the lack of clutter. There was nothing between her and a pot of coffee. Just how she liked it. Waking up at Malcolm’s was like navigating through a mine field just to get a cup of java. With everything that had happened the night before, she needed fewer complications.
Her jacket was still slung over the back of her kitchen chair, and after pouring herself some coffee and blessing automated settings, Meredith snatched the quartz crystal from her pocket. Sipping on her drink, she rolled the gem over her fingers and stared at the slight magical glow. She felt giddy knowing inside that crystal was a copy of the map she’d wanted to see for years.
Meredith was already making her way to her study and planning out what she’d do with the rest of her morning. Sitting her coffee down on a side table, she pulled a large roll of paper from her bookshelf.
Unlike the rest of Meredith’s apartment, the study was a disorganized mess. At least, to her it looked like it. Books and papers were shoved into the bookshelf and stacked in the corners for easy reach when she needed them. She did at least keep things clear from the middle of the room where she paced, and that pacing space was the perfect place to spread out the large paper.
After retrieving a small bottle of ink from her desk, Meredith settled down in front of the paper. Her coffee was just an arm’s length away and she still had room to see every inch of the light brown soon to be map. Placing the quartz on the center of the parchment, she pushed a little magic forward.
It was just enough to make the map pop into existence. The lines and brush strokes Meredith had copied into the crystal the night before came to life, covering the paper.
Touching the tip of her finger to the top of the ink bottle, Meredith eyed the parchment and the lines radiating from the crystal. As she pulled her finger away, the ink flew up in a thin stream and slowly split into tiny rivers, flowing to each of the glowing lines. She watched the magical sketch transform into a solid map.
Meredith pulled the crystal away from the paper and left the new map were it lay. While it dried she set her sights on her desk. Spread out over everything was a current map of the dragon lines. When she sat the quartz over the map, she wasn’t surprised to see that the lines didn’t match up. The golden power lines spread out more like a geometric art form, but the modern lines were more like spider webs crawling across the planet.
Most, if not all, of that could be explained by generations of magical factions tapping into and redirecting the dragon lines. In the distant past Meredith’s own family had had ties to several of the large lines and had redirected a number of the magical rivers. However, several hundred years before redirecting major lines had been prohibited by a treaty the large factions had drafted, but that hadn’t stopped the damming and siphoning. Those were of course only approved through tough negotiations.
That was why Meredith had even started learning the dragon lines. The more she learned about the natural and unnatural flow of the lines, the better equipped she’d feel when those negotiations came up. Control over a line could spell the lift or fall of a group. Even though her family pulled most of their magical ability from their bloodline, the dragon lines fed into the well too. Freeing up major lines for anyone to tap would allow not only larger families and groups to prosper, but for the lesser known factions to have that chance as well.
Armed with the ancient lines, Meredith could piece together the best possible outcome for her family’s claim to that power and, she hoped, the best balance to be found for everyone.
Noting the differences of the ancient lines and the modern ones, Meredith put her fingers to the paper and started tracing the changes. On the old map, lines crisscrossed across the Atlantic Ocean, but only a handful had lasted to the current day. Moving up the East Coast, she found the line that would be opening up soon and ran her fingertip along its length. Flowing down from Canada all the way into the Gulf, this line would open that night, and was the first of the major lines to be freed from negated treaties and contracts.
As Meredith’s finger moved down past New England and closer to the South, she felt a tingle start to nip at her. Her progress slowed and she tried to focus on just the one line instead of the intersecting highways.
In the same instant that the doorbell rang Meredith felt a shock pinch her finger. She jumped, both from surprise at the unexpected visitor and the sensation.
Soothing her finger between her lips, Meredith gave the map a glare before turning and heading towards the front door. The bell rang out again as she made her way through the living room and she yelled, “Coming.” It didn’t seem to matter though, because when she reached out to open the door the bell chimed a third time.
“Yes?” Meredith asked, pulling the door open.
In the hallway stood a tall older gentlemen that Meredith knew she’d seen before. As she was trying to place him, the man cleared his throat and held out a letter to her. “Mr. Blackwood asked me to personally deliver an invitation to meet with him this afternoon.”
It snapped into place and Meredith realized the man was one of the Blackwoods' personal attendants. What’s all this about now? Smiling, she took the invitation and said, “Thank you. If you’ll just give me a moment I’ll have a response for you.”
Stepping back from the door, but leaving it open so the man wasn’t left alone in the hallway, Meredith opened the letter. A coin slid out of the paper and she caught it easily in her palm. It was a simple and to-the-point invitation to meet with the head of the Blackwood family, just like his attendant had said. Three o’clock wasn’t a bad time, and letting out a sigh of worry, she turned back to the man. “Let Mr. Blackwood know I’ll be able to meet with him today.”
Giving a small bow, the man nodded and said, “Thank you, Ma’am.”
Nodding back, Meredith waited for him to turn and start down the hall before she closed the door. What on earth did the head of the Blackwood family and Malcolm’s father want with her? Even though she and Malcolm had been dating for several months now, neither family had brought it up. It hadn’t been kept a secret, but it hadn’t been discussed either.
Meredith assumed her family was biting their tongues as she was currently the family head. She’d also figured if the Blackwoods were going to say anything they’d say it to Malcolm first.
There was, of course, the issue of breaking into Lacuna Library. Meredith said a private prayer in the hopes that Mr. Blackwood hadn’t found out about that. The library could push a number of not only civilian laws but also a handful of broken rules in the magical society. The largest offense would be the theft of the books. Breaking and entering was another issue altogether that could force her into legal problems.
Turning to head back to her study and the maps, Meredith wondered if Malcolm had been summoned as well. It was likely. She glanced down at the coin in her hand and sighed. The travel
magic on the coin would have her at the Blackwood mansion or wherever Mr. Blackwood wanted to meet her in no time.
At least Meredith wouldn’t have to rely on Malcolm’s candlelight magic. Moving the coin between her fingers, she contemplated only for a second longer before she noticed the pale blue plaid pajama bottoms. Mortified, she realized she was still dressed in her PJs when she’d answered the door.
With everything on her mind, Meredith just hadn’t considered how she was dressed. If Malcolm had been there he’d have laughed his butt off about it. “He’s the one who got me into this mess in the first place,” she mumbled.
“What mess?”
Meredith let out a shriek and jumped a foot into the air. Spinning around, she saw Malcolm walking out of her kitchen. “For the love of the goddess, don’t do that,” she scolded him. “I haven’t even finished my first cup of coffee yet.”
Holding his own cup up, Malcolm gave an apologetic shrug and said, “Sorry. I figured you’d be used to this by now. So what mess are you talking about?”
Rolling her eyes and willing her heart beat to slow down, Meredith tried to get over the startled fright. She waved the invitation loosely and said, “Your father invited me to meet with him this afternoon.”
Dropping down onto her couch, Malcolm took a sip of coffee and narrowed his eyes. Pulling the cup away, he said, “Really. Never thought the old man would want to talk to a Blackburn. I’m pretty sure he detests even being in the same room with one.”
“Yeah, well, he sent over a personal attendant with the invite. So, I guess he’s got something to talk to me about,” Meredith explained over her shoulder as she moved into her study. After grabbing up her own coffee, she returned to the living room.
As Meredith sat beside him, Malcolm knocked his knee against her. “Can I see that?”
Holding the folded note out, Meredith shrugged. “Sure, but it’s pretty straightforward.” She sipped on her drink as he read over the letter. It was handwritten and there wasn’t anything giving away any kind of reason for the request. She wasn’t even sure she could call it a request, though. It certainly wasn’t a command, but could she just turn down an invitation out of the blue from the Blackwood family head? It hadn’t even crossed her mind when it had been delivered.
Malcolm folded the paper back up. Leaning forward and dropping it onto the coffee table, he said, “No clues there.” That was no surprise. Sitting back, he draped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Want me to go with you?”
The warmth of his lips went a long way to relax her. Letting out a sigh, Meredith settled against his side and answered, “That’s fine, but did he say anything to you about this?” Malcolm kicked his feet up on the table and she wondered for a second when he’d taken off his shoes. If she had to guess, they’d be in the kitchen somewhere.
Casually, Malcolm shook his head. “Nope. Mom isn’t around right now either. He might just want to discuss social stuff.”
Tracing her fingers over the warm coffee mug, Meredith remembered her own family’s tendency to avoid internal conflicts. She wasn’t sure how the Blackwood family worked, but it couldn’t be worse than the silence of her mother. She nuzzled closer to him and asked, “Have they said anything to you about us?”
Shifting beside her, Malcolm tightened his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. He dropped a quick kiss on top of her head and said, “No. My brother isn’t a big fan, but neither of my parents have said a thing.”
That made Meredith smirk. Of course his brother wasn’t going to like their dating. Joshua Blackwood was the next head of the family, which meant he had a large chip on his shoulder. With his little brother having a fling with the “enemy” he had very little ground to stand on in the feud between the families.
Meredith had given up the idea of the feud long before she’d tracked Malcolm down to help her restore a family relic. She believed part of the reason her grandmother even named her head was because of a lack of interest in fighting with the Blackwoods. Still, she knew that her relationship with Malcolm couldn’t last. Family responsibility would tear them apart at some point.
So enjoy these moments. No one was going to storm in and rip them apart right then and Meredith did what she’d been doing since they decided to give this a try. She sipped on her coffee and sat, cuddled up to Malcolm in silence. His fingers lazily trailed over her arm and shoulder. It was peaceful, and honestly, she wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that.
When the clock at long last chimed the noon hour, Meredith let out a long sigh and asked, “You figured out how to return those books?” She really wasn’t ready to pull away from his comfort yet, but the day had to start somewhere.
“I’m halfway there, but I promise they are going back,” Malcolm assured her and then wiggled his butt just a little in the seat, as if getting comfortable for a while longer. “How about we just chill out for a while longer and worry about those books and my dad later?”
Meredith rolled her eyes and sat up away from him. Now was as good a time as any. “I’ve got some contracts to look over and I still need to shower before we head out,” she said, glancing back at him with a smile.
The devil actually grinned at her and dropped his feet off the coffee table. Leaning forward, he offered, “I can join you.”
Shaking her head, Meredith stood up. With coffee cup in hand she turned towards the kitchen. “Maybe after those books are returned.”
“Aww. Come on. I said I was working on it,” Malcolm said as she started away from him.
Meredith was already in the kitchen and pouring another cup. She wasn’t going to let him talk her into anything until after the books were back in the library. Walking back into the living room she told him just that. “Nope. You are welcome to do whatever you want while I work, but no hanky-panky.”
Comically, Malcolm fell back against the couch and gave a small pout. “Okay. I’ll behave.”
His charm was one reason Meredith loved him so much. The pout wasn’t real and wouldn’t last long, it never did, but seeing it made her smile. “Thank you,” she said, heading for her study.
As she crossed the threshold into business, she heard Malcolm call out. “You’re welcome.”
Sipping on her coffee, Meredith couldn’t stop the smile. Malcolm would leave her alone while she worked; even if he did try to make a move on her, he’d respect “no”. She didn’t know what he’d do while she messed with the maps and read over contracts, but he always managed to find something. Normally it was pulled out of his shoulder bag and dealt with massive books.
Settling into work, Meredith promised herself she’d stop in time to get her shower and give Malcolm a little more cuddle time. Then they’d be off to the Blackwood mansion.
****
As Malcolm and Meredith appeared in the entrance hall of the large house, Malcolm let out a scoff. The Blackwood mansion looked exactly how he remembered it. Traveling to the mansion was easy with the coin his father had sent. Of course, he didn’t get to hold Meredith close like he did when they traveled by candle. They appeared in his childhood home holding hands.
The foyer of the mansion was open and led to a large stairway with halls leading deeper into the first level of the house on either side. Wide doors to the left and right of the room would lead them into guest areas and conference rooms. Malcolm gave a little tug on Meredith’s hand to catch her attention. “Just wait here until someone greets us.”
Meredith smiled and gave him an “I know that” look. Sometimes he forgot that she had to deal with all the family rituals and traditions too. She was so relaxed about her appearance most of the time and he hadn’t really seen her interact with any of the high-class individuals in the magic community. At least not lately. Back when they were in school she’d been the vision of proper etiquette at every social event.
Today was no different from then. Standing beside him, Meredith looked confident and in charge. She still had a respectful look to her as she glanced a
round the entrance hall. Her sparkling amber eyes took in the entire space with experienced attention to detail. The white marble floor was a deep contrast to her dark jeans and top. She’d opted to pull her deep red hair into a tight pony tail that wiped around her neck when she moved too fast.
Someone should have been there to greet them. Malcolm was shocked to not at least see his father’s personal attendant, Darrel. “We aren’t early, are we?” he asked.
Meredith gave his fingers a squeeze and answered, “I was worried we were late.”
No sooner had he said it than Darrel came rushing down the stairs. Once he was close enough to be heard without having to yell, he said, “Sorry, Sir. When I realized you were coming with Miss Blackburn I hurried off to inform your father.”
Smiling, Malcolm reached out and patted the old attendant on the shoulder. “No problem, Darrel. Thank you for letting Father know.”
The old man bowed his head slightly and offered Malcolm a rare smile. Before anything else could be said between the two or Darrel could show Meredith to the meeting place, Joshua came storming down one of the hallways and loudly declared, “So it takes summoning the Blackburn to get you to show up at home.”
Darrel quickly stepped aside and Malcolm turned his full attention on his older brother. He knew Joshua wasn’t a fan of the Blackburns. Most of the Blackwoods really hated Meredith’s family, but his brother took it a step further whenever he had the chance. “Father invited her. Meredith wasn’t summoned,” Malcolm corrected.
Looking down his nose at Malcolm, Joshua let out a clipped laugh. “Still not denying it.” Turning his distasteful look to Meredith, he continued, "You do realize that the Blackburns owe their survival to us and that you personally, Meredith, owe a great debt to the Blackwood family? I’m sure you understand what it means to be summoned."
