“Bye,” I squeaked, and fled.
* * *
Once the afternoon session had started, Mia found my hiding place in the corner of the hall, far, far away from any bags or briefcases. She told me what had happened at the morning session and wanted to know what I thought about families mixing more freely. We were pleased to find we shared the same opinion—it was common sense, surely.
“What did your brother think?” Your sexy, hot as hell brother who needed to haul me off to the nearest flat surface. Vertical or horizontal, it didn’t matter.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t tend to say what he’s thinking until he’s made a decision.”
A man of few words? Evenmoremy type.
“Are you going to see the stones tonight?” she asked. “It’s pretty close to the full moon, but I think it’s probably the safest place in the country to fly, because the types of New Age people who hang out there will assume they’re witnessing a time-slip or something if they see drag—you.”
“I’d love to, but I’ll need to find a way to get there.” Jack was unlikely to come flying in case Lisa needed him. “It’s only a couple of miles, isn’t it? Maybe I can walk.” Shifting in the hotel gardens and flying there wasn’t a good idea because some of the staff probably lived in, but Isowanted to fly over the stones. I’d looked them up before coming here, and something about them called to me, even through the screen of my phone.
“Or we could get you a lift with someone. You won’t be the only one wanting to go. I’ll ask around.”
“Thanks.” Mia was turning out to be a useful chance meeting. “So where are the rest of your family representatives?”
She paused. “It’s just me and Archer,” she said at last, and something in her voice warned me not to pursue that line of conversation.
“Have you met the new family yet?” I asked instead.
That started us off on a hunt around the hall, hoping to meet one of them. If I had any say in the matter, I’d vote for name badges next time because it wasridiculoustrying to work out who people were by lurking long enough to overhear names.
* * *
When the head of family meeting broke up, it looked as if it hadn’t gone smoothly, with more than one dragon striding out of the conference room red-faced and angry. I was sticking close to Mia, waiting for her brother, when Jack came over.
“Dad’s going to brief us,” he said, after I’d introduced him and Mia.
He was letting me into the inner circle? I said goodbye to Mia and followed him to his parents’ hotel room. There, it became clear why Jack’s dad wanted to include me in the briefing. He was ensuring every member of the family held the same line—that this idea of mixing more freely was short-sighted and asking for trouble.
I’d always respected Mr Shaw as head of our family, but I didn’t want to argue a position I didn’t agree with.
“Um, what if Nate Mortimer talks to me?” I asked when he finished speaking. “I mean, we don’t want to upset the Mortimers, do we? Can I pretend I’m still thinking about his proposal?”
Mr Shaw’s nostrils flared, and Jack’s mum put her hand on his arm. “It’s only Ollie,” she reminded him, before turning to me. “Just do what Harry has told you,” Her tone sounded mild, but there was steel underneath.
Only Ollie.I shouldn’t have been upset, because she’d just saved me from a chewing out by my head of family, but it never grew easier to hear the way people referred to me as if I were an idiot.
“Shit, Ollie,” Jack said as soon as we were out of the room. “Noone questions the head of a family. Not even you.”
“Not even me?” I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t want to hear the answer when I already knew what it would be, but I was still feeling raw from Mrs Shaw’s statement.
“I know you don’t take anything seriously, but can you at least have a bit of common sense while we’re here? Otherwise I’m going to regret—”
He broke off, though it was obvious what he’d been about to say. It hurt. Still, I wouldn’t let that show—I never did.
“You don’t want to know what we found out about the Berstows, then?” I teased him. “Like the fact they’re meant to be this scholarly family but one of the dragons that came with them looks like a bouncer. He’s even got a burn scar down his face and neck, as if someone flamed him.”
Jack allowed himself to be distracted by my gossip and, for a while, it was as if nothing had changed between us as we headed to the pool for a swim.
But that evening, when I asked if he wanted to go flying over Avebury with me, he shook his head. “I have to be by my phone for Lisa.”
I wasn’t surprised, and I knew he was doing the right thing, but that left me with a problem. Being a learner driver still, I couldn’t take his dad’s car out on my own, even if he’d have considered lending it to me in the first place.
I messaged Mia, hoping desperately that she could help. Otherwise, I’d have to resort to Google maps and a hike along country lanes in the dark. That prospect didn’t appeal to me in the least, but I wasn’t going to miss out on Avebury.
