The House grumbled under my feet as it turned on a dusty chandelier for me while I ambled down one of the long hallways.
Maybe I should give the senior Medeis wizards more power. It would be unusual, but not entirely unheard of—or unexpected.
I popped into the bathroom and pulled on the knob for cold water, filling my ceramic mug. I turned off the tap before I took a sip, making a face at the steaming hot water.
It seems that the ice-cold shower I had earlier was not because Felix used too much water on the gardens, but because the House is upset. How…wonderful.
I set the mug down on the counter and leaned against a wall covered in blue damask wallpaper. “I’m sorry,” I told the creaking building. “I know you’re growing weaker because I haven’t had my Ascension yet. I’ll get it sorted out soon.”
The water pipes groaned ominously, and the black and white tile under my feet rumbled.
“I’ll call my parents’ lawyer in the morning,” I hastily added. “We still haven’t had their will read or the deed transferred, and the signet is stored with all of that. I think.”
My answer must have satisfied the House, because it finally shut up. I considered trying for cold water again, but decided not to push it.
If I had Ascended and become the proper Adept, I could command the House to give me whatever kind of water I wanted. Supposedly I’d be able to sort of communicate with it rather than just guess at the source of its foul moods. But until then, it seemed like I’d be getting hot drinking water and cold showers.
I exited the bathroom and shuffled back up the hallway. I was trying to decide between heading to the library to find a book to read or going to the kitchen for a snack when a door creaked.
Curious, I swung around and jumped when I found Mason standing right behind me. “Geez, Mason, you scared me.” I took a few steps backwards, but Mason grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping me.
His face was shadowed in the flickering hallway light. “We need to talk.”
“Sure,” I agreed as I adjusted my fleece pajama pants again. “Sometime tomorrow or…?” I frowned when I studied Mason and saw he wasn’t dressed in sleepwear like me, but a crisp, pristine suit with the House Medeis coat of arms—which had a rampant leopard and a white unicorn rearing over a shield—over its breastpocket.
“Now,” Mason said.
The wind shrieked as it whistled through the trees just outside, and I thought I felt House Medeis quiver.
“Fine,” I said. “What about?” I tried to ease out of his grasp, but he dug his fingers into my shoulders.
“You’re aware we are related?” Mason said.
“Distantly, yeah. Aren’t you, like, my third cousin three times removed—or something?”
Mason relaxed, slightly. “Yes, I have Medeis blood in my veins—though it’s so little, wizard law won’t count it. But what I lack in pedigree I make up for in power.”
Why is there something unnerving about the way he’s talking? I tried to lean so he would have to step more into the light—I might be able to read something in his expression—but he pulled me back.
I licked my lips. “You’re obviously known for being strong in magic. It’s why you’re the youngest senior wizard in House Medeis.” He was weirding me out enough that I tried to nonchalantly feel the pocket in my pajama pants for my cellphone, but I must have left it in my room.
“Precisely—whereas you have the blue blood of the Medeis, but are practically a dud,” Mason said.
I sighed and fluffed my hair with a hand. “Is this about me not having much magic? Because I already know we’ll have to come up with another alternative to keep our power consolidated. But that’s something I should be discussing with all the senior wizards—”
“I’ve already come up with the alternative we will take.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Will we?”
“We should get married.”
My forehead puckered, and my mouth dropped open. “What did you say?”
“It’s the most logical move,” Mason said. “You can’t run House Medeis alone.”
“Mason.” My voice was hot with frustration. “I’ll admit to being a weak Adept. But it is an insane jump to get from there to ‘we should get married’!”
“You’re unable to protect yourself or House Medeis,” Mason said.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I have no delusions about my power. But there are about a thousand different plans we can enact that don’t involve the two of us getting hitched. You don’t even like me!”
“The House comes before all.”
“That’s nice, but I draw the line at an arranged marriage!” My voice was growing louder with my disbelief.
“Adept? Is everything okay?” Felix poked his head out of his bedroom, his gold hair shining in the dull light as he peered suspiciously at Mason.
I gritted my teeth but forcibly smiled. “Yes. I was just having a discussion with Mason.” I yanked myself from Mason’s grasp, and he let his arms drop.
Mason offered me a smile. “Won’t you even consider it?”
Was this why he’d been so friendly the past few weeks? Not because of my parents’ death, but because he was hoping to sway me?
“No,” I said, “I won’t consider it because it’s not necessary.”
Felix frowned and fully emerged from his room, pausing to roughly kick a few other bedroom doors.
“It’s the fastest way,” Mason said. “And speed is vital in this case.”
I sourly pressed my lips together to keep from shrieking. “Not important enough to make you propose in the middle of the night!”
Felix made a choking noise as Momoko, Great Aunt Marraine, and Franco—Felix’s older brother—emerged from their quarters.
Momoko yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “What’s going on?”
“Mason has apparently lost it,” Felix said.
“Maybe if he was sleeping right now this wouldn’t be a problem.” Great Aunt Marraine struggled to put on her thick, blue framed glasses. Her hair was in curlers, and she looked fierce as she tied her purple bathrobe.
Mason glanced back at our family, and I sighed—it wasn’t my intention to publicly embarrass him. Who knows, maybe that was why he approached me at night?
“I’m twenty-two, Mason,” I reminded him. “I’ve been the Adept for three weeks. Figuring out the new power balance doesn’t have to be an instant thing.”
Mason stared up at the ceiling. “It would have been easier this way.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
An explosion rocked the House, making the lights shake and the walls groan.
Chapter Three
Hazel
“House Medeis?” I slapped a shaking hand on the wall, trying to judge the House’s state, but it was no use: I hadn’t Ascended yet, and I had too little magic to get a good feel for it.
“That came from the front hall,” Great Aunt Marraine shouted.
“Let’s go!” Felix and Franco sprinted down the hallway and darted into the corridor that held the main staircase.