Crossing Lines Novels & Stories

Sharp jawline, green eyes that seemed to see too much, and an air of confidence that should have been annoying but somehow wasn't. "Actually, I was just leaving." Emma started gathering her things, but her laptop bag chose that moment to rebel. The zipper stuck, her notebook tumbled to the floor, and her pen rolled under the stranger's feet. He crouched down to retrieve her pen, and Emma caught sight of the title on her fallen notebook's cover: "Heat Between the Lines - Draft 3." Her heart stopped. That was her working title—the one she'd scribbled on the cover without thinking, the one that revealed exactly what kind of book she was struggling to write.

"Annie's dead." Jessica kept talking. "Yeah, I heard she died of some stomach cancer the same day I had my surgery. Cancer definitely has something to do with genes. Her mom died of it, now she's dead too. How sad. But it works out for us, right? At least she's not in the way anymore…" I raised my hand, wanting to slap her just like before, but my transparent fingers passed right through her face. The next moment, there was a crisp slap. It was Zach.

Cassius murmured, his voice tight with discovery. “There’s a spatial component. Look at the way these ley lines are layered. They aren't horizontal; they’re vertical. They don’t just map the earth; they map the gravity of the magic.” He shifted a glass lens over a specific section of the scroll. Under the magnification, the silver dust that had settled into the grooves began to glow. A network of lines appeared, shimmering like a spiderweb caught in moonlight. It was a map, but it didn't align with any modern cartography.

He squinted, unsure. “It’s not finished yet, that’s why you don’t see it. We’ve only walked three points. But a fourth point would complete it.” She drew a straight line to complete the pattern. His jaw dropped as he recognized it. “A cross,” he said quietly. “We were meant to walk in the shape of a cross.” “Yes,” she said excitedly. “And if we follow the line, if we complete the cross symmetrically, it only leads to one place.” They both followed the line she drew.

It is not like he will be around much longer, as I have already unintentionally bridged him to his mate. That is correct, I make bridges. These are spiritual and magical bridges for others to cross to that which they sometimes want, need, or desire. I only found out a few weeks ago that I have this ability. Prior to that, I had thought I was cursed. You see, every time I get involved with someone, they find the woman they end up with. They break it off with me. Oftentimes, they just ghost me. It is rude and pathetic, but most people lack bravery and basic decency.

Then I sprinkle it across the smooth patch, not as cover but as instruction. Remember this, I think at the road. Not a command. A suggestion. I take my knife and score the faintest line through the smooth dirt, then cross it with another, forming an X no one will see once feet pass over it. X for crossing. X for closure. X for the place where something ends and is not allowed to reopen without my consent. The air tightens. Time notices. I keep my face calm. I keep my breathing slow. “I am not breaking your rules,” I murmur. “I’m doing upkeep.”

Nicholas muttered to himself before quickly dialing Madison's number. The moment the call got through, Madison asked, "Is Astrid still nowhere to be found? Several of my collaborations have been canceled, and I've also lost my endorsements!"

Ash’s fingers have joined his on her back and together they run over the intricate lines of the mark. It’s a cross of lines, like a plus sign but longer, with arrows on the ends of each line, with three small bisecting lines near the ends. A diamond over the centre of the cross and circles coming out from the central dot diagonally between the lines of the cross. And three sweeping curves that form a sort of triangle pointing down over the top of the diamond.

Seeing him close the trunk, I prepared to get in my car and leave. But he stepped forward to block my path again. This time, he grabbed my wrist, despite the motor oil on his hands. "Let go!" I was getting impatient, but I couldn't break free. Victor's eyes burned intensely as he said in a low voice, "Claire, I have something to say. Please give me a little time."

says Gregory. He gets a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and begins to draw. "Outside is the internet any guy can work on. They can't get into Blackwood's computer network though because there's a firewall blocking them. In the firewall are written a bunch of rules. It works like a sieve. Or a bunch of stacked sieves, in the case of a firewall. If you throw something in, say fine sand, the first layer of the sieve stops it, some grains that are small enough will fall through, and others will be left behind and can't get through. The sand that has fallen through comes out at the second layer of the sieve, and again some grains will fall through, while others will remain behind. Eventu