Dianne Young stepped out of her door as Will and Selene entered the front lobby of the boys’ dorm at Wurthaven. Her expression turned to disapproval as she realized Will had a woman beside him. “The door was locked, William. It’s after hours. How did you get in?”
“Well…”
“Never mind, I don’t want to know. What I would like to know is why you think it’s appropriate to bring a female student into this building in the middle of the night?” demanded the resident assistant.
Will held up one hand. “First, she isn’t a student, she’s an alumna. Second—”
“It’s nice to see you again, Auntie,” said Selene politely.
“Auntie?” Will was utterly confused.
“Since she wasn’t our dorm mom, we called her ‘auntie’ instead. Everyone loved Dianne, at least they did while I was here.”
Dianne’s eyes were fixed on Selene’s face and the slowly widened as recognition came to her. “Selene? Your Highness!” She dipped into a respectful curtsey.
Selene caught her hands, pulling her up to stand straight. “There’s no need for that tonight. How have you been?”
“Well,” said Dianne. “How have you been? Didn’t you get married today? I heard there was an awful disturbance at the cathedral. Where is your husband?” She glared at Will as though he had committed some terrible crime.
“I’m her husband,” said Will sourly.
Dianne took a step back and stumbled, catching herself on the edge of the front desk. “What?”
Selene merely smiled sweetly, then gave a single nod.
The resident assistant was in shock, but after a moment she asked, “Why are you here?”
“She’s homeless,” said Will dryly. “I told her she could sleep on the floor.”
Selene shot him a dirty look, then answered Dianne’s question, “It will only be one night. We’ll find other lodgings tomorrow.”
Poor Dianne’s head seemed about to explode. Her eyes darted back and forth. “Wait! That wasn’t a joke?” She stared agape at Selene. “You really married him?”
“Hey!” said Will, feeling hurt.
Selene held up the marriage certificate, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “According to this we’re married. Do you think it’s too late to get out of it?”
Dianne’s hand covered her mouth. “Holy Mother!” Then she squinted at the document. “Is that a paw print?”
Selene spread the paper out atop the desk so Dianne could look at it properly. She was obviously enjoying the moment. “One of the witnesses was a cat…”
Will gently slid between the two women, gathering Selene and the document into his arms. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow, Mom.”
“We’re very tired,” agreed Selene, affecting a false yawn.
They climbed the stairs together, leaving the astonished resident assistant standing in the lobby. Once they reached the fourth floor, they made their way to his room, and when the door was finally closed and locked, they both sighed in relief.
“I’m exhausted,” said Will. He’d only gotten four hours of sleep the night before, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. “Which bunk do you want?”
Selene arched one brow curiously as she looked askance at him.
“The beds are too small for us to both share one,” he explained.
The look in her eyes could have blistered paint. “I thought I was supposed to sleep on the floor?”
“If you insist,” said Will nonchalantly. When Selene began to advance on him, he hurried to add, “That was a joke.” She cornered him on the bottom bunk, and he answered her with a kiss. After time, they came up for air. “Can’t we sleep first?” asked Will.
Selene sighed. “I’m not really in the mood either, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“Grandma’s orders?”
She nodded, and what followed was best described as functionally acceptable. Will was asleep almost before his part was done. Selene watched his face for a while as he slept, but soon she too lost the battle. Her eyes closed, and when they opened again the morning sun was streaming in through the window.
Thankfully it was still the weekend, and they had the entire day to make up for the deficiencies of the night before.
Keep an eye out for the next book:
Scholar of Magic
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Books by Michael G. Manning:
Mageborn:
The Blacksmith’s Son
The Line of Illeniel
The Archmage Unbound
The God-Stone War
The Final Redemption
Embers of Illeniel (a prequel series to Mageborn):
The Mountains Rise
The Silent Tempest
Betrayer’s Bane
Champions of the Dawning Dragons:
Thornbear
Centyr Dominance
Demonhome
The Riven Gates:
Mordecai
The Severed Realm
Transcendence and Rebellion
Standalone Novels:
Thomas
Secrets and Spellcraft Page 58