Will slept like a rock, but since he had gone to bed early, he also woke early, sometime just before dawn. He didn’t move at first, for there was something in the air that seemed different. Opening his eyes, he lay still, studying the room and trying to understand his strange intuition. The room looked the same, but then he heard a gentle sigh beside him.
Someone else was in the bed.
His heart leapt into his throat, and he suddenly wished he had kept his clothes on before he lay down. He could only see the back of his bedmate’s head, and while his vision was sharp enough, the dim light made it difficult to discern the hair’s true hue. He could only tell it was a very dark shade.
Not daring to move, he studied the invader, and after a brief while decided it was a woman. The shape of her hips and the slenderness of her shoulder made it plain. He quickly ran through the list of women he knew, trying to decide if one of them might suddenly leap over the bounds of propriety and do something so bold.
Laina had slept next to him once before, but this woman wasn’t blond, and he suspected she was naked. Lowering his head, he lifted the comforter slightly to make sure his assumption was correct, and saw a quick glimpse of a shapely back and rounded derriere. Definitely naked. That ruled out his sister—she was no fool. Tabitha? Her hair was dark enough, and she presumably didn’t know he was her brother, but that seemed too far-fetched.
Janice was the obvious candidate, since she had long had a crush on him, but given the way she had acted around Tiny, he thought she had already moved on. Then he remembered her white hair. It definitely wasn’t her.
Darla? The Arkeshi had dark hair, but he suspected her back would carry more scars. He simply wasn’t sure. Will decided it was time to evacuate the bed, but given how close they were, he decided to try one more thing out of curiosity. Craning his neck forward, he sniffed the woman’s hair. His nose was filled with the scent of pines and fresh mountain grass. Will’s eyes opened wide with disbelief, and then the woman sighed and scooted backward, bringing herself fully into contact with him.
“Selene?” It couldn’t be.
She turned and looked at him, her eyes glittering in the darkness. “You woke up. You were sleeping so hard I thought you might never wake.”
He kissed her, unable to do anything else. Clutching her in his arms, he held onto her for several minutes, hoping he wasn’t still asleep. Eventually, he relaxed his grip so he could look at her face once more. “Is it really you?”
She nodded. “It seems like a dream, doesn’t it?”
“How?”
“Your grandmother decided I had passed some milestone and brought me back, though I think it had more to do with the fact that my father’s control enchantment vanished. Things were also getting difficult diplomatically.”
“You can stay?” he asked.
She nodded. “You’re in charge of the worst part of my training.”
“What’s that?”
“She said you’d understand. It’s the first ‘compression.’ Do you know what that means?”
Will grimaced. “She would leave that to me. It’s dangerous and painful. You’re going to hate me before it’s over.”
“I would never hate you,” she insisted.
“So you think. I nearly attacked Arrogan with an axe.”
She laughed. “From what I’ve heard, your grandfather wasn’t exactly brimming with warmth and human kindness.” Her expression shifted, and her voice deepened. If she had been a cat, Will might have thought she was purring. “Say, I’ve noticed something since we’re so close together.” Her eyes drifted downward.
He flushed red. “Sorry, I have to pee.”
She laughed. “Is that all? Then by all means take care of it!”
He slipped out of the bed, feeling self-conscious at his nudity. They hadn’t seen each other in over a year, so it felt strange. Matters were made worse by the fact that he couldn’t find the chamber pot. He scrambled all over the room on his hands and knees, but the vital receptacle was nowhere to be found. Unlikely as it was, he went to the front room to look but had no luck there either. Ah well, the city is deserted, right?
Walking to the window, he opened it and pushed the shutters apart before relieving himself on the rose bushes far below. A mad cackle rose in his throat as he enjoyed the sensation of doing something so obviously forbidden. Then he noticed a guardsman on the palace wall directly across from the window he stood at.
The two men locked eyes in a timeless moment. He was too far along to stop, and he certainly wasn’t going to jump back and get urine in Selene’s room. Despite his embarrassment, Will grinned sheepishly and lifted one hand to wave at the guard.
The other man smirked, nodded, then turned away, allowing Will to finish with a semblance of privacy. When he returned to the bedroom, Selene asked, “Did you just pee out the window?”
“I couldn’t find the chamber pot.”
Thankfully she had a sense of humor. “Did the guard see you?”
“Definitely, but I think we came to an understanding.”
She gaped at him. “Oh, really?”
“He seemed to take it in stride, so I suppose he must see that sort of thing at your window quite often.”
“What are you implying?”
He kissed her neck, then continued, “Well, since there’s no chamber pot, I can only conclude you make a habit of using that window. The roses looked suspiciously healthy.”
Selene pulled his arm out from under him and rolled over on top of him. “How on earth do you think I would manage that without falling to my death?”
Will shrugged. “Just stick your rear out and hang onto the edges of the window. If you’re worried about falling, I could probably rig up a sling or something, maybe add a wooden bar to hold onto.”
Selene was moving in a decidedly distracting fashion. “I think I’ve found something better to hold onto.”
Will was in complete agreement, but he had two reservations. “What about your training?”
She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “She wouldn’t have let me in here with you if that was a concern anymore. Personally, I think it had more to do with her testing me than it had to do with my training.”
“Testing you how?”
“After,” she breathed into his ear. “I’ve been waiting too long.”
He never got around to asking her about his second concern, which was whether she needed to find a chamber pot for herself. The answer was definitely a no. A brief time later, they rested. “Testing you how?” asked Will again.
“I think she wanted to test my fidelity.”
Will’s stomach sank as he remembered his vision of her with another man. “You mean Sylandrea?”
Selene’s head jerked back. “How did you know his name?”
“I saw you in a dream—together. You said his name then.”
“Well, just so you know, that didn’t happen, though I did have some dreams of my own. How could you have learned his name, though?”
Her manner was so relaxed and confident that Will believed her immediately. It took him a few minutes to explain the experience of astral projection, but apparently Selene had read up on it before, so the topic wasn’t completely unfamiliar to her. “Is there anything that you haven’t studied?” asked Will.
“Wizardry, apparently,” she said sourly. “From the way you and Aislinn keep talking about it.”
“So what was the test?” Will asked.
“I thought I explained that.”
He shook his head. “Being alone for a year wouldn’t be a problem. I know you better than that.”
She sighed. “Sylandrea was in heat.”
“Huh?”
“Elven males go into heat once every ten years or so. When they do, their urges become exceptionally strong, and they emit pheromones that tend to elicit a similar response in women around them. Unmarried men, like Sylandrea, are kept away from polite society during that period, but drabs like me don’t count. I thought he was being nice, but in reality, he thought I would be a guilt-free outlet for his pent-up frustrations.”
“That’s awful—and don’t ever call yourself a drab in front of me again.”
She smiled. “Can I be honest?”
He nodded, but his stomach sank at the same time.
“I was sorely tempted, Will. I want to blame the pheromones. I’ve never been so frustrated in my life, but even so, I feel ashamed that it affected me so strongly. What you saw in your dream was probably what I was experiencing in my dream.”
Will swallowed. “I trust you. I would trust you even if you made a mistake.” He was struck by a sudden desire to tell her about his recent philosophical revelation. “Lies are like clothes, but trust is allowing your partner their privacy even when you know they need new clothes.” He paused. “Wait, that’s not it. Why can’t I remember it right?”
Selene gave him a strange look, but her eyes were smiling. “Where did you come up with that bit of rubbish?”
“It wasn’t rubbish,” he insisted. “Even your father thought it was logical—I think.”
“You’ve been talking to him?” She rolled her eyes. “I need to hear the story, but first, I think we need to remark our territories again.”
“Territories?”
Her eyes were filled with hunger. “You’ve had enough time to rest.”
It turned out he had, and their second dance was much longer than the first. The sun was approaching midmorning when they finally relented and gave in to the need for rest. They weren’t sleepy, though, so the conversation continued.
“When did you get here?” asked Will.
“Yesterday afternoon,” she told him. “Aislinn left me at our house, but there was no one there, so I went looking. I saw evidence of a lot of fighting, but there was no one around. So I went into the city, but it was also empty. Eventually I came here, but the palace was empty as well. Where were you?”
He laughed. “In all the same places. We must have missed each other at every stop.”
“What about when you came here?” she asked.
“I was in your father’s room until I came here to sleep.”
She raised her brows in an unspoken question.
“He lost a lot of blood, so I fed him.”
“You two seem to have gotten close,” she observed, her tone suspicious.
A remark like that from most daughters might have been a joke, or a compliment, but Will knew otherwise. Selene feared and hated her father more than anyone living. “Trust me, we aren’t. Far from it. In fact, if I had known you were coming back, I might not have kept him alive.”
That led to a lengthy telling of what had occurred over the past week. Selene’s reactions ranged from shock to anger at some of the things that had happened, but when Will referred to Mark Nerrow harshly, she stopped him. “That isn’t fair,” she said.
“I didn’t mean he was actually as bad as your father, but he really is an ass.”
She gave him a quick kiss, easing his frustration, then responded, “Don’t judge him too harshly. He’s a hundred times better than my father. He actually cares about his children, and that includes you too, even if he hurts you with his poor handling of the situation.”
He could still hear his father’s voice after their last fight, as he had walked away. “It does matter if something happens to you.” Will shook his head to clear the memory. “He’s still a jerk.”
“He’s human,” corrected Selene. “I know he’s hurt you, but remember this, not only did he raise Laina and Tabitha, but he’s the only real father I’ve ever known. My time with that family is the only reason I’m not completely broken.”
Will sighed. “I guess I can give him credit for a few things.” Then he shifted the topic. “What did you mean by ‘diplomatic tensions’ earlier?”
She looked uncomfortable. “Well, I mentioned my problem with Sylandrea, but I didn’t tell you the details of what happened.” He waited, so she continued, “He came into my room one night and kissed me.” Selene stopped. “No, that’s not quite right. I kissed him, but that’s why he was there. He knew what would happen. I realized my mistake almost immediately, but he wouldn’t let me go, so…”
“So…?”
“I broke his nose—accidentally.”
“You mean on purpose,” said Will, feeling a small bit of satisfaction.
Selene frowned. “I hit him on purpose, but I didn’t mean to break his nose, so it was an accident.”
“What did you hit him with?”
“My forehead. I jerked away and headbutted him.” Will began to laugh, but she went on, “Anyway, it turns out his uncle is rather important, so my stay there became something of a problem. Your bargain with my father to get rid of the heart-stone enchantment couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Will studied her for a moment, then spotted a small cut on her forehead. It looked to be just a few days old. “Is this from the headbutt?”
She nodded, with pouting lips and large, woeful eyes. “Think it will scar?”
He smiled, then kissed the wound. “I hope so. For me it will be a splendid reminder of your love. For others it can serve as a warning.”
Selene rolled her eyes again. “No one will know what it’s from.”
“You can wear a sign,” he suggested helpfully, laughing when she punched him.
“I don’t want an ugly scar,” she lamented. “At least not there, right in the middle of my forehead.” Will pointed at his cheek, which still retained a long, silvery mark from a coachwhip in his childhood. “That’s different. It’s actually sort of dashing,” she commented.
“Well, I’ve been thinking for a while that you needed to be uglied up a little bit anyway,” said Will.
Her mouth went wide, into an ‘o’ of surprise. “What does that mean?” she demanded.
“You’re too pretty. I was thinking you should start wearing sackcloth dresses, or maybe chop your hair up, but a scar would probably do just as well.” He grinned. “We have to find some way to keep the men from chasing you constantly.”
She growled. “Is that really what you think? And if I’m ugly, what’s going to keep you chasing me then?”
“That’s easy. I’m not after you for your looks.” She smiled, but then he continued, “I’m actually after you for your money and the wild sex.” Selene tackled him, and they wrestled for a moment before he cried uncle, laughing as he capitulated. “I repent, I repent! It’s actually your inner beauty, your intelligence and personality.”
“I’ll show you some personality!” she warned.
He held up his arms. “Please, no. I surrender. I can’t take any more personality. Maybe in a few hours.”
She stood up and snatched the bedcovers away, exposing him to the air. “Weakling!” she declared imperiously, though her eyes were twinkling.
It was then that the door opened. Janice stood there, her expression blank, while Tiny stood behind her with a clear view over her head. Moving without haste, he put one hand over Janice’s eyes, then helped her back out of the doorway. From behind them, Laina’s voice called, “What is it? Is he in there?” Her head darted around the doorframe for a second, then her cheeks reddened, and she jerked back. Tiny’s hand appeared—then slowly closed the door.
Will and Selene had remained frozen, but now they looked at one another, exchanging embarrassed looks. Through the door, Will could hear their friends talking. “I’m scarred for life. I’ll never be able to unsee that,” said Laina.
Janice’s tone was calmer. “At least he didn’t have to pee this time.”
Tiny simply laughed.
A short while later, the married couple timidly emerged from Selene’s bedroom. Laina hurried to give her best friend a long hug, while Will attempted to shift the focus elsewhere. “Is anyone hungry?”
Tiny’s eyes lit up, but Laina had more pressing concerns. “Not anymore,” she said harshly. “Where have you been?”
“Here. I couldn’t find anyone after I sorted things out with the king,” answered Will. “The entire city was deserted.”
His sister glared at him, and he noticed that her eyes were red and swollen. “You told me to get them out of the city.”
“But everyone was gone,” he said, knowing he was missing some important clue.
Janice intervened. “After we got the students out, Laina insisted on coming back for the citizens, in spite of her father’s objections. We found Tiny at the school entrance, along with all the bodies. You were nowhere to be found, and we couldn’t wake him up.”
“They had to use a cart to carry me out,” Tiny boasted with a grin.
“And when he did finally wake up the next day, what he had to say…,” Laina’s voice tapered off as her throat closed up. She went to the window, facing away from them.
Janice helped once more. “His story wasn’t very reassuring. So we spent the next day waiting miserably. It took everything we had to keep the people from returning to their homes, but fortunately Laina can be very persuasive when she puts her mind to it.”
Selene smiled faintly. “Another speech? You really do have a gift, Laina.”
Laina still wouldn’t turn around, and she was busily rubbing her face with one sleeve.
Janice continued, “So the entire populace camped outside that day and the following night. We only returned this morning, when it was obvious that the city wasn’t going to be destroyed. We’ve been trying to find you ever since.”
“You could have left a note somewhere. Something!” exclaimed Laina, her composure crumbling again and angry tears falling to her cheeks.
Will crossed the room in two large strides and pulled her into a firm embrace. They stood that way for several minutes, and when he stepped back and looked at his friends, he saw an excess of moisture in everyone’s eyes. More hugs were the only solution.
When things finally calmed down, Tiny brought up an urgent concern. “You asked if we were hungry a few minutes ago. I think we should revisit the topic.”
Laina wasn’t ready to let him off the hook, though. She shook her head. “He still hasn’t told us what happened.”
“We can talk and eat,” suggested Tiny plaintively.
Laina threw up her hands. “Fine!”
They went to the palace kitchens and were promptly rushed out. While Selene’s presence made a strong impression, they were told it would be some time. The forced evacuation and subsequent return had left the palace in a state of disarray. The returning soldiers and servants had wiped out the food that was already prepared, and it would take some time to get things back in order. Will suggested they return to Wurthaven. “I know my kitchen, and I can make a better meal anyway.”
Selene lifted one brow. “Your kitchen?”
He refused to capitulate. “Your house, my kitchen.”
“Our home,” she corrected, leaning forward to rub noses with him.
Laina gagged. “There went my appetite again.”
“I’m still hungry,” Tiny insisted.
They left the palace and headed for Wurthaven. Will resumed telling his story. Earlier with Selene, he had ended at the point where he and Tiny separated, so he began with his entrance into the old Arenata residence. When it came to the point at which Androv had started inflicting terrible injuries, he tried to gloss over them with less dramatic phrasing. Selene’s face went pale at those points, but Laina demanded more detail.
“Wait,” said his sister, holding up one hand. “What do you mean he took the rod and broke your wrist? You had the iron-body transformation going, right?”
Will winced. “He just squeezed, and it sort of crushed all the bones.” He watched Selene, carefully, noticing a pained look on her face.
Laina nodded, urging him to continue, but less than a minute later she interrupted again. “You said he ran you through with the sword. What does that mean? From behind?”
Will nodded.
“Where did it go in?”
He pointed to his spine.
“Ouch,” said Laina, with a grimace. “What does that feel like?”
“Sort of like your lower body is being burned alive, but I think it’s just the nerves, like a phantom pain, since I couldn’t actually move my legs,” he explained.
“If he stabbed you in the back, how did your guts come out?”
“He kept working the sword back and forth.” Will demonstrated by moving his hand back and forth across his midsection. “That’s when everything just sort of—spilled out.”
Janice gagged and ran for the bushes. Meanwhile, Selene exclaimed, “Please stop. I can’t bear thinking about it anymore.”
Laina gave her friend an uncompromising look. “Don’t be such a wilted flower. I want to know what happened. He’s obviously fine now.”
Will held up his hand. “It’s all right. That’s the worst of it. After that, I defeated him with a simple combination of spells.”
“How?” demanded Laina incredulously. “One arm was broken, the other broken or dislocated, your spine was severed, and your guts were all over the floor! Not to mention this Androv was apparently immune to virtually every form of attack, magical or otherwise. There’s no possible way you could have beaten him at that point.”
Will couldn’t help but embellish the story slightly. “I had a wind-wall spell prepared already, and since he didn’t seem to care what I did, I readied another spell.” He glanced at his wife so he could watch her reaction. “Selene’s Solution.”
Janice frowned, Laina blinked, and Selene gaped then said, “Tell the truth. What did you really do?”
Will drew an ‘x’ over his heart. “I swear to the Mother. That’s what I did.”
“Now I know he’s full of shit,” stated Laina, but Selene waved her to silence as her brain mulled over the possibility.
“Let him finish,” said Selene.
Will smiled. “So, I was lying there, half dead and stricken with unbelievable pain, and I looked Androv right in the eye and told him, ‘You may think you’ve beaten me, but you’re about to make a clean exit from this world.’ I cut loose with the wind-wall, and while he was still whirling around in dust form, I used Selene’s spell to fatally tidy him right into oblivion.” He stared at them to gauge their reactions, but no one said anything, so he added, “Get it? It was a tidy termination.”
Selene groaned, and Tiny began chuckling.
“A clean kill?” suggested Will. “A hygienic homicide?”
Laina pointed at him accusingly. “I don’t believe any of it, liar.”
Selene broke in, “I think the spell would work, actually. But the rest…” She started shaking her head.
Janice returned, having recovered from her nausea. “He’s terrible when he thinks he has an audience.”
Laina agreed. “I’ll believe the rest, but there’s no way you said that bit about a ‘clean exit.’ You can barely think straight when you’re not being tortured.” Everyone nodded, seeming to come to a consensus. Then Laina looked at the others. “Did he try to tell you about his philosophical revelation regarding lies and naked people? I’ve never heard anything so stupid in all my life.”
Tiny and Will fell back slightly, letting the women take the lead while they began to enthusiastically discuss his flaws. The squire looked at him with pity. “It was a good story.”
“You believed me though, right?”
Tiny draped a large arm over his shoulder. “Listen, Will. I trust you, and trust is something you give a friend even if you think they might be lying, because lies are like clothes…”
Will punched him in the side. “Let go of me, you traitor!” They laughed together the rest of the way home, where they found the remainder of the Nerrow family waiting with a big lunch already prepared, courtesy of Armand.
The powerful embraces he received from Tabitha and Agnes warmed him all the way through, and the final, unexpected hug from Mark Nerrow brought him almost to tears. After a year separated from Selene, it was the best day he could remember ever having.