Free My Boyfriend Merlin by Priya Ardis Page A

the pedestal. Thornton poured water into his waiting hands. The boy didn’t move to swallow it. Instead he just stared at it. Vane cleared his throat loudly. With a start, the boy swallowed the water.
    Nothing happened. The bowl on the pedestal remained still.
    “Give him more,” Vane said.
    Thornton looked at Aurelius. Aurelius inclined his head in agreement. Thornton complied. The boy drank a second helping. Still nothing.
    “He is not a candidate,” Aurelius declared
    The boy went pale. “No. I can’t go home. The gargoyles burned my house down. My grandmother is gone. I don’t have any place to go back to.” Beseeching eyes sought out Vane. “You said this is where I belonged.”
    Vane gave the boy an uninterested glance. “You are not a candidate. You will be fine.”
    “You do belong here.” Matt said. “You are a wizard. You can go to school.”
    Aurelius said, “Yes, he would be eligible. But we are not a charity. The school has tuition. He needs a sponsor.”
    “I have no doubt Vane has enough to help,” Matt said. He looked at Vane. “Unless you want to turn the boy loose with his knowledge of the candidates.”
    “I have the perfect forgetfulness spell,” Vane said.
    Matt shook his head. “Unbelievable. You know that after how long the boy has been with you, the amount of memory you would have to modify, you risk turning him into a turnip.”
    Aurelius looked to Vane. “Vane, he is your responsibility.”
    Vane crossed his arms. “The Council rejected him. He is also your responsibility. I will sponsor him and pay for the admissions test. That is all. He can always work off the rest after graduation.”
    Aurelius sighed. “Marilynn, come take this boy for regular enrollment.”
    The boy gave Vane a grateful smile. “I knew you would be my savior.”
    Vane inclined his head at the accolade. He signaled the next candidate to step up to the pedestal.
    Matt’s words about his brother and me reverberated in my head. I whispered to Matt, “Your brother is a toad. I wouldn’t kiss him even if I was a princess.”
    “He’s more than that—he’s dangerous,” Matt replied without humor. “Vane is like a hurricane. He doesn’t care what he wrecks in his path. He only cares about what he wants."
    I raised my brow. “Dramatic much?”
    “If only I was.”
    The last of Vane’s candidates went to the pedestal.
    The brothers had issues with a capital I . I’d never seen Matt so wound up.
    Aurelius looked at us. “Is your group ready?”
    My stomach knotted. Grey caught my gaze. The same fear was reflected in his eyes. What horrible thing would the water bring out from us?
    I took a bracing breath. “Matt, will the water be the same for us Regulars as it was for the wizard candidates?”
    “It should be,” Matt said. “But I couldn’t say for sure.”
    “That’s really helpful,” I said dryly.
    Grey took a step forward.
    I stepped in front of him. “I’ll go first.”
    “You’re sure?” Matt said, his face tight with worry.
    Discreetly, I squeezed his hand before heading to the pedestal. My gaze collided with Vane’s. He watched Matt and me with interest. I glanced away.
    Thornton poured a few drops of water into my cupped hands and I hoped no one noticed how hard my hands shook. I inhaled the scent of earth mixed with calming lavender. The liquid tasted cool and sweet. I drank it in one swallow.
    The next thing I knew I was on the floor as my stomach tried to climb out of my mouth. Black spots danced in my vision. The urge to collapse overwhelmed me. Heaving, I fought it.
    Like a crowbar to a damaged lock, the water tore the barriers down in my mind, revealing its dark hidden corners to harsh light. Memories crashed over me.
    On the floor, I choked out, “M-Mom.”
    ***
    Mom yelled at me as we readied to leave the house, complaining about how I’d woken up late even though I knew we had a flight to catch. As she squirted perfume on herself—lavender, my mother’s preferred