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“There’s probably a dozen of them, and they’ll expect you to put up with them for at least a few days.”

“We have plenty of guestrooms. We have enough space that their presence here won’t be a problem, although I suspect that if they overstay their welcome, Tyne won’t hesitate to let them know. Maybe you should keep that in mind once you’ve had enough of their presence here.”

Samuel liked the way Jarvis was thinking. “I will. They can be pushy and invasive, but that’s mostly about me and my life. If it’s too much, though, feel free to kick them out, please.”

Jarvis laughed. “I won’t kick out anyone. Like I said, if you want something like that, you’re going to have to talk to Tyne.”

“I will.” Because while the castle might be Samuel’s home now, he hadn’t been here that long. Tyne had, though, and he was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to put Samuel’s mother in her place. In fact, Samuel could probably take lessons from him. This wouldn’t be happening if he’d told his mother what was on his mind. Instead, he’d been beating around the bush, hoping she would drop the argument.

Samuel knew why she was here. She wanted him to come home and find a mage.

There was nothing Samuel wanted less.

Samuel could hear the voices before they even reached the gate. They were loud, and there were too many of them, and he briefly closed his eyes, praying for patience. He loved his family, but there was a reason he’d agreed to move into the castle so readily. He wanted freedom, but his mother had decided against it.

Jarvis opened the gate back up. For a second, nothing happened, and Samuel had to peek out. He didn’t have to wonder who was going to talk to him first. It was always his mother.

“We’re here to see Samuel,” she said.

Jarvis smiled at her. “Of course. My name is Jarvis. I’m one of the mages here at the castle.” He stepped aside. “And Samuel is right there.”

Samuel groaned, then plastered a smile on his face when his mother stepped through the gate.

She looked the way she always did. She was neatly dressed, and her makeup was perfect. She looked around, then up and down at Samuel. She sniffed, and he knew she disapproved of what he was wearing—jeans and a t-shirt. He’d known she would feel that way. She always wanted her children to be well-dressed, just like she was. Samuel didn’t see the point. He just wanted to be comfortable.

“Mom,” he said with that fake smile on his face.

She strode toward him and pulled him into a quick hug. When she let go, she clung to his shoulders, looking up at him. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

“I’m not hiding.”

“Of course you are. You’re hiding from finding a mage. You’re never going to find one in this castle.”

Samuel sucked in a breath. She couldn’t even give him a few minutes, could she? “Well, that won’t be a problem since I don’t plan on ever getting a mage.”

* * * *

THORNE HADN’T KNOWN what to think when a member of the cleaning crew had come to tell him that someone was at the gate. Usually, people didn’t use the gate. The last time someone had, it had famously been Winter and Samuel, and they’d never left. A lot of people knew about the castle and where it was, but they didn’t have a reason to come. It wasn’t like they could visit the place or anything like that, and the few friends the mages had outside of each other usually contacted Jarvis or found other ways in.

But not today. Today, someone was knocking on the gate. Thorne hadn’t known what to think, even after opening it to find a bunch of people claiming to be Samuel’s family.

And when Thorne said a bunch, he meant a bunch. It wasn’t only Samuel’s mother. It looked like the entire family had decided to come.

Samuel hadn’t seemed very happy about that, and he still didn’t, even though he hugged his mother. The two of them were staring at each other, and it looked almost like Samuel was defying her. Thorne hadn’t been able to hear what they were saying, but from Samuel’s expression—which he’d apparently learned to read pretty well over the past few weeks—he could tell something was brewing.

Whatever was happening between the two of them, it ended when more people rushed Samuel. He was pulled into the arms of several men and women. People thrust children at him, and he went with the flow, smiling and laughing and looking more relaxed. For a moment, the courtyard was utter chaos in a way it never had been, and it was disorienting, but it also made Thorne smile.

“All right,” Samuel declared. “Everyone shut up. These are Jarvis, Thorne, Penley, and Bennett,” he said, pointing at the people standing there. Thorne clearly wasn’t the only curious person. In fact, Penley was almost vibrating.

“They all live here. It’s their home, not yours, so behave.”

One of the men pressed a hand over his heart. “You talk as if we don’t usually behave.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“I’ll keep an eye on everyone,” Samuel’s mother said. She looked around. “Which one of you is the clan leader?”

Everyone looked at Jarvis, who sighed. “I’m not officially a clan leader. In fact, we don’t have one,” he said, moving toward her. “But I’ve been kind of leading our little family, so I guess that’s me.” He offered her his hand. “Jarvis.”