"You're coming home, son," Cora says, crossing her arms and glaring at her eldest child. "Because if I let you stay here, you'll drink yourself silly with your cousins and then be useless to me in the morning." "Mom!" Jesse begs, sending an anxious glance towards Daphne, who pretends not to notice the whole conversation.

"Jesse," Roger says, his hands on his hips, his voice low and dangerous. "Get in line. Your mom wants you home, so you're coming home. If it were up to me I'd leave you here, because you always rile the small ones into rebellion, telling them all sorts of nonsense about free will -"

"They deserve to know the truth!" Jesse protests.

"But your mother wants you home. So?" Roger points emphatically to the front of the line.

Daphne, to her credit, does her very best to suppress her smile and pretend that she's incredibly interested in the trim that adorns the bottom of dad's armchair. Ben has no such grace and watches eagerly, laughing. But Jesse, realizing that he's lost this battle, just groans and pushes himself to his feet, slumping to the front of the line.

"Good boy," Roger murmurs, patting Jesse on the head. Jesse just scowls and smacks his dad's hand away.

Then Roger whistles again and each of my six cousins straightens their shoulders, standing at attention, and then - at their father's signal - begin to march out of the room.

ignoring the military precision with which her kids are swept out into the hall. "Love you, see

I realize how weird it is. I burst out laughing myself, because I mean I'm just so used

are such a weird family," Ben sighs, pulling himself up into Roger and Cora's abandoned

to his feet. "Daphne?" He raises an eyebrow

Mom says, getting to her feet herself. "You're all off

gasps. "Mom, it's our first night home, we're

are!" she says, giving him a

Rafe protests, throwing

right - you'll drink yourselves silly and be all useless tomorrow. And we have things to do!" She reaches up a

around with embarrassment. "You can't just make everyone go to

sigh, getting to

say, staring at him. "You're not staying here with us?" S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to

to the gym tomorrow, let my uncle yell at me and beat me into shape before the fight. And her Highness is right," he says,

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