He was stunned. “Mom, what rumors are you talking about?” he asked. “What didn’t you tell me?”
His mother was silent for a second, then picked up her cup with shaking hands and took a long sip of the cold coffee. “Sebastian isn’t really your cousin. His father was my brother, but he was my stepbrother,” she said. “He was just a baby when my father married his mother, and he was nevertreated any differently, so a lot of people have forgotten that we’re not blood.”
“But not everyone,” he said, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I don’t think I like where this is going.”
His mother looked a little guilty. “I should have told you sooner, I just didn’t…” Her words trailed away, then she took a deep breath. “There was a part of me that was afraid you might want to go live with your grandfather, we never had much when you were growing up, and he could have given you everything. I didn’t want to lose you, I still don’t, but you’re his heir, Taylor, you could inherit the entire clan from him and everything that goes with it.”
It took him a second to absorb what his mother said, but then he was shaking his head. “I don’t want it, I don’t want anything to do with my grandfather,” he said. “I will never forget that he killed my father, I will never forget that he would have killed you and me in the process, and there’s nothing he could give me that will change that. There’s no amount of money or power that would even begin to tempt me, I’m right where I belong, and nothing will ever change that.”
His mother reached out and stroked his cheek. “I love you, Taylor,” she said. “You’ve grown to be a wonderful young man, and I’m proud to call you my son.”
“I love you too, Mom,” he said, hugging her. “You’ll always be my safe place.”
“Oh, dear, now you’ve gone and made me cry, and we still need to talk about Sebastian,” his mother said, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “I think I know why he’s going after you. I think he’s under the impression that if he gets you out of the way, he’ll automatically become the alpha when your grandfather finally retires.”
“Well, he would be the next in line,” he said. “But I don’twant it, I don’t know why he didn’t just talk to me, it would have made all this so much easier.”
“I can understand why he’s doing it. I grew up in that world, don’t forget,” she said. “Unless you formally denounce your birthright or you become incapacitated in some way, Sebastian can’t become the alpha. You’re the rightful heir, Taylor, that’s never going to change, and you can’t ignore it now that he’s stirring up trouble. I was hoping that no one would bring it up when the time came, but I guess the rumors that your grandfather wants to bring you back into the clan are true.”
He sat back in his chair, a bit stunned, but his mind was working through the problem. Then he remembered something his mother had just said. “Wait, what did you mean when you said I could formally denounce my birthright?” he asked. “What would I have to do?”
“It’s really not that complicated, you would have to appear before the elder’s council, make a little speech, answer a few questions, and that would be it,” his mother said, her brow furrowed with worry. “But Taylor, you’ll have to see your grandfather, you’d have to go into their territory, there won’t be anything to stop them from hurting you, it could be very dangerous.”
“Then I won’t go alone,” he said. “My friends will back me up.”
“And I’ll be there too,” Emily said, stepping out onto the porch. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I woke up and you were already talking, I know I should have interrupted but…”
A burst of warmth filled Taylor when he looked over at Emily. It quickly turned to tingles of desire, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Mom, this is Emily,” he said, jumping to his feet and going over to her. “She’s putting her career on the line to help me, so anythingyou say is safe with her. I think I’ll go put on a fresh pot of coffee.”
“Not for me, I’ve got work to do, winter will be here soon and I still haven’t finished my canning,” his mother said, getting to her feet. “It was nice to meet you, Emily. I’m sure you’ll take good care of my boy; he can be a bit difficult at times, but he’s got a big heart.”
“Oh, Mrs. Gordon, you don’t have to go,” Emily said. “I didn’t mean to chase you away.”
“You didn’t, my dear, but I think you two have a lot to talk about, and I’ll just be in the way,” his mom said. “We’ll have plenty of time together when this is all over. I’m looking forward to getting to know you. My son is a very smart man, and if he chose you, I’m sure you’re a very special person.”
***Emily***
Taylor’s mom drove off with a wave, leaving the two of them standing on the porch. The woman’s words echoed through her head, but instead of making her panic, a wave of warmth enveloped her like a warm blanket. Looking up at Taylor, she discovered that he was watching her with a tender look in his eyes that made her stomach do flip-flops and her entire body begin to tingle.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Taylor said. “How about we go inside and I make us some breakfast? I bet you’re starving.”
Before she could say anything, her stomach began to growl loudly. “I guess my stomach is answering for me,” she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink. “Some breakfast would be great; I don’t think very well on an empty stomach.”
They made their way inside. He set the basket down on the counter. “I bet there’s some good stuff in here,” he said. “Do you want to start unpacking it while I start a pot of coffee? Then I can get started cooking sooner.”
“That’s a deal, but you don’t have to cook for me,” she said, opening the lid of the basket. “Oh, I smell cinnamon…”
“My mother’s famous cinnamon rolls,” Taylor said, his face full of amusement when she lifted the plate of sweets out of the basket and held them up to her nose to sniff them. “These smell incredible. I could eat all of them right now, but I’ll settle for one.”
“I’ll get it,” Taylor said, taking the plate over to the counter. And I think the coffee is ready. Sit down, and I’ll bring you some.”
When she was settled at the table with the gooey sweet and a steaming cup of coffee, Taylor finished unloading the basket of food, piling everything on the counter, then selected eggs, bacon, bread, and butter before putting the rest away. She watched him while he worked, thinking back to the conversation between Taylor and his mother earlier that morning. There was so much she didn’t understand, so many questions swirling around in her mind it was hard to sort then all out, but as the cinnamon roll slowly disappeared and the caffeine did its job, her head began to clear.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he said, setting a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of her. “You’re probably confused and maybe even a little scared, and I don’t blame you; in your shoes, I would be. Heck, I’m surprised you’re still here; most people would have run away a long time ago.”
“I don’t run away from things that scare me, but you don’t frighten me, at least not in the way you’re talking about. I can’t explain even to myself why you turning into a dragon didn’t send me running away screaming,” she said, then paused for a second just to make sure what she was sayingwas true, then shook her head. “Nope, not the least bit scared, awed maybe, and very curious, but not freaked out.”
“I’m so relieved, I thought…well, that you would think that I’m a monster, I was afraid that you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me once you knew the truth,” Taylor said, a vulnerability in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m falling for you, Emily. I didn’t want it to happen, I fought it as hard as I could, but…well, I think we’re meant to be together.”
