Craig jumped to his feet and screamed, “I don’t know!”
Gregor was in front of his daughter before Major could get there. “Sit down,” Major demanded, and Craig dropped to his ass. “Don’t you ever raise your voice to Tabitha again. Or any female for that matter.”
“I’m sorry. I…” Craig closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. When he reopened them, they were wet. “I don’t know, okay? I’m not a bad person. Yes, I can act like a jerk, but I’ve never hurt anyone. Fuck.”
Tabitha stepped between Major and her dad. “You’ve never hurt anyone physically, but I’d venture a guess that somewhere along the way you have hurt someone with your words, and emotional trauma can be just as painful as physical. Maybe when Daniel gets here, the two of you can sit down and talk about your past. Maybe see if either of you can come up with the answer to who is doing this. I would say I can’t imagine growing up as a royal, but I can, because I know a few men in power, and their kids are well-adjusted and love one another. Maybe you can try to see this from Daniel’s point of view as a man who’s lost someone he loves and not the fuck-up he’s always been. You have Olivia to go home to, but who does Daniel have?”
Tabitha stepped back, taking Major’s hand. “I need some fresh air.” She led him through the back of the house and out onto the patio. “I shouldn’t have left Craig alone with my parents. Mom is probably going to tear into him.”
“Let her.” Major stepped behind his mate, pulling her back to his chest and wrapping his arms around her middle.
Tabitha rested her hands on his arms and leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Where are we going on vacation? I need something positive to focus on.”
“Where would you like to go? A cabin in the woods? Somewhere tropical? The fjords of Norway?”
“Have you ever been to Norway?”
Major pressed a kiss to Tabby’s neck. “No, but I hear they’re stunning.”
“They are. We’ve been there a few times to visitUrijah and Banyan and their brood. If we go there now, we’d get to see a dragon since Brent is mated to Cassi.”
“Did I tell you what Marshall’s reaction was when I told him about dragons and the fae?”
“No. Is he excited?”
“About the fae? Absolutely. Dragons? Not so much. He hates dinosaurs, and to him, dragons are nothing but dinosaurs with wings.”
Tabitha chuckled. “I can see that. How would you feel about an Italian villa? Or a private Greek resort?”
“Let me guess. Your family owns both?”
“Yes, and we would have either one all to ourselves.”
“My only caveat is we can stay naked and be as loud as we want. You saw how quiet my Lion was when we sealed the bond.”
Tabitha snorted, and Major grinned at her cuteness. “Yes, and Craig thought he was dreaming. I guess it’s a good thing he was drunk before going to bed.”
Major turned Tabitha so he could look at her face. “My love, as long as we’re together, I don’t care where we go.”
“I like that, being your love.”
“You are my everything,” Major admitted before leaning down and kissing his fiery redhead.
Chapter 20
By the time theywent back inside, Craig had excused himself to the library where he remained until Zane arrived with Daniel. Craig’s brother was much paler than the last time Tabitha had seen him. When Craig appeared from the back of the house, Daniel sucked in a breath, his shoulders slumping. Craig crossed the room to get to him, but Daniel kept his eyes on the floor.
Craig took Daniel by the arm. “Come on, Brother. We need to talk.”
Daniel’s head snapped up. “Wh-what? No. I’m your uncle.”
Craig sighed. “They know who we are. That’s part of what we need to talk about. Are you hungry? Gregor’s cooking supper, but we can get you a snack.”
Daniel looked around. “Who’s Gregor? And why are you being nice to me?”
Craig ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Tabitha almost felt sorry for him. “It was recently brought to my attention that I might not know you as well as I should considering we’re brothers. I’d like for us to talk privately. Now, are you hungry?”
“No. I had a snack on the plane. I could go for a drink though.”
