After the best moments of his life, Sever had gone back to his room on Lori’s insistence. She didn’t want to do anything improper or that would confuse Taylor, and Sever agreed.

After all, she didn’t know this was forever yet. He’d played with the idea of telling her and just getting it all out there, but she hadn’t taken it well, getting angry and assuming he was lying.

He thought there were probably other things that weren’t going to go over well with her, since she found merely the idea of love at first sight unbelievable.

Like him being an immortal, awakened dragon with powers beyond her comprehension.

Still, as he watched Lori and Taylor set up a game of Sorry on a folding table on the porch, smiling and laughing as they did, he decided the only power that mattered now was the ability to watch out for them.

Which he could do even with his ring on. When the time came to tell her, or show her, what he was, he would just have to deal with it.

Taylor’s thick hair was pulled back in a ponytail that looked a bit like Sever’s, though he didn’t seem to want to acknowledge it. If Lori was adopting Taylor, that meant Sever would hopefully get to as well, as her mate.

From what he’d seen of Taylor so far, he was a brave kid who would make a good man, with the right people watching out for him.

Sever had to thank some far-off star for the good fortune of a readymade family waiting here for him in this tiny, isolated place.

Perhaps he was still just riding a high because of what had happened between him and Lori last night in the truck.

He knew she deserved better. A soft blanket on some private patch of grass under the stars or a beautiful room with a soft bed. But something about the intimacy of the truck, the urgency there, had been just right.

“Okay,” Taylor said, pushing the board to the middle of the table. “Your turn.”

“I’m first?” Sever asked. “Why?”

“We rolled for it. Lori and I rolled a 1 and a 2, so I’m pretty sure you’ll be first.” The boy looked disappointed, and Sever bit his lip, looking over at Lori.

“Why don’t you go first and show me how it’s done? I’ll go last, so hopefully I can pick up on things from there.” Sever hadn’t played a lot of these human games, and though Lori had assured him it was designed to be easy enough for kids, he wasn’t sure how it was rated for dragons.

But it turned out to be quite simple, and he had already settled in and had several of his pieces knocked cruelly out of the way by Taylor when he heard the distant sound of a truck.

His ears perked and he looked over, squinting at the clouds of dust gathering in the distance, way down the road in the opposite direction of town.

Who would be coming?

If they intended to set something on fire again, Sever wasn’t going to hold back on them.

He might not hold back either way. These people were his now, and he was going to protect them. As a man, if not as a dragon.

Lori put a hand on his arm and he felt instantly calmer. “It’s okay,” she said. “Take it easy.”

Taylor looked over at them, worried. “Why are they coming here again?”

Apparently, he recognized the truck.

As it pulled up to the drive and parked in front, Sever recognized it, too. The men from the other day. The ones he’d had to threaten to stay away from Lori.

Apparently, they weren’t so good at listening.

The two men got out of the truck. They were wearing dark, canvas jackets that had seen better days, and their blond hair was in disarray. They were tall, taller than most average humans, and had a ranginess to them that told Sever they’d be quick in a fight if they wanted to be.

But they’d have to be a lot more than that to stand a chance against a dragon.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Lori said with a sigh, standing up.

Sever caught her arm gently but firmly and pulled her back. “Taylor, stay here and guard Lori.”

Taylor sat up a little straighter with pride, and Lori groaned. Sever locked eyes with her, silently trying to communicate that this was the best way to help Taylor. To give him some sense of control and keep him out of the fight.

She seemed to understand, though she didn’t like it.

The older one stepped out first, his expression grim as he strode forward, hands in his pockets, glare ominous. His brother came around the other side, his lip curled, eyes slightly crazy.

That was the one they had to worry about. A mean man was better than even a nice one who didn’t have control over himself. And that second man wasn’t even a little nice.

Sever walked forward calmly, sizing up the men. He hadn’t gotten a lot of chance to test his restrained strength against humans since having his ring on. He’d been in a fight against Mercury, but dark memories still rose whenever he thought about that particular dragon, so he decided not to.

He cracked his knuckles and swung his head so his braid swished back over his shoulder, out of the way.

Ready to fight.

“I thought I told you to stay out,” Sever said, now halfway down the drive and only about ten feet away from them.

“And we told you it wasn’t over,” the younger, slightly crazy one said.

“Jud,” the older one said, putting up a hand.

“Dud?” Sever asked, barking a laugh.

“Jud,” the man snapped. “Get it right. Or don’t. It won’t matter in a minute.”

The older one pushed the younger one out of the way and stopped forward. His eyes were a dark, cold brown with gold at the center. “We don’t want trouble. Not with you.”

“Speak for yourself, John,” Jud said, fairly frothing at the mouth as he stepped side to side lightly. “I want trouble.”

“Well, now that you’ve set foot on Lori’s land, you’ve got it.” Sever looked at John. “You and ‘Dud’ have one minute to get your asses out of here before we have a big problem.”

“It’s none of your business,” John said, stepping forward until he and Sever were almost nose to nose, except Sever was several inches taller.

Sever shoved the other man back easily. “Watch it.”

“Heard you had a fire here,” Jud said, cackling a laugh.

Sever’s gaze snapped to him. “That you, was it?”

“Jud,” John snapped, sending his brother a warning glare.

“That was us,” Jud said. “Did the little lady get singed? Did she take her bastard spawn and get out of here?” Jud’s eyes went from slightly crazy to full crazy, glowing in gold. “They aren’t welcome!”

Sever’s hand swung out before he could to stop it. They’d called Taylor a bastard; they were threatening his mate and her child. They were going to pay for it, one way or another.

His fist connected and Jud went flying back over the gravel in a satisfying skid, rolling head over butt as he ground to a halt, twenty feet back now.

Sever cocked his head and observed the distance. “Not bad.”

John glared from Sever to his companion. “You hit my brother.”

Sever stepped forward, bumping the smaller man in the chest and pushing him back. “He needed to shut his mouth, and you both need to get off my land. My lady’s land.”

John stumbled back as Sever pushed him again, but his eyes locked on Lori. “So which is it? Is she your lady really?”

Sever’s lips turned down in a frown because he couldn’t say so out loud with certainty. It would have been easy back when he was just supposed to be pretending. But she was his now, and he hadn’t been able to tell her.

And now, with this asshole staring at him, he wasn’t sure what to say anymore.

He blinked slowly and saw Lori’s face behind his eyelids. Her smile, her twinkling hazel gaze.

“She’s mine,” he said sharply. He folded his arms and glared down at John. “What do you want to do about it?”

John looked at Jud, who was brushing himself off and standing up, staggering toward them while rolling up his shirt sleeves. “Let me at him, that big, stupid—”

“Jud,” John said, putting up a hand. “Not now.”

Smart man, Sever thought.

“She can’t be reasonable, but maybe you can,” John said, folding his arms in a mimicry of Sever’s defensive pose. “Get out of here. Just take them and go. They aren’t welcome.”

“Oh?” Sever said, taking another step forward, bumping the shorter man out of his way. “And what are you going to do about it?”

“This is bigger than you,” John said. “The whole town doesn’t want them here.”

“Yeah, see, I don’t get that,” Sever said sharply, taking another step and backing John up. If he just kept doing this, maybe soon they’d be back at their truck and forced to keep going. “Everyone here is a jerk for not wanting them around, but that’s not their problem. This is their land. They’re gonna stay.”

Jud’s eyes got crazy again as he looked up at the porch. For a moment, Sever thought he was going to try and run past him.

“Little bastard,” Jud said, turning to spit on the dirt. “Stupid slut and her little—”

Sever let out a little exhalation of frustration as he reached forward and grabbed Jud by the shirtfront. He dragged the struggling man into the air, scrabbling at his hands, and then hauled back and threw him as hard as he could.

This time, Jud hit the dirt and rolled all the way over the ground until he bumped into the truck they’d come in and stopped with a thud.

Sever’s heart stopped for a moment, wondering if he’d just killed a human, but then Jud began to stand woozily.

Good. The ground was dirt and still fairly soft, so while Jud would definitely have bruises, nothing Sever had done should have lasting damage.

He wasn’t going to do anything that could land him in jail, not when Lori and Taylor could be watching.

Oh hell, they were watching. What would they think of his explosion of violence?

John shoved a finger in his chest and leaned in with a threat. “This isn’t over. No one touches my brother and gets away with it.”

“Same thing when someone threatens my mate,” Sever retorted.

John just gave him a glare and turned on his heel, storming back to the truck and hopping inside, waiting for his limping brother to do the same. They peeled away, leaving dust in their wake, and Sever stared for a moment in silence.

Then he turned to go back to the porch, where he saw Taylor and Lori staring at him wide-eyed. Lori was frozen and Taylor was gaping, his mouth visibly open in childlike wonder.

Sever sighed and rubbed his neck as he walked back to them, wondering how to explain.

“You hit him,” Taylor said, standing up and staring at Sever. “Why did you hit him?”

Sever looked over at Lori, who bit her lower lip nervously. Had they heard what the jerks had said about them? If they hadn’t, Sever didn’t want to repeat it.

“Because he needed to be hit,” Sever said quietly, sitting back down at the table. “Whose turn is it?”

Lori stood up, leaning over the table angrily. “Wait. No. You just threw a guy into a truck. Are we going to talk about how abnormal that was?”

Sever rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He was a dragon from a long time ago walking around modern times. Nothing about this situation was normal. “I was angry.”

“Lori says it’s bad to hit people,” Taylor said with a grumble.

“It is,” Lori said.

“Not when you need to protect someone,” Sever said, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair defensively. He’d done the right thing and the threat was gone, so why was he the one being questioned?

“I told you he was a superhero,” Taylor said, taking his turn and moving his piece to knock over Lori’s. “Sorry.”

Lori snorted. “No, you aren’t.” She moved her piece and looked at the board thoughtfully. “Taylor, can you give me a moment to talk to Sever?”

“I’m almost an adult now,” Taylor muttered. “I should be able to listen, too.”

“You’re twelve,” she said. Then she shook her head. “It’s not about that. I just need to talk to Sever.”

Sever felt a rock in his stomach as Taylor slowly slumped off into the house, pouting. What did Lori want to say to him?

She relaxed slightly into the chair. “That was terrifying. You could have killed them.”

“The ground was soft,” Sever said flatly.

“What did they say?” she asked. “I know you didn’t want to say it in front of Taylor.”

Sever shifted uneasily on his chair. “You really want me to tell you?”

She nodded. “If it gives me any idea as to why they hate me, then yes, I want to know.”

He leaned his elbows on the table and looked into her hazel eyes, glad to see the worry there was slowly fading. “Where were you before all of this? I didn’t want to ask in front of Taylor, but after what happened last night, I want to know more about you.”

“I worked in a jewelry store,” she said. “In sales. In Houston. About six hours from here.”

“I see,” he said. “So you’re used to the weather?”

“I am,” she said. “I love Texas.” She sighed. “But there are tons of little towns all over this place like Cate’s Creek, and most of them don’t treat people as badly. I’m still not sure why Matt bought land here.”

“Me neither,” Sever said. “It’s not safe. He should have made sure it was safe here.”

“I think he bought it back in college because it was cheap, as some kind of investment,” she said. “Or he won it off someone. I don’t know.”

“This Matt guy sounds like a real mystery,” Sever said.

“I suppose so,” Lori said. “He was good at disappearing. A great friend when he was around. He was always going off somewhere for work or family matters. Leaving Taylor behind with relatives. And then behind for good.”

“He has family, but he left Taylor with you?”

“He said in his note that I was the right person for it,” she said. “He knew I was too softhearted, that I would pick up and move for this.” She leaned her cheek in her hand. “What I didn’t expect was how fast I would fall in love with Taylor.”

“He’s a good kid,” Sever said.

“He’s my family,” she said.

“What about other family? Do you have any in Houston?”

“I do,” she said. “A sister and some nieces and nephews. She was angry with me for leaving.”

“I see,” Sever said. “But it never occurred to you not to go.”

“Of course not,” she said. “Taylor is the son of a man I loved, and he needed me. And Matt wanted this to be his home.”

Sever grunted. “What kind of man just goes and dies and leaves his son unprotected?”

Lori’s eyes widened. “The kind with no choice,” she said. “I can’t believe you would say that.”

Sever felt guilt run through him. Jealousy at the way Lori had talked about Matt had made him uncharacteristically judgmental. “I know.” He ran his hand over his hair, brushing back a few loose tendrils from his braid. “Do you miss your jewelry work?”

“No,” she said. “In fact, I still do some ordering and customer service work from home sometimes. But since it’s summer, Taylor needs me a lot. When he goes back to school in the fall, I can start doing more work from home.”

Something about the whole thing just didn’t sit well with him. No matter how safe he tried to make it here, he didn’t think the town was ever going to welcome them.

And Taylor didn’t deserve to grow up where people hated him.

“Did something happen when you first moved here?” Sever asked.

“No, why?”

“Like Taylor beating up someone’s kid or something? I know he’s grieving, and—”

“No,” she snapped. “Taylor wouldn’t hurt a fly. Besides, he barely knew his father. He’s more just shaken by having everything change.”

“You don’t have to know your father well to grieve losing him,” Sever said.

“I know,” she said. “Wait, why do you say that? What was your father like?”

He chuckled. “That’s hardly here or there.”

“I think it is,” she said, narrowing her gorgeous eyes, a lighter green sparkling in the light. “You’ve been asking questions about me, but I know nothing about you. And after last night—”

“What about last night?” he asked. “Does that change something?”

She closed her eyes slowly, and when she opened them, she seemed angry for some reason. “No. I suppose not. I guess I should go in and check on Taylor.”

“So you are sure you have no reason they would hate Taylor?”

“Maybe because he’s here with me and I’m a weirdo?” she asked, standing with a shrug. “Honestly, Sever, I don’t know. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this when you didn’t want to be, but if you can honestly think we did anything to deserve this…” She trailed off, turning sadly to go into the house, and Sever was up in a moment, trapping her against the door.

“Wait, I never meant it like that,” he said. “It just makes no sense. You two are some of the best people I’ve ever met, and they’re acting like you carry some kind of fatal disease.”

She shrugged. “I’ve always been a little odd. I’m used to funny looks from people.”

“You’re not odd to me,” he said, looking her over, feeling heat come to his gaze as he felt the heat from her body so near to him.

She flushed. “As you said, last night didn’t change anything, so…”

He lowered his head, stopping her attempt at escape and trying to force her to meet his eyes. “Wait. What did you take from that?”

“That I shouldn’t take this seriously. That I shouldn’t—”

He kissed her, silencing her words, trying to soothe the hurt in her tone. When he pulled back, she was pressed to the door, breathing heavily.

“You can’t just keep doing that whenever I question you,” she said breathlessly.

“I don’t want you to doubt me,” he said. “I want you. Last night didn’t change anything, because I wanted you before and I still want you now.” I’ll want you forever.

“I see,” she said. “It’s just... I don’t want to get confused, you know, if this isn’t real. If you’re just—”

He moved forward, pressing her soft, feminine body up against his. He dipped his head to brush his lips along her neck and up to her ear. She shuddered, her legs going weak, and he caught her with one hand at her soft waist. “Does this feel real to you?”

She nodded hastily.

“Then don’t question it,” he said, releasing her slowly when he was sure she’d regained her balance.

“You still haven’t told me what they said,” she said.

He opened the front door and gestured for her to go in ahead of him. “It doesn’t bear repeating.”

“Oh, come on,” she said.

“Let’s just say it was the kind of thing that earns someone a first-class ticket into the side of a truck,” he said, grinning smugly.

She grinned up at him at that, taking his arm to go inside. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Yes, he couldn’t tell her everything, and things were very complicated. But as long as she trusted him, Sever was sure he wouldn’t let her down.

He was the platinum dragon after all.