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“What’s unacceptable is you thinking you have a say in who I spend my time with.”

“You’re a council member. You need some decorum.”

“Oh, and you have some? How many mistresses is it now—two? Three?” Twig leaned closer. He didn’t actually want to make a scene. “You don’t get a say in who I’m with, and if you have doubts about my work as a council member, you’re welcome to bring that up with Killian. I’m not going to resign, and I’m not going to break up with my boyfriend, especially not right after finally getting one.”

“I knew you weren’t a good choice for council member,” Ilias said through gritted teeth. “No one else would have dared say that to me.”

“Maybe not, but they should have. You’re being a hypocrite. You think me being with a human means I can’t do my job well, that I don’t have the composure for it, but as far as I can tell, you don’t either. Maybe you should stop pointing your finger at me and take a look at yourself for a while.”

“You’ll regret that.”

“I don’t think so. I think it was about time I was honest with you. And I’m glad I was. Now we both know where the other stands.”

Twig stepped aside and walked around him. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. He was sure Ilias would find another way to bother him, and that he’d probably run straight to Killian, but Twig was glad to say that wouldn’t be his problem. No, that one would be Killian’s, and as king, Killian would know exactly how to deal with it.

* * * *

TAYLOR WAS ON HIS WAY to the dining hall when he almost collided with someone coming out of the kitchen. He reached out on instinct, even though, given it was a dragon, he’d probably be the one to end up on his ass in a collision. Still, helping was automatic for him, and he plastered a smile on his face, ready to apologize.

Willa blinked down at him. She was looking at him like he was an idiot, and maybe she believed he was. He didn’t need her to like him, though. Twig had made his decision. He’d chosen Taylor. At the same time, since he and Twig were together now, Willa was going to be part of Taylor’s life. He needed things between them to be okay, for Twig’s sake.

Luckily, he was pretty sure Willa felt the same way. She didn’t snap at him or storm off. She didn’t even push him away. She waited for him to take a step back, then nodded, apparently satisfied. “Thank you,” she said.

“I apologize. I was on my way to get some food.”

“That’s what the kitchen is for.” She hesitated. “If you want, I could give you something, so you wouldn’t have to go all the way to the dining hall.”

She was trying. It wasn’t something Taylor had expected, and it was nice. It was clear she wanted things between them to be okay just as much as he did. They might never really like each other, but they didn’t have to. “You don’t have to do that,” he said.

“I know. I’m not offering because I have to.”

It would be awkward, but saying no would be worse, so Taylor nodded. Willa looked satisfied as she stepped back into the kitchen, and Taylor looked around, curious. It wasn’t forbidden for people to go into the kitchens, but any food they wanted was usually available in the dining hall. If someone got hungry late at night, they might come here, but Taylor rarely did.

He liked the dining hall. It was big, built for dragons, and there were always plenty of people to watch. Most of the time he ate with Palmer and Rune, either in the dining hall or in their rooms. That was fine too, and now he’d started eating with Twig as well. He supposed he’d be eating with Willa sometimes too. They’d be doing a lot of things together, for Twig’s sake.

She quickly put together a sandwich, for which he was grateful. She moved around the kitchen like she knew it well, which made sense, given how long she’d worked here. It was as much a home to her as the rooms she shared with Twig.

“Thank you,” he said when she handed him the wrapped sandwich. “I appreciate it.”

She nodded once. She clearly expected him to leave right away, but he felt the need to say something else first. “I also appreciate what you said to Twig. I don’t think he would’ve put distance between us even if you’d told him you didn’t want us together, but it would’ve hurt him.”

“I never want to hurt my son,” Willa said. “I realize some people think we’re too close. Maybe we are. For a long time, I made him the center of my universe. It was the only way for me to move forward.”

Taylor didn’t ask what she meant. He knew. Twig had told him about it, of course, but Taylor had also heard the gossip. He knew the old king hadn’t been a good person and what he’d done to countless dragons.

Besides, Taylor didn’t think there was anything strange about the relationship Twig had with his mother. He himself wasn’t close to either of his parents, but he was close to Palmer. It wasn’t the same, but it was similar enough that he understood.

Willa wasn’t trying to control Twig’s life. She wasn’t trying to be the only important person in it. She was just loving and worried about him, and that was something Taylor could understand.

“But I know he’s an adult,” she continued. “I know he has his own life, and I’m fine with that. In fact, I want him to have it. I want him to build a family eventually, to have everything I couldn’t. If he wants that with you, then so be it.”

She cocked her head, still watching Taylor. “But I’ll be watching you too. I know relationships can hurt someone, whether you mean to or not, but if you ever willingly do anything to hurt my son, you’ll have to answer to me.”

Taylor swallowed. It was a little scary, since Willa, like any dragon, could easily hurt him. Luckily, he had no plans to hurt Twig. “I’ll do my best to make him happy. It’s all I want too.”

She nodded. “Good. But know that if anything happens, I’ll be there for him. I’ll always be on his side.”

“I wouldn’t have expected anything different.”