Sagan #2
That irked me and I ran my tongue over my teeth. “For starters, control your beloved son because he just sent me so many texts with threats and more that I had to stop reading them all.”
She was quiet a moment. “I’m sorry that someone is playing a distasteful prank on you, but Kole is—”
“Your family needs to stop insulting my intelligence because everything I’ve done so far is defensive and trying to preserve my reputation,” I warned coldly.
“This is my last favor before I attack and he will be dead. Even I know when it’s a spoof of a number.
He said things no one else could know, including he has nudes of me that he’s going to release. ”
She didn’t respond right away again. “I find it hard to believe you allowed something like that to be taken.”
I pulled the phone away before I started cussing her out and took a calming breath.
“I didn’t, but there’s this thing called technology and he could easily fake them.
He made it clear he’d rather face jail for releasing nudes of me than admit he’s told lies.
Except he’s threatened my life. Repeatedly now, and what’s the punishment for that? ”
“Death. I’m well aware it’s death.”
“Good, I wanted it clear what’s on the table because I’m considering reporting it and—”
“Over some texts? You cannot be that petty and—”
“Petty? You think I’m being petty? Are you out of your…
” I let out a slow breath. “This unhinged ranting is upping everything, and I will not risk Thovudin, my family, my castle—any of it for Kole and his madness that I stole his crown from him. He’s threatening to bribe candidates to rape me and tape it. I’m not being petty!”
She tried to argue some more, so I got pissed and took screenshots and sent them to her.
“Read them. Read some of what your son has said to me—a woman who ended things because he was abusing me. That’s what I did.
That’s all I did. Everything since your family has ‘suffered’ has been because of what he and Vex have done.
Vex should have helped end it calmly when Father wanted to. Get involved at any point—”
“I understand,” she said flippantly.
Wrong move. It was the wrong move for her to be flippant with me. “You now have knowledge and are liable if you don’t stop this as the Alpha Mate of Applerest. I wish I—never mind. This was a mistake, and I’ll be showing this to my attorney and the police. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Fuck her.
Like fuck her hard.
I swallowed a snort as she hurried to call my name before I could hang up.
“I will handle it. Don’t show anyone.”
I was quiet a moment. “You’re just as bad as Kole and Vex. No, you’re worse because you’re a woman and you said nothing hearing about all he did to me. Now you pretended it wasn’t as bad knowing this would be Kole’s head. You’re disgusting.”
“I’m protecting my family,” she bit out.
“Protect them then because Kole will never be Alpha now. I won’t ever confirm him after faking that video and now this.
Ever. So protect what your family can still have because I’m ready to burn it all down, and unlike your son, I am a fire dragon and powerful enough to do that.
Do you understand? Do you fully understand now how far this has gone? ”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty, and I will handle it. You have my word. I will not risk my mate’s position and the futures of my other children. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
And then the bitch hung up on me. She actually had the gall to hang up on the fucking queen.
“Nope, no, no fucking way,” I seethed, both of my dragons about to lay waste to that family and—it was bad.
Like bad.
I texted Benson that I needed to fly and to be prepared for my dragon to misbehave because I was trying not to lose my temper. Then I went and found the one person I knew I could trust with this.
I knew now that I could trust him with almost anything.
My uncle Fraser had really stepped up. His trip to Bodach to present a pin to Treena’s father was a huge success.
He made it clear it was completely at my request, and even my biggest haters had made a point to say my priority of having better relations with our neighbors was smart.
It also helped from what Treena had told me on their side. The threats against their family had chilled some, and people were realizing that it wasn’t Bodach I wanted the friendship with, but their family, and they could risk my wrath if they tried to take them out.
Which was the point, so I was glad that worked out. It also raised Fraser’s stock. He was seen as more than Father’s backup or a spoiled prince. He was now the responsible uncle of the queen… Even if there were whispers maybe he should take over now that he’d grown up.
Which he’d shut down.
Publicly.
Loudly.
Definitively.
So yeah, I trusted Uncle Fraser completely. Especially now that Treena and Myriam made it clear he would go to the mat for me.
“That’s not a happy face,” he worried when I found him looking over papers in Father’s study. He used it when Darren was gone and honestly, we needed to renovate so they had their own space like that. Maple too.
Me as well.
The list never fucking ended, okay?
“No, and it’s bad,” I warned him. “I’ll show you, but I’m not ready to report it.”
Darkness filled his eyes. “That little fucking maggot threatened you after he was served the lawsuit, didn’t he?”
“Well done, because I hadn’t thought he’d be this stupid,” I grumbled and handed over my unlocked phone with the messages pulled up.
“I didn’t read them all. I couldn’t. I couldn’t…
” I swallowed loudly. “I read enough. I called his mother and it didn’t go well.
She—fucking bitch hung up on me after saying not to be petty about texts. ”
Fraser nodded as he scanned them and then shocked me when he pulled out his phone. “I need to fly. Now. Handle it however.”
“What is going on, Your Highness?” Benson worried from the other end of the line. “The queen just told me the same—”
“Get it done, Benson,” he cut in and hung up. He read on and then carefully set down my phone face down. “Promise me you won’t read the rest, okay?”
I swallowed loudly. “What could be worse than bribing prospects to rape me?”
Oh, something so bad that Fraser looked like he might shift right there. His dragon was moving behind his eyes and… It was bad.
“Let’s go fly and then figure this out.”
“I know how to handle this. It’s time to remind those fuckers that I have diplomatic immunity. I’ll fly out—one of the planes is fixed, right? Completely cleared?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if the runway is done?” I hedged.
“All clear came back Saturday. Repaved or… Whatever the flight terms are. The hangars are being repaired and—it’s fine to take off and land. I just didn’t know if any planes were cleared.”
“Yes, but I don’t know if the fuel tanks—one was leaking.”
“There is not a hole of misery deep enough for those bastards,” he seethed.
I couldn’t have agreed more.
We flew hard and it was exactly what I needed. I saw how much better the Queen’s Guards handled everything and plotted it all out. They’d definitely been upping their training—Benson as well because he managed to stay with me for a bit.
But it was still fun to leave him in my dust.
Fraser was impressive. He was faster than I remembered and I couldn’t hide my surprise when we landed.
“You’re not the only one stepping up and getting ready for these never-ending threats, kid,” he teased under his breath.
Once we were both covered, he leaned in and kissed my hair.
“I’m going to send it all to my phone, and then please delete it off of yours, okay?
Block him and delete it. I will handle this. ”
“Thank you. Really.”
I let out a slow breath as I watched him walk away. He was the real threat needed for sure.
“I need to know, Your Majesty,” Benson said quietly. “Please stop leaving me out of things that I need to know to protect you.”
That was fair this time. I told him the same thing I did Fraser and let him see.
And he had about the same reaction, making sure that I didn’t read it all and the rest. It left me with one question.
“Seriously, what could be worse than what I already read?” I asked.
“I don’t know the scale of worse, but it’s more perverse and grotesque and you don’t even need the mental images of something so fucked up,” he answered in a whisper. “Just don’t, okay? Please?”
I agreed and he handled it with my phone, getting it all to Fraser and backing it up just to be safe. When he handed me back my phone, it was gone and Kole was blocked.
“I’m sorry you’re suffering through this,” Benson whispered, leaning in a little too close.
Then he was gone. He just… Drive-by affection?
Men really were going to be the death of me.