Sagan #2
But right then wasn’t the time for it. I paid attention then instead of tunnel vision on the fight and noticed he followed up my attacks with others to catch them off guard or do more damage.
Once the ancients arrived, the fight was basically done, so I roared to Benson and headed down to the ground. He tried to cut me off and probably demand I return to the castle but… No.
Not this time. We were going to be needed, and I had too many questions I needed answered firsthand.
Plus, I was carrying another dying dragon and I was out of people to like throw it to… Which was why he tried to take it from me, but I was going to see this through.
Two dragons from the ground came up and made it clear they wanted me to drop the dragon I was holding to them. I did and assumed it was the police again.
But I was worried it was the attacker’s help to clean this up before we could find out who was responsible. Call me crazy—or validly paranoid—but it seemed to be how my life was currently.
Luckily, that wasn’t the case. I saw the pile of dragons and a few who had shifted back already cuffed, the interim chief of police on the scene managing it.
I landed and nodded to him before changing back, Iris tired. Not so much from the fight, but the amount of adrenaline that had filled us that there was a fight and people with me could get hurt.
“Avert your eyes,” several people were yelling.
But it was too late, spectators were already taking pictures of me.
I ignored it and headed for the interim chief of police.
“EMS is en route?” Relief filled me when they confirmed it.
“I want two teams of search and rescue to go over where we were above just to make sure no one was hurt in the chaos and cannot report it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied, nodding to someone to handle it.
I swallowed a yelp when Onyx was there and hugged me to him, bellowing for people to stop gawking. I smacked his arm but then realized Thorn was trying to cover me from behind.
“You’re both idiots,” I hissed. “You think holding me while you’re naked is better?”
Onyx ignored me and touched my head. “Medic for the queen!”
I reached up and grabbed his face, swallowing down my need to yell when I saw panic in his eyes. “It’s not my blood. I don’t even have a scratch.”
A woman tried to approach us, but other guards blocked her. “For the queen to wear. These bastards are—Your Majesty, put this on.”
I glanced over and saw she was holding sweats out to me. “Thank you.” I sighed as Onyx still tried to cover me while grabbing them and then dressing me. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Thorn growled, and I was pretty sure I heard others echo.
I pulled away and thanked the woman again, asking her to give her contact information to one of my guards, even flagging one to handle it. “I’ll make sure to get it back to you and with a thank-you.”
The woman blinked at me. “Dozens of dragons just tried to assassinate you, Your Majesty. I don’t give a fuck about the clothes.”
I really liked her but just winked and went to handle what I needed to. I saw police trying to take cell phones and devices and realized I had to get involved… Because they weren’t handling it the right way.
“No, the law is clear. We’re not taking devices to erase anything against their rights,” I said loudly to a bunch of police.
“Take their information, and if anything is leaked illegally as the law says any nude photos cannot be posted, we will investigate. There’s also extra charges if they post them to any place with a sexual nature, which Instagram can be considered that to most.”
That was the right way to handle it. People started giving their phones over to police and asking them to erase everything that could get them in trouble because they didn’t want to be involved when someone else posted them online.
And it would happen. I knew it would.
It was inevitable at this point.
“So much for worrying about Kole having nudes,” I grumbled and turned to handle what came next.
Which was a lot. More than I could ever have guessed… Mostly because of who I recognized. Rage filled every inch of me as I stared down at the now-dead elder.
Yes, it was a fucking elder who had tried to kill Benson and then assassinate me. There was no reason to have so many dragons otherwise. That wasn’t even a slight against Benson, but if he was the only target then—they weren’t needed.
“I don’t care who killed this man—I did,” I told the interim police chief. I shook my head when he opened his mouth. “I did it, and that will be the statement of—”
“You did do it, but please talk with the attorney your uncle provided before making statements like that,” Benson hissed at me under his breath.
“I think it’s great you’re worried about your people, Your Majesty, and that you want to protect the queen, Benson, but we all saw the attack after the queen gave the alert,” he cut in. “There won’t be charges. He also had a warrant out for his arrest.”
I turned towards the elder and rolled him onto his back so I could get a better look.
“Oh, right. He was the one involved with Loraviel on the drugging me plot.” I stood and rubbed my face, wincing when I felt the blood.
“Okay, well, I guess now we don’t have to have a hunt for an elder.
” I glanced around and recognized his mate. “Was this a family affair?”
“Yes,” several people said at once, and I focused on Benson.
“He gathered his whole family to take us out?”
“Us?” one of the policemen locked in on.
“I think you should answer this with less ears later when the adrenaline wears off some,” Belinda said as she gingerly walked over towards us.
I shot Benson a look to keep his mouth shut before hurrying over to her. I glanced around and found a policeman wearing a jacket. “Give it here. Cover the ancients and—”
Someone had already been on the task because Belinda was wearing some Nerthus police sweats a moment later.
Hey, whatever worked, right?
I gave out some more orders and checked in on updates before the convoy from the castle arrived with more police escorts than was needed. I sighed when everyone practically begged me to get back to the castle.
“He had a lot of powerful friends and the news is now reporting it all live,” Onyx reminded me as he gestured over his shoulder.
He said the one thing that made me behave.
“Your guards and the ancients could get hurt trying to protect you if there’s another issue and they think they could get at you. ”
I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing exactly what he’d done… Before heading to the vehicles. I made sure Benson was driving ours and only with Belinda.
“From now until the end of time, you stopped using your power as a void so our side could have the advantage when you realized we were better trained,” I told him, making it clear that it wasn’t open for discussion. No one could ever question why Belinda was able to use magic during the fight.
“As long as she teaches you how to do that when you’re ready because I’ve never even heard of that being possible,” he accepted after a few minutes of us flying down streets.
“I didn’t need your threat, child. I will teach Sagan everything I can for as long as the gods allow me still on this planet,” Belinda drawled. “You made sure my friends are in the vehicles too?”
“Yes,” we both answered, and I reached forward to use the radio to communicate with the castle. “Someone get Raquel and the chefs ready. The ancients got beat up and they’re going to need some pampering. Please and thank you. Whoever needs overtime is approved or—”
“Sagan, I’m fine, child,” Belinda mumbled, sounding half asleep. “You always were such a worrywart when it came to everyone but yourself. I won’t leave you again, my dear girl. I promise. My love is too strong for that.”
I smiled when a soft snore escaped her lips. It was so Belinda of her, but more than that… I believed her. Belinda would never leave me again and that was all I’d ever wanted.
That was crazy when I’d had a mother who supposedly “loved” me though, right?