7
Ayao
Something changed with Sagan.
Something big.
Yes, she had a lot of reasons, and honestly it was more like watching the support beams or braces of a bridge cracking.
Lori. Kole. The media. The other candidates. Whatever happened at the Alpha meeting before we were allowed in.
But then something after was like… The final straw that broke the camel’s back or however that adage went.
My dragon noticed it that morning before I did. Something was different about her—almost in her aura even. I glanced around her and saw… I wasn’t sure. I was a spirit dragon, but we weren’t trained like we used to be and I hated that about our society.
I hated that I had powers that I had no idea how to use and people brushed off as no longer needed. Not just because of technology, but because they weren’t tangible like they didn’t matter because I couldn’t produce water or fire. Spirits couldn’t be seen, so what did they matter?
From what I knew it wasn’t like spirit dragons could ever talk to ghosts, so no one was ever really clear on what we did? I just saw colors a lot around people.
And Sagan’s were all different. Off.
Well, hers were always off from others, mixed in weird ways they shouldn’t be when I paid close attention to her and she looked directly at me. But this was different. This was… Intense didn’t quite cover it.
She didn’t seem so different when we were training. My mouth fell open when she took off. Not the sprints, I’d already seen that, but when she thought there was an emergency and the shop owner was in trouble—she was just fucking gone.
Could she like teleport?
Was that a thing?
I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t the only one who raced after her, and my dragon was not happy how many people were ahead of me. We were competitive, but also he cared if she was in danger more than he should have.
More than it being about our queen and the safety of our country.
Fine, the ancients should beat me. Her uncles and Benson—even Onyx, but Thorn and Joris?
Naw, it was time to get my ass moving.
Even fucking Gavriil and a few others beat me and that wasn’t acceptable.
I was glad nothing was wrong, but then I froze when the shop owner said something really nice and color blossomed all around Sagan. Bright, vibrant colors that almost took my breath away. There was no reason for her to react that sharply for something that nice.
Because vibrant didn’t mean good always. No, a lot of times it meant bad too. It was intense. Always just intense feelings.
And pain was maybe one of the most intense feelings.
She handled it with grace but then tried to excuse herself from the situation and get out of there. She promised to stop by the shop again soon and check on them, hoped sales were going well, and basically had her mask back on.
“Your Majesty, should you be having so many desserts when you’ve finally lost the weight you needed to for your health?” a male reporter called over. “Don’t you think it would be better for the image of Thovudin if you worked on your health as Kyle Elmore keeps pointing out?”
“Hey, watch—” I started to say, not the only one who reacted that way but actually bit my tongue when she held up her hand and focused on the reporter. The others followed what she wanted, and it was honestly a powerful display that at least we would do as we should and let her lead.
“Any day you want to compare how healthy we are with a healer, you let me know,” she practically purred.
“I have more muscle than you and I’m what?
A foot shorter? I’m sorry I have breasts, but if we take those out, I promise you the percentage of fat on my body is less than yours.
Starting with the fact my brain doesn’t have any. ”
“Oh shit,” one of our group snickered.
“And I’m sorry, I turned down Kyle Elmore over a decade ago when he asked me out, but his obsession with me is really unsettling.
” She chuckled darkly when all of us froze.
“Oh, right, he never mentions that. How funny that the supposed comedian who doesn’t make jokes about me leaves out the joke of how he propositioned me when I started college. ”
“What?” Prince Fraser bit out.
She nodded and shot him a glance. “There are witnesses. Many. He was drunk at a party I attended after a lecture. I can prove we were at the same party that night even. I’m photographed all the time.
” She gave a half shrug. “He said it must be embarrassing to still be a virgin at my age and he’d ‘take one for the team’ and ‘show me the ropes.’
“I told him that I hoped he didn’t normally speak to women that way and realized alcohol wasn’t the answer if he was unable to perform with women.
Also, that I was barely of age, so he might want to speak with a healer or maybe a prosecutor if he regularly propositioned women around my age as I found that aspect alone disconcerting. ”
Holy.
Fucking.
Shitballs.
She went nuclear in like thirty seconds, and honestly I had to adjust how I stood because I was turned on that she not only put the guy in his place but slammed him down into it.
And I wasn’t sure if I meant the reporter or the late-night comedian.
She looked directly at the camera with the reporter.
“But please, go ahead and deny it, Kyle. I will finally laugh at something you’ve said before I drag you in front of a truth dragon in court to admit what really happened under oath.
” She snorted at the reporter and looked like she was about to leave.
But then she stopped and gave them a one-two combo.
“And for the record, I’m not lifting the embargo with Khirriln because I’m an alcoholic,” she drawled.
“That doesn’t even make sense. If I had an addiction, I would drink whatever I could get my hands on, not one type of expensive, imported wine with limited runs every season.
If people were smarter, they would focus more on why we ever had an embargo with them. ”
“Because they’re not allies of Thovudin,” one of the reporters shot right back. “Everyone knows that.”
“Everyone?” she challenged with a smirk.
“Sure, so what did they do?” She chuckled when no one answered.
“Apparently, I really do need to push education reform up on the agenda since the only current standard for journalism is whoever yells the loudest.” She didn’t even flinch when they all stared at her like they were going to beat her.
But her guards did.
“The only thing Khirriln did was have three main exports that were the same as certain influential elder families,” she said firmly before ticking off her fingers.
“One owns a vineyard, one a massive dairy farm that makes cheese, and one a company that makes luxury cotton items. And guess what we used to buy mostly from Khirriln before the embargo?”
“You can’t prove that,” one of the cameramen argued.
“Oh, but I can,” Sagan purred. “I have all of King Rhys’s communications and records.
I’ve always known that was why. He didn’t hide it from me.
He used their threats as a lesson in picking your battles and choosing the lesser evils to help Thovudin.
” She gave a half shrug. “But do your homework for once. Look into it. Research something for once and then say I’m a liar. ”
Then she listed off the three family names and the companies before turning and walking away, even giving a wave over her shoulder as she did.
“What did I just witness?” Thorn asked, and I couldn’t have agreed more.
Something seriously happened with Sagan and I had no idea what was going on. It bothered me though.
It really bothered me because I felt like I was looking at a different person almost… And her family seemed worried. The ancient Belinda was equal parts amused and worried.
I did a double take when I saw one of the other ancients studying me in a way that unnerved me. He was a spirit dragon like me and I felt like I’d done something wrong almost.
The meeting was over after that, but there was clearly more to handle. Sagan just didn’t want to deal with any of us or any more idiots from what I’d heard Myriam say.
I wanted to jump right into the next project to keep busy since it would take Benson a few days to get the test flights arranged. I met up with Cosmo to get caught up and realized he was completely in over his head. His education was in architecture, like designing buildings and cityscapes.
But he had no real experience. Fine, he’d interned on construction sites and knew the materials, but… He didn’t know how to manage crews or really anything.
And Sagan was more than fair in saying Rigel did nothing but whine, bitch, and moan. Fucking dipshit.
So basically, I walked into a mess that couldn’t be a mess or the Alphas would try and blame her and take it over—take it from her. But if I fixed it all and made it work, those two assholes could take the credit for it.
“You ever had Khirriln wine?” Sagan asked from my left as I stepped out onto the veranda.
I legit jumped and heard something pop as my head snapped in her direction. She was sitting where I had been before when she’d found me drinking my smuggled cognac.
“I know you like wine,” she said as she extended the bottle towards me.
“Cognac isn’t really wine,” I hedged and moved closer to accept it.
She snorted. “All made with grapes. Don’t be that ‘um actually’ dickhead.”
I snickered, liking this snarky side of her. “You good?” I took a swig when she didn’t say anything and licked my lips before taking another. “Fuck, this is good.”
“Right?”
“Yeah, glad you lifted the embargo.” I smiled when she snorted. “I’m keeping this.”
“Give me my wine,” she grumbled and held out her hand.
“You good?” I whispered as I gave it over but didn’t let go of the bottle.
She searched my eyes and seemed to come to some sort of internal decision. “Would you mate me if it was just us and no feelings involved?”
I assumed I was hallucinating. “What?”