Sagan #2
“It will affect you later on. Your kids. Your family. All our futures if you keep acting like this.” He shook his head when people shouted questions again.
“I’m not a BLEEP child! I can ask for advice when I need it.
I have and will from people I trust, not the priests—most of whom don’t mate, so what the BLEEP do they know about mating and a partnership?
“Nothing. That’s the answer. They know nothing, but they want to get their claws into us, and I would rather drown myself than ever be a puppet.
Or be the vessel who hurts the queen who never stops working to help all of you.
And you don’t even BLEEP deserve it. You just—you’re all disgusting.
I don’t care who tries to require me to talk to whomever. Suck my BLEEP.”
I covered my face and turned away trying to control myself, but the laugh slipped out. I met Maple’s gaze and then it grew when she broke. Treena, Myriam—most of the women and a lot of the men in the room laughed too.
I glanced at Ayao. “Was it suck your dick or suck your ass?”
He cleared his throat. “Cock. I completely blew my lid.”
I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Yeah, it happens. This—it’s so creepy that they want you all to sit for meetings with whoever the new high priest will be like we don’t know what is happening.”
“Especially because I’m not religious and have issues with the temple,” he grumbled. “I’m sorry, it’s a particularly hot issue for me and—I can explain more to you privately, but—I’m really sorry, Sagan. Really.”
People froze that he called me that in the meeting like that.
I ignored it, realizing this had something to do with his mother and he was truly upset. “I’m more annoyed they will brush off your swearing like that and people still talk about my tantrum interview.” I studied him. “We need to get on the same page about this.”
“I agree,” he said firmly. “None of us want to do those interviews. We need to be—I know you keep saying it’s not a competition, but in a way it is, but it’s not—you’re not a prize. But that’s what even normal mating…” He looked at Treena for help.
She nodded and glanced at me. “Even in Bodach, it’s said in the media that when one of us comes of age, the competition for mating us begins.
All the eligible whoever start peacocking for our attention and being paraded around us.
They’re not wrong and you are the prize.
You are, not being prince. That’s the problem. ”
I sighed. Heavily, and nodded. “I hear you. It’s just all so gross.” I glanced at Ayao and gestured for him to sit.
But at least his blowup—while amusing—was also useful.
All the Alphas and candidates agreed to putting out a joint statement that the meetings with whoever was the new high priest wouldn’t happen.
The temple had nothing to do with my mating, never did, and all of us were outraged by their continued insistence on trying to insert themselves into the situation.
Especially when they never had before and had absolutely nothing to do with my parents’ courting.
“I understand that you’re all—fine, it’s a competition in some ways, but this all needs to be the same team in other ways,” I said firmly as I gestured to the whole room.
“It needs to be the team of what’s best for Thovudin’s future.
I will do my best to preserve your pride and not make any of you look bad, but you have to stop being so selfish.
“I’m not accepting multiple mates when it’s reported I’m a whore.
You’re not even trying to fix that and then telling Darren there will be war if I don’t do it.
” I stared down the problems specifically.
“That won’t be the outcome. You’ll be out because the sane Alphas won’t risk the future of Thovudin for your family member to have power over me and their areas. ”
That was the right button to push. It was so clear that was the right button that it was like I saw all the light bulbs go off over their heads.
It would almost have been amusing if the situation wasn’t so fucking important and exhausting.
Right before lunch, I brought up what else I wanted to handle.
“I’m not picking on anyone—though I’m less than thrilled how some people have treated me for not knowing their dragons,” I said, and tried to keep my voice even.
“But it made me realize that we introduced our people to each other and yes, we should meet our dragons. If I had been in charge of all of this, both would have occurred before candidates were assigned to me.”
I focused on Rigel, basically making my point that he would never have made it past the introduction.
Dray stood and held up his hand to hold off everyone else. “What are you saying, Your Majesty? Are you saying you wouldn’t have—what are you saying?”
I smirked at him. “I’m saying I would have had lunch or dinner with all of your single male family members and gone from there, Alpha.
Flown with them as my dragon and seen who could have maybe been someone that could fit or had a chance.
Instead, all of you decided you knew me so damn well that you picked based on your pride. ”
“And most of you blew the chance because of it which is why there’s no chance she’ll mate seven of the sixteen here,” Maple drawled. “Even if there are seven decent ones that are worth mating the Queen of Thovudin, their personalities won’t match. You should have checked that first.”
I tapped my nose and pointed to her.
“Women really should rule the world,” Belinda cracked. “Well, at least one does Thovudin now.”
I wasn’t the only one who laughed at that… Which was kind of horrible given how I’d gotten the job.
Oh well.