Chapter 19
Sagan
The response to the interview was immediate and the range was so wild that I had whiplash reading or watching it go from one extreme to the other. First, it was a report that I was basically a degenerate spitting on our whole society to dare question the elders.
Two guesses who that came from?
Yes, a man. And of course all the elders were men. That wasn’t inherently sexist or anything either.
Others thought the situation was unfortunate, but it was worse that I aired all that “dirty laundry” to embarrass the elders and Alphas when I was an outsider… Like I wasn’t born of the bloodline of the first ruler of the nation and had been adopted from another country or something.
Then there were those who said they felt bad for the men to have to compete for me when I wasn’t really a catch—short, overweight, and clearly an issue if so many were trying to get rid of me so fast.
There was a huge group of people though who were in an uproar and horrified to learn all of this. The hilarious part though?
They were our allies, not citizens of Thovudin.
Yeah, really.
Protesia put out a statement that they were beyond disgusted and offered to send me aid should I need it and we weren’t really even friends. Same with Bodach.
Milvid where the mermaids lived. To the world, we were great allies and they were in an uproar, but I knew their leader and my father had almost come to physical blows once.
So… That was interesting. Nyathar—the country of sirens that shared a continent with the mermaids—were our allies but would have taken everything of ours if they could in a heartbeat.
But their whole government were women. It was in their laws that only a female heir could rule and so this level of sexism was beyond their understanding and they were very vocal about how ridiculous it was.
The trolls, rhinos, griffins, and an array of feline species leaders were all making loud statements about how behind Thovudin was in the times.
And they were not only disgusted but disappointed.
They hadn’t thought this of dragons and doubted Father had hidden it, but that people had hidden it from him.
But it made them reconsider their dealings with our nation going forward. That gave people pause. Not me or my feelings or morality or sanity, but a list of nations getting upset on my behalf made people revisit their quick and harsh opinions of me and what I’d done.
A few Alphas had spoken out in defense of themselves and were basically trying not to piss me off, but saying that I’d blown their reactions out of proportion.
That I’d been grieving and not able to handle the situation properly—completely undermining me and painting me as a fragile female making the situation and my relationship with them worse.
Something I clearly needed to handle and definitively.
Lovely.
But others wisely waited to respond until getting the temperature of reactions, so several admitted their fault and apologized. That they agreed they were over the line but believed their family member would help protect me and the future of Thovudin, not simply be prince for them to brag about.
At least they are all throwing the elders under the bus and helping me there. That’s better than it could have gone.
I tossed my tablet aside and had another long drink of my wine.
Yes, of course I was drinking.
My second bottle even.
Could anyone blame me?
They probably would, but… Fuck them.
Fuck everyone.
It was Saturday night and I was beyond exhausted. I’d been fielding calls and more for over a day and doing my best not to tell people off as they basically lectured me for breaking my promise to keep things quiet.
When had I promised that?
I hadn’t. And I reminded them of that. Also, that I could have told the full truth, named people, and shown video, so they meant to thank me, right? If they weren’t insane, they should thank me next time they saw me.
Or there was no chance I’d consider their family member if they would obviously teach them such low morals and how to behave.
Petty?
Yup, but it was the only weapon I currently had.
Actually, I had another one. I set down my wine and rolled over to grab the fob Onyx had given me.
My long hair was wet and stuck all to me and my silk robe, but I was too tipsy to care.
The hot shower and soak had helped my stress, especially when Darren told me Vex wouldn’t talk about Kole until the current mess had passed.
So he was trying to see if I’d beat his ass too? Or did he think this could end the mating prospects competition and he could just push Kole on me?
I wonder how Onyx would respond to that?
Or this fob. What was the point of this? I pressed it and he called me?
The thought of his deep voice made me shiver. It had been so nice, and even if he’d ended with telling me something I hadn’t wanted to hear… It had been nice.
I realized I’d pushed it without meaning to.
“Fuck,” I whispered and then mentally yelled at my dragons, asking which of them had been a brat. They both basically pointed at me and reminded me to grab my phone for when he called.
Except he didn’t.
“Right, of course it meant nothing,” I grumbled as I tossed the fob aside. My head snapped up when I heard something in the hallway and then I scrambled to sit up as it came to outside my door.
And then my door flew open, Onyx standing there looking ready for anything.
He did a double take, his pretty green eyes going wide and then looking over his shoulder. “She’s fine. False alarm.” He shoved someone back and tried to close the door again.
With him inside my room though.
“I need to hear the princess is fine,” someone snapped.
“I’m fine,” I called out. “I have no idea—”
“She’s fine,” Onyx growled, moving to block the doorway. “My mistake.”
“You don’t have permission to be—”
“It’s okay,” I interjected. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s—it’s fine. Thank you, but it’s fine. I’ll speak with him.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard agreed.
I quickly thanked whoever before Onyx closed the door and turned to me.
He studied me and then cut a glance to the fob on the bed as he approached me. “You were testing me?”
“No, um—no, I thought…” I cleared my throat and then realized where his gaze was focused.
Namely, on my robe that was hanging open too much. Now I understood why he was so quick to block the view of others.
“Sorry,” I whispered as I went to fix it. I flinched when his hand covered mine. He moved to let me close it, but his skin was warm and it was ridiculously intimate given I was kneeling on my bed in only a robe in front of him.
“Why are you sorry when I’m staring at your body like a cad?” he murmured, meeting my gaze.
I felt my face flush and cleared my throat. “Sorry you had to see…” I looked away.
He chuffed. “See what?” He chuffed again when I didn’t answer. “How huge your breasts are?”
I swallowed loudly. “Sorry.”
He grabbed my chin and made me look at him, rage in his eyes. “Did he make you feel insecure about your body? Did he say something about your breasts?” He wouldn’t let me pull away and instead moved closer, his touch gentler. “Tell me, baby girl. Did Kole put down your body?”
“They’re not like normal dragon women,” I whispered, closing my eyes and trying not to die of embarrassment.
“No, they’re fucking glorious,” he whispered as he leaned into me, his lips brushing my cheek before pressing them to my ear.
He was tall enough to be able to touch the bed as I sat back on my feet and still hover over me that way somehow, making me feel small, but yet he felt too big.
“I’ll fucking kill him for hurting you and making you feel insecure. ”
I pulled my chin away and met his eyes. “They all do—did. It’s why I hide them.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Who is they?”
I couldn’t get my mouth to work and just frowned. “You’re not making sense.”
Something dark filled his eyes but also sadness? “You have no idea how much I enjoyed the glimpse I got of your gorgeous breasts and everything I want to do to them, baby girl. If you doubt me, show them to me and I promise you that will explain everything.”
“What?” I gasped. “You’re his—”
“This has nothing to do with being his family and everything to do with your lover abusing you so you didn’t understand how desirable you are,” he bit out.
“Why are you mad?” I whispered, beyond confused. “Why did you come racing in here?”
He leaned away and then his gaze cut to the nightstand. “You’ve been drinking too.”
Too? Oh, that was whiskey I smelled on his breath. Fair enough.
I nodded. “It seemed like the time for wine.”
He snorted and then cupped my cheek. “That glimpse of your breast was the greatest sight I’ve ever gotten of any breasts ever. I don’t want to be even more crass, but—show me and let me erase any lies he told you. Please?”
Either the stress of my situation or just everything I was dealing with maybe made me crack because I honestly considered it.
Then something horrible hit me. “You make me want to be petty. I’m sorry.”
Shock flashed in his eyes, but then for some reason he smiled.
“I don’t care.” He nodded when I flinched.
“Be petty with me. I accept it. If that’s what it takes to be near you, I don’t care.
Use me as revenge or to get back at him.
Fuck it. Let it out and—I don’t care.” He ran his thumb over my lower lip.
“But I cannot stand he wounded you this way. Show me.”
So I did. I loosened the belt a bit and let my robe slip off my shoulders enough that he could see my breasts.
He kept my gaze for several moments before looking down. His nostrils flared and he actually licked his lips. “I’ve never seen better. You have the most perfect fucking breasts. They are fucking art, baby girl.”
“You’re—”