Page 73 of Retrograde

“I’m sorry,” I blurted and rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m not even sure why I did. My dragon is…”

“He’s hurt I didn’t acknowledge whatever he did?” Sagan muttered, studying me in a funny way. Her eyes flashed power and she seemed settled with what she’d said. “What did he do?”

“I was working with the police—you gave me one of the first dragons to set down safely,” I answered and gave a half shrug. “I’m not trained to fight and I knew I would just get in the way or someone could get hurt trying to save me. I dropped out of the way but then saw the problem and came up to help with the bodies.”

I swallowed loudly and looked away, flinching when someone touched me.

Sagan had worry in her pretty eyes. “You did the right thing—the smart thing, Zev. It takes a wise person to know when they’re in over their head and not make things worse. Thank you. I didn’t—I don’t know your dragons.”

I checked with mine and nodded. “Yeah, that’s why. He had your back and you didn’t even know he helped.” I gave a half shrug. We were all from Alpha families and prideful idiots.

I mentally winced as I thought about how much harder it would make things for Sagan. He settled when she praised him again and said if I wanted to talk to Toni about my experiences that day, she had no objections and appreciated that I wanted to help

But then was completely focused on Thorn again, especially when he flicked off his lifting belt.

Yeah, I pouted.

It didn’t help when I got a call a few days later from my dad. I rolled my eyes since I was going to see him tomorrow at the Alpha meeting. Things had gotten messed up with the next one after the coronation because of… A lot.

A lot of shit had happened and then they pushed for her to have introductions with us. Lori drugged her. Kole’s shit. Now the attack.

Yeah, the monthly Alpha meeting kept getting pushed back.

Shocker.

But he called for an update and asked if I’d bedded “the stupid bitch yet.” I didn’t even understand why he was so pissed or what was going on, but I reminded him I was inside the castle with their security, so could he not lose his shit over whatever?

Yeah, wrong thing to say because he went off even worse. He finally hung up when I didn’t say anything with a threat of us “talking” when he saw me tomorrow and I had better get back in line.

Like always, my mother called two minutes later to smooth things over.

“Your father doesn’t mean what he says and is—”

“Yeah, he does, Mom, and you deserve better than he treats you,” I cut in, finally saying what I’d wanted to for a while. “He’s demeaning and abuses you.”

“Your father hasneverhit me or—”

“That’s not the only type of abuse,” I said firmly. “He’s emotionally abusive and treats you like a fucking broodmare, not apartner. He’s so sexist that—”

“That’s enough, Zevran Yousif,” she snapped, trying to use my full name like that would make me feel like a little boy in trouble.

“It is, and I’m disappointed you’re not stronger and able to see it. The lines that he never hits you or you’re treated better than other women in your generation—it’s all bullshit, Mom. Love yourself more, okay? Because you just enable him. You show the women in our family that unacceptable behavior is fine. It’s not. He wants me to treat Sagan that way. It’s gross.”

And for the first time ever,Ihung up on one of my parents. I stared at my phone for a few good minutes in shock.

Then I was just proud of myself.

Maybe I can hide behind Sagan when he comes tomorrow and wants to beat my ass?

18

Sagan

Darren didn’t want me to know about the Alphas warning him that I better pick multiple candidates or there would be problems. He wanted to kick that particular can down the road and we could deal with it later.

I thought it would make things much worse. Velle and Myriam had mentioned a few times that several of the candidates had made comments that, especially after what happened with Lori, the best plan was to keep their heads down and just be one of the lastsix or sevenand then they’d be my mates.

Fuck.