Page 13 of Microburst

“It’s better he made it real,” the other one comforted.

“Yeah, then you get hit by someone of the royal bloodline. I didn’t want to know the taste of my nose.”

If it was any other day—any other situation even—that would have been too funny, but I was scared as to what crazy was going on now.

And crazy it was.

Ice filled my veins when Treena mentioned Eloise and I was a wind dragon, so that wasn’t how things went. I tried to think ofanythingto say while Maple called Darren for help and sent a carrier pigeon for Belinda when we learned she wasn’t in the castle.

Probably not, but the ancient was going to take the cell phone we’d gotten her if I had to get beaten by her and attach it to her somehow. The fact we couldn’t reach her when Sagan was screaming she had no family and was obviously breaking crushed a part of me.

And then I learned why my niece was dying inside.

We managed to get inside of her suite, and finding her piss drunk was already insane given how composed and put together she was. Hell, I was jealous how royal perfect she always was. I couldn’t ever pull that off and I’d had harsher training than her, my father a monster compared to Rhys.

Oh, how wrong I was about that after what I learned that night.

Darren and then Belinda arrived, and that was what I was waiting for. I couldn’t even feel bad when she used her power to remove the memory of Sagan mentioning Eloise to them. They couldn’t know it.

Especially Velle who none of us liked. She was… Fine, I guess she was better, but she was too prideful. It all stemmed from jealousy and resentment, and that wasdangerous.

Treena was the heir to another country’s throne. One that was our neighbor and we’d had a shit relationship with for over a decade. Fine, it was getting better every day and they were best friends, but that could change in a flash. She would have the lives of all wolves on her shoulders one day.

Her father did now, and if he learned the truth about Sagan’s dragons?

No, never.

The only one I really trusted with it was Myriam. That woman took honor and her word like no one else I’d met, but… Information wasn’t always a blessing or gift.

A lot of times it was a fucking burden, and she clearly understood that when she glanced at Belinda and nodded. She knew what was coming.

Velle argued and said she didn’t consent, bitching it wasn’t her fault Sagan couldn’t keep her mouth shut and the royal family was fucked up.

Treena gave us a sad look of resigned disappointment. She grabbed Maple’s wrist. “If you hurt her or don’t figure out how to really help her, I will claw you all and usemydiplomatic immunity the moment I become queen, even if I don’t remember why. Save her if you won’t let me.”

Maple nodded. “I swear it by royal vow. I love her like my own. We all do. We’ll—I won’t—we can’t lose her either.”

Treena’s nostrils flared. “You should have done moresooner. You might be too late. I’ve never seen her like this, and I’ve seen a lot after how herparentshave abused her.” She bared her teeth at us. “You want to know how Kole was easily able to abuse her? It’s all she’s known. It’s hernormalto be treated like trash by the ones who are supposed to care.”

Then she turned to Belinda and basically told her to get on with it.

Talk about the best way to kick someone in the nuts when they were already upset.

But she was right. Treena was completely right and we deserved it.

Actually, so much more.

When Sagan said she was broke, all I could think was—what the fuck, Rhys?I mean, I’d noticed some weird going on and Maple had made a few comments.

I just… Well, clearly, I’d gotten it wrong, but I had noticed. I’d thought it was temporary. The elders had fucked with Sagan’s inheritance and the logistics of it all getting transferred to her on their way out the door. Holding up the probate or—fuck, I didn’t really think about it.

Was that stupid?

Yes.

Did I now seriously regret that?

Abso-fucking-lutely.