Page 77 of Microburst

“Stop,” I breathed, begging really.

“And there’s only one conclusion I keep going back to that fits.”

My lower lip quivered as my back bumped the wall and I slid to the floor. “Don’t.”

“What did you find that said your parents didn’t want you to be queen, baby girl?” he asked so gently that I knew his heart was in tatters for me.

So the dam that had been holding it all back broke.

20

Onyx

“I asked you not to,” she breathed and then broke right in front of my eyes. She silently sobbed like she’d been trained not to even make noise when she cried, just her shoulders shaking as tears came.

I reached for her, but then she made a noise and begged me not to touch her, that she wasn’t in control when so upset and she couldn’t hurt anyone again. That she couldn’t be the monster they accused her of, and if I didn’t believe her, just ask Benson because she’d almost killed him as a child.

But he was older than her. He was at least my age.

“When she was a child, idiot,”my dragon drawled in my mind.“Your need for answers and to solve the puzzle as a professor will cost us our mate and I will never forgive you.”

I mentally winced, realizing my dragon was right. I hadn’t meant to do that but… Really, I had. More it was that I’d figured it out and I couldn’t keep it from her that I had. It felt like lying.

In a way?

I ignored her warning, picking her up and carrying her over to the sofa and sitting down with her on my lap. I kissed her hair and held her tightly, promising that I thought she was worth so much more than her shitty parents. That they didn’t deserve to be her parents and Rhys was just jealous.

That got a reaction from her which surprised me. She slowly quieted and raised her head. “Do you believe that? Really?”

I blinked at her. “Yes. Oh, baby girl, yes. If you never hear me on anything else, yes. Your father was the most—no one could be better than him, and I—he was jealous of me and that was why we never met probably. I came…”

She sat up. “Tell me. Please? Fraser said that was probably it too, but I never—there are so many lies and I just don’t know what to believe anymore. And now people will forever be so careful about what they say to me because they’re gone.”

I opened my mouth to tell her, but there was a knock at the door. I gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll get dinner and handle everything. I’ll tell you as we eat.” I smiled at Pearl when I opened the door, ignoring the worried look and then warning one like she might strip me of my balls if I hurt Sagan. “She just went to the bathroom and to change into relaxing clothes.”

“Good, she’s had a really rough day.” She cleared her throat and looked past me again. “Don’t read it.” Then she handed me a note for Sagan. “This should help.”

I nodded, knowing full well it was a test but also wondering who would send a note to Sagan instead of just texting her. I thanked her and brought the cart inside, smiling when Sagan was wearing a lounge set with cute little frogs on it. She was clearly worried about me seeing her in something so adorable and that shyness made me want her even more.

“I will always pass the tests and never read your notes,” I told her as I handed it over.

She frowned and took it as she sat at the breakfast nook. She snickered. “Not a test. Yolanda doesn’t like having the trail of texts for certain things and already knows she can trust Pearl with anything.”

“Fine, Pearl tested me.”

She seemed to accept that and burned the note to nothing before unloading the cart with me. She was trying to not make it a big thing, but I could see the trust she was offering me. “She confirmed that Raquel’s flight landed at Treena’s home and she would keep in contact with her, so I don’t have to.”

“I’m glad.” I went over to her kitchenette and got any condiments we might need. “I’m glad someone else came in who so clearly has your back and an outside opinion so people can finally start seeing that they’re being ridiculous.”

“Yes, because gods forbid they ever listen or believe me,” she whispered, sounding heartbroken at that. She seemed happy with the hearty stew we had and all of the sides. It was only the first week of October, but living on the ocean the nights turned cold fast and Thovudin was known for a wide range of stews.

Which apparently Sagan found bland. She sighed and went to the kitchenette, grabbing several things before coming back to the table. She put in a dash of this and a shake of a few things before mixing it up and tasting it. Then she was happy.

“Okay, you can’t leave me hanging after you’ve already changed my culinary life,” I grumbled and pushed my large bowl towards her.

She bit back a smile and fixed mine the same before giving it back and waiting for my reaction.

“It’s excellent,” I said, completely gobsmacked. “Seriously, you had to have been a chef in another life. I can’t even—it’s worlds better.” I looked at what she’d used while she laughed. “You didn’t even use salt. I don’t understand.”