Page 72 of Retrograde

“He’s a much better option than her!”

“Yeah, she just has to die for him to take over and he—”

“So what? Good!” he yelled. “It wouldn’t be a loss or anything bad if she died. We’d be better off than some freak whose own parents sent her off and—”

“Okay, let’s cut to a commercial,” the third guy finally interjected. “And reset—cut to something else.”

The woman snorted. “And we’re too emotional and can’t handle ourselves? A few holes poked in your stupidity and you admitliveon air that you want the queen to die. And you’ve looked down on me for years as being dumb?”

It finally hit the guy what he’d said and he went pale.

“Oh fuck,” I chuckled as the live news broadcast cut to a commercial. I texted what I’d just seen to Myriam and even Andra since she could probably talk to Sagan faster than I could.

Luck was on my side because I caught Sagan at the gym the next morning and there weren’t a bunch of people like normal. She was never alone, but most of the candidates had stopped hanging around there constantly trying to catch her.

They probably realized it was creepy and she never even talked to them, just ignored their staring. It creeped me out too like they were trying to get information on her rather than actually get to know her.

“Good morning,” I greeted, careful not to be loud or distracting as she bench-pressed what was way more than it looked. I didn’t take offense when she basically grunted, Belinda and another ancient taking over her training and pushing her harder.

I did wait until she was done with that set though so she could talk to me.

Belinda studied me. “He has something interesting. Take a longer break after this set.”

I studied her right back. “How much do you see? Or is it like telepathy?”

She snickered. “I don’t tell my lovers that, child.”

Fair enough.

Sagan sat up and wiped her face with a towel as she gave me a look to say what I wanted to.

So I did.

“I sent Myriam the information about the female news reporter pushing back against some bullshit report and how it went off the rails—”

“I caught it,” Sagan told me as she stood and stretched. “It was wild, but good on her. There are rumors she’s going to get fired.”

I snorted. “Sounds like fun for Darren’s attorney to start a wrongful termination lawsuit.” I smiled when amusement danced in her eyes, clearly already planning the same. “I think some of the people who were there at the attack should go on the record and talk about what it was like. Not details, but how it felt to be there in that moment and how real it was.”

I went on a bit more but frowned as she kept glancing behind me. I checked and saw it was Thorn… And he was practically eye-fucking Sagan.

Who was just as into it.

I moved so her view was completely blocked since I was so much taller and made it clear that I didn’t like what was going on.

But she gave me the same look back and I shrank away from her with just that look. She really was queen and the boss of us all. The annoyance in herauramade me cringe and back down.

“I hear what you’re saying and it’s an interesting idea to bring up to Toni,” she said, moving on and not focusing on what I’d done. “But you can’t just push people—you don’t know what it was like for the people there and they could feel pressured to—”

“Iwasthere, Your Majesty,” I chuffed, upset for some reason. A few even. My dragon was too.

She blinked at me but then sighed, somewhat dismissively… While holding up her hand to the left.

I glanced over and winced when I saw guards were closer to us than before.

“You can’t just fucking chuff at the queen,” Thorn growled, suddenly there and blocking Sagan.

“I don’t need your help, thank you,” she grumbled and shoved him a step over so I could see them both.