Page 89 of Retrograde

“You didn’t. I’m sorry my dragon—she’ll come around.” I decided to snitch on Iris. “She liked when yours was silly. We’re queen and you’re a pretty commanding guy. That makes her nervous given everything else that’s going on.”

He leaned back and searched my eyes. “And you? How do you feel about my level of assertiveness?” He smiled when my face flushed.

Then he was kissing me.

I kissed him back for a few minutes, but when his hand moved to my breast, I reminded him that we were supposed to be at a meeting. That I was leading.

“Thanks for coming to find me,” he whispered against my lips before standing with me.

Because no one had before. That was what I’d missed when focusing on my own issues with people walking away from me.

I swallowed loudly and gripped his forearms tightly as I stared at his chest. “I will do my best to come after you. I hear you.” I let out a shaky breath. “I showed my parents once that I was different—powers in a way that’s not… They walked away. Mother just cried and walked away. Father—they didn’t talk to me for weeks. I can’t…”

“Me too,” he rasped and hugged me to him. “I walked away though when I saw their reaction and they never came after me. When I came back, they pretended it never happened and things were never the same between Vex and me. That was the day it all changed and…”

“Yeah,” I admitted, blinking back tears. “They were never my parents after that, but my king and queen.”

“I will always come back and never ignore what happened,” he swore to me.

“I won’t ever ignore what happened and will try to come after you.”

We were quiet as we soaked up what was going on, tense but not really awkward. He cleared his throat and kissed my hair again. “Part of me worries this will throw salt in both of our wounds, but I think it could heal us—having someone who understands this specific wound that most wouldn’t.”

“Maybe.” I wasn’t sure about that, but I didn’t know he was wrong either.

We headed to the meeting, but right before we would have arrived he stopped me and gave me a soft kiss. “I’m coming over tonight.”

Iris chuffed, hating when he acted like that.

I was more playful about it. “Depends on how you behave. I don’t think you deserve to spend the night wheneveryonewill know it staying here.” I snorted when he looked busted, clearly wanting to make it clear Joris wasn’t the only one I was close with.

It wasn’t as controlling as it might seem, but he was—okay, maybe it was but… Actually, I didn’t have a fucking clue. I didn’t have enough personal socialization for this type of thing, and I’d been in an abusive relationship before without even knowing it.

So really, I shouldn’t decide much.

Or be in a relationship until I healed from what I’d read.

I swallowed a snort picturing all the Alphas losing their minds if I announced that and put the contest on hold for my emotional health. Seriously, they wouldn’t give two fucks. Even the “nice” ones.

There was so much to handle since the meeting had been pushed back and more had been added to the agenda that we were going to work through dinner. Right before it was going to be served, we decided to take a quick break and stretch our legs—whatever.

“You have a delivery, Your Majesty,” one of the guards informed me. “A large one.”

I immediately perked up thinking it was from the small shop I’d visited after my dinner with Zev. “Bring it in.”

He blinked at me. “In here?”

“Yes, of course, I could use the happy.” And yummy sugar.

Fine, I’d have to share, but I was fine with that if some of the Alphas went to the shop. I needed a full rundown meeting with Myriam of where I was financially after all the funds were seized by the bank from elders now, but it couldn’t be too bad if she’d gotten the fancy credit card, right? Even with all the construction and… It made my brain hurt.

But I needed to give her a few days because the first reimbursement payment had been approved. Everything was submitted to the Alphas of expenses the royal family had been paying that other countries received funds from the government for and all of them had admitted it was ridiculous.

They used their local taxes for upkeep on the Alpha compounds and more. To screw the leader of Thovudin that way was… Yeah, no more.

So that income was going to start trickling in.

Yes, trickling in because while we would make it work going forward, we didn’t currently have piles of money not being used by the government to repay my family. Someone immediately proposed raising taxes and it was difficult to control both Iris and Eloise.