Sagan had a light lunch ready given the time, the sitting room formal but inviting as well. She’d excused the others and ignored when they weren’t happy about that. Once we were settled with plates, she pounced.
“I was glad to see you could get away given the lockdown you’ve been under for the past few years.”
And then she checked if I wanted anything off the tray near her.
Cute.
I chuckled and sat back in my seat. “It must really be bad if you start that way to make it clear that you’re not coming to me with your hat in your hands and you know how fucked my situation is too.”
She didn’t react at all, the perfect mask of royal training… But my tiger smelled more than dragons could. She realized I knew more than she wanted and cleared her throat.
“I’ll be blunt then,” she hedged as she fixed her tea. “We were never friends, but we were never enemies. In another life, we might have been friends if our families weren’t polar opposites. We…”
“I’ve always respected you,” I offered frankly. “You practice what you preach, and even if you’re a bit high and mighty, you hold yourself to the same standards.”
She rolled with it. “And even if you come from violence and crime and are fine with that, there are firm lines you’d never cross. Mostly, we both believe in our word and honor in a world where few take it seriously.”
“Agreed.” I waved her on. “Sagan, spit it out before you get an ulcer. Seriously, whatever it is, it can’t be as bad as what I’m scenting from you, and I might love it if you’re bringing up my situation. Fuck, throw whatever at me if you’re planning to help me get out of it.”
“I’m broke,” she admitted. She sighed when I dropped the sandwich I’d just picked up. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “It gets worse.”
“Worse than the royal family of Thovudin being broke? Likehow?How did that happen?”
She reached up and quickly wiped her eye. “I’m not really sure and haven’t been able to dig it all out—piece it all together,but I’m very sure it was done intentionally by our corrupt elders.” She let out a shaky breath. “I’m not just broke, but my parents owed so much money it’s—it’s worse than what you’re scenting off me, Myriam.”
“Shit,” I hissed, the food and everything else in front of me completely forgotten. “What are you going to do?” I frowned. “What do you thinkIcan do to help? There’s no world where you want to borrow money fromFatheror get involved in his business.”
“No, none,” she confirmed and rubbed her neck before studying me closely. “You’re a woman of numbers. We all knew it. You would—you’re amazing at handling books and—any project, you were all over that with ease.”
I was still missing too much. “You want me to help pull you out of the red? Yeah, sure, I can more than handle that and managing the crisis, but that still means you have to have income coming in to...” It was a full minute that I swore my brain disconnected.
And I knew why she’d come to me specifically. I was one of the few who’d ever seen Sagan full-out fight. I knew just how amazing and lethal she was when that was a closely guarded secret.
She nodded to confirm it. “Plus, you won’t judge me.” She winced. “Though now I’m a hypocrite after you just said I was moral and that breaks something inside of me to—”
“Hey, hey, Sagan, it’s okay,” I whispered when I smelled way too much from her. I actually moved my chair closer and placed my hand over hers, shocking both of us. I waited until she met my gaze. “You’re grieving and have obviously been fucked over on different levels. We weren’t friends, but I do respect you. Talk to me. Seriously, don’t carry this alone.”
Apparently, that was exactly the right thing to say because she turned her hand over to hold mine and the floodgatesopened. I thought hearing she was broke and in serious debt shocked me, but learning the rest?
Holy. Fucking. Shit. Balls.
Like… My mind just exploded.
“You’re so in over your head,” I whispered, wincing when she shot me a look ofno shitand clearly didn’t appreciate me pointing that out. “Sorry. Really, more just—it wasn’t judgment.”
She accepted that with a quick nod. She squeezed my hand before letting it go and focusing on the food. “I apologize for using you as a reference without talking to you first—using the phrase you never told me I could. I was…”
“Desperate,” I sighed. “It’s forgiven.” I nodded when she did a double take. “Sagan, you just buried your fucking parents. You get a pass. And like—this all just happened. When did you even find out about the fight to pull this off?”
She winced. “Like lunchtime yesterday?”
I whistled. “I’m honestly impressed you pulled that off. Seriously. You got in and—wow, Sagan. Nicely done.”
She bobbed her head, but I smelled the worry pouring off of her. “I didn’t get any of the money yet though. I don’t know if I just blew my one chance to do this since I didn’t walk away with the money or—I think I messed up.”
I asked for the card the guy had given her and studied it, not hiding my shock. “This is legit. He’s a main player. You lucked out. This is a real debt card. We use these. It’s—you’ll get your money.” I flipped the card over between my fingers and decided to bring up the one thing I never did after that night. “You were able to do this because your dragon is purple, right?”
She swallowed loudly but kept my gaze. “It’s best you not push on that, Myriam. Truly. I’m taking leaps trusting you with this huge secret, but even the man I sleep with doesn’t know anything about that.”
