Page 26 of Retrograde

She’d been throughthe same thing!Her parents had downplayed how strong she was. Even Vex and Kole had been beside themselves when Sagan had kicked ass all over the place.

Everyone had been.

“Yeah, it really does,” I whispered, rubbing my hand over her soft skin, realizing we were completely perfect for each other. Others just wouldn’t understand this. “I loved my brother though and my parents—I knew I would have lost my family if I shined over him. So I focused on school and whatnot.”

“But Vex figured it out. He’s not stupid.”

“No, he’s not, and he made it clear that I should go make my own path or he would make one for me and it might be in theground.” I nodded when her eyes went wide. “It took me years to forgive him.”

“How do you forgive that?” she hissed, going to pull away from me, but I stopped her.

“Because I saw how scared he was then too,” I explained. “Years later when I could be objective, I realized he was scared. He didn’t hate me or want me hurt. He was terrified of losing everything.”

She swallowed loudly. “Do you know for sure he wouldn’t have hurt you?” My silence said everything and she shocked me by flicking me in the forehead. “Then you don’t forgive it. Ever, Onyx. That’s a threat to you and—”

“I know. I know, baby girl,” I whispered. “But some of us aren’t as strong as you like that. It was just easier to leave and know I could go back and still had a family. There were just some repercussions then because my dragon was pissed Vex basically cheated by threatening us instead of working harder.”

She searched my eyes, and for a moment I would have sworn two of the highlights in her hair changed from orange to violet, but it must have been a trick of the lighting because I blinked and it was normal again. Weird.

But the topic was emotional and my eyes were even itching.

“You’re like Myriam, aren’t you?” she chuckled when my mouth fell open. “She is one of the most moral and honorable people I’ve ever known, but it’sherhonor, and there is no limit to how far she will go if you cross it. I know she’s killed people. I have, but in self-defense or defending someone. She has because someone crossed her and she made it hurt.”

I swallowed loudly again. “And if I said yes?” I got the shock of my life when she leaned in and brushed her lips over mine. “Why? Why would you accept that?”

Something dark filled her eyes as well. “Do you hurt animals or children? No. You’re willing to go darker than most and peelthe skin off of bad people. I could give you a list of where to start if your dragon needs it, okay? Have fun.”

I kissed her with all I had, maybe completely falling for her in that moment. “Wait, wait, there’s something else I need to tell you that Vex and Kole know now and might throw out there to mess this up.”

“Worse than your dragon is a bad, bad boy?” she teased.

“Fuck, you are perfect,” I chuffed. “But—my dragon reacted to you the day we met.” I nodded when she froze. “He—I wasn’t giving you a line when I said I always planned to pursue you, Sagan. I did. I was going to—you were always going to be mine.”

She searched my eyes. “Swear to me that Kole didn’t know that or—”

“He hadno idea,” I promised and then snorted. I quickly told her about what happened when I went home and how I beat both their asses. I rambled on because I was nervous about what she would say and how I even threw it in Kole’s face just how much she wanted me.

She wanted the truth, so I gave it to her.

And she gave me the gift of seeing her naked body again. She took off her robe andbeggedme to please her, saying I could have her.

Fuck. Me. Hard. She was so perfect.

Instantly, my fingers were in her pussy as I lifted her breast to my lips.

“No, have me,” she whispered, squirming on my lap.

Oh shit.Oh shit. I mentally groaned and realized I was possibly going to do something stupid. I kissed her deeply and kept fingering her. “You said no earlier, baby girl. Pressuring you isn’t—influencing you isn’t consent to me. Not consent I’m okay with.”

She lifted her head and searched my eyes. “That’s actually fucking hot. Really hot.” She panted as she got close. My eyesabout rolled up into my head as she played with her own nipples and rode my fingers.

“You are so gorgeous I will never get enough of you,” I breathed, moaning as she cried out my name and came, her juices soaking my fucking hand.

Sagan De la Rosa was so mine and she just had to figure out how to accept that… Which was hysterical that I kept declaring that after what I’d just said about consent.

Whatever, I was a dragon, not perfect.

“Wait, before you tell me the rest,” she panted against my lips when I went to close her robe. “There’s something I really want.”