Page 29 of Chosen By the Dragon Alien

“Kaelen.” Cyprian’s voice was low. The hint of dragon fire rumbled beneath his tone. His wings tensed. The crimson membranes flared as if preparing to push the ship through the void by sheer force of will.

“Steady,” Kaelen muttered to himself. His sharp golden eyes stayed glued to the monitors. At the last possible moment, he yanked the controls upward, the ship responding with a gut-wrenching lurch. They slid below the final arc of the energy barrier and out into the open expanse of space just as the portal sealed shut with a resounding hum behind them.

They’d made it out of Hevatica Station, but Fivra knew their journey was only beginning.

FOURTEEN

Fivra

The silence that followed was deafening. The oppressive tension eased only slightly as the ship stabilized and Fivra felt the change in weightlessness. If not for the belt and the gravity field it projected around her, she’d be weightless. She let her muscles relax and uncurled her fingers from the armrests. Her nails had left imprints in the soft material.

“That,” Kaelen drawled, unfastening his safety straps and leaning back in his seat with an infuriatingly relaxed grin, “is how you fly out of an Axis lockdown.”

“We barely made it,” Fivra whispered, her voice shaky. Her hands twitched involuntarily. Adrenaline still thrummed through her veins.

Kaelen’s golden gaze slid toward her, sharp and predatory and quite amused. “Barely is still making it. I’ve been in much tighter spots.” He gestured toward the viewport, where the dark shapes of Axis ships hovered. Their scanning beams shifted to the ships remaining in the station as they searched for their prey.

Cyprian, who had remained stone-still throughout the ordeal, finally released his grip on his own armrests. His claws retracted as he exhaled slowly. “If you ever do that again,” he said darkly, his voice like a growl rolling through gravel, “I will personally ensure your next flight is without wings, Kaelen.”

The smuggler’s grin widened, unbothered by the Zaruxian’s threat. “You wound me, old friend,” he replied, his tone dripping with mock offense. “Where’s the trust? I got you out, didn’t I? Not a scratch.”

Fivra’s heart still raced. She turned to Cyprian, her trembling voice barely above a whisper. “Are they going to follow us?”

Kaelen chuckled as he began flipping switches and preparing some sort of autopilot system. “Not a chance,” he said confidently. “By the time those Axis clunkers figure out what happened, we’ll be halfway to my outpost.”

Cyprian didn’t appear ready to relax entirely. His sharp silver eyes cut toward Kaelen. “You’re sure your ship’s cloaking signature held? Any trace of us, and they’ll be on our tails.”

Kaelen spun his chair around lazily, resting his hands behind his head as though they weren’t discussing life-and-death stakes. “Cyprian.” He dragged out the syllables like he was speaking to a particularly dense child. “I’ve been doing this longer than I care to admit. My love here—” he patted the side of the control panel affectionately, “—is a ghost in space. No radiation signature, no thruster trails, not even afekkingsneeze will give us away. The re-sequencer showed the Axis a ship with full cargo and no passengers that wanted to get out fast to avoid a delay.”

Fivra’s brows furrowed as she glanced suspiciously at Kaelen. “But what about the energy sparks when we passed the barrier? Won’t that leave some kind of evidence?”

Kaelen’s golden gaze flicked to her, and his grin softened just slightly. “Clever female,” he said. “You’ve got a good eye. But what you saw was static discharge—a byproduct of the barrier’senergy signature reacting to the hull. It happens so often in traffic jams, the Axis won’t give it a second thought.”

Cyprian’s eyes narrowed, but he finally settled into the seat next to Fivra, his wings folding tightly against his back as though to keep himself grounded. “Let’s hope your confidence isn’t misplaced,” he muttered. His gaze shifted to Fivra, softening. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Fivra said, her voice quieter now, the adrenaline ebbing. “So, how do you two know each other?” She glanced between Cyprian and Kaelen.

Kaelen’s grin widened, flashing those sharp teeth. “Ah, the Director and I go way back, little one.”

“Too far back,” Cyprian muttered, leaning into his seat and crossing his arms.

Fivra tilted her head, curious. “You were a client?”

Kaelen winked. “Occasionally. Back when Erovik was new to me and your Zaruxian protector, here, introduced me to acourtiawho captured my heart.”

“You fell in love?” Her brows furrowed. She couldn’t imagine this male having soft feelings for anything but his ship, which he’d called “my love.”

“Utterly.” Kaelen propped his boots on the edge of the console. “Did Cyprian, here, tell you I ran his deliveries, too? I was a purveyor of everything refined. Rare liquors, obscure delicacies, other things we shall not mention—”

“Thank you,” Cyprian cut in.

“Anything the Axis couldn’t supply,” Kaelen continued. “It’s not uncommon for stations like Hevatica to attract generals, diplomats, and trade lords. Erovik kept their tastes satisfied.”

“And Kaelen got paid handsomely,” Cyprian said.

Kaelen shrugged. “My trades kept Cyprian ahead of his competitors.”

“And the Axis didn’t interfere?” Fivra asked.

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