Page 39 of Chosen By the Dragon Alien

His massive eyes, once molten silver with streaks of fire, remained closed. His mighty body, which had defied the Axis and the frozen temperatures of the moon, now lay still, as if the weight of the battle had finally crushed him. Fivra’s chest ached with a grief that threatened to consume her, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—accept that this was the end.

“Do something,” she hissed at Kaelen, glancing over her shoulder with desperation.

Kaelen’s golden eyes softened as they shifted to Cyprian’s battered form. “I’m a smuggler, not afekkinghealer. If we can get him on the ship, we can warm him up, but all I have is a basic medbay.”

Fivra turned back to Cyprian. Her hands traced over the ridges of his angular snout. Her knees protested at being pressed into the frozen ground, but Fivra ignored the discomfort.Overhead, the distant rumble of a ship’s thrusters cut through her focus. Slowly, she looked up with dread.

Kaelen’s sharp gaze snapped upward. “Fekme sideways,” he muttered, gripping his weapon and stepping closer to Fivra. “They’re landing.”

The ship that had appeared from nowhere to destroy the Axis vessels earlier now descended upon them. Up close, it was overwhelming in its magnitude. Unlike any ship she had ever seen, it shimmered faintly like liquid shadow. Its surface seemed to drink in what little light the moon offered. Giant stabilizers unfurled from its underside, sending massive blasts of hot air and steam across the barren surface as it began its landing sequence.

“Hmm.” Kaelen’s posture shifted. He positioned himself protectively near Fivra. “So, here’s hoping they’re friendly.”

Fivra didn’t respond. Her fingers dug into Cyprian’s scales. Her gaze locked on the massive ship as it settled into place. As the vibrations below her feet steadied, the ship released a loud, resonating hiss, and thick ramps began extending down from its hull. They weren’t like any docking ramps she’d seen—they were more like bridges, intricately patterned with ancient glyphs.

It wasn’t just the size of the ship that sent a chill racing down her spine. No, the reason her chest now felt impossibly tight was that the ship—it lookedfamiliar. The sharp angles, the fortress-like structure carved into its sides. The massive metal doors seemed more like gates. This ship was an uncanny reflection of the overseer’s fortress back on her settlement.

Fivra’s breath stuttered in her chest. Her hands trembled. Was this a coincidence? A cruel trick of the universe? Or had the overseer found her,somehow,crossing the expanse of space to reappear in a moment she couldn’t make sense of?

Kaelen muttered behind her, his voice tight with suspicion. “That’s like no ship I’ve ever seen.”

Fivra’s pulse quickened as the ship’s massive metal doors split open. Out stepped two figures. The first was tall and broad, radiating an aura of control that made her gape in surprise. His wings—a deep, shimmering purple—spread out slightly, as if ready for an altercation. The angular lines of his face were so familiar it nearly stole her breath. It washim. The overseer.

That ship, that fortress-like design—it wasn’t just reminiscent of the overseer’s home. It was the same. The very same. But it wasn’t just him. The lone, distant figure from the settlement who’d always been in shadows was with another. Walking beside him was a smaller form. Afeminine-shaped form. They were no less commanding, and entirely hidden beneath a sleek, full-body suit. The mask covering the being’s face was clear, but reflected a glare that made it impossible for Fivra to see a face. She tensed up as the two figures approached.

“No…” The word slipped from her lips, barely audible. Her body refused to move. No matter what happened, she’d stay with Cyprian. The overseer had no control over her here.

Fivra’s fingers curled around Cyprian’s arm as though holding him would anchor her to whatever reality she was witnessing. The overseer’s imposing purple wings caught the light. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to run, to hide, but she would hold her ground.

Beside her, Kaelen shifted. His golden eyes locked on the approaching figures and his grip tightened on his weapon. “Stay behind me,” he growled lowly. “If they make a move—”

But then the smaller figure broke away from the overseer. “Fivra?”

Kaelen let out a hiss. “How does that being know you?” He swung his weapon toward the female in the suit, causing the overseer to stop, spread his wings and shove the female behind him. Kaelen’s voice was sharp as a knife. “Don’tfekkingmove—”

“Wait.” Fivra’s voice cracked. She knew that voice. It was familiar. So painfully familiar.

She knew that stride. Knew it like the voice of an old friend calling across the wind. “Kaelen—put that weapon down.”

The figure leaned out from behind the overseer. The glare was gone, revealing a face Fivra never thought she’d see again.

Turi.

Her friend. Her strong, defiant, fiercely loyal friend from Settlement 112-1. Her face was the same one Fivra had spent nights talking to under the stars.

“Fivra?” Turi’s voice cracked. “Is that you?”

“Turi,” Fivra whispered, and stepped fully out from behind the overseer. Then, louder: “Turi!”

The dam holding Fivra in place broke. She surged to her feet. Her legs trembled beneath the weight of disbelief and sudden hope. All the fear, all the grief that had pressed against her chest evaporated because of a single, undeniable truth—Turi was alive. The others could be alive, too.

Without hesitation, without thinking, Fivra ran. Her boots crunched over the icy ground as she closed the distance between them. Turi’s face softened as tears streamed down her cheeks. At the last moment, her arms opened wide.

The impact of their embrace slammed into Fivra with a force that nearly knocked the breath from her lungs. The moon’s desolation, the massive ship hovering behind them, even Kaelen’s muttered curses—all of it faded into a blur. She hugged her friend fiercely, as if loosening her hold would make this moment disappear.

Fivra choked on her own sob. “I thought you—you were gone, Turi. They took us—sold us—I thought I’d never see you again.” Her words poured out in a broken rush, each syllable raw and tremulous.

Turi pulled back just enough to look at her, hands gripping Fivra’s arms as though she might slip away. Her green eyes burned bright. Though lined with fresh sorrow, they glimmered with the stubborn fire that Fivra had relied on during their darkest nights in the settlement. “I survived,” she said with watery defiance. “Ellion—the overseer—he saved me. He—” Her breath faltered, catching as she glanced toward the towering purple-winged male who quietly watched. His piercing silver eyes gleamed, and there was no missing the pure affection that passed between the two. “He’s not what we thought, Fiv. None of this is.”

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