Page 16 of Chosen By the Dragon Alien

But Fivra threw everything he thought he knew about his life, his role, into disarray. He was angry for her, for her people and for what they had endured. And more troubling, he had been desperate for a reason to take her from that party the moment she’d stepped into the room. He’d wanted to rip her away from the very clients he’d told her to socialize with.

Who did he think he was fooling? He wanted Fivra for himself—had wanted her the instant he’d laid eyes on her. Now that the time was coming when he’d be expected to share her with clients, panic was setting in. He couldn’t—absolutely could not—do it.

Cyprian held Fivra close, his mind racing as he grappled with the turmoil of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He was supposed to be the unflappable director of Erovik, yet here he was, holding a sobbing Terian female who had just turned his entire existence on its head.

“Fivra,” he said gently, hand stroking her back in smooth, soothing circles. “I can’t change what has happened to you or your people, but I promise you this—I am doing everything in my power to find out why your people are imprisoned by the Axis. Why you were taken from your settlement and sold at that auction. There is no logical reason for someone like you to be there.”

She clung to him, her body shaking. “It makes no sense. We were just farmers. We never hurt anyone.”

He had no answers for her, and the injustice of it all made his dragon fire rise in his throat. The Axis was a formidable entity, but they were not infallible. If there was a reason for the suffering of Fivra and her people, he would find it. “I don’t know why,” he admitted, his voice a low rumble. “But I have someone looking into your settlement. I want to know who made the decision to place you in that situation and, personally, I want to know about the overseer. My past is a mystery to me, too.”

“I don’t know the overseer, but he always struck me as…lonely,” she said. “I think he would like to meet you, too.” Fivra pulled back slightly, her blue eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and desperation. “And then there are my friends who were also taken. I’m so worried about them, Cyprian.”

Cyprian’s jaw clenched. He had not forgotten about the other Terian females andfekif he could deny Fivra anything. “I will do my best to locate them. If they have been sold to clients within the station or elsewhere, I will find them. That’s all I can promise.”

A small flicker of hope ignited in her eyes. “Do you really think you can find them?”

“I have resources and contacts that stretch far beyond Hevatica Station,” he assured her. “I will use them to…inquire about your friends.”

Fivra’s fingers curled into his shirt, her gaze searching his. “Why would you do this for me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cyprian’s gaze held hers. The weight of his next words pressed heavily on his chest. It was a line he’d sworn never to cross, a boundary he’d carefully erected and maintained over the countless cycles he’d managed Erovik. But looking into Fivra’s tear-streaked face, he knew that line was gone. Obliterated, along with his good sense and the healthy distance he put between himself and thecourtias. Fivra was not acourtiaand would never be, if he had his way. This was about a connection he’d felt from the moment he’d set eyes on her face—a connection that defied logic, reason, and the very rules he’d lived by for so long.

“Fivra,” he began, evenly. “The truth is… I am drawn to you. I cannot explain it. I can’t push it away.” His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that left no room for doubt. “From the moment you entered this station, you have consumed my thoughts. I cannot tolerate the thought of you with another male. The mere thought of it—” He broke off, clenching his jaw.

Her breath hitched, the color draining from her face. “Cyprian, what are you saying?”

He took a deep breath. The walls of his office felt like they were closing in around him. “I am saying that I have feelings for you that go against every rule that governs my life and this establishment. Feelings that are forbidden for a director to have for acourtia.” His hand came up and brushed the wetness from her cheeks. His touch lingered on the softness of her skin.

Fivra stared at him, her lips parting in silent surprise. “When you kissed me…it wasn’t a test?”

A wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “A test? No. I couldn’t help myself from kissing you. I’d been wanting to dothat since I met you, and now that I know your taste, I don’t know that I can hold back from doing it again.”

Her body trembled in his arms. What little tension remained in her melted away, leaving her soft and pliant. She licked her lips. “I don’t want you to hold back.” Her voice trembled. “I liked it.”

He groaned. “Don’t say those things.” Cyprian’s expression softened, his thumb gently tracing the curve of her cheek. “My restraint is very thin as it is.” He let out a shaky sigh. “I will keep you from the life of acourtia. I—I cannot share you.”

Fivra’s eyes searched his. “But how? The Axis—your bosses—they expect a return on their investment. They won’t just let me go.”

“I am still the director of Erovik,” he reminded her, a steely determination creeping into his tone. “I have influence and leverage. I will find a way to renegotiate your contract, to buy your freedom if necessary. There are many who owe me favors, and I am not without resources.”

She swallowed hard. “Cyprian, I’m not worth upending your life over. I’m just a—”

“You aremine.” Cyprian’s gaze was unwavering and his words more forceful than intended. In fact, he’d had no plans whatsoever to declare this to her without an inkling of her feelings for him. He cleared his throat as her eyes widened. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure your safety, even if you don’t choose to be with me in the end. The Axis has had enough influence over your life.”

Fivra’s hand came up to cover his, her touch sending a jolt of electricity through him. “I don’t know what to say. I never expected this.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he assured her, his voice barely above a whisper. “Just know that I will fight for you, Fivra, whether you return my feelings or not.”

Cyprian’s confession hung in the air between them—a bold declaration that defied the very principles upon which Erovik was built. The silence that followed was heavy with the gravity of his words, and he watched Fivra closely, her reaction a delicate dance of shock, disbelief, and the faintest glimmer of something that looked a lot like hope.

“Fivra,” he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to reverberate through the very core of him. “I have spent my entire existence following the rules, maintaining order, and upholding the reputation of Erovik. But from the moment I met you, something shifted within me. I cannot—andwillnot—stand idly by while you are subjected to a life that you neither want nor deserve.”

Her lips parted, the color slowly returning to her cheeks. “Cyprian, I… Idoreturn your feelings.”

Cyprian’s heart thundered at Fivra’s confession. Her words ignited a fierce, possessive fire within him, a blaze that had been smoldering since the day she’d arrived at Erovik. The space between them seemed to crackle with an electric charge, drawing them together with an irresistible force.

He felt the world around them fade into insignificance as his gaze locked with hers. The vulnerability in her aqua eyes mirrored his own. A bond had formed between them. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew it was real. He lowered his head. Anticipation sent a shiver down his spine. His wings expanded, enveloping them as their breath mingled, warm and uneven.

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