Page 41 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

The lead agent held a device in one hand, a sleek, blinking thing easy to overlook in the outpost’s chaos. But Takkian recognized what it was by how the agent used it. They were following a signal, weaving through the crowd with unsettling efficiency, armor brushing past merchants and workers as though they weren’t even there. It was a tracking device.

Takkian’s gut dropped. He remembered that their escape plans were found out at the arena, how his early memories had been erased, and his theory that both of those were because of something the Axis had put inside ofhim. He scooped Sevas’ wrist with one hand and signaled Bruil with the other. “We’ve got a problem,” he muttered, keeping his voice low but urgent.

Bruil caught the motion and followed Takkian’s gaze. His shoulders stiffened. “Fek,” he growled. “They’re scanning.”

“Following something,” Sevas whispered, her voice tight. She glanced up at Takkian. “What are they tracking?”

His lips thinned as he pulled the group closer together. “Me,” he spat under his breath. “I’m within range of their devices.”

Sevas froze for a split second, then her grip tightened on his arm. “Inside you?” Her voice was a whisper, but the urgency in it cut through him like a blade.

Takkian nodded, keeping his movements casual as he glanced at the squad again. They were closing in. Their boots thudded with an unnerving rhythm against the metal floor. Thelead agent’s eyes flicked to the tracker, then forward, scanning the crowd with sharp precision. They were too close.

Takkian’s mind raced. His claws flexed and his hand closed around the weapon on his belt. The Axis agents were cutting through the crowd, and he imagined he could feel the pull of the tracker like an invisible tether tightening around his chest. He had to act fast.

“Listen to me,” Takkian said, low and urgent. He pulled Sevas closer, his grip firm on her wrist. “They’re tracking me. They won’t stop until they find us.”

Bruil’s gaze darted between the agents and Takkian. His jaw tightened, his expression grim. “We’re all in their path now,” he growled softly. “What’s the plan?”

Takkian’s wings twitched with tension as his mind worked quickly. “You and Sevas, blend in and stay out of sight. I’ll lead them away.”

Sevas’ crimson eyes snapped to his, wide with alarm. “What? No, Takkian. You can’t take them on alone.”

“It’s not about fighting them.” Takkian gripped her shoulders. “If they’re tracking me, they won’t stop until they have me. But they won’t be looking for you if I lead them off.”

Sevas shook her head, her defiance clear even through her fear. “I won’t leave. We stick together, Takkian. Wealwaysstick together.”

Bruil stepped in. His sharp yellow eyes flicked to the agents, who were now less than thirty paces away. “Sevas, he’s right.” Bruil’s voice was gruff, but urgent. “If they catch us here, we’re done. We all stand a better chance this way.”

“But—” Sevas began.

Takkian’s claws gripped Sevas’ shoulders as he lowered his voice, willing her to understand. “Sevas, find the Zaruxians and your Terian friends. They might be our way out of this. If theother Zaruxians are anything like Bruil and me, they’ll know how to fight, how to survive. They can help us.”

Sevas’ lips trembled, her crimson eyes searching his gaze. The struggle within her was undeniable, but she nodded reluctantly. “You promised we’d stick together, Takkian, so you’d better notfekkingdie on me.”

“I won’t,” he said, brushing his hand lightly over her cheek. “Whatever it takes, I’ll find my way back to you.”

Bruil clasped Takkian’s shoulder briefly. “You take care of yourself, boy.”

Takkian gave a curt nod and gave his old friend the blaster weapon. “Keep both of you safe.” His gaze returned to Sevas for one last moment—memorizing the curve of her face, the determination in her dark crimson eyes, and the way her lips trembled before she sealed them into a tight line. “Go now,” he urged. “Hurry.”

With a small, reluctant step backward, Sevas turned and melted into the crowd with Bruil. Takkian allowed himself a quiet breath of relief as he watched them disappear into the sea of beings. Then, the knowledge of the tracker surged in his thoughts, sharp and demanding. The Axis agents were closing in.

TWENTY

Sevas

Sevas clenched her teeth and grabbed Bruil’s arm, yanking him toward the row of stalls. “Come on!” she hissed under her breath. With Axis agents closing in on Takkian, her nerves were raw.

“Don’t pull my arm off,” Bruil grumbled, though he kept pace with her. His sharp yellow eyes scanned the crowd, even as his face stayed neutral. “Where are we headed exactly?”

“The information brokers.” Sevas ducked past a merchant shouting about overpriced fuel cells and squeezed between two lifts packed with crates. “Someone here knows where the Zaruxian ship is. We just have to find the right one.”

“This is not what Takkian had in mind when he told us to stay out of sight,” Bruil muttered, side-eying a vendor sharpening long, serrated blades.

“We’re improvising.” Her jaw was set as she pushed past a group of confused-looking beings with blue tubes in their nostrils. “Going with the original plan and finding those brokers.”

“We have nothing to trade,” he said. “Aside from our weapons, but that would leave us defenseless.”

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