Page 49 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

“You were in abrothel?” Takkian said, momentarily distracted.

Cyprian waved a hand. “As the director, yes. That’s where I met my delicious mate.” He wove an arm around Fivra’s waist. “It’s…a complicated story.”

“And I was installed as the overseer to a penal colony,” Ellion said, his arms folded. “My memory was also tampered with. Repeatedly.” He tapped the back of his head. “There was a device implanted. Right here.”

Takkian’s fingers went to his scalp. There were the ridges of scars, but he couldn’t tell if something else was there. “Do you have the ability to scan me?”

“We do, thanks to some friends who shared their technology with us,” Ellion replied. “And we can extract an implant if the Axis put one in you. But it should wait until the nerve agent that was injected into you is completely out of your system.”

Takkian nodded. “Fine with me.” The Axis weren’t close enough to detect him and besides, he wasn’t ready to have memories returned to him all at once. Not after the cycle he just had. Not after what he’d learned and was still processing. It was going to take time to get used to this drastically different life.

He saw Sevas staring hard at Ellion and it occurred to him that the last time she saw this male, he was in a position of great power over her. “Perhaps Sevas would like to know what happened at her settlement,” he said. “And I would very much like some of that ale.”

Turi and Fivra came to either side of Sevas. “We can do that part,” said Turi. “We’ll get some food and take her to the room you’ll be staying in. We have catching up to do and you…” she gestured to the four males. “You can do your bonding thing.”

Sevas seemed happy to go with her friends. With a kiss to her palm, Takkian watched her leave with the Terian females all but wrapped around her. She was taller and more sturdily built than they were, but still seemed small and delicate to him. It made him smile to see her surrounded by friends. She had a piece of her family back. And he… Well, he was just discovering his.

The four of them suddenly didn’t know what to say to each other, but with a few grunts and gestures, they left the commanddeck and went through a labyrinth of corridors and lifts to end up in a luxurious dining room. Cyprian set out drinks and Ellion had the replicator prepare a feast that took up most of the table. He gazed at it in disbelief. How could his circumstances have changed from an animal fighting for his life in an arena to a royal Zaruxian with five brothers? Speaking of which…

“So there are three more of us?” He took a sip of the ale and let out a small groan. He’d tasted spirits a few times after winning important matches, but this was sublime.

“Apparently.” Ellion raised one dark brow to Bruil. “Any idea what happened to them?”

“No, your majesty,” he said, taking a drink. “Most of us who survived were sent off to work camps—mining, mostly. I was sent to a few before ending up at the arena, where I was about used up when Takkian was brought in.” He gave Takkian a fond smile. “We looked after each other. I’m sorry for not telling you everything, boy—I mean, your majesty. It was a place without hope, and I was afraid to give you any for fear it would get you killed faster. I—I didn’t want to lose you.”

Takkian plucked a succulent-looking piece of meat from a nearby tray. “I understand, Bruil. And don’t ever, ever call me ‘your majesty’ again. That’s an order, or whatever.”

Bruil smiled, wide and full, showing off decent teeth for one of his age. “Very well.”

“So tell me, Takkian.” Cyprian shifted forward, swirling his glass. “Have you everusedthose wings of yours?”

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the conversations turn light as food was eaten and ale was drank. After a time, with the dark wilds of space outside and the warmth and safety of his family ship inside, the males made their way to the residential wing.

Takkian entered the private chamber assigned to Sevas and him. The sleek metal door hissed shut behind him. The roomwas dimly lit. The soft ambient glow from the embedded panels cast a deep blue hue along the walls. His stomach was pleasantly full from the feast, and his head swam slightly from thegragianale they’d passed around during the meal. But nothing could dull the excitement thrumming under his skin.

Hisbrothers.

The word still felt foreign on his tongue, but it settled deep in his chest, warming something inside him that had been cold for far too long. He had family—Zaruxians who had survived the destruction of their world. He had a past, amother, and a name that meant something beyond the arena. Even Bruil had softened. His gruff demeanor shifted to reveal the lingering guilt of keeping secrets but also the quiet relief of being proven right.

And Sevas…

A deep breath left him as his gaze shifted to the bed. She was lying there, waiting for him. Her golden hair spilled over the dark sheets. Her body was partially draped in the loose fabric of a simple sleep tunic that hugged her curves and made his blood run hotter. She turned her head when he entered. Her dark red eyes reflected the soft blue light of the room, and warmth spread through Takkian’s chest at the sight of her. She was waiting for him, and her expression carried something that felt an awful lot like belonging.

“You survived the male bonding, then?” she teased, sitting up and tucking her legs under her. “You still look like yourself. No royal crown on your head.”

Takkian snorted and ran a hand through his dark, still slightly disheveled hair. “No crown. Just two brothers who make me question the universe and an old friend who will probably call me ‘your majesty’ now and then to annoy me.”

Sevas patted the bed beside her. Her lips curved in that way that made his stomach tighten. “Come here, then. Your ‘majesty’ could use some well-earned rest.”

“I could use something other than rest,” he growled as he moved toward the bed. As he sank onto the mattress, the tension in his muscles uncoiled. Sevas shifted closer. Her fingers brushed over the back of his hand. It was a simple gesture, but it sent a ripple of warmth through him. He turned his palm up, catching her fingers in his, lacing them together.

“You’ve had a long cycle,” Sevas murmured, studying his face. “You found your brothers, learned that you’re royalty—though I can tell you’re trying real hard to ignore that part—and almost got yourself killed.”

Takkian smirked, squeezing her hand. “Just the usual.”

Her lips twitched upward, but there was something softer in her gaze. “How are you actually feeling about all this? Aboutthem?”

He exhaled through his nose, letting his free hand massage the back of his neck. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s…a lot. I spent cycles thinking I had no past, no name beyond the numbers the arena assigned me. Now I have brothers. A mother who sacrificed herself for us. A kingdom we lost.” His thumb brushed over her knuckles absently. “I don’t know how to process it.”

---