Page 21 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

He could not fight her. He would cut off his own hand before he raised it to her. A wave of protectiveness surged through him.

“Takkian, 752-X versus Sevas, 78-S!” the announcer shouted, his voice resonating through the grand expanse of the arena.

Theywantedhim to kill her. They wanted to break him. To punish him for considering escape. How they found out, he’d probably never know. The cell must have been monitored, even though he and Bruil had searched every bit of it, looking for listening devices. Fury swelled, hot and poisonous. He wouldn’t fight her. He wouldn’t unleash his strength against a soul as brave and fierce as hers.

He’d never seen Sevas cry. Not once. But now, tears fell from her eyes. “No,” she whimpered. “This can’t be—”

“The match is set for a final match, fighters. A fight to the death!” The announcer’s excitement was palpable. The crowd shifted like a tide, roaring and chanting for blood.

A final match?A low growl rumbled in Takkian’s throat as ancient, savage instincts roared to life. “No.”

The mech remained impassive, its eye barely flickering. “Orders are final. Compliance required,” it said as it exited the pit and sealed the doors.

Takkian’s pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out the cheers of the crowd as his gaze remained locked on Sevas. She frowned with confusion and fear.No. This wasn’t right. Theofficials of the Axis who owned this cursed arena had chosen to make him kill the one person who mattered most to him.

“Sevas,” he growled, his voice low and jagged like granite. “Get up.”

She held his gaze as he strode toward her, but she stayed down on her knees. Her eyes were enormous as she stared up at him. “Make it quick, Takkian.” Her voice was a trembling thread. “Please.”

They had promised each other survival, not death. Something primal awoke within the dark corners of his mind. He reached down, took her upper arms in his hands and guided her upward until she stood before him. Her lips were colorless. Her face, streaked with tears.

“Do you truly think I could ever hurt you?” he murmured.

“It’s a f-final match.” She dragged in a ragged breath. “One of us won’t leave here alive.”

The crowd didn’t like this touching display. Stones, knives, and rotten fruit rained down on them. He spread his wings and curved them around her, protecting her against the barrage. “Perhaps. But it won’t be you.”

Her eyes widened. “I can’t kill you, Takkian. I—I love you.”

Peace settled over him for one moment. Pure, simple, overwhelming peace as his heart swelled with something that felt like completeness. “I love you, too, Sevas.” He ran his fingers down her cheek, testing the softness. “But I think you’re going to need to step back.”

Her brows furrowed. “Why?”

Takkian stepped away from her as his breathing turned ragged and fire clawed up his throat. Smoke leaked from his nose and mouth. His body didn’t feel quite like his anymore. Something inside him was changing.

“Fight to the death! Fight to the death!” the crowd chanted.

But a burning rage ignited deep within his core. Takkian’s world narrowed to Sevas. Her eyes stayed wide with uncertainty as she tried to gauge his intentions.

He wasn’t even sure what they were, but his body shifted. Muscles tightened and expanded. A primitive force coursed through him as his body changed. The scales on his skin thickened into a protective armor. Takkian felt the dragon clawing against his mind. The urge to defend, to assert dominance, rose like a tide. He wanted to keep control, to not lose himself. He was a warrior, not a monster—a fighter who had grown stronger through sheer necessity, but whatever this was could not be stopped. The dragon form, which Bruil had spoken to him about but Takkian had never achieved, was taking over.

A beast within stirred awake, hungry. Vengeful.

“Get back,” he snarled at Sevas. He felt as though the transformation would soon rob him of the ability to speak. It reverberated through the arena, causing an immediate hush. Sevas scrambled backward, pressing to the wall as her expression shifted to fear.

The crowd stilled, unsure how to react, but the fear rising in them was palpable. Heat surged through him. His form grew larger and more imposing. Commanding. Powerful. A sound like crackling fire escaped him, a warning to all.

With effort, he steadied himself, muscles clenching. Each breath was a battle. Each crack of bone and snap of tendon was an omen of massive change.

But the crowd didn’t know that. They watched with rapt attention as he wrestled with himself. A quiet unease moved over them as their champion changed right before their eyes. There was energy thrumming in the air, charged, electrified, poised to erupt.

He was inches away from losing control—his dragon side awakening with ferocity—and all he could think about washer. Protecting her. If this was the only way to do it, so be it.

With a last surge, he surrendered to the beast within. His form expanded, muscles swirling with power as wings unfurled, reaching wide and imposing. He felt every node in him thrum with energy. The shift from warrior to dragon ignited a feral instinct he had only sensed before.

Heat coiled in his gut, spreading outward like fire racing across dry grass. Pain laced through his muscles as they contorted. He breathed through it, teeth gritted as the sensations exploded within him. His fingers curled into claws, sharp and unforgiving, biting into the stone floor beneath him. Every cell in his body sang with the growing energy, an overwhelming power that sparked on the verge of chaos, threatening to release at any moment.

He was a dragon—huge and filled with lethal fire.

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