Page 25 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

She grinned, wide and full, and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. “We did it. We escaped the arena.”

As Sevas recounted the tale of their escape to him, she knew full well that they were not free yet. They had yet to fully escape the Axis, but it was a moment to be happy. One proud victory in a war they had yet to win.

THIRTEEN

Takkian

Takkian blinked against the bright lights of the ship. Confusion had washed over him as he tried to piece together where he was and what had happened. The gentle hum of the ship’s power center vibrated beneath him. A soft weight pressed against his arm. It had taken him a moment for everything to come into focus. He was grateful for the weightlessness. It offered some relief from the soreness in every part of his body.

Hisnakedbody. Except for the blanket from his bunk, he had no clothes.

He listened as Sevas explained what had happened and how they’d escaped. He remembered being the dragon—thatwas forever etched into his memory. And abruptly growing into a larger creature explained why he was nude. His pants were tight enough to begin with. They were a shredded pile of rags on the arena floor, now. Or incinerated, by him.

But he had no memories after returning to his typical form. Sevas said that Ulo had wrapped him in a blanket and carried him. Bruil operated the vessel they’d escaped in. And Sevas washere, strapped into the seat beside him. They hadn’t left him there. They hadn’t abandoned him, even though he must have been a burden in his unconscious state. His chest tightened with a feeling he couldn’t name. There was gratitude, wonder, but also something that felt an awful lot like hope.

“Sevas,” he croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.

She smiled at him. Her dark red eyes shone with relief. She leaned closer and tucked the blanket snugly around him. “You scared us, Takkian. You scaredme.”

He shifted, still wrapped in the warmth of her presence. The events of the arena were terrible to remember. The moments of chaos clashed in his mind—the fight, the transformation, and then…darkness. The taste of fire and determination was still sharp in his memory, but so was fear. Fear that he would lose control. Fear that he would hurt her. “I’m…completely me again?”

“Yes.” Her smile widened. “Some of your scars are smaller and a few are gone. I guess the transformation process is healing to your body.”

He frowned. “I earned those scars.”

“You’ll earn more of them before all this is over,” said Bruil from his chair. “Don’t worry.”

Sevas leaned in, her eyes bright. “You transformed! I’ve never seen anything like it. You became a dragon. I mean, it was terrifying and fantastic at the same time. And if you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have made it out of there.”

His mind raced as he processed her words. “I didn’t want to,” he admitted, the weight of vulnerability gnawing at him. “I—I fought it initially. I’d never gone through that before.”

“I’m glad you did.” She reached out, playfully poking his chest. “That fire comes in handy during high-risk escapes. I didn’t think I’d make it out of there.”

Takkian winced slightly at the reminder. “I made it too hot,” he said roughly. “I’m so sorry. I’d end myself before I knowingly hurt you. You’re…everything, Sevas.”

Sevas tilted her head, her expression softening. “No one has ever said that to me before. I feel the same way about you.”

He nodded, pieces falling into place. His heart swelled at the thought of this incredible female at his side. Takkian exhaled, considering the possibility of a future he’d previously written off as impossible. “We’re actually out.” He let the moment sink in, though a steady pulse of urgency throbbed beneath his contentment. They weren’t entirely safe yet.

“Yes,” Sevas said. “But we need a plan and we must send out a message. Ulo has family—if we can contact them, they might help us get out of this quadrant. We can’t stay here any longer than necessary.”

“Agreed.” Takkian stretched, still feeling the fatigue from transforming, but driven by the adrenaline of their escape. He turned his attention to the cockpit, where Bruil remained at the console, studying the navigation interface with a furrowed brow.

“Bruil,” Takkian called through his raw throat. “What’s our next move?”

Bruil straightened and turned. His scarred face was set in determined lines. “I was just about to run through a training simulation,” he said, patting the control panel. “This vessel is equipped withfoldtechnology, which I need to learn before we attempt it. It was brand new and rare, back when I fought for Zarux, but it’s a common component of ships, now, it seems.”

“What isfoldtechnology?” he asked.

“It’s a way of traveling far distances in a very short time.” Bruil rubbed a hand over his face. “As far as I recall, it anchors to a location somewhere else and creates a rift of sorts. It folds space and delivers the ship to the other location withinmoments. I’m not sure I explained that well, since I’m not even sure how it works.”

“You explained it well, Bruil,” Ulo said. “I’ve been on ships thatfold. My father said it takes a lot of energy and the ship needs time to recharge after doing it, but itiscommon on ships now.”

“Wow,” Sevas said. “That’s incredible. And this ship can do that?”

“It appears so,” Bruil responded. “But before we think of doing that, we need to send out a signal or message to the Dokkol about Ulo.”

“Let’s do it,” she replied. “We need to reach them.”

---