Page 30 of Pursued By the Dragon Alien

“The Axis put something in motion when they allowed those raiders to take you and your friends,” he said, still trying to puzzle it all out in his head. “You are part of it.” He winced. “So am I, it seems.”

That seemed to mollify her enough to sap some of the fury from her expression. For now, at least. He wondered what part did it—telling her that he cared for her, or that he trusted her.

“Tell me everything,” she demanded, untucking one arm to poke him—not gently—in the chest. “And do not hide anything from me ever again or I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”

Krask straightened and his expression darkened at her heated words. “Tread cautiously, Terian.”

“Oh, shut up,” she snapped at Krask, who visibly bristled. “Do you think I can actually hurt him?”

But Krask likely knew that shecouldhurt him. Not physically, but still.

Krask bared his teeth at Lilas, then turned away from her, facing Razion. “You said Hurik mentioned Zaruxians.”

Razion’s jaw tightened. “Yes.” He hesitated, then added, “He said they could shift into full dragon forms.”

Krask let out a slow breath. “That’s rare for your kind.”

“It’s unheard of,” Razion agreed. “There are very few of my kind left, but still. It was so outrageous sounding that Hurik thought it was an exaggeration.”

Lilas cut in. “He said they were fighting the Axis,” she said, urgently. “If that’s true, and my friends are with them…we need to know where they are.”

Razion’s gaze snapped to her. She was looking at him with something close to desperation, though she tried to mask it with determination. He knew what she was thinking. If her friends had been part of the revolt, if they had helped take down those Axis strongholds, then they were still out there and they werenotlost.

Razion exhaled sharply, rubbing his fingers over his jaw. “First, we confirm what’s fact and what’s not,” he said. “Then we decide our next move.”

Krask frowned but nodded. “I’ll start gathering some Axis intel. Might eat into the profits some, to buy access to the information we need.”

“That’s fine. We need to know what’s going on.” Razion turned back to Lilas. “We’ll find out what happened. I promise.”

Lilas held his gaze. Slowly, she nodded, but the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease.

Razion understood. They were closer to answers now than they’d been since she stepped onto his ship. But he had the sinking feeling that the truth, when they finally found it, would be bigger—and more dangerous—than any of them had anticipated. “Come with me,” he said. “We will oversee the offloading of the cargo. There are some things you should know.”

She didn’t argue. Instead, she nodded and walked beside him with her head high.

Razion stood at the edge of the cargo hold, his palm resting lightly on Lilas’ waist as he watched the last of the salvage being offloaded. Crew members moved quickly, finalizing trades, shifting crates, securing transactions and payments before departure. The hum of activity and the steady ping of outgoing data confirmed what he had ordered—everything was being wrapped up.

Lilas remained tense under his touch, her body coiled with pent-up energy. He understood why. She wanted answers, wanted to move now. But this wasn’t the moment for impulse. This was the moment for strategy.

“You know there are other Zaruxians out there,” he said, keeping his voice measured, low enough that only she could hear.

He felt the sharp inhale of her breath before she spoke. “Obviously. One of them oversaw my settlement, remember?”

“Yes.” Razion’s fingers pressed just slightly against her waist, grounding both of them. “He was among those that the Axis raised.”

Lilas’ head turned. Her fuchsia eyes pinned him with quiet demand. “What do you mean?”

He exhaled slowly, his gaze shifting over the crew one last time before turning his full attention to her. “When my home world, Zarux, fell to Axis forces, they didn’t just take the planet. They effectively eradicated my people. Some escaped, but most were killed. However, there was a handful of hatchlings who were taken, separated, and raised by high-ranking members of the Axis. Conditioned. Molded.” His jaw tightened. “They weren’t just prisoners. They became weapons.”

“You were one of them.” Lilas’ breath hitched. “Were they your family?”

Razion gave a slow nod, the weight of the truth settling heavily between them. “My brothers. I didn’t remember them by the time raiders pulled me off an Axis transport.”

Her brows furrowed. “Raiders?”

He couldn’t help but smile. Being taken by them had been overwhelming and terrifying, but it was also the best thing that could have happened to him. “They thought I’d make a good ransom. Took one look at my wings, my genetics, and saw profit. But when they realized I could be more valuable as one of their crew, they made the choice to keep me around.”

Lilas studied him, her lips pressing together. “I don’t know which was worse—raised by the Axis or by raiders.”

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