Page 39 of Pursued By the Dragon Alien

“What happened after you escaped?” Lilas asked gently.

Ulo’s expression sobered. “They helped me find my family and made sure I was safe. They didn’t have to do that. If you’re looking for them, I hope you find them.”

Hope. Razion had spent most of his life carving out a future that didn’t leave room for hope. But now, it was flickering inside him like a stubborn flame refusing to die.

“Wearelooking for them,” Lilas said, her tone steady but urgent. “Do you have any idea where they are?”

Ulo’s heavy brow furrowed. “I don’t know where they went after my people came for me,” he said, then brightened. “But I remember the ship they took. I spent much of the ride staring at the registration number and I memorized it in case I needed tofind them again.” He reached for a small data-slate behind the counter and tapped in a string of characters. “This was what they were flying.”

He turned the slate around so Razion and Lilas could see. The number blinked in bold white text against the dark screen, a unique sequence identifying the vessel.

Razion inhaled sharply as he took in the details. “Thank you,” he said. “That’ll give us something to work with.”

Lilas’ heart pounded. This was more than she had dared to hope for. They had a ship, a registration code—something real to track. If Sevas had escaped with them, she wasn’t lost. And if Takkian and Bruil were out there too…

Razion pressed a small device to the data-slate, downloading the information with a quick scan. “You’re sure you have no idea where they were heading?” he asked Ulo.

The young Rokkol shook his head. “Sorry, no. They didn’t say much, just that they had their own people to find. But they were worried that the Axis would try to find them. They knew they couldn’t stay in one place for too long.”

That made sense. If the Axis had seen what Takkian could do, they wouldn’t sit back and let him disappear. They’d be hunting him. They’d be huntingallof them.

Lilas released a slow breath, trying to steady the pulse hammering in her ears. “Thank you, Ulo.” Her voice was softer now. “Sevas is one of my best friends and one of the kindest people I know. I’m glad you found her.”

Tears glistened in Ulo’s small eyes. “She was wonderful. I’ll never forget her.” He hesitated, then added, “She talked about you and her other friends. She missed you and was worried about you.”

Lilas’ throat caught. She swallowed against the sudden tightness in her chest. “She did?”

He nodded. “Kept saying she hoped you and the others were okay. Wondered if any of you made it through the auction. I know she never stopped thinking about you.”

Lilas clenched her fists, fighting the sudden burn in her eyes. For so long, she’d had no idea if her friends were even alive. “I’ll never stop thinking about her.”

Ulo smiled, a soft, knowing expression for someone so young. He extended a heavy, rock-textured hand, and Lilas clasped it tightly. “If you find her, tell her I’m safe,” he said. “And that if she ever needs help, the Rokkols don’t forget their debts.”

Lilas nodded, her grip firm. “I will.”

Razion exchanged a nod with Ulo before turning back toward the outpost’s main thoroughfare. “Let’s go,” he murmured to Lilas, his fingers brushing against her lower back in a quiet reassurance. As they walked away from the booth, each step felt heavier with the weight of what they had just learned—and with the road ahead.

Lilas inhaled deeply, steadying herself as they moved further away from Ulo’s stall. Her thoughts were a jumble—hope, relief, urgency, all coiling tightly in her chest. She glanced up at Razion. His expression was unreadable but tense, the same weight of revelation pressing on him too. She needed space, even if just for a few moments.

“Razion,” she murmured, touching his arm lightly. He turned to her, brow furrowing. “I need to walk. Alone. Just for a little while.”

His fingers slid over her jaw in a gentle caress. “Don’t go too far.”

“Don’t worry, Captain.” Lilas leaned into his touch with a smile. “I won’t.”

FIFTEEN

Lilas

She turned and walked toward the quieter side of the market, letting the noise of the stalls fade behind her as she tried to make sense of everything. Lilas walked through the quiet sections of Pavo Outpost. Her soft-soled boots were quiet against the metal-plated floor. She should have been filled with relief. She had finally heard Sevas’ name spoken by someone who hadseenher. Knew her. Who had fought beside her. Who knew she was alive.

But relief wasn’t all she felt.

Restlessness pulled her thoughts between the past and the future, swirling with possibilities that were still just out of reach. Sevas had survived.Had fought. If any of them had to wind up in an arena, Sevas was the one who would manage there the best. She could picture it—the stubborn slash of Sevas’ mouth, the way her eyes would blaze whenever she was met with injustice.Of course, she had fought. She wasn’t the kind to bow.

And now, she was somewhere out there. With a Zaruxian named Takkian.

Not just any Zaruxian—Razion’s brother.

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