Page 17 of Possessed By the Dragon Alien
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“To my quarters in the tower. It’s the last place they’ll look for you, and it’s heavily secured.” He dropped his hand, already planning. “We’ll figure out our next move from there.”
“No,” she said, taking a step back. “I’ve heard about the towers. No one who goes in ever comes out again.”
“I will keep you safe from anyone who tries to harm you,” he said. “And if at any point you wish to leave my protection, I give you my word that I won’t stop you.” He offered his hand. “I know I don’t deserve your trust, Nena.Fekknows, I’m a monster and avillain. I deserve your hatred more than a single kind word from your lips.” His gaze fell to those trembling lips, pink and soft and beckoning. “But I swear on my life that if you come with me, I’ll protect you.”
She stared at his outstretched palm. “Then what they’re worried aboutistrue. The connection is real.”
“I don’t understand it. I just know what I feel.” He met her gaze steadily. “The choice is yours. But we need to move now, before they realize you’re not in your cell.”
Nena drew in a deep, shaky breath. Then she placed her hand in his. “Alright.”
Her fingers were calloused, but they fit perfectly in his grasp. Something inside him settled at her touch, like a piece clicking into place. Whatever came next, whatever price they paid for this moment, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
He would burn the whole empire down before he let them take her from him.
ELEVEN
Nena’s hand slipped into Madrian’s palm. The moment their skin touched, something deep and permanent shifted inside her, like roots taking hold in fertile soil. She’d just made a choice that would reshape her entire existence. Here she was, trusting her life to a male who represented everything she should hate. A member of the Twelve. An architect of suffering.The enemy.
Her fingers jerked back. “Wait. We can’t just walk into the towers together. Someone will see.”
“You’re right.” His massive wings rustled like leaves in a storm as he glanced toward the gleaming spires that pierced the dome’s curved ceiling. Nena followed his gaze, imagining the layers of security and the countless eyes that would be watching those pristine halls. Her pulse quickened at the thought of trying to slip past them undetected.
“What are you thinking?” She studied his sharp profile, searching for any hint of doubt or deception. The dragon fire she’d heard about earlier showed no hint of emerging, but she could feel the heat radiating from his body where they stood close together in the shadows.
“I know someone who might help.” His expression turned grim. “I hope I can trust her.”
“Youhope?”
Instead of answering, he pressed two fingers to a spot behind his ear. “Rien. I need your assistance in the garden. Greenhouse 14E. The Terian female is here and must be brought to my quarters immediately.” He paused, listening.
“Yes, I’m aware of the risk. This will happen now. Your concerns are noted but irrelevant.” A sharp pause. “Good. See it done.”
He dropped his hand and turned to her. He reached out and lightly gripped her shoulders, as if testing out the act of touching her. The warmth of his hands seeped through her thin uniform. “Listen carefully. The female who questioned you about our conversation is coming here. Go with her.”
“The pale one?” Nena’s stomach clenched. “How do you know she won’t turn me in?”
“Her name is Prime Watcher Rien and she is my most trusted agent. If she wanted to report us, she would have done it cycles ago.”
Nena weighed her options, though they were painfully few. Trust this unknown female, or face whatever waited in her cell during sleep cycle.Definitelydie tonight orperhapsdie later.Perhapsgave her better odds thandefinitely.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll go with her.”
“Good.” His hands tightened briefly on her shoulders before releasing her. “Wait here. I’ll make sure the path is clear.”
He slipped outside and disappeared into the shadows between the trees, leaving her alone with her thundering pulse and the weight of what she’d just agreed to. She was betting her life on Madrian and whatever this thing was between them being stronger than his loyalty to the Axis.
It was a dangerous bet.
She touched her shoulders where his hands had been, remembering the careful strength in his grip. The way he’dlooked at her, like she was precious and dangerous at the same time. Like she mattered to him. Each breath felt like an eternity as she waited, though her rational mind knew not much time was passing. Still, the weight of anticipation made time stretch.
A soft footstep made her turn. The pale female—Prime Watcher Rien—entered the greenhouse carrying a dark bundle of cloth. Her translucent skin seemed to glow in the dim light.
“Come,” Rien said. “Quickly and quietly.”
Nena hesitated for a heartbeat, then followed. They moved through the gardens like shadows, taking narrow maintenance paths and service corridors she hadn’t known existed. Rien’s steps were silent, and she gestured for Nena to match her movements.
