Page 23 of Possessed By the Dragon Alien
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he turned to fully face Rien. “You have extensive knowledge of my kind. How long have you had this information?”
Rien folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve had pieces of this information for some time,” she said. “But I assumed you knew at least some of your own history.”
“You assumed wrong.”
“Would it have helped?” She met his gaze steadily. “If I’d shown you these records cycles ago, before you were ready to see them, would you have believed me? Or would you have reported me as a traitor spreading lies about the Axis?”
Madrian’s wings drew tight. She was right. The male he’d been before Nena would have rejected any suggestion that the Axis had stolen and twisted him. That they’d destroyed his people, his world. He would have dismissed it as rebel propaganda.
“Besides,” Rien continued, “the information was fragmented. Scattered across conquered worlds in languages I had to piece together. It’s taken cycles to build a complete picture.” She gestured to the screens. “I needed to be certain before I brought it to you.”
“And now?” He leaned forward. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“There are references to other Zaruxian survivors. Hidden strongholds. But finding them would mean leaving Central, and until now, you weren’t ready for that truth either.”
His fingers dug into his temples, but there was no massaging away the ache that pounded there. How many of his kind wereout there? How many had escaped the Axis’ control? The need to learn more about his people, his true nature, burned like acid in his blood, but he had pressing concerns now, and they were more important. “Right now, I must focus on keeping Nena safe. The council will be coming for us.”
Rien nodded. “What orders do you have for me?”
He raised one brow. “You’re still loyal to me? Even after knowing that I will forsake the Axis?”
One corner of her mouth twitched. “I am loyal to the one whom I believe to be on the winning side.”
“And you think these renegades and I are?” he asked, incredulous.
“Knowing how fragmented and spread thin the Axis is? Yes.” Her eyes were crafty, calculating. “The quadrant is primed for rebellion to overthrow this empire. I believe it can be done.”
Her words demonstrated an enormous amount of trust in him. That alone gave him pause. Only a short time ago, such language would have been treasonous. “Hide the data crystal. Find the location of the rebel Zaruxians or Terians. I will deal with the Axis leadership.”
“Yes, Chancellor.” She slipped the small disc from the console and it disappeared into a pocket in her uniform.
“Call me Madrian,” he said. “The chancellor is no more.”
Rien bowed her head. “As you wish. But, Madrian?” Her voice softened. “Be careful. The Axis fears Zaruxian power for good reason. And a mated pair? That’s their worst nightmare.”
He nodded, thinking of Nena waiting in his quarters. Of the way she looked at him like he could be more than what the Axis had made him. Like he could become someone worthy of the love he saw in her eyes. Someone who could help reshape this broken empire into something better.
“Keep monitoring the situation,” he said to Rien. “I need to speak with the council and try to keep things quiet for now.”
He strode from the room, wings spread wide, dragon fire burning in his chest. It was time to face the Twelve and show them that their perfect weapon had found a different purpose.
Andstarshelp anyone who tried to take Nena from him.
FOURTEEN
Madrian strode through the obsidian corridors toward the council chamber, his boots echoing against the polished floor. The listening device felt like molten metal in his pocket. Evidence of betrayal. Proof that colleagues he’d worked alongside for cycles had orchestrated Nena’s death.
The chamber doors slid open with their usual whisper. Eleven figures turned toward him as he entered—the remaining members of the Twelve, minus himself. Their faces wore expressions of manufactured concern, but Madrian had learned to read the subtle tells that revealed their true thoughts.
Taghi’s fingers drummed against the table in sets of three—her pattern when she was pleased about something. Valkos kept his hands perfectly still, which meant he was fighting excitement. Ezi’s scaled brow ridge was slightly furrowed, but his eyes darted between Madrian and the others, rather than focusing on him directly. Genuine worry, but not about the missing prisoner.
“Madrian.” Chancellor Shorvis gestured to the empty chair. “We were just discussing the security breach in the workers’ quarters.”
Madrian took his seat, noting how Shorvis had positioned himself at an angle that let him watch both Madrian and the door. “Breach?”
“One of the prisoners escaped at the end of her shift,” Taghi said. Her voice carried false sympathy, but her pupils were slightly dilated—a sign of anticipation in her species. “A Terian female. We’re concerned she might pose a security risk.”
Uri leaned forward, his scaled features creased with worry that seemed genuine. But his claws tapped once against his knee—a nervous habit Madrian had observed countless times when Ezi disagreed with a council decision but felt pressured to go along.
