Page 43 of Possessed By the Dragon Alien
“Everything,” Nena said simply. “Everything I never thought possible.”
“Cryptic, but okay.” Sevas let out a gusty sigh. “Well, if he’s yours, he’s ours, too.”
They made their way across the central hall together. Nena’s friends clustered around her like a protective formation. The Zaruxian males had spread out slightly, but the tension in the air was thick enough to cut.
“We don’t know much about Axis politics,” Turi said, stopping beside Nena. “But we know Nena and we heard everything she said about Madrian just now. She has the best instincts of anyone I’ve ever met. If she says her mate is trustworthy, that’s enough for us.”
Sevas nodded firmly, her dark red eyes flashing. “We called Nena oursage, back at the settlement. She had a gift for seeing through all the nonsense.” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow toward Takkian. “You know someone like that, don’t you?”
Takkian nodded. “Where is Bruil, anyway?”
“Recovering from drinking too much of Cozax’s homemade spirits,” Razion replied. “He’s on his way from the Darkslip.” He crossed his arms. “You all have a lot of faith in Nena’s instincts.”
Lilas, ever blunt, waved a finger in Madrian’s general direction without looking at him. “Look,no onefools our Nena. That tells me what I need to know.”
Cerani, who had been quiet during the exchange, wrapped an arm around Nena’s waist. Her artist’s eye took in the scene with careful observation. “There’s something else,” she said in her gentle voice. “Can’t you see how he looks at her?”
Every gaze shifted to Madrian, who had remained silent. Nena’s chest felt full. Her eyes were still wet with tears. Even if she had to, there was no way she could come up with words that made sense in the moment. Gratitude for her friends’ faith in her was one thing she felt, but that word—gratitude—was weak.
“That’s not the look of someone using her, or you,” Cerani continued. “That’s the look of someone who would burn down the universe to keep his mate safe.”
Razion’s hostility visibly wavered as he took in the scene. No one, especially not Nena, could miss the way Madrian’s entire posture had shifted the moment Nena spoke, as if her voice was the only thing that mattered in the room.
“Yeah,” Lilas added, aiming her brilliant fuscia gaze at Razion. “I know you’re touchy about the Axis, my love, but this guy? He’s so in love it’s making me gag. You should look at me like that.”
Razion’s brows lowered. “I do look at you like that.”
Madrian’s mouth twitched, but he kept quiet. An amused twinkle shone in his eyes as his gaze held Nena’s.
“Our mates have a point,” Takkian said quietly. The old wounds that crisscrossed his arms and neck spoke of battles fought and survived. “Bonds don’t lie. Neither do instincts honed by survival.”
Stavian stepped closer to Madrian. “The question now isn’t whether you can be trusted,” he said. “It’s whether you’re ready to face what you’ve been part of. Whether you can handle the weight of changing sides. And destroy the thing you helped build.”
Madrian’s voice, when he finally spoke, was steady. It held a resonance that was unique to him. “I won’t pretend to be anything I’m not. I was one of the Twelve. Iama trained killer and sometimes…sometimes I worry the Axis ruined me. The suffering I’ve caused will haunt me for the rest of my days.” He closed his eyes briefly. “But Nena believes in me, and she is the light in my heart. I love her. I love her with a depth I can’t comprehend. Whatever I need to do here, I will do it.” He shot Razion a sharp glance. “And I’dappreciatethe chance to prove that I can.”
Thankfully, the tension that had filled the space earlier had eased. Lilas raised an eyebrow at Razion with a pointed look and mouthed,See?
Razion shook his head, but the hostility had faded from his gold-scaled features. “Fine. Okay. We’re brothers, after all.”
“Well,” Cyprian said. “I think that settles that.”
Stavian moved closer to Madrian, appearing to offer something that might have been understanding. “The hardest part isn’t leaving the Axis behind,” he said quietly. “It’s learning to live with what you were part of and forgiving yourself enough to move forward.”
Madrian’s response was barely audible. “How did you do it?”
“It’s a process,” Stavian replied. “But it helps to be around people who see what you can become instead of only what you were.”
Nena felt a warm hand slip into hers. Turi’s fingers squeezed gently, offering silent support. Around them, her other friendshad arranged themselves in their familiar protective circle, but now it included Madrian within its boundaries.
“So,” Sevas said with characteristic directness, “what’s the plan? Are we staying here? Moving somewhere else? I assume the Axis is going to want their high chancellor back.”
Takkian rubbed his face. “If we were hot targets before, we’re burning up, now.”
Razion’s gold scales caught the light as he shifted his stance. “It won’t be easy. The Axis won’t simply let us disappear. They’ll come looking, especially for him.” He nodded toward Madrian.
“No,” Madrian said, and there was something fierce and protective in his voice as his gaze found Nena’s. “I’ve spent enough years serving their agenda. It’s time to go to them. It’s time to end this, finally, and retake our planet.”
Ellion frowned. “What?”
