Page 132 of Pets in Space 10

Hazel

My mind spun.

Every time I thought I understood what was happening, the world shifted again.

Tyvaron had once been like me. Humanoid. Free. Someone. Then these game makers had taken him. Broken him. Turned him into… this. Not a monster, not truly. A weapon they had programmed and twisted until only tiny pieces of who he once was remained.

And somehow, against all odds, he was clawing his way back.

I looked at him. His massive head hovered close, golden eyes clear and bright. But behind them I saw exhaustion. Pain. And something else I hadn’t expected. Vulnerability.

"The other human," I whispered. "The woman. What happened to her?"

He nodded slowly. "She boarded the ship with the serpent male. They escaped."

I sucked in a breath. Another human. Someone from Earth, like me. I wasn’t alone. There were others who’d survived this nightmare. My throat tightened painfully at the thought.

"She was safe?" My voice shook. "They got away?"

He paused, considering. "I believe so. They reached their vessel before I was ordered to intercept. I refused. I let them live."

Relief hit me like a wave, quickly followed by something else. If others had escaped… maybe there was hope. Maybe someone was looking for me. Maybe this wasn’t the end.

I forced my breathing to steady, though my heart wouldn’t slow.

I turned my attention back to Tyvaron. "You said the game makers… they’re still controlling others like you. Still running these games. Can you tell me what this is all about?"

His voice lowered. "Entertainment. It is all about entertainment.

The game makers send people to this planet.

Some are warriors, most are not. They are prey for the monsters.

Monsters like me. They use us to hunt. Everything is filmed and broadcast across the galaxy.

Death is what they want. So much death."

My stomach twisted at the word prey. That had been me. I had been dropped into this place like a piece of meat tossed into a pit, waiting for monsters like him to chase me down. But instead of killing me, he had… chosen me.

I shivered at the memory of that camera drone. They had been watching me. Waiting for me to die for their entertainment. I felt sick at the thought.

"You saved me," I said eventually. "You could have followed your orders. But you didn’t."

His eyes locked onto mine. "I could not."

A strange heat coiled in my chest, making it hard to breathe. Not fear. Not anymore. Something far more complicated.

The little dragon – Ruby – chirped softly beside me, pressing her warm body against my hip as if sensing my racing emotions.

I glanced down at her, stroking her head absently. She purred, smoke curling lazily from her tiny nostrils.

"So much has happened," I whispered. "I don’t even know how to process any of this. And I’ve only been here for what, two days? You’ve been through so much more, Tyvaron."

He exhaled a deep breath, the faint metallic whirr beneath his skin softening. "You saved me too, Hazel."

I blinked at him, caught off guard. "Me?"

"You freed my mind." His voice was quiet now, almost reverent. "You broke the collar. You gave me reason to fight the chains."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. "I just… I couldn’t watch you suffer."

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was warm. Strange. Intimate.

I felt his gaze settle on me like a weight, but not one I wanted to escape from.

His voice rumbled again. Softer. Rougher.

"I owe you everything."

I held his gaze, feeling a strange heat rise to my cheeks. "Then I guess we’re even. You didn’t eat me."

His massive chest shook once. A low, almost amused rumble.

"No," he said. "Never you."

His words made warmth spread through my chest. I forced myself to focus.

There would be time later to process everything else. For now, Tyvaron was still hurt. No amount of regained memories or freedom from his collar would heal torn wings and open wounds.

I glanced at his side, where deep gashes still oozed faint streaks of blood. The membrane of his damaged wing trembled faintly with every breath. His body looked like it was holding together on sheer willpower alone.

"You need help," I said softly.

He shifted his weight slightly, exhaling a slow breath. "I am stronger now. But not whole."

"Your wounds will get worse if we don’t do something." I glanced at the chii – and realised they had disappeared. “Where did they go? The chii? Could they help you? Heal you?”

"The chii have great wisdom. They restore minds. But bodies…" He paused. "They heal differently than us. They cannot repair what is broken inside me."

My heart sank. "Then what do we do?"

He was silent for a long moment, as though weighing every word.

"There is a place," he said finally. "A facility.

The one where I was created. It holds machines, knowledge…

things they used to change me." His voice tightened, bitter.

"There are tools there that may allow me to repair what has been damaged.

Become myself again. Turn from monster into… what I was before. If I can reach it."

I swallowed. "Where is it?"

"Far," he rasped. "High in the diamond mountains. Hidden. Guarded." His wings twitched again. "And dangerous."

Of course it was.

"Then we need to leave," I said, lifting my chin despite the fear curling in my stomach. "The longer we stay here, the worse your injuries will get."

Tyvaron’s gaze settled on me. Warm. Steady. "You would come with me."

It wasn’t a question. More a quiet statement of wonder.

I met his gaze, my voice small but firm. "Yes."

His chest rumbled again. And this time, it almost sounded like a purr. “I would like that. But I cannot allow it. They no longer use this place to create creatures like me, but there will still be guards. I cannot risk your safety. You are too precious to me.”

I blinked, my heart skipping a beat at his words.

Precious.

The word settled deep inside me, heating my chest in ways I wasn’t prepared to deal with.

"Tyvaron," I said softly, forcing myself to focus, "I understand that you want to protect me. I really do. But think about it. That other woman you saw – she was with the serpent, right? She wasn’t hiding somewhere safe while he faced the danger alone. She was right there beside him."

He was silent, golden eyes watching me closely.

I took a slow breath and continued. "She didn’t stay behind. She stayed with him. And they made it out together. You said it yourself – they’re fighting the game makers. They are stronger together."

His head tilted slightly, as if turning this over in his mind.

"I might not be able to fight like you," I admitted. "But I can help. You won’t have to watch your back. You won’t have to face this alone." My voice grew firmer. "And I won’t sit here doing nothing while you risk your life for me. "

His wings twitched. A low rumble vibrated through him, not angry. Something more like conflict.

"You are not weak," he said at last. "You have strength. But this path is dangerous, Hazel. The game makers will not allow me to reclaim what was stolen. They will fight to keep their weapon broken."

"Then let them try," I said, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounded. "I didn’t survive this long to cower in a cave."

The little dragon chirped approvingly at my side, as if agreeing wholeheartedly with my reckless decision.

Tyvaron lowered his head until his snout was almost level with my face. His breath was warm, his gaze intense.

"You are… extraordinary," he said softly.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. "You’ve called me ‘mine’ since the moment you woke. So let me prove it."

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if searching for something in me. Testing my resolve.

Then, after a long, weighted pause, he nodded once.

"Together," he said.

"Together," I whispered.