Page 14 of Possessed by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #6)

TEN

He paused beside a reflecting pool, studying his reflection in the still water. The male who stared back wore power like armor—perfect posture, wings held with precision, uniform spotless. But beneath that carefully constructed image, doubts gnawed at him like acid.

Until now. Until her.

If she was to be his downfall, maybe he deserved it.

Movement caught his eye. A flash of white uniform flitted through the leaves. Someone crouched between bushes, then attempted to walk normally, but they still looked furtive. These weren’t the usual measured movements of a worker, but of someone trying to hide.

His wings tensed as he recognized that light green hair. 93-A. Why was she lurking around like this? The gardens were safe for workers as they went about their duties. Something had spooked her.

Without conscious thought, he moved toward her, staying in the shadows. Whatever had frightened her, he needed to know. Needed to protect her.

The realization didn’t surprise him anymore. Fighting this pull toward her was like fighting gravity. It was proving to be both futile and exhausting. If protecting her meant betraying everything he’d built his life around, then so be it.

He’d been serving the wrong cause all along.

Madrian caught up to her at the greenhouse entrance. The soil-scented air wafted out from the dimly lit structure, where rows of plants cast twisted shadows in the fading light. He reached for her arm just as she was about to slip inside, his fingers barely grazing the thin fabric of her uniform.

She spun, garden shears raised like a blade. Her eyes blazed with desperate fury, but he saw the fear beneath it. Before she could strike, he caught her wrist. He squeezed, not enough to hurt, just enough to make the shears clatter to the ground.

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly.

“Let go.” Her voice shook but her chin stayed high.

“Not until you tell me why you’re skulking through the gardens.” He kept his grip gentle but firm. “What’s frightened you?”

“ You have.” She yanked against his hold. “All of you. The Axis. This whole fekking system.”

“93-A—”

“My name is Nena.” The words burst from her like she couldn’t hold them back. “And they’re going to kill me tonight.”

His wings snapped wide. “What?”

“During sleep cycle. They’re going to make it look like an accident.” She stopped struggling and met his gaze. “Because of you. Because…because of what they think we might become.”

Heat flooded Madrian’s throat as his muscles tensed. “Who told you this?”

“I found a listening device in the meditation grove. Will you let me go?”

He released her, having momentarily forgotten that he even held her there. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” But she cast him a chastising look. “I heard them talking. They said I was brought here to test you, to see if you’d show signs of the ‘affliction,’ like the other Zaruxians.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small metal disc. “It’s all recorded here.”

He took the device and studied it, recognizing it immediately as the same type of spy device used by prime watchers, like Rien. In fact, this could be one of hers.

“They’re watching us,” she said. “Studying how you react to me. They are afraid you’ll rebel like the others.”

“Who,” he asked, “are ‘they’?”

“I think they were other members of the Twelve,” she replied. “There were maybe four or five? They spoke about you as if they knew you and were familiar with you.”

“And by ‘the others,’ they meant the other Zaruxians,” he said. She must have gotten quite an earful. “The ones who found Terian mates.”

She nodded. “They said there’s some old connection between our species. Something the Axis can’t control.” Her voice softened. “You feel it too, don’t you? This pull between us?”

“Yes.” The admission felt like stepping off a cliff. “Since the first moment I saw you.”

“They’re going to kill me to protect their control over you,” she said. “Like cutting out an infection before it spreads.”

Madrian’s hands clenched. Heat rolled through his veins, dragon fire was building in his chest. The thought of them hurting her, taking her from him… His wings spread wider, instinctively trying to shield her.

“They will not touch you.” The words came out in a growl.

“I can’t go back to my cell. They’ll be waiting.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I was going to hide in here for a while. To think. To figure out what to do next.”

He touched her cheek, turning her face up to his. Her skin was the purest thing he’d ever touched. He was sure of it, and all he wanted was to touch more of it, even as he acknowledged that he had no right to her. A decision crystallized in his mind, clear and sharp. “Come with me.”

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.

Fek knows, I’m a monster and a villain. 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 about is true. 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.