Page 20 of Possessed by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #6)

SIXTEEN

Madrian watched the emotions play across Nena’s face—hope, determination, a flicker of worry she tried to hide.

The way she looked at him, like he could actually be the male she saw instead of the weapon the Axis had forged, made the knot in his chest loosen for the first time, well, ever .

In fact, he hadn’t even known the knot was there.

It had been so deeply ingrained in him, he’d assumed it was him. But no. It had been put there.

“We should contact Rien immediately.” Nena released his hands and moved toward the communication panel. She peered at it with a furrowed brow. “If my friends are alive, if your brothers are out there fighting—”

“Wait.” The command came out sharper than he intended. She stopped mid-stride and turned, one eyebrow raised in question. He forced himself to soften his tone. “Rien will contact us when it’s safe. Any communication I initiate will be monitored.”

Nena’s green eyes studied his face. “That makes sense. I’m not usually impulsive, but now…” She looked down and shook her head. “I don’t even recognize myself right now.”

It wasn’t an accusation, just an observation. But it hit him like a blow. “Because of me?”

“Of course, because of you.” She clearly thought that was obvious, and it scraped against something raw inside him. “I don’t go around kissing Axis leaders, you know. Or anyone, for that matter. This is…” She waved a hand, searching for a word. “New. Very, very new.”

“For me, as well,” he admitted. His body felt edgy. Only a lifetime of discipline prevented him from pacing restlessly, moving just for the sake of it. It would not be an efficient use of energy. “I don’t know how to do any of this,” he added, with a small, hopeless shrug.

She stepped closer, and he caught her scent—soil and growing things mixed with something uniquely her. “Neither do I.”

The gentleness in her voice nearly undid him. He wanted to reach for her, to pull her against him and bury his face in her hair until the weight of responsibility stopped pressing down on his shoulders. But years of conditioning held him back.

“Nena.” Her name came out rougher than he meant. “What you read in those files—about what the Axis did to our people—I participated in that system. Every decision I’ve made, every order I’ve given, it’s all been in service to the empire that destroyed us.”

Her hand came up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into the touch without thinking. Her palm was warm against his skin, calloused from garden work but infinitely gentle.

“You didn’t know,” she said simply.

“Does that matter? Worlds are still conquered. People are still dead.” He caught her wrist, holding her hand against his face. “But I know now. And I swear to you, Nena—I’ll spend whatever time I have left, proving I can be better than what they made me.”

She cocked her head and looked at him with those eyes that saw far more than he wanted to show her. “I trust you, Madrian.”

“You shouldn’t.” The harsh tone in his voice surprised him. “I’ve done terrible things. You’re trusting me with your life, with your future. I haven’t earned that.”

“Okay, fine.” Her eyes narrowed on him as color darkened her cheeks. Was this Nena’s way of showing her temper? If so, it was stunning. “I trust my instincts. That’s one thing that’s never been wrong. It tells me you’re not the enemy.”

“What if this is the one time your instincts are wrong?”

“They’re not.” She said it with such quiet confidence that he almost believed her.

Fek knew, he wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe that the evil that had been forced into him since infancy hadn’t ruined him forever.

“I can feel it, Madrian. The goodness in you that they tried to bury is still there.”

He stared down at this small female who’d somehow managed to see past everything dark and twisted about him to find something worth saving. The possessive need that had been building since he first saw her crouched in the ferns, roared to life.

Mine , his instincts whispered. Protect her. Keep her. Never let her go.

The primitive thoughts should have alarmed him. Instead, they felt like coming home.

“Nena.” Her name was a growl in his throat.

She quirked one eyebrow, appearing to expect another argument about his lack of virtue. “Yes?”

Instead of answering, he lowered his mouth to hers.

The first touch of her lips was electric, sending heat racing through his veins like liquid fire. She made a soft sound of surprise that quickly melted into something warmer as she pressed closer. Her hands fisted in his uniform, pulling him down to her, and he was lost.

He immediately knew this wouldn’t be the careful, dignified kiss he’d planned.

This was desperate and hungry. Need raged, turning his body into a tight wire that bent toward her with a desperation that felt too intense, too needy.

He explored her mouth with growing urgency, tasting her sweetness and savoring every small sound she made.

Her response was everything he’d dreamed of and more—eager but inexperienced, trusting but not passive.

When she nibbled at his lower lip, he groaned and deepened the kiss, one hand tangling in her hair while the other splayed across her lower back.

She was so small against him, so perfectly formed, and the possessive need to claim her nearly overwhelmed his senses.

His cock swelled, pressing hard at the front of his pants.

There was no hiding it. No pretending it was anything other than proof of his need for her.

A twinge of nerves made him tighten his hand on the back of her neck.

What if she was repulsed by him? By this… display of desire? It was weak. It was—

He shook himself internally. That kind of thinking was Axis indoctrination.

Needing, wanting, desiring , was considered a lack of control, and therefore, a weakness.

Something that should be destroyed. But with Nena, he couldn’t help the way he felt.

Maybe he lacked control around her. Maybe he was weak when it came to her.

So what? If anything, he was more dangerous.

The dragon that coiled inside of him was awake and alert and there was nothing weak about that.

Mine , his instincts chanted. Finally mine. Stars help anyone who touched her.

She pulled back just enough to breathe, her lips swollen and her eyes dark with the same desire that was clawing at his control.

She didn’t pull her belly away from the hard bulge pressing against it.

Nena knew what it was. Knew what it meant.

She gazed up at him with passion-hazed eyes. “Madrian,” she whispered.

“Tell me to stop,” he said roughly, resting his forehead against hers. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

Instead, she stretched up and kissed him again, pouring herself into it with a hunger that matched his own. He lifted her, settling her on the edge of his desk. Her dress slid up her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist and held him close.

“I’ve never—” she started, then stopped, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Never what?” He brushed his thumb across her brow, marveling at how soft she was.

“Been kissed like this. Been wanted like this.” Her voice held wonder, as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening between them. “I was bondmated at Settlement 112-1, and he…he was not kind to me.” She trailed off, her gaze dropping. “I’m sure he’s found another mate by now.”

Something malevolent stirred in Madrian’s chest. “Define ‘not kind.’”

“He saw me as property. A tool on the farm,” she said. “To punish when he thought necessary.”

The thought of another male putting his hands on her, hurting her, treating her like she was worth nothing, sent rage coursing through his veins. Madrian hoped he never encountered this male. He’d cheerfully kill him, but he suspected Nena would not approve of that course of action.

“He is a fool,” he said, his voice rough with suppressed fury. “You’re precious. Perfect. You should be cherished. Treated like a queen.”

Her eyes widened at the vehemence in his tone. “I swore I’d never let myself be touched by another male.” Her gaze lifted to his. “But here I am. I don’t regret it.”

He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze. “No one will ever hurt you again. I swear it.”

The fierce promise seemed to undo something in her. She leaned into him, her hands sliding up to rest on his shoulders, and he felt a tremble run through her.

“I believe you,” she whispered.

The calm way she said it, like she could handle anything as long as they faced it together, made him want to bellow his devotion to the universe.

Made him want to give her absurd things, buy her a moon and build her a fortress made of basian crystal.

If this was weakness, he would happily drown in it.

His hands moved of their own accord, tracing the curve of her waist, marveling at how perfectly she fit against him.

When his palms skimmed over her hips, she gasped softly.

The sound sent heat pooling low in his belly.

He’d never touched a female with tenderness instead of taking, with reverence instead of demand.

Every curve of her body was a revelation, every soft sound she made was a gift he didn’t deserve, but would treasure anyway.

His thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts through the thin fabric of her dress, and she arched into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed.

The trust implicit in her response humbled him even as it inflamed his desire.

She was giving herself to him freely, without fear, and the knowledge that he was the first to touch her with care made something primitive and protective roar to life in his chest.

Mine to protect. Mine to cherish. Mine to—