Page 29 of Possessed by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #6)

TWENTY-ONE

The dining room felt intimate despite the size of its occupants. Seven Zaruxian males generated a lot of body heat, even in the temperature-controlled space. Madrian sat back in his chair, wings spread slightly for comfort, and observed his newly discovered family.

Five of these males were his brothers . The word still felt foreign in his mind.

The sixth was an elder Zaruxian who had somehow survived the Slarik Arena on his own, long enough to later be protected by Takkian, who had been transferred to the arena to fight for the amusement of others.

The arena had been run by the Axis, of course.

Madrian never had jurisdiction over the entertainment arm of Axis affairs, so his knowledge of the arena system was limited.

Hardly mattered, though. The arena had been a brutal, sadistic end for many unruly subjects.

It was destroyed, now, thanks to Takkian and his mate, Sevas, who was a powerful warrior in her own right.

Bruil’s bronze scales caught the light as the elder male lifted his cup. Unlike the others, his wings were ruined beyond repair, in a testament to battles won and lost. Madrian liked Bruil. He was honest, knowledgeable, and when he looked into the old male’s eyes, he saw no malice. No blame.

“Your mother was magnificent,” he said, his voice rough with memory. “Queen Aklian never backed down, even at the end. The Axis feared her power, and rightly so.”

Madrian’s chest tightened at the mention of the mother he’d never known. “Tell me more about her.”

“She had silver eyes, like all of you.” Bruil’s gaze moved around the table. “And a spirit that couldn’t be broken. Even after they killed your father and it was clear the Axis would defeat us, she fought to save what mattered most.”

“Us,” Ellion said quietly.

“Yes. Her legacy.” Bruil’s scarred hands tightened on his cup. “Six royal hatchlings. The future of our people. She made a deal with the Axis—her life for yours.”

The weight of that sacrifice pressed down on Madrian’s shoulders. He’d spent his life serving the empire that had murdered his mother. The knowledge burned like acid in his gut.

“To Queen Aklian,” Cyprian said, raising his glass. The red-scaled male’s usual swagger had softened into something more solemn.

They all drank to her memory. Madrian tasted nothing but ash.

“It’s late,” Bruil said, pushing back from the table. His movements were stiff, his limp pronounced. “We should rest. Tomorrow brings new challenges.”

As the others rose, Razion caught Madrian’s arm. The gold-scaled male’s expression had lost its earlier hostility. “Your quarters are in the east wing. Third door on the right.”

“Thank you.” The words still felt awkward on his tongue when directed at these males who were supposed to be his family.

“It will get easier,” Stavian said, as if reading his thoughts. “The transition. The trust. All of it.”

Madrian nodded, hoping his sapphire-scaled brother was right. Everything about this new life felt raw and uncertain. He’d gone from ultimate authority to…this. Whatever this was.

He made his way through the quiet corridors, following Razion’s directions.

The east wing housed personal quarters, he’d learned.

The brothers each had a suite furnished to accommodate their size, their wings.

It was the same furniture used by the Zaruxians of his ancestry.

The ones who lived in this very fortress hundreds of mig -cycles ago.

He’d learned that Ellion had gotten the worst deal of all of them.

He’d been brutally trained by Bendahn herself.

That particular council member had a perverse interest in medical experiments.

She’d implanted Ellion with a device that would give her the ability to erase his memory at will, and she used it.

To make it worse, and to see what would happen, she’d sent Ellion to the Terian penal colony to look over them.

To test the psychological will of the Axis over the biological bond that Terians and Zaruxians had shared for eons.

On the scale of suffering, Ellion’s had been up there with Takkian’s, who simply had not conformed to any of the Axis training.

He had been relegated to hard physical labor, and when that hadn’t kept him in line, he’d been sent to the arena.

Technically, the Axis had honored their agreement to keep the six heirs of Queen Aklian alive. They thought they’d triumphed by subjugating the young princes, but perhaps their mother had known .

As he took a lift to the residential level and walked down the corridor, he thought about the Zaruxians who had traveled down this way, all those cycles ago.

Including his parents. Especially his mother, who, perhaps , when she’d made the deal that ended the Axis’ assault on Zarux and sealed her and her sons’ fates, knew that the time would come when the Zaruxian princes would rise up together and take back what was theirs.

The third door on the right opened at his touch. Inside, soft lighting illuminated a comfortable space. But all thoughts of the room’s features fled when he saw Nena.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, wearing a thin sleep gown that left her legs bare. Her silvery-green hair fell loose around her shoulders. She looked up as he entered, and her smile grabbed the air straight from his lungs. Stars , she was beautiful.

Heat surged through his body. Need clawed at his control. There was no way he could stay in here. Without thinking, he backed toward the door.

She straightened up. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t.” The words scraped from his throat. “I can’t stay here.”

“What? Why not?”

Fek him, she sounded hurt. He pressed his wings tight to his back, fighting the urge to cross to her, to touch her, to take her. “Because I want you too much.”

A beat of silence. He felt as if he were breathing through sand. His body throbbed like one painful ache.

“Madrian.” Her voice was soft but firm. “Come here.”

He shook his head. “I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

“No.” She held out her hand. “I’ve been waiting for you. It’s time.”

It’s time . Those simple words shattered what remained of his resolve. He moved toward her, drawn by the warmth in her eyes and the promise in her outstretched hand.

“Are you certain?” he asked roughly. Did she even know what this meant?

Of course, she did, he told himself. She’d been bonded.

She was no stranger to the needs of a male.

But did she know what accepting him into her body meant?

That , he was not so sure about. “There is no going back. If we fuck, you are mine.”

“Oh, I’m certain.” She rose to her knees, bringing them nearly eye to eye as he reached the bed. “Because I’m also sure that you are also mine .”

Her fingers touched his chest, and the last threads of his control unraveled and ripped apart like fabric giving way. He caught her face between his hands and claimed her mouth in a kiss that held nothing back. She melted against him with a soft sound that made his blood burn.

She was right. He was hers.

Madrian kissed her with the reverence she deserved, savoring the soft press of her lips and the quiet sounds she made. His hands slid into her hair, cradling her head as he deepened the kiss. She tasted sweet, perfect. Her tongue slid over his lips, making his dragon stir with possessive need.

Her fingers worked at the fastenings of his shirt. He helped her, clumsily shrugging out of the fabric without breaking the kiss. When her palms pressed against his bare chest, he groaned at the contact. Her touch was like fire against his scales.

“Beautiful,” she whispered, exploring the planes of his chest with gentle hands, then sliding downward, over the taut ridges of his abdomen.

He caught her wrists, needing a moment to maintain control. “Slow,” he said hoarsely. “I want to savor you.” What he really meant was, I don’t want to end this before it’s barely begun . So great was his need that his cock had hardened to a painful rod, smashed up inside his pants.

Her green eyes darkened with desire as she nodded. He released her wrists and reached for the hem of her sleep shirt. She lifted her arms, letting him pull it over her head.

The sight of her bare skin in the soft light stole his breath.

“Perfection,” he breathed, and leaned in to press kisses to her shoulder.

She moved her hair aside and he saw those golden freckles dusted down her spine like stars.

Her curves were soft and perfect. He traced them reverently, memorizing every detail with his fingertips.

The freckles disappeared into the cleft between her buttocks.

He followed them there, taking those full globes into his hands and squeezing.

He groaned, ignoring the urge to toss her back on the mattress and just…

rut her. Fek , that’s what he wanted to do. To mount her, take her, claim her.

But he would not.

“Come here,” she breathed, and reached for the front of his pants.

He held perfectly still as she released the fastenings.

He did not move as she tugged them down, over his hips.

He held his breath as his cock sprang free and she took in the sight of his jutting erection for the first time.

This was hers, too. Everything before her. Everything he had to give, was hers.

“Madrian.” Her voice was husky. She took his cock in her hands. And squeezed.

He gasped and bent backwards, pulling from her grip.

It was too much. He muttered something—nothing, nonsense —and took her wrists in his again.

This time, he pulled them above her head and held them there with one hand.

He gazed down at her, knowing he probably looked ferocious and half out of his mind.

Her lips parted. Her kneeling body was pliant and supple as she allowed him to slowly survey her.