Page 13 of Pursued by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #4)

THIRTEEN

Razion

The aftermath of their lovemaking— twice —left Razion feeling both sated and restless. He watched Lilas as she sat on the edge of the bed, her dark violet hair tumbling over her shoulders, the soft curves of her body bathed in the dim glow of the cabin’s lights. She was a vision—all bronze skin and brilliant eyes, with a strength in her that made him want to be worthy of her. He wasn’t sure he was, yet.

The raw power of their connection shook him to his core. He had known passion before, but never like this. Never with someone who challenged him at every turn, who tempted him to be more than just a rogue captain with a vendetta against the Axis.

He reached out, tracing the line of those gold spots on her spine with his fingertips. She shivered at his touch, a small smile playing on her lips as she turned to face him.

“You’re insatiable,” she teased, though there was a warmth in her voice that told him she didn’t mind.

Razion chuckled, leaning in to press a kiss to her shoulder. “Only when it comes to you.”

She arched a brow at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Just me?”

He growled playfully, pulling her back down onto the bed with him. “Only you,” he confirmed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “You’ve bewitched me, Lilas of Teria.”

She laughed. The sound filled the cabin with a lightness he hadn’t realized he’d been craving. “I think you’ve got it the wrong way around, Captain.”

Their playful banter turned into another round of passionate lovemaking. Each touch, each kiss, deepened the bond between them. But as they lay in each other’s arms afterward, the weight of their situation began to press in on him once more.

He knew they couldn’t stay hidden away in his quarters forever. There were decisions to be made, plans to put into action. Lilas deserved to know the truth about her friends and about the Zaruxians who were rumored to be fighting back against their common enemy. Razion stretched his wings, rolling over onto his back as the last traces of warmth from their lovemaking lingered in his blood. Lilas lay beside him, staring at the ceiling with that sharp, calculating look that told him her mind was already moving somewhere else. Probably to the same place his was.

The rebellion.

If Hurik had spoken even a shred of truth, then the Axis wasn’t just losing minor skirmishes. They were losing control. And somehow, Terians and Zaruxians were at the center of it.

Except the Zaruxians Hurik mentioned weren’t just warriors. They were shifting . Fully.

Razion had never seen another Zaruxian shift to dragon form. He’d barely believed it was possible. He had never unlocked that ability, though not for lack of trying. In his younger years, he had tried a few times and failed spectacularly, nearly tearing the muscles in his back when his wings flared out in pain but refused to do more.

He eventually quit trying. His family of raiders had told him that Zaruxians had fought the Axis in this form, so they knew it was possible. But even with dragon warriors, Zarux had fallen. So Razion wasn’t sure what good it would do, anyway.

But if it was true that there were Zaruxians out there who could shift, then the Axis had a real problem on their hands. And if Terians were by their side, fighting back just as fiercely, then it wasn’t just skirmishes they had to worry about.

It was an uprising. A real one.

Lilas exhaled beside him. The sheets were tangled around her, baring most of her smooth skin. The gold spots along her back beckoned him, but he kept his hands to himself and turned away.

“You good?” she asked over her shoulder.

Razion turned back toward her. The answer should have been simple. His body was sated, his ship was intact, and he was closer to finding his long-lost kin than he’d ever been before. But something shifted inside him, a restless energy that wouldn’t settle.

“I don’t know yet,” he said.

Lilas hummed, turning onto her side to face him. “Must be serious if the great Captain Razion doesn’t have an immediate answer.”

He smirked despite the weight in his chest. “Even I have to think sometimes.”

She studied him for a beat longer, like she could see something deeper he wasn’t quite ready to say aloud. Then, before she could press, his communicator buzzed.

“Captain,” Krask’s voice crackled through the speaker. “We need you on the command deck.”

“On my way.” Razion sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. Duty never waited. He sat up, stretching the stiffness from his wings before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

Lilas propped herself up on one elbow. “Guess that’s my cue to get out of your bed,” she said with a smirk.

Razion glanced back at her, hands braced on his thighs. “You don’t have to.”

“I do,” she said gently, but firmly. “For now.”

He wished it wasn’t true, but it was. Lilas wasn’t the kind of female to be caged, even in comfort. That was fine. He would let her leave for now—because he knew she’d find her way back.

He dressed quickly, fastening his utility belt with sharp, efficient movements. Lilas rose from the bed, slipping back into her clothes, running fingers through her dark violet hair to tame it. She didn’t look at him when she said, “I’ll head to my quarters. Let me know if something comes up.”

Razion pulled on his boots, straightening. “Sounds like something has.”

She sent him a sidelong look but said nothing. That was fair. She likely had enough thoughts swirling in her head without adding his crew’s business on top of it. If it had something to do with her, he’d tell her. But for now, Razion pressed the door panel and the barrier slid open with a quiet hiss. He shot her one last look before stepping into the corridor. “Get some rest, Lilas.”

She snorted. “Bye, Captain.”

His lips twitched, but he forced himself to walk away. She would never be a female who liked being told what to do and he found he liked that about her.

When Razion reached the command deck, Krask was waiting, arms crossed. Vedd lounged beside him. His iridescent skin caught the glow of the monitors. Cozax stood near the star maps, tapping through navigation commands.

“What is it?” Razion asked.

Krask straightened. “Got a lead on someone who met one of our Zaruxian friends in the flesh.”

That got Razion’s attention. “Who?”

“A young Rokkol merchant,” Krask said. “Juvenile. Was a prisoner at the Slarik Arena before it was destroyed. He was freed by one of the Zaruxians and one of the Terians.”

Razion’s pulse beat hard in his throat. He crossed the room in two steps, planting both hands on the console as he leveled Krask with a hard stare. “He saw them?”

“More than that,” Krask said. “Says they fought alongside him. Got him out before the place went up in flames.”

Razion exhaled sharply. If that was true, then the Zaruxians weren’t just tearing through Axis strongholds—they were liberating people. That wasn’t just rebellion. That was war.

Cozax tapped a few commands, bringing up a map of local trade routes. “The young male is part of a merchant family that’s doing business on a quieter outpost right now. They’re keeping their heads down after the escape. It’s off the major Axis surveillance grids, but still close enough to core routes that merchants cycle through. If we move fast, we can get there before word spreads.”

Razion pushed off the console and straightened, his mind already shifting into strategy. “Set the course.”

Vedd whistled low. “Risky. If this Rokkol is broadcasting his story to everyone willing to listen, we won’t be the only ones interested.”

“He’s not, which is why we’re getting to him now,” Krask said. “No public records show him back in trade hubs. He’s moving like someone who doesn’t trust the fact that he made it out alive. I got the information through a trusted source. It was not free.”

Razion nodded. “Fine.” He turned to Cozax. “How long until we reach the outpost?”

“Four cycles if we push the thrusters and use the space fold device,” Cozax said. “It’ll cut the time considerably.”

“Do it.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, turning back toward the central console. His reflection stared back at him in the polished surface of the control panels—gold scales and storm-gray eyes, narrowed in determination. Troubled. Yes, he looked like dread and hope were having a fight on his face.

But this was a tangible lead. If this merchant had seen a Zaruxian and fought beside him, then Razion needed to know everything. Who they were. How they got there. And what the fek had led them to part ways after the battle.

And if this Terian had been alongside them…

He thought of Lilas, of the way her whole body had gone rigid when Hurik mentioned the auctioned Terians. If one of her friends had escaped too, he needed to find out.

“Captain.” Krask cleared his throat. He shifted his stance slightly. “One more thing.”

Razion lifted a brow. “What?”

Krask crossed his arms. His expression remained unreadable, but there was a tension there that Razion recognized. “Your…involvement with the Terian.”

Razion’s jaw flexed. He should’ve seen this coming. “What about it?”

Vedd, of course, didn’t hide his amusement. His dark eyes gleamed as he leaned back in his seat. “Oh? Is this the part where we pretend we didn’t figure that out cycles ago?”

Razion raised one brow. “I wasn’t hiding it.”

“No, just conveniently not saying anything,” Vedd said with a smirk. “Very subtle.”

Krask didn’t react to Vedd’s teasing. His gaze remained locked on Razion, waiting for his answer.

Razion rolled his shoulders, deciding not to make a bigger thing out of it than it was. “Lilas and I are involved,” he said bluntly. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“That remains to be seen,” Krask muttered.

Razion held his gaze, letting the unspoken challenge settle between them. “She’s part of this ship now, Krask. She’s proven herself. If this is an issue for you, say it outright.”

Krask’s nostrils flared but he didn’t argue. He had his concerns—Razion knew that. But the first mate also knew better than to push a fight he wasn’t going to win.

Cozax was the first to break the silence. “It hasn’t affected your judgment, so it’s your business,” she said. “We’ve been running together too long for me to question your personal life. Plus, I like her.”

Vedd shrugged. “I’ve brought far more questionable individuals onto this ship, so I won’t say a word.”

“Yes, you have,” Krask said crisply. He looked like he wanted to argue but knew there was no point. “If she becomes a liability—”

“She won’t,” Razion interrupted.

Krask narrowed his eyes but said nothing more.

Vedd, clearly enjoying himself, grinned. “I, for one, think this is great. The mighty Captain Razion, finally letting himself have a little fun.”

Razion shook his head, but the conversation was over. He turned back to the star map, bracing his hands on the console. “Set the course. Get us to that outpost.”

The crew moved into action, each member falling into their roles with ease. That was one thing Razion could always count on—the efficiency of his team. No matter their personal opinions, they knew how to follow orders and get the job done.

As the Darkslip shifted into motion, engines humming beneath his feet, Razion exhaled slowly, staring at the map. This was the closest he’d been to finding answers about his kind in years. And yet, it wasn’t just the Zaruxians that weighed on his mind.

It was Lilas.

She had said she wouldn’t be afraid, but he wasn’t convinced. Not because she lacked courage— stars knew she had enough fire to burn a hole through the galaxy—but because this was bigger than either of them. What they’d just shared in his quarters had changed things between them, whether either of them was ready to admit it or not.

And now, instead of basking in that new connection, they were about to chase ghosts across the quadrant.

Razion flexed his fingers, then nodded to himself. First, they would find the juvenile Rokkol merchant. Then, the truth. Everything else—including how the fek he was supposed to stop himself from falling harder for Lilas with every passing cycle—could wait.

For now.