Page 25 of Pursued by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #4)
Lilas
Lilas lay curled against Razion, her cheek resting on the solid warmth of his chest. His steady heartbeat thumped beneath her ear in a quiet, grounding rhythm that settled something deep inside her. Their bodies were tangled in the sheets, her leg draped over his, his arm wrapped around her waist like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go.
She wasn’t going anywhere.
Not ever again.
Her fingers traced lazy circles over his skin, skimming the golden scales that shimmered softly in the low light. Her body still hummed in the afterglow of their reunion. Pleasure thrummed in her blood like a song that wouldn’t quite fade. But beneath the contentment, something else stirred—a quiet weight she couldn’t ignore.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Razion shifted, tilting his head to look down at her. “For what?”
She exhaled, tightening her fingers against his skin like she could hold on to him as tightly as she wanted to hold on to this moment. “I should have stayed,” she said. “I should have listened to the whole conversation with Krask.” Her throat tightened. “If I had, none of this would have happened.”
Razion was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Lilas.” His voice was calm, steady. “I don’t blame you at all. You did what made sense to you.”
She frowned, shifting up onto one arm so she could look at him fully. “I didn’t trust you.” The confession sat heavy on her tongue. “I should have.”
“It’s not that simple.” Razion’s fingers traced her arm, as if he couldn’t stop touching her. “What we’ve been through in our lives—it shapes us, whether we want it to or not. You guarded yourself because that’s what you knew. That’s what hard lessons taught you.” His silver-gray eyes held hers, stormy but warm. “You did what you thought would keep you safe.”
“And I was wrong,” she whispered, pressing her palm flat against his chest. “You would never hurt me.”
Razion caught her wrist, holding her hand against his skin. “Never,” he said firmly.
She swallowed hard, nodding. She knew that now . If she was honest with herself, she’d known it before—deep down, beneath the fear, beneath the panic. But fear had spoken louder in that moment, and she had run instead of listening.
“I spent cycles not knowing if I’d saved myself from a huge mistake or thrown away something…perfect,” she admitted. “Something I didn’t think I could have.”
“And what do you think now?” he asked.
She smiled, small but sure. “That I was a fool.”
Razion chuckled. The warmth of it rolled through his chest. “You’re not a fool, Lilas.”
“I made myself miserable for nothing.” She arched a brow. “That’s not exactly smart .”
Razion’s gaze softened. “It’s impossible not to let survival strategies take the lead sometimes. Especially when we’re scared.” A shadow flickered across his face, distant but deep, like a thought he hadn’t voiced before. He hesitated, then added, “I don’t know who I’ll be when this is over.”
Lilas tilted her head. “When what’s over?”
“The Axis.” His hand slid around to her back and traced the golden marks along her spine that he was still clearly fascinated by. “I’ve spent my life fighting them. Every decision I made, every raid, every cycle—everything was about dismantling their hold on the universe in retribution for what they did to my home planet. But now…” He swallowed hard, his voice quieter. “Now, I’ve found something else. You.”
Lilas’ chest tightened. “And that scares you?”
His lips twitched like he wanted to deny it, then he sighed and shrugged. “Maybe? Not as much anymore.” He shifted onto his side, pulling her against him fully. “I don’t know who I’ll be once we win. But I know that I want to find out—with you.”
The words settled in her, warm and real in a way that made her breath catch.
She slid her palm flat over his chest, savoring the way his heartbeat thudded strong beneath her touch. She didn’t question this. Didn’t doubt it. For the first time, the future didn’t feel uncertain—it felt like a promise.
“I look forward to finding that future too, Captain.” She smiled and curled closer, pressing a slow kiss to the spot just above his heart. “Whatever will we do with all that free time?”
Razion chuckled, low and satisfied, as he tightened his arms around her. “Oh, I don’t know. Find a nice planet and have a garden. Make some babies. Lots of babies.”
She paused her kisses to lean up and give him a skeptical look. “Maybe one or two. And that’s if we can make babies.”
“We can, Lilas,” he murmured against her hair as he pulled her back down. “And I don’t care how many babies we have, as long as I have you. I love you.”
She smiled against his skin, closing her eyes. Later, she’d ask him how he was so sure about the baby thing, but just then, it was just the two of them and this perfect moment. “I love you too, Razion.”
And this time, she wasn’t afraid to say it.
She let the warmth of his arms, the steady rhythm of his heart, and the quiet certainty in his voice settle deep within her. There was no more doubt. No more fear.
Only them and whatever future they would carve out together.
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