Page 6 of Taken By the Naga King

Gravon’s tail began to twitch and writhe, making Azha nervous. She had never seen a Naga’s tail move like that before. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own.

The Naga servant, Jakam, returned to the flight deck, looking nervous. “Your Majesty, I have spoken with the control tower. No one can be moved up on the list. Also, sire, we are being pinged by the Jorvlens on comm, asking to search the ship for their missing slave.”

Gravon’s expression grew even darker, and he let out a low hissing sound. “Do not let the Jorvlens on this ship. I will not have them take what is mine.”

Azha’s heart began to race as fear took hold of her. He talked about her as if she were his possession.

Gravon’s tail wrapped around her, and she was forced to stand as it pulled her close to him. She could feel the coolness radiating off of his body as he held her tightly and it clashed with her innate warmth.

The comm continued to beep with the Jorvlens’ insistent messages, and Azha’s fear grew worse. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. Would Gravon keep her as his slave? Or would he let her go once they reached their destination?

Gravon seemed to sense her unease and turned to look at her. His yellow eyes bore into hers, making her feel vulnerable.

When the comm continued to beep, Gravon let out another hiss, louder this time, and his hood flared around his head.

Azha shied away from him, as far as his tail would allow. His anger scared her, and the look on his face when he noticed her movement scared her even more.

“Jakam!” he shouted, his eyes still on hers. “Tell them we have searched the ship and have no one but authorized personnel here.”

“Right away, Your Majesty.”

Jakam quickly relayed the message. Gravon’s tail began to loosen its grip on Azha as the comm ceased pinging and fell silent.

Azha was, of course, grateful that she was being protected here, that Gravon did not plan on handing her over. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was now the property of this powerful Naga king.

What did it mean for her future?

Chapter 3

Gravon

Gravon studied the human girl carefully, noting that his anger seemed to scare her. This only made him angrier. Didn’t she realize he was trying to protect her? That he was angry because of his need to protect her?

He felt such a strong connection to her, and this feeling made him act without thinking. All he knew was that he could not let her out of his sight. He would not.

Jakam was still coiled nearby, and though they had seemed to solve their Jorvlen problem, that did nothing for the other issue. Namely, the fact that they were still number ninety-nine on the departure list. He glanced at the control panels. Ninety-eight now.

It would be hours before it was their turn to take off. He did not want to wait that long. Not only did he want to get Azha as far away from the Jorvlens as possible, but he was sick of being on this planet. It was time to return home to Nirum.

“Jakam, who can I talk to in order to get this process sped up?” he called out.

Jakam looked as if he did not want to answer him. He did not blame the servant for being cautious around him, not after the way he had been acting all day. But showing weakness in front of a king was not a trait Gravon found admirable, and it won Jakam no favors with him. He wished Jakam would just answer him quickly and precisely, with no hesitation.

Gravon was still getting used to the way people spoke to him as king, like they were scared of him at all times. If only they knew the fear was more likely to kill them than anything.

“Your Majesty, I can go out and try to talk to the control tower again, but I’m not sure what good that will do. They seemed very set in their previous decision.”

Gravon thought for a moment. “I wonder if their refusal has anything to do with the Jorvlens and their hunt. Perhaps no one is allowed to leave or move spots until the issue has been resolved.”

He glanced at Azha, who was looking around the flight deck.

“Why would they go to such trouble over just one slave? Why are you so important to them?” he questioned his human. The question didn’t exactly need to be answered, but he waited anyway.

Her light brown eyes wandered to his, but she no longer looked scared. She looked curious. They stared at each other for a moment, and for the first time since meeting her, he felt his interest in her being reciprocated.

Gravon wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, but he refrained. He did not want to push. It seemed wise to give her a little bit of time before making any overt moves.

Azha opened her mouth, her angelic voice filling the room as she gestured at the panel before her. “Can I ask, is it possible for these control panels to be switched to Galactic Common?”

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