Page 153 of The Edge of Dawn

Tarak summoned Kail through the comm. Moments later, the big warrior arrived, a set of Callidum restraints in his hands.

“Amun’s our prisoner now,” Tarak informed him. “Take him into custody. We’ll transport him separately to the humans.”

If Kail was in the least bit surprised, he didn’t show it. He just grunted and followed Tarak’s orders to the letter, swiftly enclosing Amun’s wrists and ankles with the restraints. There was another one for the tail, attaching it to the same restraint that bound his wrists.

Then, a shock collar was clasped around Amun’s neck.

It seemed rather excessive, but at the same time, it wasn’t enough.

What had been so terrible that Amun had allowed himself to end up in this position?

Was he really so protective of the humans they’d found?

It was all very, very strange, but it wasn’t Dragek’s problem to worry about.

That was Tarak’s job, and true to form, the general had already fixed the Kaiin-cursed timeline and destroyed the portals. Dragek didn’t understand how he’d done it, but this was Tarak al Akkadian after all.

Nothing was impossible where he was concerned.

Dragek had found that out the hard way.

As Kail led Amun away, Tarak walked to his side.

He held out his hand, motioning for his sword.

Dragek offered it to him.

“You’ve done well,” Tarak said as he took back his sword. “Saving the Universe is never an easy feat.”

Tarak’s tone was almost… un-serious.

What in the Nine Hells just happened?

He tried to replay everything in his mind. Jade’s sudden and unexpected appearance. Her plight on Earth and his initial indifference.

Tarak and Ashrael’s sudden interest in him—and trust.

Impossible.

Then, there was the mystery of his attraction to Jade, which had hit him hard and fast, blindsiding him.

After that…

Everything had spiraled out of control, and he hadn’t been able to do anything but ride the currents until he found himself far away from his newfound sarien, bristling with the power of the Mating Fever and on the verge of doing the impossible—stepping into the Fourth Dimension to divert the worst possible outcome.

But that wasn’t what had astounded him the most.

The most unbelievable thing about all of this was that he’d actually found his mate; his one-in-a-billion, his true sarien, and she was willing and eager.

She’d seen the darkness inside his mind and heart, but she hadn’t rejected him.

In fact, she’d sought him out, becoming his anchor during the storm.

Freed of the Mistress, he’d found refuge in her acceptance.

He shuddered to think of what he might have become if he hadn’t found her at that very moment. How terrifying that his entire state of being had depended on the existence of this sweet, innocent, surprisingly fearless human.

Tarak put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, flashing his fangs in an expression that was still so unfamiliar to Dragek, to the point where it was almost jarring—an actual smile. “I understand the feeling. It’s a lot to process, and you, katach, look ragged. So take your leave now. You’ve done what nobody else could. You’ve executed your task with honor and freed yourself from the shackles of what might have been. You will be on the first ship to return to the Fleet Station. We’ll take it from here. You have done enough.”

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