Page 34 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

The officer dipped his head. “Yes. They claimed to have fled Axis-controlled territory and were seeking others of their kinds. We traded some provisions and directed them to a neutralmultispecies trade outpost. If you are kin or share allegiance, you may wish to investigate.”

Sevas exchanged a glance with Takkian, her heart thudding in her chest. “Do you remember their names?” she asked quickly, hope bubbling despite herself. “The Terians—did they give their names?”

“One identified herself as Fivra,” the officer replied, his tone matter-of-fact. “The other, Turi.”

Sevas’ breath caught. She gripped the edges of her pants so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “They’re alive,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “They’re alive.”

“You know them?” Takkian asked, his brows knitted.

“They’re my friends,” Sevas said, her voice thick with emotion. “Fivra and Turi—they were taken with me. Well, Fivra was. Turi stayed with… One of those Zaruxians has to be the overseer, whose name I don’t know. But it must be him. Did one of them have dark purple scales?”

The officer nodded. “Yes. His name was Ellion, if I recall. Quiet, remote male. The other was named Cyprian, and he had red scales. More talkative, that one.” The Dokkol’s eyes narrowed as he looked hard at Takkian. “They both resembled you. Their eyes were silver like yours. You could be brothers.”

Takkian’s expression went unreadable and his lips parted on a silent breath. He looked away, but Sevas was still reeling from this revelation.

“I thought—” Her voice broke, and she shook her head. “I thought I’d never hear from them again.”

The officer nodded. “They were safe and their ship was weapon-equipped. The outpost is remote and the Axis has little business there. I can send the coordinates to your ship, if you wish.”

“Yes,” Sevas said. “Please do that.”

Bruil braced himself against the wall with some handles. His arms crossed, but his yellow eyes were sharp. “Sounds like your friends are survivors,” he said, his tone gruff but approving. “You Terians are tougher than you look.”

Sevas let out a shaky laugh, tears threatening to spill over. “We are. We all are.”

The officer gestured toward Ulo again. “We must depart now. The longer we linger, the more risk we bring to both ships.”

Ulo gave them all one last look. His rugged features were soft with unspoken gratitude, then he turned and left with the officer. The hatch closed behind him, and Bruil sealed it in place.

Sevas stared at the sealed hatch as if she could still see Ulo through it. She felt relief that her friend was finally on his way to safety, and a pang of loss that he wouldn’t be with them anymore. But more than anything, hope buzzed just beneath her skin. Fivra and Turi—her friends—were alive. The words repeated in her mind, sending determination through her.

Takkian’s hand tightened around hers, grounding her and pulling her back to the present. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, but her throat was too tight to answer at first. Finally, she managed to say, “It doesn’t feel real. I thought they were gone, Takkian. I really did. And now… They’re out there. They’re free, and they’re looking for others.” Sevas turned to look at him fully, and then at Bruil, who watched her intently.

Bruil gestured toward the console. “We have two choices.” His gruff voice cut through the stillness. “One, we set a course for that trade outpost and hope we find this ship before they move on. But that’ll put us out in open space, and if the Axis is scanning for escaped ships, they could find us.”

“Or?” Takkian prompted, though his jaw was already tight, as if he knew the answer.

“Or we keep to the gas clouds and lie low for as long as we can.” Bruil’s rough hand swept over the console as he leanedback against it, arms crossed. “The Dokkol ship has already drawn attention by docking here. If the Axis have patrols in this quadrant, it won’t take long before they start snooping. Staying hidden gives us time to regroup, test this ship’s defenses, and prepare for whatever mess we’re diving into, but it’s also a risk.”

The options hung in the air like a weight pressing down on all of them. Sevas locked her gaze on the sealed hatch, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. Fivra and Turi were alive. The knowledge flickered through her like a single, fragile flame, illuminating the hope she thought had been extinguished back in the arena. But underlying that hope was the risk of leaving their safe haven, however temporary it might be. Her heart pulled in two directions—toward caution, and toward the fierce, undeniable need to reunite with the only remnants of the life she once had.

She caught movement from the corner of her eye. Takkian. He was watching her. His silver eyes were bright but steady, gauging her reaction. She bit the inside of her cheek, wishing she could simply say what she wanted without having to weigh the cost of it. But no—Takkian would never make a choice without seeing the complete picture. And neither could she. She took a breath and raised her eyes to meet his.

“I know it’s dangerous.” Her voice was steadier than she felt, though it wavered, thick with unspoken emotion. “But…” Her throat tightened. “We have to find them. Fivra and Turi—they’re not just my friends. They’re family.Truefamily. If they’re searching for me, Nena, Lilas, and Cerani, they got free. And if they are with Zaruxians…” She shook her head as the possibilities flooded her. “We can’t ignore this.

Sevas watched Takkian and Bruil. Her chest tightened as she waited for their response. Takkian’s eyes flicked to hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch. There was a flicker of unease in his expression—faint but unmistakable—like the veryidea of what she’d said unsettled something deep within him. She knew him well enough by now to recognize how fiercely protective he was, especially of her. It was a part of him she relied on, but it also made her wonder if he sometimes overlooked his own needs for hers.

When he finally spoke, his voice was steady, resolute, the very sound of it grounding her. “We’ll find them,” Takkian said with a calm certainty that steadied her once again. “We’ll track them down and reunite you with your friends. But—” His voice took on a sharper edge. “—we need to be in agreement and we need a plan.”

His words landed with a weight that made her chest ache—not from sadness, but from a warmth she wasn’t entirely sure she deserved. She allowed herself to smile faintly, even though the flicker of worry still burned in her mind. She reached out, her fingers brushing ever so lightly against the back of his hand. “What about you?” she asked quietly. The question slipped out before she could second-guess it. “You’ve lost so much, too. Do you think…you’d want to find other Zaruxians?”

Takkian’s expression didn’t immediately change, but his silence spoke volumes. His fingers twitched under her touch. She could feel his muscles tighten. For a moment, she worried she’d asked something too raw. But instead of anger or dismissal, a flicker of vulnerability passed through his eyes.

He turned his gaze away, toward the floor, as if grappling with the question himself. “I’ve thought about it,” he admitted at last. His voice was low and rough. “Not often. Not because I don’t want to—it’s just…easier to believe there’s nothing left of my people but Bruil and me. Easier than hoping, only to find nothing.” His shoulders tightened as he drew in a breath. “But if they’re out there… If there are any Zaruxians left, I want to find them.”

Sevas swallowed hard. She hadn’t expected such an answer, but hearing it made her heart ache for him in ways she couldn’t quite describe.

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