Page 71 of Captured By the Dragon Warlord
I beckon to him, getting his huge head down low, where I sweep my hand over his cheek, just under his good eye. I place my thumb at the back of his jaw.
Dexx rumbles a purr. I hold his gaze as I run my thumb down the pressure point and lean into his scales.
“Think of the time when you were most happy,” I murmur. “The time when everything was bright.”
“My time has never been brighter than when I am with you,” Dexx says. “You are the axis on which I turn, Scarlett. It is you. It will always be you.”
“I want your arms around me,” I say softly.
“I want my arms around you, heartsfire,” Dexx replies, and in a slow swirl of smoke and embers, I have him in front of me, his scaled skin glittering, his single eye not leaving my face. “I want to hold you forever.”
“You shifted.” My voice is hoarse. “I didn’t think it would work.”
“Everything I do is for you, sweet mate. I thought you’d know that by now.” Dexx buries his head in my hair, the spicy, smoky scent of his skin surrounding me.
“Promise me, you’ll never leave me,” I whisper.
“There is no such promise,” Dexx says. I lift my head in alarm. “Because you are part of me, and I cannot leave you behind, heartsfire.” He places his hand over my abdomen. “What we have created cannot be undone. I will be here for you until the stars go out.”
The ship rocks again, and Dexx releases a snarl and a cloud of smoke.
“Nev the Veseli. Will they ever accept defeat?” he grumbles.
“Cancockroaches accept defeat?” I ask.
“They can if I burn every single one to a cinder,” Dexx rasps.
I pat his chest. “I’m with you on that point.”
Dexx swirls me around behind him and stalks after the others.
The walls of the ship creak and I cling closer to him. All of us might have been in space as part of our abduction, but I haven’t been in a space battle. The mere thought of what would happen if the hull was breached is stomach clenchingly terrifying. But it’s a thought I cannot get out of my head as much as I want to.
I attempt to concentrate on staying as close to Dexx as possible as he stalks the passage until we come out on what has to be the main control center of the ship, given Dante is standing, legs apart and arms folded, glaring at a screen filled with darkness and stars.
It’s space, up close and personal. The chill I feel intensifies.
“What is attacking us?” Dexx queries.
Dante turns, looks him up and down, and an expression of disappointment crosses over his face. “You’re not bigger in your biped form.”
“Will you shut the nev up about my size, Dante?” Dexx growls. “What the nev is happening?”
“Darax’s fleet has engaged three ships, two of which are Veseli and the third isn’t,” Dante says with a yawn.
A ripple of excitement flows through the warriors in the control center as our ship is rocked once more and on the screen is a bright light of an explosion which grows brighter before winking out.
“One Veseli ship and one not Veseli.” Dante grins, his scales rippling.
“Where is the other ship?” Dexx demands. His fists are clenched as he watches the action like a hawk.
“It’s behind us, Lord Dante,” one of the warriors says.
The screen flickers. A face appears. It almost seems human.
“You will hand over Lord Dexx and his mate,” it says. “Or you will perish.”
DEXX
