Chosen by the Dragon Alien (Zarux Dragon Brides #2)

Chapter 9

NINE

Fivra

Fivra listened in stunned silence as Cyprian relayed the information from the report. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the grim news of her home and her people. The Axis had abandoned her settlement after an uprising, leaving chaos and uncertainty in their wake. The overseer, a figure who had always loomed large in her life, was gone— deleted from the system . And her people, her friends, her family… They were presumed dead, overtaken by the neighboring, beastlike species they had been warned about since childhood.

Her legs shook and threatened to give out, and she lowered herself into a plush chair near his desk. The room spun around her. The reality of the situation threatened to pull her into a dark abyss of despair. “Dead,” she whispered, the word tasting like ash in her mouth. “All of them…gone.”

Cyprian kneeled before her, his silver eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and resolve. “I don’t believe it,” he said flatly. “The Axis can’t tolerate a loss, and admitting that a bunch of inmates overtook their forces would look terrible.”

She shook her head. Her gaze focused on the intricate patterns of the carpet beneath her feet. “I hope you’re right,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “My people were not kind to each other. Maybe we once were, but I don’t see how they could have overcome the Axis’ forces. We had no weapons. No skill at fighting.”

He smirked. “I suspect they had help. Your overseer didn’t side with the Axis, clearly, and losing him must have dealt a blow. Zaruxians can be formidable when we are in dragon form. Perhaps he was protecting…” His eyes lit up. “You said he kept one member of your group?”

“Yes. Turi.” She dropped her gaze. “She was so scared.”

“Maybe she didn’t stay scared,” he said dryly. “Maybe what happened between them is what is happening between us.”

Her gaze flew to him. It was possible. Turi had appealed to the overseer years earlier, but she’d never revealed what she’d done to earn a mark of protection over her family’s farm. “It’s possible.”

Cyprian sent a look to Glivar, who stood quietly, looking extremely awkward. “The fury of a Zaruxian in dragon form would cause enormous damage. And if he had allies, there would be too much for a standard Axis defense fleet to deal with. The cost of maintaining control over the colony got to be too high,” Cyprian explained, his hand gently squeezing hers in a show of support. “The report suggests there was some form of rebellion, an uprising that led to losses. In the end, the Axis made the decision to retreat. If your people are anything like you, they did not take well to learning the truth about the Axis.”

Fivra’s mind raced as she tried to process the information. Her people worshipped the Axis. They were forced to pray to them. Thoughts of her friends flashed through her mind— females she’d grown up with, shared dreams and fears with. They had all been pawns in a game they didn’t even know they were playing. And now, wherever they were, they did not know that the settlements were no longer under Axis rule.

“There’s something else.” Glivar shifted his weight, his eyes darting between her and Cyprian.

Fivra’s heart raced. The room felt smaller, the air thick with tension and unspoken truths. “What is it, Glivar?” Cyprian’s voice was steady, but Fivra could hear the underlying note of concern.

Glivar cleared his throat. His gaze fixed on a point just over Fivra’s shoulder. “Something I heard through my sources. Don’t know how true it is.”

Cyprian’s silver eyes narrowed, and his wings twitched slightly—a clear sign of his growing impatience. “Spit it out, Glivar. We haven’t got all cycle.”

The large green male swallowed hard, his fingers nervously clenching and unclenching at his sides. “Rumors, boss. Just rumors, but they’re saying that the Axis… They’re saying that the Axis might be looking to dispose of some of their…assets. Assets connected to recent acquisitions from Falmic-5.”

Fivra’s breath caught in her throat. “Dispose of?” she echoed softly. The word felt like a cold, hard stone settling in the pit of her stomach.

Cyprian’s hand tightened around hers, his gaze never leaving Glivar’s face. “Are you suggesting that the Axis might be planning to…eliminate the Terian females sold at the auction?”

Glivar nodded, his expression grim. “It’s just hearsay at this point, but considering the sensitive nature of the situation, it’s possible they’re trying to cover their tracks. To make sure no one can trace the…the breach in protocol.”

Breach in protocol? Fivra’s mind reeled. It was as if she’d been dropped into the middle of a dangerous and complex game, one where the rules were constantly changing and the stakes were life and death.

Cyprian rose to his full height. His wings unfurled in an obvious display of agitation. “I want you to dig, Glivar. Find out if this is true or a rumor. If the Axis is looking to collect the Terian females that were taken to the auction, they have a reason for it.”

“The Axis gave the raiders permission to abduct us in the first place,” Fivra said.

“They weren’t dealing with a full-scale uprising at the time.” Cyprian shook his head. “Penal colonies rebelling and overthrowing their rule is bad for business.”

“So why not stamp it down?” Glivar asked. “They have the power to do so.”

“Maybe they have more problems than we’re aware of,” Fivra mused, having wondered the same thing. “They might not be as powerful as the impression they give. Or maybe bringing in a huge fleet to put down one small colony would have attracted too much attention.”

Cyprian’s gaze turned sharply to Fivra. “One of those scenarios is likely,” he said. “I have met with Axis representatives—never any of the leaders—and they are tight-lipped about the prison element of the Axis’ business. Makes me curious to find out what they’re hiding.”

“Whoa, boss.” Glivar held out his huge hands. “You have Erovik to think about. Nothing good can come from angering the Axis. Look what was said about the Zaruxian at Fivra’s settlement. He was going to be rehabilitated, and you know what that means.”

Cyprian winced, and Fivra crossed her arms. “What does it mean?” she asked.

“The Axis have a way of making people forget things.” Cyprian scratched the back of his head. “Not clear how it’s done, but Glivar and I have both experienced it firsthand. A client with deep business ties to the Axis stopped coming in. We encountered him in the primary hangar of the station and he had no idea who we were.”

“He wasn’t faking it, either,” Glivar added grimly. “The male didn’t know us. And he was different. Vacant.”

“And you think the Axis did this to him?” Fivra asked.

Cyprian nodded. “The Axis dropped all ties to him, and he’s not the only one. There have been others. The Axis doesn’t go out of the way to hide it. When they say someone needs ‘rehabilitation,’ it means they’re altering someone’s mind. You could say it’s an open secret. An extremely well-planted threat.”

Fivra’s eyes locked onto Cyprian’s. A swirling mixture of fear and anger drove her words. “If the Axis tried to erase the overseer’s mind, if they made these other people…forget, then what’s stopping them from coming here for me? Or the others?”

“They won’t touch you.” Cyprian’s voice was steel, his silver eyes flashing. His wings flared. “Not while I’m here.” He took two calculated steps toward her, his sheer presence dominating the room.

Fivra’s gaze dropped momentarily, overwhelmed by his intensity. “You don’t know what they’re capable of,” she murmured. “You said it yourself—they quietly erase memories. If they’ve decided I’m a breach—something they can’t afford to leave unchecked—what’s stopping them?”

“ I am stopping them,” he said firmly. His voice reverberated with power, leaving no room for doubt. “They will not take you, Fivra.”

Glivar let out a low whistle. “Boss, I don’t mean to get in the way of your proclamations and all, but…we’re talking about the Axis. They’ve got resources we can’t even dream of. This isn’t a fight we can win in the open.”

Cyprian’s jaw ticked as he turned his attention to his assistant. “I am aware of what we’re up against, Glivar. I’ve worked under their thumb for cycles. But since they abandoned Fivra’s settlement and left loose ends crawling around their well-oiled machine, they have a problem. If the Axis were all-powerful, those females wouldn’t have ended up on Falmic-5, would they?”

Glivar hesitated. “No, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fix their mistake with firepower and ‘rehabilitation.’”

“Let them try.” Cyprian’s wings flexed, and his silver eyes were stormy. “They will learn it’s a mistake to underestimate me.”

“You’re being reckless,” Fivra said, rising from the chair. She moved closer, her hands reaching out to grip his arm. “You can’t take on the Axis alone. It’s suicide.” She searched his face, her voice dropping to a tremble. “I won’t let you die because of me. I can’t.”

Cyprian’s eyes softened just slightly as he dipped his head to meet hers. “I have no intention of dying. Nor will I let you sacrifice yourself for their convenience. If you think I can’t keep you safe, Fivra, then you don’t know me as well as you should by now.”

Fivra’s breathing hitched. A part of her still balked at the idea of Cyprian confronting the Axis—this impenetrable, multi-tentacled beast that had shaped both their lives. “You’re talking about going up against something that could wipe out all traces of your existence. How can you fight that?”

Cyprian’s lips curled into a smile—grim and determined, yet oddly reassuring. “Because I have more at stake than they can take from me. I’ve grown comfortable in my life here—complacent, even. I’ve let the Axis believe I was their obedient servant for too long. But now?” He reached out, his warm hand cradling her face, his thumb brushing along her jawline. “Now, I’ve been given something worth fighting for. Someone worth fighting for.”

Fivra’s heart skipped a beat at his words. Her mind wrestled with the sheer audacity of his certainty. “You’re not just talking about me,” she whispered. “Are you?”

“No.” Cyprian’s voice softened, but it held all the weight of his conviction. “I will not let the Axis dictate my life any longer. And I will certainly not let them take yours.”

Glivar cleared his throat loudly, breaking the electric tension between them. “Not to interrupt the touching moment, but if we’re going to make plans to hide—or fek it all, evacuate—Fivra, we’d better start sooner rather than later. If the rumors I’ve heard are true, the Axis won’t waste much time cleaning up their mess.”

Cyprian straightened. His demeanor once again that of the commanding and calculating director of Erovik. “You’re right,” he said briskly. “We need to move swiftly. If the Axis’ agents come sniffing around, I want nothing here for them to find.”

“That’s easier said than done, boss,” Glivar muttered. “Where do you want to stash her? You know they’ll check every hidden corner of this station.”

Cyprian considered for a moment. His sharp mind raced through the possibilities. “We need somewhere off-station,” he said firmly. “Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look. Somewhere with no connection to Erovik, or to me.”

Glivar scratched his head, his brow furrowing. “Off-station’s tricky. The Axis has eyes in a lot of places. Every port we use regularly is monitored to some degree.”

“I know,” Cyprian said. His tone was clipped. “But I have one or two places in mind. Options we’ve never needed to use before.”

Fivra watched the exchange in silence, her fingers tightening their grip on Cyprian’s arm. “You mean to send me away?” she asked. “Cyprian, I can’t just run.”

“You’re not running,” Cyprian assured her, his voice low but resolute. “You’re surviving.”

She shook her head. “If they’re coming for me, then they’ll come for you when they see you’re protecting me. They won’t stop. We’re… We’re in this together now.”

“Fivra, staying here isn’t an option right now,” he said, taking her tense hands in his own. “Not while we don’t know for certain when or if they’ll come. You are the leverage the Axis would use against me if they knew… If they knew how much you mean to me.”

Her breath hitched, but she refused to back down. “And what will you do when they come looking? Fight them off on your own?”

“If that’s what it takes,” Cyprian said simply, his head tilting as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m a dragon, after all.”

Glivar groaned, shaking his head. “Boss, I hate when you get like this. Running headfirst into the fire only works when the flames can’t burn you.”

Cyprian glanced at his assistant, his lips curling into a grim smile. “I’ll assess the flames before running through them, Glivar, and I’ll remind you that I have a few of my own. I’ll handle the Axis however I need to.”

“Then let me stay and fight with you,” Fivra implored. “You can’t expect me to just—”

“Absolutely not,” Cyprian cut her off, his tone firm but soft. He stepped closer to her, his wings curving inward to enclose her in a leathery fold. His voice gentled as he spoke, but his words were edged with resolve. “Fivra, I will not let you stay here and risk your life. I’ve seen what the Axis does to those who stand in their way, and I cannot—will not—allow that to happen to you. If I have to burn this entire station to ash to keep you free of their grasp, I will.”

Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. “You can’t mean that—”

“I mean every word.” Cyprian’s hands gripped her shoulders gently but firmly. His silver eyes locked on hers with an intensity that made it impossible to look away. “You will not fall into their hands again. Not while I have air in my lungs and fire in my veins.”

“Why me?” she whispered, trembling under the weight of his fierce gaze. Her inner voice, the one conditioned by years of submission and survival, whispered that his resolve to protect her was dangerous—not just for her, but for him. “Cyprian, I’m just a—”

“You don’t get to decide what you are to me,” he interrupted, his thumb brushing along the line of her jaw, chasing away the tears that threatened to spill. “You are mine, Fivra. I felt the pull of it the moment you looked up at me, right there.” He pointed to the spot on the floor where she’d been when they’d first met. She’d been so afraid, so empty of hope. “My dragon fire burns for you. You may not see it, you may not believe it, but I do. That’s enough.”

Her heart squeezed painfully at his words, the raw emotion she heard in his voice a contrast to the impenetrable strength he exuded. “What about the courtias ? Can they be trusted to keep this secret?”

“Most of them, yes,” Cyprian replied. “ Courtias are excellent at discretion, but they have a price, of course. We’ll come up with a story for them, if they become curious. The fewer who are aware that you are a Terian the Axis is seeking, the less chance there is of information leaking to the Axis.” His claws had extended. They gently grazed the fabric of her dress where his fingers rested. “It’s the best option for now, and temporary, until I’m certain you’re safe.”

“And where will you send me?” she asked, her voice tight, torn between despair and anger. “Do you have a secret place where the Axis can’t find me? Or anyone else?”

Cyprian glanced at Glivar. “There’s an old contact I have from my early days here,” he explained. “Kaelen. He was an old client who used to come in to see this one courtia . He’s a smuggler, a revolutionary in his own way. He runs an outpost operating outside the Axis’ surveillance systems.”

“Outpost?” Fivra tilted her head uncertainly, her soft voice carrying her curiosity and unease. “What kind of outpost?”

Cyprian hesitated for a moment, his wings twitching slightly. “It’s…isolated,” he admitted. “Hidden in the frozen reaches of a rogue planet past the edge of Axis-controlled space. Kaelen and his group specialize in shielding fugitives, smuggling supplies, and generally making things difficult for the Axis.”

“Sounds like the opposite of safe,” Fivra said flatly, pulling her hands from his and crossing her arms. “If they’re already on the Axis’ bad side, wouldn’t I just be walking into more danger?”

“No,” Cyprian said firmly. “Kaelen has survived this long because he’s smart and careful. He knows how to stay out of their line of sight. Plus, there’s no one better at keeping secrets—and people—hidden. He owes me a favor—a big one. He will protect you until I can ensure the Axis won’t come after you.”

Fivra’s gaze flicked to Glivar, searching for any sign of doubt on the massive green male’s face. To her dismay, he only nodded grimly, as if Cyprian’s plan made perfect sense.

Glivar huffed out a sigh. “It’s not a zero-risk solution, but it’s better than leaving her here, out in the open, with clients and staff who might catch wind of the Axis’ interest. Kaelen’s outpost has weathered storms like this before.”

Fivra turned back to Cyprian, her jaw tightening. “And what will you do while I’m there? You said yourself the Axis might come here looking for me—or worse, for everyone else from my settlement. How are you going to convince them I’m not worth their time without handing me over?”

Cyprian’s silver eyes darkened, reflecting not just anger but a deep, protective fury. “They won’t find out I’m hiding you, Fivra,” he said. “And if they come asking, I’ll deal with them.”

“And if ‘dealing with them’ doesn’t work?” Her voice shook as the enormity of his plan settled over her. “What if they don’t take no for an answer?”

“Then I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you stay free.” Cyprian’s wings stretched slightly, his imposing frame looming even larger. “They don’t scare me.”

“They should,” Glivar grunted. “They absolutely should.”