Chapter 23
Takkian
Takkian’s chest tightened. His claws flexed against his sides as he stared at Bruil. “All those cycles. We shared a cell, Bruil.” His voice came out sharp. His pulse pounded with a hundred emotions. “Explain yourself.”
The older Zaruxian exhaled loudly. His ragged wings shifted. “It was never the right time.”
“Never the right—” Takkian’s voice dropped into a growl. He planted his feet as the ship thrummed around them. “You knew I was a—a king? ” Fek , he felt absurd just saying the words. “And you said nothing?”
Cyprian let out a low whistle. He stretched his legs out in front of him, hands folded lazily behind his head. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“We were going to die there,” Bruil said, jutting his scarred chin. “And also, I wasn’t completely sure until I met these two.” He glanced at Ellion and Cyprian.
Ellion gazed at Bruil with something like awe. “We are, in fact, true brothers?” he asked.
Bruil chuffed out a harsh laugh. “Look at each other. You have the same eyes. Same height. Same age.” He smiled wistfully. “They’re your mother’s eyes. She was a beautiful female. A wonderful queen.”
Takkian closed his eyes, blurring out the stunned reactions of Ellion and Cyprian—two males he had just met, and now, it seemed, he was bound to. Aimless hurt, anger, betrayal warred inside of him. He turned back to Bruil, every muscle in his body drawn tight. “You knew who my family were, or at least, suspected. And let me go to match after match without telling me? Without telling me my mother was a queen?”
Bruil held his gaze. “Would it have helped? Would it have changed anything if I’d told you what I suspected? ” He shook his head. “You would never have believed me. You’d have thought I was a ranting old male who was losing his mind.”
Now that he thought about it, that wasn’t untrue. He would have laughed. He would have thought Bruil’s mind was unraveling, had he started calling him “your majesty” in the cell. Without seeing these other two male Zaruxians, who were undeniably his family, he’d never have believed it. Takkian’s fists unclenched. “Is there anything else you’d like to share?”
“There are six of you,” Bruil said. “The queen had six hatchlings.”
“Hatchlings?” Turi said, brows raised. “You’re from eggs? ”
“Zaruxian females drop eggs,” Bruil said. “A clutch of one to four, usually. Queen Aklian had six, and they all hatched.”
“I’m not laying eggs,” Sevas stated, crossing her arms. “Just saying that right now.”
Bruil smiled at her. “Your children would be live births. But like I said earlier, the offspring of a Terian and Zaruxian union cannot take a dragon form.”
“Do they have wings?” Fivra wanted to know. She slid closer, wrapping a hand around Cyprian’s arm. “And scales?”
Bruil nodded. “The ones I saw had wings. Very light, fine scales,” he said gently. “They were beautiful mixes of both of their parents.”
“Well, fek . What a cycle.” Cyprian placed a hand on his belly. “Not sure I can take any more revelations on an empty stomach. We’re due for a meal, I think. And we should continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable, anyway. Preferably with some gragian ale.”
“I could eat,” said Sevas. “And a change of clothes, if possible. And a bath.”
But Takkian struggled to move. Ellion stood there, thumb and forefinger set contemplatively against his chin. He looked like he was taking it all in. “Did you know our mother?” he asked.
“Ah, no.” Bruil scraped a hand through his gray hair. “I was just a regular Zaruxian. When the war began, I joined the fight, of course. We used dragon form when the fighting was on the planet and I operated a small combat craft when in space. The royal family didn’t spend time with commoners, though the king was among the first to be killed.” His face twisted with the horror of his memories. “ Fek , we fought for them. For us. For our beautiful world and for the Terians, who were our planetary neighbors. In the end, the Axis outgunned us. Queen Aklian made a deal to turn herself over in exchange for allowing whoever was left to live and for her sons to survive. They accepted.”
“So, how did I end up in the arena?” Takkian asked. “With no memory of my past?”
“And I in a brothel,” added Cyprian.
“You were in a brothel? ” Takkian said, momentarily distracted.
Cyprian waved a hand. “As the director, yes. That’s where I met my delicious mate.” He wove an arm around Fivra’s waist. “It’s…a complicated story.”
“And I was installed as the overseer to a penal colony,” Ellion said, his arms folded. “My memory was also tampered with. Repeatedly.” He tapped the back of his head. “There was a device implanted. Right here.”
Takkian’s fingers went to his scalp. There were the ridges of scars, but he couldn’t tell if something else was there. “Do you have the ability to scan me?”
“We do, thanks to some friends who shared their technology with us,” Ellion replied. “And we can extract an implant if the Axis put one in you. But it should wait until the nerve agent that was injected into you is completely out of your system.”
Takkian nodded. “Fine with me.” The Axis weren’t close enough to detect him and besides, he wasn’t ready to have memories returned to him all at once. Not after the cycle he just had. Not after what he’d learned and was still processing. It was going to take time to get used to this drastically different life.
He saw Sevas staring hard at Ellion and it occurred to him that the last time she saw this male, he was in a position of great power over her. “Perhaps Sevas would like to know what happened at her settlement,” he said. “And I would very much like some of that ale.”
Turi and Fivra came to either side of Sevas. “We can do that part,” said Turi. “We’ll get some food and take her to the room you’ll be staying in. We have catching up to do and you…” she gestured to the four males. “You can do your bonding thing.”
Sevas seemed happy to go with her friends. With a kiss to her palm, Takkian watched her leave with the Terian females all but wrapped around her. She was taller and more sturdily built than they were, but still seemed small and delicate to him. It made him smile to see her surrounded by friends. She had a piece of her family back. And he… Well, he was just discovering his.
The four of them suddenly didn’t know what to say to each other, but with a few grunts and gestures, they left the command deck and went through a labyrinth of corridors and lifts to end up in a luxurious dining room. Cyprian set out drinks and Ellion had the replicator prepare a feast that took up most of the table. He gazed at it in disbelief. How could his circumstances have changed from an animal fighting for his life in an arena to a royal Zaruxian with five brothers? Speaking of which…
“So there are three more of us?” He took a sip of the ale and let out a small groan. He’d tasted spirits a few times after winning important matches, but this was sublime.
“Apparently.” Ellion raised one dark brow to Bruil. “Any idea what happened to them?”
“No, your majesty,” he said, taking a drink. “Most of us who survived were sent off to work camps—mining, mostly. I was sent to a few before ending up at the arena, where I was about used up when Takkian was brought in.” He gave Takkian a fond smile. “We looked after each other. I’m sorry for not telling you everything, boy—I mean, your majesty. It was a place without hope, and I was afraid to give you any for fear it would get you killed faster. I—I didn’t want to lose you.”
Takkian plucked a succulent-looking piece of meat from a nearby tray. “I understand, Bruil. And don’t ever, ever call me ‘your majesty’ again. That’s an order, or whatever.”
Bruil smiled, wide and full, showing off decent teeth for one of his age. “Very well.”
“So tell me, Takkian.” Cyprian shifted forward, swirling his glass. “Have you ever used those wings of yours?”
He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the conversations turn light as food was eaten and ale was drank. After a time, with the dark wilds of space outside and the warmth and safety of his family ship inside, the males made their way to the residential wing.
Takkian entered the private chamber assigned to Sevas and him. The sleek metal door hissed shut behind him. The room was dimly lit. The soft ambient glow from the embedded panels cast a deep blue hue along the walls. His stomach was pleasantly full from the feast, and his head swam slightly from the gragian ale they’d passed around during the meal. But nothing could dull the excitement thrumming under his skin.
His brothers .
The word still felt foreign on his tongue, but it settled deep in his chest, warming something inside him that had been cold for far too long. He had family—Zaruxians who had survived the destruction of their world. He had a past, a mother , and a name that meant something beyond the arena. Even Bruil had softened. His gruff demeanor shifted to reveal the lingering guilt of keeping secrets but also the quiet relief of being proven right.
And Sevas…
A deep breath left him as his gaze shifted to the bed. She was lying there, waiting for him. Her golden hair spilled over the dark sheets. Her body was partially draped in the loose fabric of a simple sleep tunic that hugged her curves and made his blood run hotter. She turned her head when he entered. Her dark red eyes reflected the soft blue light of the room, and warmth spread through Takkian’s chest at the sight of her. She was waiting for him, and her expression carried something that felt an awful lot like belonging.
“You survived the male bonding, then?” she teased, sitting up and tucking her legs under her. “You still look like yourself. No royal crown on your head.”
Takkian snorted and ran a hand through his dark, still slightly disheveled hair. “No crown. Just two brothers who make me question the universe and an old friend who will probably call me ‘your majesty’ now and then to annoy me.”
Sevas patted the bed beside her. Her lips curved in that way that made his stomach tighten. “Come here, then. Your ‘majesty’ could use some well-earned rest.”
“I could use something other than rest,” he growled as he moved toward the bed. As he sank onto the mattress, the tension in his muscles uncoiled. Sevas shifted closer. Her fingers brushed over the back of his hand. It was a simple gesture, but it sent a ripple of warmth through him. He turned his palm up, catching her fingers in his, lacing them together.
“You’ve had a long cycle,” Sevas murmured, studying his face. “You found your brothers, learned that you’re royalty—though I can tell you’re trying real hard to ignore that part—and almost got yourself killed.”
Takkian smirked, squeezing her hand. “Just the usual.”
Her lips twitched upward, but there was something softer in her gaze. “How are you actually feeling about all this? About them? ”
He exhaled through his nose, letting his free hand massage the back of his neck. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It’s…a lot. I spent cycles thinking I had no past, no name beyond the numbers the arena assigned me. Now I have brothers. A mother who sacrificed herself for us. A kingdom we lost.” His thumb brushed over her knuckles absently. “I don’t know how to process it.”
Sevas shifted, tucking her legs up until she was leaning into him more fully. The warmth of her body against his side grounded him in a way nothing else could. “You don’t have to figure it out all at once.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “No one expects you to.”
Takkian tipped his head slightly, his cheek brushing her hair. She smelled warm, like clean fabric and the faintest hint of something sweet. The scent of her worked something deep in his chest, loose. “I don’t even know what it means for me.” He let out a humorless chuckle. “I’ve spent so long being a fighter. A survivor. I don’t know how to be a king.”
Sevas snorted. “No offense, Takkian, but you don’t strike me as the type to lounge around in some gilded palace.”
Takkian smirked, his grip tightening slightly around her hand. “No, I wouldn’t. But we don’t even have a palace, do we?”
Sevas laughed and waved a hand. “What is this we’re in right now?”
He smiled and pulled her close. “Well, then. If I’m a king, then I decree that my queen remove her clothes.”
She raised one brow. “You decree it?”
“No good? I’m new at this.”
“ Very good.” She reached for the hem of her tunic. “And about to get better.”
Takkian’s heart pounded as Sevas lifted her tunic over her head and let it drop to the floor. The dim blue light of the cabin traced every curve of her body, casting soft shadows along her smooth skin. Before she could say another word, he surged forward, catching her in his arms, his hands molding to the shape of her waist as he pulled her flush against his chest.
She gasped, but her laughter bubbled up a second later, breathless and warm. “I see your royal decrees come with enthusiasm.”
He grinned against her neck, his lips trailing passionate kisses along the column of her throat. “I take my new responsibilities very seriously.”
Sevas hummed, arching as his hands roamed down her back, tracing every line and curve of her. “Then I think it’s only fair that I uphold my duties as your queen.”
Takkian growled softly as he pushed her gently back onto the bed. He hovered above her, bracing himself on his forearms as he took in the sight of her—flushed, smiling, the dark fire in her crimson eyes burning just for him.
He lowered his head and caught her lips with his, sealing his love, his need, his devotion to her in a single, powerful kiss. She responded immediately, her hands sliding over his shoulders, tracing the scars that marked his journey to this moment. His wings spread slightly, twitching in anticipation as he deepened the kiss, tasting her, savoring her.
Sevas shifted beneath him, pressing her body fully against his, the heat between them unbearable in the best of ways. “Your majesty,” she teased between breaths, her voice husky with want, “I think we have a lot to celebrate.”
Takkian chuckled, his lips moving down her neck, over her collarbone, tasting every inch of her as he murmured, “Then let me show you just how much.”
Her laughter turned into a sigh as he claimed her again, their shared passion sealing their bond in a way no name, no title, no past could define. Here, in this moment, in each other’s arms, they were exactly where they were meant to be.
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Book four releases is Lilas and Razion’s story and it releases on 4/18/25!
You can pre-order it here .
Stolen from captivity, claimed by a pirate, and betrayed by love—Lilas never expected freedom to hurt this much.
Lilas never expects salvation to come in the form of a ruthless space pirate with burning silver eyes. Auctioned off to an alien harem, she has steeled herself for a life of captivity—until Razion and his crew storm the slaver’s ship, taking her as their own spoils. But freedom with the Zaruxian rogue comes with its own dangers, not least of which is the scorching attraction between them. As she fights for a place among his outlaw band, her walls crumble, and she surrenders to the fire Razion awakens in her. Yet when she overhears a secret that makes her doubt everything they have built, fear overpowers love, and she runs before he can shatter her completely.
Razion lives by a simple code: take from the wicked and answer to no one. But Lilas is unlike any prize he has ever claimed—fierce, intelligent, and utterly intoxicating. With her at his side, he imagines a life beyond the chase, beyond vengeance. Then she vanishes, leaving nothing but questions and a void he can’t ignore. Determined to find her, his pursuit leads him to a forgotten past and a family he never knew existed. As old enemies emerge and galactic war looms, Razion finds himself caught between duty, destiny, and the one female who still holds his heart in her grasp. And this time, he will do whatever it takes to prove that love, once found, is worth any cost.
Pre-order Pursued by the Dragon Alien and read on 4/18/25.