Page 67 of Fated to the Dragon Alien
Stavian
Stavian stood in the center of the fortress hall, surrounded by five towering males with wings, claws, and eyes that matched shades of his own—a circle of blood he hadn’t known existed two cycles ago. Four of them looked too much like him to ignore. One looked like he’d walked through fire and war and stayed standing only because rage asked him to. Every instinct in Stavian’s body screamed that this moment should feel impossible. Too much. But it didn’t. He wished Cerani was there beside him. Her solid warmth pressing against his shoulder would be a welcome presence as he faced the greatest emotional punch of his life.
But Cerani had been enveloped by four joyful Terian females the moment they’d stepped onto this ship. She’d met his brothers, which had been interesting. She’d had a strong reaction to Ellion, who had formerly been the overseer at the settlements they were from. Turi, a pretty, blue-haired Terian, was his mate. Between Turi’s vouching for him, and Ellion’s respectful apology for his previous rule over them, Ceraniunbent enough to find her voice and tell him that she forgave him. She added a warning not to hurt Turi, which, by the look of them together, would not be happening, and he accepted this with a few reverent promises, much like the ones Stavian himself had made to Cerani.
Stavian found it telling that each of the Zaruxians were bonded to one of these females. It didn’t seem like a coincidence, but Stavian wasn’t one for destiny, or fate, or any of that foolishness. Still, it was curious. Five brothers. Five Terians who were like sisters.
After introductions, Cerani had left with her friends. To where, was a mystery. The Zaruxian ship was beyond massive. He knew she was safe, but a part of him was anxious to know where she was. To have her by his side.
The space itself—massive, echoing—was dark rock and some metal alloy, with surprisingly homey fixtures—sofas, tapestries, a fireplace. The walls were etched with symbols he couldn’t interpret—but something inside him recognized them. There were no high screens or Axis monitors. No guards in formation. Only silence and tension. The floor beneath him was more flat, dark stone and his boots clicked when he stepped, but not harshly. More like a mark—like the fortress ship listened when he moved through it. It should have felt foreign. Cold. Stark.
It felt like home.
He examined the males before him, cataloging them as they evaluated him.
Bruil stood slightly to the side. Older than all of them, he wore, like badges, the scars of every fight he’d survived. Bronze scale patterns were broken in places from plasma burns. His eyes were sharper than most soldiers, and held a weight that didn’t come from command or age, but grief. Quiet, weathered loss that hadn’t dimmed. Stavian knew that look—he saw it in the mirror when his conscience got the better of him. Bruil didn’tlook away. He studied Stavian like he was looking for both a threat and a reminder.
To his left stood Ellion. Cold and still. Leaner than Bruil but just as dangerous. The deep violet of his scales shimmered under the fortress lighting, but nothing else about him shimmered. His posture, his stare, his voice the first time he spoke—it was all precise. Controlled. Too still not to be deliberate. Stavian recognized it instantly as a fellow former Axis leader. A cold mask was drilled into all command training, and Ellion wore it like armor. He’d saved Turi, a free spirit with sparkling green eyes, from the raiders’ ship, having previously laid a claim on her. He’d loved her long before they spoke a word to each other. And his love was apparent as his silver gaze followed her with devotion.
Beside him, Cyprian lounged in a chair like a god bored with worship. He had crimson scales, with gold shot through the bones of his wings like veins of light. He wore a faintly amused expression, his mouth pulled into an easy grin that didn’t match the sharpness in his eyes. The kind of male who flattered you a pek before killing you. His mate was the sweetest, cheeriest little female he’d ever laid eyes on. Fivra, with pink hair and a pure smile, looked exactly as Cerani described her, and Cyprian, who looked like a debauched warlord, gazed on her like she was the most beautiful jewel he’d ever set eyes on. Stavian wasn’t sure he liked him, but he wanted to.
Next to Cyprian stood Takkian, all green scales and bulk, with a jawline that could break bones and scars that spoke of many, many battles. Warrior. That was clear. He didn’t smile. He didn’t blink. And the way he looked at Stavian said he’d gut him if he lied once. His mate was Sevas, the yellow-haired, red-eyed female who had taken over the viewscreen on the Mirka. She was taller than all the other Terians, and possessed strength in muscles and mind that made it obvious she was a matchfor Takkian in every way. They even held the same pose—arms crossed and chin high.
The last was Razion, with gold scales gleaming like flames. His smile had teeth in it, but not cruelty—intellect. The kind that never stopped calculating. His eyes were razor-edged enough to skin deception alive. Lilas was his mate, and she had looked him over with disconcertingly vivid fuchsia eyes, as if seeking out his weaknesses so she could stab him for sport. She was actually very “sweet,” according to Cerani, but he wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of her any more than her mate. Razion had a feral look to him. The kind that said he’d fight dirty if it meant a win, and after learning that he was abducted by raiders as a child and escaped an Axis upbringing, Stavian understood why.
These were his brothers. They were vastly different, from scale tones to personalities to histories, but their eyes told the truth. The silver gazes on him were so familiar, he may have been looking in a mirror.
“This was hers,” Bruil said, finally breaking the silence. His voice sounded like crushed gravel. “Your mother’s fortress. Queen Aklian. She flew it in the last cycle of the war.”
Stavian didn’t move. Wait. Queen? Whatever he was expecting to hear first, this wasn’t it. “Our…mother?”
Bruil nodded sagely. “Her majesty traded herself to the Axis to save you when it was clear we had lost. It was her final act as queen, to save her six sons and the few who survived the war. I served her with pride, as I serve her royal sons. This is where you hatched, and then lived during your infancy.”
“We’re leading with this?” Cyprian drawled. “It never goes over well.”
Takkian growled. “Because it’s meaningless. We have no planet. No people. We are just us.”
But it was obvious that it meant something to Bruil. It meant something to Stavian, too. Not the royal part, but that this was his home. His birthplace. His mother’s fortress.
Stavian looked down. The stone at his feet was smooth, but he could feel it. The presence. The history in the air. It pressed against him like something buried and trying to get out.
“We were looking for you,” Ellion said. “And Cerani. Thank you for making it easy.”
It wasn’t easy at all, but Stavian nodded. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did, we’d be dead. Our escape would have failed.” He inclined his head, as these males were due his gratitude. “Thank you.”
“That’s an Axis insignia on your collar,” Takkian said. “You served them. Loyal. Efficient. Obedient.”
Stavian’s head snapped up. “I was raised by them. Lied to about my past. They told me I was indebted to them. They erased everything about my past.” He moved his gaze to Ellion. “You know this.”
Ellion sighed. A shadow moved over his face. “I do.”
“I wasn’t part of their system, but I know how deeply they indoctrinate their agents.” Razion tilted his head. “For the safety of this family we’ve made and what we’re trying to do, we need to know: is any part of you still loyal to them?”
Stavian clenched his fists. “No.”
“Works for me.” Cyprian’s eyes tracked him with interest. “We’d know if you were lying. Can we move on?”
“Not yet.” Takkian grunted beside him. Green-scaled, thick arms bulged over his chest. “What I want to know is why you stayed so long. You knew what they were. Didn’t your blood burn inside you?”
