Chapter 2

Azha was used to being in situations where she couldn't control the outcome. Where she was completely at the mercy of others no matter her desires. She was, after all, a slave. Bodily autonomy was not a right she had ever possessed. But that did not mean it ever got easier.

Standing in between the crates, waiting for the return of the half-serpent creature, she had to force herself to stop trembling. He reminded her of stories of Earth Naga beings. Half-serpent, half-man. All deadly. She didn't want her fear to show, as it usually only made situations worse, but it was hard for her to control her terror at this moment.

Azha had no idea where the alien creature had gone. For all she knew, he was bringing the Jorvlens to take her back to their ship as she stood there waiting for his return.

She couldn't explain what made her stay put, regardless of that possibility. In any other situation, she would've tried to sneak out while he was away. In any other situation, she would've been long gone by now. But something inside of her made her keep her feet planted as he'd demanded.

She didn't know what to make of the creature. The way he had looked at her was unusual, and he didn't seem like the Jorvlens she was usually around. In fact, he had appeared to get angry when she mentioned them.

A shuffling sound made Azha's heart pound rapidly. She attempted to hold her breath while someone entered the cargo hold, but the effort was not needed. Whoever it was swiftly left and did not return.

She let out a breath of relief and began to wonder if listening to her gut was going to get her into a world of trouble. Maybe she misinterpreted the feeling.

Azha did not have the time to change her mind before the green, hooded Naga appeared in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere. "Come out."

Her breath caught in her throat from the surprise of his sudden reappearance. She hesitated for only a second before carefully stepping out from her hiding spot. Azha looked around the cargo hold, avoiding staring at him as she made sure he was alone. A part of her was surprised to see the Jorvlens absent from the room.

"They are not here," he announced as she continued to look further around the area in case they were on their way.

Her eyes snapped to his, and she was shocked for the second time at how striking his yellow eyes were. She had never seen such a shade before.

"Who?" She played dumb.

"Your captors. That's who you were just looking for. Were you not?"

One of her brows lifted on its own, but she quickly let it drop. She was used to her face being a perfect mask, showing nothing. But already, she was letting much more emotion show than she ever had with anyone else. And it all seemed out of her control.

"Yes, I was."

"You will not be returning to them."

The feeling of relief that surged through her was short-lived. Perhaps this Naga was a far worse evil than the Jorvlens had been. Perhaps the savior standing in front of her was no savior after all but a reminder that she would never escape this life no matter how many times she ran. No matter who took over as her master.

"You do not look happy about this," he stated.

"I…" She began but stopped herself. What could she say?

"You are scared." Another statement.

She swallowed visibly, still biting her tongue.

He slithered closer to her, his already narrow eyes narrowing even further. "Speak."

"What is your name?" she blurted out, shocking herself. She wasn't sure where the question came from. She hadn't even been wondering about his name. It was as if something had taken over her.

Something flashed over his eyes, but he opened his mouth to answer. "Gravon."

The name reminded her of something, but it didn't come to her immediately. Now was not the time to stand there and dwell on the mystery.

She still had no idea what his intentions with her were. "What are you going to do with me?"

He didn't even think for a moment. "You will be staying with me from now on."

But what did that mean? She was confused about what her role was to be. No one had ever been so cryptic with her before.

"What about the Jorvlens? They are probably looking for me."

"We will be long gone by the time they are aware you are on my ship. And I would not allow them access to you, regardless."

She could tell this Naga was powerful. That was obvious in everything from his appearance to the air around him. But to say he wouldn't allow the Jorvlens to do something? She knew the Jorvlens weren't the most powerful race out there, not by far, but she knew that they still held a lot of power on this planet—Noxxa.

If Gravon was above them, that meant a lot.

That's when she remembered something Gravon had said when he first found her.

And you chose my ship as a way to do so?

His ship. She racked her brain for anything she could remember about the ship when she had first entered.

Words etched into the side in bright red writing flashed in her mind: Imperial Nirum.

If the Imperial Nirum was his ship, which could only mean one thing.

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back from Gravon, purely out of instinct.

Gravon. Gravon Vinezar. The king of Nirum. That's whose ship she had entered. That's who was standing, of a sort, in front of her.

Why had he not killed her on sight? Why was he letting her live? What could the king of Nirum possibly want with her?

Gravon cocked his head to the side and watched as the realization settled over her.

"As I said, you will be staying with me. And we must be on the move. We will be taking off soon. You will follow me."

Gravon winded down the hall, out of the cargo hold, not allowing her another moment to think. His lengthy tail slithered behind him in a sensuous wave, the very tip coming to wrap around her wrist and tug her along. She knew she had no choice but to follow him, so she did.

Trailing behind Gravon throughout the Imperial Nirum elicited a lot of stares from the few they came across, which she did her best to ignore. She was sure she knew what they were thinking.

Why is she here?

Azha didn't blame them. She was thinking the exact same thing.

As they made their way across the ship, Gravon kept close to her, almost uncomfortably so, but after a moment she felt herself getting used to his nearness. His long tail seemed to stay as close to her as possible. A couple of times, it even grazed against her leg.

Any time they passed by someone, Gravon would glance back at her as if he did not want her out of his sight for too long, especially if someone else was close.

By the time they reached the flight deck, she had come to the conclusion that she could trust him, at least when it came to her immediate safety. It was now obvious that he meant her no harm. She was almost sure of it.

And what was the alternative? Go back to the Jorvlens? She wasn't sure he would allow her to do so even if she wanted to return to her slavers.

It just didn't make sense to her why he would act so protective over her if he planned on hurting her. And he had already said he wouldn't be handing her back to the Jorvlens. Surely, that was a good sign.

Once on the flight deck, Gravon stopped and turned to her.

"Sit," he said, pointing at a seat.

She obeyed, feeling her nerves returning despite her newfound resolve to trust him.

"Jakam!" he called out.

Almost immediately, another male Naga entered the flight deck, bowing his head ever so slightly. "Your Majesty."

"Jakam, I will be piloting the ship. We are going to take off as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"What won't be possible?"

"We will not be able to take off any time soon. The Imperial Nirum is currently number ninety-nine on the departure list."

Azha watched the exchange quietly from her seat. She noticed how the male seemed to fear Gravon, but it was also obvious that he respected him as well.

She then looked at Gravon, whose face showed utter rage. Clearly, he was not happy about this news.

"Ninety-nine? Do they know who is aboard this ship? Should we not take first priority?"

"Would you like me to talk to someone about moving us up the list?"

"Yes, use my name if it will help make this faster. I want to leave immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will be right back with more news."

The Naga left the room, but the anger on Gravon's face stayed. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she set aside her fear to ask a question.

"Why do you want to leave so quickly?"

Gravon looked at her as if he had forgotten she was right there. His eyes shifted from her face and ran down her body, causing a shiver to shoot up her spine at his scrutiny. He winded closer, his tail curling toward her legs like it had done to her wrist while they were making their way to the flight deck.

"I do not want any trouble."

Azha watched Gravon's angry expression. Beyond just anger, she saw something else, too, but she couldn't place the emotion.

She could see the muscles in his jaw clench as he looked at her. Was she the cause of his anger? That was the last thing she wanted.

Gravon's tail began to twitch and writhe, making Azha nervous. She had never seen a Naga's tail move like that before. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own.

The Naga servant, Jakam, returned to the flight deck, looking nervous. "Your Majesty, I have spoken with the control tower. No one can be moved up on the list. Also, sire, we are being pinged by the Jorvlens on comm, asking to search the ship for their missing slave."

Gravon's expression grew even darker, and he let out a low hissing sound. "Do not let the Jorvlens on this ship. I will not have them take what is mine."

Azha's heart began to race as fear took hold of her. He talked about her as if she were his possession.

Gravon's tail wrapped around her, and she was forced to stand as it pulled her close to him. She could feel the coolness radiating off of his body as he held her tightly and it clashed with her innate warmth.

The comm continued to beep with the Jorvlens' insistent messages, and Azha's fear grew worse. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Would Gravon keep her as his slave? Or would he let her go once they reached their destination?

Gravon seemed to sense her unease and turned to look at her. His yellow eyes bore into hers, making her feel vulnerable.

When the comm continued to beep, Gravon let out another hiss, louder this time, and his hood flared around his head.

Azha shied away from him, as far as his tail would allow. His anger scared her, and the look on his face when he noticed her movement scared her even more.

"Jakam!" he shouted, his eyes still on hers. "Tell them we have searched the ship and have no one but authorized personnel here."

"Right away, Your Majesty."

Jakam quickly relayed the message. Gravon's tail began to loosen its grip on Azha as the comm ceased pinging and fell silent.

Azha was, of course, grateful that she was being protected here, that Gravon did not plan on handing her over. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was now the property of this powerful Naga king.

What did it mean for her future?