Chapter 3

Gravon studied the human girl carefully, noting that his anger seemed to scare her. This only made him angrier. Didn't she realize he was trying to protect her? That he was angry because of his need to protect her?

He felt such a strong connection to her, and this feeling made him act without thinking. All he knew was that he could not let her out of his sight. He would not.

Jakam was still coiled nearby, and though they had seemed to solve their Jorvlen problem, that did nothing for the other issue. Namely, the fact that they were still number ninety-nine on the departure list. He glanced at the control panels. Ninety-eight now.

It would be hours before it was their turn to take off. He did not want to wait that long. Not only did he want to get Azha as far away from the Jorvlens as possible, but he was sick of being on this planet. It was time to return home to Nirum.

"Jakam, who can I talk to in order to get this process sped up?" he called out.

Jakam looked as if he did not want to answer him. He did not blame the servant for being cautious around him, not after the way he had been acting all day. But showing weakness in front of a king was not a trait Gravon found admirable, and it won Jakam no favors with him. He wished Jakam would just answer him quickly and precisely, with no hesitation.

Gravon was still getting used to the way people spoke to him as king, like they were scared of him at all times. If only they knew the fear was more likely to kill them than anything.

"Your Majesty, I can go out and try to talk to the control tower again, but I'm not sure what good that will do. They seemed very set in their previous decision."

Gravon thought for a moment. "I wonder if their refusal has anything to do with the Jorvlens and their hunt. Perhaps no one is allowed to leave or move spots until the issue has been resolved."

He glanced at Azha, who was looking around the flight deck.

"Why would they go to such trouble over just one slave? Why are you so important to them?" he questioned his human. The question didn't exactly need to be answered, but he waited anyway.

Her light brown eyes wandered to his, but she no longer looked scared. She looked curious. They stared at each other for a moment, and for the first time since meeting her, he felt his interest in her being reciprocated.

Gravon wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, but he refrained. He did not want to push. It seemed wise to give her a little bit of time before making any overt moves.

Azha opened her mouth, her angelic voice filling the room as she gestured at the panel before her. "Can I ask, is it possible for these control panels to be switched to Galactic Common?"

At her words, he looked at the panels, their screen lighting up part of the room with their brightness. Of course, the language could be switched, but why would he do such a thing?

"Yes, that can be done. Why do you ask?"

She looked nervous but spoke anyway. She was brave, and he admired that trait. "I'd like to see if maybe I can do something about our situation."

"No offense, but what could a human girl do that a Niri could not?" Jakam asked from behind him.

The anger that shot through him was even more intense than what he had felt earlier when he saw the Jorvlens outside. He swung his head around and glared at Jakam.

"Wait outside until I give you orders otherwise," Gravon snarled at the male.

Jakam nodded and left the flight deck without another word. Gravon turned to Azha.

"I'll change it to Galactic Common for you. But what do you think you can do?" He tried to word it in a much nicer way than Jakam, not wanting to offend her.

She bit her lip and looked at the ground before answering. "Remember how I said I triggered a false alarm on the Jorvlens' ship, and that's how I was able to run away? Well, I did that by hacking into their system."

He watched her closely, curious about how she knew how to do such a thing. He didn't have to wait very long for her to explain.

"I learned how to hack Jorvlen ships and the Noxxa systems a few years ago. It comes in handy when I'm in a bad situation or when another human needs help. I don't do bad things with it… I only do it when absolutely necessary, just so you know."

He held up a hand. "You do not need to explain why you do it. I am only intrigued that you were able to master something so complicated. So, what would you do with this?" he asked, gesturing to the control panels.

"Well, I was thinking I could hack into the system that connects us to the control tower. The very same screen that shows you what our current place is for takeoff. I can try to get in on their side and move us up."

He nodded slowly. "And they wouldn't know?"

"Anyone watching the screen at that exact moment would see our position change, but they wouldn't get any kind of alert that someone was in their system. I can make sure they don't."

He nodded again. It was worth the risk. The Jorvlens couldn't force their way onto this ship, but the aliens who ran the space docks could make up some fake excuse to enter and see Azha. They wouldn't hesitate to bring her back to the Jorvlens. Technically, she belonged to them.

For now.

If that were to happen, Gravon had a plan, but he preferred it didn't come to that. Which meant getting out of here immediately.

"Okay, I will change it," Gravon agreed and moved closer to the control panel. He tapped a few options until he reached the language setting. One more tap switched it to Galactic Common. He could read it, of course. He had learned every language he could as a nirling.

Azha padded up next to him, her arm grazing his. The touch pulled all of his focus back to her and only her. He watched as she began tapping at the screen, but he was paying no mind to what she was doing, completely entranced by her mere presence.

If Azha noticed him staring, she gave no indication. She was incredibly focused on what she was doing, and he was, yet again, impressed by her.

After a while, he allowed his eyes to leave her face and looked at the control panel. She was on some screen that he had never seen before, typing in codes as her fingers flew across the panel. She really did know exactly what she was doing, and he hadn't doubted it for a second.

He inched closer to her, his tail stretching out protectively behind her. That delicious scent wafted into his nostrils, driving him even more mad. He needed this ship to take off soon. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold himself back.

"How is it going?" He was impatient to depart Noxxa immediately.

"Good. It was even easier to get into their side of the system than I remembered. They should really protect themselves better. Though I'm not sure if anyone would be able to do much more than I currently am."

"How much more do you have to do?"

Azha stopped tapping for a moment, reading something on the screen before resuming her work. "Almost there. Just a couple more minutes. I'm going to move us to spot five, so it isn't so suspicious. Will five suffice?" she asked, her eyes lifting to his for a moment.

"Perfect," he answered, wishing those eyes would stay on him.

Patience, Gravon reminded himself.

"Jakam!" he shouted.

The Niri entered the room immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"When I give the word, you need to make sure everyone is prepared for takeoff, including the ship. No one else boards or deboards. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gravon turned back to Azha, his excitement threatening to take over. He had never felt like this before, not even close. It was entirely thrilling, and all he wanted was to get to know Azha and spend some time alone with her.

"Done!" Azha declared with a small smile, and he could tell that she actually enjoyed this type of work.

"Jakam, prepare!"

He watched as Jakam slithered down the hall to complete his order. Once he was far enough away, Gravon closed the door to the flight deck with the press of a button.

Then he turned to Azha. "That was amazing."

She shrugged, looking shy and unwilling to meet his gaze. His hand shot out and lifted her chin up so she was looking at him. She didn't flinch or pull away, just stared back.

Every cell in his body was screaming at him to get a taste, to stake his claim. He almost gave in, but at the last second, something told him to wait.

"Thank you," he said before letting his hand drop.

"Of course," she answered. "But I should be thanking you. For not letting me go back to the Jorvlens. Really, I can't thank you enough. They were…"

Azha trailed off, and he could see the pain on her face. It was as if she was remembering something those creatures had done to her.

He should go out there right now and kill them all. No one could stop him. Sure, the act would probably be viewed as one of war. The aftermath would be hell to deal with. But it would all be worth it to avenge this female.

Myfemale.

The only thing that stopped him was the smile that spread across her face. It was like sunshine itself. "Thank you, Gravon."

The sound of his name on her lips made him absolutely feral. He breathed deeply, trying to gain some composure, but all that did was push her scent into his nose once again. He swallowed, hoping his struggles were not obvious on the outside.

He cleared his throat. "We should prepare for takeoff. It'll be any minute, now that we're number five."

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. The smile was gone, replaced with something else that he couldn't quite place.

"I'll help you into a seat. It will have to be adjusted for you. No human has ever sat up here before."

She nodded again before glancing at the control panel. "We're number three now."

"Let's get you settled, then."

He led her over to the seats, which were absolutely not equipped for a human. As he'd told her, a human had never been in here. He wasn't even sure a human had been on this ship before.

Gravon set to work, first adjusting the height of the seat so her feet would be able to touch the ground. He then pointed at it and Azha sat with no hesitation.

He leaned in, adjusting the safety belt so it would lay properly over her. The sound of her heart beating so near was distracting him, and once again, he found himself in a position where he was finding it hard to resist his natural urges.

His hands grazed her hips as he secured the belt over her, and at that moment, he heard her heart beat like crazy. This time, when he looked at her, he understood the look on her face. He was sure his own face was a near-perfect mirror.

And this time, he didn't resist his urges. His tongue lashed out, tasting that delicious scent of hers. The taste flooded his every sense, and what happened next was completely out of his control.

His lips found hers, and he felt her hands touch his face as she kissed him back. The kiss was urgent and aggressive, everything about it exactly as he had imagined it would be. He never wanted it to end.

But of course, he couldn't always get what he wanted.

A page from the door interrupted them. Gravon immediately pulled away and hissed at the door, purely out of instinct. He reluctantly got up and slithered toward the panel and slammed his hand on the button that opened the portal.

"What?" he snapped at Jakam.