Hunted by the Dragon Alien

Zarux Dragon Brides #3

by Ella Blake

Abducted.

Auctioned.

Forced to fight for the entertainment of others.

That is her fate...until she meets him.

In a brutal arena where survival hinges on bloody spectacle, Sevas, a fierce Terian fighter, finds herself struggling against the shackles of captivity—and her own growing feelings for Takkian, a brooding Zaruxian gladiator whose past is as scarred as his battle-worn body. With their futures hanging by a thread, Sevas and Takkian plan an escape from the dangers of the arena, but the game changes when they’re pitted against each other in a fight to the death.

Takkian is a beast. With no memories of his past, he fights for survival. But when Sevas, a fiery Terian fighter, becomes his cellmate, Takkian finds himself fighting to protect her. As the danger escalates and their feelings deepen, he begins to imagine a life free from the arena with Sevas as his mate. But escape is not easy and the Axis—the powerful entity holding them—won’t let them go. But their lives are intertwined in surprising, hidden ways and Takkian soon learns that leaving the arena is only the beginning of the battle for freedom.

Genres: Aliens, Romance, Science Fiction Romance

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2025

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️]

Hunted, Captive, and Falling in Love



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💚🖤
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😉😎😮
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

Characters and Plot Summary

Sevas is exactly the kind of heroine I enjoy in a story like this. She has been raised in a penal colony where survival has meant learning to endure rather than expecting anyone to save her. After being abducted, auctioned, and forced into an Axis-controlled arena, she refuses to simply accept what has been decided for her. That stubborn determination becomes especially important once she meets Takkian, because their relationship develops in the middle of an environment where trusting anyone can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Takkian is a very different kind of survivor. He is a powerful Zaruxian warrior and gladiator who has no memories of his past and has essentially reduced his existence to winning the next fight. Sevas becomes his cellmate, and her defiance starts drawing out a part of him that he thought was gone. I particularly liked that his protectiveness develops alongside his attempts to understand who he actually is. Their escape plans take a brutal turn when the Axis forces them into a fight against each other. Having Sevas face the possibility of killing the male she loves was one of the more emotionally effective parts of the story for me.

Highlights and Limitations

The arena setting worked extremely well for me because the romance never feels completely separated from the danger surrounding them. Sevas and Takkian are trying to build trust while literally being treated as entertainment by the people controlling them. I also enjoyed the contrast between Sevas’s determination and Takkian’s more instinctive, protective nature. His decision to destroy the arena rather than allow Sevas to be killed gave their relationship a satisfying turning point.

Another aspect I appreciated was the mystery surrounding Takkian’s missing memories. The story eventually digs into his origins and his family, which was also something a reader review specifically praised as an interesting addition. Sevas was a strong female character who was easy to like, though she has a weird fascination with rocks and stones stemming from her past. I liked that her weapon of choice was a slingshot and I loved that they found a high tech one. I love the descriptions of future technologies in alien romance.

My biggest reservation was that I would have liked even more time for Sevas and Takkian to develop emotionally before the romance became so intense. The survival situation gives them plenty of opportunities to rely on each other, but I occasionally wanted a little more breathing room between the danger, revelations, and relationship progression. Still, I found Sevas’s strength particularly satisfying, and she was probably my favorite part of the story.

Narration

John Masterson and Stephanie Rose were a good pairing for this audiobook. At just over seven hours, the story moves along at a comfortable pace, and having two narrators works particularly well for a romance with two strong points of view.

I especially liked having a distinct voice for Takkian because his character spends so much of the story dealing with his missing memories and gradually discovering more about himself. Stephanie Rose also suited Sevas’s resilience. I could hear the difference between Sevas when she was refusing to surrender and the more vulnerable moments when Takkian’s actions began to matter to her.

Final Thoughts

I ended up enjoying Hunted by the Dragon Alien quite a bit. The combination of dragon alien romance, gladiatorial danger, captivity, rebellion, and a hero struggling to uncover his forgotten past gave the story more substance than a straightforward fated-mate romance.

What surprised me most was how much I cared about Takkian’s identity mystery alongside the romance. I went into the story expecting to be primarily invested in Sevas escaping the arena, but I found myself increasingly curious about what had happened to Takkian and what his past would reveal.

This is a good choice for readers who enjoy possessive dragon aliens, strong heroines, forced proximity, fated mates, dangerous arenas, and romance wrapped in a larger fight for freedom.

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[Holly Stevens]

Ella Blake’s Hunted by the Dragon Alien continues the story of the Zarux Dragon Brides. Five women were abducted from the prison planet, one by the planets overseer and four by space rogues who then sold them off all over the universe. This time Sevas, one of the taller and sturdier women, winds up in a gladiator arena and houses with two Zarux warriors and an adolescent giant. They plot to escape but are found out, pitting Sevas against the man she’s fallen for, Takkian. He shifts into dragon form and literally tears apart the arena, allowing them to escape. As they try to avoid the Axis, they wind up connecting to the two other Zarux/human mates to continue searching for the missing women and three more brothers, all Kings of Zarux!

[Donna]

I’m curious why Takkian is a gladiator when one brother is the overseer of a penal colony and the other runs a brothel. Seems like cushy jobs compared to his. Who did he piss off to end up here? He’s also repressed from turning into a dragon, unlike the other two.

Sevas is another of the females abducted from the penal colony. She and a young Dokkol male are housed in a cell with Takkian and Bruil, two Zaruxian gladiators. Neither of the newcomers have any fighting experience.

The powers that be somehow catch wind of the captives’ nascent plan to escape. Takkian and Sevas are placed as adversaries in a fight to the death. This causes Takkian’s hereto forth dormant dragon to materialize and he razes the arena. The four manage to steal a ship and get away in the confusion caused by their release of the other prisoners.

They hear about the other two Zaruxians and their Terian mates and set out to intercept them. Bruil, the elder of the group, surprises them all by revealing not only are the three brothers, but royalty.

[Vicky]

Takkian and Sevas. Takes place in a gladiator style arena where death is the norm and the end goal is death for all enslaved there. Takkian has been a fighter for so long that the days bleed into another along with his lost memories. Until Sevas shows up, beautiful and strong, ready to fight for her life and for others that need help. She awakens the fierce warrior inside Takkian along with his love for her. Gladiator style imagery moves along with a fierce dragon fight that allows Takkian, Sevas, Uhl, and Bruil (an older Zarruxian) to escape from the arena. While on the run they discover there are other Zarruxians and Terrans looking for their people and discover the Terrians are Sevas’ friends from her colony. More answers are discovered as to how important the silver eyed dragon shifters are and how connected they are to each other and how they can bond to female Terrians.

[BookishKB]

🔥 Alien Sky Daddy?? YES, PLEASE.

Sevas doesn’t wait for a hero—she is the hero. Takkian is an alien sky daddy! Both imprisoned in a gladiator arena 😭. Talk about finding love in a hopeless place.

I love that Sevas is always looking out for her people! She immediately adopts Ulo, a young, terrified giant, the moment they arrive. Takkian is just as protective, and determined to keep Sevas, Ulo, and his mentor Bruil safe. Their big escape had me on edge, and so anxious!

The reunion with Sevas, Turi and Fivra was so sweet and perfect. Also that ending 🤯

If you like:

🐉 Forced proximity
🐉 Found family
🐉 Badass FMCs
🐉 Alien dragons

Then you need this book!

💚Thank you to the author for the ARC!

[Cynkris]

O.M.G! So darn good! Sevas is AMAZING! She is a Warrior in the best possible way! Takkian is awesome too but Sevas is the masterpiece in Hunted by the Dragon Alien for me. Ulo is such a sweetheart and Bruil just stole my heart. The action starts right at the beginning and it just doesn't stop. The Zarux Dragon Brides series is just incredible with each book better than the last! The characters, the storylines, the world building is all outstanding. I absolutely loved this book! If it's Ella Blake I'm getting it 1-click because I know without a doubt I am going to enjoy it over and over.

[Barbara L]

Sevas and Takkian's story

No matter how strong Sevas appeared to be, it just seems terrible that she gets thrown into a fight arena. Her saving grace is the unlikely fighter Takkian. The fact that there are two Zaruxians here is amazing all by itself. The rock boy is a great addition to the story and I hope we see him somewhere in the future. Great story, but kind of an abrupt ending. I was expecting them to get the tracker out of him and maybe come up with a plan for finding the other brothers. Overall very good though.

[CherylAnn Sarton]

Really enjoying this series

I devoured book 3in an afternoon and now I have to wait a month for book 4. Love this series. It is my favorite of all of Ella’s series. Even though the theme of these 3 books have been similar, dragon meets mate, the characters and their circumstances are very individual. A fun read that includes drama, hardship, resilience and love. Great. I have read all of Ella’s books and her growth as an author has been exciting to see. More, please.

[Angel]

This was an action packed read! I loved that the fmc was so strong and fierce! The mmc was also strong and impressive. The side characters were also fun to read about! I can't wait to read more in this series

[Kathleen Reed]

Exciting

I am enjoying learning more about the Axis and these dragon aliens, The fight for freedom each of these charge as undergone is full of adventure and joy. I love reading about how fiercely these dragons protect their mates.

[Sabrina (Soter) Sally]

"«Allora promettimi una cosa, Takkian». Le sue ali si flettevano leggermente mentre fissava i suoi occhi. «Qualsiasi cosa». La sua mano si spostò sul suo petto, premendo leggermente contro il ritmo costante del suo cuore. «Promettimi che non mi lascerai mai indietro», disse. I suoi occhi brillavano con rara vulnerabilità. «Non importa cosa succeda, non importa dove andiamo, restiamo insieme». Il petto di Takkian si strinse sotto il suo tocco. Mise la sua mano sopra la sua. Le sue dita si chiudevano delicatamente su quelle più piccole di lei, sigillando la connessione tra loro. «Lo giuro, Sevas. Niente in questo universo potrebbe allontanarmi da te». Le sue labbra si curvarono in un dolce sorriso. «Bene», mormorò. «Perché non sono sicura che potrei fare questo senza di te». Fece una pausa. Il suo sguardo si abbassò sul suo petto. «Potresti non crederci, ma là in quella fossa... sapere che eri con me mi ha reso più coraggiosa». Una delle sue gambe scivolò fuori dalla coperta e si avvolse dietro le gambe di lei per tirarla più vicino. «Allora ci rendiamo più forti a vicenda», ruggì. «E insieme, nessuno può dettare il nostro destino tranne noi»."


Lo ammetto: la trama mi ispirava poco, avevo paura che la protagonista passasse dall'essere una contadina a una specie di wonder woman, ma per fortuna l'autrice rende del tutto credibile il suo carattere coraggioso e indomito, accompagnato da una buona dose del tutto comprensibile di paura e incertezza, e anche il suo lottare e sopravvivere è dato da una combinazione di fortuna e (poca) abilità, dopo la quale capisce subito che se non riuscirà a scappare ci lascerà le penne! Come sempre abbiamo un nuovo Drago rassegnato alla vita da prigioniero, almeno finché la sua compagna non compare nella sua buia cella (sempre emozionante quando finalmente le catene si spezzano e la sua vera essenza viene alla luce mettendo tutto a fuoco e fiamme!). Intrigante la presenza di un altro Zaruxiano, più anziano e insospettabilmente saggio, che rivelerà nuovi elementi sul passato del loro popolo, spingendo i nostri protagonisti a considerare che, forse non sono i soli. Molto tenero il loro quarto compagno di combattimento, dalla mole massiccia e il cuore di panna, che la nostra Sevas prenderà subito sotto la sua ala. Forse avrei voluto che i nostri due protagonisti avessero un po' più di tempo solo per loro, ma tra combattimenti, fughe, incendi e sparatorie di tempo ne rimane proprio poco XD Come sempre sul finale incontriamo le nostre vecchie conoscenze, la found family continua ad allargarsi!

[Marianne]

Super alien romance! Intense and dangerous, with steam and lots of action..

[Deb]

wow

This series is just getting more intriguing as the storyline unfolds. Love the characters, each one different yet the same.