by Tana Stone
Her words were soft. “I understand.”
I turned my attention back to her sex, dragging my tongue through her folds and flattening it over the bundle of nerves that was already slick and engorged. She arched her back, moaning and digging her fingernails into my shoulders.
I continued to lick her as I moved my tail up to caress her breasts, flicking the furry tip over them. Since the tip of my tail was the most sensitive part, the sensation of her pebbled flesh sent ripples of pleasure through me. I growled as I thought about all the other places I wanted to put my tail. More moaning and more fingernails in my flesh as she gyrated her hips.
These were not the sounds and movements I’d heard when I’d woken. These were more—more breathless, more desperate. She was letting herself go as she moved beneath me, her body jerking as I sucked her nub.
“Toraan,” she gasped, wrapping her legs around my shoulders.
“Mmhmm.” My humming response vibrated against her flesh and she bucked up, screaming out as she moved her hands from my shoulders to my head, tangling her fingers in my hair and holding me to her as she shook.
When she finally flopped back, she heaved in a breath. “I didn’t know… I’ve never…You know way more than the horse master’s assistant.”
I lifted my head. “The horse master’s assistant?”
She slapped a hand across her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that, especially after you just…”
“You do not have to hide your past from me,” I said, shifting myself up so that my head rested on her stomach. “The horse master’s assistant was one of your lovers?”
“One of?” She spluttered out a laugh. “Try the only one. My parents went to a lot of trouble to keep me pure so I could be an even more valuable prize for some imperial big-wig.”
“You have only ever been with one male?”
She nodded. “I was supposed to save myself for the admiral, but I couldn’t stand the thought of some old guy I didn’t even know being my first, so I seduced the horse master’s assistant out in our stable.”
I should have been jealous that my mate had been with another, but instead I admired her rebellion. The thought of her taking charge of her own pleasure, much as she’d done tonight, only fueled my desire to claim her. The human was no timid creature who would shrink from life on a Vandar warbird or from the desires of a Vandar Raas.
“Did you like fucking this horse master’s assistant?” I asked.
She hesitated. “It felt good after a while, but he didn’t do anything to me like what you just did.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he’d been with many females. Not as many as you’ve probably been with.”
I could sense the question in her words. If she was going to be my mate, she deserved to know about me. “It is common for Vandar raiders to visit pleasure planets for release.”
“Pleasure planets?” She sat up on her elbows. “I’ve never heard of that.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You were sheltered. There are pleasure planets dotted across the galaxy where males and females can go to drink and whore and enjoy themselves with specially trained pleasurers.”
“You pay for them?”
“Of course,” I said, laughing. “More for some than for others, and more for certain fetishes.”
She tilted her head at me. “Do you have any fetishes?”
“Nothing that is unusual for a Vandar,” I told her.
I would wait to show her what I liked to do with my tail. But only when she was ready.
“Do you?” I asked.
She giggled and sank back onto the bed. “If loving whatever you just did to me is a fetish, then I’ve got that one.”
Chapter 19
Rachael
The Raas was gone when I woke the next morning, as were his clothes and armor. I sat up and rubbed my head, wishing it didn’t throb so badly.
“He was right about Vandar wine.” Even though I whispered the words, I flinched from the sound of my own voice.
I’m never drinking again, I thought, wondering if the Vandar stocked any remedies for head pain. At least the room was still dimly lit, even though recessed lighting in the ceiling gave the room a warm glow it hadn’t had last night.
Pulling the sheet around myself, I shivered as I padded to the bathroom. No flames crackled in the fireplace inset in the wall, which made the glossy black walls and floors seem even colder.
The clothes I’d thoughtlessly discarded were neatly folded and stacked on the long counter. I eyed the bathing pools, steam rising up from the largest ring on the bottom and bubbles breaking the surface of the orange water one level higher. The heat was appealing, but I wasn’t in the mood for a soak. Not when it made me think about Toraan, half-naked and dripping wet.
My heart fluttered in my chest, and I groaned, touching my pounding temples. Even getting turned on made my head ache.
You can do this, Rachael. You just need to get dressed and get something to eat and try not to think about what actually happened last night.
Heat rushed south at the memory of the Raas’ dark head buried between my thighs and the way my body had responded. If I’d had any plan to act coy or shy with him, that was officially shot to hell. My cheeks flamed as I remembered him waking and catching me pleasuring myself.
“That was not supposed to happen,” I muttered to myself.
I’d never planned to take matters into my own hands. Then, again, I’d never suspected that the Vandar would refuse to fuck me just because I’d been drinking. Hadn’t he been the one to suggest we be mates as part of his plan to keep me from Zagrath hands and hit the admiral where it hurt most? And hadn’t I agreed with him, knowing fully well what it meant?
What I’d been expecting was a rough alien who was used to violence and would take what he wanted from me no matter what. I’d been braced for it. But he’d been nothing like what I expected, although I was not complaining about what he could do with his tongue.
My cheeks burned even hotter, and I shook my head. “Get it together, girl. He’s still a Vandar, and he still plans to fuck you until you get his mating marks. It’s a deal that benefits both of us, plain and simple.”
Thinking of it that way made it easier for me to lose the sheet and pull on the clothes I’d been wearing the day before. I didn’t mind the skirt that Toraan had called a kilt, but part of me felt funny to be showing so much leg after a lifetime spent wearing long dresses that pooled around my ankles and cuffed at my wrists. At least I wasn’t in that absurd wedding dress. I hoped they’d put that thing out an air lock.
I glanced in the one of the round mirrors embedded into the stone wall above the counter. My hair had curled as it had dried in my sleep, dark ringlets now framing my face and bits of hair frizzing at my temples. I tried to loosen the curls with my fingers, but it didn’t do much. I made a mental note to ask for a comb. I sighed as I finger-styled my hair. Or a hat.
A noise from the other room made me freeze. Had Toraan returned? I gave a final glance at my reflection and poked my head out of the doorway.
It wasn’t Toraan. Another Vandar was entering the room with a large tray on his shoulder. He wasn’t as big or as muscular as most of the other raiders I’d seen. Like the one who’d delivered the meal the day before, this one looked more like a boy. Even the tip of his tail was not as furry.
“Hello?” I said as I walked out.
The boy faltered slightly but managed to lower the tray to the table.
“Sorry.” I walked over to him. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
The boy glanced at me, his face flushing before he returned his gaze to the tray and the domed plates he was unloading. “The Raas said you would be sleeping.”
“I was.” I breathed in the savory aroma of the food, and my stomach lurched. I stepped back from the table and pressed my fingertips to my lips.
The boy swiveled his head to look at me, then he held out a goblet. “The
Raas also said you’d need this.”
I took the goblet and eyed the murky, green contents. “What is it?”
The boy’s gaze dropped again. “A restorative. The Raas said humans are not used to Vandar wine.”
So, it was no secret on the ship that I couldn’t handle my wine? I frowned. I wasn’t giving humans the best name so far.
I took a tentative sip of the concoction, cringing at the strange taste but forcing myself to swallow it. Pinching my nose, I downed the remains of the drink, squeezing my eyes shut and shuddering.
When I opened my eyes, the boy was staring at me.
“I’ve never seen someone drink it all at once.”
I shot him a look. “You could have told me it that before.”
He shrugged. “It’s probably better for you that way.” He gave me a quick up and down. “And you must be tougher than you look.”
“Thanks.” I handed him the empty goblet. I could see that he wore no battle axe on his belt like the other raiders I’d seen, only a blade tucked in his waistband. “Who are you? You’re not a raider.”
He straightened his shoulders. “I’m an apprentice raider.”
That explained his age and his eagerness. “You’re in training?”
He nodded, and his tail swished behind him. “All Vandar apprentice before they become raiders.”
“So, you leave your families and live on a ship with all Vandar males?” I asked. “For how long?”
“As many standard rotations as it takes to prepare us to be the toughest, most ruthless warriors in the galaxy.” His voice brimmed with pride.
“Even the warlords?” It was difficult to imagine Toraan—huge and serious and menacing—ever being as young and eager as this boy.
“Oh, yes. Raas Toraan served under his uncle for a long time. Raas Maassen was a great leader, who built our horde to be the largest in the Vandar empire.”
I’d never seen a Vandar horde. It was a tricky proposition, since the ships flew invisibly. But I knew that they traveled in large groups of warbirds like a swarm. I’d heard the whispers, even on a planet as remote as Horl. The Vandar hordes appeared out of the blackness of space like wraiths, surrounding vessels and signaling their impending doom.
“Did Toraan inherit the horde when his uncle died?”
The apprentice’s brow furrowed. “Raas Maassen is not dead. He is alive and well on Zendaren.” He grinned at me. “I am sure you will be presented to him when we arrive.”
“Presented?”
“Raas Toraan will have to present his mate to his uncle. I don’t know if they’ll insist on a ceremony there or not. I’ve never heard of a ceremony with a Raas and a human.” The apprentice moved the domed plates around on the table and tucked the tray under his arm, then seemed to notice me gaping at him.
“You know about the… I mean, you know I’m…?”
“The Raas’ mate?” He finished my sentence for me with a look that told me everybody on board knew. “Of course.”
Okay. I wasn’t sure how the Raas had explained it to his crew, but the apprentice didn’t seem shocked. “Did you say something about arriving on…?”
“Zendaren—the Vandar colony.”
My stomach, which had been feeling better, tightened. “We’re going to the secret Vandar colonies?”
“One of them, although they’re all pretty close.”
We were on our way to the Vandar colonies Admiral Kurmog was determined to find and destroy? I wasn’t sure if I should be more terrified of that, of being presented to the old Raas as Toraan’s mate, or of a ceremony that might or might not take place.
As my mother would have said, I was out of the frying pan and into the flames.
Chapter 20
Toraan
“How many more do we need?” Rolan leaned his hand on the wall, as our chief engineer squatted over a power conduit near our engine.
The engineering section of the ship—located in the belly of the vessel—was illuminated with incandescent purple lighting that pulsed as the engine hummed. The rumbling was louder here, as the enormous cylindrical engine spun in the middle of the room surrounded by a vibrating, energy containment field. Although I knew the basics of engineering and how my warbird worked, I rarely thought about the complex systems that provided my horde ships with incredible speed and invisibility shielding.
“For a journey of this duration?” The raider swept a hand through his shaggy, black hair. “If we want to maintain invisibility, at least five more coils, and ten crystalline filters.”
I grunted as Rolan added the supplies to our ever-growing list. We’d been doing a tour of the ship since the dawn of first watch, and it was clear that a supply run would be in order before we could make it to Zendaren. Crossing from our sector to Carlogia Prime had drained much of our reserves, and it had been a considerable amount of time since we’d carried out a successful raid that had produced any useful cargo.
I inclined my head at my chief engineer. “It is done.”
He stood and snapped his heels together. “Thank you, Raas.”
“We don’t need to visit the food stores,” Rolan said, as we turned to leave the enclosed section of the ship. “All we got from the last imperial ship we boarded was food.”
“Unless we all grow weary of Gendarian spore bread.”
My majak made a face, and glanced at the tablet in his hands. “I will add meat to our list.”
“Anything but slug steaks,” I told him.
“Agreed.” He tapped at his screen without looking up at me as we made our way along the suspended iron walkway. “Do you require any special supplies?”
“Special supplies?” I paused as a pair of raiders passed us, clicking their heels without breaking stride. “Why would I require special supplies?”
He lifted his gaze to me. “I do not know if the human requires anything, or if you need anything in particular to best carry out your…mission.”
I folded my thick arms across my chest. “I am not courting the female. This is a strategy against the empire.”
“Of course, Raas.” He took a breath as if strengthening himself. “But she is a female. Do you not want to perhaps acquire some Palaxian wine?”
I choked back a laugh. Rachael had been tipsy enough on Vandar wine. I could hardly imagine serving her Palaxian wine that was intended to cause arousal. I flashed back to the sounds of her pleasuring herself and then to the taste of her sweet juices on my tongue.
“Raas?”
I jerked my head up as Rolan eyed me curiously. Had I growled out loud, or was that only in my mind? Either way, I cleared my throat. “No Palaxian wine. I actually requested that wine not be taken to my quarters today.”
My majak’s eyebrows lifted. “Does she not drink?”
“Oh, she drinks, which is why I requested no wine. I would prefer that she not be drunk when I come back to my quarters. Last night she drank an entire flagon of Vandar wine.”
“Curious.” Rolan tapped a finger to his tablet. “She is so small. It is hard to image her finishing that much wine by herself. She looked almost like a girl when she disembarked from the imperial transport.”
“She is no girl,” I barked, thinking of her legs circling my shoulders and her body bucking against me. “I would never claim a female who is not of age.”
“I didn’t mean to say— “
I clapped a hand on my majak’s arm to stop his spluttered explanation. “I know you didn’t.” I huffed out a breath and resumed walking. “It is this journey that is making me on edge. It has been a long time since we have returned to Zendaren.”
My pace had increased as I’d been talking, and by the time we reached the cargo bay, I was practically jogging. I pressed my hand to a side panel, and the tall, double doors swept open. The steel crates that usually packed the expansive space had dwindled—a stark reminder that our supply run would be none too soon.
“It has been, but you have never been concerned about returning
to the colonies.”
“This is different.”
“Because of the imperial threat, or because you will be bringing a mate?”
“The threat,” I lied. In truth, no Vandar had ever brought a human to the colonies, and certainly not a mate he intended to make his Raisa. I knew as well as anyone that it was not done.
We did not speak as we entered the cargo bay, the ambient lights flickering overhead.
“You do not have to take the female as your mate, Raas.” My majak’s voice was low and furtive, as we walked among the crates stacked in even rows. “We can always claim her as property of the Vandar, and that will be that. Is that not what your brother, Raas Kratos, did with his human?”
“The one who is now his Raisa?”
Rolan tilted his head at me with a wry smile. “That is a good point, Raas.”
I gave a brusque shake of my head. “My brother did not take his female to protect her from the empire. He took her to punish her for flying into Vandar space. There was no powerful, imperial admiral hunting her down. I am doing this because this female means something to the empire and to one of its most important leaders. This is a blow to an empire that thinks they can take any planet they want and enslave alien populations for their own benefit. They have been claiming other species’ property for millennia—including our own home world. Now, we are taking something of value to them, and claiming it as ours forever.”
“The risk is not too great?”
“To the female?” I asked, then shook my head. “Not with the firepower of a Vandar horde between her and the empire.”
“To you.”
I pivoted slowly to face him. “You believe I am putting myself in greater danger than I already am as a Raas of the Vandar?”
“You do not fear forming an attachment?” He answered my question with one of his own. One we both understand without him saying more. Rolan knew very well about Lila. He had been the first to hear of her betrayal when we’d arrived back on Zendaren, and the one to tell me. His face had been just as twisted with concern then as it was now, and I was transported to that moment when my world had cratered. Anger and hurt rushed in as fresh as it had been the moment he’d relayed the news.