by Tana Stone
“No, Raas,” the warrior said, pulling our attention back to him. “It is not a Vandar ship.” He hesitated before speaking again, clearly conflicted and confused by the report he was giving. “It was a Zagrath ship.”
My heart clenched, and I knew immediately who had flown away from Zendaren in an enemy ship.
Chapter 37
Rachael
I inhaled deeply, the spicy scent of the water tickling my nose. My head lolled back on the stone ledge as the water lapped around my neck, and I let out a sigh. Being back in the bathing pools felt right. Being back in the Raas’ quarters felt right.
I sank deeper in the warm water, trying to ignore the beeping sound. What was that? Was someone trying to get in? Was Toraan getting a transmission? Come to think of it, where was Toraan?
The beeping became more shrill, and my eyes flew open. Damn. I wasn’t in the bathing pools in Raas Toraan’s quarters. I was sitting in the pilot’s chair in the Zagrath transport I’d taken off the Vandar warbird.
Disappointment washed over me, but I shook it off. I’d left for a very good reason. There was no point in having second thoughts now, especially since I’d been flying for at least half an astro-cycle.
My gaze dropped to the console and to the flashing, red light. I wasn’t an expert in navigation, but it appeared that I’d gone a little off course. The auto-pilot feature must have rerouted me around something while I was sleeping. I tapped the flat panel to reset the course, hesitating slightly.
I’d managed to set my end destination as Horl, even though I knew I couldn’t return to my home planet without being turned over to the admiral again. The only problem was I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I didn’t know any other place to go.
“I’ll figure something out before I get there,” I said to myself, glad to hear my own voice break the silence.
But what? I’d been impulsive before, but I’d always had an excellent reason and a sense that there was something better out there. Now, I wasn’t so sure. I’d found something better in Toraan, and I’d run from him. Did I really think I was going to find someone I felt the same way about, or even a place that would welcome me?
I peered out the glass at the blackness of space. Sitting alone in the cockpit, the reality of what I’d done sank in, along with a gnawing sense of regret. I’d been so sure when I’d taken the ship. So sure I was doing the right thing, but the truth was I’d been hurt. Hurt that Toraan hadn’t told me about his past, and hurt that I couldn’t give him what a Vandar female could.
“You didn’t even give him a chance to explain,” I whispered.
I pressed my lips together, the loneliness of space and the knowledge that I had nothing and no one to run to hitting me. What had I been thinking?
I sat up and narrowed my gaze at the navigational systems. I needed to turn this ship back around. I had to go back to Zendaren and talk to Toraan. I owed him that much.
Tapping at the console, I managed to reverse course, and the ship banked to one side. Even though the view hadn’t changed much when I was flying in the opposite direction, I let out a breath knowing that I was flying toward Toraan.
When the transport jerked hard and I flew forward, the safety straps were the only things that kept me from hitting the floor. I looked down at the ship’s readouts for an explanation, but I knew why I’d stopped.
My pulse fluttered wildly. Toraan had found me. He’d come after me.
The tug of my ship being pulled into another was familiar. The last time I’d been taken into the Vandar warbird, I’d been terrified. This time, I was elated.
I couldn’t see much as the tractor beam drew me in from behind, but I leaned back and tried to calm myself. I didn’t expect Toraan to be thrilled with me. I’d run from him, after all. I would have a lot of explaining to do. Then again, so would he.
But he’d come after me. That was all that mattered.
I unhooked myself from the chair and went to the door, bracing my hands on the walls to retain my balance as the ship entered the hangar bay.
“Play it cool,” I told myself as the ship touched down, jostling me. Running down the ramp and throwing myself into his arms would not be good, even though that was exactly what I wanted to do.
I pressed the panel next to the ramp to lower it, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for it to drop. When the steel hit the floor with a thud, my blood went cold.
Toraan was not at the bottom of the ramp waiting for me. No Vandar raiders were.
“How lucky we were to find you,” Admiral Kurmog said as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his gaze locked on me. “We’d almost given up.”
My knees nearly buckled, but I managed to stay standing. The Vandar had not come after me. The Zagrath had.
“I suggest you come out before I find it necessary to drag you off.” The admiral’s voice lost none of its smoothness as he threatened me.
I walked down the ramp with as much courage as I could muster, holding my head high and hoping my hands weren’t shaking as badly as my legs were. The Zagrath I’d been promised to was just as bald and wrinkled as I remembered, his slate-blue uniform crisp, and his expression hard. Imperial soldiers flanked him on both sides and held laser rifles trained on me. When I reached the bottom of the ramp and stood in front of the admiral, he smiled at me, his eyes cold and glittering. Then he slapped me across the face so hard I stumbled to the floor.
My hands stung as I tried to catch my breath and grasp what he’d just done. My cheekbone ached, and tears stung the backs of my eyes. I’d never been struck before, and certainly not by a man.
“Get her up,” he hissed.
Strong hands pulled me to my feet, but since the Zagrath soldiers wore black helmets, I couldn’t see their faces. I held a hand to my throbbing cheek and bit my bottom lip to keep from crying. I would not give him the satisfaction of my tears.
“That was for stealing an imperial ship.” His eyes became slits of fury as he backhanded me again, this time on my other cheek.
I didn’t fall since I was being held up, but pain shot through my cheek, and I tasted blood. I closed my eyes and stifled a sob.
Kurmog leaned in, his foul breath hot. “That was for humiliating me. No bride of mine runs away.”
I pulled away. “I’m not your bride.”
“That is not for you to say. Your parents agreed to the match. You belong to the empire, and to me.”
I straightened my shoulders. “I belong to Raas Toraan of the Vandar.”
The admiral’s gaze slid down my body, taking in the gown I wore. “So, I was right. The Vandar had you.” His upper lip curled. “In more ways than one.”
“I am his mate,” I said, even though it hurt to talk.
Kurmog laughed, but the sound made me shiver. “You think I would honor anything those brutes do? You are not a bride of the Vandar. You are a whore, and you will be treated as one.” He flicked a hand at me as he spun on his heel. “As soon as I destroy the Vandar colonies you led me to, I will show you how a whore is punished.”
Chapter 38
Toraan
“Anything on long-range sensors?” I asked as I paced across the command deck.
Rolan did not look up from his standing console. “Not yet, Raas.”
I growled. We’d left Zendaren as soon as we’d learned that the Zagrath ship was missing, but had yet to catch up to her. How long had she been gone before we’d given chase?
“Keep scanning,” I ordered. “And let me know the moment you pick up anything.”
There were murmurs of acknowledgment, but many of my command deck were still nursing hangovers from the banquet. Those who were not still drunk, that was.
We’d staggered to the horde and taken off quickly, but I knew I’d cut the planned visit much shorter than expected. Some of my raiders had barely seen their families before the call had gone out that we were leaving again on an emergency rescue mission.
I’ll make it up to them
, I told myself. As soon as we find Rachael, I’ll take the horde back to Zendaren for an extended visit. Tvek, after we tracked down Rachael, I would need a long break myself.
I peered out the front of the ship again. As expected, there was little but the black vastness of space as we flew at our warbird’s top speed toward the sector we’d left. I hoped my guess was correct. Where else would Rachael go, but someplace she knew? Even if it was someplace dangerous for her.
My stomach churned as I thought about her alone in the imperial shuttle. Not only did she have little experience flying, she was a sitting duck for any aliens looking for easy prey. Or worse, the imperial forces still searching for a runaway bride.
I spun on my heel and continued pacing, the movement the only thing keeping me from screaming. Part of me couldn’t believe the female had actually run, and another wasn’t a bit shocked. After all, she’d been running from a male when we’d taken her.
It stung that she’d felt she needed to run from me, as well. Then I thought of Lila’s look of satisfaction when she’d told me about their conversation. I had no doubt that the Vandar female had been completely convincing. How had I ever cared about such a treacherous creature? My feelings for her seemed so childish to me now. What I felt for Rachael was different. It was real.
“Which is why I have to find her,” I said, the leather of my battle kilt flapping against my thighs as I turned sharply.
“Raas?” Viken approached me, his eyes lowered. “We are approaching an imperial fleet.”
I stared at him. “Out here? The Zagrath do not come this far away from their territory.”
He inclined his head with a frown. “They do if they are tracking something. Powering up the Zagrath transport would have activated any beacons on it.”
I closed my eyes briefly, absorbing the truth of his words. “She led them to us.”
“Without intention, yes.”
“What is their trajectory?” I asked, my heart pounding as I waited for his answer.
“They appear to be on a path to Zendaren.”
I balled my hands into fists. This was all my fault. I’d brought the female on board, concocted a plan to strike back at the empire using her, and then lost her and brought the empire to my people’s secret colonies.
“We need to protect the colonies,” I said. “Order three quarters of the horde to turn back for Zendaren and shore up the planetary defenses. The rest of us will take on the imperial fleet here.”
He gave a single nod and strode off to execute my orders. I didn’t know if one quarter of the horde was enough against a large imperial fleet, but the Vandar people on Zendaren must be protected.
I peered out the front of the command deck as the hulking, gunmetal-gray ships came into view, my fingers tingling in anticipation of the battle which could very well be my last.
“Should we open fire, Raas?” Rolan asked. “Our invisibility shielding is giving us the upper hand.”
As much as I wished to blow our enemy out of the sky, I could not be rash and impulsive. Not when my mate could be on board one of the ships.
“Hail them,” I said.
Every raider froze, their gaze cutting to me. Vandar did not hail the enemy before we attacked. We did not practice diplomacy against an empire that had enslaved our people and destroyed our home world.
“Hail them, Raas?” Rolan’s brow furrowed in obvious confusion.
I forgave him the momentary insubordination, but I leveled my gaze at him, nonetheless. “Those are my orders, majak. I want to know which of the ships has my mate. Hail Admiral Kurmog. I know he is behind this.”
“Yes, Raas.” Rolan tapped his fingers on his console, then looked up, his face solemn. “I have him. Onscreen?”
I pivoted to face the front as Viken took long steps to stand by my side. The imperial fleet vanished from view, replaced by an aged Zagrath officer. Even though his face was lined and his eyes heavily lidded, the admiral radiated power—and cruelty.
“I am Admiral Kurmog of the Zagrath Empire.” He was unable to hide the sneer as he appraised me and my crew. “Who are you?”
“I am Raas Toraan of the Vandar.” I curled my hand around the hilt of my battle axe. “I believe you have something of mine.”
His cold eyes flared with what looked almost like glee as he reached a hand out of the frame and jerked something toward him. Rachael stumbled against him, but he held her arm in his grip, forcing her to look at me. Her face was bruised and puffy, and blood trickled from a cut in her bottom lip.
Viken stiffened next to me, and a low rumble passed through the raiders on deck. As merciless as we could be when we battled our enemy, no Vandar would ever strike a female.
“Is this the property you lost?” The admiral smiled, enjoyment dripping from his voice. “Is this the whore you stole from me?”
I tightened my grip on my axe, wanting nothing more than to slash off the head of the male who dared harm my mate. It no longer mattered to me that she did not share my love or my mating marks. She was mine, and no imperial admiral would take her from me. Or touch her again.
“She was never yours, Kurmog.”
He laughed, glancing down at Rachael with a look of pure disgust. “Maybe not, but now that she’s been sullied by a Vandar, she’s good for nothing more than to be passed around my crew.”
My gaze dropped to Rachael. She locked eyes with me as a single tear slid down her cheek and dripped off her chin onto the black swirl peeking out from under the neckline of her gown.
I sucked in a quick breath. Black marks were appearing on her skin. Mating marks. My mating marks.
Chapter 39
Toraan
“Raas.” Viken’s voice was so quiet I could barely hear him, but I knew from the urgent tenor of it that he’d seen what I’d seen. He hadn’t turned toward me or even shifted his stance, but I felt the change in his energy.
I kept my gaze locked on the admiral, not wishing to betray what was happening to Rachael. “If you will not return the female, we have nothing more to say.” I glanced at her briefly, my heart pounding at the sight of the marks appearing on her brown skin. “It is done.”
I flicked my wrist to tell Rolan to take the admiral off-screen, letting out a breath when the Zagrath and Rachael vanished. As soon as the view of the chunky, gray battleships reappeared, Viken swiveled to face me.
“She has your marks, Raas.”
I nodded, unable to speak. I’d never imagined I would see any female with my marks blooming on her skin, much less a human. I’d been convinced it wouldn’t happen—couldn’t happen—because she didn’t feel for me as I felt for her. I’d been wrong.
Fear gripped me, and my stomach clenched. Now my mate—the female who shared my mating marks and my one true love—was being held by the enemy. Correction, she was being tortured by the enemy.
“We have to get her back,” I said.
Rolan squared his shoulders. “She is Vandar now.”
“And no one treats a Vandar mate like that,” Viken growled. “I will tear his head off myself.”
“You will leave the admiral to me.” I coiled my fingers around the hilt of my axe, the desire to strike down the repulsive Zagrath making my fingers burn. I would have my revenge on him for striking my mate. And if he did what he said and passed her among his crew…? A rumble brewed in my throat, and I envisioned my feet thick in imperial blood. I would sever the limbs off every male who so much as looked at her.
“What are your orders, Raas?” Rolan asked. “We only have a quarter of the horde with us now.”
I narrowed my eyes at the fleet that waited for us to strike. Our invisibility shielding hid us perfectly, until we opened fire. As soon as we targeted the imperial ships, we would be targets ourselves—with many fewer ships to lose.
“We cannot outshoot them.” I scraped a hand through my hair. “So, we must outfly them.”
Viken grinned. “Amoeba?”
Our Vandar attack pattern focused ou
r offense in directed bursts, before shifting quickly to another target. It kept our enemy off-balance and unable to predict our next moves, plus, it made us more difficult to target.
“We need to weaken the ships protecting the lead battleship before I can sneak onto it,” I said.
Rolan tapped his console as he transmitted encrypted instructions to the rest of the horde. “You’ll be taking a raiding party onto the lead ship?”
“No party. Just me.”
My majak and battle chief exchanged a glance, then looked at me.
“You cannot go onto a Zagrath ship by yourself, Raas,” Viken said. “We are Vandar. We go together.”
My throat tightened. I knew any of my raiders would walk gladly into death with me, but I could not ask it of them. I had been the one to get us in our current mess. I was the one who’d put our colonies at risk. I needed to be the one to make the sacrifice.
“You believe I will fail?” I cocked an eyebrow at Viken.
He bristled visibly. “I think the Zagrath expect you to come for her. It is a trap, Raas.”
Of course, he was right. I was being lured onto the lead ship. There was no doubt in my mind that Admiral Kurmog wished to punish not only the female who humiliated him, but the Vandar Raas who claimed her before he could. I also knew I had no choice but to save her.
“It is done,” I said. “You have your orders. Now, let’s show these Zagrath what a fraction of a Vandar horde can do to them.”
Rolan hesitated, but turned back to his console. Viken let out a grunt of disapproval but strode off to his own station.
“Black alert,” one of the raiders called out before the command deck darkened, and purple, ambient lights glowed from the floor. “Brace for evasive maneuvers.”
I joined Rolan at his post, setting my feet wide and holding the edge of the console as our ship dipped and banked hard right. We let loose a volley of laser fire at an imperial ship before peeling away and flying underneath it. I glanced down at Rolan’s console, tracking the movements of our horde ships as we shifted like an undulating swarm around the neat rows of the Zagrath fleet. Though our ships weren’t visible to the naked eye or possible to detect by our enemy, we were able to track them and ensure that we didn’t crash into each other.