Pillaged: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Raider Warlords of the Vandar Book 3)

by Tana Stone

  Red burst across our bow, and the ship shuddered. We were taking fire, but the hits weren’t direct. Even though they could pinpoint where we’d fired from, we didn’t stay in one place long enough to suffer direct impact.

  “Our laser fire isn’t doing much damage, Raas,” Viken yelled, over the sounds of the battle. “Shall we unleash photon torpedoes?”

  It was more difficult to fire a torpedo and move the ship out of the way, but it might be the only way to take out some of the smaller ships still acting as a buffer between us and the lead battleship. It was a risk, but we had little choice. “Affirmative. Fire at will.”

  Viken fired a pair of torpedoes, but only moments after they blew the side out of a Zagrath ship, our ship lurched violently to one side. Rolan and I were both knocked to our knees as sirens wailed.

  “Report!” I pulled myself to my feet and saw that everyone else on the command deck was also righting themselves.

  “Hull damage to our starboard,” Viken said, before unleashing a torrent of Vandar curses. “They took out our other torpedo bays.”

  I breathed in the scent of smoke, and tried not to think what that meant. “The rest of the horde?”

  “Damage reported on several ships, but none destroyed,” Rolan said.

  That was good news, but as I peered out to the battle on our view screen, I saw that the imperial fleet remained relatively undamaged. We didn’t have the ships to take them out without being blown out of the sky, ourselves.

  Rolan elbowed me, not a typical action for him. “Incoming transmission, Raas.”

  “I have no desire to speak to the Zagrath.” And I couldn’t bear to see Rachael and know that I was no closer to reaching her.

  “It isn’t from an imperial ship. It’s from a Vandar one.”

  Had my uncle mustered forces to aid us? I shook my head. That didn’t make sense, not when he needed ships to defend Zendaren.

  Rolan paused with his fingers hovering above his console. “Actually, two incoming transmissions from two different ships.”

  “Onscreen,” I said, my heart pounding.

  When the figures of Raas Kratos and Raas Kaalek filled my command deck’s view screen, I blinked several times. I hadn’t seen my brothers since I was a boy. Although they looked similar to my memories of them, they were no longer dark-haired, lanky youth. They were massive, Vandar males, with chests covered by straps and armor. Despite their change, the same feelings of awe and longing filled me.

  I cleared my throat. “It is good to see you, brothers.”

  Kratos was the first to drop his gruff stance, grinning widely. “Is that really you, Toraan? You are no longer a child.”

  “He’s a Raas,” Kaalek said, rolling his eyes, but also smiling. “Or do you forget that your younger brothers are also leaders of the Vandar, Kratos?”

  This was the notorious Raas Kaalek? He was known for being ruthless and bloodthirsty, but here he was, teasing his older brother. And Kratos reminded me nothing of our cold and brutal father, who had been his mentor.

  “There will be time for a family reunion later,” Kratos said, “Right now, we’re here to help you defeat the Zagrath and protect the colonies.”

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “We picked up chatter from the enemy. They’ve tried to keep their hunt for our colonies secret, but there are no secrets in such a vast empire,” Kaalek said.

  Kratos nodded. “Our hordes were en route to defend the colonies when we got a message from our uncle.”

  “But there is no communication between the colonies and hordes,” I said.

  Kratos shrugged. “He felt it was worth the risk.”

  “And we know about your mate.” Kaalek’s grin returned. “We both know about human mates and how impossible they can be.”

  “We thought you’d need all the help you could get,” Kratos added.

  Relief washed over me. “Our horde welcomes yours to the battle.” I swallowed hard. “My mate is on the lead Zagrath ship, but I can’t get onto it until we clear the blockade of ships guarding it.”

  “It is done,” both Kratos and Kaalek said, raising fists into the air. “For Vandar!”

  Every raider on my command deck bellowed the war cry, pounding their boots on the floor before the transmission ended and my brothers disappeared from the screen. I didn’t wait for the floor to stop trembling before I turned and ran for the hangar bay.

  It was time to rescue my mate.

  Chapter 40

  Rachael

  Admiral Kurmog shoved me to the side the moment the transmission with the Vandar was cut off, and I caught myself on the corner of a white console before I hit the floor. A droplet of blood dripped onto my hand and another onto my chest. I wiped away the blood on my hand, then my gaze fell to the stain darkening the gold fabric of my gown. The blood on the gossamer bodice was almost as dark as the black marks curling across my skin.

  I gasped and pressed a finger to my flesh, which was hot to the touch. I had mating marks. Toraan’s mating marks.

  “Take her to my ready room,” the admiral barked, flicking a bony had at me. “I’ll deal with her later.”

  I held my hands to my face and tried to cover my chest with my arms as two Zagrath soldiers grabbed me by the elbows and propelled me across the bridge. I didn’t want Kurmog to see the marks. He was already furious, and my face was proof of that. I didn’t want to experience him livid.

  The admiral’s ready room was attached to the bridge, so I was hurriedly pushed inside, and the door swished shut behind me. Unlike the rest of the bright and gleaming imperial battleship, the admiral’s private space was more reminiscent of the Vandar warbird—dark and dimly-lit, with dusky furnishings and blue ambient light glowing in the recessed ceiling. But I knew very well that Kurmog was nothing like the Vandar.

  Once I was alone, I tugged at the neckline of my dress to get a better look. The black swirling lines I’d seen so often on Toraan’s chest were now on mine. I pressed my hand to the skin, startled by the burning sensation. The Raas had never mentioned that acquiring mating marks would be painful.

  A pang of longing for Toraan made me stifle a sob. Seeing him on the screen had been torturous. He’d looked as imposing and menacing as ever, but I’d seen the hurt in his eyes. I’d betrayed him, and I’d led the enemy to his people. The people who had been hiding from the Zagrath’s wrath for generations. All destroyed by one stupid human.

  It was almost a cruel joke that my mating marks had developed only now, when I’d been recaptured by the empire. What were the chances that I’d ever see Toraan again, or that I’d live through Kurmog’s torture? The admiral wasn’t done with me—he’d made that perfectly clear—and as soon as he saw the marks on my skin, he’d probably have me executed. If I was lucky, he wouldn’t do it on screen while Toraan watched.

  I gave a rough shake of my head. Now was not the time to fall apart. Maybe Toraan had seen the marks. Maybe he understood that I hadn’t left because I didn’t care about him.

  I scratched at my stinging flesh as I walked to the far wall of glass that looked out onto space and sank down onto the divan fronting it. There was no trace of any other ships aside from the imperial ones lined in front of the admiral’s battleship, but the Vandar were out there. Toraan was out there. I could feel him.

  I scratched my chest harder, trying to alleviate the burn of my flesh. Or maybe the marks on my skin just made me think I could feel him. I could sure as hell feel them.

  The inky sky erupted into a shower of red laser fire, making me jump. Beams were flying from what appeared to be nothingness, but what I knew was the Vandar horde. My heart swelled as imperial ships were hit, and yells rose from outside the ready room.

  The Vandar were attacking, which meant that Toraan wasn’t giving up. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the battle, even though it was surreal to watch the Zagrath ships being attacked by invisible ones. No wonder the Vandar were called wraiths—they truly were like deathly
wisps that appeared from nothing.

  When the firing stopped, I held my breath. I’d seen no large explosion from where the Vandar had been firing. Had the raider ships retreated, or were they just regrouping?

  “He wouldn’t leave me,” I whispered, pressing my fingers to my marks.

  Then a massive explosion sent me flying off the divan and onto the floor. The two ships in front of ours had blown up, the blast making the window rattle as bits of the hull spiraled past. I pulled myself up to standing, as I gaped at the massive amount of laser fire bombarding the imperial fleet from all directions.

  The sky pulsed red as the horde fired relentlessly, and more imperial ships tore apart. The Zagrath attempted to return fire, but their weapons appeared to be flying blind and making little contact.

  I pumped a fist in the air. “Yes!”

  I might have been on one of the enemy ships that was being fired upon, but I couldn’t help cheering for Toraan.

  Another hard jolt sent me staggering into a wall, but it didn’t come from an explosion. More shouts on the bridge were followed by more jolts to the hull.

  “We’re being boarded!” The panicked yell from the imperial bridge officer made hope flutter in my chest.

  The Vandar were coming. Toraan was coming.

  The Zagrath were in chaos now. Flashing red lights replaced the blue ambient ones, as orders were bellowed outside the admiral’s ready room and sirens shrieked. I shrank back, flattening myself against the wall and hoping they would forget about me.

  The doors swished open and Kurmog stormed inside, his gaze sweeping the space and locking on me. So much for being forgotten.

  He strode over to me and grabbed my arm, jerking me hard. “It seems the Vandar are looking for you.”

  “I’m sure if you turn me over, they’ll spare your ship,” I said, regretting my words as soon as they’d left my mouth.

  The admiral slid his cold gaze to me, a vicious smile making him look more beast than man. “I have no intention of giving the Vandar what they want. I’d rather die.”

  I pulled against him as he tried to tug me with him. “Then where are you taking me?”

  His reptilian smile widened. “To the nearest airlock, my dear.”

  Screams punctuated the air outside the room as a heavy drumbeat of pounding feet thundered onto the bridge. Kurmog froze as the door slid open and three Vandar raiders rushed inside, battle axes dripping with blood.

  My knees almost buckled when I realized that the raider in the middle was Toraan, although the two equally muscled and armored raiders beside him looked strikingly similar.

  “This one’s mine,” Toraan growled, stepping forward, his eyes flashing with fury.

  Kurmog tightened his grip on my arm. “She will never be yours.”

  Toraan’s gaze went to my marks for the briefest of moments. “It is done.”

  As the admiral reached for his blaster, I wrenched my arm from his grip and dove for the floor, my hands bracing my fall at the same moment Toraan’s axe blade severed Kurmog’s head. The admiral’s body remained upright for a few more seconds, even as his head rolled across the floor, coming to rest against the wall, the cold, dead eyes wide with shock.

  Toraan lifted me up and crushed me to him, his strong arms keeping my shaky legs from buckling. “Are you unhurt?”

  My hands slipped on the blood smeared across his chest, and I peered up at him. “I’m fine. Are you?”

  “Only blood from the enemy.” He held me away from him, his focus shifting to my chest.

  “I got them,” I managed to say, even as my voice quavered.

  He traced one finger over the marks on my chest as he stared at them. Then he pulled his chest straps aside so I could see that his marks had expanded and now stretched over his shoulders and down his stomach. “I, as well.”

  “I guess this means you’re stuck with me,” I said, trying to smile, even though my lips trembled.

  Toraan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my open palm. “My Raisa.”

  Before I could burst into tears, one of the raiders who had flanked Toraan cleared his throat.

  “Might I suggest you continue this once we get the tvek off this ship and have blown it up?”

  Toraan glanced back at both Vandar, who were waving for us to join them in backing from the room. He pulled me close to him as we all rushed from the room, a blast shaking the ship.

  “Who are they?” I asked as we ran behind the pair of enormous raiders. They wore shoulder armor like Toraan and radiated command.

  “My older brothers,” he bellowed over the thundering explosions rocking the ship.

  One of the Vandar glanced at me over his shoulder, never slowing his pace. “Welcome to the family! I’d say it isn’t usually like this, but I’d be lying.”

  “And a Raas never lies,” the other brother added with a half grin. “Brace yourself for a rocky ride, human.”

  Chapter 41

  Toraan

  “I didn’t think I would live to see this,” my uncle said, his back to the stone balustrade as we gathered on the balcony overlooking the feasting hall. “Your father would have been pleased.”

  Kratos flinched next to me, but Kaalek was the one who spoke. “You were the one who brought us back together, Raas. We have you to thank for the reunion of the hordes.”

  “It is we who owe a debt of gratitude to you,” Raas Maassen, said as we stood across from him, the preparations for the celebration banquet bustling beneath us. “You destroyed the imperial fleet and saved the colonies from being discovered.”

  I looked at my feet. He was right that the three hordes had come together and blown the Zagrath fleet from the sky—as soon as we’d escaped from the lead battleship and gotten Rachael out of danger—but the fact remained that it had been my decision that had led the empire to Zendaren in the first place. “I am grateful to my brothers. Without them—"

  “It was our honor to join you in battle,” Kratos said, cutting off my confession that without them the Vandar would not have prevailed and our people would have been decimated.

  “Agreed,” Kaalek said. “There is little I have enjoyed more than watching my younger brother slay a Zagrath admiral. Well, aside from the things my mate does to me. Those I enjoy more.”

  Kratos shot him a look, but the old Raas only laughed.

  “You have changed little since you were boys.”

  My memories of Kratos and Kaalek were so faint that I’d always assumed I’d imagined them, but the teasing felt familiar. As did the quick tempers and fights that flared up faster than brush fire. Kaalek and Kratos had almost come to blows multiple times as we’d raced through the imperial battleship searching for Rachael and striking down imperial soldiers. I’d been grateful we’d found her before the two had taken to wrestling each other on the floor.

  “Zendaren is much as I remember it,” Kratos said, peering around. “Even though I have been away for longer than I can remember, it still feels like home.”

  “It will always be your home,” the old Raas said.

  Kratos rocked back on his heels. “Is there room for another Raas who wishes to hang up his battle axe?”

  Kaalek and I both swung our gazes to him.

  “You?” Kaalek gaped at him.

  Kratos cleared his throat and his cheeks flushed. “Astrid is with child. Although she insists she can continue to serve with me on our warbird and as Raisa to the horde, I do not want to take the risk.”

  Kaalek’s mouth fell open even farther. “Tara’s sister is pregnant?”

  The red on Kratos’ face deepened.

  “The first human-Vandar child,” our uncle said softy, shaking his head. “Another thing I never thought I’d see—or imagined possible.”

  From the look on Kaalek’s face, he was thinking the same thing I was. It appeared Vandar males could impregnate human females. We could both become fathers, as well.

  “Congratulations, brother.” I clapped him on the back. “You
are sure you wish to give up your horde?”

  Kratos gave a single nod. “My majak, Bron, will take over as Raas. There is no one I trust more to be a just and victorious Raas.”

  Kaalek snapped out of his shock. “I wish you all the best. Tara is happy flying with the horde for now, but you can be sure we will return once the baby is born. I have never been an uncle before.” He nudged his elder brother. “Someone will need to show your child how to have fun.”

  Kratos grinned and shook his head. “Lokken preserve me.” He twisted his head to look at me. “And what of you, Tor? I saw that you and your mate resolved whatever differences parted you.”

  “That was hard to miss on the ride off the imperial battleship,” Kaalek muttered. “I should know. I was standing next to the two of them.”

  Kratos and Kaalek both laughed, and even though I tried to keep my expression stony, I finally joined their laughter. “Rachael wishes to fly with me. She claims she hasn’t seen enough of the galaxy, yet.”

  “I hope she likes pleasure planets, if she’s taking her tour of the galaxy on a horde ship,” Kaalek said.

  “Actually,” I grinned at my brothers. “She got quite a few tips from a madam the last time we docked with a pleasure ship. I would not mind seeing what she picked up on a pleasure planet.”

  Kaalek’s eyebrows shot up. “And here I was thinking your mate was as sweet and innocent as she looks.”

  “As someone who took a mate who was innocent, I promise you that humans are full of surprises,” Kratos said, patting me on the shoulder. “Trust me. You have only scratched the surface, brother.”