Pursued: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Raider Warlords of the Vandar Book 4)

by Tana Stone

  The mingled moans of other couples in villas drifted up from below.

  “Normally I wouldn’t be into listening to your friends fuck, but in this setting it feels pretty normal,” Alana continued, with a laugh.

  I came up behind her, wrapping my arms around her and cupping her breasts in my hands. “I’m glad you don’t mind.”

  She rolled her head back. “As long as you don’t mind them hearing us.”

  Desire coiled in my belly as I thumbed her nipples between my fingers and ran my tail up the inside of her leg. “That is the only thing of you that I do not mind sharing.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Alana

  Padding naked across the room, I paused at the table and dropped a sedative pill into Bron’s half-drunk glass of wine. I watched it dissolve, then sat on the edge of the pool and dangled my legs into the water, moaning at the delicious warmth.

  “It’s heated,” I called over my shoulder to Bron, who was stretched across the bed on his stomach.

  He lifted his head lazily and then dropped it again, grunting at me.

  I laughed and slipped all the way into the water. “Don’t tell me I’ve worn you out already, Raas.”

  “Is this how you killed people?” He rolled over onto his back and stared at the skylight in the ceiling. “You fucked them to death?”

  Even though he was teasing me, I flinched at his words. The reality was I’d killed many males after I’d fucked them. Some I’d killed while they were still inside me. I lowered myself so that the warm water enveloped my shoulders. “Is that how you wish to die, Raas?”

  His chuckle was warm and deep. “For a Vandar, the most honorable death is in battle. But I might reconsider spending eternity in Zedna with Lokken if the alternative was to spend it with my cock buried inside you.”

  I stretched my arms wide under the water, pulling them hard and propelling myself to the clear side that hung out over the cliff. Peering beneath me, my legs scissored above the transparent pool bottom. Below that were alabaster rocks, extending to the pink curve of sand, and the sea-green bay.

  My pulse fluttered at the sheer drop and the sensation that there was nothing beneath me, but I crossed my arms, resting them on the pool’s ledge, and gazed out across the horizon. The two suns that warmed the planet were sinking into the sea, sending a warm glow across the water and making it appear as if it was on fire.

  I sighed as I took in the idyllic scene. I’d spent most of my life moving from target to target, with stops at outposts and imperial colonies to refuel and resupply. But I’d never been somewhere like this, or allowed myself to be fully immersed in anything that wasn’t an assignment.

  I twisted my head to look at the alien warlord lying on the bed. I’d also never felt about anyone the way I felt about Bron. Even though truly being with him was impossible, I couldn’t ignore the way he made me feel. I turned back around abruptly, despising myself for what I’d done.

  “Come back to bed,” he called.

  “You come in the water,” I teased, giving him an arch smile over my shoulder. “And bring our wine with you.”

  He lifted himself so he was propped on his elbows and eyed me.

  “You do swim, don’t you?” I asked, flipping over and hooking my arms over the pool’s ledge.

  “How many pools have you seen on our warbird?”

  I thought about that and the depth of his bathing pools. There was no swimming required when all you had to do to save yourself from drowning was stand up. “Come on. It’s not hard. I’ll teach you.”

  He grumbled as he rolled to the side of the bed and stood.

  Even though I’d seen him naked more times than I could count, it was hard to tear my eyes from him as he walked across the room, plucked the two glasses off the table, downed the rest of his wine before putting the glass back down, and continued to the pool’s edge. There wasn’t a micron on him that wasn’t muscle, aside from the long cock that swung between his legs and made my throat tighten.

  I choked back a laugh when he’d lowered himself into the pool and the water still only reached his chest. “I don’t think you need to know how to swim in here. You can just walk.”

  The Raas grinned as he took long steps through the water toward me, holding out my glass of wine.

  “Thanks.” I took a sip and tried not to think of the sedative pill—the last one I’d had hidden on me when I was taken—and the drugs that were making their way through the Vandar’s system. I swallowed and set the glass on the wide lip of the pool.

  Bron braced his arms on the clear wall on either side of me, leaning forward and pinning me beneath him. “You’re right. Swimming isn’t hard.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “At least you’re out of bed.”

  “Not everything requires a bed.” He bent his head to mine and nipped at my neck, sending tingles of desire skating down my spine.

  Although we were at the top of the cliff, the pool was completely in the open, which sent a forbidden thrill through me. I let my legs float up until they could circle his waist, then I hooked my hands around the back of his head. “Anyone can see us out here.”

  “Maybe I want them to see us,” Bron whispered in my ear. “Maybe I want everyone to see me claiming you. Then there will be no doubt that you’re mine.”

  The hard points of my nipples brushed his chest, as I arched into him. “I’m pretty sure everyone on your ship knows you’ve been fucking me.”

  “Mmmm.” He kissed his way down my throat then wrapped an arm around my back, lifting my chest out of the water. He sucked each firm nipple hard before dragging the tip of his tail through my folds. “Not the same thing.”

  I tightened my grip around his neck. “Then show them.”

  He raised his head to meet my eyes, his lips quirking up as he pushed into me slow and deep, the thick fur sending tingles ricocheting through my body. “No fair using your tail.”

  He stroked it in and out. “Who said I had to play fair?”

  I let my head fall back, the water sloshing over the side of the pool as the Raas thrust again and again. The forbidden excitement of being watched and the thrill of having the alien’s tail fucking me made my release build quickly.

  “Eyes on me, Alana,” he said as my moans became more desperate and as he seamlessly slid his tail out of me and his cock in.

  I met his gaze as the hard bar of his cock powered into me, the water churning around us. His pupils were huge and black, pinning me with their feverish intensity. My hands slipped to his shoulders, my nails scoring his flesh as my release crashed over me, the tremors rocking my body like punishing waves and rippling around his cock.

  With a final raw sound, Bron surged inside me. A bellow was ripped from his lips as his shaft pulsed hot and urgent. Then he sagged against me.

  “Raas?” I said when his weight started to pull me under.

  He looked up at me, but his eyes were unfocused. The drugs were working.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get back in bed.”

  “Greedy,” he murmured, as I led him up the stairs at the far end of the pool and across the room. “You’ve already had my tail and my cock.”

  “No,” I said under my breath as I propelled him to the bed, and he collapsed onto it. “Sneaky.”

  “Alana,” he said, fighting to keep his eyes open as he reached for me.

  I took his hand, leaning in to kiss him one last time before sitting back and watching his eyes close. “I’m so sorry, Bron. One day you’ll realize that I did this to save you.”

  I took a shaky breath, steeling myself for what I needed to do, and searching the floor for my clothes. Then the walls of the villa trembled.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Svar stood at his console on the command deck, scanning the readouts as he swayed back and forth, and let the flaps of his battle kilt knock against his thighs. He was still thinking about the eager Laurinian who’d wrapped her lips so prettily around his cock. If he closed h
is eyes, he could almost imagine himself back in the cabana bed, the salty air warm on his face and the female’s tongue hot and wet. He’d tangled his fingers in her thick blue hair as she’d sucked him, watching his length disappear into her mouth and her cheeks hollow.

  “Tvek.” He pushed down his aching cock with one hand, shaking his head and trying to banish the distracting thoughts of the pleasurer. At least he was the only warrior on the command deck, although he doubted any of his fellow raiders would fault him for lingering thoughts after a visit to a pleasure planet like Laurinia.

  The planet itself had been almost as much of an indulgence as the female, the warmth of the sun and the soft sounds of the lapping water seducing him just as completely. Watching the pleasurer move up and down on him, her bare breasts bouncing as he’d watched boats hover across the water in the distance, had been an intoxicating sight he wouldn’t soon forget.

  A sharp beep drew his attention to his screen, and he forced the memory of the hedonistic planet from his mind. A transmission was coming in. He peered closer, not sure if he was reading it correctly. Were the Valox resistance ships they’d assisted really sending them a transmission? His stomach clenched. An encrypted transmission.

  Tapping the console, he tensed as the voice of one of the Valox fighters filled the room, crackling with interference.

  “Vandar horde.” The voice broke, and it was clear that the speaker was having difficulty breathing. “This is Captain Brandon of the Valox resistance.” He coughed. “I’m sending you this encrypted message on a secure channel in hopes it reaches you in time.”

  In time? Svar grasped the corners of his console, willing the speaker to talk faster.

  “After we parted, our fleet was again attacked by imperial forces.”

  Another gurgling cough all but told Svar the man was choking on his own blood. He clenched his hands tighter, hate for the Zagrath rising up hot in his own chest.

  “Most of our ships were destroyed, and our fighters killed.” The captain paused. “But not before they were tortured.”

  Svar shifted from one foot to the other, needing to move but fighting the urge to hit something. The Zagrath were like a plague, making its victims writhe in pain before inflicting the ultimate punishment. A plague that he and his people were systematically fighting to destroy.

  “I’m sending you this message because I fear they extracted certain information from one of our fighters.” The transmission broke up, the words garbled before they resumed. “There is a chance the empire knows about the human female on your horde.”

  Svar’s blood went cold. The female? The one Raas Bron had claimed as his? The one who was currently on the surface of Laurinia with him?

  The majak shook his head, but he knew there could be no other female. There were no other females on their horde. The other human females on Vandar hordes were far away in other sectors. He didn’t know how the Valox had learned of the female—perhaps a careless slip of the tongue by one of their raiders when they’d offered assistance. It didn’t matter now. The empire knew.

  He blew out a breath and forced himself to think calmly. The female Raas Bron had taken was not the first human to be claimed by a Vandar. He choked out a dark laugh. Actually, it was becoming more frequent than he ever would have expected.

  There was no reason that this female should bring the attention of the empire, Svar reasoned. Even if she had been running from them.

  “If this information brings danger to your horde, I am sincerely sorry,” the captain continued. “You offered us aid when we needed it, and you have my eternal gratitude.” He coughed out a mirthless laugh. “Though I doubt I have much longer to make good on that promise.”

  A wave of pity for the dying captain made Svar press his lips together. “Have no fear, captain.” He vowed. “We will rain fire on the empire for what they’ve done to you.”

  “I am the only Valox ship that escaped, although I suspect they let me go because they know life support on board is failing.” He sucked in a tight breath. “In their last warning to me, I could hear Zagrath in the background saying that they would find the human and punish her for her betrayal.”

  Svar straightened. “Betrayal?”

  “They mentioned Laurinia and they were discussing a trap.” The captain’s voice faded. “I hope you know what that means, and I hope this reaches you before they do.”

  Svar froze in place as the transmission devolved into more coughing and spluttering and finally an agonizing death gasp. When the line was static, he jerked his head up to the view screen and the idyllic planet of Laurinia. It was a trap?

  He shook his head, not wanting to believe the warning. Was it possible their horde had flown right into the clutches of the empire without knowing it? No, surely not.

  Svar studied his scans again. There was nothing.

  Wait. His eye caught on a faint dot pulsing just on the edge of the screen. Within moments, it raced across the star chart, other dots joining it to surround the planet. The empire was fast approaching with what appeared to be an entire fleet.

  Activating a ship-wide red alert, Svar called all raiders to their battle stations as the first laser fire volleyed from the Zagrath ships, his fingers buzzing with the fervor of impending bloodshed. Then he turned and ran for the hangar deck.

  The battle they’d all been wishing for had finally come, and their horde was not ready.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Alana

  The rumble was faint at first, then I was pitched to the side. I caught myself on the table as the trays of food clattered to the floor.

  What the hell?

  I looked out onto the horizon which had been so peaceful only moments before. The pink sky was now filled with red beams shooting down from above. Was the planet seriously under attack? It only took me a moment to realize that it was the empire, and they were coming for me. Who else would unleash such firepower on a pleasure planet?

  “We have to go!” I shouted to Bron, then turned to see him unconscious on the bed.

  Fuck me. I wasn’t sure how long the drugs would take to wear off—the Vandar were bigger than anyone I’d used the sedatives on before—but at the moment, he was gone. And I couldn’t leave him. Not with the imperial forces firing and us being on the top of a cliff. One direct hit and the entire mountain would crumble.

  Panic and anger were like rocket fuel storming through my veins. I hurriedly pulled on my clothes, stumbling as the blasts continued to rattle the villa. Then I jumped on the bed and shook Bron by the shoulders.

  “Wake up, babe,” I begged, slapping his cheeks so sharply they turned pink.

  He blinked groggily, frowning up at me. “That hurts.”

  I was so happy he was conscious, I kissed him hard on the lips. “I know. I’m sorry. Listen, you can spank me for it later.” I spotted his kilt on the floor and scooped it up. “Right now, we need to get the fuck out of here before we’re blown to bits.”

  “We just got here.” His words were slurred as he shook his head, then he stopped and grinned. “Did you say I can spank you?”

  “That’s what you took from what I said?” I huffed out an impatient breath as I tugged his kilt on over his feet and up the length of his muscular legs. “If we get out of here alive, you can do anything you want to me.”

  His smile widened, but I snapped a finger to focus his attention. “But right now, you need to get dressed and follow me. Okay?”

  The villa shook, this time harder, and dust sifted down from above. Bron’s brow creased. “Is that laser fire?”

  “Yep.” I pulled him up by the arms, astounded by just how heavy he was. “Imperial laser fire, if I’m right.”

  He stiffened, his eyes snapping into focus. “The Zagrath? Here?”

  “Unless your horde has decided to fire on the planet.” I jerked his kilt up around his waist and sat back, heaving.

  Bron stood, his gaze sweeping the sky as red beams slashed across it. It was as if the mention
of his enemy had wiped all the fog from his brain, although I suspected adrenaline and the sheer size of him helped. He hooked his battle axe on his waist and held out his hand to me. “Come on.”

  I took it without argument, and we moved toward the door, although I noticed his step wasn’t as fast or sure as usual. I latched my arm around his waist as he leaned against the door frame to draw a breath. He glanced down at me. “When we’re back safely on my ship, I look forward to you explaining why I feel like I’ve been hit in the head by a Rurali ice monster.”

  I swallowed hard, grateful for the distraction of the shaking planet. “I didn’t—“

  He snapped up a hand. “Not now. Now we need to get out. Later you will explain yourself—and it had better be good.”

  Pressing my lips together, I stuck my head out of the doorway. Luckily, the blasts had disabled the locks and shaken the door off its hinges. I saw no imperial soldiers, so I led Bron out of the villa and onto the top of the stairs. Instead of spiraling us down to the beach, they remained like stone.

  “The blast must have knocked out some of their systems.” I cursed under my breath at the thought of trying to walk down hundreds of steps with an unsteady Vandar raider.

  Bron put out a hand as I started to take a step down. “It’s too late.”

  I followed his gaze to the swath of pick sand where small imperial transport ships were touching down. My stomach lurched as the all too familiar helmeted fighters ran off them and fanned out across the beach and toward the cliffs.

  “We go up,” he said, motioning above us. “Vaes.”

  Up? I swallowed hard, although I knew we had no choice. Not with the Zagrath forces running up the steps with alarming speed.

  I nodded, wishing I had a weapon on me. The Raas had his battle axe, but if the enemy caught us, I had nothing but my fighting skills. Not that my hand to hand skills weren’t impressive, especially against the imperial soldiers, who were better with blasters, but my fingers itched for a blade.