by Tana Stone
“It is the planet itself that’s valuable,“ the human said. “Even we did not realize it at first, but it is why our two peoples have limited contact with others, and have kept our world from developing any technology that might draw interest.”
“Your core contains nothing of value,” I said. “Otherwise the empire would have established mines.”
The two males exchanged another cautious look.
“Tvek,” I growled, stroking a finger down my scar. “Tell me. Do not tell me. At this point, I’m starting not to care.”
The Kimitherian bobbed his scaled head up and down. “You are right. If we want your help, we should be honest with you. Your leader did say you were honorable to a fault.”
I flinched at the description. That sounded like something Bron would say.
“Kerl is nearly a thousand rotations old,” the human said in a rush of words, glancing at the other male I assumed was named Kerl.
“Okay.” I eyed them. “And one of your rotations is how many of our standard rotations?”
“That is in standard rotations,” Kerl said, his yellow eyes fixed on me.
I took in that information. Humans had a life expectancy of eighty to a hundred standard rotations and Vandar closer to one hundred. “Your species is long-lived.”
“It is not just my species,” Kerl said. “Once the human settlers arrived, they too became immortal.”
“Immortal?” I almost choked on the word.
The human smiled. “It isn’t that we can’t be killed. We can. We just don’t seem to age on this planet.”
I stared at them. “So the children I saw playing when I arrived?”
Kerl let out a laugh that was comprised of mostly clicks. “They are children. The aging seems to slow or stop once we reach our maturity.”
I slid my gaze to the human. “How old are you…?”
“Terel,” the man replied. “My name is Terel, and I’m three hundred and eleven years old.”
I cocked my head at him. He looked no older than me.
“Do you understand now why we need to protect ourselves?” Kerl asked.
I did. “If anyone were to find out, they would…” I let my words die in my mouth.
“Remove us or kill us all,” Terel said for me.
I gave a curt nod. It went without saying that the Zagrath would use such a planet to ensure their domination of the galaxy and ensure they never died. The thought of the imperial leadership living forever made my stomach churn.
“Who knows?” I asked, my defensive training kicking in.
“We hope no one.” Kerl looked at Terel. “But we are not so foolish to think that can continue forever. Not with the empire taking over more planets for their outposts and colonies. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”
I squared my shoulders, a new sense of purpose flaring inside me. “Then we have much work to do to train your people and prepare your defenses.”
Sienna
“Where have you been?”
I paused on the window ledge as I swung a leg over and dipped my head inside, cursing to myself that I’d been busted again. I glanced up and saw my younger sister standing in the doorway to our bedroom. Her pale hair was backlit by the faint hallway light, giving her head a halo effect.
I rolled my eyes. If that wasn’t fitting I didn’t know what was. Juliette was the good one, always trying to keep me in line and usually failing at it.
“Nowhere important,” I said, coming all the way inside and landing on the floor. “Just checking out the new resident.”
“Sienna.” She sighed. “You know father said we should steer clear of him. He’s a Vandar.”
The tips of my fingers tingled at the word. “I know. That doesn’t mean he’s going to bite.”
She mumbled something about the raiders being vicious enough to drink their enemy’s blood, but I only laughed.
“You’ve been listening to tall tales again. One Vandar can’t possibly kill us all and drink our blood. And why would he? He’s supposed to help us.”
“Help us?” My sister’s eyes widened, then narrowed at me. “Have you been sneaking around and eavesdropping again?”
“Only because no one ever tells us anything. Besides, I’m sure it won’t be a secret for long that the Vandar is going to help train us to defend ourselves.”
“Defend ourselves? From what? He’s the only dangerous thing to come near our planet in a generation.”
I flopped onto my bed. She was right about that. The Vandar they called Corvak was the most dangerous and most exciting thing to happen to the planet in longer than I could remember. “I don’t know, but he’s a trained warrior. Maybe he’ll teach us how to fight.”
“Us?” My sister laughed. “You’re delusional if you think the leaders will let a girl train for battle.”
Anger flared within me. “Maybe the Vandar don’t have such backward views about the sexes. Maybe he’ll let me train.”
My sister laughed. “You think the leadership will let him train a female who should be preparing for her betrothal?”
I glared at my sister. “I told you, I’m not marrying him.”
She shook her head, crossing the room and perching on the edge of her bed across from me. “He is the son of one of our ministers, and he’s been after you to marry him for ages.”
“So?” I shrugged. “Just because Donal wants to marry me, I’m supposed to fall all over myself with gratitude?”
“Marrying a minister’s son would be an honor for our family.” Her voice was low, but the words hit me like shards of glass. What she meant was that I should be grateful to be considered, considering that our mother was dead, and our father was a worthless drunk.
“Then you marry him.”
She gave me a look that made her look much older than her age, and reminded me too much of our mother. “He isn’t obsessed with me.”
I didn’t know why not. Juliette was soft and pretty in a way people on our planet valued, with white-blonde curls falling loose around her shoulders. I was her opposite, wearing my honey-brown hair pulled into a tight bun and trying to avoid male attention. At least, male attention that meant only one thing.
I clenched my teeth, thinking of the minister’s son and the arrogant way his gaze roamed my body. “I don’t care. I’d rather be alone forever than spend my life with him.”
“You know what will happen if you refuse.” My sister’s voice cracked. “We’ll be outcasts, and neither of us will ever be given offers.”
I lay on my back staring at the ceiling. Everything my sister said was right, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be bound to someone who made my skin crawl.
Then my mind drifted to the Vandar who arrived on our planet. Since I’d seen him striding off his ship, his bare chest rippled with muscle and his face set in a menacing scowl, I’d been unable to stop thinking about him. He was so different from the males I’d grown up with. He was clearly a warrior who wouldn’t shrink from a challenge.
I clenched my hands in to fists. I was going to convince that Vandar to train me. No matter what it took. I steeled myself. Or what he required in return.
Thank you for reading PURSUED!
If you liked this alien barbarian romance, you’ll love PUNISHED, book 5 in the series featuring disgraced Vandar warrior Corvak.
I’m supposed to be in exile on the alien planet, but when I’m asked to help their people defend against my sworn enemy, I can’t say no. The human female who begs me to teach her to fight? Her I have to resist—no matter how much she begs or what she offers in return.
One-click PUNISHED Now>
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Also by Tana Stone
Raider Warlords of the Vandar Series:
POSSESSED (also available in AUDIO)
PLUNDERED
PILLAGED
PURSUED
PUNISHED
Alien Academy Series:
ROGUE (also available in AUDIO)
The Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors Series:
TAMED (also available in AUDIO)
SEIZED (also available in AUDIO)
EXPOSED (also available in AUDIO)
RANSOMED (also available in AUDIO)
FORBIDDEN (also available in AUDIO)
BOUND (also available in AUDIO)
JINGLED (A Holiday Novella)
CRAVED (also available in AUDIO)
STOLEN
SCARRED
The Barbarians of the Sand Planet Series:
BOUNTY (also available in AUDIO)
CAPTIVE (also available in AUDIO)
TORMENT (also available on AUDIO)
TRIBUTE
SAVAGE
CLAIM
TANA STONE books available as audiobooks!
RAIDER WARLORDS OF THE VANDAR:
POSSESSED on AUDIBLE
Alien Academy Series:
ROGUE on AUDIBLE
BARBARIANS OF THE SAND PLANET
BOUNTY on AUDIBLE
CAPTIVE on AUDIBLE
TORMENT on AUDIBLE
TRIBUTE BRIDES OF THE DREXIAN WARRIORS
TAMED on AUDIBLE
SEIZED on AUDIBLE
EXPOSED on AUDIBLE
RANSOMED on AUDIBLE
FORBIDDEN on AUDIBLE
BOUND on AUDIBLE
CRAVED on AUDIBLE
About the Author
Tana Stone is a bestselling sci-fi romance author who loves sexy aliens and independent heroines. Her favorite superhero is Thor (with Aquaman a close second because, well, Jason Momoa), her favorite dessert is key lime pie (okay, fine, all pie), and she loves Star Wars and Star Trek equally. She still laments the loss of Firefly.
She has one husband, two teenagers, and two neurotic cats. She sometimes wishes she could teleport to a holographic space station like the one in her tribute brides series (or maybe vacation at the oasis with the sand planet barbarians). :-)
She loves hearing from readers! Email her any questions or comments at [email protected].
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Copyright © 2021 by Broadmoor Books
Cover Design by Croci Designs
Editing by Tanya Saari
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.