Ravaged: A Dark Sci-Fi Reverse Harem Romance (Vakarran Captives Book 4)

by Sara Fields

  Slowly, we all marched onward, breaking into planned groups that would surround the target from all sides. Each of us had an assignment in order to free all the women from captivity.

  The Second and Third Battalions, Alaina’s and my Vakarrans, were taking the largest sleeping tent of women, while the others were spread throughout the camp taking care of the smaller housing areas.

  When each group was in position, a small flare sent through the network signaled their arrival, a different color assigned to each group. My body felt warm as I watched each one flare before my eyes and then Roan activated the very last one, ours.

  A purple flare flashed centrally before my eyes, and then it was gone.

  It was time to move in.

  I took a deep breath, feeling the heat from my Vakarrans around me. We stealthily moved toward the back right corner of the women’s barracks. Alaina and her Vakarrans took the north end while I and my captors took the south end.

  Roan and Taraik took down a guard on one side of the door while Zac and Xandaar took down the other. Narrowing my eyes, I watched as the guards fought each pair, focused on their locations even though they remained invisible, but oddly enough I walked right by the two of them without even a look. Through the connections I shared with my four Vakarrans, I could sense where each of them was, even though they remained invisible.

  Once I entered the tent, I released my ability upon seeing Alaina at the other end.

  Bunk after bunk of women lined the sides of the tent, with one narrow aisle down the center. I nodded once in Alaina’s direction.

  “Ladies,” I said out loud, quietly.

  All at once, movement began to stir around us.

  Women lifted their heads, flashes of fear crossing their features once they saw me. I was sure they’d recognize me. Some looked hopeful while others remained scared and I took a deep breath before I began to speak again.

  “Nix has ordered the death of every single one of you. I’m here to take you somewhere safe. We have a place for you to hide, where you can live in peace, side by side with the Vakarrans, only not as their slaves, as their comrades instead,” I said.

  Alaina walked forward.

  “I can attest to Danika’s words. You don’t have to remain under the oppression of Commander Nix and his men. Should you come with us, we can promise you safety and equality,” my sister added.

  One woman closest to me reached out to touch me.

  “Danika Stryke. You remind me of your sister Kira,” she said.

  I smiled and touched her wrist in solidarity.

  “Come on. We need to move fast before anyone notices something is amiss,” I said.

  “Are all the women being rescued?” another asked quietly

  “Yes. We have forces all over the camp right now. We need to move though,” Alaina answered. All around us, the women climbed out of their beds. Left completely naked and without clothes, they weren’t going to be easily hidden, but we had to try. Alaina guided the first few women out of the north end, into the woods. I kept in the back, helping to lead the others onward. Surprisingly, everyone came without a fight and no one wanted to miss the opportunity to get out.

  I’d heard rumors of the sudden increase in cruelty, but it didn’t become clear until one last woman reached for my arm. The tent was mostly empty except for me and her.

  “I have a friend in medical row. Will you make sure someone gets her too?” she whispered, her eyes flittering back and forth from me to the others.

  “What happened to her?” I asked.

  “She was whipped. Commander Nix himself. I honestly don’t know if she’s out of the woods yet, but it was bad. She couldn’t walk when they took her away,” she whispered frantically.

  I nodded.

  “We’ll get her. One of the men in my unit is a doctor,” I answered, and she sighed with relief.

  “Thank you,” she replied before running off after Alaina.

  I knew by now the first hovercrafts should be leaving with some of the rescued women. It would take a few trips. By Roan’s estimation based off the most recent records available, there were close to two hundred and fifty females kept here in the camp.

  Once the tent emptied, I felt my Vakarrans surround me. They lifted their camouflage ability then and I looked around at each one of them.

  “Is anyone assigned to the medical tents?” I asked quietly.

  “No. It was considered too high risk,” Roan replied.

  I chewed my lip.

  “Is it far from here?” I questioned then.

  “No. But we’d have to pass the officer’s tents in order to get there,” Xandaar replied.

  “We need to stick to the mission,” Roan said carefully, his eyes hardening.

  “I can’t leave anyone to die because Nix couldn’t get his hands on me,” I argued.

  “We don’t know how many are there. They may not be able to escape on their own, even with our help,” Taraik said.

  I knew they were right, but I couldn’t stand down now. I didn’t want to leave a single human behind for Nix to hurt in my name. I couldn’t live with myself if he did.

  “We go. Let Alaina and the Second Battalion know we’re taking on an additional mission and will fall behind. We’re not leaving any women here. I don’t want him to hurt anyone else,” I said, setting my lips in a tense line. I stood tall before Roan, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin. Before long, Roan smirked, which was the last thing I expected.

  “I was hoping you’d say that, little dove,” he replied. Beside him, Zac, Taraik, and Xandaar grinned too.

  “If we stop by the medical tents, it would be the perfect opportunity to loot some supplies as well,” Xandaar mused.

  “Four-point formation. Danika at the center. Invisible the entire way,” Roan demanded and then turned to me. “You can keep your ability steady for that long?” he asked. I nodded, and he grinned. “Move out. We’ll take each med tent one by one. We assess first and then decide how to proceed. Do not engage. That means you too, Danika.”

  I stifled a chuckle.

  The five of us moved quickly on then, back out of the shadows of the tent into the darkness of night. We moved off the beaten path, careful to watch our step and to make as little noise as possible. The camp was quiet, on low alert. Surprisingly, we made it to the medical row in far less time than I thought we would and without incident.

  There were five small tents in total.

  “Body heat scanner activate,” Roan whispered quietly, his voice nearly inaudible.

  After a long moment, he informed us of six females within the range of the temperature of a human body. All the tents were dark, except for the last one.

  In the shadows on the tent walls, we could see one additional figure, likely a Vakarran. Maybe it was a doctor or some member of the medical staff, but regardless, we’d have to take care of him first before we could move in to rescue the rest of the women. We moved on down the line, careful not to make a sound until we were standing before the entrance.

  That’s when I began to hear the sounds inside.

  He was grunting. She was on her back, crying and pleading for him to stop. Her voice was hoarse, and I could hear her pain. My stomach rolled in both disgust and anger.

  Inside, the man began to chuckle, before laughing louder and louder. I could feel my men begin to feel uneasy. My own heart leapt in my throat and my blood pumped through my veins, filled with anxiety.

  A bird squawked loudly in the distance, and we all jumped in alarm.

  “Welcome back, Third Battalion,” the man said from within the tent and my blood ran cold. He knew we were there.

  And there was no doubt in my mind that it was Commander Nix.

  The woman cried out for help and the sound of a loud slap echoed inside. I gritted my teeth in anger, wanting to react but deciding against it until we could come up with a plan. The sound of a boot scuffing against the ground sounded, the jingle of a belt and the closing of a zipper
made me feel sick. Then, to my horror, the door to the tent opened and there he was. He walked out and left the girl inside, and I could hear her crying still.

  Whatever he had done to her, it was bad. I was afraid of what we might find.

  Carefully, Roan and the others moved in front of me, blocking me from Nix. I was still hiding with my camouflage ability, as were the others, but I didn’t know if Nix could sense me as he could with my Vakarrans.

  Nervously, I waited, watching as Nix grinned at the four of them.

  “No need to hide. I know you’re there,” he said and eventually Roan and my Vakarrans dropped their invisibility, but I didn’t. Instead, I just waited, legs bent and ready to run at any moment.

  “Nix,” Roan spat, his disdain apparent.

  “Dropping all manner of respect then? I’ll remember that,” Nix goaded, his expression turning dangerous. His dark eyes glimmered in the moonlight and even though I had the protection of all four of my men, Nix still made me a little anxious.

  “You’re a fucking monster,” Xandaar said. “What did you do to her?” I knew what he was thinking. He’d told me that he’d had to fix Nix’s mistakes, to heal all the humans he had hurt.

  “I gave her just what she deserves,” Nix smirked.

  Crouching down, I moved slowly to the right. Not even one of my Vakarrans looked my way, but even more important, Nix didn’t. I reached down and silently unholstered my weapon, holding it with both hands as I crept to the side. Nix walked forward then, toward my Vakarrans, still not sensing me.

  I began to grow more confident. The only explanation was that he couldn’t sense me. He didn’t know I was here. I was completely invisible, as long as I didn’t make a sound, or let down my ability.

  “Did you bring me Danika Stryke? Are you hiding her somewhere for me?” Nix questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. He was supremely confident, despite being in front of four Vakarrans who clearly wanted to kill him. He smirked, his eyes staying steady on Roan.

  I stopped then, observing.

  “I’d rather slit your throat then let you lay a finger on her again,” Zac growled.

  Taraik placed a hand on Zac’s shoulder, preventing him from moving forward. I watched his fingers, and then they ticked forward, pointing to me and then to Nix. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but then he did it again. He was signaling to me.

  Taraik, the closest thing to an empath I’d ever met, could sense me. None of the others could. I didn’t think he could verify my exact location, but he’d always known how I felt, known what I needed above the others. He’d always been my protector and been able to gauge my capabilities. He trusted me, and I trusted him. I trusted them all.

  I lifted my gun and leveled the sight in Nix’s direction. No one moved in my direction.

  I felt powerful, for the first time in a very long time. Squaring my shoulders and narrowing my eyes, my finger curled around the trigger.

  This man was to blame for so much pain and anger in this world. He’d hurt me. Threatened my men and was going to kill hundreds of women just as a way for him to control me, to take me for himself. He wanted to hurt me, and I knew if he ever got his hands on my now, I was as good as dead.

  I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

  The laser gun kicked in my hands as a ball of fire emerged out of the end of the barrel, racing toward Nix at the speed of light. He had no time to react before the laser connected with his cheek, eating through his dark purple skin in the blink of an eye. His jawline pulverized under the power of the laser and he screamed as the skin of his face burned away, peeling back across the left side of his face.

  I pulled the trigger again, this time aiming for his chest. The gun slipped in my hands and the laser, instead of shooting his heart, impacted his left arm, traveling through the underside and emerging at his collarbone.

  I’d never seen so much blood.

  He stopped screaming, his eyes bulging with pain as he swayed back and forth. My Vakarrans descended on him then, and I saw a right hook knock into the side of Nix’s head. He fell to the ground, looking a rather putrid color.

  He didn’t get back up and I watched the blood spread over the ground beneath him.

  “In the tents now. Gather the women. We move out. Now. Danika, you keep the gun on Nix. You do not enter these tents,” Taraik commanded.

  I obeyed. I’d probably just get in the way.

  In minutes, the men emerged with women thrown over their shoulders. Taraik and Roan carried the two least injured and Xandaar left one who could still walk with me. He went back in and finally emerged with a large bag full of supplies.

  “Move,” Roan demanded.

  We all moved out in the direction of the hovercrafts. I tried to ignore the dried blood on the weak women’s bodies, the marks of the whips on their backs. I stared at the ground instead. My heart pounded, and I ran with my Vakarrans.

  We made it back to the hovercraft as the sky began to lighten, the first tendrils of sunrise reaching from the horizon.

  We boarded, and I collapsed onto the floor, sitting down and hugging my knees to my chest.

  I was exhausted, but Nix was done for. It was over.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Danika

  When we arrived back at New Atlanta, I found out the entire mission had been a success. All the women, including the injured ones we had taken, were accounted for. We’d even recruited a few additional Vakarrans to join the settlement, although they were to be kept under strict watch, with little access to any and all communication devices for the immediate future.

  Clothing of all sizes was gathered and put aside for the women. They were placed in the already built bunker and given beds of their own. Every face that I saw was filled with wonder and gratitude, all thankful to be free of the Vakarran training camp.

  They were most thankful for the ability to wear clothes once again.

  It took some time to feed them all. The Vakarrans had brought with them sustainable technology that could create endless amounts of food. One of them was a box that would make whatever food a person wanted to appear out of thin air, without any ingredients at all. We didn’t have enough of those for everyone, so the women took turns and shared meals, which all of them sorely needed. Most of them were clean, but we showed them how to use the Vakarran showers within the bunker, a waterless cleaning tube that used a combination of steam and air to cleanse the skin.

  In that time, Xandaar and Taraik disappeared to care for the wounded. When they finally returned, they looked exhausted but hopeful.

  Everyone was safe.

  We’d rescued them all and had no casualties. A successful mission.

  After several hours, I began to feel tired and dizzy and Taraik ordered me to bed before I even admitted it to myself. He didn’t give me any choice, but took my hand and led me back toward the elevator of the apartment building we had been staying in.

  His arms circled around me when we reached the entryway.

  “You did good, little dove,” he murmured. “I’m proud of you.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at his words.

  “Did you know I was there the whole time?” I asked him, turning my head to look up at his warm copper eyes. He shook his head, a small smile lighting up his expression.

  “I couldn’t sense your location, no. But that didn’t stop me from knowing how you felt. How you wanted to stop him, rather than run away. How you were focused on the mission and remained calm,” he replied, his voice soft.

  “I killed him,” I said blankly. I didn’t quite know how to feel about it, other than relief. I was incredibly comforted by the fact that he was dead.

  “You did, but you saved hundreds of women because of it. It was something you had to do. Something we had to do, little dove,” he replied. I smiled. He was right.

  Roan joined us, followed by Xandaar and Zac and we all entered the elevator together. Taraik must have signaled to them to come to me. I was glad for it.
I wanted to be with my four alien men, the four men who had given me everything I had ever wanted.

  They’d given me and hundreds of women their freedom. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

  The elevator zipped up into the penthouse and before I knew it, I was forced into our bedroom, stripped naked and tossed into bed between my four Vakarrans.

  I protested, but only a little, earning a solid few slaps to my ass.

  I tried not to let on that I liked it.

  They surrounded me in blankets and their bodies, and I curled up between them. Exhaustion slammed into me. I’d been awake for more than twenty-four hours without sleep and now that I was still and not running around caring for others, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

  I closed my eyes and leaned back, placing my head on the pillow. Someone kissed the top of my forehead.

  I was asleep in minutes.

  * * *

  I didn’t wake until the next morning. When I did, I smiled, feeling the arms of my Vakarrans still surrounding me. Free of danger and finally safe, their nearness made my body ignite. My core began to pulse with desire.

  I wanted my men.

  I opened my eyes to find all four of them staring down at me, hungry predatory eyes that made my pussy clench with excitement. I bit my lip.

  Taraik and Roan descended onto me first, kissing either side of my lips at the same time. I kissed Roan and then Taraik, allowing their lips to plunder and devour mine. My hips jerked forward, desperate to feel their long lengths between my legs.

  With just a few kisses, my blood was already boiling with desire. I wanted to fuck them. All of them at the same time. Roan and Taraik reached for me, trailing their fingers along my skin, touching me with their hands and tasting every inch of me with their lips. Every touch left my skin tingling with electricity, excited for what the future might bring.