by Tana Stone
Even as my body heated at the memory, a part of me felt a twinge of guilt. I was not supposed to be giving myself so eagerly to my captor. I was supposed to be holding out in case my sister managed to mount a rescue. But did I even want to be rescued anymore? What would I really be going back to? A sad life on a junky freighter as the captain’s incompetent sister?
I shook my head. I should not be having such ungrateful thoughts. Tara had done everything she could for me. It wasn’t her fault that my talents didn’t lie in space travel, and I’d sucked at every job she’d given me. I didn’t know what I was good at, but it wasn’t anything technical or mechanical.
I drew in a long breath. Did I really think being a captive of the Vandar was a better life than the one I’d had with my sister? It had certainly been more exciting, so far. And I liked being wanted by someone. On Tara’s ship, no one had any use for me.
Sure, the Raas was intense, and I was in serious danger of losing my virginity to him, but what was I holding onto it for, anyway?
“It’s not like anyone else wanted it.” At least no one I’d been interested in. The awkward systems hacker on my sister’s ship who didn’t take enough showers did not count.
The more time I spent with the dark, dangerous Vandar, the harder it was to remember why I kept saying no. Not when he made me feel the way he did, and not when he was so good with his tongue.
I couldn’t help giggling to myself, slapping a hand over my mouth when the door swished open. I leapt to my feet, expecting Kratos to stalk into the room. But it was not Kratos, it was one of his warriors and a young boy.
“Can I help you?” I eyed both of them.
The Vandar raider inclined his head slightly. “I am Bron, the majak of the Raas.”
“Majak?”
“His most trusted warrior. His second in command.”
“Oh, you’re his first officer.”
He tilted his head at me. “If that is what humans call it. The Raas asked me to check on you. He’s been detained on the command deck.”
I tried to mask my disappointment. “Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“It might be a while. There is much to do after an attack.”
“Of course.” I had a feeling this majak knew that the attack had been all about me.
“Raas has assigned a guard outside the room, and this attendant to keep you company.” He put a hand on the boy’s back and pushed him forward. The young Vandar wore a kilt similar to the raider warriors, but it was made from a thick, dark cloth, instead of leather. The belt around his waist was also cloth, with a small dagger attached to it instead of a giant battle axe.
I eyed the boy and his flushed cheeks. “Keep me company?”
Bron took a step back. “He did not want to leave you alone again. Krin will keep you company until the Raas returns.”
Before I could argue with this plan, Bron had left the room. The boy named Krin stared at the closed door as if willing it to open again. It was obvious that the kid had as little say in the Raas’s scheme as I did.
For a second, I wanted to run after Bron and tell him that I didn’t need a babysitter, and certainly not a prepubescent boy. Then I glanced down at the child with dark, tousled hair and a twitching tail. He might just be a kid, but he was a Vandar kid. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to spend some more time with someone who knew Kratos. Or at least knew more about him than I did.
“Come on in,” I said. “Are you hungry?”
He looked up at me with big, brown eyes. “I don’t think I’m supposed to eat your food.”
I fluttered a hand as I walked toward the dining table. The domes still covered the dinner that Kratos and I hadn’t finished. I was sure some of the food wouldn’t be good cold, but there must be some sort of dessert I could use to tempt Krin.
“If you’re my attendant, then I think I should get to make the rules, right?”
He shrugged, but I saw a smile tease the corners of his mouth.
“And I think you must be hungry.” I reached the table and started lifting the heavy metal domes off the plates. “Does anything look good to you?”
His eye were round when I revealed a bowl filled with knots of bread. “I like those.”
I pointed to a bench and put the bowl in front of it. “Have as many as you want.”
Sitting down next to him, I watched him devour at least three of the bread knots before he paused for a breath.
“You sure you don’t want one?” he asked.
I shook my head. “They’re all yours. I’m guessing you don’t eat as well as the Raas?”
He gave me a look that told me he thought I might be simple. “No one eats like the Raas. But he’s the Raas.”
“And what’s your job on the ship?” I’d never heard of young boys on Vandar raider ships.
“I’m an apprentice,” he said through a mouthful. “It’s an honor to be picked to learn how to be a raider. Then when we get old enough—if we’re good enough—we can join our own raider horde.”
“What about your families?”
“Some of us don’t have any, but the rest of us leave our families on the Vandar settlements.”
My heart squeezed. “Do you ever see them again?”
“Sure, we do. The hordes visit the settlements, and then when we’re done being raiders, we go back and live there.”
I’d never heard of Vandar settlements. Then again, there was a lot about the Vandar that was a mystery to me.
“But no females ever fly with your hordes?” I asked.
He met my eyes, then looked down, shaking his head. “Never.”
“What do you think about the Raas bringing me on board, Krin?”
The boy shrugged again. “He’s the Raas. He can do whatever he wants.” He peeked at me from under long lashes any woman would covet. “And you’re pretty enough that any male would like you to warm his bed, even if you don’t have a tail. At least, that’s what the crew says.”
I tried not to be offended that the Vandar crew was discussing me warming all of their beds—and my lack of a tail. “Is the crew upset I’m here?”
“Not as long as you don’t make our Raas go soft.” He tore a knot of bread into two pieces. “Humans are too soft.”
“And tail-less,” I added with a grin.
He returned my smile. “That, too.”
Knowing a little of the violent history of Earth, I wasn’t so sure about humans being soft, but I didn’t argue with him. “I promise not to make your Raas soft. I cannot imagine someone as fierce as him ever being soft.”
A smile spread across the boy’s face. “He’s the toughest Raas there is. Even tougher than his father. They say one of his brothers shows little mercy, but our Raas has more victories.”
“His brothers also lead their own hordes of ships?”
Krin held up two fingers. “Two of them. I don’t know how much Raas likes them, though.”
“Brothers often fight amongst themselves. So do sisters.”
“You have a brother or a sister?” the boy asked me.
“A sister,” I said, my throat thickening. “We didn’t fight too much.”
The boy reached hand up and touched my hair. “Is she as pretty as you?”
“Prettier.”
The boy scrunched up his nose as if he didn’t believe me. “Well, I still like you best.”
I laughed. Vandar were nothing if not loyal. “I imagine an apprentice as clever as you must know everything about this ship, right?”
He puffed out his chest. “Just about.”
I flicked my eyes to the food on the table. “I have a hard time believing that Vandar don’t eat dessert. How about you take me to the kitchens, and we find something sweet?”
Chapter Nineteen
Kratos
I leaned on the console as I peered over Corvak’s shoulder. “Still nothing?”
The command deck hummed with activity, the warriors alert as our horde flew in hunting formation
on the lookout for Zagrath ships. Even though I could not see the other black warbirds flanking us out the front of the ship, I knew they were there, flying invisibly. I heard the chatter of incoming transmissions from my horde ship captains, and the beeping of our sensors as they scanned space.
“We have not been hunting that long, Raas.” There was impatience in my battle chief’s voice, which I ignored.
I knew he was right. We had only been scouring the sector since second watch, but I’d been sure we would have come across some Zagrath ships by now. Deals were not made with low-tech mercenaries like the Lussites without some contact, so it only made sense that there would be some Zagrath activity near Jaldon. So far, we had come up empty.
“We should move closer to the neutral territory,” my battle chief said. “We will find Zagrath there for sure.”
“I do not want to destroy Zagrath ships for sport.” I gripped the hard edge of the console tight in frustration. “I need to know who is behind this plot.”
Corvak watched me as I scraped a hand through my hair. “Has our mission changed, Raas? Do we no longer hunt down all Zagrath?”
I growled low. I hated being called out by my cousin, and especially in front of my crew. I drew myself up to my full height and looked down on him. “You know very well that no one despises the Zagrath as much as I do. But it does not serve my purpose to blow them all out of the sky before determining that they are, indeed, behind the cowardly attack on our ship and my property.”
Corvak’s eyes shifted down for a moment before meeting mine again. “Who else, Raas?”
I spun away from him and stared out the wide glass front of the ship. “That is what I must know.”
“Raas,” Bron called from where he stood at a nearby console. “You should see this.”
I took long steps to reach him, standing shoulder to shoulder with my majak as I focused on the star chart illuminating the screen. “What do you see?”
“It is not about the Zagrath. Not directly, but I thought you would be interested to know about the path of the freighter we took your captive from.”
I narrowed my eyes at the blue dot he’d highlighted and its trajectory since we’d intercepted it. “It has not continued on its original route?”
Bron shook his head. “It appears to be flying in a search pattern.”
“You think it’s looking for us?” I let out a laugh. “That sad freighter thinks it can track down a Vandar raider horde flying unseen?”
“The female captain appeared to be headstrong and lacking in prudence.”
I slid my eyes to Bron. “You show great restraint, majak.”
He shrugged. “She seems to be brave. I will give the stubborn female that much.”
I looked again at the path of the freighter as it skirted Vandar territory. “Or incredibly stupid.” I shook my head. “I cannot concern myself with a ship that will never find us. Right now, I must focus on finding out who would dare board my ship and try to take what is mine.” I dropped my voice. “The female was fine when you left her with the apprentice?”
He inclined his head at me. “Yes, Raas. Although I am not sure the boy was such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Bron hesitated, as if considering whether or not to tell me. “I asked the guard I posted outside your quarters to report directly to me.”
“Yes? Is there a problem?”
“Not so much a problem, Raas.” Bron pressed his lips together briefly. “But the human and her apprentice are no longer in your quarters.”
“What?” Panic fluttered in my chest. The same panic I’d felt when I’d run into my room and found Astrid missing. “And you did not think it was a problem that my female was missing?”
“She is not missing. She and the boy are in the kitchens.”
I blinked a few times, not sure I’d heard correctly. “The kitchens? Of this ship? Why is she there?”
“From what I understand, she and the boy are looking for something she calls ‘dessert.’”
“Why did the guard let them out of my quarters in the first place?” I fisted my hands by my side.
“From what I understand, they were very convincing.” Bron locked his gaze on mine. “It is not like she can escape from a moving ship, Raas. She cannot fly our ships. If she is still your captive and there is any danger of her wanting to escape, that is. If she is more than that, you should consider giving her some freedoms.”
I glared at my majak, hating the truth in his words. “I do not need advice on what to do with the female.” I turned abruptly, my kilt slapping my thighs. “I will handle this myself. You have the command deck.”
I walked off without a backward glance, my long legs eating up the floor as I made my way quickly through the ship. Whether she was able to leave the ship or not, I could not have the female wandering freely around a raider warbird. For one, she belonged in my quarters with me. I wanted to find her there when I returned from the command deck. And for another, there were no females on Vandar ships for a reason. I did not want my crew coveting what belonged to me, even though the dress she wore hid her curves well.
I pounded down a spiraling iron staircase, leaping down the last two steps and landing hard on the floor. Blood ran hot through my veins as I thought of other male eyes on Astrid. I’d never had any problem sharing females before, since most of my encounters had been with pleasurers. But they were not her, and they had not been mine. Even though I was drawn to the inner steel she didn’t know she had, it was her soft curves and innocence that fired my need to protect her. She was my opposite in every way, and I craved the balance she brought out in me.
When I reached the arched opening that led into the kitchen, I paused outside to catch my breath and quell my temper. I wanted to scold her, not terrify her.
“You’ve never had cake before?” Astrid’s voice rose above the throaty rumble of the engines.
“What’s cake?” Another voice asked, and I knew it must be the apprentice who’d been assigned to her.
I peeked quickly around the doorframe and saw the pair standing at a long steel table. I ducked back so they wouldn’t see me. I knew my intention had been to drag her back to my quarters, but I was curious. I wanted to hear more about this cake.
Astrid laughed. “It’s something sweet and delicious that you eat for special occasions, like birthdays.”
“Birthdays?”
“Don’t tell me Vandar don’t celebrate birthdays.” She huffed out a breath. “So, you’ve never had a birthday cake?”
“No,” the boy said. “Do you get an entire cake each time you have a birthday?”
“Of course, but you only have a birthday once a year to celebrate the day you were born.”
“Why would you celebrate being born? That’s not an achievement.” The Vandar boy sounded as confused as I was. This human tradition sounded very odd.
“You don’t need an achievement to celebrate,” Astrid said. “Everyone should be celebrated just for being.”
“You are not Vandar,” the boy grumbled. “We celebrate when one is inducted into the raiders, or after a very large battle. Not for simply being born.”
Astrid laughed again. “You aren’t going to ruin birthdays for me, Krin. When I was growing up, my parents made birthdays a really big deal. They had presents for us, balloons everywhere, and any flavor of cake we wanted. It was the one day we could do whatever we wanted.”
“That does sound fun,” Krin said, his resolve clearly wavering.
“It was the best.” Astrid’s voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. “But that was a long time ago, and I haven’t had a birthday cake in years.”
“Maybe we could make one, even though it isn’t anyone’s birthday.”
“That’s a great idea, Krin. And since we don’t know when your birthday is, it could be yours, right?”
“I guess so.”
Astrid clapped her hands. “Since you’ve never had one before, this will officially be
your first birthday cake.”
I looked around the corner again and saw her digging through some cabinets and handing things out to the shaggy-haired boy, who was smiling widely. I took a few steps back and leaned against the corridor wall.
My anger had evaporated as I’d listened to her talk about her past and the unusual, human tradition of birthdays. I no longer had the urge to drag her back and throw her in my quarters. Strangely, I wanted to let her make her cake.
I blew out a breath as I walked back to the command deck, hoping this did not mean what I was afraid it did.
No Raas could afford to go soft. Not unless he wanted to sign his own death warrant.
Chapter Twenty
Kratos
Heaving in a breath, I peered around the empty battle ring. The only sounds were the vibrating of the ship beneath my feet and my own heavy breathing. I swiped the back of my hand across my slick forehead and then across my damp chest, flinging the droplets of sweat to the floor.
My muscles were twitching from the exertion, but my head was no longer so muddled. I was still Raas, no matter how I felt for the human. And I had still destroyed more Zagrath ships than any other Raas.
When the metal cage rattled, I spun around with my axe high. When I saw who was outside, I let my weapon sag. “Corvak. Do you bring news of the Zagrath?”
“Nothing yet, Raas.” He eyed me. “I heard you were working out and thought I’d join you.”
I tilted my head at him. I had not sparred with my cousin in a very long time. It was usually my majak who got in the ring with me. “You wish to fight your Raas?”
He pushed open the door and stepped in with me. “Perhaps my Raas needs a challenge.”
There was a new edge to his words. I held out one hand, flicking my fingers toward myself. “Vaes, cousin. Show me what you’ve got.”
He gave me a menacing grin, unhooking his own axe from his waist and swinging it by his legs. “Gladly, Kratos.”
Even though we were kin, Corvak rarely called me by my given name. Despite being cousins, we were not as close as Bron and I were. There had always been a distance between me and my battle chief. I didn’t know if it was because of the bad blood between our fathers, or if my advancement to the rank of Raas—along with my two brothers’—had caused him to hold me at arm’s length.
