by Tana Stone
My own body vibrated as if I’d been electrocuted, and my heart pounded like a drumbeat matching my thundering steps as I clattered down a long staircase, leaping over the final two steps. If I thought too much about what I was doing, I would force myself to turn around. But there was no going back. Not now. Not anymore.
I wasn’t sure if it was the physical change taking place within me, but my body burned as if I’d been struck by a fever. I touched a hand absently to the marks appearing on my chest, the skin hot. There was only one reason the dark swirls on my chest would grow. Astrid. As unbelievable as it was, I was getting mating marks because the human female was my one true mate. And I was going to go get her back.
The doors to the hangar bay were open when I approached them, warriors rushing in and out to prepare for our attack and ready our fighters. The expansive space that stretched nearly the width of the ship was filled with both revving ships and bustling warriors—so much so that my arrival went virtually unnoticed, just as I wished it to.
I breathed in the familiar scent of burning fuel as I walked purposefully toward a ship in the corner reserved for me—one of the few that didn’t have its engine fired up. It was rarely used anymore, but I liked to keep it in case I wanted to test my flying chops. Putting a palm on the black hull, I appraised the sleek vessel. Like all of the Vandar ships, it resembled a bird in many ways—curved, outstretched wings and a nose like a beak—but with menacing stealth panels instead of feathers.
“I take it you’re inspecting the ships before battle?”
Bron’s voice behind me was not a total surprise. If anyone would guess my mind, it would be him. Still, the blood roaring in my ears told me I did not have time for my majak’s counsel.
“You know I am not,” I said, without turning.
“Do you think it wise to leave the ship before battle, Raas?”
I clenched my hand resting on the ship into a fist, trying to control my impatient rage. “I have no choice.”
“There is always a choice.”
I spun to face my majak. “What do you call these?” I gestured to my chest and watched his eyes widen.
“Mating marks,” he whispered. “Because of the human?”
I scowled at him. “Who else?”
He shook his head. “How could this happen? She is not Vandar.”
“I do not know, but it has happened. It cannot be ignored.” I did not tell him that the way my flesh burned, there was no way I could ignore them even if I wished to. “It is done.”
Bron nodded mutely. He looked as startled and confused as I had been when the reality of the marks appearing on my skin had finally hit me. And everything he said was right. It should have been impossible. It had never happened before.
I closed the gap between us and clapped a hand on his arm. “I must go after her and bring her back. She is no longer just my prize and my possession. She is mine in every way, and I will not allow the Zagrath to take what is meant to be mine forever.”
Bron seemed to recover his senses. “What is your plan?”
I glanced back at the ship. “Fly in undetected. Get inside, find her and the boy, and use the distraction of our attack to bring them home.”
He went to a standing console, his finger tapping on the screen. “I will tell Corvak so he knows to create a diversion for us.”
“Us?” I shook my head. “I am doing this alone.”
Bron’s lips became thin white lines as he pressed them together. “I would be a very bad majak if I allowed my Raas to fly into the belly of the beast alone.”
“As my majak, you should be here, leading the battle.”
“Corvak can lead the battle better than I could. It is as natural to him as breathing.”
I knew he was right about that. No one could direct war like my battle chief.
Bron took long steps past me to the ship, activating the entry hatch. “I told him he has the command deck. It is done.”
When the steel ramp hit the floor, I stomped up it, pausing and twisting around. I leveled my gaze at my most trusted warrior. “When this is over, we should talk about your insubordination.”
His mouth twitched slightly, and he inclined his head. “Yes, Raas.”
The interior of the ship was as black as the outside, with only two seats and a small space for extra warriors to stand. It was not the type of ship we used for boarding parties, but its speed and small size made it perfect for a covert mission.
Sinking into one of the seats, I engaged the engine with a flip of a switch. Bron took his place next to me, and we began working together without a word, checking systems and preparing to take off. For a moment, it felt like we were new warriors again, flying together as we had in more battles than I could remember. My fingers tingled as they moved easily over the controls, working from muscle memory, and I realized how much I’d missed being in the middle of the action.
Being Raas meant I spent my time on the command deck and in my strategy room, planning out attacks. Even if I sometimes joined raiding missions, it was rare that I would fly in a battle. My pulse quickened, and I let out a rumble that matched that of the throaty engine.
“Systems ready,” Bron said, his voice vibrating with excitement.
With a quick glance around me, I gunned the engines, and we rocketed across the now-clear deck and out the wide mouth into space. Spotting the Zagrath battleship some distance away, I engaged our invisibility shielding and increased speed. The enemy had no idea my horde was so close, watching them and waiting to attack.
As we approached the massive gray battleship, an explosion rocked the hull, the blast even sending my vessel briefly backward.
I peered down at my console and cursed. “Corvak has started the attack.”
“Tvek!” Bron slammed his hand onto his armrest. “He knew to wait.”
“Corvak has never been good at waiting.”
Bron grunted. “I hope he does not blow up the ship before we can get our people off it.”
I hoped the same thing, as I rocketed toward the enemy ship, dodging weapons fire. I maneuvered our ship unseen into the Zagrath hangar bay, setting it down out of the way of the ships preparing to take off.
I stood and put a hand to the hilt of my axe. “That was the easy part.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Astrid
“What was that?” I grabbed for the edge of the examination platform, as the ship lurched to one side.
Krin gripped the platform where he was sitting, glancing up as red lights began to flash overhead. The medic who’d gotten Krin released to his care stumbled to the side, holding his arms out for balance, the scanner in his hand almost slipping out of his grasp.
“It feels like we took a hit,” he said, when he’d righted himself and resumed scanning Krin.
“As in, we were attacked?” My heart fluttered with excitement, which would normally have been a strange reaction to finding out the ship you were in was under attack. But if we were under attack, I knew who it was. Kratos was coming for us.
Krin met my gaze and smiled at me. He didn’t need to say a word to tell me that he’d been right. The Vandar would not leave a warrior behind. Or a mate.
I touched the marks that were curling up my collarbone, knowing they were there without looking at them because my skin felt like it was on fire. I couldn’t explain how it had happened, or how it was possible, but there was no question that I was developing the exact marks that Kratos had on his skin. Only Kratos had never mentioned that getting them would make my skin burn.
Krin hadn’t seemed surprised when he’d pointed them out. Actually, he’d acted like he’d expected it all along, even though I don’t know how he could have. Not even Kratos had believed it possible.
“Are we safe here?” I scanned the medical bay and tried to put my hot skin out of my mind. Aside from the one standing tray of tools the medic had beside him, everything was tucked away in cabinets and drawers. I assumed this was because we were on a batt
leship and flying medical implements would not be a good thing.
“Perfectly,” the medic said. “This battleship has withstood many battles.”
“Even from a Vandar horde?” Krin asked.
The Zagrath flinched. “Why do you think the hit came from a Vandar? We just beat them back.”
Krin shrugged. “The Vandar never leave a warrior behind.”
The medic darted a glance at him and then at me. “Maybe I should alert the commander that there may be an attempt to take you both off the ship.”
I stepped in front of him as he made a move toward the standing console. “I wouldn’t disturb the commander right now. Don’t you think he has his hands full? Besides, how could the Vandar get us off the ship?”
His shoulders relaxed. “You’re right. Their warriors could never board our ship without our knowledge.” His gaze went to the door. “Still, it would be better if I requested a guard or two. Just to be on the safe side.”
I put both hands on his chest to keep him from moving. “Guards? Does this mean you don’t trust me?” I attempted my best sad face. “I thought we were friends.”
His brows lifted, the confusion clear on his face.
“Have I attempted to escape?” I motioned my head toward Krin. “Has he?”
“Well, no.”
“We walked all the way with you from the holding cell to the medical bay without any guards,” I said. “Do you really think we’d try something now?”
“I don’t know,” he stammered. “I guess not.”
I fluttered my eyelashes at him, even though I felt ridiculous doing it. “I promise you I have no desire to be anywhere else on this ship but right here with you.”
His cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat. “I guess there’s no point in pulling a guard away from his duty.”
I walked my fingers up his chest. “Not if they’re going to disturb us.”
“Disturb us?” The red of his cheeks deepened, and he peered over his shoulder at Krin.
I took advantage of his momentary distraction to snatch one of the scanners from the standing tray and knock him over the head with it. He stumbled for a moment, and I realized I hadn’t hit him hard enough. Luckily, Krin grabbed another scanner and hit him again, this time harder. The medic dropped to the floor.
I let the scanner clatter to the floor after him. “We didn’t kill him, did we?”
Krin hopped down from the examination platform, bending over him. “He’s alive. His head might hurt when we wakes up, but I don’t think he’ll have worse than that.” He tilted his head back to look at me. “I was right that you’ll make a good Vandar.”
I huffed out a breath, not sure if that was the kind of compliment I wanted. I’d just knocked out the only Zagrath who’d been nice to me. I swiveled around, opening drawers. “We should tie him up. I don’t know how long he’ll be out, and it would be great if he didn’t tip off the other Zagrath before we get off this ship.”
I located a few rubber ties used to make tourniquets and managed to bind the medic’s hands at the small of his back, while Krin searched for anything we could use as a weapon.
He slammed a drawer shut and threw his hands into the air. “No blasters.”
“Well, it is a medical bay. They probably discourage things that can kill you.”
“I do not understand the Zagrath.”
I almost laughed at the boy’s fierce expression. “Don’t worry. We might not need a weapon. We just need to look like we know where we’re going.” I picked up the scanner from the floor and gestured to the scrubs I wore. “I already look like I’m one of their medical staff. If we get stopped, I can say I’m taking the prisoner for tests.”
He glowered at me. “I’m the prisoner?”
“You have a better plan?”
“Yes.” He crossed his small arms over his chest. “I find a battle axe and slash my way through the ship until we find our escape pod.”
“Why don’t we call that plan B, until we happen to find a battle axe?”
He let out a tortured sigh. “We will do it your way for now.”
“Thank you.” I led him to the door, but it didn’t open. I touched the panel to the side, but nothing.
Of course. The door was locked from the inside and only authorized Zagrath could enter or exit. I thought back to the medic waving his wrist over the panel to open the door, then I peered over my shoulder at his inert body on the floor. Just great.
“We have to wave his wrist over the panel to get out,” I told Krin, rubbing at my burning chest.
Krin nodded and went to one of the drawers he’d previously opened, pulling out a thin scalpel. “I’ll cut it off if you hold him down.”
I snatched the blade from him and dropped it back in the drawer. “We’re not cutting off his wrist! We’re going to lift it high enough to activate the panel.”
Krin huffed out another breath. “Cutting it off would be easier.”
Shaking my head, I scooped my arms under the medic’s shoulders and dragged him across to the door. I stood and caught my breath. He looked slim, but he was still heavy. I quickly untied his hands, hoping he wouldn’t come to.
When his arms flopped free, I pointed to Krin. “When I lift him up, I need you to hold his wrist to the panel. Got it?”
“Got it,” Krin said, although I knew he’d rather be holding a severed wrist to the panel.
I heaved the body up as high as I could, and Krin pulled his arm and wrist even higher. The panel blinked, and the door swished open. I stuck my foot in the opening as I hurriedly retied the medic’s hands.
“Let’s go,” Krin said, stepping out into the corridor.
I joined him outside the medical bay as the doors closed. I hadn’t had time to push the medic out of sight, but if we were lucky, no one would visit the medical bay anytime soon.
I turned and almost walked into a pair of Zagrath soldiers, one supporting the other as they both staggered forward, their uniforms charred. They paused outside the medical bay, waving their wrists to open it and then gaping at the bound medic on the floor.
Their heads swiveled to Krin and me as we backed away. Then Krin grabbed my hand, and we both started to run.
Apparently, we weren’t so lucky.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kratos
“I have never been on a Zagrath battleship, Raas,” Bron said, as we ducked behind a row of steel barrels on the hangar bay.
After disembarking from our vessel, we’d been darting between ships and behind anything that would hide us from the pilots and crew running around in the wide space.
“Nor have I,” I told him. “I do not think we dressed for the occasion.”
He choked back a laugh, glancing down at our distinctive Vandar battle kilts and bare chests, then at our long tails behind us. One look at the humanoid empirical soldiers in their stiff uniforms told us that we would not go unnoticed.
Spotting a pile of grimy fabric drop cloths, I snatched one from the top and handed another to Bron. “Put this around your shoulders.”
I unfurled mine and wrapped it around myself, glad that it extended far enough that my bare legs were not noticeable. The scratchy fabric made the hot skin around my mating marks even more irritated, and I gritted my teeth.
Bron wrinkled his nose as we both held the dirty, gray fabric closed at our throats. “This smells like it was soaked in engine fuel.”
I sniffed, inhaling the sharp, chemical smell. “Then let us avoid flames.”
We moved along the edge of the space until we reached the wide doors, passing through them and into the corridor without being seen. I immediately flinched as my eyes adjusted to glaring light overhead, red bursts of light flaring every few seconds.
I’d taken plenty of Zagrath freighters and shuttles and transports, but I’d never actually walked around one of my enemy’s battleships. Aside from being too bright, there were no exposed beams or framing like on Vandar ships. Instead, the walls were sm
ooth, pale gray, and arched so that it felt like walking through a tube.
I instantly missed the open catacombs of my ship and the wide stairs that led you from level to level. On this ship, you could not see anything but the hall you were on and had no idea where it led.
“How will we locate them?” Bron asked me, looking down both sides of the long hall.
“We need to find an access point to their systems.” I motioned for him to follow me as I picked a direction and began to walk.
Bron craned his head toward the hangar bay doors. “And remember how to get back here. I suspect all their corridors look the same.”
The thumping of running feet made us exchange a nervous glance. I put a hand on the hilt of my battle axe, but Bron pulled me down a smaller corridor as the soldiers rushed by.
“It would be best if we did not attract attention just yet,” he said, his gaze focusing on a panel in the wall. “Let me see what this might tell us.”
We both shed the drop cloths then I stood guard, my axe at the ready, as Bron pulled a device from his belt and scanned the panel with it. “Anything?”
His head was bowed as he read the small screen. “I’m getting the ship’s schematics. Once that’s downloaded, I’ll look for where they logged in their most recent visitors.”
I made a low noise in my throat. I knew Astrid was somewhere on the enemy ship. My body tingled at the nearness of her, my pulse racing.
“The holding cells,” Bron said, then held up a finger. “But not anymore.”
I swung my head to him. “The holding cells? They are treating her like a prisoner?”
“Not the female. Just the boy.” He swiped his finger across the screen. “Her they took to the medical bay.”
My heart lurched. “Was she injured?”
