by Hope Hart
I think about what Becca said long after I’ve said goodbye and wandered back to Vazta’s quarters. I pace, feeling lonely without him.
Is Becca right? Has my obsession with revenge made me unrecognizable?
I know I’m hard now. I can be cold and sometimes find it difficult not to get frustrated with Ruby and Shauna. But maybe they’re dealing with their trauma the right way, and I’m… not.
I turn as the door opens and Vazta walks in. My eyes scan over him, and I note the blood on his sleeve, his cut knuckles.
It takes a lot for an Arcav to hurt themselves hitting someone.
“Is he still alive?”
Vazta nods slowly, his eyes on mine. He’s seething with… something and he prowls closer.
“You should clean your knuckles,” I say, unsure why I’m still talking.
He tilts his head obviously puzzled but then pulls me close.
“We have a detailed map of Udan’s compound. The General helpfully gave us almost everything we need to know, and it matches our intelligence.”
I blow out a breath. Good. Soon this will all be over.
“I want to apologize for this morning,” Vazta says, stepping back slightly.
My mind is blank, and the ghost of a smile plays around his mouth, even as his eyes darken.
“I was rough.”
Vazta brushes a finger over a love bite, low on my neck and I feel a tinge of regret down the mating bond.
A choked laugh escapes me. “You don’t need to apologize.”
I feel heat sweeping up my face as I picture his hands on me, taking me places that I’ve never been before. I wasn’t thinking about Udan, revenge, or anything else when Vazta touched me. All I was thinking about was him, and it was… freeing.
Vazta takes my lips, soft and gentle, and his tenderness brings tears to my eyes. A tear escapes, rolling down my cheek, and he kisses it away, murmuring softly to me as another tear falls and gets the same treatment.
“Be with me,” he whispers in my ear before pressing soft kisses in the spots that make me shiver, along the top of my ear and then down my neck.
I gasp, head spinning, and realize I’m in his arms and we’re moving. My back hits the bed and Vazta moves over me, immediately taking my lips once more.
I feel drugged, languid, relaxed and yet wired all at once. No other man does this to me, and I can admit this to myself now, even as Vazta slowly undresses me, seducing me over what feels like hours.
I’m trembling, desperate to feel him inside me again, but Vazta simply shakes his head, a smile playing on his mouth even as I feel the vicious lust he’s keeping leashed. He kisses his way down my body, presses my legs open and studies my pussy like it holds the secrets to the universe.
I squirm, hopelessly embarrassed, and he grins up at me, then leans down, licking and nibbling until I’m moaning and begging incoherently.
Then, finally he’s inside me, rocking slowly, eyes on mine as he takes me higher and higher until we both groan out a space-shattering climax.
Chapter Eleven
Peyton
I snuggle against Vazta’s huge body after another round of mind-blowing sex. My muscles feel all shaky and well-used. Who needs the gym?
“Tell me about your parents,” he says suddenly.
I crane my head to look up at him, but he’s focused on the ceiling, his arm wrapped around me as he strokes my hair.
I’m so relaxed I could purr.
“Um, they’re both surgeons. They’re not what you would call the most warm and fuzzy people. Both of them are incredibly type A, and it was always expected that I would succeed in life. Only child syndrome, you know?
Vazta looks down at me blankly and I laugh, realizing he’s an only child too.
“You never talk about your family,” I say, and his face hardens slightly.
“We are not close. I am also an only child. My parents work for the crown, and I was mostly raised by Berot carers.”
My heart clenches. The Berot are mostly maids and nannies on Arcavia. According to Harlow, they were taken as refugees after a civil war killed most of the people on their planet. They mostly take service roles, although some of them are beginning to branch out into other job opportunities.
“Were you close with your carer?”
Vazta shrugs. “My mother did not want me to become overly attached to any one person, so I had a new carer every year.”
My heart hurts for the small boy who would have constantly lost the closest person to him. My parents each worked eighty hours a week, so I was also mostly raised by my nanny. But Rosa was with me from the time I was born until the time I graduated high school, always available as a sounding board or even just for a hug.
“I’m sorry, Vazta. That sounds awful.”
He shrugs again. If not for the mating bond, I would assume his childhood didn’t really bother him, but I can feel his pain and it makes my chest tight in sympathy.
“We will make our own family.”
I raise my eyebrows and Vazta’s face turns blank as he feels the surprise and denial sweep through me. His arm tenses around me and I freeze, attempting to sort through my feelings.
“You do not want to make a family with me?”
Oh, Vazta.
“It’s not that at all. You just took me by surprise.”
He looks away and I silently curse.
“Look, you have to remember that before I was taken, I was working a hundred hours a week. I had zero time for dating or socializing, and I wasn’t raised to believe that any of that was important. My first memory is my dad holding up a book about human anatomy and pointing out all the different parts. Being a surgeon was my destiny. And now I don’t have that.”
Vazta nods slowly, but I can still feel his hurt. Guilt rips through me, and he leans down, pressing a kiss to my hair.
My parents never wanted children. I think they had an obligatory child to continue their line, but it was never expected that I would marry or have a big family myself. My mother used to say that any more than one child was a waste, and while my father loved me, he often appeared befuddled by my constant talking and energy during my childhood.
A family with Vazta? Strangely, the thought isn’t as crazy as it should be. I can imagine him playing with our kids, teaching them about the world. He would be patient and fun, my gentle giant. He’d love them and never make them feel unwanted.
I open my mouth to tell him what I’m thinking, but we both tense at a knock on the door.
“Vazta?” Bregaz’s voice sounds.
“Yes?”
“We are entering Cilphi’s air space.”
My heart races and I blow out a long breath. This is it.
Vazta leans forward and kisses me.
“Get dressed and meet me in the control center,” he says, and I nod.
Vazta pulls on his clothes and strides out of the room. I take a little longer, stepping into the bathing chamber for a one-minute clean and pulling my hair into a ponytail. Then I reach for my blaster, which Vazta has ensured is fully charged and ready to go.
Udan’s not getting away this time.
Vazta
The thought of taking my female into certain danger makes me want to keep her on the ship. It is only the knowledge that she would never forgive me that stills my hand. But could I take her revenge from her?
Still, I will be with her every moment. Bregaz is waiting for me in the control center, and we both take a moment to watch as Throniz navigates us closer to Cilphi. Throniz is one of Varian’s most experienced captains, and he and Roax are the only two I would trust for this mission.
“They have a shield in place, Captain,” one of the men says, eyes on his screen. “Want me to cut through it?”
“Soon,” Throniz says, his eyes still on his screen as he presses a series of buttons and controls. Peyton enters the control center, slipping her hand into mine. I can feel her fear, yet it is overshadowed by fury and determination.
> “Hit it now,” Throniz orders, and we all watch as the invisible shielding surrounding Cilphi falls.
“They will definitely know that we are here now,” I say. “We need to move fast. Ready the battleships for launch.”
Bregaz nods and relays my order to the dock.
I turn and study Peyton, who has her blaster clutched in her hand.
“Armor,” I say, and she nods.
We make our way down to the weapons room, where just a few Arcav are finishing getting the equipment they need. I help my female into her armor, and she gestures for me to turn around so she can do the same.
Then we are ready to go.
Most of the Arcav are joking and laughing as we enter the dock, the battle calling to them. But I am silent, fear of losing my female like a knife twisting into my insides.
“Vazta,” Peyton says softly, and I look down into her beautiful eyes. She rises on tiptoe, gesturing for me to lean down, and takes my lips in front of everyone. Her face flushes at the catcalls, which end as soon as I glance up.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says. “I promise. Thank you for helping me do this.”
“I would do anything for you. But remember—”
“I know, I know, stay by your side.” Her grin is quick, flashing across her pale face, and then we are loading up, Bregaz gesturing us toward our ship.
Peyton is shaking with nerves and adrenalin beside me, and I hand her a helmet, pulling my own over my head. She looks tiny, surrounded by ten huge Arcav, but I know she is fierce, my female who so recently saved Agerx’s life. The ship goes silent as we depart the dock, and the AI controls all of the ships departing, ensuring that there are no accidents. Peyton’s eyes widen at the sight of eight of our ships surrounding us, and then Udan’s forces are on us.
I grit my teeth as Bregaz calmly pilots our ship, immediately retaliating against Udan’s forces. We are hugely outnumbered, but our technology is vastly superior, their ships unable to breach our shields.
Peyton barely breathes beside me as we send ship after ship crashing to the ground below. The battle is long, but eventually, no more of Udan’s ships dare approach, and we land in the place that our intelligence has deemed best. One of our ships will stay in the air to protect our fleet, but for now, it is time to approach the compound on foot.
Bregaz had suggested blowing the entire compound away until Peyton calmly explained that there were innocent, defenseless people trapped in there, some of them likely human, and would he like to be responsible for killing someone’s future mate?
The large male had colored, nodding his head in agreement and changed his tactics, suggesting a land approach.
While our data from rescuing Peyton and her friends suggested that all of the slaves and prisoners were kept within a certain wing of the compound, we could not risk blowing up any of the others. It would be nice to think that we could take Udan out from afar, but according to Peyton, it would be just like him to have changed the layout of his compound, ensuring he and his men were housed in the former slave quarters.
We get out of the ship, and I press a final kiss to Peyton’s mouth. Then, we turn, ready to fight our way into the compound.
Peyton
I’ve never gone to war. I’ve operated on soldiers, but my specialty isn’t trauma. I’ve never felt the bone-chilling fear that comes from facing someone determined to kill you, never felt the world slow down to a series of single moments as I fire back, taking their lives instead.
It’s hard and bloody. The Arcav are an incredible force, moving as if they’re a single unit, instinctively repairing holes in their defense before they can become problems. Our front line carries small devices that emit invisible shields, protecting us from the majority of the blasters being aimed at us.
Vazta warned that these won’t last long. Apparently, they’re new technology and burn out quickly. But they’re enough that we have managed to move into the compound grounds.
We’re making progress, and Udan’s first line of defense has fallen under heavy Arcav fire. Now, we’re fighting the guards responsible for keeping most of the prisoners in line.
I spot a particularly sadistic guard and take aim, baring my teeth in savage pleasure as I rip a hole through him and he falls, bleeding.
I’m glad I spent so much time learning how to shoot.
Vazta keeps me in his sights, constantly ensuring that I’m surrounded by Arcav. But he lets me kill the guards who beat us, starved us, refused to darken our cage at night, and taunted us when we were at our lowest.
I shoot one after the other, and it feels like something that has been broken inside me begins to finally mend. Who needs therapy when you can kill your captors?
An Arcav goes down just a few feet away, and I instinctively lower my weapon, jolting forward to help him.
Vazta turns and snarls at me, his face a mask of fury as his mouth pulls back, showcasing vicious fangs. I stare at him, stepping back, and then blow out a breath of relief as the Arcav slaps a bandage on the side of his abdomen and gets to his feet.
Vazta turns back, and I take out another guard, even as the wounded Arcav is helped from the battlefield. We’re almost at the entrance to the compound, and I can feel the heat of the battle raging through me like a firestorm. Never again will there be suffering on this planet.
Something moves above me, drawing my attention from the fighting. I raise my blaster and shock and terror hit me as I stare into Udan’s eyes. I fire, but it’s too late, and he grins mockingly at me before he ducks back into his room, ready to escape.
Over my dead body. Vazta is in the thick of the battle, roaring his displeasure as he kicks a guard in the face before shooting another. He’s like a berserker, and I find myself staring at him for a split second while he causes carnage and kills my enemies.
Then I shake it off, backing away. Vazta will never get free in time. If I’m going to kill Udan, it has to be now. I shoot my way free, meeting Bregaz’s eyes as he turns his head to check on me.
“Do not dare,” he roars.
“Come with me then!”
I’ll take any help I can get, and Vazta’s a little tied up, while he kills with a grin on his face.
I don’t give Bregaz much time to decide, but I hear him curse as he follows me while I run, heading straight after Udan.
I know exactly where he’s going.
I take out two guards on my way, but I’m small enough that I’ve managed to slip behind the main line of defense. I raise my blaster as I see movement out the corner of my eye, and two of Udan’s slaves shriek at the sight of me.
“Run,” I tell them. “Find somewhere safe to hide. Tell everyone else.”
They don’t hang around, and Bregaz growls as he takes out a guard who followed us. I don’t stick around, but I can hear Bregaz behind me as I haul ass up the stairs, heading away from the prison and toward the lair where I was found, thankfully before Udan could rape me. But flashbacks hit me as I run down the corridor, my scalp aching as I remember his hand in my hair, pulling me toward his rooms.
I’m sprinting down the corridor when something hits me in the head. My helmet protects me, but I still fall to my knees from the sheer force. Someone rips my helmet off, and a boot presses down warningly on my back for a moment, before moving into my line of sight.
Fuck.
Udan leans down, contemplating me with a smile on his face.
Bregaz roars and Udan fires his weapon. From the grin on Udan’s face, Bregaz won’t be able to help me anytime soon.
“I knew you’d return to me, human.”
Udan lifts up his foot, swinging it toward my head, and everything goes black.
Vazta
My female is gone. I noticed moments after we took down Udan’s front lines. Bregaz was found unconscious, crumpled against a wall inside the compound. Yet he managed to make his way back to me.
“She went after him,” he says, pointing toward the top level of the compound.
With that, I’m running, and I take out anyone who gets in my way. My senses are heightened, and I swear I can smell my mate, her fear and determination calling to me.
In one corridor, I find her blood. I roar, sinking to my knees. It’s just a few drops, which means that coward took her with him.
Bregaz steps forward and I realize I have lost time staring at the last place my mate was unharmed. He is holding a blaster on one of Udan’s guards and I roar again, grabbing the male by the throat as I push him against the wall.
“Where is he?”
“I d-don’t know.”
I shake him by the throat, and a snap tells me I’ve broken his neck.
I turn to Bregaz, who gestures forward another guard.
“Your turn,” I bite out. “Where is he?”
His eyes flick from me to the body of the guard on the floor.
“Underground tunnel,” he says. “He didn’t tell any of us where he would go. He knew we’d be interrogated.”
I growl. “Show me his rooms.”
I lose time again, until I’m standing in front of Udan’s door and Bregaz is in my face, yelling.
“You need to get it together,” he tells me. “This won’t help her.”
I look down, where another guard’s body is slumped on the floor. He must have attempted to prevent my entrance to Udan’s quarters. But Bregaz is right. He could have had valuable information.
I gesture the first guard forward, and my nose wrinkles at the smell of urine. The male has pissed his pants. I have no mercy for anyone on this planet. These guards have preyed on the defenseless for centuries. Now they will pay.
I turn to Bregaz. “Free anyone in the prisons. Let them have their vengeance.”
He nods and takes out his com screen, relaying my orders. Then I turn to the guard who points me to Udan’s bedroom.
I almost lose my stomach at the implements on the walls. Whips, gags, handcuffs, there is no doubt that this male is a sadist, and the small cage in the corner of the room makes me crazed. This is where he tried to rape my female. I know it.
