I clenched my jaw, determination urging me forward. I was not going to be left behind. Now that Sienna was leaving with Corvak, there was nothing left for me on the planet. Just days stretching out endlessly, worrying about my drunk father. Even marriage wouldn’t take me away from his shadow, not that anyone would want me now that I was the sister of the woman who’d taken a barbarian as a mate. Kimithion III was a lot of things, but forgiving wasn’t one of them, and people who were immortal had very long memories.
The three moons that usually glowed in the sky were all dim tonight, so the path was darker than usual as I hurried past the amphitheater and toward the hulking ship firing up for departure. One of the ships who’d come to the aid of the planet had already departed, but word had reached me that the ship Sienna was leaving on with her Vandar had not.
I hadn’t gotten much of a look at the bounty hunter ship when it had landed, but it looked even more menacing now with its dark outspread wings that curved toward the ground. Nerves made my stomach do a flip as I peered up at the looming ship, more beast than bird. Could I really do this? Could I actually stowaway with the Dothveks and female bounty hunters and spend the rest of my life with them?
I hesitated at the base of the ramp, glowing blue lights in the metal floor providing the only illumination into the pitch blackness of the ship. From what I’d seen of the bounty hunters, they were impressive. Even the pregnant females had taken part in preparing the planet for the attack. Brave women like that wouldn’t be so bad to live with.
I tightened my grip around the strap of my bag and rushed up the sloped steel and into the ship before I could talk myself out of it. Once I was inside, I blew out a breath as my heart hammered in my chest. This was by far the most daring thing I’d ever done, and I just hoped I would be able to get through it without puking.
As my eyes adjusted to the blackness, I glanced around furtively. The engines rumbled loudly now, and a deep voice bellowed from the front of the ship. I ducked down a short corridor, a little surprised that the ship all the bounty hunters lived on wasn’t bigger inside. When footsteps thundered toward me, I slipped through a door and into what appeared to be a cramped storage closet.
Okay, not the greatest place to stow away, but not the worst. At least I couldn’t be seen. The rumbling of the engine was now a roar, and my stomach lurched when the ship lifted off the ground. It took every ounce of self-control—and fingernails digging into my arm—not to rush out and beg to be returned to my home world. But when I imagined my sister’s face as I begged to go home, I knew I’d never do it. She already thought I was a traitor. I wasn’t going to let her think I was also a coward.
“No turning back now,” I whispered to myself, my soft voice a comfort in the darkness.
I focused on my breathing as I stood in the dark closet, waiting to be far enough away that I could reveal myself. I wasn’t sure how long that would be, but when the ship jolted and the engines powered down, I nervously nibbled my thumbnail.
Had we returned to the planet for some reason? Was there any way they could know I was here?
Voices boomed around me, and then grew fainter. What was going on? The ship was no longer flying, and it sounded like the crew was disembarking. I opened the door and peeked out. The ramp was down again but instead of darkness outside, light poured in.
I tiptoed to the top of the ramp, peering down. Instead of dirt, the ramp rested on a shiny floor. Where was I? It wasn’t Kimithion III, that was certain.
I walked down slowly, bending my head and gasping when I realized I was inside another, much larger, ship. At the bottom of the ramp, staring up at me with equal shock were a cluster of bare-chested Vandar raiders.
The hammering of my heart was almost deafening as the warrior in the center stepped forward, his tail snapping behind him. Black studded leather sheathed his forearms, and a matching strap crossed his chest, spiked armor extending over one shoulder. Straight hair as black as ink fell down his back and the dark slashes of his eyebrows pressed together.
“Who are you?” I asked, hearing the traitorous shake in my voice.
He cocked his head slightly at me, his tail curving up behind his back and going still, only the tip quivering. “I am Raas Vassim of the Vandar, but many call me Lunori Raas, the Deranged Warlord.”
I met his gaze, the dark, cunning eyes of the predator shifting down my body and the pupils widening with something I’d never seen directed my way before—raw desire. Then my eyes fluttered closed, and I fainted to the floor.
Thank you for reading PUNISHED! If you liked this alien barbarian romance, you’ll love PROVOKED, book 6 in the series featuring Juliette and Raas Vassim.
I snuck onto the wrong ship. Now I’m at the mercy of the most terrifying and deadly of the Vandar warlords—and he refuses to let me
