Taan stood at the far end of the crowded room, leaning against the long ebony bar, his elbows behind him and a tankard in one hand. The buzz of my raiders’ voices was so loud that he could not hear me call his name, but the crowd parted as I made my way to him through the crush of bodies. When he saw me, he straightened and clicked his heels together, as did the other raiders as I passed.
“As you were.” I waved a hand toward the warrior behind the bar, motioned to my majak’s drink so he would give me one of the same.
“I have not seen you since you returned from Qualynn, Raas.”
My first officer had remained on the warbird to command while I was gone, and because he did not enjoy the unpredictable nature of the mystical planet. Ever since he’d taken one of Ferria’s pleasurers to bed and she’d transformed into her natural form, complete with eight tentacles, he’d preferred to experience Qualynn from a distance.
I took the pewter tankard handed to me from behind the bar and raised it in salute. “To Vandar.”
Taan lifted his own drink and repeated my words, taking a long swig and watching me do the same. “Did you not get the answer you wished? Is the female not the one from the witch’s prophecy?”
The cool ale was both refreshing and thirst-quenching, and I drained half the tankard in a single gulp. “Ferria claims she is the one who has the power to break the curse.”
Taan slapped a hand on my shoulder. “That is good news, Raas. Why do you not look pleased?” He lowered his voice, even though the din of the raucous laughter and loud conversation made it unnecessary. “This means you could return to a normal existence.”
“It is not so simple.” I clenched my hand around the cold metal of the tankard, glad it was strong enough not to shatter. “Finding her was not enough. I have until the two moons of Vandar align. If she does not take my mating marks by then, and become my one true mate, the curse will remain.”
My majak’s mouth fell open. “You must take a human mate?”
“I am surprised you would object to that. You have always enjoyed a variety of alien females.” My majak was known for his skill as a charmer of all kinds of females. Although he indulged in pleasurers like the rest of the crew, he also had lovers awaiting his return on almost all the planets we visited. For Taan, the chase and seduction were as enjoyable as the conquest.
Taan took a swig then wiped the foam off his lip with the back of his hand. “That is true, but none of them are my mate.” His brow furrowed. “This is serious, Raas. A Vandar only has one true mate for life. How do you even know it is possible with this delicate, little human?”
Our horde might have been out of contact with the rest of the Vandar warlords, but word had still reached me of the humans my fellow Raas’ had claimed. “Vandar and human matings are possible. The three Raas brothers all have human mates who have taken their marks. I saw Corvak’s and his human’s marks with my own eyes.”
The worried look on Taan’s face did not fade. “But is that what you want, Raas? I thought you found humans to be weak and cowardly. How could such a creature be the mate of a Raas such as you?”
I did not want to tell him that the same thoughts had been haunting my mind since the witch had made her pronouncement. Even if the human would free me from my torment, could I accept her as my Raisa? That was assuming she could form any type of attachment to me, a detail that seemed even more insurmountable. I remembered her soft, trembling body and her terrified eyes then chugged the rest of my ale and slammed the tankard down on the bar. “I do not know.”
Taan turned and braced his arms on the bar. “You know I was never good at Vandar astronomy, but unless I’m wrong, there isn’t a great deal of time until the moons align.”
“There isn’t,” I said, forcing down the panic that fluttered in my chest. If I missed this chance to break the curse, I might indeed go insane or put myself out an airlock.
My majak studied me for a moment, frowning. “And you believe this witch?”
“She has never been wrong in her predictions before.”
He gave a curt nod and straightened. “Then we assume she is right, and this human female is the answer.”
I rubbed a hand across my forehead. “I wish the answer was something simple, like battling a herd of poisonous kerligs.”
Taan laughed. “For you, that might be easier than seducing a female.”
I snapped my head to him. “Seducing?”
“How do you think you will get the creature to fall for you enough to take your mating marks in so short a time?” He looked down his nose at me. “I hope you weren’t counting on your natural charm to win her over.”
I grunted at him. “You have a better way?”
“Every way is a better way,” he muttered, then gave me another hard thump on the back. “Do not worry, Raas. You have much to recommend you to a female. We just need to show that to this human.”
I beckoned for another ale, the buzz from the first one not enough to quell the nerves that were making my pulse jangle. Why did this
