“On screen,” he commanded.
The view of space disappeared, and in its place was a face I recognized. Corvak. The Vandar raider who’d been exiled to my planet and had fallen for my sister.
I gasped, but the sound was swallowed up by the commotion around me.
“Looks like the empire brought its big guns,” Corvak said.
The Raas unclenched his hands and leaned forward. “It was a trap. We just escaped their net.”
“Looks like we arrived in time then.” Corvak frowned. “How much damage did your horde sustain?”
“Not enough to hobble us, but we are glad of your arrival. When we last spoke, I did not think you would get here as quickly as you did.”
Corvak bowed his head slightly. “I will always answer the call of the Vandar.”
My breath caught in my throat. Raas Vassim had been in communication with Corvak? He’d known where my sister was, and he’d never told me—or her?
“Who did you bring with you?” Raas Vassim asked.
“Our pilot used to fly for the Valox resistance. She put out a call, and they also answered.” Corvak’s mouth twitched into a half grin. “There is plenty of hatred of the empire to go around.”
“We welcome all warriors. This might have been a trap to lure us here, but Carlogia Prime is still in danger. We’ve picked up imperial vessels on the planet’s surface.”
“We will go down to the planet, since our ship is more maneuverable.”
The Raas nodded. “I will send transports to join you.”
Corvak’s smile faded as his gaze drifted over the Raas’ head and landed on me. “Before we finish devising our battle plan, Raas, maybe you should explain why my mate’s sister is standing behind you.”
Raas Vassim and his first officer spun around, both of their mouths going slack when they saw me. A Vandar curse escaped Baru’s lips as the Raas’ gaped at me.
I was too angry to say anything to Vassim, and I no longer cared about speaking with him. Tears blurred my vision, making Corvak’s enormous, shocked face a haze on the screen. Raas Vassim had been in contact with the bounty hunter ship my sister was on, and had never bothered to mention it to me, or let me see her. All the tenderness I’d felt for him shattered, replaced by the familiar ache to see my sister.
But at the moment, all I wanted to do was get off the ship and away from the Vandar who’d been hiding the truth from me. I tightened my grip on the squirming Furb in my arms and ran off the command deck.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Vassim
Even amidst the noises and chaos of the battle, the universe went still as I met Juliette’s gaze across the command deck. I had barely registered my shock that she was there before I was leveled by her look of betrayal. Then she turned and ran away, disappearing through the doors with her green dress fluttering behind her. The Neebix boy ran after her after shooting me a look that was both apologetic and confused.
“Raas!” Taan’s voice jerked me back to reality.
My heart hammered wildly as the sounds of the battle and my warriors rushed back to me. I pivoted back to the screen. “I do not have time to elaborate on her presence here, but she was not taken from her planet. She snuck aboard my ship.”
Corvak’s brows shot up in obvious disbelief. “Sienna’s younger sister snuck onto a Vandar warbird? On purpose?”
I did not want to answer that question, so I didn’t. “I promise you she is not being held against her will.”
He didn’t look convinced, and he glanced furtively over his shoulder. “My mate will insist on seeing her.”
A possessive urge overtook me. As foolish as it was, I did not want to share Juliette, even with her sister. But I bit back the harsh refusal that almost tripped from my tongue. “First we must concentrate on defeating the Zagrath and saving Carlogia Prime.”
Corvak frowned. “Agreed. Then we will discuss the human female on your ship and her safe return to her family.”
I bristled at the cushioned rebuke and near-command from the Vandar, then reminded myself that Juliette was his mate’s sister, which made him her family. He was only behaving as a male family member would when defending a sister. He was actually showing restraint, perhaps because I was a Raas, or perhaps because I was called the Lunori Raas.
Taan cleared his throat. “We should provide cover for the bounty hunter ship as it descends to the planet, Raas.”
“Yes.” I squeezed my hands together behind my back to steady myself, regaining my equilibrium as I focused on the battle strategy. I locked my gaze on Corvak. “We will send ships down with you to fight off any attacks, and provide air cover from our horde ships.”
“The Valox fighters will aid you in taking out the enemy battleships,” Corvak said, his voice also resuming its usual tone. “They are well-versed at fighting the Zagrath. Between your amoeba attack formation and their assistance, you should be well-matched.”
“Let us hope we can repel the empire for good this time.”
With a final grunt, Corvak vanished from the screen, and Taan moved off to his own console to implement the plan we’d just devised. I stood for a beat to absorb what had happened. How had Juliette ended up on my command deck when I’d ordered her to an escape shuttle? I wanted to blame the apprentice, but he looked as distraught as anyone. No, Juliette must have insisted on coming.
My heart squeezed as I contemplated her reasons. Did she not want to leave without me? Had she felt compelled to see me before getting on an escape pod? The smallest amount of hope fluttered in my chest and then crumpled to ash as I remembered the pained expression on her face before she’d run away. Whatever feelings she’d had for me had been destroyed once she’d seen Corvak, because
