“They didn’t kill him. They shot this little red dart into him, and he started twitching something awful. It was like he was being electrocuted the way he fell on the ground and convulsed.”
A wave of nausea swept over me, but I pressed my lips together and sucked in a deep breath, even though the warmth of the room and the scent of the candles didn’t help. At least he wasn’t dead. That was the important thing.
“Then what?” Lebben asked.
“They tied him up and marched him away, toward the ebony sand beach.” Taiko stopped scratching his arms and dropped them by his side. “I came back here so we could come up with a plan to free him.”
“Good thinking.” Fenrey whipped a needle out of a pin cushion and began sticking the fabric on the table. “The faster we can get him back, the better.”
“If there’s a plan to be made, I hope you’ll let us help.” A woman with a head full of wild, red curls stepped from behind the curtain, causing Taiko to jump. “And I hope it’s okay we used the tunnel.”
“Tara!” Fenrey’s face brightened, and he dropped both his needle and fabric onto the table, rushing over to pull her into a hug.
A hulking Vandar warrior draped with black leather straps and armor on both of his shoulders joined her. “I hope you know that you’re the only male I would allow to embrace my mate like that.”
Tara slapped the Vandar’s chest. “Don’t be such an ass, Kaalek.”
Coxley made a small squeaking noise and took a step back.
“As you see, she still doesn’t obey me,” Kaalek said with a grin.
“Raas Kaalek,” Fenrey released the female and threw his arms around the Vandar Raas. “It is good to see you.”
The Raas patted the Carlogian on the back. “You didn’t think we’d miss the chance to kill Zagrath, did you? My horde is at your disposal, as is my axe.”
“What we need to do is save Raas Vassim,” I said, my voice rising over the warm greetings.
Raas Kaalek swiveled his gaze to me. “Raas Lunori is here?”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Juliette
“He’s not deranged,” I said, bristling at the offhanded way Raas Kaalek had referred to Vassim. “He’s cursed.”
The Raas strode over to where I sat, peering down at me and making me wonder if the Raas’ went to a special training on how to be intimidating. “You know Raas Vassim?”
“Know him?” Baru laughed. “She’s his—”
“I’m a guest on his warbird,” I said, shooting the Neebix boy a death glare, which resulted in his horns flushing. “And I promise you he’s not crazy or mad, or any of that.”
Raas Kaalek looked me up and down. “How did another human female find her way onto one of our warbirds?”
“Stop bothering the poor thing,” Tara said, pushing him aside. “You’re being a bully, Kaalek.”
He growled low. “I am a Vandar. Not a bully.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled at me. “Ignore him…?” She paused and let her words trail off in a question.
“I’m Juliette. I’m from Kimithion III.”
Raas Kaalek wrinkled his brow. “That planet is notorious for keeping to itself. I’ve never heard of one of you leaving.”
“I’m not the only one,” I said before I could stop myself. “My older sister, Sienna, left with one of your kind first.”
This made the Raas gape at me, his incredulous expression making it clear he didn’t believe me. “A Vandar took a human from your planet? I find that hard to…” He stopped when Tara whirled around and leveled him with a warning gaze.
“Corvak was exiled to my planet,” I explained. “He’d been a battle chief on one of your hordes.”
Kaalek nodded slowly. “On my elder brother’s horde, at least before he hung up his battle axe. Corvak is our cousin through our mother’s side. I didn’t know him well, but he was said to be a valiant warrior.”
“He was, he is,” I said. “He readied our planet for an attack by the empire and fought them off with some help.”
The Raas scraped a hand through his dark hair. “Exiled? What must he have done for such a fate?” His words seemed meant for himself only, until he looked up at me. “And your sister left with him?”
“Sienna loves fighting almost as much as Corvak. They were perfect together, even if I didn’t want to admit it.” I swallowed the lump of regret that had formed in my throat. “I heard she took his mating marks before they left with a group of bounty hunters to continue fighting the empire.”
Tara studied me, her smile kind. “You and your sister fought before she left?”
I nodded, too afraid to speak with a sob threatening to escape.
“I get it. I have a younger sister. We got under each other’s skin all the time, but that didn’t mean we still weren’t sisters.”
“I tried to follow her and explain everything, but I snuck onto the wrong ship.”
“You stowed away on Raas Vassim’s ship?” Kaalek voice held a hint of amusement. “Well, that explains why you’re here with him.” His eyes drifted to my neck and exposed chest. “Although you aren’t…?”
“No, we aren’t,” I said, maybe a bit too quickly.
Tara raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.
“I don’t think it matters why I’m here, or how I got to be on Raas Vassim’s ship. What matters is that he stayed behind to fight off the imperial soldiers so we could escape, and now he’s been taken by them. We have to get him back.”
“Being with a Vandar horde has rubbed off on you, human,” Raas Kaalek said. “But I agree with you. We cannot let a Raas of the Vandar be held by the empire. Not when he is such a valuable prize for them.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The empire have never captured a Vandar raider, and certainly not one of our Raas’. Knowing their love for a display of might, I suspect they will not kill him
