“Always,” I murmured as I drifted into the first deep, peaceful sleep I’d had in longer than I could remember, my thoughts filled with Juliette. “Forever.”
Epilogue
“It’s about time,” Sienna said, standing inside her quarters and waving me in.
I stepped inside and swept a gaze across the room that held a large bed and a sitting area, as well as a round table for dining. Although there was only one Raas suite on the warbird, Raas Vassim had insisted on knocking out some walls and combining several regular officer quarters—freed up by raiders who wished to hang up their battle axes—into a larger space for Corvak and my sister to share. The design was decidedly Vandar, with the furniture glossy black and bolted to the floor for safely, but the pops of colorful cushions were all Sienna.
“Corvak isn’t here?” I asked, peering toward the bathroom, which, while it wasn’t as spacious as the bathing chamber I shared with Vassim, still had an open, black-stone shower. Since the Vandar were so casual about nudity, the last thing I wanted was to surprise a naked Corvak as he strode from the shower. I might be a mate to a Vandar, but Corvak still made me nervous.
Maybe it was because I’d been intimidated of him when he’d been on Kimithion III, or maybe it was because he could still be pretty intense when talking about battle plans, but my sister’s mate still made me jumpy.
“He’s on the command deck,” Sienna said. “He and your guy are planning their next meet-up with Raas Bron’s horde on Galatia I.”
“Another planet that overthrew the empire?”
Sienna nodded, with a satisfied grin. “Who knew that when all the hordes took out that fleet at Carlogia Prime, the empire would start to lose its hold on the galaxy?”
“I guess it’s a good thing, but I never anticipated we’d be so busy assisting planets who’d liberated themselves from the Zagrath.”
“It’s not the same as raiding, and I know Corvak misses actual battles, but this is what the Vandar have always worked for—a galaxy free from imperial control.” She reached for the container in my hands. “Now, did you bring them or what?”
I swatted playfully at her hand. “Always so greedy. I guess some things haven’t changed.”
She groaned and followed me to the table where I set down the box and opened it to reveal a batch of freshly baked rolls dusted with sugar. “Pace yourself. You know I’m running low on sugar.”
Sienna took a warm roll and bit into it, her eyes fluttering closed briefly as she moaned. “One thing about Vandar culture I’ll never get—their lack of love for sugar.”
“That may be changing. There seems to be serious demand for these on board.” I sat down and plucked a roll from the box, even though I didn’t have much of an appetite for the sweet treats after spending so long baking them. Luckily, I’d been teaching Baru to bake alongside me, so he could step in when I was all “baked out.” “Vassim promised to get more sugar for me at our next supply stop.”
My sister gave me a wicked grin. “I’ll bet he did. What else has the Raas promised you since you officially became his Raisa, and he started walking around the ship humming to himself like a lovesick Gerwyn?”
“He does not sound anything like Furb.” I shot her a look, even though my lips twitched up at the comparison to my purring pet.
She smirked at me. “Whatever you say. All I know is what Corvak tells me. The crew no longer worries about running into a deranged Raas wandering the halls. Now, he’s too busy in his quarters with his new mate to stalk around in the shadows of the ship.”
“He was never deranged.” My defenses went up on behalf of my mate, even though Sienna was only speaking the truth.
“I know, I know.” She waved a hand in the air. “It was that weird curse that you broke. All I’m saying is that it’s a good thing. The crew is happier, the Raas is happier, and you are definitely happier than I’ve ever seen you.” She tilted her head at me. “You’re almost glowing.”
My cheeks warmed. “I’m not the only one. You light up when Corvak’s around, and he gets a ridiculous grin on his face.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a hot guy in a skirt?”
I shook my head at her, laughing. Despite our playful teasing, it was true that life on the Vandar warbird and with our respective mates was good. Raas Vassim’s curse had vanished on Carlogia Prime, and he’d slept for so long I’d feared he might never wake up. But he did, and with an appetite for me that had kept us in Fenrey’s secret tunnel room for such an extended period of time that I was afraid we’d miss the transport back to the horde ship.
Corvak had taken to his new position as battle chief in Raas Vassim’s horde as if he’d been born into it, bonding with the majak, Taan, and developing lengthy plans for taking out the last remaining Zagrath strongholds. Luckily, the other hordes had remained to aid in crushing any last Zagrath outposts, so our horde had been assisted over the past two standard lunar cycles by Raas Bron, Raas Kaalek, and Raas Toraan.
“You don’t regret leaving the bounty hunter ship?” I asked.
Sienna brushed some sugar crystals off her lips. “I’m not going to lie. The female bounty hunters were badass bitches, and I miss being on the front lines of the battles. The Vandar still aren’t keen on having me fight with them.”
“I doubt the horde’s battle chief wants to worry about his mate when he sends raiders into battle.”
My sister frowned. “At least he’s letting me go down to the planets they liberate and help
