Punished, Tana Stone [top reads .txt] 📗

ignored the flush of pleasure the memory provoked. It didn’t matter that she had a spirit I admired, or that she was the best fighter I’d seen. I couldn’t go against the planet’s traditions if I was to live among its community—which meant I couldn’t let Sienna in the training, and I definitely couldn’t wonder what her hair would look like when it wasn’t pulled up high, or what it would be like to peel her snug-fitting clothes off her body.

I growled low and sidestepped to avoid running over a pair of native Kimitherians walking toward me as they chattered in their native tongue. “Sorry.”

My gruff apology sent them scurrying away even faster. Great. The villagers were clearly scared of me, and the intense training session I’d subjected the males to wouldn’t do much to improve my reputation. I pushed open the door to my dwelling and stormed inside. I tugged off my boots, took off my wide belt, and propped my battle axe by the door before collapsing onto the stiff couch and huffing out a breath.

At least I was finally alone. All I wanted to do was have something to eat and collapse into bed. “And if I’m lucky, I’ll wake up and discover this has all been a horrible nightmare.”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. That was when I heard it.

My eyes flew open. I was not alone.

Chapter Six

Ch 6

Sienna

As soon as he barreled into his dwelling and started to undress, I knew I’d made a huge mistake. The fermented algae drink that I’d gulped down at home was starting to wear off, and the liquid courage that had convinced me to sneak into his dwelling was now morphing into full-fledged panic.

I rubbed my head and attempted to quiet my breath. What had I been thinking? How could I have possibly thought that crawling through Corvak’s window and lying in wait for him to return was a good idea?

When he unhooked his wide belt and let it fall to the floor, I squeezed my eyes shut. If he dropped his kilt, he’d be naked, and then I might legitimately pass out—and not only because I’d drunk way too much.

It had all made sense when I’d been at home swigging down the bitter dregs of the liquor my father had left behind. As the warmth had spread through my body, sending tingles down my arms and making my lips go numb, the plan had seemed foolproof. All I needed to do was get some one-on-one time with the Vandar. That way I could convince him to teach me without Donal interrupting and making me look bad. I could also explain about Donal and how delusional he was. For some reason, I hated the idea of the Vandar thinking I was promised to the man.

All I needed to do was sneak into Corvak’s dwelling and wait for him to get home. Then I could have a rational conversation with him and fully explain why I should learn to fight and why he should be the one to teach me. Once he’d heard my arguments, he’d be sure to agree with me. At least that had been what my booze-addled brain had thought before I’d been standing flattened to the wall of his short hallway and wishing I was anywhere else.

When Corvak flopped down on the couch, I opened one eye. He was facing away from me, and I could see his thick thighs bulging out between the leather strips of his skirt as he stretched his long legs out in front of him. At least he was still wearing something. He tipped his own head back and closed his eyes.

This was it. My chance to escape without being seen. I cut my eyes to the window I’d entered from. All he’d have to do would be glance to the side to spot me, but maybe if I was extremely stealthy, I could crawl out without him waking.

I let out a small sigh, which I immediately regretted.

The Vandar raider’s eyes popped open, and his entire body tensed.

No no no no no no no. I held my breath and pressed my body even harder into the wall and the shadows of the hallway. Fear had sharpened my mind and banished any remnants of my buzz, my heart hammering so loudly in my chest I was sure he could hear it from where he sat.

Before I could risk taking a breath, Corvak leapt to his feet, moving with the grace and speed of a predator and vaulting over the back of the couch in a single, smooth movement. Within moments, he’d reached me and flipped me around so that my face was pressed into the wall and my arms were pinned over my head. His huge body held mine in place, his mouth to my ear.

“Who are you?” He bit out the words. “What are you doing here?”

I’d had the wind knocked from me when he’d slammed himself against may body, so I sucked in a shaky breath. “It’s me. Sienna. From the training.”

The pressure on my hands relaxed as he stepped back and spun me around to face him. He kept my hands over my head and his arms braced over me holding them. His dark eyes were wild, and he looked every bit the terrifying raider he was supposed to be.

“What are you doing in my quarters?”

I strained against his grip, but he was too strong. “If you let me go, it might be easier to have a conversation.”

He didn’t make a move to release me. “If you truly wanted a conversation, why were you waiting for me like a thief?”

I jerked in his grasp, thrashing where I stood. “I’m not a thief!”

“An assassin then?” He eyed me warily. “Maybe you came to punish me for not allowing you to train with the group?”

I stopped my fruitless struggling and tilted my head at him. “Why would I kill the one person who can teach