Punished, Tana Stone [top reads .txt] 📗

Corvak dragged his hand down, pulling the fabric of my shirt aside like Donal had done, but more gently, his fingers caressing the burning flesh that prickled from his touch. “You have my mating marks.”

I instinctively attempted to look down at my own neck, but it was impossible.

“Are my marks expanding?” he asked, touching a hand to his own chest.

I glanced at the black swirls adorning his chest that I knew so well, my breath hitching when I realized that they were different. “They’ve spread up your neck and down your shoulders.”

A deep growl escaped his lips. “This means we are true mates.”

“I don’t understand.” How could I get Vandar marks? “I’m not a Vandar.”

A smile teased his mouth. “Human females can get our marks. A Vandar only has one true mate, and when we find that mate, our marks will grow and appear on our mate’s flesh as well. It also means that now our mating can produce a child.”

Primal arousal pulsed through me at the thought of being marked by Corvak. “This means…?”

“What I have known in my heart for a while, Sienna,” he husked. “You are the only female for me. You are mine and will always be mine. Will you come with me and be my warrior mate?”

I was overwhelmed with emotions, but the answer was so easy it tripped off my lips. “Yes, of course. I’ve always been yours.”

When his mouth crashed into mine, and he swept me into a wild embrace, all rational thought left my mind. I didn’t even notice when the imperial battleship exploded and turned the sky white or when all the fighters were then picked from the sky one by one. Only when the blasts stopped, and the skies went quiet did Corvak and I rip ourselves apart from each other.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ch 37

Corvak

“You are sure?” Raas Vassim eyed me, his thick arms crossed over his chest. The suns were setting, sending warm light shooting across the shallows and backlighting the fierce warlord. The effect was that the Raas appeared before me almost in shadow, masking the blood smeared across his chest, and even his face. I hadn’t seen the remains of the imperial soldiers who’d been unfortunate enough to land on the planet, but there were whispers that their bodies were hacked to bits.

I clicked my heels and bowed my head. “I am grateful for the offer, Raas, but I promised my mate that we would stay closer to Kimithion III.”

He grunted, making it clear what he thought of my answer, but he nodded. “I do not understand the appeal of these human females, but I respect your mating marks. If you have made a promise, you should keep it. It is true we will be returning to the hinterlands once we leave this primitive place.”

He glanced back at his raiders who were preparing their transports for departure, although the ship that the Raas stood in front of was larger than a usual transport. I’d noticed that all of Raas Vassim’s ships were augmented to look even more terrifying than our warbirds, with spikes bolted to the metal hulls. I suspected it took an even firmer hand to rule a sector that was defined by its lawlessness and brutality.

“The residents of Kimithion III extend their gratitude for your assistance, as do I. We would not have defeated the empire without you and your raiders.”

“That is true.” He unfolded his arms and rested one hand on the hilt of his battle axe, drumming his fingers. “Destroying a Zagrath battleship was its own reward, as was cutting down the soldiers they sent to the surface. It has been too long since my warriors and I tasted imperial blood.”

I forced myself not to look at the flecks of blood on his cheek. Were the rumors true? Did the Lunori Raas tear into his enemy with his teeth?

As if reading my mind, the edges of his mouth quivered. “If you ever tire of hunting bounties, you always have a place in my horde. Your lust for vengeance and talent for torture would be put to good use, battle chief.”

“It would be an honor to serve you, Raas.”

His gaze flicked over my shoulder. “Once you have sated your lust for your mate, of course. There is no place for a female on a Vandar warbird roaming the hinterlands, even one who fights.”

“Yes, Raas.” I did not need to turn to know that Sienna was approaching. I could sense the change in the air and the tingle skating across my skin.

Raas Vassim turned to board his transport then pivoted back around. “One more thing, Corvak. The empire sent a lot of firepower to take a planet of caves and dirt. I suspect it does not have anything to do with their plentiful algae.”

“It does not,” I admitted. The information about Kimithion III was so sensitive I hesitated to share it, even with one who’d been responsible for saving the planet from the Zagrath.

He raised a palm. “You do not need to tell me. It is better I do not know. That way, I do not have to deny anything.” He twisted the hand to reveal a thin scar across the back of it. “I suspect it has something to do with my vanishing scar.”

I opened my mouth, but he shook his head. “Do not worry, battle chief. Their secret is safe with me. The last thing I would wish for is immortality or regeneration. Not when I chase death with such determination.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I didn’t, clamping my mouth shut and giving him a single nod.

The Raas turned and joined his warriors who were debating over the wooden boxes of algae tea and kelp jerky that the Kimitherians had insisted on gifting them after the battle.

“Did he take it well?” Sienna slipped her hand in mine as she joined me.

“Me not joining the horde?” I threaded my fingers through hers and walked her away