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  Corvak did not comment on the female or our wounds as he joined us. “More Zagrath ships have appeared Raas. It seems they sent for reinforcements.”

  His words instantly doused my euphoria. I straightened and gave him a curt nod. “I will join you on the command deck.”

  When I looked down at Astrid, she was already waving me away. “Go. I’ll be fine.” She motioned her head toward the apprentice boy. “I’ve got Krin.”

  I was grateful she understood me so well, and was not threatened by the demands of me being Raas. I lifted her palm to my lips and kissed it, letting my lips linger and my eyes hold hers for a long moment. “I will return to you soon.”

  With that, I spun and rushed out with Bron and Corvak flanking me. I glanced at my battle chief as we hurried through the ship, taking stairs three at a time and leaping from one suspended walkway to the other. “What are our damages so far?”

  “Our shields have held, but other ships in the horde have not been so lucky.” His hands were in tight fists by his side. “The lead Zagrath ship has been relentless. The only reason I did not retaliate harder was because you and Bron were on it.”

  I noticed that he didn’t mention Astrid, but I didn’t let that bother me. He did not yet know that we had developed the mating marks and that she was truly my mate and would be my Raisa—and his.

  We burst onto the command deck, the warriors barely hearing our arrival over the cacophony of static-filled reports coming in from the rest of the horde ships and the shrieking alarms of incoming weapon fire. Out the front of the ship, I saw the Zagrath battleship I’d been on not long ago—gray and hulking. I thought of the commander who’d sent an injured child to a holding cell.

  “Fire on the lead ship,” I ordered. “Everything we’ve got.”

  There was no hesitation. A stream of red laser fire erupted from underneath the belly of our warbird, hitting the enemy ship and making it shudder. A torpedo impacted one side and exploded, sending parts of hull spiraling into space.

  The Zagrath ship immediately returned fire and our ship shook from the impact.

  “Shields holding, Raas,” Bron called, from where he stood at his console.

  “Should I prepare a raiding party?” Corvak asked, his voice nearly vibrating. “Once we have disabled the lead ship, we should be able to strip it quickly.” His upper lip curled into a sneer. “And kill more Zagrath.”

  Before I could answer him, a massive explosion rocked the ship, sending us both sprawling on the floor. I pulled myself up, scanning the command deck and seeing that no one was wounded and there was no visible damage.

  “Report,” I bellowed. “Casualties?”

  One of my warriors clutched the sides of his console with white knuckles. “None, Raas. Our ship wasn’t hit.”

  When I looked out the front of the ship, I saw what had been hit and why we’d felt it. The lead Zagrath ship was no more. It had been destroyed. Chunks of the hull were flying past us, and the sky was littered with debris from the blast.

  “Tvek!” I swiveled my head to Bron. “Did we—?”

  “No, Raas. At least, it wasn’t all us. From what I can tell, the Zagrath were also being fired upon by a ship from behind.”

  Corvak got to his feet, his face a mask of confusion. “None of our horde has moved behind the enemy ships.”

  “Raas?” One of my warriors turned to me. “You’re being hailed.”

  “Hailed?” I glanced again at the remnants of the Zagrath ship.

  He nodded, his eyes wide. “By Raas Kaalek of the Vandar.”

  Corvak sucked in a breath next to me. He knew my brother as well as I did.

  I squared my shoulders and clenched my fists. “On screen.”

  The view of space vanished, replaced by a Vandar warrior who looked strikingly similar to me. With jet-black hair that fell long and straight down his back and identical dark eyes, Kaalek looked much as I remembered him. The leather guards capping his shoulders like scales and the thick, black leather straps crisscrossing his chest from both sides were new. Then again, I had not laid eyes on my brother since he had become Raas of his own horde.

  “Kaalek,” I said, inclining my head to him. “It is good to see you, brother.”

  His gaze held mine through the screens. “I heard you were in need of assistance.”

  I bristled at the suggestion that I could not defend my horde, but I did not rise to his bait. If he was not the younger brother who was always trying to best me, I would have welcomed his horde’s efforts in the fight. “It is always good to fight alongside my brother.” I paused for a beat. “But what are you doing in this sector?”

  He clasped his hands behind his back, his tail twitching almost imperceptibly. “I have heard many things of you lately, Kratos. Things that cause me worry.”

  I fought the urge to laugh out loud. Kaalek had never cared about anything but winning. Even though he was younger than me, he’d always been more eager to accumulate victories and inflict violence.

  “I heard you took a human female,” he continued, disapproval thick in his voice. “And that the Zagrath have been hunting for her ever since.”

  “You question my right to take what I want from the enemy?” I growled.

  One of his black eyebrows lifted. “You took her from the Zagrath?”

  “Not that I owe my younger brother an explanation,” I said, leveling my gaze at him. “But she was on a freighter we boarded. It was transporting supplies for the Zagrath.”

  “And yet you let the ship go.” My brother shook his head. “And they have had the enemy after you ever since. I even hear that the sad little freighter searches for you still.”

  “It is nothing I cannot handle.”

  “Why not give up your plaything, Kratos?” My brother grinned. “Or are human females really worth all this trouble?”

  I strode forward, tearing off my single steel shoulder guard so he could have a better view. “We share mating marks. I will not give her up. It is done.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath behind me that I knew came from Corvak.

  My brother’s gaze dropped to the lines that now curled up the side of my neck and down my shoulders. His mouth gaped in genuine shock. Some emotion I’d never seen from him flickered behind his eyes, but was gone a moment later. His voice was a dark purr when next he spoke. “So, they are worth it.”

  “She is worth it,” I said.

  “I congratulate you, brother.” He inclined his head at me. “I only hope this female does not make you soft.”

  I rested my hand on the hilt of my blade. “Have you ever known me to be soft?”

  He grinned at me. “Now that we’ve eliminated the Zagrath battleship for you, my horde will be returning to our sector. There are a few enemy sympathizers I have my eye on.”

  “May your raiding be plentiful.”

  He nodded at me. “And yours.”

  When he vanished from the screen, Bron let out a loud breath. “What was that about?”

  I narrowed my eyes at the screen my brother had filled. “I’m not sure, but when has Kaalek not caused trouble?”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Astrid

  I sank up to my chin in the steaming water and let out a moan. Krin had left a little while ago—after I’d noticed that the boy could barely keep his eyes open—and I’d decided to soak away the stress of the day by slipping into the bathing pools in the Raas’ suite. I didn’t even bother with the cooler water, plunging right away into the crimson pool. Even though I hadn’t been involved in any of the battles firsthand, I still felt grimy, and I was certain that my hair held the lingering scent of smoke.

  I folded my arms on the dark-stone ledge and rested my head on top of them, letting it loll to one side as the hot water unknotted my muscles. They could say what they wanted about the Vandar being brutes, but there was nothing barbaric about their ships or their technology. Or their baths.

  When the water sloshed over the side, my eyes flew ope
n. Before I could turn around, Kratos’s large body was cocooning mine as he sank down into the water behind me.

  “You’re back,” I said, my heart still racing. For a huge guy, he could be stealthy when he wanted to be. “Is everything okay?”

  “The Zagrath battleship is destroyed and their fleet in shambles. We have won.”

  I was a little surprised they’d taken out the entire battleship, but I was glad they’d landed a blow against the empire. After spending some time on a Zagrath ship, I understood even more why the Vandar despised them so much. Despite their appearance of being civilized, they were more callous than any raider. “I’m glad. I don’t ever want to set foot on one of their ships for as long as I live.”

  He nuzzled my neck, pressing closer to me, the rigid bar of his cock bumping at the cleft between my ass cheeks. “You won’t, and the empire will never take you from me again.”

  “Because of the mating marks?” I asked, almost hesitant to talk about them with him.

  “You were mine before the marks, but now everyone can see the proof of my claim.” His arms wrapped around me and his hands touched the black swirls. “Do they hurt?”

  I shook my head. “No, and my skin isn’t burning anymore.”

  “That’s because we’re together.” He moved his hands so that they cupped my breasts, and he rolled my nipples between his fingers. “My markings were also hot when we were apart.”

  Even though his caresses made my legs weak and a rush of heat pulse between my legs, I twisted my head so I could meet his eyes. “So, my skin will burn anytime we’re separated?”

  “I don’t think so. Not since our marks are complete.” He nipped at my neck, and a jolt of pleasure skated down my spine. “Now that you are marked as mine.”

  I let my eyelids flutter closed and dropped my head back to rest on his shoulder. “I’m glad I’m yours.”

  “Truly?” His voice was husky. “Not because you were forced?”

  “You never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to,” I said, as something soft stroked between my legs—the furry tip of his tail. “I always wanted you way more than I let on.”

  “Good.” His tail parted my legs, then he slipped it between my folds. “I only want to give you what you want, Raisa.”

  I arched back into him as the tip of his tail circled my clit, a laugh escaping my lips even as my body hummed with desire. “That name actually fits now, doesn’t it? I can actually be your Raisa.”

  “You are my Raisa.” His voice was darkly dominant, his tail working me in the steamy water and his cock teasing my opening from behind.

  “And you are my Raas.” I reached back and hooked one hand around his neck, letting my legs lift off the bottom of the pool, while his tail continued to move as expertly as any finger.

  My breathing was rapid, and I moved my hips to match his deft strokes, my release building.

  “Let go, Raisa,” he whispered into my ear. “I want to feel you shatter in my arms.”

  “Your tail is so good,” I said.

  “I’m glad you think so,” he murmured. “Because I’m about to fuck you with it.”

  His words made me shake and moan. I dug my fingers into the flesh of his neck as I bucked against him, the waves of my release crashing over me one after the other, leaving me breathless and panting as his tail slid down from my clit and pushed inside me.

  It wasn’t as thick as his cock, but the tip was hard and the fur thick. Was I actually being tail-fucked by a Vandar warlord? More waves of pleasure crashed over me as he stroked his tail in and out.

  “You like my tail in your cunt?” His voice was a purr against my ear.

  “Yes, Raas” I managed to say between gasps. “I love anything of yours in my cunt.”

  “That sounds so good coming from your sweet lips.” With a rough growl, Kratos bent me forward, putting my hands on the stone ledge. He pulled his tail out and dragged the crown of his cock through my folds.

  “Greedy, Raisa.” He pushed his crown inside me slowly. “First I filled you with my tail. Now I’ll fill you with my cock.”

  “Yes, Raas. I want to take all of you.”

  He gripped my hips and drove his cock deep, making me gasp. “You’re sure you can take me? You’re so tight.”

  As my body stretched to take all of him, I made hungry noises. “Your cock is the best kind of hurt, Raas.”

  He ran a hand up my body, his fingers moving eagerly across the swell of my stomach and the tight peaks of my breasts, feathering over my throat and tangling in my hair. “Tell me you belong to me.”

  “You know I do,” I said as he moved in and out of me with long, hard strokes.

  “You are glad that I took you off that ship?”

  I moaned. “My life wasn’t really worth living before you made that deal with me.”

  He dragged his cock out, hovering at my opening. “Making that deal was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

  “What about the second deal?” I teased.

  “You mean my promise that I wouldn’t fuck you until you begged me?” He thrust his cock inside me. “That was a mistake. Your little body drove me to the brink of madness before you finally let me claim you.”

  “I was always yours,” I said, my legs trembling. “Even when I was fighting it.”

  It wasn’t just the marks on my body that told me I was the raider’s mate. It was the feeling of belonging I felt when I was with him—the knowledge that he saw me, not as I’d always seen myself but as what I could be. Raas Kratos had seen the strength that was buried deep within me and had unearthed it, listening to my counsel and making me feel valued. Knowing that I could advise the Raas meant that I was an important part of his crew. That made me his, body and soul.

  “And I am yours, Raisa,” he said through gritted teeth as he stroked deep. “My body, my soul, my cock,” he dropped his voice to a dark whisper, “and my tail.”

  With that, he curled it up between my legs and fluttered it over my clit. I threw my head back, groaning with each deep thrust as my release built again. As my body clenched around his cock and he roared, pounding into me with furious abandon, I knew there was no mate I’d rather have, and nothing I’d rather be than his Raisa.

  Epilogue

  Kaalek

  I stomped across the length of my command deck, whirling on one of my warriors. “How can one freighter elude us for this long?”

  “It is one freighter, Raas. And this is a large sector.”

  I grunted, knowing he was right, and I was being unreasonable. Not that a Raas was required to be reasonable. My crew was used to me plunging them into battles that seemed unwinnable and raiding ships that appeared to be too heavily defended. We were always victorious, and we would be this time, as well.

  My brother, Raas Kratos, might be fine with letting a ship get away with betraying a Vandar warbird to the Zagrath, but I was not. A strike against any horde was a strike against the entire Vandar people, and I refused to let it be said that the Vandar were merciful.

  I had built a name for myself by being more brutal and more terrifying than any other Raas. My elder brother might have more victories—for now—but no raider struck terror into hearts like Raas Kaalek. And now that my brother had taken a human female as a mate, he was bound to turn soft.

  My upper lip curled at the thought of a female holding sway over a Vandar warrior. Such a thing would never happen to me. I had no intention of taking a mate until I was too old to serve as Raas. Maybe not even then.

  Not that I didn’t enjoy the pleasures of a female. I did. It was why my horde frequented the pleasure planet of Lissa so often one of the madams had joked that we were going to establish a colony. But females were fleeting pleasure. I fucked them hard and forgot about them.

  Spinning on my heel, I glared at the view of space. Empty space. I opened and closed my fists, aching to swing my battle axe and dish out the punishment that the crew of the Zagrath freighter so dearly deserved.

&n
bsp; “Raas.” One of my warriors called out, his voice tinged with excitement. “It’s the freighter.”

  “On screen,” I ordered, my heart pounding as the image of a battered ship replaced the wide view of space.

  “That?” another warrior asked. “We won’t even have to use a torpedo to blow that sad ship out of the sky.”

  I gave a hard shake of my head. “That is too easy for them. We are raiders, are we not?”

  “We are boarding the ship?”

  I turned to face my warriors. “This scum was shown mercy by my brother and how did they repay that mercy? By sending the empire after him. I intend to show these Zagrath collaborators what happens when you side with the empire.”

  There was a roar of approval and fists jammed into the air.

  “I will lead the boarding party myself.” I strode toward the exit of the command deck. “I want to see their eyes when they learn what Vandar justice tastes like.”

  Thank you for reading POSSESSED!

  If you liked this alien barbarian romance, you’ll love PLUNDERED, book 2 in the series.

  My sister gave herself to the raider warlord to save me. Now I’m hunting him down and getting her back. Even being taken captive by another Vandar warlord won’t stop me. I’m immune to his dominant charms—I hope!

  One-click PLUNDERED Now>

  This book has been edited and proofed, but typos are like little gremlins that like to sneak in when we’re not looking. If you spot a typo, please report it to: [email protected]

  Thank you!!

  Also by Tana Stone

  Raider Warlords of the Vandar Series:

  POSSESSED

  PLUNDERED

  PILLAGED

  Alien Academy Series:

  ROGUE

  The Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors Series:

  TAMED (also available in AUDIO)