Page 8 of Vindicated

“Kolt sent you?” Athena raised a brow at me as she stepped closer, the blade touching my flesh.

“He did.” My heart thudded as I held her gaze. She was so close I could have reached out and touched her. I could have closed one hand around her wrist and disarmed her. But if I did that, she would no longer believe she had the upper hand.

I wanted her to believe that she was in control, even as I sized up her blade as harmless and her confidence as bravado. I liked seeing the power flare in her eyes almost as much as I liked imagining how quickly it would change the moment I disarmed her.

“Kolt told me to thank you for the simnick.” Raas Wrexxon’s battle chief had been insistent that I pronounce the word correctly. He’d also been very descriptive regarding the delectable rings of seeded bread that were ever-present in the city. So much so that my stomach nearly rumbled as I thought about them.

Athena’s pupils darkened, and now the hint of murmuring shifted into an undeniable undercurrent of whispers. “Let’s sayI believe that Kolt sent you. Why break down the door to our theatre and come in her with a group of armed raiders?”

“We were given specific instructions to free those in the prison, rid the city of the Zagrath, and ensure that the people in the theatre were safe. I have teams that are freeing the prisoners and defeating the Imperial soldiers, but I took it upon myself to liberate the theatre.”

A muffled sob came from somewhere deeper within the dimly lit backstage, and the point of Athena’s sword drooped. “You freed Vern?”

“If he is the one who smuggled Kolt and Skye onto a Zagrath ship, then yes, my raiders have certainly freed him by now.”

“Thank you.” Athena seemed to be debating whether or not to continue to point her sword at me.

I shrugged one shoulder. “It was what was promised.”

The sword dipped lower. “So, you’ve done what you promised. I suppose I should thank you on behalf of the people of Kashara.”

I did not want her thanks, but I did want her. As I allowed my gaze to drift down her long neck and smooth shoulders, blood coursed heavy in my veins, and my tail twitched insistently. I wanted nothing more than to breathe in the scent of her skin, rake my hands over her exposed flesh, tangle my fingers in her thick hair.

“The city is in turmoil,” I told her. “Even if we eliminate the Imperial forces on the ground, it will not be safe.”

Her lips tugged down at the corners. “What do you mean? If the Zagrath are gone, we’ll have Kashara back.”

I grunted. “I have freed enough planets to know that purging the city of the Empire is only the first step. Rebuilding after oppression will not be easy.”

Defiance flashed in her eyes. “Freedom is never without cost.”

As much as I admired her conviction and strength, I did not want her to stay. Not only would I be unable to protect her and the troupe, but I would be unable to make her mine. And standing so close to her that I could smell the faint floral scent of her perfume, I was overcome with the knowledge that she was meant to be mine. Against all reason and evidence, I needed her to be mine.

I thought of Raas Wrexxon taking his mate as a war bride to save her from the Zagrath kill list. It had been a clever ruse to protect her, but it had been more than that. It had been a deal between her planet and the Vandar. But what deal could I make with Athena? Kashara had no functioning government with which to negotiate.

I could just take her, of course. I would not be the first Raas to decide to take a female as the spoils of war. But as I stared into Athena’s eyes, I suspected she would not come easily. I relished a challenge, but I did not wish to create an enemy.

Pounding footsteps behind me interrupted my wandering thoughts. My raiders turned, and I pivoted just enough to see the approaching Vandar.

The raider skidded to a stop when he spotted the woman holding a blade to me, but he must have also determined that the danger was low since he quickly shifted his gaze from her to me. “Raas, the Zagrath have sent reinforcements. A fleet has dropped into orbit, and our horde is battling them. We need to return to our warbird.”

This changed things. There was no more argument to be made that the city would be safe. Not with more Zagrath arriving. Our horde might be able to fight them off, but Kashara was clearly someplace the Zagrath valued. They would not slink off so easily. And I knew enough about the Empire’s tactics that I would not put it past them to level the entire city if they believed it would take out some Vandar.

I gave the raider a curt nod before spinning around, flicking the harmless sword from the actress’s grasp, and yanking her toward me. She yelped as I coiled an arm around her waist and pressed her body flush to mine.

“The situation has changed,” I growled. “You are coming with us.”

She swatted at my chest, as she attempted to wiggle from my grasp. “The hell I am!”

Like insects scuttling into the light, the backstage was suddenly filled with people, all of them shouting protests and surging toward me in Athena’s defense.

My raiders brandished their axes, which sent the troupe members back but did not silence them.

“Let her go!”

“You can’t take her. She’s one of us!”

I jerked the woman closer to me and lowered my mouth to her ear. “Do you really want to die when the Zagrath attack? Do you want all your friends to die?”