But Wrexxon wasn't the monster the stories made him out to be. He wasn’t cruel or savage in the way I’d been told to believe. He hadn't taken me to be cruel. He'd taken me to save me. And now he was saving people I loved because he’d made a vow.
My mind tripped over the vows we’d spoken to each other and the even more furtive vows we’d whispered in the darkness. My cheeks blazed hot thinking about everything we’d done and everything I'd let him do. And by the end, everything I begged him to do.
The vessel touched down with a jolt that jostled the memories from my head and snapped me back to reality.
Focus, Jasmine. You’re here to save your sister and friends, not obsess over incredible sex with your new husband. I tripped over the word. The Raas was my husband.
An insane giggle bubbled up in my throat. How was I going to explain all this to my sisters? I glanced down at the leather outfit that made me look shockingly Vandar. How would I even explain my clothes?
The ship’s ramp hit the frozen ground with a bang and rattle, and the raiders began to pour down it.
“Stay close to me," Wrexxon said, holding me back. "Do not leave my side. Promise.”
I started to shoot him a look but thought better of it. He’d already thrown me over his shoulder once. I did not want to return to my home, or leave from it, being carried like a sack of flour. “Okay, I promise.”
Wrexxon’s battle chief waited at the top of the ramp, locking eyes with the Raas. “Weapons at the ready.”
Wrexxon unhooked his own axe from his back and gripped it in front of him.
“We’re not going into battle, are we?” I asked with a nervous laugh. “This is just a simple extraction. You didn’t come in hot when you took me.”
Kolt’s expression was grim, and for the first time, he addressed me directly. "We sent messages to your colony's leaders, informing them of our impending return. We never heard back."
“Communication is spotty here,” Wrexxon said before I could consider all the reasons for a lack of response. “Our sentry ships reported a storm that could have affected transmissions.”
Kolt grunted, plenty of suspicion and doubt packed into the rough sound. Then he was down the ramp and had vanished into the swirling snow.
Wrexxon didn’t add a comment. He just took my hand in his massive one and led me down.
The first thing that hit me was the biting cold. I might have lived on Lexxona my entire life, but it had only taken days for me to forget the insidious cold that worked its way through even the warmest clothes and bored into your bones.
The Vandar raiders were already moving toward the village in a tight formation, with another ship full of raiders moving in behind us. Boots crunched over packed snow and low orders were given for the larger group to fan out and cover more territory. All was quiet and calm. Too quiet.
Unease pricked the back of my neck as we entered the village square, which was empty. I told myself it was just early, and that people were still inside their homes, but my instincts told me otherwise. Something was wrong.
I yanked on the Raas’s hand to get his attention as the wind howled around us. “It’s too quiet.”
He didn’t question me. He stopped and extended his axe to one side so that it blocked Kolt’s path.
The battle chief swung his head to us. “I can smell them.”
I knew he didn’t mean the villagers. He meant the Zagrath, although I’d never thought of the Imperial soldiers as having a scent.
Wrexxon drew in a long breath as a muscle quivered along his jaw. “We need to move fast. We’ll get her sisters. You get the target.”
Kolt gave a single rough nod before waving for two raiders to follow him, and then they were running.
Wrexxon didn’t ask me before squeezing my hand and breaking into a run himself, pulling me long behind him. My legs pumped as I strained to keep up with his long stride, a stride I was sure he was slowing on my account. Even so, we arrived at my street, careening to a stop in front of the bakery.
A sob caught in my throat. The windows glowed with light, and heat from the ovens steamed the glass. This felt right. This felt normal.
Pulling my hand impatiently from Wrexxon’s, I burst through the bakery door and greedily inhaled the yeasty aroma that meant home.
“Jas?" Kaya gaped at me and dropped the ball of dough she’d been kneading.
Both my sisters were there. Kaya was at the worktable and Brielle was at the ovens, and they shrieked in unison when they saw me, rushing into my arms in a tangle of hugs and tears, puffs of flour and globs of sticky dough.
"You're back!"
