Vanquished (War Brides of the Vandar #1)

Prologue

Kratos strode down the stone hallway, soft light filtering through the tented fabric overhead and splattering colorful patterns of light on the floor. The leather straps of his battle kilt slapped his thighs, betraying the urgency of his pace even if his stony expression betrayed nothing.

“Brother!”

Kratos stilled, turning to wait for Kaalek to catch up to him. His younger brother was dressed in the same style of boots and kilt, but he wore shoulder armor across one arm, even though neither of them were leading raiders into battle anymore.

“You were summoned, as well?” Kratos asked once Kaalek had reached him.

Kaalek grunted in response, which Kratos found as maddening as it was expected. “It has been a long time since they called a council of warlords.”

Now Kratos made a gruff sound in the depths of his throat. “Retired warlords.”

Kaalek cut him a sharp look. “Once a Raas, always a Raas.”

This was true, although Kratos did not fool himself into believing that he was the same Vandar who’d torn across the skies and tormented the Imperial fleet.

He was also not the same Raas who’d punished enemies without mercy and inspired terror at the mere sight of him.

All that had changed once he’d hung up his battle axe and come to Zendaren.

It was all because of Astrid. The human he’d taken as a captive had become his mate and then his Raisa.

More than that, she’d shown him that there was more to life than constant pursuit and battle.

Of course, he’d felt justified in leaving the horde since he and his fellow warlords had crushed the Empire.

Once the Zagrath had been decimated, it had been easy to choose a life watching his children grow up instead of a life away from them on a warbird. It was a choice he’d never regretted once.

“I hope this won’t take long.” Kaalek sighed. “I promised Mikta I would drill him in axe forms today.”

Kratos allowed himself a grin at the thought of his oldest nephew. “Are you still planning to move him from the wooden practice axes soon?”

Kaalek ran a hand through his long black hair. “Tara doesn’t think he’s ready.”

They reached heavy wooden doors at the end of the hallway, and Kratos paused with one hand on the iron handle. “Tara is not a Vandar.”

Kaalek choked back a laugh. “Maybe not, but have you seen the woman fight?”

Kratos lifted his dark brows. “I have seen your scratches.”

A grin split his brother’s face. “Well worth the pain.”

Kratos shook his head as he tugged open the door. He’d never imagined his impulsive younger brother meeting his match, much less in a human woman. The fact that Tara was Astrid’s sister only made things more interesting for both Vandar.

They entered the council room side by side, hesitating when they saw that the massive round table was filled with Vandar warlords and only two spots remained.

Their youngest brother, Toraan, flicked his gaze to the empty chairs beside him, even as the buzz of agitated conversation halted while they took their seats.

“Now that we are all here,” said Raas Maassen, the eldest in the room, rising from his chair and planting his hands squarely on the polished wood table, “we can discuss the Zagrath.”

Kratos glanced at Toraan, who had been the last of the brothers to leave his horde and retire to Zendaren, then back at the elder warlord. “The Zagrath we destroyed?”

Toraan’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “They were never destroyed, brother. Only weakened and scattered.”

Kratos thought of the humans who’d modified themselves genetically hundreds of years earlier and left their ruined home world with their advanced technology and their riches.

They’d morphed into the even more powerful Zagrath Empire while the remaining humans from Earth who hadn’t had the access to genetic modification or wealth had been scattered through the galaxy over time.

He gritted his teeth. “They were always good at hiding resources and even better at using the labor of others for their own benefit.”

“Our hordes have slowed their efforts at rebuilding, haven’t they?” Kaalek asked.

Raas Maassen moved his head from side to side. “We believed we were keeping them weak and fractured, but now it seems that they were never as weak as we’d hoped.”

Raas Kratos growled, curling one large hand into a fist on the table.

Was this a meeting to call all the retired warlords back into service?

If so, he wasn’t sure how he would explain to Astrid and their three children, especially since she was now carrying another baby they’d told no one about yet.

He thought of the life he’d created on the hidden Vandar colony—the peaceful life. Then he thought about the life he’d led as a Raas. Could he really go back to life on a warbird?

“Our intelligence has shown that the Zagrath are gaining strength in the Outer Rim of the galaxy,” Raas Maassen continued.

“Where no one is paying attention,” Kaalek said darkly.

“We have hordes that are paying attention,” Maassen lowered himself into his chair and leaned back. “And a new Raas who has taken up the mantle of stopping the Zagrath.”

Kratos released a breath, more relieved than he wanted to admit that there was another warlord leading the charge. “Raas Vassim?”

Maassen shook his head, the silver in his dark hair glinting. “Vassim still roams the farthest regions of the opposite side of the galaxy. This is no one any of you fought with. No one who was part of dismantling the Empire nearly a decade ago.”

Kratos was aware that an entirely new crop of warlords had been trained. He also knew Toraan had been part of the training process for new recruits. Even so, it was hard to imagine such young Vandar leading their own hordes.

“The Raas in question is formidable,” Toraan said. “And the fight against the Empire is personal for him.”

“His father was a raider killed by the Zagrath during the battle that crushed them,” Maassen said, his gaze landing on Kaalek. “On one of your horde ships.”

Kaalek’s back went rigid. “Then I hope he spills much Imperial blood.”

“He already has.” Toraan leaned his elbows on the table. “That is why he is called the Qeth’rex.”

Kratos blinked at his youngest brother. “The Scourge? He is that bloodthirsty?”

“Or he is that good at instilling fear,” Kaalek said, inclining his head at Kratos, who had been known for his outsized reputation.

“Raas Wrexxon and the other younger warlords have devised a new strategy to weaken the Empire’s control and gain allegiance from the colonies and outposts in the Outer Rim,” Raas Maassen said, folding his hands in front of himself as he pinned Kratos with a shrewd gaze. “It is one you might appreciate.”

“Me?” Kratos cocked his head to one side.

“They are insuring loyalty from the colonies and outposts by taking war brides.”

“War brides?” Kratos exchanged a look with his brothers. They might have ended up taking human brides, but they had not used it as a weapon to ensure loyalty.

Now he was starting to understand why Raas Wrexxon was called the Scourge.