Chapter 48
Chapter
Forty-Eight
Kolt
Isteered the transport through the energy field of the warbird’s hangar bay, my heartbeat quickening at the looming interior of the ship. I could feel Skye’s gaze darting to me as I carefully set down the vessel and disengaged the engines, but I didn’t dare look at her.
Being back on the Vandar vessel with its dark, cavernous core and web of crossing walkways and bridges soaring above us brought it all back.
Suddenly, a lifetime of memories slammed into me, from battle training to missions to being taken captive while on Lexxona.
Not only did I remember everything that had vanished from my brain, I knew who I was.
Not in the sense of being told my name and my position, which Skye had kindly done. I knew in my heart who I was and what I believed, thought, and knew. Above all, I knew what it was to be Vandar and what it meant to be home.
“Is any of this familiar?” she asked in a voice that wasn’t much more than a whisper.
I moved my head up and down woodenly. “All of it. I remember all of it.”
“You do?”
I pulled my gaze from the warbird and met her eyes. “I do. Seeing this has brought it all back.”
Her eyes were glassy as she smiled at me. “I’m so happy for you, Kolt. I knew you’d remember, eventually.”
I wanted to tell her that my remembering didn’t change anything, but that felt like a lie.
Already, I felt different. But through all of it, I did not feel differently about her.
Even though that suddenly felt like a strange thing for me.
I shook off that confusing thought. I could think about all that later.
My throat tightened as I stood, eager to set my foot down on Vandar steel. I slid a quick look at Skye, fighting not to race off the enemy vessel. “Vaes.”
It was less of an order and more of a plea.
Her smile hadn’t dimmed, but she waved a hand at me to go ahead.
Then I was moving from the cockpit and waiting impatiently for the ramp to lower. When Skye joined me, I did smile at her. “They found us. Our transmission worked.”
“You were right,” she said, but her voice was quiet, almost timid, which was not like her.
But there was no time to question it. The ramp hit the hangar bay floor with a clatter, and I strode briskly off the enemy vessel to where the Raas waited with Venik to one side and the human we’d taken from Lexxona as Wrexxon’s war bride on the other.
I clicked my heels together the moment I stepped off the ramp. “Raas Wrexxon.”
The Vandar’s usually stern expression melted away, and he yanked me into a firm embrace, pounding me on the back. “It is good to see you, my Vandar brother.”
This show of regard startled me, but I clasped my arms around him in return. “You as well, Qeth’rex.”
Wrexxon released me with a gruff laugh. “You have much to tell us, and we have much to discuss.”
Before I could turn to check on Skye, the female beside Wrexxon let out a deafening shriek and raced up the ramp to throw her arms around Skye.
“My mate has been worried about her friend,” the Raas said, eyeing the humans with amusement.
Along with my memories of my life and my past, I’d also remembered that one of my core beliefs was that humans could not be trusted.
I’d been wary of the war bride plan, and I’d been disdainful of the Raas taking a human as a bride.
I’d always thought that the famous Raas brothers who’d taken human females as Raisas had been mad, and the idea of finding a human woman anything more than barely tolerable would have been unthinkable.
I almost groaned out loud as I thought about Skye working with me to escape, tending to my wound, and risking herself to save me. Then I thought of her beneath me, her breathy moans, her intoxicating tightness, her sweet taste.
“Battle chief?”
I swung my head to Venik. “Yes?”
“Were you injured?” the majak asked, cocking his head to one side.
I glanced at my leg and the bandage that was revealed by my kilt. “I was, but the human tended to me.”
Venik’s dark brows lifted in undisguised surprise. “She did?”
I wrenched my gaze from the two women hugging on the ramp. “She is quite capable.”
Wrexxon grunted. “That may be so, but we should have the healer look at you before you return to duty.”
I flinched at this. “There is no time. I need to tell you what we learned about the Zagrath and their plan.” I stepped closer and glanced around, as if spies might lurk behind the metal drums of fuel.
“Raas, the Zagrath placed a tracker on one of the rebels we rescued. They wish to lure you into a trap. We need to remove the rebel and take evasive action.”
Wrexxon’s expression did not change, and I worried he hadn’t heard me. I glanced at Venik, but he also did not appear suitably alarmed.
The Raas clapped a hand on my shoulder. “We got your transmission and understood the message. We determined that the governor we saved had been implanted with a tracker. Actually, Jasmine discovered it. He claims to have been unaware, and I believe him.”
Putting a tracker in an unaware person sounded like a Zagrath tactic. “Did you destroy it?”
Wrexxon gave me a wicked grin. “That would have let on that we had discovered their plan.” He shook his head. “We rendezvoused with another horde and gave them the tracker so they could lead the Zagrath on a merry chase and straight into a Vandar trap while we continued to hunt for you.”
My chest swelled with pride at the clever ploy and at the thought of the Zagrath trick being turned back on them. “Which other horde?”
“Raas Lorken.”
I blinked at him as the name registered. “The one they call The Demon?”
Wrexxon’s laugh was deep and low. “It is only the Empire that calls him that.”
I had heard plenty of dark tales about the ruthlessness of the youngest warlord. Ruthlessness that made Wrexxon look tame. But perhaps that was the perfect Raas to deal with the Zagrath who’d taken me and Skye.
Skye.
I turned back to where she and her friend had been standing, but Jasmine was leading her away with an arm thrown over her shoulder.
I wanted to call to Skye. I wanted her to look back at me.
But neither happened. She kept walking and talking with her friend, and I remained silent, wishing that this was a moment I could forget.