Punished by Tana Stone (best books to read for knowledge .TXT) 📕

“That does explain a lot.” Like the fact that none of the males had a single fighting instinct in their bodies. “I’m assuming the humans who joined you were also given the same rules.”

“They were. When we received the distress call from a ship of human refugees, we were still rebuilding our society. We’d eliminated hostility, but we had also stripped out innovation and ingenuity. We needed new energy and we also needed new skills in our community. The humans brought with them engineers and crafters and artists—things we’d lost. Together we have built a community that is thriving, yet safe.”

I bristled at the word safe. In my experience, safety was an illusion. The residents of Kimithion III had believed themselves to be safe for a long time, but one slip had brought danger to their door.

“It must have been a challenge to accept a Vandar into your idyllic world,” I said. “We are notorious for our aggression.”

Kerl’s mouth widened into a grimace. “You were needed, as was your volatile nature. We feared that we could not repel the empire without it.”

“Without some kind of planetary defenses or armaments, you will not be able to ward off the Zagrath,” I said, “Even with my volatile nature.”

“I’d hoped our males could be trained, but I see now that there isn’t time. If no one responds to our calls for help…” His words trailed off, then he straightened. “That is why I have decided to show you.”

“Show me?”

Without another word, the alien spun on his heel, his cloak flapping behind him. He strode quickly across the space, stopping and glancing back at me. He flicked the long, webbed fingers of one hand at me. “Come, Vandar.”

I followed him, closing the distance between us quickly with my much longer legs. Kerl shuffled around a corner I hadn’t noticed before and down a tunnel. I ducked my head as the space tightened, the scent of brine making my nose twitch. Faint luminescent flecks in the stone gave off enough light that I could make out the way forward, but it felt like we were walking down. Were we heading under the shallows?

We rounded another bend and the space opened up. Kerl fumbled on the wall, flipping a switch and illuminating the soaring ceiling. Then my jaw dropped.

“What is this?” My voice was hushed as I peered up. Shelves were carved into the stone that formed the conical-shaped underground cavern, extending almost to the top. Instead of storing food or supplies, these shelves held weapons of all kinds. Even though they looked different than the imperial blasters I was familiar with, it was apparent that they were types of blasters and bazookas. In the middle of the space, a collection of land-to-air weapons were propped on stands.

“This is where we hid all evidence of our violent past.” Kerl bowed his head slightly. “These are weapons forged by our ancient ancestors, but still just as deadly. This is what you’ll need to take on the empire and win.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ch 28

Sienna

I lay flat on the bed, trying not to wiggle and knock all the sugar off my body. Where was he? Lifting my head, I peered down at the sugary crumbs speckling my naked body. I’d thought he’d be back before nightfall, but cool air was drifting in through the windows and making my bare flesh pebble. The natural light that had poured in earlier was fading, and soon I’d be in the dark.

This was a bad idea, I thought, flopping my head back onto the pillow. What if he’d been detained talking to the village leaders? What if he didn’t come back for a long time? My heart lurched. What if the elders came back to his dwelling with him?

I shook my head gently, so my body wouldn’t move too much. No, there was no reason for any of the villagers to accompany him back to his dwelling. He’d been fully healed for days now, and the healer had ceased visiting to check up on him. Besides, no one would venture into the Vandar’s private sleeping chamber. No one but me.

My pulse fluttered as I thought about the subsequent whirlwind since Corvak had been healed. If I wasn’t working, I’d been in bed with him, and even when I had been working, I was thinking about all the things we’d done in bed. That meant more than a few inventory miscounts, and a delicious soreness between my legs.

Heat coiled in my belly as I thought about Corvak’s reaction to seeing me naked on his bed, covered in the sugary coating he loved so much on my sister’s pastries.

“I hope you’re hungry, tough guy,” I whispered, practicing the phrase once more in my most seductive voice.

Was this stupid? Being sultry didn’t come naturally to me, and a big part of me felt ridiculous trying to seduce the Vandar. Especially since I didn’t have to. Corvak didn’t require any tricks to turn him on when I was around. A closed door seemed to be the only prerequisite for him to start tearing my clothes off.

I huffed out a breath and shifted my legs. Was some of the sugar melting? Would I be washing caramelized sugar out of places I could barely reach?

Before I could investigate further, the door opened. I held my breath, listening for voices. I was pretty sure he’d be alone, but I did not want to be wrong about this. The door thudded shut and then boots were kicked off and something heavy hit the floor. My heart tripped in my chest. If he was undressing the way he usually did, that would have been his leather belt. Even imagining the Vandar warrior undressing made me inhale sharply. Which sent a crumb straight up my nose.

For a moment, I held my breath as the sugary crumb lodged in my throat. But it was no use. I started coughing, jerking up and