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

impulsive. I’d barreled forward into the fire without thinking of the consequences, and I’d gotten burned. I never should have allowed myself to fall for an alien who was always destined to fly away from me.

I glanced out the open arched door. Villagers were bustling through the square toward the newly arrived ship, excited murmurs buzzing through the crowd like a swarm of sea bees. The arrival of the bounty hunters in their massive ship was big news for our planet, and everyone wanted to see the impressive vessel. I almost laughed as I thought about the reactions they’d have to more brawny, shirtless males. Even though these Dothvek warriors wore leather pants instead of kilts, they also had black marks on their skin and long hair. A far cry from the iridescent blue-green scales of the natives or the unmarked skin of the humans on Kimithion III.

A pang of longing stabbed at me. I wanted to be with Corvak and his bounty hunter friends. The female called Tori looked like an especially fierce female warrior I could learn from. Besides, the battle with the Zagrath was exactly what I’d been training for, but the more time I spent with the Vandar battle chief, the more painful it would be when he left me.

I’d have to help the fight in some other way because fighting by Corvak’s side would only be a torment. A taste of what life could be like with a warrior—a life I would never have.

I made my way from the shop, turning away from the ship and pushing through the flow of villagers curious to see the newcomers to the planet. Keeping my head down, I weaved my way toward the path to the cave dwellings, hoping that Corvak wouldn’t come after me, but also praying that he would.

“Sienna!”

I stiffened when I heard the voice. Donal was the last person I wished to see now. Without turning toward the sound of his voice, I shook my head. “I can’t talk now.”

He managed to elbow his way through the crowd and step in front of me. He held his hands up as in surrender. “I know you’re mad at me. I get it.”

I stared at the fading bruises around his eyes and his swollen nose, a bandage still over the bridge. “Do you even remember what you did?”

He dropped his gaze to the ground. “Not really. Listen, Sienna, I was really drunk and upset, and I acted like an idiot.”

Trying to force himself on me was more than acting like an idiot, but I wasn’t in the mood for an argument. I didn’t care about fighting with Donal anymore. It wasn’t like I’d ever change him, or even cared to. Even if I wouldn’t end up with Corvak, I was certain about one thing. A man like Donal who ran from fights and thought it was okay to assault females was never going to be a part of my future.

I didn’t meet his eyes. “Okay. What do you want me to say?”

He reached for my hand, but I jerked it away. “I want you to say that you don’t hate me.”

The whine in his voice made me want to hit him again, but I reminded myself that we were in public. Besides, I didn’t hate Donal. I didn’t feel enough for him to hate him. I let out a weary sigh. “I don’t hate you.”

I started walking up the path, the number of people thinning out as I got higher. Donal followed me, almost jogging to keep up with my brisk pace.

“You don’t know how much it means to me that you said that.” He gave a nervous laugh. “We’ve known each other too long for there to be bad blood between us, don’t you think?”

“Sure.” Whatever would shut him up.

“It’s funny that you can know someone for so long, and still not know so much about them, don’t you think?”

I didn’t glance over to him as he hurried along by my side. There were no more people rushing down the path heading to the village. The path and the dwellings cut into the mountain were unusually quiet, with no voices drifting from the windows and no approaching footsteps tapping in the distance. I suspected everyone was gathered around the alien ship.

My gut clenched, and my gait slowed. Which was where I should be. I stopped and gazed up the deserted path. What was I doing running from a fight? That wasn’t me. Turning, I peered over the stone ledge to the empty village square, and squinted to see the stream of people moving toward the hulking gray ship.

My pulse quickened. Corvak was there, along with the other fighters who would defend the planet. As much as it pained me, I should be there, too. I’d been a fool to run from him. Warriors didn’t run away when things got tough. As tough as it would be to fight alongside Corvak knowing that victory would mean he would leave, I had to do it.

“Don’t you think, Sienna?”

I hadn’t been listening to Donal ramble on, but now I focused my gaze on him. “I’m sorry. What?”

His eyes were intense as he stared at me, flinching slightly at my question. “I said that even after all this time, there are things I don’t know about you. Like the fact that you’ve been fucking that barbarian.” His lips curled into a sneer. “I didn’t know that tidbit until your sister told me.”

My skin went cold. “Juliette told you that—?”

“That my fiancée has been spreading her legs for a Vandar,” he cut me off, spitting out each of his words like they were poison.

The cold prickles on my flesh became fiery. “I don’t know what my sister told you, but let’s get one thing straight.” I jabbed a finger at him. “You are not my fiancé. You are nothing to me, and you never will be.”

Anger twisted his face, his bruises and swollen nose making him look even more like a