Plundered (Raider Warlords of the Vandar #2) - Tana Stone Page 0,1

stepped out of the shower stall. Not that it had done any good, I thought, as I glanced at my reflection in the warped, reflective metal bolted to the wall. Astrid was gone. After everything I’d sacrificed to keep her safe, she’d been taken captive by a ruthless warlord of the Vandar raiders.

My stomach still roiled when I thought about the day she’d left with the enormous alien. The day she’d volunteered to leave with him. That was what hurt the most. She hadn’t been dragged off my ship, kicking and screaming. She’d walked off with her head held high.

I stared at myself in the mirrored steel, untying my hair from its topknot and letting the red curls spill down around my shoulders. Then I met my own gaze, the sea-green of my eyes the same color as my sister’s and reminding me of the look she’d had when she’d said goodbye to me. She’d been determined. Determined she was doing the right thing. Determined she was saving me.

I tore my gaze away, leaning both hands against the cold basin. That was not the way it was supposed to happen. I was the captain of the ship. I was the older sister. I was supposed to make the sacrifices and take care of her. Not the other way around.

Since our parents had died when I was fifteen and she was twelve, it had been my job to look out for her. It wasn’t that my parents had asked me to do it. Their death had been sudden and not something any of us expected. I knew I had to do it because I was the tough one, and my sister would never be able to survive on her own.

I sighed as I thought about Astrid, refusing to imagine her on the raider ship. She was timid and sensitive, a kid who’d always been more perceptive than practical. She could see into someone’s soul, but she didn’t have an ounce of good sense in her. Which was why she’d been a crap member of my crew, even though I’d moved her from post to post in an attempt to find something aboard my freighter that she excelled at.

It hadn’t mattered to me. As frustrated as I could get with her—she was my kid sister, after all—I would never let her fend for herself. Not when I knew she couldn’t.

“Why did they take you?” I whispered. It was a question I’d asked a thousand times in the weeks since she’d been gone.

I’d been willing to take the punishment for her mistake that had gotten us into trouble with the Vandar raiders in the first place. Even if it had meant dying, I was ready to do it to save my sister and save my ship. But then Astrid had gone and ruined it by begging the warlord not to kill me and to kill her instead.

Even though a part of me had never been prouder of her than I had been at that moment, I’d also been furious. She was not supposed to save me. That was my job, and one I’d done well for most of our lives. But on that horrible day, Astrid had been the one to save my life and save the ship, and she hadn’t been seen since.

The ship shuddered, bringing me back to reality and reminding me that I needed to return to my post. It was almost first watch, and I always took first watch. Actually, I took most of the watches, since Astrid had vanished with the Vandar horde. Although my freighter was supposed to be delivering supplies to an outpost for the Zagrath Empire, the cargo had been taken by the raiders, and I had a new mission. I had to find Astrid and get her back—no matter what it cost.

My crew wasn’t thrilled with our new mission, but so far, none of them had openly challenged me. I was the captain, after all, and I was still paying them, although our money would run out soon enough if we didn’t deliver the new cargo we’d picked up for the empire.

I stepped out of the bathroom, making my way quickly down the corridor to my quarters. Luckily, the hall was empty, and the illumination was low. Most of the crew was either in their racks getting sleep, or on the bridge for the fifth watch.

I entered my quarters, edging around my narrow bed in the tight cabin. I was the only member of