Raff (The Vorge Crew Book 4)
Raff
The Vorge Crew – Book Four
By Laurann Dohner
Raff by Laurann Dohner
Lilly left Earth seeking adventure, and learning about aliens sounded cool. She just didn’t expect to meet any in person—until her ship is attacked by alien pirates. Now she’s meeting plenty of them. Scary ones who want to do very bad things to her.
Fighting for survival since childhood, Raff Vellar is more intimately familiar with knives and bloodshed than women. Then, during a trip to his home planet, a tiny human literally falls at his feet. When he learns she’s been forced into slavery, a fierce need to protect the human overcomes him. A feeling that quickly turns into a deep need to keep her forever.
The Vorge Crew Series List
Cathian
Dovis
York
Raff
Raff by Laurann Dohner
Copyright © November 2018
Editor: Kelli Collins
Cover Art: Dar Albert
eBook ISBN: 978-1-944526-98-6
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal, except for the case of brief quotations in reviews and articles.
Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Raff – The Vorge Crew – Book Four
By Laurann Dohner
Chapter One
Raff hated Gluttren Four. Few good memories had been made while growing up on the planet. It was a hellish place. The majority of the residents lived in three locations. Those cities were built on large plateaus. They were high enough not to be washed away by the seasonal flooding the surface endured and the wildlife couldn’t climb the steep inclines to the top. Many deadly beasts called G4 home.
Few dared to live in the outlands. If the floods and animals didn’t kill someone in the lower altitudes, the banished convicts from the cities could. They were known to mostly murder their victims for the clothing, weapons, and food they could take. Sometimes they’d keep their victims alive, enslaving them.
Raff had mostly lived in a city growing up but he’d also spent a few years in the outlands. He’d missed Yessepiti beast meat. The first thing he’d done was hunt one down in the outlands and cook it over an open fire. It was his favorite meal. He’d waited until the worst of the heat faded, evening approached, before he’d flown to Daba City. It used to be his main home.
He entered the huge crashed ship that had been turned into the biggest trade market on the planet. It didn’t take him long to track down Mannel. The big ugly alien was scarred over every inch of his hardened shelled skin and now missed one of his three eyes. He was known for trading information at a price. Raff walked up to the male who stood a few inches shorter than him to glare.
“Shit. What are you doing back, Raff?”
Raff just continued to glare at him but he tapped his thigh, his fingers close to the razor-sharp blades mounted there. Mannel glanced down, turned an ugly shade of purple, and inched back.
“Tell me what you want to know. I have contacts. Please don’t kill me. Anything you want is yours.”
“I always ask you the same thing. Where’s Eldet?” That was the same enemy he tracked every time he entered the solar system.
“Dead.”
Raff tapped his thigh.
“Really. Not a lie this time. He surfaced from hiding four months ago after weeks of rain. Prix caught him. His body is still hanging near the auction area as a warning to all. Go look.”
Raff considered that. Weeks of rain would cause the lower levels on the planet to flood. The most of caves out there would completely fill, making them unlivable. All the supplies Eldet could have stored would have been either ruined, sunk where he couldn’t reach them, and it would have forced him to return to the city to resupply.
He spun away and stormed through the market. The residents kept a wide berth of him. He ignored their scared looks. Most recognized him and those who didn’t were wary of his looks.
Raff had always stood out on Gluttren Four. Few alien races were as tall as him and even those weren’t as thickly muscled. None of them had his predatory facial features either. It had made him a target as a kid until he’d taught them to never mess with him. That had meant he’d had to maim or kill a lot of adult bullies.
He came to where some of the residents sold their goods and stared up at the bodies hanging from the ceiling rafters far above. There were dozens of them. He finally spotted the one he sought, approaching it from below. Each corpse had been dipped in sealing oil to keep them from rotting and there was no doubt that was Eldet. His throat had been slit. Disappointment hit. Raff had wanted to be the one to kill the cowardly bastard.
“You’re back. Should I be worried?”
He turned as the heavy footsteps approached, recognizing the voice. He stared into Prix’s eyes. They had once been friends as children and needed each other into adulthood to survive. At least that’s what the term friendship passed for on the planet. A person could only trust someone else as long as they had a reason to keep them around and breathing. That wasn’t the case anymore between the two of them. Raff had left without a backward glance when his cousin and The Vorge crew had come looking for him on the miserable planet. It had pissed Prix off to lose his ally.
The male stopped eight feet back, at least four guards with him. Prix now basically ruled that part of the planet, according to rumors. He confirmed them when he spoke. “You have no reason to return to my city, Raff.”
“You knew I would return for Eldet. I wasn’t going to let that go.”
Prix grinned but it didn’t reach his cold, dull eyes. “Still holding a grudge. I see some things never change. I was around when he popped up again instead of you. That male was always one to cause trouble. I had my own issues with him.” His expression hardened. “Are you here to stay or just passing through?”
“I’ll be going now.” Raff pointed up to the body. “That was my last reason to ever step foot on this shithole.”
One of the guards, a young kid Raff didn’t know, snarled low. “Who are you to insult our home?”
Prix threw out his arm and hit the kid hard in the chest, knocking him on his ass. “Silence. Raff was born here and could kill you easy.” He never took his attention off Raff. “This one still has a lot to learn. I don’t want a problem with you. It’s rarely worth the effort.”
“No problem.” Raff noticed a lot of motion toward the stage where they showed off merchandise to sell. A group of Raxis aliens carried in boxes and crates from one of the shops, setting them up.
Prix followed his gaze. “I get a percentage from all sales and my choice to take what I want. It’s a profitable alliance. They needed a base of operations.”
“If you don’t mind giving disreputable pirates safe harbor. I wouldn’t trust or turn my back on a Raxis. They are known for slicing the throats of their allies.” It disgusted Raff. Then again, not much happened on the planet that was legal or right. “I’m leaving.”
“You can take Eldet’s body if you want it. For old times’ sake.”
Raff curled his lip and scowled. “Not necessary.”
“You’re seriously leaving for good?”
Prix met his gaze. “I’ll walk you to your shuttle.”
Raff didn’t blame Prix for wanting to personally escort him to make sure he left. His ‘old friend’ would be worried that he’d take over if he planned to stay. “I’m not lying.”
“I have nothing better to do.”
“Fine. Walk with me.” Raff turned, making his way through the crowded market. Selling tables were set up on both sides of the wide space. People moved out of their way, giving them a wide berth again.
There was suddenly yelling in front of them and Raff watched as a few people went down, as if they were being pushed. He froze, his hands gripping the handles of his blades strapped to his thighs, prepared to fight.
Prix growled next to him and reached for his own weapons. “What is going on?”
Raff assumed that meant Prix wasn’t sending a team to attack him when his old friend stood at his side, facing the threat with him. A small body covered in a torn robe shot out of the crowd and came right in their direction. He saw her face since she didn’t wear a hood. It was a female with four male Raxis pirates hot on her ass in pursuit. They were the ones shoving bodies out of the way.
It stunned Raff to realize she was a human. He could identify them easily now by their delicate facial features and small ears with lots of hair on their heads. There were three women from Earth on The Vorge.
One of the alien males who chased the female grabbed her by her long black hair. She screamed, turned, and he saw a flash of metal in her fisted hand. It was a knife.
The male reared back, letting her go, and blood ran down his fingers from a wound on the back of his wrist where she’d stabbed him to break free. Another Raxis made a grab for her. She kicked out in the oversized garment she wore that hid most of her body and flashed some of her pale skinned leg.
Her bare foot slammed into the alien’s groin. The male screamed and landed on his ass, cradling his crotch. The female turned, running again. A third Raxis raised a stunner weapon and shot her in the back.
She made it a few running steps before she fell, landing damn near at Raff’s feet. He stared down at her. Her hair had tiny blue streaks running through the long black mass. It was long, curly and wild. The Raxis who’d shot her stomped forward to retrieve the unconscious female but paused when he spotted Prix.
“Overseer Prix.” The Raxis holstered the weapon. “Apologies. This slave is the new one you purchased. Feisty and untrained. I didn’t think these things could fight. She’ll be punished severely for escaping from your brothel. We were preparing her for her first customer when she acted up.”
Prix growled. “She won’t bring in a good price if you mark her up with a whip or your fists.”
Raff stared down at the female on the ground. “When did you start peddling slave flesh for sex profits?”
Prix turned. “I opened two brothels since you left. Good earnings.”
That news sickened Raff. There used to be only one brothel on the shipwreck. An older female had owned and operated it. All the women who’d worked there had done so willingly. They had the ability to say no to customers they didn’t want to touch for whatever reason. He’d been turned down plenty of times by some of them because of his reputation. He never would have harmed the females but they didn’t know that. Guards had been there to protect them from violence. The poor human at his feet was a different story. She’d been bought and sold.
Prix was a cold-hearted bastard for forcing women into that line of work. Raff highly doubted the females were given any choices or protection. He kept his tone cool to hide his disgust and tried to use logic to protest her abuse. “This one looks fragile. I can’t see her lasting more than a few customers. What’s the point? It doesn’t sound too profitable.”
Prix snorted. “Slaves from other worlds bring in top dollar. Something new and she’s only one species. That makes for excellent breeding stock. I don’t sterilize these ones, hoping they get pregnant and birth more daughters I can earn money from. I’m not a fool. There are rules to follow for customers who pick fragile females. To kill one would mean to pay a steep price to replace my merchandise.”
The woman began to stir at Raff’s feet and a soft moan came from her.
The Raxis looked at Prix. “She needs punished and trained, sir. No one is going to rent her when she tries to bite and kick them. She turned wild when we were attempting to strip her and hasn’t stopped fighting since.”
“That tiny thing?” Prix suddenly bent and grabbed the female, hauling her up by her neck.
Raff tensed when he got a good look at her face now that she remained still. Her delicate features were striking for a human. At least he thought so. It might have helped that her dark hair was such a contrast to her pale skin.
She had big light blue eyes, which also surprised him. They were a color he’d never seen before. Her features were attractive too, despite a bruise marring her skin on one check and her bottom lip bleeding, probably from slamming into the ground. The stunner weapon had left her body weak and Prix shook her trying to get her to stand on her own feet. She managed to do it but swayed a little.
“You listen to me, whore,” Prix hissed. “No more fighting or you’ll be beaten. Then you’ll lose me profit.”
The woman blinked a few times, seeming to come out of her daze. “I’m not a whore.”
“You are whatever I say you are, whore.” Prix gave her another shake and glared at the Raxis. “Get this whore cleaned and stun her again if she doesn’t listen. I doubt the client will care if she’s awake when he climbs on top of her.”
Raff could imagine the kind of hellish short life she’d face if he didn’t do something. Gluttren Four residents were tough, growing up in the harsh conditions of the planet. A fragile human wouldn’t survive the men who’d pay to use her body, especially if a dozen assholes rented her every day to abuse for an hour at a time. He thought of his crew and their humans. They’d want him to buy the human to save her.
The human suddenly clawed at Prix’s hand still holding her by her throat. Her nails were enough to tear his skin, drawing blood. He roared in rage and threw her on the ground. She landed on her ass hard.
Raff moved fast when he saw Prix reach for one of his blades, knowing he’d kill the female just to prove no one hurt him and got away with it. Raff pulled his own blades out and put his spread legs over the female’s lower body to protect her.
“No.”
“Move, Raff,” Prix yelled. “I’m going to gut that whore and string her body on the rafters to show what happens to stupid females.”
“Don’t kill the human. I’ll buy her from you.”
Prix still looked killing mad. “She disrespected me. It’s my right to gut her. I want to hear her screams and watch her die. She’s not for sale.”
Raff tensed, ready to take on the Raxis, Prix, and his four guards. He didn’t dare glance away from the threat but he needed to tell the human what to do.
“Human, get up and stay behind me. I won’t let them kill you.”
She hesitated but then one of her small hands curled around his calf and he almost expected her to hit him. She didn’t. Instead she used his leg to help her get to her knees and she stood, pressing against his back. She wasn’t a tall female. He could feel that. He also noticed that she reached for one of his daggers, yanking it free.
“I’m your only shot at survival,” he warned low, knowing she could hear him. “Use that on me and they’ll put your dead body on display as an example to others. Look up.”
“Oh shit,” she muttered, h
er voice sounding her horror.
“What are you doing, Raff?”
He glared at Prix. “Sell her to me. Otherwise, we’re going to fight. I don’t want trouble but you know I never back down from it.”
“You’re outnumbered.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Raff reminded him. “I’m still breathing. Can’t say the same about them. You killed the murderer I wanted. Sell the female to me for old times’ sake. I’m leaving and never returning to Gluttren Four. That should make you feel generous.”
Prix glanced around. The market had gone quiet, the crowd watching. Raff could guess his thoughts.
“For old times’ sake,” Raff repeated louder. “We go back to childhood. Do me this favor, old friend. Make a profit off her. Sell her to me. I’m leaving and never returning. It means you won’t see her again either.”
Prix glared at him.
Raff reached down and slid out a marts bar. It was a lot to buy a slave. “It’s all I’ve got on me.” He lowered his voice. “I’m willing to kill to take her. How much have you spent on training your men? How many are you willing to lose? The cost difference isn’t worth it.”
“Are you getting soft since you left our world, Raff? Starting trouble with me over a whore? That’s unlike you.”
He gave Prix a cold smile. “Whatever you want to call it. I like human females. I’m keeping this one.”
Prix seemed to consider it. “No. Get out of the way or die. You have ten seconds to comply.”
He lowered his voice. “Human? Drop to the ground into a tight ball and stay put. Look at the ceiling again. That’s where your dead body will end up if you don’t do what I say.”
He felt her drop between his legs. She kept his dagger though, not returning it to his belt she’d pulled it from. She went to her hands and knees and hunched down. He adjusted his boots closer to her waist to pin her body between his legs.