Raff (The Vorge Crew Book 4) Read online

  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?”