Page 18 of Drengr
Rune stopped next to me, shooting me a curious glance. The warrior's beard was just as shaggy as that of the Captain, probably home to various animals. He wasn't quite as tall as Njal and Errik, but he was wider by quite a bit. He was a mountain of a man, intimidating, scary and savage.
Errik wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I let him, grateful for the chance to get to touch him again. Even though I wasn't affected by our bond as extremely he was - yes, I'd noticed the erection he'd been sporting all afternoon - I still craved being close to him. I may not have gone slightly crazy and attacked my friends like he had, but I did feel hornier than I ever had before. I realised I was clenching my thighs, trying to do something about the urge to mount my mate, ride him until I found that sweet release my body was craving. I would have loved to change my panties before boarding the alien ship, but there was no time.
Hey, if they wanted proof that there was a bond between Errik and me, I could just hand them my drenched knickers.
"You too. Take off your weapons."
The voice echoed through the enormous room. There was one smaller shuttle to our right, a miniature version of the one we'd arrived in. That shuttle was likely on Earth with either Pam or the other Vikingar.
Once Njal and Rune had laid down their arms - a battle axe each as well as several hidden knives and a smaller axe in Rune's case - a round opening appeared on the longer edge of the ovoid. A silhouette stood in the doorway, hard to see with light shining brightly from behind them. At first glance, the silhouette made me think of a werewolf. Shaggy fur sprouted all over the being's body, while two large ears grew from an equally wild mane. A large tail wagged from side to side, thick with the same fur that covered the alien.
"That's a Mondian," Errik whispered. "Don't shout in their presence. Their hearing is extremely sensitive. And don't let them bite you. It's said their fangs are venomous."
Great. A poisonous, hypersensitive werewolf.
"You may approach," the alien said; the same voice we'd heard before. He sounded male, but I knew better than to assume. By now, I was ready for anything.
Errik didn’t let go of me. On the contrary, he pulled me closer. I bet he was tempted to scoop me up again. As much as I’d enjoyed being carried in his strong arms – after the obligatory protest just because it had felt like the right thing to do – I wanted to face these new aliens head-on.
The Mondian disappeared back inside the shuttle. Njal followed first, his posture tense, ready for battle even without his weapons. He had to bow his head slightly to fit through the opening. With a nod to my mate, Rune went next, before Errik finally loosened his grip around my shoulders. Not that he looked any less tense.
“Everything will be fine,” I muttered, not quite believing it myself.
“Vikingar do not lie,” was all he said. As his mate, he probably expected me to follow the same rule, but I needed this little white lie.
I stepped through the opening, then another oval doorframe, before emerging in a brightly lit space that reminded me of my doctor’s waiting room. Everything was white, clinical and without soul. It was also freezing. Perhaps the Mondian with all his fur preferred cold environments. I shivered, wishing I wore a jacket.
Benches lined the walls and both Vikingr warriors were already seated, their backs stiff, their expressions alert and full of distrust. The Mondian had disappeared. Maybe he was in the cockpit to fly the shuttle? I was surprised there weren’t any guards, but I supposed there wasn’t any need. The Valkyr was surrounded. This was our only chance to set things right.
Errik sat next to his captain and patted his lap. I pointedly took a seat next to him. He had to learn that I wasn’t the kind of woman to sit on his lap and fawn over him. Although when our thighs touched a pleasant tingle ran over my skin, culminating in fireworks in my core, I wished I’d taken his invitation.
The shuttle took off with a gentle tremble. There were no windows to show our progress, but the slight vibration made it seem like we were moving.
In stark contrast to the shuttle that had brought us onto the Valkyr, there were no magic seatbelts – or any seatbelts at all. We were already in space, so maybe there was no need for them, but I suspected this was an intentional message by the IGA. Our safety wasn’t important. They wanted to punish the Vikingar for breaking the rules. But what about us women? Did they see us as accomplices or victims?
I found out as soon as we arrived. The door we’d entered through opened, and a horde of aliens burst in, weapons drawn and pointed at the Vikingar. I could only sit and stare. The Mondian looked very human compared to some of these aliens. One was a robot, or a cyborg, resembling a medieval knight’s armour but with four arms and a square head. Another resembled a furry cone with no visible limbs. The most alien of them all, though, was a gelatinous blob that hovered three feet above the ground, pulsing in all the colours of the rainbow. A vaguely gun-shaped weapon floated in front of it, aiming at Njal.
Everything happened really fast. The Vikingar were told to get up and were surrounded in an instant, including my Errik. He was pulled from his seat before he could say anything.
“Don’t fight them,” I told him, but my words were lost in the ruckus around us. The aliens ignored me until the Vikingar had been herded to the door, only then did the Mondian approach me.
“Follow me, female.”
“My name is Holly,” I replied as firmly as I was able to. I shivered slightly from both the cold and from fear.
“Follow me, Holly,” the Mondian said, his furry face blank. “My superiors want to talk to you.”
I stumbled after him, past the group of aliens surrounding my mate. I tried to get one last glimpse of Errik, but they blocked him from view.
Just when we walked through the door, I followed a crazy impulse. I turned and shouted, “I love you!”
That had been a mistake. A roar followed my profession, then the sound of fighting. A furry hand clamped around my wrist and pulled me away from the shuttle. I stumbled, caught my balance, glared at the Mondian who was dragging me along. Not that he cared. He didn’t even look at me.
"Holly!" Errik cried from far away, a desperate call that splintered my heart in two. The grip around my arm tightened and the Mondian sped up, trying to get some distance between us and the Vikingar. Between me and my mate. As much as I wanted to run back, I knew it could risk everything. So I followed the alien, getting further away from my mate with every step.
14
Errik
