Page 19 of Drengr
My body was a swollen mass of pain.
I leaned against the cool wall of my cell and tried to remember what had happened. I'd fought. And I'd lost. They'd beaten me to a pulp until I'd been barely conscious, before dragging me into this empty room. I'd lost track of Njal and Rune in the chaos. My Captain had tried to stop them, but he'd clearly failed. I dimly remembered Rune holding me, telling me to snap out of it, but I'd ignored the berserkr. My mate had called for me. Nothing had mattered besides the urge to hold her in my arms.
I love you.
Her words echoed in my mind, again and again.
I love you.
I never got to say it back to her. I'd hesitated for just a moment and that had been enough for them to take Holly away.
I rubbed my aching temples. At least the pain in my dick and mating axe was overshadowed by the agony in every part of my body. They'd done a good job with their beating. I'd be bruised all over for days unless I somehow got access to a medpod. After that fight, I doubted they'd release me back onto the Valkyr, even if Njal and the others miraculously managed to convince them of our good intentions.
I'd messed up. I'd put everything in jeopardy. Now I was stuck in a cell with no idea where my mate was. The bond told me that she was alive, but nothing more. Over time, our mating bond would strengthen, and I'd eventually get to feel some of her emotions, but we'd not spent enough time together for that to happen. I didn't even know if she was well, if she was in pain, if they'd hurt her. A growl broke from my throat. If they'd so much as pulled out a single hair from that beautiful silver mane, I'd kill them all. Politics be damned.
I love you.
Why had I hesitated? I was such ahrafnasueltir. I'd not had the guts to tell her the truth. When she'd said those magic words, for just a moment, I'd heard another voice whisper them to me. Randi, my kvenn. An echo, a memory. It had been enough to make me hesitate. Enough to ruin the moment. Had Holly noticed? Had she expected me to tell her that I loved her? Or did she know that I hadn't got the chance, that I would tell her the next time I saw her, in private.
IfI saw her again.
I clenched my fists. My knuckles were bloody, my fingernails sore. Dark green blood was still wet underneath them. I must have scratched someone. I didn't really know what I'd done to the IGA guards. But to have hurt me this badly, I must have done some proper damage before they overpowered me.
Skitr. What had I done? We'd come here to broker peace, to get official permission to source mates from Peritus. If it all failed because of me, what would I do? The shame would be too much to bear. Holly would surely reject me. Who'd want to be with avitskertr who turned violent at the wrong moment? Even Rune, a berserkr known for his outbursts, had managed to stay calm. But not me.
Time passed slowly. Nobody came to offer me something to drink nor to check on my injuries. So, I sat there, waiting, drowning in self-pity, wishing I could change what I'd done. And most of all, I craved Holly. Even with the pain racking my body, my cock was still hard. It was a ridiculous state of affairs, but I couldn't help it. It tented my blood-soaked breeches, showing anyone who would look just how much I desired my mate. There were no obvious cameras in this cell, but that didn't mean that nobody was watching. I was in an IGA cell. Of course, they were watching.
At some point, I dozed off into feverish dreams full of loss and pain. I welcomed them. I deserved them.
* * *
"Errik. Get up."
I blinked at Njal, flanked by two Mondians. My Captain's expression was grave as he stared down at me. "Get up."
Every muscle protested that command, but I slowly staggered to my feet, using the wall for support. My right ankle didn't feel right. Maybe it was broken. Not that I'd let the Mondians suspect that. I couldn't show any more weakness than I already had. I wouldn't dishonour my Captain further than I already had.
"He needs medical treatment," Njal said to the Mondian to his right. "He can't perform like this. Besides, he'd get blood all over the female."
"Unfortunately, you are right," the Mondian grunted with disapproval.
I met Njal's stern glance. "What's going on?"
"Holly has spoken on your behalf. On all our behalf, really. They have accepted her proposal, but we need to get you cleaned up first. And then you better give them the show they want."
"Proposal? What show?"
"Hurry, follow me," one of the Mondians barked and left the room, Njal at his heels. The other Mondian waited for me to move. Gritting my teeth, I followed Njal, wordlessly cursing my ankle. With every step, a burning agony shot up my leg. I barely managed not to limp, but I knew I was probably making things worse by putting my full weight on it.
My vision was blurry around the edges. Had I been hit on the head? Or maybe I'd lost too much blood. Either way, I wouldn't be able to walk for much further before my injuries would become obvious to the Mondians.
"In here," the guard at the front commanded. "Lie in the medpod, hurry."
If he told me to hurry one more time, I'd - no, I wouldn't. I'd learned from my mistake.
I did as he told me to, stretching out in the spacious medpod. The lid closed over me, locking me inside. Their voices dimmed, leaving me to rest in peace. A blue light shone into my eyes, and I blinked, but it was gone already. A deep lethargy took hold of me and I drifted off again, almost reaching the blissful depths of sleep-
"Wake up. It's done. It's time for the trial."
