“Stupid fucking transport codes. Not the fucking queen,” he mumbled to himself.
With the vibrations, the bright yellow light and other man gone, I was positive I was in some sort of transport center, although the room looked old and long forgotten, paint peeling and malfunctioning lights at odd intervals along the gray walls. The room was tiny. The transport pad looked big enough to hold three or four people and the only door in or out was to my left.
I waited for the ensign to turn away from me. I leapt to my feet, making a run for it, hoping I had surprise on my side.
I gripped the door’s handle and pushed. Relief flooded me as the door opened and I raced outside. My dress tangled around my ankles and I stumbled, taking two short steps before the guy grabbed me from behind.
“Get back here!” he snarled, spinning me around.
I faced him, feeling like a toddler as he towered over me. His grip on my arm tightened and he cursed.
“Gods be damned, you’re so fucking small. I don’t want to do this.”
Small? Sure, I was five-two without heels, but I wasn’t going to debate with him if he didn’t want to kill me.
“Then don’t. Just let me go. I won’t say anything. I promise.” My heart was in my throat.
His dark eyes were frantic and I could tell he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. I’d met enough of Corelli’s enforcers to recognize fear when I saw it. He was more like one of the Corelli family’s new recruits, young and wet behind the ears. But often, those were the most dangerous because they’d been backed into a corner with no way out.
He shook his head, debating what to do. “I’d be a dead man if they found out.”
“No one will ever know. I swear.”
He studied me, his grip painful. “Who are you? Who’s coming for you?”
“No one.” At least, no one I knew. Warden Egara had promised me that I was being sent to three Viken mates, but I had no idea if they would even know anything had happened to me.
“You were transporting to Viken United. Why?”
“I don’t know.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re a bride. A fucking Interstellar Bride.”
My eyes widened when he spat the truth and I shook my head, trying to think of a lie, anything to get him to let me go.
“Don’t bother with your lies.” He reached behind him with his free hand and pulled out a gun. Yes, it was a gun. A space gun, but I’d seen enough to know. It was shiny metal, bright like silver. It was small, too small, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t powerful. I didn’t see a place for bullets, but dead was dead, bullet or not. “You’re a bride. Gods be damned. Who’s coming for you?”
“I don’t know,” I repeated, my voice rising in my panic.
He snarled at me. “Fuck. Your mate will probably bring an entire fucking squadron to hunt me down.”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve never even met him.” I wasn’t going to tell him I had three mates.
“Shut up.” Sweat dripped from his brow to his cheek and the veins at his temples bulged just under his skin. He was afraid, and that wasn’t good for my odds of survival. “It doesn’t fucking matter. Don’t you get it? He’ll come for you. A fucking warrior’s bride.”
I tugged on my arm, trying to break free. “Let me go!” I shouted.
“He’ll come for you, all right. And fucking rip me in half.” His grip tightened until I cried out in pain, worried he’d break one of the bones in my arm, or dislocate a shoulder. “Fucking bride. How did this happen? I’m doomed. Fucking doomed!”
Rage fueled my courage. I’d let the Corellis scare me into cooperating, doing anything and everything they wanted. Even after my mother was dead and buried, they forced me to smuggle for them. Drugs. Money. Technology. Art. Diamonds. They threatened to kill me, and I’d done what they wanted. I’d cowed down and let them rule me. And for what? All I got out of it was a prison sentence and a one-way ticket to this ass-backward planet. Fuck this.
I pulled back and kneed him in the groin with every ounce of strength I had. “Asshole!”
He dropped like a stone, but wouldn’t release his grip, nearly dragging me to the ground with him. The gun was in his free hand and he aimed it at my face where it hovered mere inches above his own. I grabbed his wrist with both hands and shoved, hard, forcing the point of the weapon away from me. It fired once, the sound like a bottle rocket exploding between us. A white blast of light shot out and pulsed toward the trees.
Growling, he rolled onto his side and tried to push me to the ground, but I held on to his wrist with all my might. I was breathing hard and my feet were tangled in the dress. With my arms busy, I used my legs again, kneed him once more. Either Viken men had bionic balls or his adrenaline was running as high as mine. All the strike did was make him suck in his breath and allow me to come down on top of him where he lay flat on his back. I loomed over him, looked into his dark, angry eyes, but he still had the gun.
“I’m going to kill you,” he growled.
“Go ahead and try, you asshole.” Something inside me snapped, and with it went all my fear. If I died here, so be it, but I was tired of being afraid. Bullied. Used by powerful men who treated me like an expendable pawn. I bent down, sinking my teeth deep into the flesh of his hand until I felt my teeth break through flesh to meat and my mouth flooded with blood.
He howled in pain and pulled his arm away from me, toward his chest and I pushed my advantage. I had no idea where my strength came from, perhaps my rage at the Corellis poured out of me, but I was able to bend his wrist at an odd angle and push down. His arm collapsed at the odd angle and I fell on top of him. The hand he’d used to hold the gun lay trapped between us. I arched my back, trying to keep my body out of his line of fire as I twisted his wrist even more, hoping to hear bone snap.
I heard a pop, saw a slight flare of bright light. Not his wrist. The weapon had been fired.
Had I been shot? For a split second, I panicked, worried my rage and shock would block the pain of my injury. I gritted my teeth and tried to focus on my body, but I felt nothing but the racing beat of my heart as I fought to draw air in and out of my body. I shook, each shuddering breath a struggle as I blinked slowly, trying to understand. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion and I watched with a detachment I could hardly fathom.
His legs became lax as the fight left him. Beneath me, his body softened as his muscles relaxed. His hold on my arm loosened and his hand slid to the ground. He looked at me with wide eyes, as if stunned. Pushing away from his chest, I grabbed the gun and scrambled backward on my hands and knees, away from him.
The light shining through the uppermost canopy of trees filtered down to dance on his chest, the blood coating the front of his shirt spread in a bright red bloom over the dark green fabric.
So, the Vikens bled red, just like humans.
I watched him fade, the taste of his blood in my mouth twisted my stomach and I rolled to my side as my body was racked with dry heaves. I hadn’t eaten in long hours, and for once, I was thankful for an empty stomach.
Chilled to the bone, I turned away from him and climbed to my feet. I stood on shaky legs and saw that his eyes had become glassy and blank. My heart thundered in my ears but the rest of me felt completely numb.
He was dead. I killed him.
I jerked my head around, left then right, looking for more enemies, more threats. We were in the center of a clearing with only the small building, squat and covered in what appeared to be moss. I turned, slowly, and felt like I’d stepped into a magical forest. Tall trees loomed like skyscrapers overhead, so thick and green I could barely see the color of the sky beyond. The ground was soft beneath my feet, springy with a mixture of moss and thick, lush grass.
I felt as if I'd walked into a Monet painting. I longed to have my paints so I could put the incredible beauty to canvas. It was… perfection. Everything was damp, as if it had just rained. Verdant and humid, sweat gathered on my brow as the sounds of anim
als I didn’t know chirped and squawked from their hidden roosts. Climbing vines wound their way from tree to tree, and every few inches along their length an exotic flower, larger than my open palm, decorated the forest with vibrant pink and purple, orange and gold petals. Viken was lovely. Colorful. Strangely beautiful and I wanted to paint it all.
Except for the dead man at my feet.
I looked down at the strange weapon in my hand, pointed it at the ground a few feet away and squeezed. Nothing happened. I tried again and again, but the weapon was useless.
Irritated, I tossed the gun aside and turned my back on the small building. I needed water, something to get the taste of death out of my mouth, but I couldn’t go back into the transport center. What if the man with the tattoo came back to finish what the ensign had started? What if someone else did?
I had to get away. I wasn’t safe here, even with this man now dead. Even with nature all around me. I had no idea where I was. There could be others about who would find me. How would I explain the dead body?
Walking into the woods, I didn’t look back. I was an alien here. They’d see the dead Viken and I’d be looking at a murder charge. Why would anyone listen to me? I was from Earth. I was on another planet. Were there any laws governing the right to kill in self-defense on Viken? God, I couldn’t go to prison. That was why I volunteered for the Bride Program in the first place.
First things first, I had to put as much distance as possible between myself and this fucking horror story.
The woods closed around me and I kept walking until the small building disappeared from my view. Looking around, I saw no obvious path and had no idea which way to go. The forest looked the same in every direction.
It didn’t matter which way I chose, as long as I ran far, far away.
I picked up the hem of my dress and dashed through leaves and vines, wound my way past trees and flowers, and kept moving until my legs ached and my lungs burned.
I’d survived on Earth with the Corellis. I would keep going until I found some people who looked friendly enough to ask for help. The language thing that giant needle had poked into my skull as part of my processing on Earth must have worked, because I’d understood the two men who’d wanted me dead all too well.
Yes, running was a risk. But staying, waiting for tattoo man to come back and finish the job, seemed worse.
I found a small stream and rinsed my mouth, splashed water on my face and kept moving.
Yeah, I might die out here. But at this point, I had nothing left to lose.
Chapter Three
Gunnar, Viken Transport Room
The technician had a better angle than I, and he paled, swaying on his feet. “My Queen?”
She sat slowly, a baby in her lap, both with dark red hair. The Queen turned to face me, confusion written on her face. “Where am I? Gunnar? Erik? What is going on?”
“Wolf!” Baby Allayna lifted her arms when she saw one of her favorite playmates, Rolf. The tiny girl could not say his name properly, and so he’d become Wolf. I learned from the Queen that a wolf was an animal on Earth, fierce and loyal, ruthless and cunning. She considered it to be apt, for my friend was all those things.
Rolf hurried forward and lifted Allayna from Queen Leah’s arms.
I bowed my head and stepped forward, offering my hand to assist her from the transport pad. “My Queen, what are you doing here?”
She looked around, confused. “We were transporting to Sector Three. My mates are already there, awaiting our arrival.”
Erik barked at the transport technician. “Contact the transport room in Sector Three immediately. Her mates will be ready to tear the place apart.”
“Yes, sir.” The wide-eyed technician followed Erik’s order, his voice clipped but firm as he contacted the other transport room and let Queen Leah’s mates, Tor, Lev and Drogan, know that their mate and daughter were both alive and well.
“Transport imminent. Please clear the pad,” the technician yelled the warning, and I tugged on the Queen’s hand until she was safely behind me as the transport pad fired up once more.
Seconds later, Lev stood on the platform, his scowl made fierce by the deep scar over his right eye. Lev was one of our triplet kings, but he’d been raised in Sector Two, my sector. He was the most ruthless of the brothers, the most feared. There was no forgiveness in him, no softness, at least not until Queen Leah.
Leah cried out and ran into his arms. “Lev!”
We silently watched him transform from tense warrior to comforting mate as he held her close. He lifted his arm in a silent command for Rolf to bring his daughter to him. Rolf stepped forward and Lev lifted the tiny girl into his arms as if she were the most delicate glass. A shudder racked the King’s body. The little one nuzzled into her father’s neck and I had to turn away. I could not stand the sight of so powerful a warrior broken by fear for his loved ones.
He was decimated by just a transport malfunction. Witnessing such vulnerability served as an effective yet simple reminder that it was better not to love. To risk such complete despair over a mate.
With his mate and daughter safely in his arms, Lev’s attention turned to me. His jaw was tense, his eyes fierce. “What the fuck is going on here, Gunnar?”
I slowly shook my head, not cowed by the King’s harsh tone. “We don’t know, sir. We gathered to await the arrival of our mate from Earth.”
Lev looked around, his arm tightening about his lovely mate’s waist. I doubted he would let her go anytime soon. Leah clung to him with complete trust. But even Lev, a ruler of our planet, had not been able to keep his mate safe in something as simple as a transport. She could have been sent anywhere.
“VSS?” Lev looked to the transport technician when he spoke. “And did you confirm transport from Earth?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then where is their mate?” The King’s tone was clipped, but the younger man shrugged.
“I don’t know, sir. We’ll have to run detailed analysis of the system signals. This type of mid-transport coordinate shift is impossible.”
“Erik. Find out what the fuck is going on.” I ordered my friend to take over transport control without a second thought. Erik had a special gift for technology, for puzzles. If we faced an enemy, I preferred a head-to-head confrontation. Rolf, the trickster, always talking, would try to manipulate or confuse his enemy before a strike. But Erik excelled at solving unsolvable puzzles, and for understanding our technology in a way I never could. His ability to rebuild communication pods and weapons had saved all our lives on more than one mission on the front line of the Interstellar Coalition’s war with the Hive.
Erik frowned, his long dark hair pulled back and tied behind his head like a shadow. His fingers raced over the control panels as he ran an analysis with the much younger, less-experienced transport technician watching with dawning awe. “I don’t know, Gunnar. It looks like the transport beams crossed and both of the women were redirected.”
“Was Sophia sent to Sector Three in the Queen’s place?” Rolf asked, his tone tense. He was always so calm, but now, he had the dark, commanding look usually reserved for Erik or myself. His fair coloring and easy manner fooled so many, hiding the pain he carried inside.
I paced as Erik made contact with Sector Three’s transport, eager to know our mate was safe.
Our mate. Sophia. I’d lied to my brothers-in-arms when telling them I had not studied her profile. I had, in fact, memorized every detail. I knew the exact curve of her cheek, the golden flecks of color that made her right eye slightly lighter than her left. I’d read her entire application data log. Knew she was too small, too fragile, too fucking pure for a man like me. But none of that mattered. Now that I’d seen her, knew she was mine, I wanted to taste her, to sink my cock into her body and watch her eyes cloud with need. I’d agreed to the bride program’s match, agreed to be her mate for life. I’d even agreed to the royal family’s request that I share her with Rolf and Erik.
I’d vowed to care for her, protect her, and give her everything she needed. But I could not love her. Love would be left to Erik and Rolf. Love, for me, would be an impossible feat—but that did not mean I wanted harm to come to her. Not like Loren. The woman from Sector Two who I'd loved so long ago.
I'd loved her too much, allowed her every indulgence and she'd died for it. Drowned in a lake late one night with her friends. They hadn't watched her closely enough, lost her in the darkness. If I'd been there, she would have been protected, watched over. But no.
With Sophia, I would protect her with my life. Dominate her if need be, but not love. No, I couldn't love again. And yet, Sophia was mine. Just like Rolf and Erik were mine. Just like the three Kings and their lovely mate, Leah, were mine. Little Allayna, with her bouncing red curls and big blue eyes. Mine. I protected what was mine. Whoever had threatened our mate would die by my hand.
The transport technician looked to us as Erik cursed, shaking his head. “Their transport room confirmed no transport occurred. Sophia Antonelli is missing.”
Lev moved to stand directly beside Erik and watched his fingers move over the display. If Lev knew how to use the machinery, he would have pushed the big warrior out of the way and done it himself. He had to stand by, like I did, helpless to find my mate.
“Were there any other transports occurring?” the King asked.
The technician frowned, his hands moving over the control station at a frantic pace. “Yes. One other.”
Erik stood on the other side of the technician, his eyes narrowing as he, too, read the reports. Erik’s eyes were serious, the color of storm clouds. Erik did not play the lighthearted Viken, as Rolf did. Nor did he feel the weight of the darkness as I. He walked in a cloud of gray, apathetic and detached from the world. I knew he’d lost his family, every single one of them, in a brutal attack. He’d never offered details, not in the ten years I’d fought by his side in the Hive war. He kept his dark secrets even when buried balls deep in a willing woman or neck deep in his cups, too drunk to stand.
Mated To The Vikens (Interstellar Brides Book 8) Page 3