She shook her head in refusal. “No. He has you all fooled.”
I stepped in front of Gunnar and stroked over Sophia’s hair. “Look at me, mate.” I waited patiently as she turned her head and her dark, worried gaze met mine.
“Why are you so afraid? I have fought beside Gunnar in many battles, trusted him with my life. He is an honorable warrior and worthy mate. He is strong and will protect you with his life. If he were anything less, King Lev would not allow his mate, the Queen of Viken in his presence. I would not allow you to be near him.”
Gunnar was just as Erik said. Intimidating. Moody as hell. He did not show his emotions, but I knew that Sophia’s rejection of him was taking a toll.
“The man who attacked me had the same tattoo,” she murmured. “He’s a bad guy, working for them. He has you all fooled.”
“Tattoo?” Lev asked.
Leah crossed her arms and scowled in Gunnar’s direction. “A tattoo is an Earth term for a mark permanently etched into the skin with ink,” she clarified. “Sometimes they are a personal choice, body art. Earth soldiers use them to identify with a certain branch of service. But many criminals and gangs use tattoos to identify themselves to one another as well.” Leah looked up at Lev. “Do you use tattoos to indicate military service? Or ranks? Anything like that?”
“No, mate, we do not.” Lev pushed the Queen behind him, protecting her from Gunnar.
The guards who had accompanied the King and Queen closed in on Gunnar, raising their weapons to keep him at bay. I looked at Erik, confused. What the fuck was happening here?
I stepped between Gunnar and the nearest blaster, my hands up in the air. “Look. Everyone calm down until we get this sorted out. I trust Gunnar with my life. There has to be some kind of mistake.”
Gunnar’s hand came to rest on my shoulder and he squeezed in gratitude. “Thank you, Rolf. But I would know what frightens our mate.”
“What tattoo, Sophia? Where is it on Gunnar?” Leah asked.
I stepped out of the way so she could see our friend, her mate. She pointed. “It’s on the inside of his wrist.”
Gunnar looked down, then pushed up his sleeve. “This is the only mark I have.”
Sophia’s eyes widened in obvious fear and distrust. “Yes, that’s it. The three-headed serpent.”
“The man you killed had this mark, Sophia?” Gunnar asked, his voice calm, but with a sharp bite.
She shook her head. “No. Not him. The other one.”
Erik leaned down, his lips close to Sophia’s ear as he held her. “What other one?”
Sophia shoved at Erik’s arms, who finally relented and let her go. She stepped forward. Shaking, she held out her hand to Gunnar. He stared at her for a moment, before lifting the marked wrist to her.
She wrapped her hands around his wrist and turned the mark face up, tracing the outline with her finger.
Gunnar closed his eyes and I witnessed the shudder that passed through his body at her gentle first touch. I understood how he felt.
“The man I killed was a minion, nothing more,” she said. She had all our attentions. The King, the Queen, the guards were all in her thrall. But not for the reason I had once hoped, because we celebrated the arrival of our mate, but because she was speaking of evil. An evil that lurked on Viken that she knew nothing about, but had transported directly into. “The man with this mark was angry, and ordered the transport guy to kill me.”
“Why?” Gunnar asked, his gaze burning into Sophia with raw lust as she continued to hold his wrist. She was completely unaware of his need for her. I tried to step forward, to intervene in the questioning, but Lev held up his hand, stopping me. The royal guards who accompanied the Queen stood around Gunnar in a loose circle, their ion blasters all aimed at Gunnar’s head, waiting for a command.
The danger, and his mate’s touch, seemed to spike Gunnar’s lust. Crazy bastard. Shaking my head, I stepped back to stand next to Erik and watch events unfold. I had no doubt that Gunnar was innocent. He was my brother-in-arms. I’d trusted my life to him on more than one occasion. I would trust our mate with him now.
Sophia’s gaze seemed far away, as if she were going into shock. “He was angry. He wanted the Queen and the baby. Not me. He worked for someone in Central City. Is that a place here? When he realized their mistake, that I was sent by mistake, he ordered his minion to transport him back to the city. Then, kill me.”
“And this man you speak of, had a mark like mine?” Gunnar asked.
She raised her face to meet his gaze. “Yes. What does it mean?”
Lev cleared his throat. “I’d like an answer to that question as well.”
The guards surrounding Gunnar shifted, tightening their ring around my friend.
Gunnar held Sophia’s gaze as he answered her. “This is the mark of a Master Dominant at Club Trinity in Central City.”
Queen Leah gasped. “Club Trinity?”
Lev chuckled. “Ah, yes. I thought I’d seen that mark before.” Lev looked at Gunnar as Leah playfully slapped him on the shoulder.
“Of course you have,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Lev captured her hand in his and held it to his chest. “How many Masters are there?”
Gunnar shook his head. “I haven’t been there in twelve years. But, I don’t believe the club will have changed much.”
“It’s been there for three hundred years,” Lev said.
“Exactly,” Gunnar agreed. “And in all those years, there’s never been more than two hundred Masters at any one time.”
“Two hundred. I was hoping for a smaller number of potential targets.” Lev pulled Leah into his arms but spoke to the guards. “It’s all right, men. Lower your weapons.”
Sophia looked around wildly as her protection disappeared. Slowly, Gunnar pulled her forward until she was pressed to his chest. She did not fight him. “On my honor, mate, I vow I will kill the man who dared hurt you.”
“But?” Sophia turned her head to look at Leah with a question in her eyes.
Leah shrugged. “That tattoo is from a sex club in Central City.”
“Sex club?” I watched Sophia’s eyes widen and her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. She might have been surprised by the news, but she wasn’t afraid of it. No, our mate was intrigued…
“That club’s got nothing to do with the men who are trying to kill me,” Leah insisted.
“Why…why not? How do you know?” Sophia asked.
“The tattoo might help us find the man you saw, but won’t help us track down the leader of the VSS,” Leah answered, although Sophia didn’t look as if Leah’s answer had clarified anything for her. “Nor is the mark considered a poor reflection on Gunnar.”
“You’re mine now, Sophia.” Gunnar’s words had Sophia turning to face him.
“What’s the VSS and why do they want Leah dead?” She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t worry. You will.” Gunnar lowered his mouth and claimed Sophia’s lips in a display of blatant ownership that made me ache to step forward and join them.
***
Sophia
Gunnar’s kiss made me burn. Even now, three hours later, I could taste his lips on mine, feel the strength of his arms as he’d held me trapped in his embrace.
I should have screamed or kicked or something. Anything but what I did. Which was melt into his arms like a weak fool and open my mouth for his conquest.
And now? Now, I was in some kind of royal palace, surrounded by more servants than the freaking Queen of England. At least twenty women were in the bedchamber. Some cleaned, some decorated with flowers and candles until the room looked like a fairy tale in the making. I’d been soaked and fed, massaged and braided. My hair was in an elaborate set of braids and coils arranged with beautiful orange flowers. The rags I’d been wearing had been replaced with a long, beautiful gown the color of burnished copper. It draped over my body, hugging every curve as if it were made for me.
I looked lik
e a princess. But the butterflies in my stomach would not stop fluttering about. And as the maids began to disappear, one by one, my anxiety rushed into my throat.
I knew what was coming. My three mates, who were eager to claim me. These women were making me perfumed and perfect for them.
For their taking.
Three mates. At the same freaking time.
Holy shit. What had I gotten myself into?
Even as the thought passed through my body with a shiver of panic, my pussy grew wet, my breasts heavy. Memories from the bride processing center swirled in my mind, but this time, I had names and faces to put on the men touching me, fucking me, bringing me pleasure.
I’d been matched to all three of them. It was unheard of on Earth. Sure, there were threesomes -- or foursomes -- but that was just sex. A bucket list item to check off. I hadn’t even found one man I’d liked enough to keep around on Earth. But three? Forever?
I kept thinking that, over and over, as the women had worked on me as if I were a small child being dressed for a party.
Without doubt, each of my mates made my breath hitch and my pulse race. They were huge, handsome warriors. And soon, their complete attention would be on me.
I had survived the Corellis. I’d survived the transport mix-up and an asshole a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier trying to kill me. I could survive wild, three-man sex with Viken warriors who worshipped my body, who wanted nothing more than to win my heart and bring me pleasure.
Assuming that was, indeed, what they wanted. With Rolf and Erik, I was fairly confident. But Gunnar frightened me on a fundamental level I could not explain. He made me nervous and unsure. And it wasn’t just the tattoo on his wrist. No, it was the way he watched me, the way his gaze locked onto me like a predator’s, with complete focus.
He looked at me like he owned me, could do anything he liked with my body. And as much as that scared me, it excited me, too. I was afraid of him, but even more afraid of myself. Because after that one kiss, I wasn’t sure I would be able to refuse him anything. Anything at all. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to.
Alone in my room, I walked to the balcony overlooking the royal gardens below. Leah had explained that this was the royal fortress at Viken United, an island stronghold straight out of a medieval tale of knights and fair maidens. The castle was massive, and this room and the apartment suite attached to it was now mine. Forever.
Leah assured me, even if I did not choose to accept my mates, if I were to reject the match and choose another, this place would be mine as long as I lived on Viken.
And since there was no going back to Earth, like ever, that assurance settled me more than I’d thought possible.
Having the Queen of an entire planet on my side was proving to be pretty damn nice. Earth girls stuck together, even if we weren’t on Earth.
I walked to the chest-high rail and propped my arms on the edge. Below me, vast gardens spread in the center of the castle courtyard. Completely surrounded on all four sides, the gardens were the Queen’s sanctuary. Trees and flowers similar to those I’d seen in the forest stretched out below. I was on the fourth floor and could trace the many trails and gathering places down below. It was no Central Park, but it was more than big enough to wander in for hours. To escape.
I felt them before I heard them, their presence behind me sending a shiver down my spine.
Taking a deep breath, I turned, placing my back to the railing, and inspected the three men who were now mine standing before me. Big, so big.
Rolf, with his golden hair and easy grin, leaned against the doorframe, wearing tight pants and leather of a dark green with furs lining his cloak to match. His chest was bare, draped only with the leather of his sword’s scabbard where it hung over his back. Every muscle of his lean frame so well defined I could trace them with my tongue. His pants hung low on his hips and his abdomen looked like a washboard, the outline of the erection just below that made me gasp and I tore my gaze away.
Beside him stood Erik, his long brown hair let loose to hang around his shoulders like a rock star god. He wore a similar outfit, but a dark, chocolate brown. He, too, was bare chested and magnificent. Thicker than Rolf, his chest and shoulders were broad and muscled, massive. All too quickly did I remember the feel of being pressed to him in the forest when he’d held me. I could still smell his skin where I’d pressed my nose to his neck and breathed him in.
Shaking now, I turned to Gunnar, who stood with his head tilted and his arms crossed. He wore black. Of course, he was in fucking black. The dark color matched his hair and dark eyes, but unlike the others, he wore no cloak. His chest and shoulders were bare. Thick leather straps circled his wrists and arms, straps that appeared to have no purpose, but somehow made him even more virile.
Rolf stepped forward first, holding out his hand. “Are you ready, love?”
I shook my head and tried to step back, but I had nowhere to go. “Not exactly. You three are a bit intimidating all at once. I'm just an art dealer from New York City. Viken is a little… overwhelming. Like you.”
Gunnar nodded. “Of course, we are. That is our job, to be intimidating. To everyone but you.” He pointed at Erik. “You, inside. Rolf, let us know when she’s ready.”
Gunnar and Erik disappeared back into my room and I breathed a sigh of relief, until Rolf stepped forward and put his arms on either side of me, trapping me in place.
He leaned down until he was eye level with me, and I could do nothing but stare into his pale gaze. Where Gunnar would most likely pin me down with rope or restraints, Rolf didn’t need that. He just needed to look at me and I was enthralled.
“I want to kiss you, Sophia. I’ve been burning with envy at Gunnar’s kiss for hours.”
That made me laugh, made my nerves calm. Somehow, just a few words from him had me at ease. Had me feeling beautiful and desired. I licked my lips in anticipation as he lowered his to mine.
The kiss was nothing like Gunnar’s instant domination. This kiss coaxed and explored. Where Gunnar was aggressive, hard, Rolf was gentle and reverent. I melted. My nerves shoved away as I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him back. He stepped forward, closed the small space between us and pressed me into the railing. There was no escaping him, not that I wanted to. Rolf’s attentions were meant to soothe me, to ease me into the claiming. He was foreplay for what was to come.
The connection with Rolf did set me at ease, erased all my fears, all my worries. I had no idea what to do with three men, but they seemed to know what to do with me. I belonged to them and could easily be overwhelmed physically by all of them, but they’d known I needed space, needed coaxing. And with just the one kiss, I’d received it.
But so quickly, knowing Gunnar and Erik watched made me eager to tease them. I felt powerful and very feminine. And so when Rolf pulled back, I nodded.
I was ready.
Rolf lifted a black length of silk. “This is for your eyes, love.”
I fought for air, so turned on by the idea of having that thick fabric over my eyes, my hands shook. “Why?”
He leaned down and nuzzled my neck first, then my ear. I angled my head to give him better access. “Because Gunnar said so.”
I bit my lip, fighting the empty pulse of my core at his stark words.
Because Gunnar said so.
“Do you always do what Gunnar says?” I whispered, eyeing the blindfold.
He chuckled, his lips tracing up the line of my jaw. “No. But when it comes to you, mate, Erik and I are content to give Gunnar what he wants.”
“And what does he want?”
Gunnar stepped out onto the balcony.
“You screaming in pleasure,” he said. His voice was dark, his bearing dominant, but the look in his eyes was tender. Hot.
I gulped at the intensity.
“Do you want us, Sophia?”
I nodded immediately. I ached for more than just one kiss. And after the hell I’d been through the last few hours, hell, the l
ast few months, I was more than ready to forget everything but pleasure. Even more, I needed to feel connection to another person, to be anchored. I felt like a piece of driftwood in the sea for so long now, since my mother’s death. I had no immediate family, no business, no one to love.
Tears welled in my eyes and I looked away from the man watching me with complete focus. But Rolf was having none of it. He lifted his hand to my cheek and turned me back to face him. “Why the tears? Are you afraid, love? Please don’t be afraid. We would never hurt you.”
“I know.” I tried to smile, but knew the effort was wasted as his pale green eyes darkened in concern.
“Talk to me, Sophia. I am yours now. Tell me what troubles you.”
I am yours now. The finality, the commitment in his words shocked me to my core in a way I’d not anticipated. I shook my head, unable to express the explosion of emotion welling up from inside. I’d been alone for so damn long. I leaned into his hand and let him wipe away my tear with the pad of his thumb. “It’s stupid, Rolf. I’ve just been alone a really long time.”
“Alone?” he asked.
“My mother getting sick, the Corellis who forced me to work for them. My mother dying. My job as an art dealer turning from something I loved into something I hated. That ultimately sent me to jail. Alone,” I repeated.
“Well, you now have three very protective, dominant, obsessive mates. You might wish to be alone again soon enough.” He spoke in jest, but there was a distant hurt in his eyes I would explore later. Right now, I just wanted to snap the thread of tension that had been building inside me for days. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I was so fucking tired of waiting, of being alone.
“I’m ready, Rolf. Tell them I’m ready.” Hell yes, I was ready. Ready to be touched and held. Ready to believe that I’d never be alone again. Even if they didn’t love me, they wanted me. They would protect me and make me burn with lust. For now, that was enough. I needed to forget all about Earth, and orange jumpsuits, the mafia and assholes trying to kill me.
Mated To The Vikens (Interstellar Brides Book 8) Page 6