Page 26 of Mated to the Vikings

At least twenty of our male clan had gone missing, including the warrior leader, a man they called King. Steen was powerful and well respected, and I’d been given the task to free him.

Or risk being cast away.

The return howl of the others was my safety net. Other members of the Galerian clan were here, standing in the twilight waiting for the right time.

To fight.

To take back what belonged to our kind.

To destroy our enemies.

Darkness. Anger. Intense sadness.

I’d experienced all of these since arriving on this godforsaken planet, but the transformation had riddled me with crushing emotions and blank spots. I also had recurring nightmares, wretched visions leaving me unable to sleep for any length of time. Headaches were a constant issue, keeping me edgy and today was no exception. Even my muscles were tense.

But on this day, my razor-sharp senses were hanging on the precipice for an entirely different reason.

Because of her, the beautiful spirit who’d walked into my life in the middle of the treacherous terrain. I shuddered at the thought. I envisioned her glowing skin and voluptuous lips, and the way she looked at me. All fire and brimstone. I wanted her. I craved her.

And I’d taken her, allowing others to join in. What I’d done was dangerous to our kind and to our effort, but I hadn’t been able to resist. Sharing was a distinct custom of the clans.

Tasting her had been incredible. Fucking her was what my body and soul needed, sating the beast dwelling deep within. Steen would have issues. Of that I had no doubt, but I’d been so drawn to her, connected in a visceral manner.

“It’s time, my brother. We will rule again,” Brexin said, such eagerness in his voice.

“We proceed with caution,” I reminded him.

“Is there any other way?” His humor had returned, his lust for life. I admired that in the man.

Huffing, I jammed my walking stick into the snow, propelling my body forward. The darkness would become our friend, keeping us safe from the other creatures patrolling the forest, true animals similar to those on Earth. Boars and tigers, bears and reptiles. They were all represented in some fashion, their hunger just as severe as our own.

The humans had no idea just how precarious their life truly was. They also had no idea about our plan of attack and they wouldn’t until it was too late.

This was a dangerous place, more so than ever and certainly more than the day I’d arrived. I stood in the forest, glaring at the compound, the bitter cold lapping at my skin. There was no amount of fur that could alleviate the frigid temperatures. The others were behind me, waiting for my orders. They’d killed several of the visitors and I hadn’t been able to stop them.

Although I wasn’t entirely certain I would have tried.

Another group coming to destroy our people, to steal from us and hunt.

I rubbed pellets of ice from my face in order to scan the perimeter. The scientists thought their facility was impenetrable, but I knew every weakness, steel that could be bent by the strength of our numbers and locations where our explosive weapons would penetrate. The attack hadn’t been planned, but now, there was no choice.

We have to save the creatures.

We had to save her.

I had to have her.

Taste her.

Own her.

The thought was primal, savage in nature, but our actions were necessary.

A war was about to begin. The choice we made today would alter the course of the future. For humans. For beasts. For monsters. Were we all that much different?

We’d sensed the arrival of the shuttle before hearing the crash. We’d known another group of humans would come. And another. Ready to consume our land and enslave our people. Ready to control.

Ready to kill.