Page 43 of Mated to the Vikings

Lifting his eyebrow, he had a twinkle in his eyes. “I didn’t say with regard to splicing our DNA. I will give your scientists credit. What they managed to do is nothing short of extraordinary.”

I wasn’t entirely certain what he was getting at. “What reason was Cassia brought to Galerius?”

“A test of some kind. There will be other females sent, if they aren’t already on their way.”

“To reproduce.”

Steen chuckled. “Also not possible.”

“I don’t believe that Cassia has any true understanding of any of this.” I thought about Galerius, the beautiful terrain even in the harsh conditions was very similar to Earth, too much so to go unprotected. Then I thought about Earth, trying to remember what it looked like. Everything was slipping away.

“Perhaps, but she will still need to be treated as an enemy for the time being. Until we know for certain.”

“Is that necessary?”

He exhaled as he moved closer to the opening. “You are a man of few words, Erik. You also completely understand our customs, even better than some of our own kind. If she is as important to the survival of Earth Two as I believe she is, there is a possibility that she is very aware of her standings and simply lying to us. We will know with time. Even if she doesn’t know, she may never accept her status within our clan. We will go on with tonight’s ceremony as planned.”

“Yes, as I suspected you would.”

“But you don’t agree.” Steen had a smirk on his face.

“I’m not to question your leadership, Steen. I can understand your decision.”

I’d spanked her. I’d fucked her. Now, several of our kind would do the same. I had no right to be possessive, but in my mind, she would always belong to me.

“I honestly hope that you do.” He lifted a single eyebrow as he looked in my direction. When I hesitated, he continued. “I cannot imagine how difficult these last few weeks have been for you. I watched your transformation, unable to do anything to help you. I felt your pain. I anguished from your cries. You are now one of us and I am proud to have you by my side and as my brother.” He gripped my shoulder. “Thank you for freeing us and for accepting temporary leadership. You will be rewarded in many ways.”

“Steen, the other humans will be more prepared for a fight to the death if necessary. That is the way of humankind.”

“Sadly, you are right. They will pillage our food and destroy our compounds, enslave every viable male, turning them into merely functioning creatures, obeying their rules. And we will have little recourse to stop them, except for crude weapons we’ve been forced to accept as penance for landing on this planet. If our ships were operational, everything would be different.”

There was such tremendous anger within Steen, but he couldn’t have acquired all the information from overhearing Dr. Fields. The man wasn’t that stupid. I was wary of his rage and the various stories I’d heard.

“Now that their experiments have been proven accurate, the humans will arrive in force.” My words were laced with tremendous sadness. I clenched then flexed my fingers, staring at them.

“And we will be ready. I will not allow our guard to fall again. I assure you. This is our life now, not theirs,” Steen commented with a commanding tone. “The humans have no idea what they’ve done.”

“I mean no disrespect, but you don’t know them like I do. They have no other choice. They will die within two years without finding a new planet.”

A new home.

He patted my arm. “You are right. Humans are our enemies and will always be. They can promise everything but deliver nothing in return, except for deceit. Everything will be repaired as it should. Now, go to the female and prepare her for tonight. Discuss with her what you know and try and obtain as much information. There is no other choice.”

I had the distinct feeling Steen was far more important than I’d been told. Steen’s capture had been planned, the abduction indeed catching the entire compound off guard. At least this is what I’d been told after both his and Klar’s arrival, the story rich in detail. They’d both been mistreated during their capture and I’d witnessed their continued abuse on several occasions, much like what both David and I had been forced to endure. After their DNA had been harvested, the experiments begun, only then had Steen opened up, providing vivid details.

Then why was there a huge question remaining in the back of my mind, leaving me unconvinced as to the accuracy of the details?

“I am considering allowing David to mate with her,” Steen said in a casual fashion. He didn’t bother turning around, but he’d stopped on the outskirts of the garden.

“I’m not certain he is strong enough.”

“He will be. And it’s important.”

I opened my mouth to riddle him with additional questions but had no idea what to ask. He seemed to be consumed with his own issues. I’d garnered respect for the man during our incarceration, conversations we’d had after the lights had gone out. There was no reason for me to question him, his ethics or his decisions, but every ounce of my being screamed that I should proceed with caution. I understand that concept well. If I’d listened to my conscience all those years ago, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.

A bitter laugh surfaced and even if memories were hard to come by, my guilt remained, gutting me.

I was exhausted, my entire body aching. I held out my arm, flexing my fingers. I was continuing to change, to morph. How much more pain would I be forced to endure?