Claimed by Her Mates(13)
“I am on Viken, right?” The room was large, yet sparse. The floor was of similar wood to the ceiling, the walls white. There were windows on the long ends of the room, but the only thing I could see beyond them was greenery. I didn’t feel like I was off-planet, or that I’d traveled halfway across the galaxy. I felt like I was in an ancient building looking out at an old growth forest near the sea. I could smell damp and salt, heavy and thick, saturating the air as only a large body of water could.
It wasn’t like the sci-fi movies on TV. He didn’t wear silver. He didn’t have a third arm. He didn’t even look the least bit green. He looked normal. Old, but normal.
“Yes. Welcome to Viken, my lady. What is your name?”
“Leah.” I didn’t mean to be rude, but my match was nearby. I just had to tell this man I was ready and he would take me to him. Was I ready? Would I ever be? The good news was that I wasn’t on Earth. My fiancé couldn’t reach me here and no one could send me back.
However, the idea of going off-planet and being fucked and claimed by a complete stranger had seemed sound, but the reality, actually being here was a little scary. I knew nothing about the planet Viken or what Vikens looked like. What did my match look like? I’d never even considered the possibility of his age or his appearance. I hadn’t wanted a mate, not really. I’d simply wanted to escape the vile man who wanted to treat me like chattel on Earth. But now, now I was… nervous.
Regardless, I was here on another planet and I couldn’t escape my destiny. So I took a deep breath and said, “I’m ready.”
He stood slowly and held out a hand, helping me down from the table. My long dress fell to my ankles, the material heavy. I followed him to the door. As I walked, I felt a slight tugging on my clit. Odd. I paused mid-step at the zing that coursed through me, shrugged it off. When I took another two steps and I felt it again, I knew something wasn’t right.
I blushed, for I couldn’t tell this old man that there was something wrong with my clit, nor could I pull up the long length of my dress to investigate, no matter how curious I was. Heat washed over me, not from embarrassment, but from newfound desire, and I licked my lips. I wanted to reach down and touch myself, but that wasn’t appropriate. Was this new sensation because I was on Viken? I had to worry about it later, so I bit down on my lip and passed through the door he held open.
The connecting room was equally large, but with no table. Only a few chairs lined the walls. The room wasn’t my focus, but the men lined up before me. They were all tall and muscular, quite large. In fact, very large. It seemed Viken men appeared to be almost exactly like Earth men, but impressively bigger. All of them stared at me with interest and curiosity. I had to remember that they probably hadn’t seen a woman from Earth before. We were equally intrigued.
The old man now stood beside me and lifted his chin in the direction of the line of men. “Your match was successful; however, on Viken, proof of the connection is required.”
I turned my head and looked down at him. “Connection?”
“A natural bond between a matched pair.” When I continued to frown, he explained. “Just walk past all of the men and tell me which one is your match.”
“Just… just walk past them and I’ll know?” I glanced at the men. They gave nothing away, only avid curiosity. There were at least ten men in all, all in their prime. Some were more handsome than others, some stared at me like I was a curiosity and some like they wanted to devour me where I stood. One man in particular watched me as if he could see the flutter of my pulse racing in my neck, as if he counted the rapid rise and fall of my panicked breathing. I met his gaze and quickly looked away, frightened and feeling like a fawn being stalked by a panther.
The men all wore similar clothing and it seemed there were two kinds of warriors: barbarians in furs and leathers and scholars in robes. Both types of men carried weapons strapped to their backs: swords, bows, and spears. For an advanced race, an alien race, they appeared to be rather primitive in the ways they made war.
I felt like I’d stepped off Earth and into an episode of my favorite Viking television show. If the men had grown beards, they would have looked like medieval warriors from ancient Earth.
How would I know which of these men was mine? What if I chose the wrong man by mistake? “Is this a trick? Are you planning to send me back to Earth if I choose the wrong warrior?”
Panic flared at the idea of ending up back on Earth. Warden Egara would shake her head in disgust and I’d be kicked out of the processing center. I’d be alone, penniless and lost, and I had no doubt that my fiancé would find me and punish me for running away. Perhaps this time he would not stay his hand. Perhaps he would just strangle me and be done with it.