Mated To The Vikens (Interstellar Brides Book 8)(13)

“I’m not waiting. Our mate is out there, alone and scared. Don’t ask me to wait.”

The King scowled, but it was Queen Leah who won him to our side. “Lev. Let Gunnar handle it. Please. What would you do if it were me and Allayna out there in the wilds?” Queen Leah placed her hand over his heart and leaned into him.

I saw the moment he changed his mind. “All right. But they were after the Queen. I know you want to gut them, but we need them alive for questioning.” He looked down at his mate and lifted his hand to lightly run his fingers over the soft, downy curls of his infant daughter. “It’s time to force these bastards out of hiding.”

“Understood.” I wanted to kill the men who’d dared threaten what was mine, but I agreed. I’d take them alive, if I could, and let the interrogators have them.

Leah tugged at the King’s hand and carried the princess onto the transport pad with her mate following behind. “We have to attend the peace negotiations, Lev. We must go. If you don’t show up, the Sectors will start talking. They’ll use it against us.”

Lev gently kissed the top of her head, but his body vibrated with anger and frustration at unanswered questions. His female had been in danger—still could be—and he could not resolve it himself.

“You’re right.” Our King lifted his gaze to mine, one warrior from Sector Two demanding full vengeance from another. “Take care of this. Find your mate. Claim her. Make her safe.”

“We will.”

“And bring these spineless cowards to me,” he said.

The princess tugged on her father’s shirt with her chubby fingers and the gentleness of his touch belied the violence of his words.

“Yes, sir.” I’d hunt down every single Viken who was involved in the kidnapping, not only because our King demanded it, and not because they’d threatened the Queen’s life, but because they’d taken what was mine. My mate.

Lev ordered the technician to transport them back to Sector Three. The King, Queen and Allayna disappeared moments later, the silence in the transporter room deafening.

“Confirm their arrival at the Sector transport center,” Rolf commanded.

The technician swiped the display a few times, then we heard Lev’s voice. “We arrived safely. Find your mate.”

He ended the connection without signing off. What more was there for him to say? We could not delay. While the Queen and princess were safe, the same could not be said for our mate. She was in the fucking wilds. Alone. No protection.

Erik and Rolf both turned to me. I was the highest-ranking officer among us, and more, I needed to be in control like I needed to breathe. The need to command was like an infection in my blood. “If our mate is in the wilds, then the transport pad has not been destroyed. The separatists put out false information,” I said.

The technician looked confused.

“As soon as we’re gone, find out who signed the fucking report.”

“Yes, sir.” I saw realization dawn in the young man’s eyes and behind it, rage. Good. He was young, but loyal. He would take the threat to his Queen and the princess very seriously.

Erik nodded. “The transport station at those coordinates is still operational and receiving.”

“Are you both fully armed?” I asked, inspecting my friends and fellow warriors.

Erik scoffed at me, as if the question were idiotic. It was. We never went anywhere these days without our weapons.

I nodded at them and we stepped up onto the transport pad. “Let’s go get our mate.”



***



Sophia



I had no idea how long I walked through the woods. At first, I’d run. Then I’d stumbled over the rough undergrowth and tripped over the stupid dress. I hadn’t heard anyone following me and so I slowed. Besides, the stitch in my side wasn’t going away and it only reminded me that I rarely hit the gym. Animals were around. I could hear them, see a few small ones scurry off.

With the thick forest cover, there was no direct sunlight. Or suns? How many did Viken have? It wasn’t cold, in fact, I was sweating in my heavy dress. I came to a stream and knelt beside it, cupped the cool water in my hands and drank. I’d probably get some kind of funky parasite, but I wasn’t going to die of thirst. And thank God, the water tasted like…well…water. The knees of my dress became damp and stuck to me, clinging to my legs and weighing me down when I stood.

I undid the buttons and shrugged off the heavy, cumbersome garment. Beneath, I wore a simple white slip that fell to just above my knees. It wasn’t any more revealing than a short sundress on Earth. Tugging at the scooped neckline, I peeked beneath and saw that I wore something halfway between a corset and a bra. My girls were well contained and didn’t bounce around, so I was thankful. Leaving the dress behind, I continued walking, following the edge of the stream. The shoes I wore were simple and flat. I didn’t know what would happen to them if they got wet, so I stuck to the dry bank and didn’t feel the need to cross.