by Lee Savino
“They are homes, Sage,” Thorbjorn said. “For Berserkers, and their mates.”
“Their mates,” Rolf repeated. “Your friends.”
“My friends.” Suddenly my eyes stung.
“Your family,” Thorbjorn murmured. “I told you. We will give you everything. You will want for nothing in our care.”
My vision blurred. I hugged Thorbjorn, pushing my face into his chest. I swallowed once, twice, breathing until I was able to look up and meet his gaze. “Your family, too.”
He kissed my forehead. I laughed a little, swiping at my tears. When I drew away, Thorbjorn caught my hand. Rolf took my other, and together my mates led me down the path to see my friends.
The End
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Sage, Thorbjorn, and Rolf’s story. I had no idea when I started to write it how angst-filled it would be. My characters come to me with their “lives” already formed, and I just sit back and watch their story unfold.
That said, Laurel, Ulf, and Haakon’s story is going to be a lot lighter--just good, plain fun. :)
I hope you’re enjoying the Berserkers! I have many more books planned. After all, there are a lot of women to save from that abbey, and a whole pack of Berserkers who need mates. You can expect Laurel, Fern, and Sorrel’s story in the next few months. I’m writing them in between working on my new Draekon series with author Lili Zander.
Thank you to everyone who writes me and tells me they love the Berserkers. If you have a friend you think would like the series, you can point them to Sold to the Berserkers or Rescued by the Berserker.
The Berserker Books
Remember to download your free book at www.leesavino.com
The Berserker Saga
Sold to the Berserkers
Mated to the Berserkers
Bred by the Berserkers (FREE novella only available at www.leesavino.com)
Taken by the Berserkers
Given to the Berserkers
Claimed by the Berserkers
Berserker Brides
Rescued by the Berserker
Captured by the Berserkers
Kidnapped by the Berserkers
Bonded to the Berserkers
Berserker Babies
Owned by the Berserkers
Night of the Berserkers
Tamed by the Berserkers
Mastered by the Berserkers - coming in 2020
Berserker Warriors
Ægir (formerly titled The Sea Wolf)
Siebold - coming in 2020
Bonded to the Berserkers
I am an orphan, locked away in the abbey. Men call me beautiful, but I am destined for a life working in the kitchens --until the Berserkers capture me.
These Viking warriors are cursed, but my heart beats faster in their presence. My insides grow weak, desire filling me like fine wine. They draw wicked feelings from me and make me yearn for more.
I long to escape, but deep down, I know I’ll never be free.
I belong to the Berserkers, and they to me.
Author’s Note: Bonded to the Berserkers is a standalone, full-length MFM ménage romance starring two huge, dominant warriors who make it all about the woman. Read the whole best-selling Berserker saga to see what readers are raving about…
***
Laurel
The first scream came from the dormitory. It came loud and clear, ringing through the kitchen where I stood with my arms elbow-deep in soapy water.
“Curses,” I muttered, grabbing a cloth to dry my hands. Who was awake and shouting at this late hour? Which one of the orphans had cried out? We all knew to stay quiet, even when being punished.
Sage rushed in from the back hall. She was my age, but small and frail, and much too thin.
“What is it? What is happening?” I asked.
“Somebody cried out,” she said. “One of the girls must be having a nightmare.”
That couldn’t be it. No orphan would dare. Sage’s creased forehead told me she shared my thoughts.
Footsteps stomped up the hall—the friar coming to investigate. He would be angry at being disturbed. I’d drugged his draught that night, but obviously not enough.
Out of habit, I grabbed the mead jug, ready to refill his cup and placate him.
Another shriek rang out.
“What’s going on?” the friar roared from beyond the inner door. Sage shot forward, passing through the kitchen to hasten outside. I didn’t blame her. The friar would want answers, and while he treated me well enough—I was the only one who could make his favorite meals—Sage often bore the brunt of his rage.
Still, I backed into the corner. Maybe, in his haste, the friar wouldn’t see me, and Sage would also get away.
“Sage!” the friar entered the kitchen, to be greeted with another chorus of cries from the outside. Something was happening. Something was wrong.
Another scream from just beyond the door. This time, it sounded like Sage. The friar turned white.
“It’s happening,” he muttered.
“What?” I pushed away from the corner, grabbing the closest thing I could to use to defend myself—a pot. “What’s happening?”
But the friar turned and ran back the way he came, robes flying and sandals flapping.
The door to the outside banged open. But it was only Sage, backing away from the door, her face pale as the moon.
I gulped in a breath as a bearded giant entered the kitchen. He ducked through the doorway and rose up, taller than the tallest man I’d ever seen. Almost twice as tall as any orphan. He loomed over Sage, and then stepped aside, making room for his companion to slip inside. A massive grey wolf.
If this was a nightmare, we were all having it, all at once. My grip tightened on the pot.
“Please,” Sage said. “Do not hurt us.” She shook but stood her ground.
“No one will hurt them,” the warrior said, his voice a gravelly rumble.
“Leave them be,” Sage croaked.
The warrior advanced, the wolf stalking forward with him.
Sage glanced at me, and then away. She was so brave, and unwilling to give me up. The warrior had eyes for only her.
I had to help.
I inched from the corner, trying to get closer without attracting attention. More pots sat stacked on a shelf. If I threw the one I held, I could quickly grab another.
The warrior was talking to Sage, who looked as if she might faint. I didn’t catch what he said in his deep, growling voice.
“If you leave the others alone, I’ll come with you,” she answered. Brave, sweet Sage, always trying to save others, at the risk of herself. I wouldn’t let her be taken, not without giving her a chance of escape.
I took a deep breath.
The warrior gave up talking and reached for my friend.
I flung the pot as hard as I could.
Ulf
Do you smell that? My warrior brother, Haakon, nudged me. We stood outside the abbey, waiting amid the ranks of the Berserkers to claim our prize. The woman we’d waited over a hundred years to find.
Our mate.
What do you smell? I asked, using the private link that connected his mind to mine.
A scent like… flowers. Blossoms.
I sniffed the air. The scent was spicy and pungent. But there was a hint of floral sweetness.
There, I pointed to a wing of the great stone building, at the foot of a tall tower. The scent comes from there.
But, Haakon nodded to the second half of the building, long and low with a few windows. The main sleeping area is there. That’s where most of the women are.
I grunted. As we watched, our Berserker brethren broke down the door of the building Haakon pointed at. The warriors rushed in to claim the precious treasure hidden inside.
“We must wait,” I told Haakon. “Thorbjorn ordered us to keep watch for any guards.”
“There are no guards. These fools don’t know what treasure they possess,” Haakon snorted
. “They do not protect these women. We will take them, and keep them safe.”
Glass shattered outward, showering the dark lawn. Warriors leapt out of the dormitory through the windows, now carrying small white bundles in their arms. Spaewives. Women with a magic deep inside, magic that would break the Berserker curse. Some of them screamed, some cried, some cursed and fought. By the end of the night they’d all be claimed as Berserker brides.
“Enough waiting,” Haakon hooked his axe into his belt. “Let’s go.”
Following the floral scent, we ran forward to claim our mate.
Laurel
The warrior struck down the pot, swatting it as easily as a gnat. I shrank back but he gave me barely a glance before returning his attention to Sage. The wolf barked.
I reached for another pot.
“Leave her alone,” I screamed, banging on the pot before I threw it. I grabbed up two more. I was fast running out of things to throw. Not that they did any good.
Sage shook awake and ran back down the hall. Frowning, the bearded warrior stalked after her. I swung a heavy cauldron and let it fly, hoping it’d hit his head.
Instead, it glanced off an axe, clanging to the ground and rolling harmlessly away. Two more warriors entered, crowding the small space.
“Go. I’ve got this one,” the new warrior who’d deflected my missile told the bearded one.
Run, Sage, I thought as the bearded warrior and wolf went after my friend, and turned my back to the wall as two more giant warriors closed in on me.
Haakon
This is the one. I told Ulf, using the private link between our minds. In the century we’d shared the bond, I’d never felt such a rush of triumph. The beast in my breast howled at the sight of the woman backed into the corner.
“Stay away,” the woman growled, as brave as any wolf. She caught up a pan and threw it. I jumped out of the way, and it hit Ulf, who cursed.
“Watch her, Ulf,” I laughed. “She’s a fighter.”
“I mean it,” she looked around in desperation, perhaps looking for another thing to throw.
She is our mate, I said silently to Ulf, who confirmed it with a nod. He kept his head turned, hiding his burn scars. Perhaps he didn’t want to scare her any more than she was.
Not that she seemed frightened.
She was lovely, with dark hair, flushed cheeks, a bosom that jiggled enticingly. I had to pause and breathe in her scent. Sweet as a mountain blossom, with a touch of spice and smoke. I took a deep breath and caught another, disgusting smell. Cabbage?
“Calm yourself, beautiful. You’re coming with us,” I told her. “But you have nothing to fear.”
Her chest heaved up and down. She wore a little dress, not much, just a thin shift. Did the holy man make her stand there in nothing but her night clothes? Did he like to look at her?
Jealousy gripped me. Ulf felt it, too. No one should look at our mate but us.
I took a step forward.
“Leave me,” she said. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for escape. She inched away from me, her bosom straining under the fabric of her shift. Such a nice bosom, two bountiful globes with dusky nipples pressing on the thin cloth. I could easily hold each breast in my hand, cupping their warm weight, soothing and teasing the nipples with my thumbs right before bending down and sucking the peaks into my mouth. Our beautiful mate would writhe and cry in pleasure. She’d try to stop me and I’d pin her arms—
Haakon, Ulf said. You’re distracted.
“Your home is under attack,” I told her bosom. “You cannot stay here. You will come with us and be safe.”
“Never,” she growled, fierce as a she wolf. She was lovely, our mate. Green eyes, black hair, and a bosom to make angels weep. To make holy men break their vows.
The beast within roared to life. It would not rest until she was marked as mine.
Haakon, you must not lose control.
“Come here,” I ordered her.
Instead, she looked to the left, to the giant cauldron sitting on the fire.
“Do not—” I began, but too late. She leapt onto the great hearth and kicked away the logs supporting the giant pot, yelping as sparks singed her bare feet.
“No,” Ulf thundered, as the cauldron tipped and gallons of stinking, steaming liquid gushed over the edge, splashing onto the floor.
Laurel
I rushed from the hearth, sloshing through cabbage soup. The warriors bellowed in my wake. If I got to the pantry, I could barricade myself in. There was food there, I could eat for days. I could hide.
Strong arms closed around my waist and swung me back.
“Got you,” a warrior said. I howled and kicked. Somehow my foot connected with the right place, and the warrior dropped me. I trembled as I backed away. He was fine-looking, with brown hair streaked with gold and tanned skin. Fierce, golden eyes. Strange eyes—like a wolf.
His gaze fell on my breasts, and I cursed the fact that I’d stripped off my dress earlier this night. It was so hot in the kitchens, I liked to wear my shift when I knew I’d be alone.
“Come on, little fighter,” the handsome warrior coaxed. “It is not safe for you here. We came to rescue you.”
“What?” I half-sobbed. My feet throbbed from the hot broth. I slipped on the soup- covered flagstones and landed half on the hearth. Reaching towards the fire, I thought that if I got close enough, I could grab up a burning stick and rush them—
“Enough,” growled a second warrior, pulling me toward him. I froze. He was ugly, a harsh scar marring half his face. I recoiled and he growled again, and caught me in his arms.
“Stop, Ulf, you’re scaring her.” That came from the handsome one.
Ulf grunted and pushed me forward. “Take her, then, Haakon.”
Grinning like he’d won a prize, the handsome warrior Haakon bent so his shoulder hit my middle, and then I was up over his shoulder hanging down his back.
“Stop! What are you—”
“Quiet,” a hand clapped on my bottom. I hissed at this outrage, and the hand caressed my right buttock. I almost started shrieking, but a draft hit my face. We were outside.
Muffled sobs and cries came from all around. The moonlight illuminated quite a scene. Large warriors milled about the abbey grounds, some held my friends—the orphans. One giant went by, dragging one of the nuns, who railed and fought him. Sister Juliet—a kind young woman who’d grown up in the orphanage until she took vows. She screamed as he tossed her up over his shoulder and strode into the forest.
“Let me go,” I struggled, beating my fists against the warrior’s back. My hands might as well have been flowers for all the damage they did to the leather jerkin he wore or the powerful muscles of his back.
He gave a great leap, and landed atop the abbey wall. My stomach flipped and I screamed, but he only crouched and leapt from the wall. Cradling me in his arms, the one named Haakon jogged across the road and plunged into the forest. Trees blocked my view of the abbey, and just like that, the home I’d known all my life was gone.
Ulf
Everywhere I looked, Berserkers carried women out of the abbey. The raid was almost complete.
Thorbjorn? Rolf? I reached out to the leaders of the raid using the pack bonds. Last I’d seen, Thorbjorn was headed down the hall after a little blonde waif, his warrior brother, Rolf, in wolf form by our side.
Ulf? Did you get out? This from Rolf.
We found our flower. I reported. Haakon has her.
Good. We scent evil here. Best you take your mate and run.
Happy hunting, Rolf, I said, just as a fierce wind shook the bond. Magic came tearing and snarling to fray the pack links.
I picked up my pace, racing to catch up with Haakon and the woman as a warning echoed down the bond.
The holy man did a spell to call the Corpse King. He is coming. Get out!
Laurel
In the dark woods, the moonlight lit our path.
“Here we are, love.” Haakon cro
oned as he set me down. He grinned at me as if we’d met in a tavern and he’d wooed me, instead of breaking into a holy sanctuary and carrying me off in the middle of the night.
“Who are you?” I cried. “What is this? Why have you taken me? Why are you here?” I shook, teeth chattering as they did when I was afraid.
He touched a finger to my lips.
“Do not fear,” he said gently. “You’re safe now. We are here to protect you.”
“Then leave us alone,” I cried, remembering my frightened friends.
“We cannot. If you stay behind, a great evil will claim you. It is on its way, even now. Without our rescue, you will lose your life.”
“What?”
A howl went up, an otherworldly sound. A great wind rushed passed us. I ducked against the warrior, huddling in his shadow.
“What was that?” I shivered in the sudden cold, my shift not enough to keep out the chill.
“The evil that seeks you.”
“I don’t understand.” I couldn’t keep from pressing against him.
He rubbed my arms, soothing the goosebumps.
At his touch, my body softened, turning towards his. He towered over me, strapping chest and muscled arms making me feel small and petite, an oak to a shrinking flower. I’d never seen such a powerful warrior. If he told the truth, if I could trust him to protect me, then I need never fear again. I couldn’t imagine anything could stand in his way.
