by Lee Savino
“Thank you,” I told him. He grinned and dipped his head, loping off.
My friends all had smiles. I noted they averted their eyes from the warrior.
“Be careful who you look at, Laurel,” Hazel warned when the warrior was out of earshot.
“Why?”
“The only men we may look upon are our mates,” Sage explained.
I made an annoyed sound.
“It’s not so bad, when you get used to it,” Willow said with a rueful smile. “Looking at the warriors encourages them.”
“Unless you want to encourage them?” Hazel asked.
“No,” I said quickly.
“Then be careful,” Sage said. “Our mates don’t like us looking at other men. Perhaps one day, when most of the warriors are mated and they live as civilized men, instead of beasts. But for now, we follow the rules or submit to punishment.”
“Of course, the Berserkers seem to enjoy punishing their mates,” Willow added, and we all blushed.
To hide my feelings, I fussed with the warrior’s offering. Boar—Haakon’s favorite meat. My throat closed.
“Are you all right?” Hazel asked.
I jerked my head up and down.
“I’ll need some herbs to properly dress this. Do you think your mate will escort us into the woods to forage?”
“Of course,” Hazel said after a pause. “I have started a garden—I would like to show you. Nothing’s been planted yet, but Knut has turned the soil to make it ready. He complains of turning his best spear into a hoe.” She laughed.
“I should like to have a garden too,” Willow said. “The men do well enough on mostly raw meat, but I long for some new dishes.”
“Yes, you must tell us what herbs are good for seasoning, Laurel. That is what we will grow first,” Sage said.
“Leave by that way,” Hazel pointed to a small door to the left of the hearth. “It leads straight to the woods, and a stream.”
Taking up a bucket, Sage started to exit, and almost tripped over a bundle of dead rabbits left on the stoop.
“For you, Laurel. More offerings to the queen of the kitchens,” Hazel smiled.
“Word spreads fast,” Willow murmured to Sage.
Something in her tone made me turn. “What do you mean?”
“These rabbits, this meat. It’s a gift for you.”
“I don’t understand. Why do they give those to me?”
“They hope to tempt you to become their mate.”
I inhaled a sharp breath.
Willow and Sage filed out, taking care stepped over the rabbits.
Hazel gave me a sympathetic look. “Hang them high. I’ll ask my mate to skin it for you.”
I didn’t want to touch these offerings from other men. But meat was meat. With a sigh, I took up my gift, and did as Hazel suggested.
Two days later, I’d spent almost every waking minute in the kitchen. The lodge itself remained silent and empty; I peeked in there, but didn’t want to disturb whomever lived there. Though I never saw anyone, I felt grateful they shared their hearth with me. The kitchen was fast becoming my home.
A giant vat of porridge simmered slowly, ready for a Berserker to carry it to the lodge of unmated spaewives. I served it sweetened with plums and honey. Sage joined me for hours on end, helping me peel and chop and grind herbs. Willow and Hazel also visited, bearing baskets of mushrooms and hard apples they found in the woods. And, often, Berserker warriors came by, leaving gifts of meat for me.
Around sunset, a great whoop went up on the mountain, loud enough to reach my ears. I left the fire and stepped into the cool evening air.
“What is it?” I asked Hazel, who’d been hoeing a patch of earth beyond the door for a kitchen garden.
“A band of warriors have returned,” she said, wiping sweat from her face. A second later she broke into a smile.
“Laurel!” Willow shouted from the woods, racing up to me. “Did you hear? Haakon has been found!”
I staggered, and Sage came from table to put her arm around me.
“My mates tells me the warriors found him deep in a cave—he dragged himself there to escape the fire. He was badly injured, but Sabine is working on healing him now. Soon he will be well enough to move.”
“That is great news.” I embraced my friends, feeling cold in my heart.
“Do you feel them, at all?” Sage asked. “Through the bond?”
Three pairs of shining eyes pinned me. I could only shake my head. “Not yet.”
“You will,” Hazel said, but before she could offer more encouragement, a giant Berserker stepped from the trees, and she ran to kiss her mate.
Murmuring assurances, I went back to the hearth.
There was to be a celebration. My friends stayed with me as long as they could, but one by one they left as their mates came for them. They promised to return to help carry the food down to the great bonfire. All available Berserkers were hunting for deer, pig, and pheasant to roast over the open flame, but the spaewives were eager to taste my baking.
The sun glimmered low in the sky when I stood in the door and stretched. I’d worked all day, and was almost done. In the great hearth, the boar cooked with an apple in its mouth. I’d lined the counters with cooling loaves of bread, and tray after tray of honey cakes.
Someone had left a parcel on my doorstep. Hoping it was not more meat, I stooped and brought it inside, marveling at its light weight. I cut the twine, and caught my breath. Beautiful folds of fabric spilled from the package. The cloth was red as ripe currants.
I thought the color would suit your pale skin and dark hair.
Goosebumps running up and down my arms, I ducked into the empty lodge. Surely the owner wouldn’t mind me changing in there. I washed in a little water, and braided my long hair. The gown fit like a dream. The smooth folds swirled around my legs. My reflection in the washing basin made me catch my breath.
I returned to tidy the kitchen, but the prickling on my arms didn’t go away.
“Hello? Is someone there?” I turned, but saw no one. Someone had come in, though. They’d left a head of cabbage on my chopping table. I picked it up, examining it as if it could tell me who’d brought it.
“Like my gift?”
A shock went through me at the familiar voice. I whirled around.
Haakon stood grinning at me. He looked a bit thinner than the man who’d carried me from the abbey, but no illness had touched his charm or his dimple.
I couldn’t speak. I threw myself at Haakon. His arms slid around me instantly.
“Careful lass,” he said. “I’m still not up to full strength.”
But when I tried to back away, he held me close. I pressed my face into his chest.
“I thought you were dead. I left you—”
“Just a bit of fire.”
Sobs shook me. Haakon was here. He was alive. He bent over me, soothing me as I buried my face in the crook of his neck. His hands roamed up and down my back, bringing my body to life. I’d be happy if I never had to leave the circle of his arms again.
I raised my head long enough to ask, “How—?”
“Ulf came back for me. I passed out, woke to him calling to me.” He stroked my hair. “I saw you. In a dream.”
“I dreamt of you too. You were hurt in a dark place. I called you back.”
He smiled again, gently, and I traced his dimple. “We shared the dream. You and I, and Ulf too. He knew where to look for me. The fire left no trace of my trail, but I’d crawled deeper into the cave and he found me there. He couldn’t reach me via the bond, but the dream gave him hope. He wouldn’t have found me if it weren’t for you.”
I gazed into his eyes for a moment before I realized what he was saying to me. “We shared a dream. Does that mean—?”
“Yes, Laurel. The bond has formed.”
I drew back, trembling. It was too much to hope.
“Laurel? What is wrong?”
“He left me,” I whispered, my gut tw
isting. “They told me he renounced his claim. I live with the unmated women. Warriors bring me gifts now, to gain my favor…”
Haakon growled deep in his chest. I jerked back, but he kept hold of me, forcing me to face him. “Do you want another mate?”
“I—”
Haakon snarled, his eyes bright, his canines elongated. “Do you? Tell me.”
“No. There is no one else.”
“Who would you choose over us?”
“No one,” I cried. “I choose you.”
His grip relaxed. As tight as it’d gotten, I knew he’d never hurt me.
“I thought you didn’t want me.”
“Oh, love,” he pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry. This is Ulf’s doing. He does not think he is fit to be your mate. He thinks you will not forgive him for leaving me. If I had died, he wanted you to be free to choose another.”
“What?” It was my turn to growl. “Ulf saved me from the fire. I wouldn’t be alive without him. Without both of you. I thought,” I choked on the painful knot inside me. “I thought he was angry with me. For setting the fire—”
“No, lass, ‘twas a brave thing you did. The fire killed all the Grey Men. It saved me. And now we have more weapons to fight the Corpse king’s servants. Not that you’ll be fighting. You’re a Berserker bride now.”
“Where is Ulf?” I asked, my body still humming with anger, with joy, with pain. “Bring me to him.”
“I will,” Haakon said. “But first tell me if you like my gift.”
“The gown? It’s lovely.”
“Not the gown,” he scoffed. “I brought you the cabbage.”
“Then who…”
“See, Ulf?” Haakon called. “I told you she’d prefer your gift to mine. Come out, so she can thank you properly.”
I held my breath as Ulf stepped inside. His face was rough with stubble, and his eyes looked tired, but they lit when they landed on me. My heart squeezed. He was so beautiful to me, even his scar.
“Go to him,” Haakon murmured, and I was moving before he finished speaking, racing to Ulf. I couldn’t help it. I had to touch him.
Ulf jerked to a stop as I approached. I lay my hands on his chest, ran them over his shoulder and back.
“Are you hurt?” I murmured when he stayed stiff and still.
“No. Not anymore.”
I cupped his face, meeting his eyes.
“Thank you.”
“For saving you? Or for saving your mate?”
“For coming for me. Now…and before. In the abbey kitchens.”
His arms closed around me slowly. “I will always come for you, if you wish it.”
“And I will always wish it,” I whispered. He didn’t soften to my touch but he would. “So, now. We are mated? Will you bring me to your lodge?”
Ulf blinked. “What do you mean?”
“The home you built for your mate. Will you bring me there? And mark me, and give me a torc around my neck? So that others might know that I am claimed?”
“Oh we will,” Haakon growled, coming up behind me. He pressed into my back, and I felt how my words had affected him. “We will do all those things, and more.”
“As for our lodge, lass…” Ulf spread his hands. “You are here. This is ours. As soon as I was able to link to the pack, I told them to build the kitchens for you.”
“Did no one tell you?”
“No,” I thumped his arms. “Other Berserkers have been bringing me meat! My friends told me you’d renounced your claim.”
“I thought, if Haakon was lost, you might wish to choose another. I would’ve let you,” Ulf said.
“I don’t want another,” I didn’t know whether to cry or scream. “I want you.”
“You are beautiful.” His fingers sifted through my hair. In his eyes, I saw such longing.
“You told me you would bind me to you forever,” I whispered.
“I will,” he promised.
“You already have.”
I surged onto my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck. As soon as I tilted up my face, his lips crashed down on mine. His arousal dug into my belly until he lifted me, pulling my legs around his strong trunk.
We kissed until Haakon cleared his throat. Untwining my legs, I let Ulf guide me to the ground.
“So that is settled.” I straightened my gown.
“Not quite,” Haakon said. “As you say, other Berserkers have been trying to lay claim to you. We’ve been hearing all sorts of talk. You’ve been flirting with all manner of warriors, and looking them in the eye.”
“Oh that stupid rule,” I rolled my eyes.
“The rule that helps us keep our beast in check?” Ulf raised a brow.
“They say you’ve shown interest in several warriors, and cooked their meat.”
“Of course I cooked the meat they brought. It’s perfectly good meat.”
“So you don’t deny you encouraged others to court you?”
I looked from one stern face to another and threw up my hands. “Well, after you abandoned me, what did you expect? I would lie about moping until you returned? It’s not my fault that every strong unmated warrior wants me—oof!”
The air left my stomach as Ulf and Haakon lifted me, setting me on the counter as if I was a piece of meat. I scrambled back on the wooden surface, putting the whole table between me and the bright eyed warriors.
“So you’ve decided to cross us? Defy your mates once again?” Haakon’s grin flashed his long canines. Ulf stalked around the counter toward me.
“Perhaps,” I slipped to the ground and backed away, my hands searching for something I could use as a weapon. “You said you like spirited women.”
“No,” Haakon cocked his head to the side. “We said we liked you. But you’ve been a very naughty mate. Running from us, arguing with us, grabbing up torches and going into battle when we specifically told you to flee—”
“That saved your life!”
“You’re a Berserker bride now. And Berserkers bring their mates to heel.”
“You can try,” I growled. My hands closed on a missile and I threw it without thinking. Haakon narrowly avoided being hit in the head with a cabbage.
“There she is,” Ulf murmured. “The fighter in the kitchens.”
Haakon straightened and I grabbed up an apple. A pause, while the warriors debated what to do, and I held my breath.
“All right, lass,” Haakon announced. “We’ve decided that Ulf will discipline you, and I will watch. You mustn’t worry that I’m depriving myself. After he finishes punishing you, it’s my turn to take you to task, and Ulf will watch.
“If you think I will submit to that willingly, you are much mistaken.”
“Oh little love,” his eyes glittered. “I very much hope you won’t.”
A minute later, the kitchen was a riot of thrown apples and fallen platters, the floor liberally dusted with flour.
I lay naked, trussed like a piece of game with my hands tied behind my back.
“Here’s something to keep your mouth occupied,” Haakon said, and stuck an apple in my mouth—one of the tiny ones, too small to be poached. I was saving it for decoration. Too bad I’d never thought I’d be the centerpiece. My nipples dug into the hard table at the thought of being brought out and displayed thus for an entire meal.
“You’ll learn to mind us, Laurel,” Haakon said as Ulf checked his knots. “Until then, we’ll tie you up so you can’t leave.
“And for your punishment?” Ulf said. “I think we have found the perfect implement.” He waved a wooden spoon in front of my face.
The two warriors took their time securing me, laying me just as they wished on the table, cupping my curves and speaking of me as if I was a new fancy they’d bought at market. Waves of arousal rippled through me. My ears filled with the sound of my heavy breathing, and the kitchen was filled with my musky scent.
“Please,” I said finally. “Get it over with.”
“I love it when s
he begs for punishment,” Ulf remarked.
“I love it when she begs for anything at all.”
The first bite of the spoon made my eyes bug out. The apple popped from my mouth as I shouted.
“It hurts!”
“Naughty lass,” Ulf replaced the apple with a few loops of rope tied to the harness crisscrossing my body. “Most spaewives take their punishment like good submissives, then kneel down to thank their mates.”
Clenching my jaw, I dug my teeth into the rope.
“I doubt this one will kneel. But she is definitely a spaewife. Look at how she responds to a little pain.” Haakon ran his fingers through my wet cunny lips, and showed the sticky digits to me before licking them clean. “Give her a little more, Ulf, and see how she creams.”
The spoon popped my bottom in quick succession. I sucked in a breath, determined not to make a fuss. My mates enjoyed it too much.
“Try this,” Haakon picked up a long handled bread paddle. As soon as it cracked against my bottom I shouted loud enough to bring everyone on the mountain running.
“Such sweetness,” Haakon said, dipping his fingers into my cunny. I moaned.
“Try it on this,” Ulf said.
“A carrot? What do you think I am, a rabbit?”
“Suit yourself,” Ulf said, and slid the cold, hard object inside me. The gag muffled my outraged shouts as he twisted it around, stimulating every part of my opening.
“See,” he said, after fucking me with the carrot and withdrawing it. “Tastes sweet.”
“Let me try.” Haakon’s mischievous tone made me stiffen. He was up to something, but I could only lie here and take it.
A second later oil poured over the cleft of my bottom. All my wriggling couldn’t encourage the knots holding me to budge. A finger delved between my slippery cheeks, testing and rimming my back hole before another unyielding object—I could only assume the carrot—took its place. The tip slid in, my tight rosebud stretching with unnatural sensation as the carrot tapered wider. It didn’t hurt. I felt strange, and full. Arousal fluttered in my belly even as I kicked and shrieked and protested.
“Careful, honey,” Ulf curled his arm around me. “I don’t want these ropes to mark you.”
