Claimed By The Vikens. Grace Goodwin
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Calder, Planet Viken, Viken United, Transport Station 3
She was coming. My mate. Gods, finally. My heart raced and I took deep breaths to calm my anticipation. Two years. Two fucking years of waiting for her. She’d been out there all this time, unknown to me, unknown to being matched to me. Ninety-seven percent perfect. The other three percent? We’d work it out. As soon as she arrived.
I stared at the empty transport pad, one in a long line of fifteen at this transport center. It was the largest in Viken United, the busiest as well. Fighters, guards, mates all came in and out of here, arriving from distant planets like my mate from Earth, others to a possible battlegroup. I looked down the line, saw a couple materialize side by side, holding hands. He wore the black uniform and arrow insignia of being from Sector Two, she the usual soft, simple dress of a Viken mate.
Envy coursed through me, swift and fierce. I wanted to hold my mate’s hand, be with her in every way. Know that she was beside me, safe and mine. Mine.
I tapped my toe with impatience. I’d been summoned three hours ago with the news I’d finally been matched. How long did it take for her to arrive? I knew Earth to be light years away, but didn’t the transport technicians know that every second I waited was like ripping out my heart? She was mine. It was official. She’d accepted and was coming. Mine.
Mine!
“Calder, good to see you.”
I turned at my name, saw a familiar face. “You as well. It’s Zed, right?” I asked. The tall male nodded, his short hair had a hint of curl and slid over his forehead as he did so.
“Yes, it’s been a long time. It was the mission to Sector Twenty-seven, I think.”
I thought back to when we’d met, when we’d fought together. “Three years or so. That was a fucking mess. Glad to be alive after that.” I didn’t want to think about the massacre we’d survived. A battlegroup had been caught by the Hive on all sides. We’d had to band together, squadrons of fighters as well as I.C. for over two weeks. The Hive had killed or integrated so many before the reinforcements finally came. We’d been pinned down and I’d gotten to know the others. Battle did that, created bonds that couldn’t be compared in any other setting.
His face was grim and I knew he, too, thought back to that time. “I retired six months after that.”
In his black uniform, it matched my memory of him, indicating he was from Sector Two. The red band around his arm matched the red adorning mine. I wore brown, to represent my sector, but I was part of the royal guard. The red bands only worn by those of us in direct service to the kings. But I hadn’t seen Zed around Viken United. I was part of the queen’s private guard, and completely enamored of the little princess, Allayna. I adored watching the three kings with their mate and daughter, but each day it became harder to bear. The loneliness pressing in on me like a poison. I needed my mate. Needed a family of my own to protect and cherish. Family was the only thing that mattered, and I had none. Until today.
My mate was due to arrive any moment and I was having a hard time keeping the stern look on my face. “It’s been two years for me since I retired from the Coalition. Stationed here in Viken United as a guard now. The VSS might flare up here and there, but they’re nothing like the Hive, thank fuck.”
I was content with a quieter life, the simple Viken life. Nature, land. I wasn’t fit for space, the home planet suited me much better. Ground beneath my feet, trees around, thick leaves overhead. Yes, peace. I’d done my time as a fighter and I’d earned the right to a bride. And finally, after waiting so long, my match was here. My mate was coming. I’d have everything I wanted.
He smiled at that. “Agreed.” He angled his head. “I’m up at the IQC.” The Interstellar Quantum Communications Array was on the far pole of the planet, covered in ice, snow and rock. Only Elites in the royal guard were trusted to guard it or even know its exact location. The array was hidden in the middle of a wasteland only the heartiest animals could survive. And the toughest warriors.
“Fucking freezing,” I commented. While I liked living in the more urban areas of Viken United, the IQC meant solitude. He wasn’t alone at the outpost, but it was fucking isolated. From his calm and quiet demeanor, he seemed to be content with that.
He shrugged. “You get used to it.” A slow smile spread across his face. “And it won’t be so bad when I have my mate to keep me warm at night.”
The idea of sharing my bed with my own mate had my cock stirring. I shifted my stance. “You’re here for your mate?”
He grinned. “Got word a few hours ago that I’ve been matched.” His chest puffed with the obvious pride that I, too, was feeling. “Can’t wait.”
I slapped him on the shoulder convivially. “Congratulations. I’m here for my mate, too. Just waiting for her to transport.” I sighed. “Fuck, I’m right there with you. The idea of sharing my bed, my life, with the female meant solely for me has me rock hard.”
Nodding in understanding, he said, “You know us from Sector Two, we love bondage. I can’t wait to tie my mate to my bed.” He leaned in, although he didn’t seem to care if anyone overheard. It wasn’t a secret what those from each sector liked to do sexually. “I’m not going to let her up until she has at least five orgasms. Hells, even then, I probably won’t let her up.”
The idea of tying my mate to my bed was appealing, not because I was into restraints, but because I’d know she wasn’t going anywhere. No, I’d rather show her off. I might fuck her in private until we got to know each other, until I got this clawing need sated, but then we’d go outside, the public square where everyone could witness just how beautiful she was when she came all over my cock. How she was all mine. I’d flaunt her perfection and let everyone see my seed marking her, know she was off limits, that my Earth woman was all mine and mine alone.
I growled at the thought of anyone else touching her. I glanced at the transport pad. Where the fuck was she? Anticipation had me glancing at Zed. “Well, congrats again. Don’t let me keep you from your mate.”
“Right. Same to you. You better get going. I’d hate for you to miss her arrival.”
I frowned. “I won’t. She’s coming in here.” I pointed to the raised dais where she would appear. Fucking soon. Any second now.
“No, my mate’s coming in here. This is transport pad three, right?”
We both turned to glance at the transport technician standing behind his work station. There was a long line of work stations with a technician at each, fifteen all in a row. “Pad three,” he confirmed.
“There must be some mistake,” I said.
“That’s right, there must be some kind of fucking mistake.” We looked to the Viken who all but growled those words. He walked toward us, the entry door to this section of the transport center sliding closed behind him. “My mate is arriving on transport pad three.”
He wore the gray uniform with the spear insignia of a member of Sector Three. His red arm band identified him as royal guard, but the dark eyes and clenched jaw—along with the equally clenched fists—indicated he was all fighter. I’d seen him before. Queen’s guard. Night shift. I was much more active and alert in the morning, so it was no surprise that we hadn’t spoken. There were dozens of us, and we didn’t share quarters. And since Zed didn’t offer a flicker of recognition, it seemed they weren’t known to each other either.
“Your mate?” Zed and I said at the same time.
“My mate,” he retorted, patting himself on the chest.
Something was wrong. All three of us turned to the transport technician. He was small of stature, almost a head shorter than all of us, his eyes widening under our intensity. He swallowed visibly with us looming.
“We have identified a problem and we need you to resolve it,” I said, placing my hand on the top of his work station. I was used to giving orders—not