Chapter 10
Avery
I wake up to find Ivar on one side of me and Sigurd on the other.
I’m between them and they’re so close I have to wiggle to sit up. I see Erik asleep in one of the chairs, several empty cups scattered around the floor, a giant plate of food resting on the table next to the Provider.
“Guess I missed dinner,” I mutter, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
I’m sore, but I don’t feel nearly as bad as I should after being ravaged by three large Vikings. I’m definitely not a virgin anymore. They made sure of that.
I slide out of bed, put on my jeans and t-shirt, then gently nudge Erik.
“You should go to bed if you’re tired,” I whisper.
His eyes open, then he sits up abruptly, nearly knocking me down. “Shit, I was supposed to wake Ivar up for his watch. I fucking fell asleep.”
“I can get him if you want,” I offer.
“No, I’m up,” he grumbles, stretching his arms. “For now.”
“Is it okay to use the Provider?” I ask. “I need some water… and a vape.”
“Yes, it’s fine,” he says. “What’s a vape?”
“Uh, this,” I say, moving closer to the Provider. “Give me a bottle of water and a French vanilla cream vape.”
The Provider hisses, then both items appear. I unwrap the vape first, then sip the water. I sit down across from Ivar, take a pull from my vape, and exhale a cloud of French vanilla cream.
“Ah, smoking, yes. We used to grow tobacco, but we discovered there were issues for those who consumed it over a long period of time, so we switched to more beneficial crops,” he says, nodding. “Except it didn’t smell like vanilla.”
“Yeah, this was our alternative to it on Earth,” I say. “Much tastier, in my opinion. Guess I’ll have to give this up when we leave here.”
“You won’t find anything like that where we’re going,” Erik chuckles. “Even if we had the means, our scientists and engineers are all gone. I wasn’t one myself, but I knew more than most everyone left, so I’ve been keeping things operational the best I can. Some of the other royal families help.”
“That’s okay. I would have never even started if I didn’t think I was going to die to a meteor,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “But I’m going to enjoy it while we’re here.”
I might have to grab a few on the way out, too.
“Yes, it’s good to enjoy what you can while there’s still time left to do so,” Erik sighs. “Never know when everything will go to shit.”
“What happened to everyone on your planet?” I ask curiously, sipping the water and taking another hit from my vape.
“Virus. Plague. Whatever you want to call it,” Erik says. “Some of our warriors brought it back with them after a raid. It spread like wildfire. Stole your breath, then your life.”
“All the women died?” I ask.
“Women and children, yes. They were the most susceptible,” he answers. “I had a wife and three children. Watched them all die, and there was nothing I could do to save them.”
“Oh, gosh,” I say, my hand flying to my mouth. “I’m sorry. That had to be awful. Things got really bad on Earth after the meteor was spotted. I lost family members, too.”
“I hope they’ve found peace in Valhalla,” he says, reaching for a cup and downing some ale. “Like we all will one day.”
“I’d like to believe that,” I admit. “Religion… God… I used to believe, and then the meteor made me doubt everything. But now I’ve seen so much I’m not sure what to make of it all.”
“All faith gets tested at times,” he says.
“I studied some of your religions, when learning more about humans. Our religion is similar. We believe the gods walked on our planet for a time and bestowed their blessings. But our beliefs have changed over the years, as we’ve discovered more about the universe.
We now believe they visited all planets. Even yours.”
“It’s possible, I guess,” I concede. “Cosmic Influence, right? Apparently, things are similar all over the universe, regardless of which planet you go to.”
“To some degree, yes. Vikings are just legends and myths on some planets. They were a part of history on yours, if memory serves,” he says.
“Yeah, some people were obsessed with Vikings on Earth,” I say. “Even the mythology. Odin and Thor, especially. There have been lots of movies about them.”
“I saw that,” Erik says. “An excellent way of honoring them, even if they aren’t worshipped.
We have shrines to all of the gods we believe in on our world, and worship them equally.
We have an annual feast to celebrate the time they walked amongst us on Midgard.
Well, we used to. We haven’t had any feasts since the plague. ”
“Understandable,” I say. “Hard to celebrate after everything… goes to shit, as you put it.”
“But you. You’ll be celebrated. Probably even worshipped, once the others learn you’re a true mate for us,” Erik says. “None of us have ever felt what we feel with you, even when we were married.”
“Why do you think that is?” I ask apprehensively, taking a puff of my vape and a sip of water. “What makes me so different? I mean, I’m not even from your world. I grew up… I’m not even sure how far away, but I’m sure it wasn’t close.”
“I’m not sure,” Erik admits, shaking his head. “Legends speak of warriors finding their mates. Forming the kind of bond we feel with you. Marriage was our way of honoring that bond, because we believed that was what sealed it. You’ve upended that belief.”
“I’m really nothing special. Not where I’m from,” I shrug. “I was surprised I was even chosen when the blue beam appeared around me.”
“Regardless of what brought us together, the connection is real,” Erik assures me, reaching over and squeezing my hand. “I hope you can feel it like we do.”
“I feel something,” I admit. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s there. On Earth, people were drawn together by love. This doesn’t feel like love. It’s almost like an instinct that I can’t fight. I’m not sure I even want to fight it.”
“In our legends, denying your mate has serious consequences. Painful at first, then eventually it gives way to madness,” he says. “Turns us feral.”
“Considering how you already are, I’d hate to see you feral,” I laugh, shuddering a little as I remember watching them fight. I glance toward the bed. “Especially Sigurd. He already seems feral.”
“He still had plenty of restraint,” Erik says. “There’s more to us than what you see. Fenrir’s Mark is a blessing. It connects us to nature and the gods. And when the need arises, we can call on that power.”
“Is that why you were able to kill so many of the aliens?” I ask. “You were calling on some kind of power?”
“No,” Erik smiles. “When we call on that power, we are no longer men. We become wolves.”
“Wolves…” My eyes widen and I take a nervous hit of my vape. “Wait, like, werewolves? You’re werewolves?”
“Similar, yes, if the Intergalactic Translator is translating the word correctly. We call it shapeshifting,” Erik explains. “We only call our wolves when necessary. We can handle most fights without them, but they crave battle. And they crave you, based on how we felt when we caught your scent.”
I stare at Erik, processing what he said. They’re not just Vikings, but they’re also wolf shifters. That explains why they sounded like wild animals at times. Something tells me there’s more wolf in Sigurd than his brothers. Or they’re just better at controlling it.
“So, even your wolves know I’m your mate?” I ask.
“In some ways, I think maybe you’re their mate,” Erik says. “They noticed you even before we opened the door to your room, like they were trying to howl for you.”
“Damn,” I say, taking a hit from my vape. “I need some food.”
“You’re welcome to anything I have, or you can ask the Provider.” Erik gestures to his food, then the table.
Erik has an array of cooked meat, bread, vegetables, and fruit. It’s tempting, but considering that I may not have many meals left before I’m eating whatever they eat on Midgard, I want to enjoy something from Earth.
“Let’s see… since this thing has my memories, I’d like a cheeseburger and fries from Marlton’s Diner,” I say, watching the Provider hiss before it appears. “Oh, and some ketchup, please.”
“Was that your favorite meal on Earth?” Erik asks curiously, looking at my food.
“No, not really, but I’ve had most of my favorites while I’ve been here,” I answer, pouring some ketchup on my plate. “I’m guessing you don’t have Providers on your world?”
“No,” Erik replies. “Only the Intergalactic Alliance has those, and even if we did, they’d be useless.
You’re not really eating something from the diner you mentioned.
It’s a compound that can mimic most things, and without the Intergalactic Alliance’s atmosphere regulators, it will decay in no time once we leave the refugee center. ”
“Really? That sucks,” I groan, realizing the plan I was making to stock up on a few vapes won’t work. “Are the rooms the same way, because my clothes just sort of appeared.”
“Yeah, you’ll be naked in no time once we leave,” he laughs. “We’ll grab a uniform or something for you on the way out. Or maybe we won’t…”
“No, I definitely need clothes,” I chuckle, biting into my cheeseburger. I let out a soft moan. “Whatever this is, it still tastes exactly the same. Maybe even better than I remember.”
I’m still coming to terms with everything. I was supposed to be going to Utopia 64, and now I’m apparently some kind of mate for three wolves. I want to be angry. I should be angry. But after what they did to me, my body just wants to reach for them. And punish me if I try to fight it.
“Good, then enjoy it,” Erik says. “I’m going to lie down and get a little rest. You’re not going to do something foolish like try to escape, are you? I can have Ivar watch you if I need to.”
“No,” I say, looking down. “I don’t even know how to open the door.”
“Wake us if there is trouble,” Erik says as he stands.