Someone was calling out to me from the darkness. I had to reach them--

I woke to cooling cloths suffusing my face.

“Ulf? Haakon—” I whimpered and thrashed, ripping at the bandages like they were chains.

“Shhh, Laurel.”

“Sister Juliet?” I recognized one of the nuns. She used to be an orphan, but had taken vows.

“Just Juliet,” she told me with a sad look. “The abbey is no more.”

I wanted to answer that her vows were still intact, but she looked shaken, so I held my tongue.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. I lay in a lodge on a soft bed, clad in a new, clean shift. My burns were bandaged and my face felt chapped, but didn’t throb too much.

“Where am I?” I croaked.

She lifted a horn of water to my lips and I drank.

“You’re at the home of the Berserkers, along with all of the captives.”

“How many are here? Did they escape the Corpse King? Where are my mates?”

Juliet hushed me, tipping the refilled cup up so I could drink.

“You’ve been asleep for a day and a night. A Berserker with a scarred face brought you in.”

“That’s Ulf,” I said, eager for news. “Is he here? Was he badly hurt?”

“Perhaps another could answer questions better than I,” she stepped back, looking so sad, I wanted to comfort her. But then I saw a familiar face poking around the tapestry lined enclosure where I lay.

“Hazel,” I cried. The tanned, lovely face split into a grin. She stepped forward, clad in a fine gown, her hair twined with flowers and braided. She wore a torc around her neck and boots trimmed with fur. Her face glowed.

She jumped up onto the bed and hugged me tight.

“Laurel! You’re alive—and well.”

“So are you,” I marveled at my friend. “I thought you were dead.”

“We thought the same of you. The Corpse King attacked many as they left the abbey, but most escaped. My mate tells me often, not much can kill a Berserker.”

I almost laughed at her imitation of a gruff warrior, remembering my own mates. Then I seized her arm. “Hazel, where are the others? Are they safe?”

“Many are. Sage and Willow have returned. Sister Juliet is watching over the young ones here. You were brought in unconscious from breathing smoke, but there are powerful healers here.”

“And my mates? Haakon and Ulf? Is there word?”

Hazel’s brow furrowed. My stomach turned.

“Please say something. Is Ulf at least here? May I speak to him?”

“I don’t know, Laurel,” Hazel grasped my hand. “Give me a moment. I will ask my mate.” She closed her eyes and got a look of intent concentration I recognized from Ulf and Haakon, when I guessed they were speaking mind to mind. The seconds crawled by as I squeezed Hazel’s hand.

Beyond the curtains surrounding my bed, young voices wafted up to the rafters, along with Sister Juliet’s.

Hazel started, and blinked.

I couldn’t stop myself from blurting, “You have a mate?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly, flushing a little. “He wasn’t happy that I was asking him about another Berserker. I had to explain. He’s, um, protective.” The soft look in her face told me she loved it.

“Was he able to tell you…”

“Yes. Ulf carried you here, and left with a pack to find his warrior brother.”

“And?”

“That’s all my mate knows,” Hazel whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

I dashed at tears on my face. “It’s all right. It was too much to hope.”

“Keep hoping,” she said. “And wait. Berserkers are strong. It’s obvious you care for them very much.”

“They are my mates,” I said the words I’d fought for so long. It felt like something I’d known all along.

A shadow passed over my friend’s face. “Hazel? What is it?”

“I didn’t know you had bonded to anyone.”

“I… I mean, I haven’t. There’s no link into their mind. But that can take a while to form, right?”

“It can,” Hazel said slowly. “But that is not why I wondered whether or not you have a mate.”

“I do have a mate. Ulf and… Haakon.” If Haakon was still alive.

There was a touch of pity in Hazel’s face.

“Tell me,” I begged.

“You’re in the lodge for the unmated spaewives. Sister Juliet and the younger girls, none of them have been claimed. The Alphas decreed that a woman must go into heat before she can be claimed.”

“But what does that have to do with me?”

“Ulf and Haakon built a lodge for their future mate. But Ulf brought you here. I’m sorry, Laurel. I don’t think Ulf would’ve left you here, where any warrior might claim you, if he was truly your mate.”

* * *

I ran through the burning forest, dodging falling branches. The whole world was on fire. Soon it would come down on me.

“Ulf!” I screamed. “Haakon!”

“Laurel?” a faint whisper drew me through the gathering gloom. I started towards it, wading through the thick darkness like water.

“Haakon? I’m here. Tell me where you are,” I begged. The world shrunk and I crawled through it like a tunnel. “I hear you breathing. I know you live. I will find you. Stay awake, my love. Stay awake!”

I woke with a start.

“How’s she doing?” A voice beyond the curtain, muffled. Sister Juliet—or Juliet, as she insisted to be called—answered in a voice too low for me to hear.

I did not know how much time had past since Hazel left my side. It did not matter. My life, my time no longer mattered.

Haakon was missing, and thought to be dead. Ulf had left me to be claimed by another.

I rolled to my side, empty of tears. I wished to god I hadn’t set that fire. Ulf hated fire. How much more did he hate me for killing his warrior brother with one?

“Laurel?” Hazel pulled back the curtain. “There are two here who want to see you.”

The two turned out to be Sage and Willow, my old friends. Fine gowns, fur boots, flushed faces: the very image of Berserker brides. I embraced them but didn’t feign happiness.

“Oh, Laurel,” Sage stroked my hair. With her pink cheeks and flaxen hair, she looked much healthier than when I last saw her, as if she’d been eating well for weeks, not just days.

“You’re looking so well,” I murmured, unwilling to face anymore pity.

“My mates,” she said, blushing. “They like to…care me.”

Willow and Sage told me their stories while I dressed. The old Laurel wouldn’t believe their tales. So much had changed for all of us. We had changed. We weren’t the same girls in the abbey, anymore.

Sage had finished and sat brushing my hair when Juliet interrupted, looking harried. “Laurel, can you help me?”

“Of course.” I hastened to follow.

“Our captors brought us food. But—” She waved a hand at the large carcass lying next to the hearth.

“I see,” I said. “Hazel, can your mate better prepare this for us?”

“Yes, but not here. None of the Berserkers are allowed to come in here, on pain of death. The Alphas decree,” Hazel explained.

“They could’ve at least skinned it.” Willow prodded the dead game with her foot.

“This isn’t the first time we were delivered raw meat. In fact, meat is all we have had to eat. Perhaps your… mate,” Juliet’s nose flared in distaste at the word, “will find us more suitable food. We are not used to such a rich diet.”

Hazel drew herself up. “I’m sure our saviors,” she emphasized the word, “will be happy to provide whatever we need.”

“No need to fight,” Sage murmured. “We’re on the same side.”

Juliet nodded stiffly. She wore a sturdy gown much like ours, but had covered her hair with a veil as the abbey nuns did. Her eyes looked a little red. “In the meantime, what shall we eat?”

“I can make a porridge,” I told them, “If you will give me a pot and the grains.”

“Oh, Laurel makes the best porridge,” Clover, one of the young ones, spoke up. “She even puts plums in it.”

“I don’t know if we can get plums,” I said.

“The Berserkers can get anything,” Hazel said. “Though it is harder right now, with the Alphas restricting travel because of the Corpse King.”

“Who?” one of the other young girls asked.

“A king, dearest,” Juliet stepped in. “He’s at war with these… warriors.”

“We’ll explain more later,” Hazel said, raising a brow at Juliet. “They need to know at some point.”

Juliet gave a stiff nod. “Come,” she told her charges. “Let us see if the guards will let us go to the meadow to pick daisies again.”

“What is wrong with Juliet?” I asked as soon as the place was clear.

“I don’t know,” Sage frowned.

Hazel shrugged. “She is unhappy that she is here.”

“Where are the other nuns?”

“They were given a choice to come or run. Juliet was the only one who chose to stay—to watch over the younger girls and do what she could to protect them. The rest ran to save their own skin.”

“I’m glad they aren’t here,” Willow announced. “They were cruel to us.”

I shivered, remembering some of the punishments.

“They probably didn’t survive,” Sage said softly. “The Corpse King turned all the men of the village into Grey Men, and attacked the abbey. And then there was a great earthquake. The place was destroyed.” She raised her eyes to the three of us gaping at her. “Or so my mates tell me.”

“I shall ask Juliet if she is well. The Alphas won’t allow her to be mistreated,” Willow said.

“It’s too dangerous for out there, anyway,” Hazel huffed. “The Corpse King is desperate to rise to power. At least here, we are safe. No one will care for us like the Berserkers.”

I pressed my lips together. Hazel had almost been sacrificed to the Corpse King, and barely escaped when her mate rescued her. She had a different opinion of the Berserkers than the spaewives who’d been carried off in the middle of the night. Of course, Willow and Sage were also happily mated. I decided I’d talk to Juliet myself. If anything, it’d take my mind off Haakon and Ulf.

“So, where is this porridge?” I asked, looping my arms through Sage and Willow’s.

“We’ll show you,” Hazel brightened. “There’s a place here you might like to see. A sort of gift to you from the Berserkers.”

Hazel led us from the lodge, ignoring the guard left by the door until he lowered his staff in front of her.

“You cannot leave.”

“I can. My mate is waiting for me.”

“So are ours,” Willow said, though she didn’t look the Berserker in the eye. Sage played with the torc around her neck, eyes downcast.

“She is unmated,” the guard pointed at me. His words hit me like a blow. I stared back at him, until Willow grabbed my hand, whispering, “Eyes down.”

“We will escort her, and our mates will escort us. No one will get close to her. Unless you mean to…” Hazel pulled me forward, so my breasts almost touched the staff the warrior held. The guard yanked the staff up, flushing. I met his eyes boldly, and he jerked his head away, and didn’t stop us when we walked out.

“Come on,” Hazel tugged me along. I went reluctantly. For a moment I’d been distracted from my miserable thoughts of Ulf and Haakon. The guard had been a bit silly, but cute.

“No wonder there have been so many petitions to court you,” Willow muttered.

“What?” I drew my gaze away from the guard.

Sage shrugged. “The Berserkers can tell you’ve come into your heat.”

Three more guards hovered on the edge of the field where Juliet and the young ones sat making daisy chains. On this fine, warm day, they were heavily armed, and alert, as if expecting attack.

“The guards aren’t allowed to get too close,” Hazel told me. “And there are at least four of them present, perhaps more hidden in the woods. Morning, noon, and night. The Corpse King might never venture here, but the Alphas say we can’t be too careful.”

The home of the unmated spaewives was on a rocky ridge in an isolated part of the mountain. To reach the main paths, we had to climb around huge boulders, and make our way over a bridge stretched across a ravine.

“It’s like they’re protecting some precious treasure,” I muttered as we crossed the bridge.

Sage glanced back at me, her skirts lifted in her dainty hands. “They are.”

Two more guards waited at the bottom of the bridge, spears in hand.

Hazel waved to someone I couldn’t see—a shadow in the woods. “My mate,” she explained. “He’s escorting us today, but Willow and Sage’s mate don’t want him too close to them.”

I nodded, trying to pretend I was glad I didn’t have men so jealous of my attention. My three friends led me down a winding path, pointing out the way to the stream and their own lodges along the way. The day was fresh and fine. Between my friends and the flowers dancing breeze almost made me forget the war being raged beyond the sunny mountain. The Corpse King had routed several bands of Berserkers and the spaewives they escorted. The Alphas had patrols combing the countryside for the missing men. I still had no word whether Haakon was alive, and Ulf… well, there was a reason the guards thought I was unmated.

“Here it is!” Hazel tore up the slope ahead of us. The lodge rose from a flower-filled meadow, angled away from the forest to face a sweeping vista. Picking up my skirts, I climbed past newly hewn stumps, and followed a trail of wood chips to a large room built off the side of the lodge. The bright logs and the scent of new wood told me the place had just been built.

“Do you like it?”

I wandered through the wide space. A great stone hearth dominated the wall the room shared with the rest of the lodge. A door opened to the dark depths beyond, but Hazel didn’t venture back there, so I didn’t mention it. The room held enough to interest me. Sturdy counters lined the walls, and two large trestle tables sat in the middle of the room. Two doors and a long row of open air windows lent plenty of light.

“Well?” Hazel asked.

“It’s very nice,” I murmured, wondering why she’d brought me here.

Sage and Willow entered, baskets in hand. Grinning, they hung bundles of herbs from the hooks on the lower rafters. Hazel reached under a few counters and pulled out bowls and platters.

Realization dawned. “It’s a kitchen.”

“Yes,” Sage dusted herb leaves off her hands, and laid a basket full of apples on the trestle table.

“The Berserkers built it for you. The lodge was here, but they added this.”

I ran my hand over the beautiful stone mantel. The fire place was large enough to spit a boar—or two. “Why?”

Hazel shrugged. “We’ve spoken of the food you made. The Alphas must’ve thought it a good idea to give you a place to work now that there are more mouths to feed.”

I sat down on the hearth, overcome. The building was beyond anything I’d ever dreamed of. I could be happy here. Spend my days in the kitchens, cooking whatever I liked. Evenings with my friends, feeding them good food. But my nights would be alone.

A whistle made me jump.

“Delivery for the cook,” a deep voice said. Willow and Sage backed away from the door as a Berserker came in, muscles straining as he raised a trussed piece of game. “Where do you want it?”

“Uh, just there,” I pointed. He smiled and lay his bundle down on a table. It was a boar, no doubt a good, fresh kill.

“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 whoever 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 twisting. “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 the 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 will 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 she 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.”

“Honey. Now that’s a good idea. Is there any about?” Leaving the carrot in my asshole, Haakon went on the hunt.

“Say you’ll yield,” Ulf whispered, stroking my hair, “And your punishment will be over.”

“Nuh-uh,” I tossed my head, snarling at him. I was done being a good girl.

“Suit yourself,” he moved and Haakon took his place.

“Do you like having your bottom stuffed?”

I bared my teeth at him. He just laughed. “You better get used to it. We’re having a plug made. You’ll wear it whenever we see fit, all day while you make your fancy cakes. We’ll have you bend over and show it to us whenever we please.” He leaned in close. “And when we take it out, we’ll replace it with our cocks.”

A whimper escaped. He patted my bottom, twisting the carrot in further. “Soon you’ll beg us to fill you in this way. You’ll see.”

Already my arousal crashed over me, fierce waves of desire. But when Ulf and Haakon lifted me by the rope harness and flipped me over, baring my body to them, I saw the hunger in their eyes. And when Haakon lifted the honey comb and let the sweet stuff drizzle on my bound breasts, need swelled within me, stealing my thought, taking my breath away. Two hot mouths closed over my breasts, licking and sucking my nipples to peaks. I writhed in the ropes, my desire ballooning because I couldn’t move to express it. Endless whimpers escaped me. If I could speak I would’ve been saying, “Please.”

“So sweet.” Haakon turned me so he stood between my legs. His mouth fastened onto my leaking cunny, swirling around my pleasure spot until lights exploded behind my eyes. I bit down on the rope as my climax roared through me.

The next instant I sprawled out on the table as Ulf sliced through the ropes and let them fall away.

“Please,” I begged. “Take me.”

“Little love,” Haakon climbed onto the table to kneel between my legs. “We thought you’d never ask.” Pausing only to pull out the carrot, he caught my legs behind my knees to lift them, and impaled me. My head fell back as my wet heat engulfed him.

“Me as well.” Ulf stood at the table end, his cock at the perfect height for my mouth. I sucked him inside. He plucked at my nipples, sending heat spiraling through me. Haakon moved between my legs, his thrusts rocking me onto Ulf’s cock.

Then I was yanked upright, pulled free as the trestle table crashed to the ground. Ulf held me safe, and Haakon had sprung away just in time. The large slab of wood hit its twin, knocking it over too.

When the dust settled, Haakon’s laugh rang around the room.

“You broke my tables,” I gasped. The kitchen was a mess—I’d thrown every pot and hard apple I could grab, and my mates had shielded themselves with trays. And now the great, sturdy tables lay askew, knocked over by my mate’s hard thrusting.

Good thing I’d put the honey cakes on the counter.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head.

“We’ll clean the mess and put this place to rights,” Haakon assured me.

“Later,” Ulf growled, catching my arm. “We aren’t done.” He drew me to the hearth. “Put your hands on the stone.”

I folded in half, taking the position that bared my vulnerable backside to them. I waited a few breaths, and looked back. Ulf and Haakon hadn’t moved, couldn’t tear their eyes off me. Smiling, I waved my arse in the air until Ulf snapped out of trance.

“Oil,” he said, and when I pointed, told me to turn back around.

“Breathe,” Haakon instructed, coming to lay a soothing hand on my back.

Oil spilled liberally over my bottom and cleft. I tried not to squirm as Ulf slicked his fingers and twisted one, then two into my bottom hole, stretching me.

“Brace yourself and open to me,” Ulf ordered.

“Breathe,” Haakon repeated.

I splayed my hands on the grey stone, and tried to do what my stern mate wished. He scooted my legs further apart, and grasped my hips to pulled them higher. His rod brushed my back hole. I tensed.

“Not like that. Open to me.”

Haakon sat beside me, stroking himself. His cock waved close to my face as Ulf’s breached my asshole, stretching the tight ring of muscle. With the oil, it slid forward easily, burning a little. Ulf alternately pushed and withdrew, making his way. My cunny pulsed as he filled the most intimate part of me.

“How is it?” Haakon asked him.

A gasp from Ulf.

“That good?” Haakon winked and gave me his dimple.

Ulf pulled out and stroked my back, giving me a rest. “So sweet, to give yourself fully to us.”

I reached back and touched the iron muscle in his leg. He was so strong, to be so gentle. Curving my back, I arched my head back. “Take me.”

Curses fell from his lips as he pushed in fully. My cunny gushed when Ulf’s cock was seated in the depths of my bowels. His hand came round to stroke me and my legs shook.

“Oh no.” I denied the dark sensation. I could not climax from this.

“Yes, Laurel. Submit to us. Submit to your mates.”

His fingers pushed me higher until my knees gave out and he fully supported me. Haakon watched with bright eyes, his laughter gone and replaced by pure hunger.

A log popped and sent spark showering close to my face and I cried out. Instantly, I was up in Ulf’s arms, one strong forearm across my belly. The other hand slid to cup my throat.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

Haakon moved before me, blocking my view of the fire. His hands cupped my breasts, plucked my nipples before dipping between my legs to rub my sweet spot again. Ulf held me captive, and between Haakon’s skilled fingers and Ulf’s powerful hand cradling my pulse, I climbed the heights of pleasure again.

Just before I tipped over, Haakon took his hands away.

Ulf tightened his hold. “Now, brother.”

Haakon cocked a leg on the hearth and guided himself into my sopping wet heat. He slid in slowly, filling me inch by scant inch, holding my eyes the whole time.

“Wait for it,” Ulf ordered, and I fought back my orgasm until both men were joined to me, touching the deepest parts of me, overwhelming me with sensation.

On the edge of orgasm, my body held its breath. Haakon began to thrust.

Now, Ulf’s voice reverberated through my mind, filling the last part of me. Haakon’s cry joined his. I broke on their cocks, shuddering with pleasure, only their strong arms, the press of their skin against mine kept me from shattering.

Teeth pierced my neck. Haakon reared his head back, canines flashing, and snapped down onto my shoulder. The twin bites of pain made me explode with pleasure. The men never stopped thrusting.

Mine, their voices echoed in my head. Ours. Now and forever.

I added my own hoarse cry, undulating between them, tossed to and fro in a storm of sensation. My body cracked and splintered, all that I was pouring out. But it didn’t disappear. I was not destroyed. Somehow, I was more.

Ulf and Haakon slammed into me, touching my very core. I swam in their arms, dizzy, happy, spent, as they cursed through their climax. The sore points on my shoulders tingled. Somehow I knew the bites would heal quickly, but I’d always bear a scar. A mark. Proof I was owned.

Laurel. Haakon’s lips found mine. I clutched at him with my left arm, sliding a hand back to Ulf. My right hand brushed the harsh ridge of his scar, and he jerked back, sliding from my body and setting me on the floor. Ulf still was not comfortable around me. No matter. I was Laurel, mate of the Berserkers. Fully myself, unwilling to hide. I’d shine my love on him until there was nothing ugly left, only Ulf.

Are you ready for us to take you to bed? Haakon’s voice filled my mind.

My head snapped around.

“What is it, lass?”

“I heard you,” I breathed. “Inside my head.”

Yes, little love. ‘Tis the bond. Come, lass. It’s time we had you in our home.

“Wait.” I tugged from his hold. “The boar, the honey cakes. I was to bring this food to the feast.”

“We sent word we were claiming you,” Ulf said. “Tonight, the pack can cook their own feast.”

“I’ll eat the boar,” Haakon offered. “And you like honey cakes.”

My mouth fell open. “There are hundreds of them.”

“Yes, well,” Haakon came up behind me, squeezing my breasts. “You will need all this food to have the stamina to satisfy your mates.”

Much later, when they’d showed me the rest of the lodge, particularly the bed, I lay swirling my fingers over Haakon’s chest. He smiled even in sleep, his dimple winking at me.

“How was he when you found him?” I asked Ulf.

“Unconscious. At first I was afraid he’d done more damage to his back. But the healing had gone well. He just needed food and water. He’ll heal faster now, with the bond between us complete.”

I pondered this. There was much I did not understand about the mating bond. Tomorrow, I would ask my friends.

Beside me, Ulf let out a long sigh. I bit my lip.

“What is it, Laurel?” he said without opening his eyes.

I jumped at his voice.

After all this time, do you still fear me? As our minds connected, I felt his wistful longing.

“Of course not.” But a part of me still cringed.

“Tell me, little one.”

“Are you angry with me… for the fire?”

“No.” He rolled towards me, settling his large body over mine. His muscled arms held him aloft. His hands rested on either side of my face, his thumbs brushing my jaw. In a cocoon of his heat and his attention, I couldn’t hide. My heart cracked a little, pain pouring into the bond between us.

“You left me,” I whispered. Silently I shared every cringe, every cold moment I felt on the mountain when the Berserkers and my friends made it clear I’d been abandoned by my mates.

He didn’t answer, just stroked my hair back from my cheeks. “So lovely,” he murmured. “A woman like you can have any man she wanted.”

“Not any man. The one I wanted renounced his claim on me.”

His eyes closed. “I thought only to set you free.”

Anger flashed through me. “You didn’t have the right—”

“I’m ugly.” He said it without wincing, but I felt it deep in his heart just the same. His body hovered so close, but it took all my courage to touch him.

“To me you are the most handsome of men,” I whispered, my fingertips light on his chest.

His gaze slid away. But for once, he forgot to turn the unmarred side of his face to me. I studied the rough web of skin that made up his cheek, sunken below his eye. And I knew what to say.

“I would not love you as much without your scars.” I opened myself to him via the bond, so he would know every word was true.

“You pity—”

I put a finger to his lips. “You saved me. You and Haakon both... but you walked through fire for me, knowing what it’s like to be burned.”

He met my gaze. Scarred and handsome, fierce and gentle. My mate.

“None of the Berserkers who courted me could even compare.”

Ulf clutched me, a growl deep in his chest.

“But I couldn’t even think of them, not when I had the bravest man on the Earth lay claim to me. Even if you’d returned without Haakon, I wouldn’t have been able to rest until I’d claimed you.”

Mate. He gripped the back of my neck, holding me still for his lips. It wasn’t a kiss, it was a plunder. He took and took, and I tipped my head back and gave, for I had endless love to give.

He rolled off me, and I tucked into his side, face to face.

No more hiding. I touched his scarred cheek.

Never again. He took my promise as I took his.

I snuggled into him as Haakon began to snore. I hope our children will be like you.

Ulf stiffened. “Children,” he whispered.

“Yes.” I clung to him, not daring to ask whether he wanted a child.

“They will not be burned,” he said in wonder. “They will have my face, but none of my scars.”

I bit my lip, blinking back tears at his awe. I gripped his shoulder fiercely. “I don't care how they look, as long as they have your courage. I want their heart as big as their father’s.”

“And their mother’s.” He twined his hand with mine.

I pressed into him. “You will teach them to be brave, Ulf.”

“We both will.” He kissed my hair, and with that final promise, we joined Haakon in sleep.

Nine months later, my son Ulfarr, a spitting image of his father, was born.