Page 12 of Berserkr
I realised the two females were in the middle of a conversation. I'd blanked out completely, too focused on my own needs. I should concentrate. I'd learn more about her by listening. It would make our mating happen faster.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, interrupting their chatter. "Do you need anything else? More H2O? Other clothes? Bathing?"
"He's going into full-on protective mate mode," Shona chuckled. "They're so sweet when they do that. My mate asks me twenty times a day whether I need food. They all seem to think that humans will starve if they're not fed regularly."
"That's because youwillstarve," I insisted. "Vikingar can be without sustenance for weeks if needed. It stems from when we still battled amongst ourselves on our planet and would lay siege to each other's settlements. It has become evolutionary unnecessary now that we've been a space-faring species for many generations."
"Humans can go without food for weeks as well," Laurel insisted. "But we do die if we don't get enough water, I grant you that. And yes, I could do with some food."
I sprung into action, ordering the Huginn to serve both my favourite dishes as well as the top requested Peritan meals.
"Stop, we're never going to eat all that," Shona said after a while.
I noticed my mate was shaking against me. Was she sick? Was she starving already?
"What's wrong?" I asked sharply, fighting the urge to turn her around so I could see her face.
"Nothing." She sounded like she was choking. I couldn't hold back any longer. I flung her around so that she was in my arms, and inspected her for anything that could have caused the shaking. Her lips were pressed together tightly, curved upwards at the edges. It looked like she was trying not to explode. Was she...
"You're laughing!" I exclaimed with both relief and embarrassment.
"Of course I am. You just ordered thirty different things because I said that I'm hungry. What else would I do?"
"I want to give you a choice," I defended myself. "You are my mate. I need to make sure you're happy."
Her smile flickered for a moment. Had I said something wrong?
Having a mate was harder than everyone made it sound. There was so much to look out for. So many things to get wrong.
A bright flash of light was all the warning we got before dozens of bowls and plates materialised on the mattress. I just about managed to stop a bowl ofgráðar læsoup from toppling over.
Maybe I had been a little excessive. It would take half the crew to eat all the food I'd ordered. But of course I couldn't admit that to my mate. I'd have to eat as much as possible.
* * *
An IG hour later,I was barely able to move. Laurel and Shona had long since stopped eating, only occasionally nibbling on some snacks. I had emptied four plates, three bowls, two trays and was now battling with a slice of matr cake. It looked humongous. I'd never be able to finish it. But I was a berserkr.Neverdidn't exist in my vocabulary. So I fought on, one bite at a time, while the females watched me with wide smirks.
"Is it time to say I told him so?" Laurel asked.
Shona snickered. "Definitely. Rune, are you giving up yet?"
"No," I grunted defiantly. "I never give up."
"Then I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."
Shona pulled out a communicator and typed something in her Peritan script. I couldn't read it without the automatic translation enabled, but half a click later, her mate stormed into the cabin. The sound of footsteps echoing through the hallway signalled more arrivals. Heavy boots. Vikingar. She'd summoned other males to my room.
Anger boiled up in me. My muscles tensed, ready to defend my mate.
"We're having a buffet," Shona told them happily, as more and more Vikingar squeezed into my cabin. It had seemed like a big room when I'd moved in, but now it felt extremely cramped.
Rage was making me shake. I clutched Laurel to my chest, ignoring her squealed protests. Another two males barged into the room, immediately grabbing food. I couldn't stand it any longer. I took my mate and ran.
9
Laurel
He was a total madman. Caveman. Crazy alien.
