Page 18 of Mated to the Vikings

“Damn blizzard came on without warning. You’re safe inside these walls. Come with me,” army man commanded with disdain.

After glancing at my companions, I was the first to follow. Whether we liked it or not, we were stuck here for the time being.

Taken into a stark white room, the difference was almost blinding. LED lighting was imbedded in the ceiling and walls, shining down on a series of steel tables. The stark space was an examination room, complete with various pieces of medical equipment that I only knew by instinct. There was no way to recognize what they were capable of doing.

“Take off your coats and boots. We need to have you checked.” The voice was demanding. “I will make certain that you have more suitable attire.” He turned his attention toward Greg, eyeing the gun. “How many lost?”

“Three and all of us could have perished. Not certain how I located the woman,” Greg answered, huffing as he placed his guns on one of the tables, tearing off his hood and hat. His harsh glare in my direction let me know in no uncertain terms he was pissed. “The scientist dude is right. The fuckers came out of nowhere. Again. They were obviously tracking us. I thought their cave or wherever they live was hundreds of miles away. Can’t you control the assholes?”

“The clan is becoming more aggressive, but you already were told that before bringing this group here,” the unknown man stated, almost in passing, as if anticipated. He studied us one by one, shaking his head in disdain. “Now that they’ve had a solid taste of blood, they’ll hunger for more. We need to be prepared.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Greg snorted. “And I had no choice bringing ‘em here. The government required their visit to our little compound. You’re well aware of this, Kevin.”

God, his words sounded practiced. Not his usual off the cuff bullshit. A clan. The terminology typically indicated a more primitive race. That was certainly possible, but why weren’t we warned? I thought about the cave I’d been taken to, if that had actually occurred. They had seemed like a primitive clan, none of them speaking.

What the hell was I thinking? I was merely suffering from hypothermia, which certainly could cause hallucinations. Then why was my body temperature almost normal? Swallowing, I pushed aside the vision, choosing to believe I’d gotten lost in the snow and nothing more.

“Bastards,” the mysterious man named Kevin stated before turning his brief attention in our direction. “We’ll deal with it. Welcome to Station 22, or as the crew likes to call the place, the arena. Now, for your own protection, I will need your weapons.”

I hesitated. This was my only safety mechanism.

Kevin cocked his head, beckoning. “We will keep you safe for the duration as long as you follow directions. No guns are allowed in my world without my authorization.”

“Would one of you mind telling us what the hell is going on?” Samuel snapped, yanking off his coat and running his hands through his hair. “Beasts. Clans. What the fuck lives here?”

“I tried to warn you,” Shane said under his breath.

Greg and the man dressed in army fatigues looked at each other and I could swear their eyes were twinkling.

“They’re only going to tell us what needs to be told.” I tugged the hood and yanked off my gloves, moving closer to the obvious leader in this establishment. I offered my gun first. My instinct was screaming to outright refuse, but I had the distinct feeling he’d wrestle it away from me.

Kevin sauntered closer, his expression more lurid than I expected.

After debating, I stuck out my hand, although I had the distinct feeling we were unwanted. “I’m Dr. Cassia Bloom and we were required by the American government to provide our assistance to tests occurring within your compound. Trust me when I say that none of us had any desire to be taken to a savage planet, forced to endure a dangerous landing then encounter monsters who killed three of us. Now, I assume that you know exactly what’s going on and will be happy to share it with us.” Glaring at him, I held my ground, even though my legs were shaking. I couldn’t get the face of the Viking out of my mind, the yearning that exuded from every pore in his body.

The man laughed before accepting my handshake, stealing a single glance at the pistol in his other hand. “I’ll assume that you’re the psychiatrist I’ve heard so much about and you’re right about information. I’ll tell you only what’s required. The rest is top secret. By the way, Doctor, your work is legendary.”

I knew he was chiding me, laughing at my few noted accomplishments. I certainly didn’t have the same accolades as the others, even within my other set of credentials. I would keep the secret to myself. Fuck him and fuck this place. “I am a trained psychiatrist, but that didn’t answer the question. At least one of those beasts who attacked us was very human in appearance. The others were… Where are they from, another planet or does Earth Two already have a basic civilization like the rumors we’ve all heard about? In other words, what is really going on here? Are you combining their DNA with that of humans?” I threw this out based on what Shane had said. The chilly reception to my comment made my skin crawl.

I sensed Shane holding his breath.

“She’s a ballbuster,” Greg muttered. “Wasn’t afraid of the clan either.”

“You have no idea and my nasty attitude is only going to get a hell of a lot worse if we don’t have some answers.” I kept my grip firm, daring the man to share whatever secrets he was hiding.

The tension in the room was palpable.

Kevin continued to size me up for a full minute. “I’m Dr. Kevin Fields. I founded this compound for the United States Republic and I run the facilities. I control every aspect of our projects and whether you like it or not, the majority are top secret. I know you’re here to report back your findings, but you will not have full access to the compound.”

“What about full disclosure and transparency?” Shane asked, hissing as he glared at the man.

“Transparency doesn’t exist up here. While I’m truly sorry about your loss, we have work to do. In case you haven’t figured out, Earth is dying. Our scientific studies are the only way to keep humans alive. It’s simple. A new planet and highly functional creatures to work for us, not annihilate mankind.” Kevin allowed the words to sink in, exhaling after a few seconds. “Admittedly, the creatures don’t normally attack in the daylight, which is disconcerting. The storm must have set them off. We will need to be… cautious.”

Set them off. The creatures had been riled, but there was more in the beasts’ eyes. Revenge. Retaliation.

Passion. Hunger.

Domination.