written by danidraven 

*****MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY*****

The ship is in sight when burly arms coil across my chest, yanking me off the ground. I shriek, squirming in their grip as I kick and claw. Hissing when I draw blood, he throws me onto the icy ground. My nails dig into the frozen surface as I'm wrenched back towards the woods. I see the trembling torches around me, burning garishly against the ash-grey world of frost and moonlight. The snarling faces of the villagers move closer, surrounding me. The chieftain emerges through the crowd, his sneer twisting in my gut.

"The gods have spoken, little one. Fighting now will only enrage them." I'm hauled upright. My hair jerked back, forcing me to meet his gaze. He leans closer, his sour breath near my mouth. "Though I rather enjoy it."

I spit in his face.

"Take her to the arch!" He yells, and the villagers howl like frenzied hounds. My throat burns with screams of defiance.

I had known my name would be called. Had known that the chieftain would look into the bones, bathed in rabbit's blood and say it was my face he saw. The chieftain speaks to the gods, hears their whispers on the stream and in the roaring thunder of the storm. The gods also listen, but only to him.

When he'd found me this afternoon, foraging alone in the woods, he'd said he would plead for me. That the gods would spare me. I'd bit down so hard his blood had dripped down my chin. I could still feel the sting on my cheek where he'd struck me.

So I'd known my name would be called at the ceremony. And I knew I would die tonight. I'd hidden provisions in my father's boat, planned my escape. I'd been quick, but the chieftain and his followers had been quicker. The men drag my struggling form away from the bay, heading back into the treeline. I keep my eyes on the ocean, on the soft sway of the Silver sea under the frosted moon, on the Nordland lights burning in the sky above, as bright and vibrant as rage. As bright as the life about to burn out of me.

***

The forest gives way to barren ground as the procession makes its way to the base of the mountain. The village twinkles behind us, a place I would not see again. Smoke scolds my eyes, and the cold makes my teeth chatter. The villagers revel in their anticipation, their yells as savage as any wild beast. Whatever I face ahead, how could it be as vicious, as bloodthirsty as what's behind?

The colossal archway comes slowly into view, a stone beacon against the towering white-tipped mountains. The gods had created this. It was the doorway from which their demons first came, aiding in the great war between the gods of Nordland and the false god of Chrysia. A whimper's torn from my throat. I don't want to show fear, but seeing this makes it real. I'm going to die here.

Under the archway is a stone altar. From here, the chosen demon will come. From here, my life would be taken. A circle of villagers have already formed, their faces monstrous in the flickering light of the torches. I yell in fury, finding my rage through the fear. I struggle and fight, even as my muscles ache and my limbs burn. The chieftain draws closer. He begs the gods to bless the village. To fill bellies with fresh fish, for grain to make ale. To thank the gods for this bounty, here, they would make a sacrifice. Here on this altar they offer a daughter of the village. And from the mountains, the demons would come and claim their prize. Those abandoned demons, those relics of the gods. The Berserkers of the Kolassi mountains.

Two burly villagers lift me and drop me onto the altar. Quickly, they go to work tying me down, the coarse rope digging painfully into my wrists and ankles. The stone feels like ice through the fabric of my dress. Around me, the village celebrates. They drink and dance and fuck. They are fools, hypocrites, cowards, and I howl at them till my throat is raw. To the gods I howl, denouncing the chieftain and his lies. But no one cares. I am alone. I have always been alone. A burden to my family - another daughter my father didn't want. Too wild to make a good wife, too intense to keep a lover.

And then the howl comes. Guttural, low, as if it comes from the depths of the earth and not from high in the mountains. I tug hard on my binds. I feel everything drain from my bones.

The villagers fall silent. The howl is the sign. They know a demon is coming to claim their prize. Slowly, they slip back through the dark woods towards the safety of the village. No one ever sees the berserkers, and no one dares stay for fear of their wrath. I've heard rumours of their fangs, of their claws, of their size. More and more of the village leave. Their torches fading into the darkness. The chanting dissolving into the wind. In the distance, I can hear the celebration resuming back in the village. Another sacrifice accepted. Another girl dead.

Before he leaves, the chieftain turns - a smile of victory simmering on his lips.

I lay there, my heart beating fiercely as the darkness envelopes me. I feel the icy air prickling my skin, but fear more than the cold freezes my body. The crunch of footsteps starts softly and grows as it comes closer. Its heavy breathing shattering the silence. I cry out. I can't hide it any longer - I'm terrified.

The creature stands above me now, nothing more than a looming shadow. I can feel the heat of its body crawl across my skin. I close my eyes and turn away. Its breath is against my cheek. A claw digs into my jaw as it turns my face towards it.

I open my eyes, gasping as golden eyes burn into mine. Then the night, the fear, it overtakes me. And I fall into blackness.

***

Something wet drips on my face, and I'm dragged into waking. I sit up sharply, already aware the air is damp, cold but not icy and that I'm weighed down by a thick layer of furs.

I'm in a cave.

The drip-drip-dropping of water from the silvery walls falls all around. I shiver. Stalactites hang like fangs from the ceiling.

Panting hard, I drag myself to the rock wall, the cold bite slipping under my clothes. When I see the demon, I jerk. My arms wrapping around my knees. My stomach tenses and I can taste the stale dampness of the cave on my tongue.

A fire burns near the opening - I can smell meat roasting. The demon sits beside it, facing outwards. The stars blaze bright in the sky, the shifting colours glazing the walls of the cave in pinks, reds and greens. I see the subtle shift in his breathing when he knows I'm awake, see his body slowly rise and turn.

I gasp as I take him in. He's the tallest man I've ever seen. Though man is the wrong word. This Berserker is clearly a demon, every inch the nightmare the stories described. His skin is the colour of the most violent storm cloud, and it catches the light like molten metal. His muscled body is shrouded in leathers, furs and armour - rust-coloured scales that glint golden in the firelight. Onyx hair falls down behind pointed ears and across his shoulders. His eyes remind me of a wolf. They glow amber in the darkness. Each claw on his hands is a dagger, sharp enough to split rock. Two white fangs sit atop his bottom lip. A grey tail whips around his clawed feet. He gazes at me. There is no violence in his eyes, though he is clearly capable of it. It makes something in my muscles relax, my body unfurls itself.

He says nothing, just takes a rod of burning meat from above the flames and sits by the fire again. His eyes drawn to the world outside.

Pulling myself up, I keep one fur draped across my shoulders. I step forward, making my way towards him. There is no place to run to. I have no way to survive this but through him. As I slip closer, the air gets colder, the wind blows in and I realise how high up we are. The sight makes me gasp, and rocks scatter from under my feet as I lose my balance. The black void rises to greet me as I tumble from the edge. In a move too swift for a human, a powerful arm reaches out to catch me. He pulls me back until I fall beside the fire. He growls. His face, which looks like it's been carved from stone, is irritated.

"Be quiet." He watches me as I breathe heavily, steadying myself. My eyes never leaving him. And his eyes never leaving me.

"You can talk?" He snorts.

"Is that what you expected? A mindless mountain beast?" He takes a bite of the meat. Liquid drips down his chin. I have no idea what kind of animal he's eating, and I have no desire to ask.

"I didn't know Berserkers could talk. The stories... the stories never spoke of it." Regretting my words instantly as his eyes darken and he glares at me.

"What would humans know of my kind? What would humans know of anything?" He sucks the juices from his talons. Their sharpness makes me shudder.

"Why am I alive?"

"You'd prefer that I killed you down there? Are you complaining?"

I laugh. I can't help it. Night still hangs in the sky, so I know only hours could have passed, and yet here I am. I'm not disappointed to be alive, but I am surprised. And confused.

"No, but I am curious about what you're planning on doing with me. I'm clearly not dinner..." He growls slightly and throws the leftovers into the fire. It hisses and spits.

"Humans make unpleasant meals." I shudder and see amusement in his eyes. His lips quiver - he's teasing me. "All gristle."

I stand up, walking closer to the edge. He makes a noise in his throat, but I ignore it. I have been nowhere in my life but the village and the bay. I've never seen my world from up high before. Even if this creature changed his mind and killed me after all, at least I'd have this.

"It's beautiful up here." I turn and realise he's watching me. His flashing eyes hold a different expression now. One I recognise. The chieftain's stares had turned my stomach sour for years. This demon's gaze provoked a difference reaction. One that I didn't understand.

"Yes," he answers finally. "It is." I walk closer, sinking down on the rock next to him. He watches me curiously. Next to him I feel small, fragile, but I also feel safer than I have in a long time. Far from lecherous hands or devouring gazes. Right now, I feel peaceful. The lights burning high above us, the forest and village below us. The bay and endless ocean ahead.

"I'm Freyja. What's your..."

"Vagnor."

"Thank you for bringing me here, Vagnor," I whisper, and he looks at me like I'm an unfathomable creature. He shifts restlessly. "Be truthful. Why didn't you kill me?"

He is silent for a long time.

"I heard you. You don't believe the gods chose you for the honour of dying in their name."

"No, I don't. I believe an old man chose me because I didn't see the honour in getting on my knees for him." A vision of myself before Vagnor causes a very different reaction in my belly and I turn away. He laughs. A proper bellow, and my cheeks flame. I enjoy making this demon laugh. I move closer, my knee grazing the thick muscle of leather-clad thigh.

"You burned so brightly, screaming such things to all those hollow people. Brighter than the lights above us. Brighter than they ever warned me about. It seemed a waste to kill such a creature." I watch the flames dance across his skin, his fangs, his eyes. His words are more warming than the fire could ever be. "But... in sparing your life, I have forfeited my own. By sunrise, they will be hunting me us."

My heart stills. And I close my eyes as the realisation takes over. There was no way to survive this night. This demon may have spared me, but his people and certainly mine, would not.

"You chose a stranger over your own life?"

"I chose honour over a shameful killing. It is a rite of passage for my people, but where is the honour in killing a bound and weak human? That does not make me a warrior. My people have lost their way since the war, since the gods abandoned us. I never saw it so clearly till I saw you there. We are warriors, that's what they made us for. A warrior with no war is a lost creature indeed."

"No one in my village believes the harvest will yield better because a girl is dead. They just take pleasure in knowing it's not them." He glances down at me, watching me thoughtfully as I stare out at the ocean. "My father is a fisherman. I was going to take his boat before the chieftain could find me. Sail away and find somewhere new. A new life. What do you think lies across the water? What do you think is across the Silver sea?"

"One way will take you to the Chrysia. The other? No one knows."

"Have you ever wondered?"

He leans closer, his mouth close to mine when he whispers - "Every day." He places a sharp talon under my jaw, raising my chin till I meet his burning eyes. And burn they do. Like our flesh where our legs touch, where his tail licks against my calf. I can feel the rapid flicker of my heart, see the rise and fall of his chest. Never have I felt this heat bloom within me, the way it does now.

I stand, moving before of him. His wolf's eyes widen. My lips part. This night has moved and shifted in ways that seem mystical. I have felt so much fear, anger, and now I feel compelled by something else. And with death heading my way before the night was over, I'm free. Free to follow this feeling wherever it takes me. And right now, it takes me to him. My hands go to his shoulders to steady myself. Everything is silent except the waves crashing against the shore, our hearts colliding against our ribs.

"I think if we're to die tonight, we should use our last moments well."

His eyes blaze. The predator within him comes to the surface, but I'm not afraid. His claws wrap around the backs of my thighs and he pulls me onto him till I'm straddling his lap. I gasp, wrapping my arms around his neck. The silky black strands of his hair tangle with my fingers. His breathing is rough and heavy. I rise in his lap, lean my forehead against his, feel the warmth of his breath on my skin, feel the sharp point of his tail slipping under my dress, seeking softer flesh.

"You still have a chance." His voice is a rich rumble as his lips and then fangs graze the crook of my neck. His hot breath scorching my flesh. "There's a tunnel back there. Follow the water, it will take you to your beach. To your ship."

His tail skims the flesh of my inner thighs and I moan, my head snapping back. He tugs the fur from my shoulders. His talons run across my collarbone, gliding over the exposed skin of my upper breasts. The air is icy on my skin, but his touch heats my flesh.

"And what will you do?"

"My people will expect my arrival soon, a dead girl in my arms. They will hunt us, but I will cut down anyone who comes between you and that new life you desire. And I will finally have a battle worthy of the gods. I will turn the ocean red with their blood for you," he growls. The thought of battle excites him. Even through his leathers, I can feel he's hard. With his eyes locked on mine, he brushes himself against the part of me that's aching. His tail slides higher, the tip slipping inside me, and I gasp at the sudden intrusion. He growls, his nostrils flare and I know he can smell how much I'm enjoying this.

"More." I cling even tighter, my hips moving seemingly on their own. His tail driving deeper inside me as I grind against him. Tension coils, spiralling tighter and tighter, as everything grows hotter and sharper. I feel it rise and shatter inside me. Once again, I scream until my throat burns, but this time, they're cries of pleasure.

I climb off him and he snarls unhappily. I'm tugging off my dress, pulling it above my hips and over my head. The frigid air hits my back, swirls around my skin, plucking at my flesh. He exhales sharply, and stares at my body. His gaze burns - I feel it scold as it rakes over my skin.

"I will kill them all, all for you."

"I know you will."

And then, with a sweep of his great arm, I'm tugged off my feet and back onto his lap. He kisses me - a devouring clash of teeth and tongue that leaves me breathless. Leaves me desperate for more. I hear the shredding of fur, the clanging of metal on the ground as he tears of his garments and armour.

I cry out as I sink onto him, his hardness filling me. His claws grip my hips as he moves below me. With the lights from above our shimmering along our skin, our howls awaken the night.

***

He lifts me gently onto the ship like I'm precious. The boat shudders as Vagnor untethers the vessel from the dock. Behind him, the mountains carve up the sky. I hear the growling in the distance that says the demons are coming, coming for their sacrifice. His body is tense, but his face is untroubled.

"The wind is in your favour. It will take you where you need to go."

"Come with me," I utter simply, hearing the plea in my voice. I'm afraid, but it's more than my fear of an endless ocean. The thought of leaving him now pierces my heart.

"I have a battle to win for you. You do not need me. The lights will lead your way."

"There's still time. Please?" I glance behind, my chest seizing when I see the dark forms as they crash through the trees. Roaring as they head towards us. "I'm not asking because I need you to come. I'm asking because I want you to."

The boat creaks against the soft waves. Vagnor watches me as the water slaps against his clawed feet and legs. I can see the conflict in the line on his brow. His tail whips against the foam.

"Come with me," I repeat. His lips part, his sharp incisors glinting in the fading moonlight. He turns and looks at the mountains. Searching for something - a reason to stay? A reason to go?

I touch his face, his skin hard like stone, but smooth and warm under my touch. He turns his wolf eyes on me.

"I know you would be victorious, and I know you would fight with honour. But I don't believe our gods brought us together for you to die tonight. I believe this is the start of a new story. Our story. Live it with me." He touches my face, runs a talon across my cheek, over my lip. I open my mouth for him, his claw slipping between my teeth, my tongue running across the blade-like sharpness. He hisses, his nostrils flare.

He climbs onto the boat. Quickly, I adjust the sail. Set course for a new world. For the unknown. As we leave the bay, I see the torches, the axes raised, hear the thunder of the berserkers as they come for us as their feet pound across the sand.

The sky is wave after wave of colour as his claws pluck away my clothes, his fangs digging into the soft flesh of my thighs. Under the burning lights, we fuck and love and roar into the night. And sail towards lives anew.

<<<<<FINIS>>>>>

Find more from DaniDraven on Wattpad.

British girl who drinks too much tea, reads too many romance novels and tends to forget what she's doing when she gets a new idea for a story...

I write romance stories with a supernatural spin... or that's the idea. Mainly I eat crisps and watch Netflix in my PJs.