He thought his life was over.
She’s about to prove him wrong.

After the loss of his betrothed, battle-scarred warrior Errik has locked his heart away. All he wants to do is be the fearless, emotionless Vikingr he trained to be. He never wants to love again – until he meets Holly, who knows the pain of loss. But is that shared experience enough to bring them together? And when the future of his species is under threat, will the strain tear them apart or make them stronger?

Errik is furious, his wishes have been ignored and his DNA was submitted for a match. He hasn’t gotten over losing his Kvenn and doesn’t want another mate. The first group of mates are due on the Valkyr and Njal is ordering him off with the others. The Peritan (Earth) woman would have a bit of time to adjust to being on the ship before being introduced to their matches.

Holly is a widowed teacher she’s ready to start living again and signed up with Hot Tatties because of the claim to find soulmates. Not that she really believed that nonsense, but she was ready to put herself out there again.

While most of the others in her group were scared or shocked Holly was curious. She has so many questions as she realizes they were indeed on a shuttle to a larger spaceship.

The crew that have mates in this group were watching as they arrived all of them excited and while understanding why things had to move slowly, anxious to actually meet with them. The men are in a house on Earth and while Steff introduces the women to their history and what to expect in the days to come.

They don’t see much until the following day when Steff introduces them to her mate Njal. She also explains the technology of the cameras that allow their mates to observe them from afar.

While Errik hasn’t read the information on his mate, one woman catches his eye. She’s not nervous or scared her curiosity is written all over her face. He’s a bit surprised when Njal informs him the woman who has caught his eye is indeed his mate.

Holly herself is just absorbing this new environment and is the first to want to meet her mate. They had special rooms set up, they were romantic settings and of course the interpretations of some things were funny, yet sweet.

Errik in spite of originally not wanting to have mate, has now fully embraced the fact that he has one and even before he meets Holly has begun the Fýst. Their time together is fun and informative for both but it’s the end of the time together that really gets interesting.

This is a favorite scene.

We talked for hours. The ship kept serving us more food and once we were full, drinks started appearing, most of them alcoholic. By the time I’d downed my third bright green cocktail – it tasted of bananas and blueberries, despite the colour – I was tipsy, giggly and didn’t want to ever leave this room again.

A knock on the door interrupted Errik’s story of how he’d single-handedly raided an entire container ship. Most of his tales had been full of violence and bluster, but I found them entertaining and surprisingly adorable.  

“Come in!” I called, not surprised when Steff poked in her head.

“Hello, lovebirds. How’s it going?”

I exchanged a look with Errik. It was going fabulously. Better than any date I’d ever had. The agency’s matching technology had proved itself to be highly effective. Errik and I were matched perfectly. That wasn’t to say that we were the same, not in the slightest. I had no interest in war and battles, while he appreciated my insatiable curiosity and drive to learn, but didn’t have the same urge to know everything. His hobbies were working out, training and studying past battles, while I liked to be creative or go for long swims in the sea. On paper, we were nothing alike, but despite that, I felt a kindred spirit within him. It wasn’t just the shared experience of loss that connected us. It was so much more.  

“Great,” was all I said. Steff’s knowing grin said she already understood. After all, she had her own Vikingr match. She had to know what it felt like.  

“Errik, Njal says you’re needed back on Earth. You have another ten minutes to wrap this up, then I’m afraid your first date is over. You can meet again tomorrow – if you want, of course.”

“I do,” I said at the same time as Errik. I smiled at him with adoration while he flashed his pink teeth at me. Aye, we were perfectly matched.  

“Holly, come see me once you’re done,” Steff said on the way out. “Don’t talk to the other women yet. I want to have a chat first.”

I nodded, but the door had already shut behind her.  

“Ten minutes,” Errik mused. “How long is that in Vikingr time?”

It had to be all the alcohol that made me say, “Long enough for a kiss.”

Errik’s grin turned predatory. He was on his feet in an instant and then he was towering above me. Again, he had moved faster than my mind could comprehend. Steff had said nothing about superhuman speed, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t real.  

Slowly, with a slight wobble I blamed the cocktails for, I stood up. I only reached to his collarbone – his blue, silky, muscle-surrounded collarbone. Some of my ovaries fainted at the sight. His eyes reflected the candlelight, sparkling like stars in the night. He wasn’t smiling anymore. His expression was serious, intense, hungry. He devoured me with his sweeping gaze until I couldn’t take it any longer.  

“Do you feel it?” I whispered huskily.  

He didn’t reply. Instead, he cupped my cheeks with his huge, calloused hands, before his lips met mine. The first few moments were sweet, gentle and strangely normal. A kiss that a human guy would give. But then he slung one arm around my waist, pressing me tightly against his hard body, and the kiss turned feral. All softness disappeared as he claimed my mouth. This was more what I’d been expecting. And I loved it.  

He tasted like the sea, salty and wild, while his sandalwood scent filled my nose. His beard rubbed against my cheeks, but the hair was softer than it looked and didn’t chafe.  

I got lost in the kiss, letting him plunder me with his demanding tongue. My body was screaming for more. My breasts were taught and heavy, my core throbbing with need. I could feel his erection between us, a hard rod of temptation. For a moment, I wondered what he looked like, but then a sharp, delicious pain on my bottom lip drew my attention. His vampire teeth must have grazed me. Unaware, he continued, and I saw no need to tell him. On the contrary, I wanted to feel that pain again. Wanted him to bite me. They did it during their wedding night, but maybe he could give me a little preview?

I didn’t recognise myself. This wasn’t vanilla-Holly. This was a seductive vixen slumbering deep within, only emerging now that she’d found her match. Following the urge to feel more of him, I ran my hands over his back, amazed how even there, he had planes of thick muscle. He was a beast, a warrior, and he was mine.

A knock on the door made us freeze for a heartbeat before we continued, our kiss turning more desperate. We were running out of time. And I never wanted to let go of Errik ever again. I clung to him, breathing in his alluring scent, feeling his hardness press against my body. I wanted more, needed more. Ten minutes were like a drop of water for someone dying of thirst. I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to. And Errik seemed to feel the same. His tongue raided my mouth, his lips hard against mine, only occasionally lessening the pressure to breathe. One hand roamed over my back, while the other was tousled in my hair, holding my head in place as if he was scared I’d move away from him. As if. There was nothing that could make me leave. Nothing.

The door slid open behind us, but we ignored it. Didn’t listen when Steff shouted something. The world around us didn’t matter.  

I was pulled away from Errik. I struggled against the grip around my waist, but then another set of hands clamped around my arms and pulled me back. Reality slowly drifted in, waking me from my blissful state. It took me a moment to realise what I was seeing. Three Vikingar warriors were restraining Errik, pushing him against a wall.

“What the fuck are you doing to him?!” I screamed, turning around to face my own attackers. Steff and Njal stood side by side, their faces grave.  

“Let go of my mate,” Errik growled, fury lining his words.  

Njal lifted his hands. “Not touching her. I am sorry, but we have an emergency. We need the two of you.”
Skye MacKinnon. Drengr (Kindle Locations 828-874). Peryton Press.

The emergency that ensues involves the IGA, a secret revealed and a whole lot of heat in more ways than one.

I really enjoy these dating agency books and I really can’t wait for the next Vikingr one.

5 Contented Purrs for Skye!

Skye MacKinnon

Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today & International Bestselling Author whose books are filled with strong heroines who don’t have to choose.

She embraces her Scottishness with fantastical Scottish settings and a dash of mythology, no matter if she’s writing about Celtic gods, cat shifters, or the streets of Edinburgh.

When she’s not typing away at her favourite cafe, Skye loves dried mango, as much exotic tea as she can squeeze into her cupboards and being covered in pet hair by her two bunnies, Emma and Darwin.