Thunder Hunter: Viking Soul Book 1 (Viking Soul Series)

by Rachel Medhurst

  Her laugh echoed around the room. A plush apartment room in the middle of the city. A city full of hateful beings that crawled under the cover of darkness, pretending to be something that they were not during the day. I quite liked the décor, actually. The walls were painted just my shade of green, spring grass. The bed was a four-poster with thick curtains hanging around it. All the better to hide debauchery behind.

  “This is all just a bit predictable, isn’t it?” I moaned.

  Analise sighed as she whipped the knife away, dropping it on a glass-topped table. Her long legs stretched her black pencil skirt as she walked over to a cream armchair. Lowering herself, she crossed those delightful legs at the knee. A grin came unbidden as I remembered how it felt to have those darlings wrapped around my hips.

  “Yes, it is rather. Do you know how many times I’ve told Father how boring it is that the humans have it so…right? You…grandchild to Thor. Me…Loki’s granddaughter ten thousand times removed.” She rolled her eyes, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder. “Just another pawn in the god’s war.”

  “Indeed. How many more descendants will Loki send to try and kill me? I’m sure he must have warned you that none of the others survived?”

  Her sigh filtered over to me, lifting the hairs on my arms. I would happily make her sigh in the most pleasurable way. Alas, I had been easy on her last time, allowing her to live. It seemed it had been a soft spot too many. Not one of Loki’s descendants had managed to tie me up before.

  “I love it when you talk dirty.” Her eye glittered as she watched me, kicking her leg in a slow rhythm.

  Was she thinking about our encounter all those years ago? I had certainly not left an inch of her untouched. The dark woman had been sweet and bitter at the same time. A mix I had grown fond of in my thousand-year life.

  “You haven’t changed much, have you?”

  The corner of her painted lips sunk up into her cheek. She thought I was paying her a compliment. I wouldn’t correct her assumption. The short life she would lead hadn’t taught her much. Considering it had taken ten years to track me down again, she hadn’t exactly gone to too much trouble to make sure I was secure in my chains.

  “I must warn you, I’m no longer alone. My niece has joined my efforts. In fact, she’s on her way right now. We plan to hurt you. Kill you. On behalf of Loki.”

  My snort was met with raised eyebrows. Another young female sent to distract me. When would Loki learn that I had tasted every single type of woman that earth could offer? A thousand years hunting, and sending back, the Fallen Ones had left me wary for originality.

  Trying to straighten my back, I winked at her. “Do you want to have some fun before she gets here?”

  The movement of her throat alerted me to her temptation. I would enjoy running my tongue over her supple body.

  Getting to her feet, Analise moved closer, grabbing the knife in a quick swift movement before spinning to point it at my chest. I was defenceless. Or, so she thought. I would keep the game going for a little while longer. Just because it amused me.

  “Where is your sword, Trygger? You were always so attached to that piece of metal.”

  The weapon she so dismissively described wasn’t with me. I only ever bought it out when I knew that a Fallen One was near. It wouldn’t do to have the residents of London see me lug around a big sword in the middle of the city. Not in the year 2016, anyway.

  “I don’t need my sword to kill you,” I said through gritted teeth.

  It was good to let her think that she had the upper hand. Sweat dripped down my chest, grazing the muscles of my stomach. Analise’s gaze traced the movement before she moved forward and ran a finger over my nipple. The knife she held followed, tracing the scar that lay over my heart.

  “I’ve heard all the legends about you,” she whispered, close to my ear. The sweet musky smell of her filled my nose as she pressed her body against mine. “How Freya thrust Thor’s thunder into you so you could retrieve the dark souls and return them to her. Loki’s fury is still strong, even though he’s been trapped in her field for a millennium. He hates you just as much now as he did then.”

  A chuckle escaped my chest. I tried to hold it back, but gave up. Why should I not laugh? The hilarity rose up my throat. I couldn’t stop. Analise glared at me as I laughed so hard, I rocked on the chains that bound me to the ceiling. My bare back hit the cold wall, but I didn’t jump this time.

  “Stop,” the sensual woman ordered.

  Her tone was bordering on fury. Oh, but I couldn’t stop. Why would I let one of Loki’s offspring tell me what to do? I never had before.

  “Make me,” I said through my laughter.

  Her hand rose up and thrust down, sending the tip of her blade into my shoulder. My teeth gritted together hard, almost popping my jaw, but I uttered no sound. A grunt escaped me as she tugged the knife out, a small laugh coming from her as she did.

  “Made you.”

  Her phone started to ring. She ignored it for a second, staring into my eyes as I breathed through my nose. A line of blood dribbled down my shoulder and onto my chest. We both kept our gaze on each other, not daring to look away.

  “That will be Chloe.”

  Leaning forward, she put her nose against my neck and sniffed. The waft of perfume circled around me, almost enticing me to forget who she was. Almost.

  “You better answer it, then,” I said.

  The tilt of her head brought our lips closer, but not close enough. I wasn’t going to play her game, not today. I would have been tempted a few years ago. However, I was so close to the end. So. Very. Close.

  “Yes, I should.” Her high heels clicked as she walked over to the window.

  Looking at her phone, she paused, her cheeks draining of colour. Whoever was on the other end, wasn’t her niece. Analise wasn’t easily influenced.

  “Hello?”

  The tightness of her voice belayed the confidence she faked as she stood with her spine straight and her other hand gripping the knife handle. Watching her, I tried to listen to the conversation. She turned away, lowering her voice as she replied.

  Glancing out of the window behind her, I watched the lights of London. The city that ruled the financial world. I had helped my father raid England back in the day of the Vikings. He had promised me that the country would indeed be great. Although it had been years since I had been back, I had to agree that the city was pretty impressive.

  “No! I’m not going to do that,” Analise spat, her voice rising.

  I watched as her shoulders lowered. It was always the same with these people. They were controlled by someone else. By a god. Loki.

  My mind strayed back to the field outside Valhalla. Freya had done us all a wrong, technically. She could have given Thor his thunder back straight away. Instead, she chose to use his death to her advantage. How had she known that I would be able to hunt the Fallen Ones? I was just a boy then.

  “It seems my niece is almost here. My father tells me that I have to wait to kill you,” Analise announced as she hung up the phone. She avoided eye contact as she went to the bed, kicked off her heels, and sat on the edge.

  “Can I join you?” I asked, just to wind her up.

  Her gaze narrowed on me before she shuffled on the mattress and undid the top button of her white shirt. Digging her hand into her top, she fiddled around in her bra. What did she hide there?

  I braced myself, ready to fight, but when she pulled the bra off from under her shirt, I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips.

  “What?” she said, tilting her head to the side. “Bras are extremely annoying.”

  “I understand. You should’ve let me help you remove it. As I recall, we enjoyed it the last time I did.”

  The door crashed open, rebounding off the wall. Analise stayed on the bed, unfazed by the intrusion. I was about to free myself of the chains when an average sized curvy young girl walked into the room, a gun held out in front of her.


  “Do you have to make such an entrance?” Analise faked a yawn as she lounged against a pillow.

  The curtain at the side of the bed was open, but the rest of them were pulled. I liked the idea of getting them both hidden inside the cube of material.

  “What can I say? I’m kick-arse.” The new female wore a long brown skirt with a light pink flowy top.

  Her wavy dark-blonde hair was un-brushed and stuck out all over the place. She certainly didn’t look like a forbidding Loki descendant.

  “That is not the way I would describe you,” Analise said, climbing off the bed.

  “You’re just a girl.”

  My words hit her in the chest. I could see by the way her hand came over her heart. A sensitive girl, too. What was going on with Loki? Why would he send such a sweet innocent normal type?

  “So, you’re the famous Trygger? You look…” She turned to her aunt and mouthed ‘Hot’.

  “Why, thank you,” I replied, also looking at her sexy aunt.

  I couldn’t help the smirk that came to my face. The girl was young and impressionable. Surely, Analise didn’t think that the meek woman would be able to hurt me?

  “Enough chit chat, let’s do this.”

  Striding to her niece, Analise handed her the knife. “Chloe is going to kill you, apparently. Although, why my father insists she does it is beyond me.”

  Family troubles. That could play to my advantage. If I could be bothered to mess around. Sometimes life became boring, so I had to make up my own amusements.

  My chest tightened, alerting me to the presence of a Fallen One within a ten-mile radius. My current hunt had brought me to London two hundred years ago. He was getting a little less careful. Which worked in my favour, very favourably. If only I could get hold of him right now, I would only have four more souls to go.

  Four more souls until my death. Fuck! Oh, how I relished the idea. Yet, the pesky descendants of Loki were determined to end me before I could complete my mission. It wasn’t easy to kill me, although not entirely impossible. However, if Loki was successful in having me killed, I wouldn’t get to live with the gods. And, that wasn’t going to happen. My place was in Valhalla and beyond.

  “Can we hurry up with this, please? I need to go and…hunt.” The last word was bitten between teeth as the pressure in my chest faded.

  The bloody Fallen One had gone again. Thor’s thunder had helped me track down a hundred and ninety-five dark evil souls. With my sword, I called for Thor’s lightning, which connects with the blade. When the blade slices the head off the host of a Fallen One, the lightning freezes the spirit, and a beautiful Valkyrie collects them so they can be taken back to Fólkvangr, Freya’s field.

  My ending was in sight, finally. Yet, it had taken me a thousand years to get the first hundred and ninety-five. How long would it take me to get the last five?

  “He’s very polite, isn’t he?” Chloe said, coming over and waving the gun towards me.

  “That’s not exactly how I remember him. Maybe it’s because you’re young.” Analise went over to pick up her heels. “Get on with it, then. I want to get out of here.”

  The clever woman had managed to get me into the apartment by using a hooker to lure me. I was tense, I needed to relax. Meeting her in the local bar, I had charmed the hell out of her. The barman had offered me a drink, I had let my guard down, swallowing the shot down in one go. The poison had knocked me out instantly. When I woke up, I was in the plush green room.

  “I’m not that young! I’m twenty, thank you very much. He doesn’t look that much older than me.”

  Chloe’s sulky tone made Analise’s eyes roll. “He’s over a thousand years old, remember?”

  Something wasn’t right. My tingly senses noted the tension between the two women. Chloe, innocent, or supposedly. Analise, smooth, calm and sexy…but on edge unlike I had ever seen her.

  “Just do it,” Analise snapped, coming closer to us.

  Chloe raised her gun and aimed it at my heart. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed deeply, ready to commit murder. Or, so she thought. My legs rose from the ground, all my weight held by my wrists. Flinging my knees around her waist, I jolted her. As I suspected, the gun dropped to the ground as she cried out, thrashing around madly.

  Analise scrambled around for the gun as I released Chloe, letting her fall to the soft carpet. Lifting myself onto my tiptoes, I wrapped the chains around my wrists and pulled with as much strength as I could. The bolts holding the chain to the ceiling gave way, bringing plaster and chains crashing down on top of me.

  “Stop!” Analise had the gun in her hand, pointed at my chest.

  I froze, spitting as dust and white powder floated around me and in my mouth. “Let’s not do this.”

  The burn was back in my chest, stronger than ever. The Fallen One was near again, even closer this time. He obviously lived or worked in a ten-mile radius of the apartment. I had to get away from these pawns to find him.

  “I’m sick of hunting you down, Trygger. I have to do this. Give up for once and we can all be happy. You said you wanted to die.”

  “He did?” Chloe got to her feet, trying to shake the white dust out of her hair.

  Analise growled in her busty chest, pushing out a long hard breath. It had been fun to ride her all those years ago, but I had other things to be getting on with. It was time to end the current situation.

  “Goodbye, Trygger.” She raised the gun, but before she could shoot, Chloe pushed her arm. The gun skidded on the floor again, away from the girls.

  “Shit! Why did you do that? I’m going to kill you!” Analise turned to her niece.

  Chloe already ran towards the door. Picking up the chain I was attached to, I flung it, lasso style, at Analise. The metal wrapped around her throat, bringing her to her knees. Walking over slowly, I looked down at her. She tried to get her hands under the links to prise it away. Her face turned red as the air was unable to gain access to her lungs.

  “That wasn’t very nice.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Chloe. She stood by the open door. Reaching out, she pushed it closed as she watched her aunt suffocate. Analise looked at her, eyes bulging, pleading. Shrugging, I took hold of the chain, placed my foot on the dying woman’s thigh and jerked as hard as I could, snapping her neck in a second.

  The gasp that came from Chloe wasn’t followed by a sob. Why had she stayed behind and closed the door? Why hadn’t she run for her life, like a good girl would have done?

  Ripping the chains from my wrists, I grunted when they came loose, clunking to the ground. The welts on my wrists were sore and red raw where I had tugged to get free. I had only been trapped for a few hours, but I needed to get out. Picking up my torn shirt, I pulled it over my head, relieved it was still wearable after Analise had ripped it off.

  “Erm, well…”

  Going over to the corner of the room, I picked up the gun. A small squeak came out of Chloe’s mouth as I moved towards her, the gun aimed at her head. One wrong move and she would be gone.

  “Who are you? Why would a descendant of Loki be so…useless?”

  Not once had I ever seen one of my great uncle’s henchmen or women so timid. Or, bat-shit crazy. They were all pretty solid fighters who knew exactly what they were doing.

  “About that,” Chloe stuttered. “I pretended to be Loki’s blood, but I actually lied.”

  What?

  “How did you get away with that? I mean, I can see why they would question who you are, considering.” I gestured, making it obvious what I thought about her.

  Her lips bunched in on themselves as she put her hands on her hips. “I resent that remark, thank you very much,” she said in a strong English accent. “I’ll have you know, Trygger, grandson of Thor, that I am none other than Chloe, descendant of Freya. So, there.”

  Well, shit…that I did not expect.

  2

  Viking Souls Unite

  “YOU’RE SAYING THAT Freya sent you to help me?
What was she thinking?”

  I hadn’t seen the goddess Freya since that fateful day outside Valhalla. I had no idea that she even kept track of my whereabouts considering how long it had taken me to get this far in my mission.

  “Well, she was thinking what’s taking you so bloody long?! That’s what she was thinking.”

  I paced the concrete alley just outside the apartment, listening to our surroundings as I tried to straighten my thoughts. Could I trust the young woman who stood in front of me? How would I know she was telling the truth?

  Only twenty minutes ago, she had threatened my life with a gun. Now, she stood in the alley beside the establishment where we had left Analise’s body, telling me that she was there to help.

  “I don’t need any help. I’ve done it all on my own so far.”

  Chloe stamped her small foot, clad in twinkly pink things that could be classed as some sort of shoe. Her wince made me smile. She wasn’t a warrior, not like me and Analise. We were born to kill. Although, Chloe had hardly reacted when I had snapped her supposed aunt’s neck.

  “As you can tell, Freya is anxious that you get these souls back to her. They’re the strongest, most powerful ones. Surely you can see that they’re not going to be as easy.” Her sniff distracted me as she ran a hand under her nose.

  “As easy? What do you take me for? If it had been easy, I would have been in Valhalla a very long time ago. Trust me.” I crossed my arms and faced her.

  The tilt of her head as she looked at me betrayed the arrogance of her station. She wasn’t used to being spoken down to. Did she get special treatment from those who had been tricked?

  “How did you fool Analise into believing that you are one of Loki’s spawn?”

  Her shrug made my back straighten. The measly woman was playing with fire, yet, she had no idea. Did Freya warn her about me? Or, did she send the poor girl to help with no training?