“Why?” Chloe asked.
Did she know nothing of the underworld? How had she lived in it for so long and not know why witches were a pain?
“You don’t look like the type to sleep with a witch, so I’ll give you a pass for that question,” Jack said, getting to his feet. “My bed calls, my sexy people, it’s time I was going. I’ll keep an ear open for more info on this group.”
In one swift movement, I was on my feet. Following Jack to the front door, I nudged him in the back.
“Oh, I ain’t used to there being someone else here. See ya later, Chloe, you sexy thing you,” Jack called back, blowing her a kiss.
Her cheeks went pink as he turned away and winked at me. If he carried on, I would plunge my knife into that eye. The poor girl was in training, she didn’t need the likes of Jack around her. Even though the men in the underworld were ten times worse.
“I’ll do my research, my lovely,” Jack told me as he opened the door.
The cool air wafted in as he stepped onto the steps leading down the side of the building. He would’ve had a cloaking spell on him since he left his club. I would never forgive him if he had been tracked to my home. He was a popular boy, so many people tried to follow him. Luckily, one of his witchy shag partners had protected him a while ago with a cloaking spell.
“Thanks, Jack. Be careful.”
He saluted me before trotting down the stairs, humming to himself as he went. Closing the door, I went back to the living room. Chloe wasn’t there, nor was Rusty. Going to the stairs, I smiled to myself. The sound of the treadmill came from upstairs.
Taking the steps two at a time, I joined her in the gym. She kept her concentration when I walked up to stand in front of her. Sweat already beaded on her top lip. The speed she went was faster than I had shown her the day before.
“You might want to slow down a bit,” I said, going to reach for the controls.
She smacked my hand away, a smile coming to her face when I frowned. “It’s fine, I’m feeling fantastic.”
Oh yeah? She was going to be the rebel. Pushing herself to make her body stronger. What a lesson she had to learn. And, I would let her learn it.
“I want to do some other training when you’ve finished this,” I said, retreating to go into my secret room.
“What’s in there?” Chloe called, as she noticed me heading for the steel doors.
Rusty walked with me, sniffing under the line of the metal wall. When he looked up at me, I froze. As our gaze made contact, my feet literally glued to the floor. The intensity of his stare suggested he had power over me. I was simply paralysed to the floor.
“What the hell?” I muttered to myself.
The dog continued to stare at me, his eyes intent and intense, his body rigid. He sat slowly, his back-end gently resting itself on the wooden floor. I tried to move my foot, but I couldn’t. Pulling on the muscles of my arms, I groaned in frustration when it stayed by my side.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a dog that possessed magic?”
Chloe’s footsteps slowed, the machine cutting off before she came over. Watching us both, she walked around us, studying our positions. “I didn’t know.”
It was true, I could hear it in the tone of her voice. Wonder. Disbelief. How that woman had no clue that her pet was a magic dog said too much about her innocence. Even naivety. I had to find out more about her.
“Call him off,” I bit out through my teeth.
Chloe glanced at me, folding her arms over her chest, squeezing her breasts together. I looked away as her cleavage enhanced. She had changed her T-shirt to a work out top with thin straps and leggings.
“I’m not sure I want to after the way you’ve been treating me with such…”
“Kindness?” I offered.
Her snort was pretty unladylike, but I didn’t comment. The last thing I needed was to be accused of being sexist. Especially when her dog was still staring and controlling me.
“Rusty, come on,” Chloe said, pulling on his collar.
As soon as the dog looked away from me, I was able to move. Breathing deeply, I bent down to the dog to check him over, avoiding eye contact. He happily let me run a hand over him, even licking my thumb.
“How has he acquired magic?” Chloe bent down with me, looking into his eyes. She moved freely, not stuck like I had been. Frowning, she did the same as I had, checking him over. “I…what the hell? Are you sure you weren’t just mucking around?”
“Do I look like the sort of person who mucks around? You saw how he looked at me.”
Chloe blew her breath through her lips, making Rusty rub his head against hers when the air ruffled his fur. Shaking her head, she cuddled him before moving away. “How has he got magic?”
Stroking the dog one more time, I got up from my crouch. “I have no idea. I’ve not come across magic animals for a while. Not since the days when I was in Scandinavia with my family. A local village seer gave magic to her pet dog when she lost her sight. He would be her eyes, projecting images into her mind. Maybe this is something similar. Maybe the family from Loki’s side made a witch or seer give him the power.”
Blinking to clear myself of the memory of my past, I faced Chloe, about to command her back to her routine. She stared at me, her eyes soft and glazed over.
“That’s the only time you become warm and passionate,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips when I frowned at her. “When you talk about your original days. You were hurt back then so badly, you closed off your heart.”
“Please,” I muttered, going past her and taking the key out of my pocket to unlock the secret room.
“You can long for the past all you like, but the truth is…”
I paused as the lock clicked open, waiting for her to finish her sentence. The break was effective, making sure I listened.
“…You’ll be dead soon enough, able to see them in Valhalla. However, life is here right now. You’re as dark as some of those souls out there because you’ve blocked out the light.”
Her footsteps padded away as I stared at the grey of the metal steel in front of my eyes. Without answering her, I opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind me. I didn’t need her to lecture me about open hearts…and light. My light was stolen the moment Freya took my freewill and gave me another man’s power. Not my own.
The running machine started up again. Pushing away her words, I moved to the centre of the room. The lights were dim in there, their glow a deep orange. The walls opposite each other had floor length mirrors. The wall opposite the metal sliding doors was lined with wood. There were shelves, cubbyholes and secret drawers on that wall. My weapons. My magic.
“I’m going for my swim,” Chloe shouted.
Not replying, I shook myself out of my thoughts. An image of my mother shoved into my mind. Chloe’s words had brought back those times. They had eroded somewhat, the memories. How could they not after so very long? But, my mother’s eyes were always clear to me. Especially the look on her face when I had told her what happened outside Valhalla.
She had placed her hand on my chest, tears hovering on the edge of her eyelids. “You’ve brought honour to this family, Trygger. Saving Thor’s power, his thunder and lightning, that’s all the honour and more. Your name will go down in the history books. Be proud, Viking, like I am proud.”
How would I know that my new power would be the very thing to kill her…and the rest of my family?
9
Trained For Magic
“PUNCH ME.”
Chloe’s fist flew towards my head, I sidestepped easily.
“Fuck!”
Two days ago, the morning Jack left, I had started to train Chloe how to fight. Her fitness level was quickly increasing, which amazed me. Did Freya’s blood give her an advantage?
“Again.”
Instead of going for my head this time, she ducked around my side, her small fist connecting with my kidney. A short sharp jab.
“Yes!” Throwing her
hands in the air, she celebrated.
Grabbing her around the waist, I threw her to the floor, pinning her against the mat. The air left her lungs as my weight pressed on her chest. Rebounding off her, I sprung up to my feet.
“What…was…that…for?” she puffed out as she tried to get her breath back.
Hopping from one foot to the other, I waved for her to get up. She was on her back, her arms by her side.
“You just broke my ribs,” she muttered, crawling onto her side and getting up.
Poking her in the shoulder, I grinned. She would get a lot worse than broken ribs if her enemy got hold of her and she knew it.
“I’ve had enough today.”
Pausing in my movement, I threw my hands in the air and turned away. A cry escaped her mouth as she jumped on my back, her long arms wrapping around my neck. Spinning, I went to fall backwards to pin her against the ground again. Chloe managed to get her fingers in my mouth, tugging hard.
Grunting, I flung her over my shoulder, dumping her on the mat. “Good job!”
My lips stung where she had almost ripped my mouth apart. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was impressed by her technique. Not the jumping on my back part, that was standard. It was the use of her hands to find a weakness in the face. Not many people would think to do that.
“Thank you,” she breathed getting to her feet.
“Let’s go.”
Moving towards my jacket, I took out the key to the metal room, which was the name Chloe had come to call my magic room.
“Where are we going?” she asked, grabbing a towel and wiping away the sweat on her brow.
Freya’s descendant was changing. Her meek manner was hardening as she trained every day. Not once had she mentioned her old family, except to ask whether Jack had any information on the Hagalaz rune.
“In here.” I pointed to the metal door.
Her eyes widened before she skipped over, slapping me on the back as she went past. Moving in front of her, almost knocking her out the way, I unlocked the door. Placing my hand on the handle, I turned to face her.
“You’ve surprised me, Chloe. I never thought you would be so dedicated to your training. You still have a long way to go. It’s only been a few days, but I think we need to start…a different type of training. Things are moving quickly. Whoever these Hagalaz people are…we need to be ready for them if they come after us.”
She nodded, her eyes locked on mine as she listened. The slight sideways tilt of her head reminded me of a collie dog I once had. He was intelligent, yet, very loving. Chloe had kept to herself since she had arrived, only speaking to me regarding training.
“I want to know some details, Chloe, about you.”
Her feet automatically took a step back. The lift of her shoulders after her victory dropped, slumping in on themselves. Had Chloe suffered at the hands of Loki’s family?
“Come on, we’ll talk later…first, I’ll show you…” Clicking open the handle, I opened the door and went into the magic room.
Her footsteps soon followed, accompanied by the tip-tapping of the dog’s claws. Someone had given the animal powers, which was a bonus if I could get him on our side. That meant I had to start being nice to him.
“What is this place?” Chloe asked, her voice echoing around the small area.
The glow of orange illuminated the wooden wall and the mirrors. Each weapon I owned hung on the wall, a small light glowing onto it.
“This is the magic room. Thor’s power is extremely strong, obviously. I had these weapons infused with his magic. Some of them are spelled by an old witch friend of mine, who was sadly killed a few hundred years ago.”
Chloe drew nearer to the wooden wall, her gaze eating up the sight of daggers, guns and finally landing on my sword.
“I’ve heard about this sword. It’s the only thing that can send the Fallen Ones back to Freya.”
Her hand reached out unconsciously. Stepping forward, I grabbed her hand, pulling her away. She frowned up at me as she blinked to shake away the mesmerised expression.
“Don’t ever touch these, their magic is bound to me. If anyone else touches them, they will die instantly.”
“How did you infuse them with your own magic?” She crouched to Rusty, stroking him to give her something to touch so she wasn’t tempted to reach out again.
“When I landed back in Scandinavia after the God’s war, my mother found me. Thor’s power was vibrating throughout my body so hard, I couldn’t function. So, she made me tune into the magic. Giving me my weapons from war, one at a time, she guided me to push the magic out through my hands and into the object.” Clearing my throat when it started to close, I kept my eye on the sword.
“It had been my father’s. He had given it to me when I turned eighteen, a proud father of the warrior he was raising.”
Chloe stood again, her hand brushing against my arm in a movement so light and quick, I had no idea if it was intentional or not. Frowning, I went over to the mirror, gesturing for her to follow.
“This is where I want you to practice your magic. These walls are protected, meant to keep the magic in. That’s why there’s no windows. Although, I can’t stop you from hurting yourself, so you better be careful. Tell me about your magic. How does it work?”
The young woman still stared at my sword, her ears seemingly blocked from my words. I was about to repeat myself when she turned to face me, her eyes filled with tears. As a drop fell down her cheek, I linked my hands behind my back, waiting for her to speak. I wasn’t used to tears. What was the usual protocol when it came to women and crying?
“I feel so much of your pain.” Her words were whispered, but the echo of the room filtered them to me easily enough.
Rusty wandered over to me, nudging me in the leg with his nose. Remembering my promise to befriend him so I could use his power, I tapped his head a few times.
“He can feel it, too,” Chloe said, taking a few steps to the mirror to stand beside me.
“Let’s go back to your magic.”
I didn’t need to analyse my pain, I had none. It had been wiped out of me hundreds of years ago. The compassion was gone from my bones, the hurt eradicated from the darkness that surrounded me in those creatures and humans who could not find their way to the light. It was too late for me. Too late for her to be my saviour.
Chloe glanced at me before staring at her reflection. Rusty moved to the corner of the room, sitting on guard.
“As you know, I wasn’t born with magic, Freya gifted it to me. The others thought Loki had given it to me, which was the only reason they kept me around. The names they called me…”
“Start from the beginning,” I said, facing the mirror, but looking at her side profile.
Her nose pointed up very slightly at the end. A small dark freckle sat on her jaw, which was smooth and feminine.
“From the beginning? As in, when I was born? Or, when I got my magic?”
Tempted to look at the time, I resisted. I only had a while until I had to go and meet Jack to go to Frankie’s exclusive party. The Dark Crawler was still alive, and I had to find out how.
“Your magic for now. I want to know it all, of course, considering Freya didn’t even tell me she had sent a descendant of hers to help me.”
Most gods were no longer interested in the world. It had become too predictable for them, apparently. I wouldn’t actually know, considering Freya had been the only god or goddess to contact me since my mission began…and her contact had only been a few days ago. Bastards.
“Freya came to me when I was a hundred years old. She told me that I hadn’t been performing for her quite as she had hoped… Performing, as if I was a bloody monkey.”
I smiled, only because I could imagine exactly how disappointed Freya looked when declaring Chloe useless.
“We are puppets in their war, never forget that. It’s the only thing that has kept me so bent on finishing my mission.”
“Don’t lie. You want to live
with the gods. Do you think I get that privilege when I die?” Chloe finally turned to me, putting her hands on her hips.
“No, you won’t.”
I could say no more, she was right. Freya wouldn’t promise a mortal a place with the gods in heaven. Valhalla was a resting place for many, that’s where Chloe would end up.
“If Freya had never come to me, I wouldn’t believe they even existed. I was born in Scandinavia, but how many of them believe in the gods anymore?”
Cracking my knuckles, I stared at her. “Times have changed. Norse mythology has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
She frowned, hitting me as I went to crack my other hand. “Stop it, it’s bad for you.”
Shaking my head, I raised my eyebrows. My ponytail swished against the leather on my back. I didn’t need to point out that I had never suffered an illness or condition since I became the Thunder Hunter.
“I don’t like that our gods are forgotten. It’s about time they made themselves known to the human race again.” Chloe faced the mirror, staring into her own dark gaze.
“That will never happen.” I didn’t elaborate, there was no need. “Tell me about your magic. I have to go out soon, so skip to the part about you not being able to control it.”
The tilt of her head made me glance at Rusty. He rested his chin on his paws where he had laid down, his eyes watching our every move.
“Can I come with you?”
That wasn’t what I expected to come out of her mouth. “No.”
The magic lesson would have to wait, it had taken us too long to even get to the information I needed. Turning, I wandered towards the door, expecting her to follow me. The reflection in the opposite wall showed her staring at my back.
“Why won’t you let me go out? I’m bored, I want in on the action.”
Pausing, I made eye contact in our reflection. “You’re not ready.”
“Nothing like experience to make you ready. Where are you going?”
Coughing, I turned to face her. “To a party thrown by a Dark Crawler. Jack’s invite. He didn’t invite you.”
“Don’t be such an arsehole. Let me come.” Chloe came forward, ready to plead her case.
Thunder Hunter: Viking Soul Book 1 (Viking Soul Series) Page 10
