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

by Rachel Medhurst

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Frankie sat back, lacing his fingers together over his stomach. It was a good idea for him to keep the body he inhabited fit. Who had the poor fellow been before the Dark Crawler took up residence in him?

  The corner of Frankie’s lip twitched. “What they say about you is true. Although, you’re not quite the same as us.” He gestured at the people in various states of inebriation.

  “And, what is it they say about me?” I was genuinely interested to know.

  “That you’re cold, so incredibly cold…yet, you intrigue me because you’re not controlled by your shadows. So many humans stifle their dark side until they can no longer resist it.” Frankie looked around, studying those that were a slave to his kind.

  Glancing at Chloe and Jack while he was distracted, I held back a smile. Jack had obviously got rid of the man and was coaxing Chloe onto the dancefloor. She had her arms crossed, tapping her fingers against her side. Was she tempted by the jokester? At least it kept her out of my way.

  “We all have shadows.”

  He nodded, bringing his attention back to me. “Indeed, all humans do. But, you’re not quite all human, are you?”

  Forcing myself to relax my shoulders, I waited as a waiter handed Frankie a bottle of vodka and two glasses. Dismissing the man with a wave, he placed everything on the table and gestured for me to pour.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” I played dumb.

  According to Jack, I was a myth, along with my gods. Many creatures had heard of me, but none had seen me. The ones who had seen me were dead before they could tell anyone else. I didn’t know if the Fallen Ones believed if I was still around. It had been several years since my last big kill.

  “No? Let me fill you in, then. You’re rumoured to be the famous Thunder Hunter. Is it true?”

  Leaning forward, I placed my fingers around the bottle of vodka, one digit at a time. Dragging the glasses nearer to me, I poured the drinks, sliding one back to Frankie when I was done.

  “Never even heard of him. Who is this famous Thunder Hunter?”

  The Dark Crawler slowly reached for the glass, his eyes watching me closely. He wouldn’t get the truth out of me, no matter how hard he tried. It had been a while since that name had been linked to me. I preferred it when it wasn’t even spoken.

  “You’ve been on my radar for a little bit, but you’re delightfully good at disappearing off it. I’m glad to have you here tonight.” Frankie downed his drink, snatching back the bottle for a refill.

  Sipping my own, I barely felt it go down my throat. It was already burning too much from the amount of evil in the place. And, the Fallen One. Wherever he was.

  Glancing around, I watched the faces of the people in the room. Most of them were smiling, happy to indulge in their disgusting whims. Not long now, clothes would be stripped from bodies of all shapes and sizes. The smell of sex and desire would linger in the air. The club would echo a whole different vibe.

  “Like I said earlier, I’m just here for some fun.” If I pandered to him, more questions would be asked. More answers, meant more interest. The last thing I needed was the Dark Crawler to become too close to me.

  He obviously had someone helping his host stay fresh. Although, I had no idea how long the bastard would last. Surely, if the body was rotting, it wouldn’t be too much longer. It had already gone weeks past the usual expiry.

  “And, like I said earlier…fun you shall have.”

  Frankie looked over my shoulders and clicked his fingers in the air. The music changed to a slow, hypotonic beat, the sound sexy and enticing. The scent of perfume wafted around me. A woman approached from behind, I could feel her.

  “If you are the so-called Thunder Hunter…I have someone who wants to meet you,” Frankie said, his eyes on the woman who approached him.

  A pair of slim arms wrapped around my chest from behind. Bleach blonde hair hung over my shoulder as a pretty face appeared by the side of my head. Painted bright red lips made my body react in a completely inappropriate way considering there was a Dark Crawler sitting opposite me and a Fallen One nearby.

  If I pushed the woman away, I would offend Frankie for refusing his gift. She was pretty with a heady smell of femininity about her. Something I always enjoyed after killing rancid smelling creatures.

  “Are you ready for a good time?” The woman pulled away from me to come around to the table.

  Her friend joined her after she had kissed Frankie full on the mouth. They wore long white dresses, the picture of innocence. Their long hair flowed down their backs as they embraced each other, their lips pressing softy against one another’s.

  Usually, I would revel in the scene that unfolded in front of me. Frankie watched them closely, his gaze devouring the travelling hands of the women as they explored each other’s bodies over their clothes.

  “Another drink?” I asked him, grabbing the bottle just before the women knocked it off the table.

  He nodded, taking his eyes away to accept the vodka. How long could I sit with him without cutting off his head?

  Swigging another shot of vodka, I kept my gaze on the women, aware that Frankie watched me as much as he enjoyed their show. The dresses were coming off now. I licked my lips, tempted for a split second to join them on the table. A sandwich with them both wasn’t out of the question.

  “Trygger!” A stern feminine voice brought my attention away from the entertainment.

  For a moment, I had forgotten the heat that pulsated through me as it was replaced by a different kind of heat.

  “Chloe.” I kept my voice deadpan, enough to let Frankie know that I wasn’t best pleased that his gift had been interrupted.

  “Who is your friend? Are you going to introduce me?” Chloe’s dress was pulled as low as it could go, showing her ample cleavage. What was she playing at? Did she want to get killed?

  Frankie got up from his seat, bowing to Chloe as she smiled pleasantly at him. “And, who are you, my love?”

  “This…” Jack interjected, coming up behind my charge. “…is Chloe, my date.”

  Two pairs of eyes glared at Jack, while Frankie frowned. “Shame,” he muttered.

  I waited for Chloe’s shriek of protest towards Jack, but it didn’t come. Had they devised a plan together without telling me?

  It was probably better that Frankie didn’t think she was related to me, actually. From the way his gaze ate her up, he would be tempted to turn her into the darkness he inhabited.

  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.” Frankie bent over Chloe’s hand, his thin lips puckering against the skin on her knuckles.

  I smiled at the clench of Chloe’s jaw as the vile man fawned over her. It was her own fault for bringing her apparently beautiful, but innocent, self to a place that only knew evil. Only knew desires beyond anything she could possibly imagine. Even I didn’t have the stomach for some of the things I had seen in these types of places.

  “It’s good to meet such an accomplished man,” Chloe said, her smile pouring with insincerity.

  Luckily, the man embraced his manhood. Nothing like a good stroke of the ego to make someone feel warm towards you. Frankie’s cheeks glowed pink at her compliment.

  “Why hasn’t Jack told me about you?” He gestured for Chloe to take a seat next to him.

  As she engaged him in conversation, Jack sat next to me, his eyes glued to the women on the table. They were fully naked now, enjoying the feel of themselves as well as each other. It was a shame I couldn’t indulge. Spending time with a woman in the house…an annoying one at that…was a douse on my desires, but still, my carnal instincts were not being met. Maybe I could trust Jack to keep an eye on Chloe while I satiated my lust.

  “Make sure she doesn’t say anything stupid,” I told my friend, about to get up.

  He put a hand on my arm, pausing me before I could move. “I’ve managed to talk to two people, I just need to get Frankie alone.”


  Nodding once, I excused myself, pretending that I needed to visit the toilets. Frankie didn’t even lift his gaze from Chloe’s bosom as I left them. Hopefully the temptation of her light would make him listen to the incessant chatter that came from her mouth.

  “Well, hello handsome,” a woman said as I went to pass.

  Pausing, I glanced over at her. She rested against the bar, a pint of lager in her hand. Her long elegant body, with her short black cropped hair, was a contrast to the masculine drink. Desire pulsed from her, sending a wave of male instinct over my muscles. Maybe a release would help stem the fire that burned my insides.

  “Hello.” I approached her slowly.

  Her free hand travelled up my arm, tracing my Eihwaz tattoo before her fingers wrapped around my ponytail. She didn’t pull, but stroked through my hair, her eyes watching her own movements.

  “What’s your name?”

  She went up on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear. “Fuck me.”

  “Well, your parents must have hated you,” I replied, taking the pint and putting it on the bar.

  Offering her my hand, I looked into her eyes. They were ringed with black eyeliner to make them bigger, but it didn’t hide the slight redness. She was an addict. Not of drugs, not of alcohol. But, of sex…and darkness.

  “I want you.”

  Her simple statement made me look over my shoulder. Jack had leant forward in his seat to join in the conversation with Frankie and Chloe. Maybe he wouldn’t need to get the Dark Crawler on his own to find out what he needed. He had a way of bringing the truth out of people. A weird human gift that I had never found anyone to be able to emulate. Not in all my years.

  “Likewise.” Tugging the nameless woman, I pulled her towards the toilets.

  I didn’t want my arse showing in front of everyone else. Although people were already frolicking on the floors and tables, I wasn’t part of the show.

  It wasn’t darkness that made me storm into the bathroom, lock the door and shove the woman up against the door. It was need. A true, male lustful need.

  Kissing her roughly, breaking my rule of no lip contact, I proceeded to take what she offered. She groaned against me as I made sure she got what was rightfully hers. Release.

  “You’re strong and…beautiful. My father could do with a man like you in his…club.”

  “Club? What one does he own?” I tucked myself away as she straightened her dress.

  Washing my hands, I paused when she threw her head back and laughed. Watching her in the mirror, I waited until she calmed.

  “Sorry, I always find it amusing when people confuse my meaning. He has a different type of club…a fully exclusive one that only has the best members. I’m intrigued by your tattoo. What is it?”

  Ah, so she had traced it with her finger for a reason. She had recognised the rune. She may have been playing ignorant, but it dawned on me quickly. A club…for exclusive members.

  “It’s a rune. I find them fascinating for some reason. I think it’s because my ancestry is Viking, it’s just a little tribute.” Turning to her, I pulled her towards me, enticing her with a deep kiss.

  Her breath rushed out of her when I released her mouth. Her hands wrapped around my neck, her body almost hanging on mine.

  The heat in my chest hadn’t lessened. In fact, as I was about to open my mouth to speak, Thor’s thunder vibrated in my chest so violently, the woman frowned at me.

  “If you’re interested in runes, you should visit my father. He is a professor in Viking history.” Pulling back, she took a card out of her bra and tucked it into my jacket pocket. “We’re always looking for new members.”

  Swallowing to try and erase the burn, I smiled at her, blowing her a kiss as she left me alone. Turning the tap on, I ducked my head underneath and sucked water down my throat.

  The Fallen One must be inside the club. The only time I had ever felt such force from Thor’s power was when one was in close proximity to me. Thumping my chest when the water didn’t work, I wiped a hand over my face and faced the door. My enemy was out there…and I had to find him.

  11

  The Goddess’ Huntress

  PATTING MY JACKET pocket to make sure the card was still there, I surveyed the room. It seemed I had accidently stumbled and fumbled my way to an answer about the Hagalaz rune. A professor had set up a new cult. It didn’t surprise me.

  In fact, as I propped against the bar, my memory took me back to five hundred years before. A man who travelled the world had spread stories about Vikings, including tales about a man who claimed to be Thor’s grandson. When I found him, slouched over with his beer, I settled beside him to hear the story myself.

  Everything he said was truth. The mere human had the gift of sight, it seemed. Premonition was a sought after talent in those days. The man even claimed to know who would end Thunder Hunter’s life.

  “I haven’t seen you at one of these for a while.” The male voice was one I recognised very clearly.

  Turning, I saluted him with my glass of vodka. He smiled before edging closer. “I couldn’t help but notice that there’s an incredibly sexy woman over there staring at you. I figured you hadn’t noticed because you had a far off look on your face.”

  Following his gaze, I appraised the woman he spoke about. My gut flipped as Thor’s thunder rumbled deeper within my chest.

  “Seems you’re as hungry as she is,” the human laughed, backing away when I looked at him.

  He was just a regular dark goer. Another addict to the very thing that would kill him before long. Glancing back at the woman, I watched her as she stood and spoke to one of the men she was with. It was her. It had to be. A Fallen One. Her long brown hair fell to her waist. Her hips were wide, her shoulders as wide to match. The clinch of her waist was tiny, making it hard not to stare as she glanced over her shoulder at me and waved. She had the perfect hourglass figure.

  I resisted the urge to rub my chest. The pain wasn’t quite knocking me out yet, but it wouldn’t be long. I had to kill her. But, I couldn’t. I didn’t have my sword, which was the only weapon that would send her soul back to Freya.

  Her hips swayed as she strode with her small group towards the door. Leaving so soon. Did she know who I was? She must have done. Why else would she acknowledge me?

  Tempted to follow, I held back. The people with her were magicians and witches. The power resonated from them, making anyone who was in their way move automatically. I had no chance against her without my sword.

  Ignoring everyone in the room, I memorised every inch of her. I had to know her name. The Fallen One would have inhabited the host’s body for quite some time. They had the power to keep them alive longer than the Dark Crawlers. Their black souls were worthless. Old men that died in battle, but refused to go to Valhalla or Freya’s field. Fallen Ones had already been there…and escaped.

  “Trygger, who was that lovely lady you took into the toilet?” Jack asked, appearing by my side suddenly.

  I kept my eyes trained on the party that headed out the door. The woman was the last to leave. She looked around. Our gaze locked. My chest squeezed so hard, I couldn’t breathe. Blowing a kiss, the dark haired, pale skinned woman disappeared out of the barn.

  “Who the fuck was that?” Jack said, completely distracted from his previous question. “I would do her in an instant. Wow.”

  “That…was my greatest enemy,” I uttered, finally able to pull air into my lungs.

  I still stared at the empty space where she had been. Oh, how I longed for my sword so I could run the blade through her heart. For a hundred years I had been tracking her. A hundred years I had followed her across London, never quite able to catch her scent. Roses. She smelt of roses.

  The Fallen Ones had a habit of covering themselves with a certain scent. Firstly, to cover the smell of decaying souls and flesh, but mainly as a signal to other dark ones to follow.

  “It wasn’t…?”

  Finally looking at my friend, I frowned as I
tried to clear my head. The burn lessened the further the Fallen One got from me. Giving in to the desire, I rubbed my chest, directly over my heart. What I wouldn’t give to have Freya pull the power out of me and give it back to Thor.

  “It was.” I blinked, frowning when I looked towards Frankie’s table.

  “Why did you leave Chloe?” I asked him, staring at the pair on the sofa.

  The woman in question had one arm around Frankie’s neck, guiding his head to her neck and the other reaching for her thigh. Jack grabbed my arm as I was about to fly across the room. Knocking him back, I kept my mouth shut as my feet moved.

  Chloe’s hand snatched the knife from the garter, brought it up and plunged it into Frankie’s neck. Blood spurted as Chloe held still, twisting the blade for good measure. I jumped over the women still having sex on the table and wrapped my arms around Chloe, dragging her off the sofa.

  Frankie’s human host was too weak to withstand the attack. But, his soul could jump into her at any moment. I paused when the body spasmed. That only happened when the dark soul was sent back to Helheim.

  “We need to get out of here,” I muttered in Chloe’s ear when the women on the table started to screech.

  Although the humans liked darkness, they were still weak when it came to death. They wouldn’t take too kindly to a stranger killing the owner of the club.

  People started to get up to see what was happening. Marching Chloe away, I headed towards the front exit. Shouts calling us back made me run. Chloe’s stupidly high heels hindered her escape. Kicking them off, she glanced behind her.

  “Concentrate on getting out of here or you’ll be killed.”

  I had no idea where Jack was. It was better for him to stay neutral. If he had stayed by the bar, he could plead ignorance. Not many people would have taken notice of him dancing with Chloe earlier in the night. Did they plan her stupid move together? Surely Jack wouldn’t have been so bloody ignorant.

  “Jack…?” Chloe muttered.

  Ignoring her, I shook off the people who tried to grab at my jacket. Chloe’s dress had blood all over it. The humans were slow to react, always had been. Frankie obviously enjoyed his company as fresh as possible, which was good for me. Thrusting outside, I dragged Chloe with me.