“I promise not to do anything stupid. I’ve learnt my lesson. I’ll just do as I’m told and keep out of the way.”
My one shot at killing the Fallen One would happen tonight. I had never had to think about anyone else when taking that all important shot. If I missed, the evil spirit could hop into another body, ready to run away.
“Do you think this is a game?” I hissed, my skin suddenly heating. “I’ve been doing this for hundreds of years. Yet, here you are, cramping my style everywhere I turn. Why can’t you just do as you’re told and stay here?”
“Because Freya sent me to help you. I will not sit back and play the helpless woman.” She moved to stand in front of me, her head bent backwards to glare up at me.
“Wow, you could cut the sexual tension like a wedding cake, my loves. Why don’t you just shag it out of your system before we go?”
Chloe took a step back, her mouth dropping open as if Jack had slapped her. When she uttered a sound of disgust, I frowned myself. I wasn’t that bad, was I?
“Well, I don’t know about you lot, but I’ve got a party to go to. If we don’t go soon, we may miss all the fun. Stop bitching and let her come, I’ll look after her.”
“I don’t need looking after,” Chloe insisted, thrusting past me and heading towards the door.
Rusty’s claws clicked on the floor as he followed her. Growling, I looked at Jack. He shrugged, waving at me to just go with them.
“That dog can’t come to a party.”
Chloe ignored me completely as she yanked open the front door and let Rusty go out with her. Was I now completely redundant in my own mission? Was the inexperienced woman going to cost me all my work? She may have found the Fallen One, but so had I. In fact, there was no point in her coming with me at all.
“Why do you want to get yourself killed?” I called, joining them all outside. “That dog is going to look a bit suspicious, isn’t he?”
Chloe stopped walking down the pavement and spun to me. “Will you just fucking trust me for once?”
“You said that last time…look what happened there.”
“Here we go…lovers who have never even fucked having a spat. Excuse me while I snort a line to kill this dull-dom.” Jack dug into his pocket, pulling out a packet of white powder.
“Seriously?” I snarled, knocking it out of his hand. “I need you focused.”
We had made a promise to Martin. Not only was I going to kill the Fallen One tonight, we were going to find out what happened to the gallery owner’s daughter. Jack had to be on the ball so he could do what he did best. Garner information.
“How do you think I usually focus?” Jack bent to pick up the packet. “If you’re going to be that delicate about it, I’ll wait until I get there, pretty boy.”
I wasn’t naïve enough to think that Jack didn’t indulge in sex and drugs. That’s exactly how he became so good at his job. Yet, I didn’t want Chloe to get dragged into the debauchery. There was too much innocence somehow still intact in her after all these years.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” I snapped at Chloe.
She put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing on me. “Are we going to the party, or what?”
“The dog?”
“…Has been trained well enough to know what to do. He’ll be waiting for us outside. I have a whistle…” She untucked a pretty metal whistle that was on a gold chain out from under her top.
Moving closer, I took hold of it to get a better look. It was engraved with a flower pattern, one I had seen before.
“The journal.”
In my search for the Fallen One, I had completely forgotten about the journal that the men in Chloe’s house had wanted. When she had grabbed it off her table in her room, I noticed the intricate pattern on the front.
Chloe cleared her throat and took the whistle back, tucking it away again. Biting her lip, she looked past me to Jack.
“You need to tell me about the journal,” I ordered, clicking my fingers at Jack and storming past the woman who had invaded my life.
“In time,” she said, her footsteps following me. “After you’ve got rid of our enemy.”
“Our enemy?” I scoffed, not able to hold back my laugher.
Marching down the side of the building, I grinned when I heard both Chloe and Jack groan. The boat was the safest way for us to get to the party. It would take us to the other side of London, where we could either walk or get a taxi.
“Do we really have to go across the river?” Jack asked, his voice travelling to me from the road.
Keeping my strides long, I ignored him. Either they did it my way, or they stayed behind. Rusty would be less suspicious on the boat, too.
“Come on,” Chloe said to him, probably gesturing for him to follow us.
Getting hold of the rope when I reached the jetty, I started to undo it. The water was calm, the sky clear, which made it easier to see.
“Wait for us to get on,” Jack squeaked, clambering onto the boat just behind Chloe.
Rusty jumped in, not even hesitating. That dog had more guts than the pair of them put together. Maybe I could use his staring power somehow. Even if it meant he could get Chloe to do as she was told. Sighing, I threw the rope. He would never defy his owner. Bloody dog. Or, more accurately, bloody owner.
Starting the engine, I ignored the others as I guided us onto the river. It was quiet other than the roar of the boat and the slicing of the water as we glided through it.
Jack cleared his throat several times. Looking over my shoulder, I raised my eyebrows.
“Just so you know, I’ve taken a Viagra so I may disappear for a moment or two.”
Chloe giggled. Ignoring my outrageous friend, I faced forward to watch the city of London go by. The lights on the bridges of the Thames reflected against the water. The party was on the other side of the city, quite a way from my house. That made me rest easier.
In fact, my whole body hummed in anticipation. The thumping of my heartbeat was only drowned out by Jack’s singing as he started to bay an awful modern day tune. Chloe joined in with him, making a racket, too.
Speeding up, I was tempted to brake suddenly to shut them up, but I realised that it was better they sung instead of bugging me. It wouldn’t take too long to get to our destination, then the singing would stop.
15
Embrace Thor’s Lightning
THE HAIRS ON my arms stood on end. Heat had engulfed my body as soon as I had come into a ten-mile radius of the house we now stood in. The bouncer on the door had recognised Jack straight away, not even bothering to check who we were. They had started to talk about the last time they had seen each other. Turns out Jack had a thing for football. That wasn’t something I expected.
“How does that man know everyone?” Chloe asked, looking around her.
The hallway was marbled throughout, the staircase winding up the side of the wall. It was an old fashioned house, although pretty modernised inside. The plain décor made me yawn as we were offered a glass of champagne.
“He’s literally Jack the lad, he knows everyone and everything. It’s his business.”
I took a deep breath to steady the shaking of my insides. Thor’s thunder was loud and clear in my body, almost bashing against my insides to get out. It had always been an odd sensation, one that I wanted to discuss with my grandfather when I finally saw him again.
“So, what’s your plan?” Chloe had left Rusty in an alleyway near the house.
My hesitation had been apparent, but he was her dog. I had no business telling her what to do with him. If he was captured, well, Chloe would learn her lesson.
“Find her before she finds me. She did make eye contact with me when I saw her at Frankie’s, so she may know who I am. Although, I’ve done my best to keep under a low radar.”
“Well, I can tell you that she’s the daughter of a rich tycoon. He died last year…funnily enough…and she inherited all his money. Apparently, many people
comment on how much work she’s had done, considering she’s meant to be ten years older than she is. It must be all that plastic surgery.”
Shaking my head, I looked around as we made our way into one of the living areas, Jack following behind. “No, the Fallen One’s energy would keep her looking younger. Especially as it’s probably draining the life out of people to help her stay as fit as possible. I want to find out how she helped Frankie stay in his host for so long. It’s not usual for a Dark Crawler to be able to do that.”
I snapped my mouth shut as we rounded the corner. Throngs of people milled around talking, many of them the Dark Crawlers I spoke about. Humans were dispersed throughout the room, unaware that a feast of their life-force would probably take place later.
“Trygger,” Chloe said in a quiet voice. “Why is my skin itching like crazy? And, what is that odd smell?”
Looking down at her, I noticed for the first time that she was fidgeting. Maybe her magic picked up on the darkness in the room, too?
“You can probably detect…them…” I discreetly pointed to the disgusting people that littered the room. “And, the smell…the host will be pumping perfume into the air in an attempt to cover the rancid stench of the Dark Creatures.”
Although I had found myself in many venues with them, I had never stayed to party. Humans with dark souls were my best companions. Or, had been…It seemed that since Chloe had come along, I had changed my ways. That didn’t sit right in my chest.
“I don’t want to hang around to watch this place descend into…”
“Fun!” Jack interspersed, clapping me on the back. “This man doesn’t do fun.”
“You confuse me,” Chloe said to Jack. “One minute I think you’re the good guy, but I’m quickly reminded that you’re just as bad as these people.”
Jack put a hand on his chest, feigning pain. “You wound me, sweet woman.” Leaning closer to her, he whispered. I just caught the middle bit of what he said. “…confuse me, too. One minute I’m evil, horny and wanting to fuck. Then you come along and bam…” I didn’t hear the last of his sentence as he breathed the rest of it into her ear.
Seemed Chloe had awoken the good part of Jack that had been lost a long time ago. Something about the woman made it hard not to want to be a decent person. And, that included me.
“I’m going to find her,” I said, waving them away when they went to protest. “You stay down here and keep guard.”
Their spluttering went ignored as I wandered back into the hall and towards the stairs. A small group of people were coming through the front door, so I used their raised voices as a cover to sneak up the marble staircase. My heart burned in my chest, Thor’s thunder ready to explode from me. Ah, patience, my friend, patience.
I was quickly on the landing, moving towards a huge door at the end of a corridor. My instincts led me straight there without even a question. The Fallen One was being fashionably late, which was all the better for me to get an opportunity to kill her first.
“Trygger, please come in,” a female voice shouted from inside the room.
Smiling to myself, I opened the door and slipped inside. The room was dim. Red material draped from the walls, giving the impression of the Moulin Rouge. Ah, my Fallen One was a bit of a creative.
“You know who I am?” I said, looking around.
She stepped out from behind an old fashioned room separator. The body of the host was clothed in a long red dress to match the décor. Her hair was curled to her waist, flowing freely behind her. A pretty girl, it was a shame that her soul had been absorbed by such evil.
“Of course I know who you are. I’ve heard legends of you for many years. My brothers kept me informed of your whereabouts. Until you killed most of them, of course. I knew I would see you at some point in my life. And, when I found out that you were hunting me…oh, how the fun began.”
Her pretty eyes sparkled in the reflection of the chandelier that hung from the ceiling. I stayed glued to my spot near the door. My skin was on fire, but a calm had come over me. Enough for me to ignore the power vibrating through me.
“Are you ready to join Freya?” My question was asked in genuine curiosity.
Surely they had lived every life possible. They had been on Earth for as long as I had…in fact, longer. And, yet, they resisted going back to Freya’s field to live out their destiny among the souls there.
“I died in battle many many years ago. And, my pathetic life as a Viking warrior was worth nothing to them.”
The Fallen One moved to sit on a stall in front of a mirror ringed with light bulbs. Leaning forward, she started to paint her face with makeup.
“You killed innocent woman and children. You did unspeakable things to them. There’s no excuse for what you’ve done. That’s exactly why Freya locked you up so tight.”
“Before we escaped.” She laughed, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror.
The war between the gods had caused havoc with the humans and spirits alike. If Loki, Thor and Freya had managed to get on, there wouldn’t have been so much death and destruction.
“How is my dear Freya doing?”
Our gaze locked and she went still. The fire in my veins must surely show in the pupil of my eyes. The sweet smell of her wafted over to me as she got to her feet. How did the host not stink of rot?
“She’s very happy to have received so many of you back into the fold. She cannot wait to see you again. I promised her it would be soon. Very soon.”
My hand touched the tip of my sword, yet, it would look like I scratched my side. Resting my fingers on my hips, I watched her as she moved to the middle of the room. Keeping her distance was wise. She knew I had more power than her, always had done.
“Well, we both know that’s not going to happen.” Clicking her fingers, she pointed at me.
I was about to rip the sword out when the door opened and hands grabbed me from behind, hauling me out of the room. Relaxing, I let them take me as she followed, a smug smile on her face.
Dragging me down the stairs, the men who had hold of me took me into the living room. The Fallen One laughed, drawing the attention of everyone who stood around. Chloe and Jack were nowhere to be seen. Where had they gone? Did she capture them too?
“My fellow lovelies, I have a treat for us tonight. A man…a very powerful one at that…has decided to pay us a visit.” She moved in front of me to address her audience.
The Dark Crawlers licked their lips, obviously knowing what was in store. The humans looked excited, like children about to see a clown at a birthday party; the expectation that it would be wonderful, but unaware that the experience would be pretty frightening.
“Some of you know that I’m actually from a time long ago. A time when gods were still important, believed in. I laugh whenever I hear the people of today talk about that time. And, call it myth even. For the gods to be forgotten makes me very pleased. You see, they made me kill for them, and then banished me for it. What an evil thing to do, don’t you agree?”
The crowd murmured their agreement. It was so easy to entertain those that had no lives. A human loved a good fairy-tale. It was a shame they didn’t realise that the truth was much bigger. And, that they were in incredible danger. But, alas, it wasn’t my job to save them. It was my job to kill her.
Keeping still, I didn’t dare struggle against my captors. I could easily break free and when it was time, I would. It was good to make her think that she had the upper hand. For a while.
“Well, this man has been hunting me for a thousand years!” She held her long thin arm in the air, laughing as the crowd joined in with her hilarity. “Can you believe that I managed to stay hidden for so long?”
They shook their heads, fully immersing themselves in the roleplay now. The Dark Crawlers stared at me, their eyes wide. They had obviously heard of me.
“Thunder Hunter. That was the nickname given to you by the Scandinavian people, wasn’t it?” she said, turning to me.
Keeping my eyes on her, I failed to reply. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable, I was done with the theatrics. Tensing my arms, I thrust backwards so hard, the two men holding me stumbled. Falling to the ground, I rolled out of their grip by bending their arms with the whole weight of my body. They screamed as their shoulder joints dislocated.
Hopping up from my roll, I faced the crowd. The Fallen One stood facing me, her feet apart in stupid high heels and her hands held up in a claw shape. Oh, how easy this fight would be.
“Stand down!” she screeched when men moved forward to apprehend me again. “I’m ready to fight you, Thunder Hunter. Trygger, grandson of Thor. Loki will reward me handsomely when you’re sent to Valhalla.”
A roar left her lips as she jumped in the air. I ducked under her, getting my whole body low to the ground to avoid her swinging kick. Punching up, I smashed my fist right between her legs. Very uncouth, but effective. What can I say? She wasn’t a lady, she was an evil spirit.
The laugh that came from her as she scrambled around to face me made me pause. The evil thing had enjoyed the disgusting move.
“That wasn’t very gentlemanly, was it?” she asked her audience.
I didn’t bother to listen or acknowledge their reaction. Flying forward, I grunted as I tackled her around the waist, throwing her to the ground. My sword clattered against the floor as I pinned her with my weight. Her hand came up, the flat of it hitting my chin so forcefully, it knocked my head back.
My ears rang as she thrust me off, using her legs to kick herself out from under me. A chanting started to raise up around us. Glancing up, I took note of her witches, who had gathered in the doorway. Great, her magic had arrived.
“Can’t play fair? Too afraid of Freya, are we?” I mocked, spitting blood out of my mouth as I got to my feet.
“Stop!” the Fallen One screamed at the witches.
They immediately went silent, their hands dropping to their sides. Where were Chloe and Jack? As long as they were safe, I could get on with my job.
“It’s unlike you vile creatures to want to fight one on one.”
Thunder Hunter: Viking Soul Book 1 (Viking Soul Series) Page 16
