Viking Warrior Rising

by Asa Maria Bradley

  “Put down your toy and face me like a man,” Leif taunted him.

  An odd smile graced the creature’s face as he lifted the weapon to his lips.

  Leif frowned. Misgivings prickled at the back of his neck. He tapped the connection to his berserker.

  Immediately alert, the warrior spirit roared a battle cry. Leif willed it to stand down, but remain prepared should he need it. His gaze focused on the pipe at the wolverine’s mouth.

  A door clicked open behind him and he turned slightly, alert to any potential new enemy entering the alley. A human woman slipped out and descended the stairs soundlessly with the grace of a dancer. She kept her head down, her features hidden by a curtain of black hair.

  Leif watched the wolverines out of the corner of his eye, but his main attention swung toward the woman while he positioned himself between her and the creatures. He had sworn to protect all of Midgard’s humans, including this one.

  Suddenly, a prick similar to a bee sting pierced Leif’s neck.

  “What the—?” His hand shot up and found a small protrusion just below his ear. He pulled it out and his vision blurred.

  The two creatures on the ground stood up and brushed off their trousers, approaching him. One of them poked Leif in the chest with sharp claws, piercing his T-shirt. He swatted, but his arm moved in slow motion as if underwater. A stream of color followed its wake.

  The wolverine leader laughed. “Not so cocky now, are you, Viking king? We won’t even need an advantage to take you down.” The four creatures retracted their claws and charged en masse.

  Leif tried to block their attack, but his limbs wouldn’t cooperate and the creatures moved too quickly. A blow to his kidney hurt so badly he saw stars. Desperately, he reached for the mental connection to his berserker. Instead of the familiar heat of his warrior spirit waking and rushing to battle, he found a deep, achingly empty space where Leif’s call to the other half of him echoed into a vast black void.

  * * *

  Male grunts and the thuds of fists connecting with flesh reverberated through the alley as Naya left the nightclub through its back entrance. She kept her head down, concentrating on getting to the parking lot and reaching her car undetected.

  Halfway there, a shout of pain pierced the foul night air. She faltered, muttering a curse. The fifty thousand dollars in the messenger bag slung over her shoulder almost overrode her curiosity—almost.

  She turned to see who was fighting behind her new client’s hot spot.

  A blond giant of a man fought against four opponents. Their advantage in numbers made up for their smaller size, as did their agility. Ducking most of Blondie’s blows, they danced around him and delivered sharp punches and kicks, focusing their blows to the kidneys and lower spine. They fought dirty, like Naya.

  The shorter guys were dressed in black with identical cropped dark hair and small pointy noses, giving an impression of ferrets from the same litter.

  Blondie had tied back his shoulder-length hair. Dressed in faded blue jeans and a plain blue cotton T-shirt, he looked like he’d been on his way home to spend the evening with the remote control and a beer.

  So far, the blond held his own, but it wouldn’t last. A normal human would not have detected Blondie’s decreased speed and agility, but his slight hesitations before punching were obvious to Naya. She shook her head as he announced his intentions before each strike by moving before he was ready to commit. Only rookies made that mistake.

  A particularly vicious cross-counter to the right kidney felled Blondie like a chopped pine in the forest. She sucked in her breath.

  The four ferret-like men swarmed on top of him, kicking and stomping his massive body.

  Naya muttered another expletive. It really wasn’t her business, but the ferrets were literally kicking a guy while he was down. She’d always had a soft spot for the underdog. Besides, dead bodies brought cops, which was not something her client desired. Once the law showed up, there was no telling what they’d poke their noses into.

  She was less than twenty-five yards away from the fight scene. The ferret-men paid her no attention. She must not look like a threat.

  The blond wasn’t getting up. He lay on his back, arms unmoving by his side, eyes closed. His body rippled as kicks shook his massive bulk. Well, not that bulky—his sweaty T-shirt showed off some impressive six-pack abs. Not that his amazing physique did him any good. Those dark little fighters would eventually kill Blondie.

  In one swift movement, she pulled the shoulder strap over her head and slid the bag across the parking lot grime. It skidded to a stop just under her car.

  She turned and ran back through the alley, her boots pounding the asphalt. The four halted their assault, heads raised toward her.

  She leapt mid-stride, twisted in the air, and hook-kicked first one then a second chin. The heel of her boot vibrated as the sound of necks snapping reached her ears. She tucked and rolled her landing.

  Shit, she hadn’t meant to kill them. Her combat training had taught her to immediately neutralize a threat, not how to incapacitate an enemy. Nothing she could do about that now. She pushed the guilt aside and narrowed her focus.

  Pivoting, she faced her remaining opponents. Adrenaline surged through her body. Her lips curved as she blew black bangs out of her eyes. It had been a long time since she’d had a good fight. The morning’s news from Dr. Rosen had been discouraging. She was ready to blow off some steam and take out her frustration on these guys. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to kill again, but she’d find a way to get rid of the bodies before the cops showed up.

  Crouching down, she kept her arms loose but ready.

  The men’s eyes had no pupils or irises. They were just eerie black orbs. A little freaked out, Naya kept an eye on their hands. They held them loosely in front of their bodies. Slowly, their nails elongated into vicious claws.

  Well, that’s new. Shit!

  Naya silently berated herself for getting involved. The guys had looked normal. Now they were freaky monsters with jet-black eyes.

  “Want to play, little girl?” one of them growled, clicking his claws.

  “You’re not much bigger than me.” She tilted her head, keeping an eye on the one who hadn’t spoken. He inched to the side and toward her, but she wasn’t worried yet. Her enhanced strength was always superior in any human fight.

  Key word: human.

  She swallowed and willed her pounding heart to slow down. Steady.

  The two freaks rushed her, and she concentrated on not getting impaled. Even with her ultrafast reaction time, she had to work hard to avoid their slashing.

  The guy on the left executed a vicious overhand swipe with his claws. She parried and found herself in the perfect position for a reverse roundhouse.

  Her boot made contact right in the sweet spot. The creature whimpered, hands instantly pressed to his balls—lucky for her, he was human enough to have a set of those. He hunched over and slowly sank toward the ground face-first.

  She quickly gripped his neck and forehead and twisted in opposite directions. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her lurch to the side. She was too late to completely avoid the ferret’s right hook.

  Claws pierced her waist, puncturing her skin but thankfully missing her liver. The searing pain was almost worth it when she heard the first guy’s spine snap in her grip.

  And then there was one.

  Naya and the remaining monster circled each other, looking for an opening.

  “You’re bleeding.” The ferret smirked. “And outside the lab, you’ll find no healing accelerant to help you.”

  What? Naya sucked in a breath. How did this creature know about the lab? “It’s just a scratch.” Her side might hurt like hell later, but right now Naya had enough adrenaline pumping through her body to mask the pain. “I’ll need a rabies shot though,” she said. “Can’t be too careful when fighting rats.”

  With a furious roar, the guy lunged for her.

  She twis
ted, barely avoiding him tearing her eyes out. Shit, he was definitely as fast as she was.

  He grabbed her hair. “You will regret those words.” Pulling her head back, he smelled her neck. “Sweet,” he purred. His arm encircled her waist, claws inching up her rib cage toward her breast. “I recognize the smell of you.”

  Naya twisted to get free. “You know nothing about me.”

  The monster tugged, setting her scalp on fire. “Quiet, little girl. We are the same, created in the same place. And now that we’ve found you, your brother’s next.”

  Ice-cold panic shot through Naya’s body, paralyzing her. Mentally, she shook herself. Emotions had no place in a fight.

  “I don’t have a brother.”

  “Brave girl, but lying won’t save you.” He shook her savagely. “But let’s have some fun first.”

  Gritting her teeth, she forced her muscles to relax. When the ferret automatically loosened his grip in response, she flexed her knees slightly. Naya shot up, arching her back. Her skull smacked into her captor’s nose with a satisfying crunch. Turning, she smirked at the gushing blood.

  “You fucking bitch,” he gurgled. He tilted his head back, pinching his nostrils, and backing away from her.

  She didn’t bother to reply. Instead, she delivered a three-finger stab straight to his throat.

  Slumped forward, he wheezed his last breaths through a broken windpipe.

  She looked around the alley. She’d have to clean up these bodies before anyone else showed up. But first she needed to check on Blondie.

  Naya limped over to the big man on the ground.

  He was still breathing.

  Looking for some kind of identification, she patted down the front pockets of his jeans. The denim fabric outlined lean hips and muscular thighs. Her search found only keys.

  His eyelids fluttered but didn’t open.

  Rolling him onto his side, she discovered the shape of a phone in a back pocket. Jackpot. This should have contact information. Most recently called or maybe there’d be an entry for Home. Heck, she’d use the number under Mom if she had to.

  Making a point of not noticing how nicely his butt curved, she slid her hand into the pocket and retrieved the cell. Naya had just unlocked the display when she looked down and found a pair of ice-blue eyes staring at her.

  “Hi there, big guy. I’m one of the friendlies. Just hang on. I’ll see if I can reach one of your friends.” She licked her lips. Even lying down the man intimidated the hell out of her. He was huge. She desperately hoped his eyes would stay blue and not fill with black.

  “No doctor,” he growled, grasping her hand holding the phone.

  “Ease up there, Blondie. I’m calling someone you know.” Her wrist felt like it was trapped in a vise. She wiggled her arm to loosen his grip. No luck. Maybe he wasn’t human either.

  “No doctor.” The cold stare was unwavering. He had an accent. From the short sentence, she couldn’t quite place it. A strange half-finished snake tattoo on his bicep bulged as his grip tightened, cutting off her circulation. Definitely not human. Her lips were dryer than gunpowder, but she refused to lick them again. Show no fear.

  “No doctor. I get it,” she snarled. “Who do you want me to call?”

  He held on to her wrist, his icy eyes willing her to do what he wanted. “Harald,” he finally said. “Call Harald.”

  “You’re going to have to let go of me, or your phone is toast, and we won’t be calling anyone.”

  Blondie gave her a measured look before releasing her wrist, but as he did, lightning-fast fingers curled around the back of her neck and pulled her face to his.

  The kiss seared her lips, melting her insides. Their mouth-to-mouth contact lasted only a few seconds, but long enough for Naya’s bones to liquefy. When he released her, Blondie sighed deeply as he sank back down, closing his eyes.

  Naya shook him. “What the hell was that?”

  He didn’t react. She gave him a hard shove and concentrated on the phone again. The kiss had scrambled her brain. She had to scroll through the contact list twice before the letters stopped jumping around and she found the name he wanted. Keeping the big guy in her field of vision, she pressed “send.”

  Before it even rang, a male voice answered. “My king, where are you? Fuck, how could you leave unprotected?”

  Too stunned to speak, Naya managed only a croak in reply. This guy had a similar accent. Dutch? Danish?

  “Leif?” The voice sounded suspicious. “Are you there?”

  She cleared her throat. “Are you Harald?”

  “Who the fuck is this?” the man roared.

  “I need to know if your name is Harald.” She sounded pissy, but enough already with these demanding men.

  “Why do you have Leif’s phone?”

  “If Leif is a big giant blond dude with a snake tattoo on his arm, he can’t talk right now. He’s too busy recovering from getting the shit kicked out of him.”

  “What have you done to him?”

  “Look. Just tell me if you’re Harald.”

  Blood still oozed out of her side and the injury burned like a bitch. She wanted to get home to stitch up the wound. She refused to think about the kiss, and concentrating on her injuries kept her from freaking out about the ferret recognizing her scent and knowing about the lab—and Scott.

  She hissed out a breath. If the guy on the phone wasn’t Harald, then he needed to find that dude. Fast.

  Muffled cursing came down the line. “Yeah, fine. I’m Harald. What the fuck do you want? If you’re responsible for Leif’s injuries, I’m going to flog you until there’s nothing left of you. Do you hear me? I’m going to—”

  Naya groaned. “Look, I’m the one who saved his pretty eyes from being permanently shut, so just calm down.”

  “Where are you?” Harald’s voice turned considerably softer.

  “In the alley behind Desire. It’s a club on Main.”

  “I know it. Be there in a few.”

  She hung up and checked on Blondie again. His pulse was weak but steady.

  She studied the ferret guys for movement. They lay where they’d fallen. Naya got up and touched two fingers to the neck of each body. None of them had a pulse.

  Since they weren’t human, she’d keep an eye on them. Hopefully she’d have enough strength left to dispose of the bodies. Right now, she had to monitor Blondie and make sure he didn’t go into shock.

  She returned to his side. Exhausted, she sat down and studied him. Blond stubble covered a square jawline and continued up and around full lips. He had a strong straight nose, except for a small kink that looked like a break that hadn’t set properly. She blushed when her fingers itched to trace its ridge and quickly moved her gaze to the black ink of the snake tat on his bicep. Strange symbols intertwined to form the serpent head and part of the body, but the snake had no tail. The tattoo just ended abruptly on the inside of his arm.

  Naya shifted on the cold ground. She touched her shirt where the ferret freak’s claws had pierced her skin. Her fingers came away wet and sticky. Shit.

  The leather jacket that might as well be permanently grafted to her body had scratches on the arms and slashes down one side. She buttoned it to keep out the frigid night air. The blood loss made her feel colder than normal. She turned and checked on the monsters again. Not so much as a hair had moved.

  She’d killed before, but only while on missions ordered by her handler in the lab. This felt different.

  She’d ponder that later, soaking in a warm bath back in the safety of her apartment. That would also be when she figured out how the monster had recognized her scent. She shuddered.

  If the ferret guy was right, his supernatural abilities came from the same chemical formula that contaminated her circulatory system. Their cocktails must differ by more than a few ingredients, considering the claws and the black eyes. She should take a blood sample.

  Before she was able to act on the thought, a car’s headlights swept the dirt
y brick walls of the alley. Naya got up and limped to a recessed doorway. She’d make sure this was Blondie’s friend, but then her stint as Good Samaritan was over. Even though the reward had been enjoyable—she quickly squelched the memory of their hot kiss.

  When the beams revealed the big guy on the ground, the black Escalade stopped. Two guys got out, slamming the doors behind them. The sound ricocheted against the alley walls.

  They both kneeled next to Blondie. One of them slapped his face.

  “Leif, you fucker. Wake the hell up.” Wiping a palm over his bushy red beard, he cursed again. She recognized his voice from the phone—Harald.

  “He’s got a pulse,” said the other one. His hair was as blond as the man’s on the ground, but styled in a crew cut. “What are these freaks?” He surveyed the alley, eyeing the ferret bodies.

  Harald looked up. “Looks like Loki has engineered a new threat. These fuckers look like wolverines. If they are as wily as the actual animal, we’re going to have to be extra alert.”

  Naya peered out through the shadows. The creatures did look more like wolverines than ferrets.

  Crew-cut leaned back on his heels. “Whatever they are, I can’t believe they got the drop on the king.” His eyes swept the dark alley. “Where’s the woman who called? Maybe she can tell us what happened.”

  She held her breath and crouched down lower against the door.

  “We don’t have time. We need to get Leif home.” Harald stood.

  Together, they lifted their comrade and put him in the back of the SUV. Closing the doors, they looked around the alley.

  Harald sighed. “We should do some housekeeping.”

  They picked up two wolverine bodies each and slung them into one of the Dumpsters as if they weighed nothing.

  Naya’s jaw dropped. If Leif’s strength matched theirs, she was glad he was weak while gripping her wrist. She’d hate to be a one-armed freak.

  “Should we cover them?” the blond asked.

  “They’re Loki’s monsters. They’ll disintegrate by morning.” The men got in the car.

  As soon as their taillights disappeared, Naya limped to her own vehicle. She’d be lucky if she made it home before passing out. Forget Dumpster-diving for blood samples.