Saluting the man who didn’t deserve to die, I left him and made my way back upstairs. The events of the last few hours had made up my mind. I had been thinking about leaving for a while, but everyone else had held me back. Not now.
Jack, Chloe and Rusty would be safe. I would leave them here, in my home, to fend for themselves. Maybe it would help Chloe to become more independent.
Stamping up the steps on the outside of the building, I let myself into my home. Jack and Chloe sat on the sofa, talking between themselves.
“What are you doing?” Chloe asked when I headed straight for the stairs.
Pausing, I looked down at them. “I’m going to get my sword to deal with Devon one way or another.”
Neither one of them objected as I nodded and carried on upstairs to the office. I had seen a pile of papers by the computer the other day. Chloe had hidden them when I asked, but I had sneaked a look later. Information to do with the next Fallen One.
Chloe, who was the best tracker, had an inkling he was in Prague, which was why Professor David Morris had gone to the city. That was my next stop. Prague.
Swiping the information, I tucked it into my jacket and went into my room. The others would look after my stuff, I could trust them. All I needed was my passport, money and…
A whine and the scuff of dog claws on the floor made me stop tucking everything into my pockets. The dog could sense that I was leaving. Animals were extremely intuitive.
“Hello, boy,” I said, sitting on the side of the bed as he came up to me.
His tongue stuck out as he panted, his head nudging my hand. Stroking him behind the ears, I allowed my heart to soften for one moment. I had never wanted a pet, but Rusty wasn’t one. He was a warrior animal in his own right. Yet, I had got used to him following me around. It would be hard not to hear his huffing nearby.
“I’m sorry, friend, but I have to go,” I whispered.
Jumping up, Rusty put his paws on my thighs, his head held high in front of me. His tongue swiped up to lick my face, making me cringe. Laughing, I rubbed his back.
Suddenly, he lowered his head so he came close to me. Lowering my own, I gulped when our foreheads rested together. A tear came to my eye as we stayed that way, listening to each other breathe, our eyes closed. He was saying goodbye. He knew that there was a chance that I might never see him again.
Chapter 10
Releasing the Evil
“Okay, hold her perfectly still,” I told Kalic.
The vampire rolled his eyes as he held the top of her arms loosely. Devon jerked when his fingers touched her bare skin. He was a cold, cold vampire. One who would hold her still with just one of his fingers. That was how powerful he was.
“This is going to work,” the small witch said, once again.
She had repeated it to herself as soon as Kalic took her out of his holding cell, another handy thing about his secret tunnels, and placed her in front of me.
Raising the big metal sword, I was about to move it forward to touch the tip against her third eye when the sound of footsteps stopped me.
“Antonia, you need to leave,” Kalic called, his tone strong, authoritative. Much more so than before.
Devon whimpered, the anticipation of her probable death deflated as we were interrupted.
Antonia, the tall skinny vampire glared at me as she came to stand next to the witch who was tiny compared. “I’m here for support.”
“Thank you.” Kalic’s quick assumption was severed as Antonia raised her lip, revealing her sharp canine teeth.
“I’m not here for you, stupid.” Her accent emphasised as Kalic hissed back.
Were things rocky in their blissful loved up vampire world?
“Just get on with it!” Devon demanded, her teeth clenched together as Kalic prodded her, just to keep her in line.
If the Crawler was able to make an appearance, there would be trouble.
Holding my arm in the air, I closed my eyes briefly and called on Thor’s power. My whole body jerked as lightning shot through the ceiling, making me open my eyes to the brightness.
“Wow, that’s…” Antonia breathed. “…Amazing.”
My hand held firm as the lightning bolt made contact with the sword. Anyone else would have been knocked over by the force, but I knew what to expect. Knew how it would feel as it pulsed through the sword handle and into my body.
“Are you ready?” I asked Devon, who nodded, unable to speak.
Her whole body shook, her eyes glazing over suddenly. The Crawler was fighting for control and by the looks of it, had almost taken over.
“Hold her, he’s trying to get out,” I barked to Kalic, who tightened his grip.
Not being careful about it, I pressed the end of the sword blade against Devon’s forehead, right on her third eye. She had started to struggled against Kalic’s grip, but stilled as soon as the metal made contact with her skin.
Her mouth opened wide, a scream exploding into the tunnels. The muscles of her body shuddered as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Heat shot down the sword, almost scalding my fingers.
“Is it working?” Antonia called over the noise of pain that echoed around the room.
A dark essence suddenly pushed my sword, yet, stayed attached as I dragged the blade away from Devon’s head. The shadow looked like it tried to cling to its human host, but the sword was pulling it out. Fuck me, it was working.
“Yes.”
Holding my ground, I kept my feet apart, ready to tug the spirit out. Devon jerked forward, almost allowing the spirit to go back. Instead of letting that happen, I called harder on Thor’s power, stretching the Crawler out of Devon until it disconnected from her and was sucked into the sword.
My body moved forward as the lightning left the room. My ears buzzed from the energy as it suddenly evaporated.
“She’s out cold.” Kalic checked her pulse, nodding when I raised my eyebrows.
She was alive. Shit, that had been a new experience. The Dark Crawler had fought hard, I had to give him that. However, I had won in the end. Of course.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I gestured for Kalic to put Devon back in the holding cell. Antonia didn’t fight us this time, trusting that our judgement was better than hers when it came to the little witch.
However, my judgement hadn’t been better, not really. Letting her live had cost Senior his life. The man hadn’t been gone for more than a couple of hours, and there I was, trying to save the girl who had killed him.
Yet, it was necessary. If she came to and was back to her normal self, the experiment would have been worth it. I would have learnt something new. And yet, Senior was still dead. Which was something I had to deal with for the rest of my life.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before my own life ended. That way, I could make amends for him somehow.
“Where are you going?” Antonia asked when I walked away.
I had been staring at my sword, wondering at the different feel of it. The Crawler hadn’t gone back to Helheim as far as I could tell. If I was correct, he was still in the sword. Which wasn’t something I was happy with.
“Antonia,” I said, turning back to her as Kalic joined us. “I need you both to look out for Devon. If she’s back to normal, let her go about her life. If she’s…not…you know what to do.” I looked at the male vampire, knowing full well he would do as I asked.
They both nodded. Even Antonia had seen that her mothering ways were not going to help someone who was dangerous.
“And, what about you? Where are you going?”
Although Kalic didn’t know me that well, he wasn’t unlike me as a person. Living hundreds of years meant that you knew how a man thought. Especially when that man was someone who had lived even longer.
“I’ll see you again.”
Tucking my sword under my jacket, I pressed the handle to invoke the invisibility spell. It had kept the spell for centuries. I would travel with it on me at all times. And, when
I got to the city I was next going to, I would settle for a while. Again.
“Good luck, Thunder Hunter.” Kalic shook my hand.
Smiling, I patted his back. “And, if Martin and his cronies cause any more problems, you know what to do with them?”
His raised eyebrows said enough. Of course he did. In fact, I would give it only a few days of my absence before Martin Sturgent got what he deserved.
“Does Jack and Chloe know?” Antonia asked, her hands reaching out to grasp mine.
Shaking my head, I kept my gaze lowered. “No, not yet. But, they’ll be fine. They have each other now. They can go back to living their own life, instead of worrying about mine.”
They stayed silent as I turned and walked away. It was time for me to leave. Time for me to move on to the next Fallen One. I had wasted too much time in other people’s business. And although the concept of time was a worry for most people because they didn’t have enough of it…I was different. I’d had more than enough. I didn’t want anymore. Yet, before I could leave the earth, I still had three more things to do. Or, three more things to kill, more accurately. And, nothing would stand in my way any longer.
Chapter 11
Prague Calls
Six months later
“What the hell are you doing in this city?” The rancid creature laughed when I backed away.
I had not planned to fight a Dark Crawler at a party. Not one held by the professor I needed to speak to. The man, David Morris, had put me off for a while. Although, to be fair, I hadn’t exactly been truthful about who I was.
The Crawler who stood in front of me, blocking the view of the professor who was casually chatting to a group of females, stunk the place out. He literally smelled like rotting meat that had been sprayed with a whole bottle of man’s aftershave. How had no one else noticed it?
“I’m sorry, I don’t…”
“Oh, Trygger, I’m an old soul. I can smell you.”
Ah, it had been a while since I had encountered a Crawler who had instantly known who I was due to my smell. Maybe it was being in Prague. A new city for me to hide in.
Flicking my ponytail over my shoulder, I glanced down at my feet. The black brogues matched my dark suit nicely. Apart from my hair, I looked every inch the normal male. If the idiot in front of me drew attention to us, that might change.
“Shall we take this outside?” I asked, placing my empty glass on the table beside me.
Shaking his head, the Crawler opened his mouth. His physical appearance was average, his accent strong. I didn’t even bother to ask his name. He would be dead soon enough.
Unfortunately for the host, he had been inhabited for too long. If I bothered to try and take the Crawler out with my sword, the man would drop dead anyway. Not exactly a nice way to introduce myself to the man who was throwing the posh do.
“No, I don’t think so. As you can probably tell…or smell…” His lips curled up as he amused himself. “…I’m in no fit state to fight you. But, I’m curious as to why you’re here?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Was I seriously standing at a party, making small talk with a Dark Crawler because he knew that he was too weak to fight me? What had become of my life?
Much like the many times I had started on my mission of finding the next Fallen One, I had stayed isolated in my new apartment in Prague, researching the people of the city. Chloe had pin-pointed a few rich and famous names who had made interesting moves in their lives.
Something I would have to thank her for when I eventually saw her again. If ever.
A commotion near the entrance made me step away from the Crawler. I kept one eye on him at the same time as watching what was unfolding in the hallway, which was just through a big pair of double doors.
“Ah, shit.” If the Crawler was cursing because of the arrival of someone, then it must have been bad. “I would leave if I were you, Thunder Hunter, it’s the police.”
Sneaking away, the Crawler ducked through a back door, disappearing from the room. A gasp escaped the crowd as a group of men and women, wearing navy trouser-suits, marched past people and came to stand in the middle of the room.
“Professor David Morris, you have underworld creatures at your party, do you not?” one man with a thick Czech accent shouted.
Coming forward, cool and calm, David Morris faced the people who tried to intimidate him. “Firstly, I’ve not invited any. Secondly, why would it matter?”
His strong aristocratic English accent didn’t make the rigid man who had asked the question flinch. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, his eyebrows lowered over his eyes.
“It is against the law to host parties involving any creatures that are not human. You know the rules, Professor, you teach them in our university.”
Clearing his throat, David glared at the man, his attention completely focused on him. “Ah, yes, your stupid laws.”
Laws? I hadn’t heard anything about these laws. Although, if a group of people went around to parties uninvited, just to enforce them, I had better educate myself.
“The laws are there for a reason. We won’t tolerate abuse towards humans, even if you are a sympathiser.”
The group in the middle of the room started to move towards the party goers, holding out what I first assumed was a gun. I cringed when one woman held the device in front of a man. It released a wave of light that ran from the man’s feet up to his face. The machine bleeped and the small light on the front of it turned blue.
“Human,” she stated, before moving onto the next person.
What the hell? The Czechs had invented something that could tell the difference between humans and underworld people. That wasn’t unlike a film I had seen twenty odd years ago. And, now it was a reality?
Doing as the Crawler had done, I ducked away. I would have to find another opportunity to speak to Professor David Morris.
The bark of a dog made me pause as I was about to sneak out of the side door. I recognised that bark. Rusty.
“Stop what you’re doing!” A female voice made my whole body freeze. Chloe.
What the fuck was she doing here? She was about to get arrested by the weird police. In a city where people were much harsher than London.
“I wouldn’t do that,” one of the special policemen said.
Chloe appeared through the archway, her arm outstretched. A gun was gripped in her small fingers, aimed towards the threatening group. Great, I would have to rescue her and make myself known.
The professor laughed, drawing everyone’s attention. “Chloe, there’s no need for that. Sorry, officer, she’s my bodyguard.”
Huh? How did David Morris know Chloe?
“I don’t care who she is, she’s just held a gun to me. You’re coming with me.” Stepping forward, the man approached Chloe.
My heart skipped when she backed up, her feet faltering. Her hair was a mess, stuck out at all angles. The tight leggings she wore, with a red skirt over the top, accentuated her legs. Her leather jacket was black, the top underneath one I recognised. The bloody unicorn.
“Wait!”
The professor came forward, getting in the way of the policeman and Chloe. He was tall, his shoulders broad. Yet, he hunched slightly at the waist. The hair on his head, although grey, was full and just touched the collar of his suit jacket.
“Please, we’ll break the party up just in case any underworld creatures have snuck in.”
A woman standing beside the lead policeman nudged him in the ribs, whispering something in his ear. Chloe had lowered her gun and was watching them intently. Her guard was down. Why wasn’t she scanning the room to check for enemies? Had I not taught her anything? Had she slackened in the six months since I had seen her?
“My colleague suggests that we test her to see if she’s a creature herself.”
Oh, shit. Why had Chloe insisted on crashing the party? She would get caught and hauled away. Although…
My research so far…well,
Chloe’s mainly, had suggested that a man at the top of the police chain had been involved in suspicious activity concerning trips to Denmark. He travelled there once a month, where he met with important personnel. Once back in the Czech Republic, the man threw a huge party. One that always got complaints that were covered up. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but Chloe had been pursuing that route, and I trusted her when it came to tracking.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Chloe said, interrupting my chain of thought. “I might just have to…”
“Stop!” The professor snatched the gun out of Chloe’s hand as she went to raise it.
A kerfuffle ensued, whereby the police grabbed Chloe. I stepped forward, about to intercept. A hand gripped my arm, trying to still me. Looking behind, I stalled when Jack winked at me. Little fucker.
“Hello, lover boy,” he said, gesturing with his head for me to follow him.
Going to the door that the Crawler had escaped by earlier, he pointed for me to go out. I did, my hands clenching into fists as the full realisation of what had just happened sunk in.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Jack opened his arms wide after shutting the door behind him. “What? No hug? No, I missed you, mate, so much so that I think I realised that I’m madly in love with you? No?”
Spinning away from him, I stalked around the side of the building towards the front of the house. The city surrounded us on all sides, but the pretty town house was in its own grounds.
“Trygger, my lovely, don’t ruin our plan.”
Pressing against the side of the wall, I watched them march Chloe to an undercover van in the busy street.
“What plan?” I ground out between my teeth.
How didn’t I know that the pair, and Rusty, were in Prague? That same familiar bark drew my attention again. Rusty had snuck around the front of the house and joined us. His muzzle shoved into my open palm as I waited for my chance to get Chloe back.
Storm Guardian: Viking Soul Book 3 Page 11