A Viking's Lost Soul

by T. M. Grinsley

  Liam rubs my arms in a comforting manner that seems to calm my nerves. “Breathe, Steph. We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to. I can call them and cancel. Tell them to do this another time. It’s okay.”

  I squeeze Liam’s hand to thank him for his kind words and let his calmness flow through me. Large groups of people and I never work out. Nuh-uh, not going to happen. I break out into a nervous sweat and stutter like an idiot. So, the fact that we are going to this large dinner to meet the people who worshipped my mother, petrifies me.

  During my father’s funeral, I have no idea how I was able to pull off my eulogy in front of everyone, but it was a miracle. Granted, I had a tall six foot six whatever to keep me focused, but this is an entirely new ballgame.

  “Look, how about we do this. We go get food, just the three of us. Walk around town for a bit and then head to the bar if you feel up to it. If not, we will head back here and binge old Superman episodes until we fall asleep.” Etienne sits down next to me and pulls me into a side hug. “I know this is a lot, Steph. But you have to face your fear. People are not all that scary. There are assholes, stuck up snobs, and people you wish would be run over by a semi, or eaten alive by bugs, but not all of them are bad. Besides, you have your two bodyguards to keep you company.”

  I shake my head at Etienne’s ridiculous way of making me feel better, he is right. If I can stand up to hundreds of people at my father funeral and talk about what an amazing guy he is, I can meet my mom’s friends. Time to buck up and face my fears. “Does this mean you will wear your Superman costume and pretend to be my hero, who rescues me from the villains?”

  “That is a negative on that one. But can I take a rain check?”

  Tapping my finger against my cheek, I think about his offer. If it wasn’t for Etienne, I wouldn’t have been able to come on this trip alone. He is the rock that holds me together when things are insane. And this is insane. I just flew to another country to meet people who I never knew existed, and then find out that my mother was this famous figure in all their lives. No pressure.

  “Yes, but you have to watch a full marathon of Xena to make up for it.” I hold up my pinky, waiting for him to seal the deal. It may seem childish, but this is our thing.

  “Deal.” Etienne wraps his pinky with mine, and the deal is struck. Feeling a little better about tonight, I pull on my snow boots and jacket, preparing myself for the night ahead.

  Twenty minutes later, I’ve taken a few deep breaths and sent prayers up to whoever is listening, and we have arrived at our destination. It’s 6:30 in the evening, and it is a whopping negative fifteen degrees. Normally, when I go out in the city, I would do something beautiful with my hair, but it is colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra, so throwing a wool cap on, over my tangled mess of hair, is going to have to do.

  I hear the engine switch off and notice Liam has parked the SUV outside of The Wandering Bear, and it is freaking amazing. My breath hitches at the wondrous sight before me. If my father were still alive, he would be in heaven.

  The sign for The Wandering Bear has shields from the Viking era molded together, and in bold letters says, ‘The Wandering Bear.’ The front entrance looks as if it was built thousands of years ago and the carvings are exquisite. Each window has a knotted design wrapping around its exterior, with a dragon’s head on top.

  Getting out of the SUV, my eyes wander all over the building.

  “Wow.” I exhale as a large puff of smoke follows.

  “I second that,” Etienne says as he grabs my arm and loops it through his.

  Outside, two large fire pits are dangling from the mouth of a dragon. Each fire pit has small benches forming a tight circle. A night light this would be the perfect time to sit by the fire and look at the stars. But right now, isn’t the time, food is calling my name, and it is too bloody cold to be out tonight.

  Our group makes its way to the front doors, and as the doors open, my jaw drops. The inside of the restaurant looks just like the main hall in Kattegat from the show, The Vikings. A massive fire pit is dead center, with high vaulted ceilings and a small hole up top to let the smoke out, and several tables are circling the entire area. Some people are laughing, a few are singing songs, while others play darts in the far corner.

  As we make our way to the table, I am completely oblivious to the fact that someone has already approached us. I notice a few people walking around with a glass in their hand, talking to everyone in the building.

  “Your waiter will be right with you.” The young woman says as we take our seats before she walks off.

  Etienne pulls out my chair and sits down next to me. My mouth is still open as my eyes look at everything around me. The paintings on the walls are that of a dream, and the pelts hanging from the ceiling make this look as if we are living in the ninth and tenth century, with real Vikings.

  “What do you think?” Liam asks with his arms spread wide.

  “I love it!” My nerves from earlier start to disappear as excitement begins to take its place. Our waiter comes by to take our order and leaves not too long after that. We each ordered the chef’s special, seared lamb with red potatoes and roasted veggies. Then to top it off, we each ordered Plommegrateng. If you ask me to pronounce that, you are going to laugh your ass off. I just pointed to the word, causing the waiter to laugh.

  I have tried several times to learn how to say that word, and each time my two bodyguards just chuckled at my ridiculousness. But to have it make sense to me and sound good, it is a Norwegian style fruitcake.

  As dinner goes on, the night turns out to be a complete blast. We stuff our faces, tell stories, and even hear stories of when my mother was a little girl. Apparently, we are exactly alike. Strong willed, pain in the ass, and have a heart of gold.

  A few locals come by to say hi and chat for a few. They tell me how my mom was the life of the party and used to come up with the craziest ideas at times. She was the inspiration behind this bar, and the reason this town brought back most of its old school roots.

  “Liam, who is this lovely woman you have brought with you today?” An elderly man in his late sixties makes his way towards the table, with a few couples in tow.

  Liam clasps forearms with the old man. “Sean. It’s good to see you. This is Stephanie, and the brute, bodyguard, and lover of Superman sitting next to her is Etienne.”

  Score one for Liam. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Etienne level his eyes at Liam.

  “Is she-”

  “She is.”

  Before I know what is happening, the old man pulls me in for an embrace. My arms hang awkwardly at my sides, as I try to figure out what I should do.

  “Uh, Liam?” My face is pressed awkwardly against this man’s shoulder as I try to be nice. I pat his shoulder, waiting for him to let me go.

  “Easy, Sean. Introduce yourself first, you blasted mongrel. Anna would have ripped your balls off for doing that to her.” Liam smacks Sean upside the head and crosses his arms. He looks like a father scolding his son. But seeing how this man is twenty, maybe ten, years older than Liam, that is hilarious.

  Sean rubs the back of his head as he shuffles his feet. “My apologies, miss. When we heard of your arrival, we traveled from all over, just to meet you.”

  “Sean, move your crusty ass out of the way and let me meet the offspring.” A woman, who looks no older than Sean, pushes him aside and reaches for my hand.

  “Please excuse this sorry excuse for a man who does not know his manners and will be sleeping in the sheep’s den tonight. I’m Natalia.” The old woman shakes my hand and takes a seat next to Liam. She says something to Sean in her native tongue, which causes him to run away in the other direction.

  “Is he going to be okay?” I ask as I look at Liam and Etienne, wondering who this woman is.

  Natalia waves my question off. “Oh, calm down, little one. I do not bite, well I do, but not hard. I am the owner of this bar, and your mother was like a sister to me. When I hear
d of your arrival, I made sure everyone knew you were coming. When Anna passed, and no one heard a thing about what happened to you, a cloud of darkness swept this town. You were a ray of sunshine, which added something to this town that we had long forgotten.”

  Putting my elbows on the table, I rest my chin on my hands, intrigued. “What’s that?”

  “Laughter and hope. Your mother disobeyed everyone, destroyed countless huts, not to mention, let the horses loose on poor Sean when she was little. This town has been through the ringer, but the day you were born, you made me remember why we loved this little town. You brought a light to your mother’s eye, that had been darkened for so long, and it started her mission to save the town.”

  “Sounds like Steph is the same klutz and troublemaker her mother was when she was little. Now she picks on the poor innocent souls and tortures them with her terrible taste in shows.” Etienne says, as his eyes roam the room.

  I smack him hard on the chest. “What the-”

  “Oh please. That shit has never worked on me before, Latsch.” Natalie fires back.

  Oh, I like her.

  Etienne feigns innocent and acts like he is hurt. “You wound me.”

  Natalia shakes her head and says something I don’t quite catch.

  “Why don’t you two go have a look around while us old folks catch up.” She points behind her. “Don’t forget to check out the fire pits outside tonight. They say a meteor shower is coming. Always a good omen.”

  Natalia winks at me, as we get up from our chairs. What an odd thing to say.

  As Etienne and I walk around the bar, we exit out the back door, where several dragon fire pits are scattered about. Several couples sit by the fire, laughing at something someone said when a tall man leaning against the pillar on the far side of the room catches my eye.

  Oh, holy sweet alien babies, no.

  Chapter 12

  ~ Stephanie ~

  Finn is here. He is right friggin here, in Norway, at the same place I am at. The thought of him makes my stomach explode with bundles of nerves that make it hard to talk. Now he is right here, and my knees are ready to buckle. Yeah, I sound like a crazy person, who can’t keep her shit together in front of a dude. Sue me.

  This man is looking hot as hell tonight, and as if my tongue has a mind of its own, I start to lick my lips, thinking about running it all over his body. I groan loudly, visualizing myself smacking my forehead, and I tilt my head back, trying to get the dirty thoughts of Finn out of my head. For all I know, this man is taken. I mean, who the hell wouldn't want a man like that?

  As Finn’s eyes scan the crowd, his eyes lock with mine, and a small smile cracks his cold mask. After I met him at the funeral, I keep having this overwhelming feeling that I have met him before, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where. He always wears that cold mask. That is until I look at him and something unusual happens. He smiles. Well, sort of.

  “Etienne, why is he here?” I motion with my head in Finn’s direction.

  Etienne’s eyes follow where I nodded, and he shakes his head. “Why don’t you go sit by the fire? Let me catch up with an old friend really quick.”

  Way to avoid the question, asshole.

  Shaking my head at Etienne, I make my way to the only fire that isn’t occupied and sit in the wooden chair. Curling my legs against my chest, I stare into the fire, hoping the warmth gods will keep me warm.

  As my bones start to thaw near the fire, I hear laughter echo from the other groups. A few people walk towards me and say hello, chit-chat for a few minutes. But as time drags on, my eyes keep wandering towards Etienne and Finn.

  They both laugh at something and continue to drink their cold beverages. It is below zero, and these idiots are drinking cold drinks. Are they insane? What I wouldn't do for a nice cup of hot cocoa and large marshmallows right about now.

  As if on cue, Etienne and Finn slowly make their way to me with new drinks in hand. Where did those come from?

  I squirm in my chair as a horde of butterflies start having a war in my stomach. Please don’t puke or stutter. Please don’t puke or stutter.

  “Steph, I want you to meet Finn. I never formally introduced you two at the funeral. He is an old friend of the family.” Etienne says as he plops down in the chair next to me and hands me a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Sighing in utter bliss, the steam rises from the cup, causing the frost on my face to melt a bit. Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but still. My nose is no longer cold.

  “Thank you,” I say as a large puff of smoke fills the air around me.

  “You’re welcome. And Finn, this is my little sister, Stephanie.”

  Finn walks towards me and shakes my gloved hand. When his glove touches mine, I can feel the heat radiating off him, and my girlie parts swoon. Even with his thick coat and snow boots on, he is sexy as sin. The look in his eyes causes my breath to hitch, and something I have not felt in a couple of years begins to surface. My vagina is finally attracted to someone.

  My eyes continue to roam over his body, and my mind starts to imagine him with no clothes on. He looks to be ripped in all the right places, and I can see a faint line of ink threatening to poke out of the collar of his jacket.

  Puffs of smoke from our breaths form between us as neither of us speaks. A few moments pass before Finn clears his throat.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Finn places a gentle kiss on my hand, causing my breath to falter.

  “I… umm… uhh… right… umm… nice to see you again too.” Way to go, idiot. It’s the first time you talk to him outside of the funeral, and the first thing you do is sound like a blubbering idiot.

  “Well, now that you both have met, and don’t have any old geezers around trying to kiss your ass, I am off to do business. Laters, children.” Etienne kisses my cheek and brings his mouth to my ear. “He is a good man, Steph. Don’t fuck this up.”

  I slap Etienne on the shoulder and watch him retreat into the restaurant. For some reason, I feel like this entire thing is a setup.

  “Okay, I am going to be blunt. You are hot as hell, and way out of my league. But know this: I don’t date cheaters, a man who looks at my tits the entire time we talk, nor do I have a tolerance for a man who is a complete idiot and treats a woman like shit. I have dated enough losers; I do not have the time for that. If that is you, you better move on to the next woman and go find someone else, because that is not me.” I turn to see Finn with an expression as cold as stone.

  Way to go, Nils. Word vomit has struck again.

  “Etienne was right about you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  A small smile starts to show at the corners of Finn’s mouth. As his eyes bore into mine, I see the same blue eyes that had captured me a few days ago. A faint memory begins to tug at the back of my mind, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it is.

  “What do you mean, I haven’t changed a bit?”

  “You don’t remember me, do you?” Finn’s small smile falters, and time seems to stop. Everything around us fades to darkness, and all I see is him. A memory of the night I was almost raped, and my slip on a patch of ice comes into view. The same blue eyes that rescued me that night are boring into my soul, waiting for an answer.

  But another memory starts to flash in my mind, one I wish I could forget. I was cowering in the corner as I heard someone rip something. Blood splattered to the ground, but no one made a sound. I don't remember how long it lasted, but I had a faint memory of a young boy with the same blue eyes, staring at me knowingly. Pulling me from my worst nightmare and carrying me home.

  The world around me was still in darkness, as I remembered the young boy who saved me all those years ago. He is here. And damn, he grew up.

  “You?” My voice is in awe. I have dreamt about those eyes since that incident so long ago. I couldn't speak to anyone the day my mother was murdered, but when I looked into his eyes, I would have done anything to see him smile. His eyes were hard and held so much
pain.

  Fast forward to the night when my date, I refuse to say his name, tried to rip my dress off and rape me in the alley. I did everything I could to stop him, silently thanking Etienne for taking me to all those self-defense classes. What I didn't expect was a random sheet of ice to pop out of nowhere.

  So being me, I slipped on a sheet of black ice and slammed my head against my car. I remember waking up with a killer headache, hearing the most beautiful language I have ever heard, then I passed out.

  “Me.” The way he says ‘me,’ causes moisture to pool between my legs and my vagina to come to life. She has been MIA for the longest time, and I was starting to wonder if she would ever wake up again. But a desire I have never felt before erupts inside me, and I want nothing more than to straddle his legs and fuck him. Hard.

  I lick my lips, unsure of my next move, when a waitress comes into view, asking if we want anything to drink. Taking a sip of my hot cocoa, my eyes never stray from his. The man, who visits me every night in my dreams, is here. The waitress makes several attempts to get Finn’s attention, but his eyes never sway from mine either. He dismisses her with a wave of his hand and begins to stand up.

  “Been waiting for you a long time.” Finn's blue eyes darken, causing my butterflies to intensify.

  “How did you know we were here? Wait, why are you here? Are you a stalker of women or something? Get high off saving damsels?”

  Finn's small smile turns into a grin that makes my panties wet.

  “When I was a boy, this girl with brown hair and sapphire eyes told me something I will never forget. She never saw me as the broken boy who people cowered from. She kissed my forehead and showed me the compassion no one else was capable of. I never forgot her, and I vowed one day I would find her, fuck her till she screams my name, and never let her out of my sight again.” Finn puts his elbows on his knees, and the darkness in his eyes turns me on.

  Normally when someone says they want to fuck you till you scream their name, it’s creepy as hell and makes me want to run the other way. But for some reason, I am turned on and ready to do whatever he asks. Does that make me a sick person?