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

by Rachel Medhurst

  “Where are the bodies?” he demanded over the music.

  The bouncer’s finger extended towards a booth. A couple of Jack’s employees were witches. One of them would have put a cloaking spell over it instantly, making it appear as if everything was normal. I moved closer to where he pointed, wanting to check the Crawler’s killing style.

  Jack followed a few steps behind, trusting me to lead the way. One of Jack’s other men stood on guard just outside the booth. It looked empty from the outside, but as soon as I stepped in, I paused.

  “Shit,” came Jack’s voice behind me. “That’s going to be a mission to get out of the leather!”

  There were two women. Blood leaked from a deep cut in the back of their necks. Our Dark Crawler was a sick fuck. It would have taken them a while to die, yet, they would’ve been paralysed from the neck down.

  “And, no one saw this?” Jack asked his men, hovering back while I examined the bodies.

  The stench of the Crawler was stronger in the booth. The person he was inhabiting was seriously rotting from the inside out. In fact, he probably came to the club in desperation. After his attempt at sucking the light from the two women, he had moved on his way. Probably feeling good, just long enough to jump into a new person.

  “We’ve got to find him,” I said, turning back to Jack.

  His face was pale, but not from fear. The sneer on his face was because of the stain on his club floor.

  “Yeah, we do…he’s going to pay for fucking up my club.”

  Spinning, he went out of the booth, cursing when a human woman smashed into him, on her way past. “Sorry, love,” he muttered, brushing her firm arse with a hand before patting once.

  She licked her lips as she watched him turn away from her. The stare of her eyes made me study her as Jack spoke quietly to the original bouncer. Her long legs were muscular, strong. Her whole figure was encased in a see-through tight black dress, lace highlighting her breasts and neck.

  The air of innocence radiated from her, but at the same time intrigue and longing for something darker raged within her. She possessed a yearning for sinfulness. I rarely encountered her kind, a normal harmless woman on the brink of heading down the wrong path, but when I had, they were always wild and wanton. It saddened me to see the good succumb to the bad, verging on the threshold of the dark side. Their interest had been spiked and they had just started to play. They were in the best place for fun and carefree frolicking, here at the underworld club. The temptation was too great.

  “Who are you?”

  Her whole body jerked slightly. She hadn’t noticed me slide up beside her. Jack was engrossed with giving his men their orders.

  “I’m…”

  My nose twitched as the overwhelming smell of putrid flesh filtered up my nose suddenly. She smelt it, too, her face screwing up as she looked at me.

  Turning, I put my hand on my dagger in the back of my waistband, ready to pull it out. A tiny group of people were close by, on the dancefloor. They had formed their own little haven of people, away from the big crowd. Heat engulfed my chest as a woman danced lazily. Her feet sidestepped and her arms hung to her sides. Her head bowed, her dark hair falling over her face.

  “What’s that smell?” The woman beside me looked towards where I stared. “I’ve smelt it before, but not this bad.”

  Looking at her, I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at me. She was almost half my size, her tiny frame minute compared to me. “Do me a favour? Get out of here. Now. Go back home to your parents and forget this world. If you can’t do that…if and when you smell this smell again, stay away. Far, far away. Run for your life.”

  Without saying another word, I nodded at Jack, who watched me from behind, and thrust into the crowd. Blending in with the dancers, I lost myself, circling behind the small group. The Dark Crawler was in a woman’s body, ready to jump into her next victim.

  Luckily, the spirit would be so wrapped up in the enticement of being in a fitter body, it wouldn’t take much notice of me. They got careless when they were ready to switch. Their senses were so dulled by the dying body of the host, they became weak. And, that’s why they were so easy to kill.

  The song changed, but the style of dancing continued. Taking my dagger from its hidden place, I wound myself into the group. The thumping of my whole being increased as the stench went ignored. Calling on Thor’s thunder, I stamped my foot.

  The ground shook gently, shocking everyone into looking around to see what was going on. Stepping lightly, I spun around the person blocking me from the Crawler. One hand wrapped around the host’s arm, ducking her down with me, in the pretence of protecting her. The other brought my dagger up, plunging it straight into her throat, severing the jugular.

  Letting her go, I stepped away, stooping towards the ground, worming through the people who still looked at each other in total astonishment as the ground shook. My dagger was tucked back in its safe space. The wet slide of blood on the blade moved against the skin on my back, but my job here was done.

  “Thanks, mate,” Jack said as I escaped the throng of people.

  He stood by the exit, holding the door open. The blackness of the hallway swallowed us as we left the room.

  “Has he really gone? It didn’t just hop into some other poor fucker’s body, did it?”

  My steps were quick as we rushed down the hall, towards the exit. Jack clapped a hand on my shoulder, pointing towards a side door.

  Diving through the artist’s entrance, I glanced behind me before I reached the outside door. “All of my weapons are full of Thor’s power, the dagger sent the spirit back to Freya. It is done.”

  His nod was quick as he gestured for me to leave. “Dawn. We’ll speak then. Seems I bloody owe you one now, fella.”

  8

  The Hagalaz Cult

  “BE QUIET, YOU’LL wake up Chloe,” I said quietly as I let Jack into the apartment.

  It had been five hours since I had left the man in his club to clean up my mess. And it had been pretty messy. At least he had bouncers that were skilled with magical powers. They weren’t just brawn, they were handy with their witchcraft and cunning. Jack couldn’t exactly run a club for the wonderfully powerful underground elite without having a witch or two of his own to run the joint. One of them would’ve cloaked my kill in the middle of the dancefloor.

  “Chloe? Who the hell is Chloe? Don’t tell me you’ve finally shacked up with someone after all these years? I won’t bloody believe it, trust me.”

  Rubbing my damp hair with a towel, I pointed to the sofa. “No, I’ve not shacked up…god, you’re so…British.”

  Going to the sofa, Jack laid down, his head resting against the arm near my end so he could look out over the river Thames.

  “That’s because, my friend, I am a mighty Brit…as are you.”

  Snorting, I made a cup of tea, brushing my hair roughly while I waited for the kettle to boil. There was not an ounce of British in me. My Viking blood was still as pure as it had been back when the gods still conversed with man. Oh, I missed that time much more when I spent time with the likes of Jack.

  “Don’t go getting your girly hair in my brew,” Jack bleated, when he glanced over at me.

  Tying up my hair, I flipped him off. “If you’re not careful, I’ll spit in it. And, keep the noise down.”

  I had washed off the stink and blood of the Dark Crawler as soon as I had walked into the apartment. The last thing I needed was questions from Chloe and the dog sniffing my clothes. The small dagger had been safely put in the locked up room for cleansing.

  “I think you’re giving me BS. You’re just sick of my voice, ain’t you?”

  Taking him his tea, I almost spilled it when he sat up suddenly, flicking his sunglasses over his eyes when the sun came out from behind a cloud and beamed straight in through the windows.

  “Geez, you need some blinds, mate.”

  “Trygger?” Chloe’s sleepy voice echoed over the balcony.


  It seemed she had been woken by my friend’s rabbiting on. He gasped when he heard the feminine voice, spilling his tea all over himself. Cursing, he jumped to his feet, brushing the hot liquid on his jeans.

  Rolling my eyes, I went back over to the kitchen counter and made up another mug. Chloe’s footsteps were followed by sharp claw tip-tapping coming down the stairs.

  “Who the…erm, who are you?” Jack asked as she came to stand in front of him.

  Chloe’s dark blonde hair was wavy and unruffled. I had been surprised by how soft it looked after a wash. Although, she no longer looked like the crazy-arsed descendant of Freya.

  She looked up at Jack, although he wasn’t much taller than her. Rusty moved between them, sitting at her feet. Protecting her.

  “A dog? What the fuck, man! What have you done with my friend?” He looked at me as I brought Chloe’s drink over, not saying a word when I slipped it into her hand.

  She smiled a thanks, bending down to unconsciously stroke Rusty’s head. “I’m Chloe. Who are you?”

  I had debated whether to send her back to bed, but she needed to know what happened to her family. If Jack had information on their deaths, it might help her to get over it quickly so she could shut that emotion down.

  “I’m Jack Newton, best friends with Tyrgger Odinson. And, you…are a bloody woman.”

  Clearing my throat, I widened my eyes at my friend. It wasn’t polite to swear in front of women. Especially not women like Chloe. She wasn’t anything like the women we were used to.

  “I’m sorry, you’re a bleeping woman!”

  Shaking her head, Chloe lowered herself into one of the chairs, tucking her legs under her and cupping her mug. “Last time I checked, I was a woman.”

  “Oh, yeah? When did you last check? Did you use a mirror or your fingers?”

  Shooting forward, I slapped Jack’s head, pointing for him to sit down. “Don’t,” I warned.

  My contact laid back down again, putting his sunglasses over his eyes. He had removed them to get a better look at the first woman he had ever seen in my home. Taking the last seat, I looked at Chloe, who was watching Jack closely, her brown-eyed stare sizing him up.

  “Jack is my contact, Chloe. He’s the only person in the world I trust completely. Even if he’s an idiot sometimes.”

  “Idiot? I’ll have you know, I’m very intelligent. How else do you think I got most of London under the dirty nail of my thumb?”

  It was unusual for my friend to blank a woman, especially a pure one. When you lived in the dark, a fresh piece of light could be extremely enticing. Chloe wasn’t Jack’s usual type, her ignorance was a little too obvious, but he would usually appreciate her all the same.

  “So, you’re proud of your immoral ways?” Chloe’s tone was sharp, her tongue even sharper.

  The corner of my lip quirked when Jack raised his sunglasses, turned his head to look at her and winked.

  “Oh, yes, miss high and mighty, I is well proud of my ways, I tell you.”

  Downing the rest of my tea in one gulp, I slammed my mug on the table beside me. Both of them jumped. Rusty came over to me, his nose nudging the hand that rested on my thigh.

  “Why does he do that?” I asked Chloe, changing the subject.

  Her laugh was short, but she quickly cleared her face when I frowned. “He wants you to stroke him.”

  Waving the dog away, I ignored him when he padded over to Chloe and laid down in front of her. At least I wouldn’t be the only person trying to protect the woman.

  “Right, Jack, I’m ready.”

  “Ready for what?” Chloe intervened as Jack waved his hand, indicating that he was listening.

  Gritting my teeth, I supposed that I had better tell her what had happened at the house. It would be a test on her sensibilities and how she handled death.

  “I went back to your house last night,” I started.

  “You went back there without telling me?!” Her anger and perplexity was evident.

  “Your family were still there…”

  “What? I thought…” Her sentence trailed off when my meaning dawned on her.

  “I checked them over and found a rune branded onto their necks. I have no doubt it was magic that killed them. The rune was Hagalaz, the rune of disruption.”

  Jack sat up, his bright gaze boring into me. Gesturing for me to go on, he didn’t even look at Chloe when she swallowed loudly, the gulp filling the room.

  Glancing at her, I waited. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her cheeks the same cream shade of the throw on the back of my sofa.

  “When I was there, someone came home. She had male company, so she was too preoccupied to investigate the house. She’s probably waking up to find them now.”

  “That will be Amy, she’s always hooking up with some dude. Doesn’t surprise me that she was so wrapped up in herself she didn’t even notice that her whole family were…slaughtered…” Her face darkened at the thought.

  “Dude? Where are you from, America?” Jack broke his concentration enough to glance at the woman who was much, much older than him.

  Chloe sipped her tea before answering. “Yes, for a while I was American.”

  I stifled the grin that came to my face when the born and bred London boy lifted his nose in the air and faced away from her. What was wrong with the man? He was one of the most influential people in his city, yet, a slip of girl was making him feel inferior.

  Chloe blinked rapidly, clearing her face of any emotion and trying to wipe her eyes discreetly. She could play it hard, but the news was hurting her more than she cared to admit. We weren’t exactly the sympathetic type for her to grieve with.

  “Anyway, I got away from the house with no problems. Jack, last night when I came to you, I could tell that you knew something about the rune Hagalaz. Can you tell me now? I have to know. It’s a major clue as to who slaughtered Loki’s descendants.”

  “How do you know you can trust him?” Chloe interrupted angrily, untucking her legs as she sat forward.

  Her feet knocked Rusty, which made him jump up on guard. He looked between Jack and myself, weighing up any threat. When he didn’t see any, he slumped back down again.

  “Chloe, I almost ordered you back to bed…the least you can do is trust me.”

  “Ordered?” Her cheeks flushed red, her anger fuelling as she put her mug down and faced me.

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I sat back in my seat and looked at Jack, ignoring the feminine wiles.

  “I may have heard a thing or two being whispered. The word Hagalaz has been breathed into my ear once or twice.” Jack’s demeanour was serious, his face straight as he spoke to me. “I didn’t say anything to you because I assumed it was another fake cult starting up.”

  “Cult?” Chloe cut in.

  “I’m sorry, but what’s she got to do with it, Thunder Hunter?” Jack asked me.

  My breath inhaled quickly as her gaze flew to me. No one had called me by my nickname in a long time. Jack knew that.

  “She’s my guest, you’ll treat her with respect.” I would not tell Jack exactly who Chloe was.

  Although I trusted him, if word got out that a descendant of Freya existed there would be an uproar. Everyone would want to find her, assuming she was as beautiful and powerful as the goddess herself. A lot of people had heard legends about me, but not many actually knew I really existed. Keeping a low profile had helped people forget about me.

  “You’re right, mate. I’m sorry, Chloe, I don’t usually disrespect hot ladies. Trygger is my man, I’m just looking out for him.” Jack got up from the sofa to approach Chloe.

  Rusty got to his feet, a low growl rumbling from his chest. I couldn’t help the laugh that rattled my own chest when Jack retreated, the back of his legs bumping into the sofa. His arse landed on the leather as the impact made him fall.

  “Thank you,” Chloe said, waving away his advance. “Let’s get back to the cult.”

  Nodding, I raised my eyebrows at Ja
ck. He winked at me, his gaze going back to travel over Chloe now that the tension had broken.

  “So, what did you hear about Hagalaz?”

  Jack shuffled into a more comfortable position, pulling his stupidly tight jeans from his crotch. Chloe averted her eyes. He had been watching her the whole time he did it. Was he sizing her up? Or, did he fancy her?

  Snapping my fingers, I got his attention. Many other men would have blushed or apologised, but not Jack. He wasn’t sorry for anything.

  “When I was giving it to…”

  Clearing my throat, I glared at him. “We have a lady present.”

  “Oh, please don’t hold back on my account, this is teaching me a lot.” Chloe stared at Jack, her gaze mesmerised by the dark human.

  “Good, I like to be of service when I can. I ain’t the sort to hold back, am I, Trygger?”

  Gesturing for him to go on, I linked my fingers and placed them over my chest, relaxing in my seat.

  “I was giving it to a lovely lady when she screamed some other man’s name. It was unusual, so when we finished, I asked her who he was. You know me, I’m prone to giving a person a good time, so they come over all soft and loving. She told me that someone had asked her to join a group. She was a pretty powerful witch, mind you. I forgot to mention that bit.”

  I said nothing as Jack looked between Chloe and me. His gaze was distant, as if he was reliving the night he spoke about. How he could remember baffled me. Every night was a new person, a new experience for him.

  “So, I probed further, after other further probing, if you get what I mean.” He winked, looking deflated when neither of us responded. “And, she said that there was a group hiring magical people to help them. They called themselves Hagalaz.”

  “Did she say what she was helping them with?”

  Jack shook his head, putting his hand up to check that his sunglasses were still in place. “Nah, I tried to worm it out of her, but she clammed up. Bloody witches, they’re a pain in the arse.”