“Of course,” I agreed, not able to find a good enough excuse to make her find her own way home. Even if she had been able to get herself to the club.
“Thank you. I won’t be a moment.”
The office door closed as I stood like a fool, waiting. After the moment went by, I wandered into the club. The doors were about to open to the public. The day had shot by fast. Too much information whirled in my head.
“Hello,” I greeted one of Jack’s bouncers as I went to the bar.
No one was there yet, so I leant over and helped myself to a bottle of beer, winking at the bouncer as he shook his head. He knew me, they all did.
The doors opened, allowing a small group to enter. They looked around as the music started up, their eyes soaking in the neon lights and dark corners. The ambience was fresh, not yet tainted by the evil energy of those that frequented the place. Jack’s witches always cleared the club with magic before opening. It gave those that were less than naive an air of safety. When in reality, their innocence would be swiped away if they let it.
“Hello, again,” a voice said behind me.
Turning, I grinned at Serenity, the American university student barmaid. “Hello, there.”
“Where’s your cute friend?”
I chuckled as my head nodded in the direction of Jack’s office. “Oh, it’s not like that,” I said when her face fell. “She wouldn’t ever get involved with Jack that way. They’re talking business.”
Or, were they? Why had Chloe wanted to speak to Jack privately? It wasn’t like they had anything in common.
“Well, I can tell she’s not into me, but she seems really nice. Take care of her, won’t you?” The woman grinned as she headed to the storeroom behind the bar.
Take care of her? Chloe was starting to become capable of taking care of herself, although, she did have a way to go. Maybe I needed to get my head into the training game again. I had recently left her to it.
Leaning back against the bar, I watched the newcomers, their faces lighting up as they stared around the room. They could taste the promise that awaited them. It seemed safe, almost alluring. Yet, in only a few hours from now, their light would be scarred with the evil that resonated in the four walls. Being in the same room as criminals, killers and magical creatures did something to a human soul.
“Are you ready to go?” Chloe appeared by my side.
I nodded, finishing the rest of my beer before slamming the bottle on the bar as the people approached.
“You…” a woman said, pointing at me. “I know someone who wants to talk to you.”
Grabbing her phone out of her bag, she went to call someone. Snatching it from her, I winked before taking Chloe’s arm, pulling her away from the group.
My apprentice decided she had something better to do. Yanking out of my grip, she went back to the group. They stared after us, their mouths hanging open.
“Who were you about to ring?” Chloe asked the girl.
The human licked her lips as she gazed between the pair of us. I waited, not bothering to go back over to them. I would let Chloe prove herself if she had to. She seemed hell-bent on making me realise how good she was.
“A man named Jerry. He asked me to come here…hang on, why am I telling you?”
Ah, the innocence of humans. I could see why someone would use them to their advantage. They had no tact, no intelligence. Well, that was hardly fair to the whole of the human race, but it was an accurate point for those that were young and craving something more to life. They followed others blindly, searching for meaning. If only they would realise that there was none. Not outside themselves, anyway.
I brought myself back to focus on the others as I watched Chloe. It had been a long time since I had contemplated the overall phycology of life. The views on philosophy had changed drastically over the years. However, I had always learnt them, interested in the ever growing ways of the human psyche.
“Who is Jerry?” Chloe demanded.
Rusty stood by, ready to take action if anyone dared to threaten his owner. He was a handy tool to have. The humans who were not talking to Chloe eyed him, their feet slowly backing away when he raised his lip.
“I don’t really know him. He approached me yesterday. He paid me to come in here to look for you.”
Nodding, Chloe thanked her and left them. She had thought to use the human for our own gain.
I followed as she moved past me, her eyebrows raising at the same time as a small smirk crossed her lips.
“Okay, smartarse, good call.” I tucked the phone in my other pocket.
It looked like we could well have a number for Jerry, the temporary leader of the witches. He was on the hunt for me, that much was obvious. However, I would happily appease his mind…and his soul. If he needed to be put down, I would happily do it. Anyone who got in the way of my mission was a hindrance I needed to get rid of. Which was exactly why I was going to Martin’s party.
He might think he was going to be hosting a wonderful bash, but the bloodshed would far outweigh the fun. Although, not my fun…I would be having plenty of that as I rid the world of the biggest threat to my goal.
9
Freya’s Visit
“JERRY?” I ASKED when a male voice answered the phone.
It had been twenty-four hours since Chloe commandeered the man’s number. I had wanted to give it time before I tried to contact him. Plus, I’d had to dig out my old clothes, ready for Martin’s party in only an hour.
Jerry’s grunt was hesitant, he didn’t recognise my voice. “Who is this?”
Pacing the rug, I glanced out of the glass that lined my living room wall. The river Thames swelled in the wind. Chloe was struggling through the rough water, trying to reach her daily quotient of exercise.
“My name is Trygger Odinson. I’m ringing about the ransom note you received. It’s a scam, Jerry.”
His laugh made my feet stumble. Righting myself, I waited for his response, my heart pounding in my chest. That was unusual, why react to the man?
“Do you really think I would listen to you? Our leader has been missing for days and the witches are getting anxious. The last thing I’m going to do is give up the hunt for you.”
Okay, the man was agitated. A bit. The harsh bite of his words sank into my skin. If the groups of the underworld were all coming after me, I may have some trouble to sort out soon. I was good at stealth, extremely fucking good. However, I needed my freedom to hunt down the next Fallen One.
“Do you even know who’s got your precious Theresa?”
Flicking my ponytail over my shoulder as I turned, I paused as Jack came into the apartment. I waved him away, ignoring his twirl to show off his fancy dress outfit.
“No, we don’t,” Jerry admitted.
“Well, I do. And, surely you’re not going to let their stupid quarrel with me make them the winners? It’s the Hagalaz cult, they’re the ones who have her.”
Hanging up the phone, I spun back to my friend. Jack had, of course, gone for the mythology theme for the party. I had never seen him look so masculine. His hair was gelled into disarray, his sunglasses nowhere to be seen. A metal helmet was in his hands, ready to go on his head. Metal armour adorned his chest, his strong legs sticking out from under it. Bronze circles on the front of his shoulders attached a red cloak to his back.
“Who are you meant to be?” I asked suspiciously.
Jack spun again, the heavy material flaring out. “Odin! The beautiful Serenity helped me with my outfit.”
Digging an eyepatch out from his pocket, he placed it over his head. I held my hands up, impressed that he had the balls to dress up like the god. But, he was human, after all. He had no idea that the gods still lived. Away from public eyes, obviously, but if Odin was offended by Jack, the human would know about it.
“You’re just going as yourself, then?” Jack’s unimpressed quirk of the lip made me look down at my clothes.
I wore my old Viking outfit. One that was
almost pristine because I’d had it in protective casing for hundreds of years. My hesitation at wearing it had been apparent until Chloe insisted.
The tunic was dark blue, coming to my knees. When I had pulled it over my head, a lump had risen unbidden to my throat. It had been centuries since I had donned the outfit. The hose around my legs kept me warm at least. Their brown colour had faded, but they would do for an evening.
Tugging on my knife belt, I pointed up the stairs as Jack took a seat in one of the armchairs. “I’m just going to get a dagger.”
He nodded once, his attention drawn outside to where Chloe stood by the river, her body clad in a swimsuit. Water dripped from her as she bent over to get a towel.
“The view is better than normal today,” he quipped, grinning at me as I left him to it.
The stairs creaked under my weight as my leather boots hit the wood. I wouldn’t be wearing my old ones, they really would fall apart.
Making my way to the magic room, I frowned at myself as I caught my reflection in the mirror. Opening the metal door, I forced myself inside. There was something about being near so much of Thor’s power, dressed as I was the day I had received it that made me want to avoid the room.
Stepping close to my sword, I ran the tip of my finger over the engraved runes on the cool blade. The power encased in the weapon made Thor’s thunder in my chest grow warm. I had to keep every single item in this room intact, so that when I finally died, I could take all of Thor’s power back to him.
Sighing, I stepped away from the sword. It was not it’s time tonight. Up until this point in my life, I had put the beast away after a Fallen One was killed, suspecting that it would be years until I used it again. However, this time, there was another disgusting being in London. I had felt him twice now.
If the stupid war hadn’t erupted out of nowhere, I would have been able to concentrate on evil spirit number one hundred and ninety-seven.
The click of Rusty’s claws on the wooden floor of the gym bought my attention back to my current goal. To kill Martin and Hannah at their party. Once they were gone, the Hagalaz cult would crumble. Which meant freedom for me…and Chloe. Not that I cared quite as much about her fate. Or, did I?
The whine that came from Rusty made me look at him. He stood in the doorway, his fur coat dripping water onto the floor. What the hell?
Grabbing a dagger from the wall, I sprinted across the room, calling the dog to follow me. He did, his paws making a racket as he slipped.
Getting to the balcony, I stopped to watch the scene outside.
“What the fuck, Rusty?” I said, taking the stairs two at a time. “Stay here!”
Through the window, I could see Jack wrestling a woman. Chloe stood beside them, shouting something I couldn’t hear. Taking up my cloak as I walked past the kitchen bench, I shoved outside, locking the door behind me.
My feet smashed against the concrete as I ran around the factory to the river. The sound of grunting came to me as I thundered down the walkway towards the jetty.
“Stop it, Jack, please!” Chloe shouted, her protest weak, but there all the same.
Reaching them, I paused when Chloe grabbed my arm. “Pull them apart!”
Leaning down, I wrapped my hand around the metal shoulder of Jack’s armour. He uttered a war cry when I hauled him away. The woman on the floor screamed at him from where she lay on her back. A red scratch marred her tanned cheek where Jack had caught her with his outfit.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
Jack shook me off as the girl jumped to her feet. The bend of her legs alerted me to her…she started to run. Swiping my arm out, I caught her before she could get two steps away.
“Get off me, you freak!” The scream echoed around the area.
There was rarely anyone around. With an old factory and uninhabited church next door, it wasn’t the most popular part of London. Which was exactly how I liked it.
“Freak? Coming from the woman who just materialised out of nowhere. I ain’t about to believe that you’re not a fucking freak.” Jack spat on the floor.
Chloe gasped, jabbing him in his metalclad side in an attempt to get him to stop. “She’s my cousin! Well…”
My eyebrows rose as I turned the woman to face me. Ah, so this was the one who had managed to escape death by having a good time with a random man.
“Materialised out of nowhere? How did you find Chloe?”
Her eyes zoned in on me, the pupils dilating when they ran over my body. A quick flick of her tongue on her lips suggested pleasures I would happily indulge in…after she told us how she found us. If she could find us, anyone could. Which meant my home was in danger.
“I…”
Her hesitation was unacceptable. Taking her arm, I bent it behind her back. She squealed, looking to Chloe for assistance. Although my apprentice winced, she shrugged, unable to do anything.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Natalia,” she replied, wincing when I tugged her closer to me.
Her dark curly hair fell down her back. The oval shape of her dark eyes narrowed on me as I turned her, ready to march her towards the water. She was beautiful. A Mediterranean goddess.
“Aw, Trygger, it would be a waste to drown such a pretty lady.” Jack straightened his metal armour.
His eye patch was askew, which made him look odd.
Nodding my head, I took a step forward, forcing Natalia to walk with me. It would be a shame, yet, she was Loki’s descendant. It had been nice to have a break from the threat of the irritating family, but she was one of them.
“No, wait,” she said, trying to stop my momentum by pushing back. “I have information you need, Chloe.”
Small light fingers came to my hand. Great, my apprentice would be soft on her pretend family member. That was exactly what I didn’t need. And, exactly why I had told Chloe to turn her emotions off.
“This woman will kill you,” I said, releasing Natalia.
The woman rubbed her wrist where I had clamped it in my grip. Turning to us, she shook her head. “No, I won’t kill Chloe. It’s you I’ve been trained to end. However, I’m not here for you…yet.”
The sparks of energy that shot from her made my back stiffen. She hated me with a passion. How was that possible when she didn’t even know me?
“First of all, tell me how you found me? I will let him drown you if you don’t tell me now.”
Chloe flicked her wet hair behind her shoulder. She was shivering, a small towel the only thing that kept the cool air of the Thames from wrapping around her. If she wasn’t careful, she would get hypothermia and be useless.
“Get dressed,” I ordered her.
Taking hold of my arm when I reached for Natalia again, she shook her head. “No, just let me handle this.”
Raising my hands in the air, I moved back, allowing her space with the woman. Jack stood by, his gaze flitting between Chloe’s bare legs and Natalia’s cleavage. The beauty wore a red dress, low at the front. A thick black coat covered her arms, but the zip was undone. Taking the opportunity to enjoy the view of her as much as Jack was, I waited to see how Freya’s descendant would cope with the new situation.
“Go ahead,” she told Natalia.
“My witch friend used a locator spell. Since I lost everyone, including you, I might add…” The last part of her sentence was pushed between teeth. “I had to befriend some powerful people. I refused to tell the witch who I was looking for, but they helped me anyway. Chloe…you have a very powerful woman after you. Apparently, you did something to upset her.”
“Why have you come to tell me?” Chloe’s eyes watered when Natalia reached forward and took her hand.
I paused, waiting for the inevitable attack. It didn’t come. Did Loki’s descendant genuinely care for Chloe? Even though she now knew that they weren’t related?
“Because of the nights we stayed up chatting. I miss those times. I know we can never go back to that, but I’ve heard ter
rible things about this woman. The witches whispered that she loved a man named Frankie…”
The gasp escaped Chloe’s mouth before I bit down on my lip. The taste of metallic blood lined my tongue as my tooth pierced the skin. So, if I remembered correctly, it was Matt’s wife who had been involved with the Dark Crawler Frankie. The Crawler that Chloe had killed in his own club.
“I know exactly who that woman is,” Jack announced, unclipping his cloak and throwing it around Chloe’s shoulders.
Holding on tight, Chloe smiled her thanks at Jack as she shivered under the new layer of warmth. It wasn’t enough, if she didn’t get on with it, she would die out by the river. And, I had a party to get to.
“Here,” Natalia said, digging into her pocket and handing Chloe a hairbrush.
A small clump of blonde hair was still entwined in the bristles. That had been how Natalia had located Chloe.
“I know we can’t be family or friends anymore, but…I had to tell you that she had a meeting with a friend of mine. She wanted to know everything about you. Even asked my friend if any of us survived. She lied and said that we had all been killed. I’ve changed my identity. She’s offering a reward for anyone who can get close to you. She has a very personal grudge.” Natalia swallowed as she backed away towards the river. “I have to go now. Chloe…I have no one. I can’t keep going without others to help me with…”
Pointing at me, she refused to look in my direction. Her whole purpose in life had been to hunt and kill me. Yet, without anyone left to work with, she had a huge task on her hands.
“It’s okay. Maybe you can come and…” Chloe’s sentence trailed off when Natalia took a knife out of her other pocket.
“I’m sorry, I can’t go on without them.”
Plunging the knife into her chest, Natalia ripped into her heart with the blade. Chloe jumped forward, her arms wrapping around the woman as she fell to the ground. I jerked forward but stopped, unsure what to do. Jack bent down with Chloe as she lowered her.
Blood ran out of the wound in Natalia’s chest. Her eyes watched Chloe as she tried to stem the blood-flow by pressing hard on the edges around the knife.
Lightning Seeker: Viking Soul Book 2 (Viking Soul Series) Page 9