Not only that, if Freya wanted the two hundred Fallen Ones back in her field, Martin’s ramblings would make a lot of sense. Because she had stolen the evil souls, they would automatically go back to her when a Valkyrie collected one. Meaning, her army was almost complete. And, Odin didn’t like that. Maybe the world of Norse gods wasn’t as forgotten as I had thought.
“You see…as much as I would like to set eyes on the beauty of Freya once again, I don’t want a war. Do you?”
Now, that was a different angle for a Fallen One to take. One that I hadn’t expected at all. My shock was evident in the way I stayed silent for a moment. Was he going to reason with me? Thunder Hunter? The man who had been hunting him for a thousand years?
“You…drew me in, instead of running?”
Thor’s power hummed in me, vibrating through my body as the heat made a bead of sweat break out on my lip. Not bothering to reach up to wipe it away, I kept my gaze on the Fallen One. He was pretty chatty for someone who was facing ultimate danger. He must have assumed I didn’t have my sword. And, assumed correctly at that stage.
“Yes. The last Fallen One was my friend. We’ve both lived in London for five hundred years. We knew we should have separated, but we were best friends in battle. We wanted to stay close by. When you killed…” Victor stopped talking.
His cheeks glowed pink and his eyes burned red. Rage boiled under all that pretence of being cool. Did the Fallen Ones actually feel something?
“You…” Victor said, pointing at Kitty. “…you’ve served your purpose.”
Ah, maybe not. The human was useless now the Fallen One had me in his sights. That was all he ever wanted. He didn’t give a fuck about Kitty’s little vendetta against Chloe. That much was obvious as he reached for her.
She shrieked, banging uselessly against his broad muscular chest. A part of me was tempted to save her, but it quickly vanished. The stupid woman had caused all this in the first place, karma really was a bitch. One that I wasn’t going to get in the way of.
“No, I did this…all of it,” she pleaded as Victor’s teeth clashed against each other.
He dragged her closer, his eyeballs bleeding red into the whites. Ah, the lust for her human light, or what was left of it anyway. I hadn’t seen a Dark Crawler or Fallen One drain a human of their life force for a while. It wasn’t pretty.
Kitty’s face was pure porcelain white as she realised what was about to happen. Her screams went unnoticed as the leaders swayed on their chains, probably pleased that her comeuppance was playing out right in front of their eyes.
“Wait!” The wizard shouted, a touch of sympathy crossing his face as he stood from his chair. “Does that mean we can go?”
The stupid fucking idiot. If he would have waited, while my man Victor was right in the middle of draining the life from Kitty, I would have made a rush at him.
“No,” Victor barked, his hunger for fresh sustenance more important than anything else in that moment.
The fix would make his host last a little longer, yet, how much longer the rotting flesh could survive would be the test. I almost hoped that he did have enough in him until Chloe got back.
It was odd that he hadn’t jumped into a fresh body to face me. But, then, that body was…
“No!” Kitty thrashed when Victor plunged his hand into her chest.
His jaw started to open and close as he yanked her to him, his teeth gnawing into her neck. Blood shot across the room, splattering over the creatures in the front row. The Dark Crawler jumped up and down in his seat, his excitement palpable to those that sat near him.
They were used to dark acts, so they didn’t flinch. In fact, the wizard did exactly what I hoped he would do. Throwing his hand towards Victor, he froze him in mid-craze. I slipped behind the Dark Crawler, knowing that he would be the only one in the room to go out of his way to help the Fallen One.
Flipping my dagger out from my belt, I crouched behind him as he looked for me. Gripping his shoulder and pinning it to the chair, I plunged the dagger into his back, up behind his ribcage, straight into his heart. The rancid smell of him made me choke as he bucked, probably trying to jump into a new host. He wouldn’t have time. The dagger’s tip absorbed his evil soul and sent it to Helheim.
Victor roared, his body still immobile as the creatures rushed to their leaders. The wizard’s spell wouldn’t hold him for long, he was two thousand years old. Even if he was a spirit.
Kitty was limp in his arms, her soul moved on from her body. So, Victor was a bit of a cannibal, too. What was the creature he had managed to inhabit?
Slinking into the shadows, I watched as the leaders were released from their bonds, their bodies collapsing to the ground. The air was thick with the smell of blood. That wouldn’t be good for…
“Trygger?” Jack’s voice was hushed, but shouted all the same.
He stood in the middle of the room, his gaze searching for me. Moving out of my hiding place, I dragged him behind an old unused barrel that was on its side. Ducking down, I took him with me. The metal of his armour clanged against the wood, making me cringe.
“I told you to stay…”
“Chloe’s here, she’s hiding in that cubbyhole, she has the sword, but…”
The air rushed out of my lungs as I rolled away from Jack, springing to my feet. Chloe was waiting, her gaze watching me as I approached. The ruckus behind me increased when Victor roared again, louder this time.
“Trygger, wait…”
Someone flew at me from the cubbyhole, knocking me to the ground. Only one being would have enough strength to send me flying. Kalic.
He wrestled me, his teeth snapping near my throat. Holding his chest away from me, I head-butted him straight in the nose.
“We’re on the same side,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Your creator…”
“He’s starting to move,” someone shouted.
The others obviously detected Victor’s power if they were afraid of him. The room was full of the most powerful beings of the underworld, yet, they wanted to run from the Fallen One. Which meant my job would be cut out for me.
Kalic leant into my face, spittle flying all over my cheeks. “You fucking locked me in a fridge with a human. I’ve not fed for hours!”
A small glimpse of remorse tried to work itself up from somewhere, but was hurriedly shoved away. So, what? It wasn’t my problem if he’d had to control his urges. He should have learnt by now. I had. Control was the only way an immortal could live a life without destruction.
“Your creator is waiting to be rescued. I suggest you do it now.”
Swearing in my face, Kalic thrust off me, winding me in the process. I sucked in my breath as I got to my feet and approached Chloe again. Pushing the sword into my arms, she gestured towards Victor.
“He…he’s…powerful…” she stuttered.
Her blonde hair was all over the place, her pyjama top unreal in such a place of misery and…death. Putting my hand on her jaw, I looked at her. “Thank you, but…please stay over here.”
My request would be held against me forever. Yet, instead of fighting like she usually did, she nodded, her lips folding in on themselves. She knew that she wasn’t ready for the type of experience that was about to unfold. And, neither was Jack.
As she retreated into the cubbyhole, I held my sword to my side and approached my previous hiding place where Jack…wasn’t still sitting. Wanker!
Trust the human with no sense of preservation to go wandering in a basement full of killers. Killers that were currently trying to drag their leaders towards the exit.
“Stop!” Victor’s shout froze everyone in the room.
He was free. The drop of Kitty’s body to the ground, the sound of her dead flesh resounding around the room, made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Who would Victor choose to go after first? The wizard? Or, would he just come for me?
Crouching behind my barrel again, I kept my gaze on the Fallen One. The fury shook his lim
bs as he carefully, which was odd, stepped over Kitty and approached the two people left in the containment area. Kalic and his creator.
The rest of them were in various parts of the basement. The leaders were weak, unable to do much on their own. Isaac held a hand over his leader’s heart, his face strained as he poured blue magic into the other wizard.
“Where is the man who just did that to me?” Victor barked at Kalic, his red eyes bulging from his head.
The two-thousand-year old evil spirit was even older than the vampires. Yet, he didn’t reach out to hurt them. Why was that? Did Victor have a conscience of sorts? Not possible.
“There.” Kalic pointed at Isaac who crouched in the middle of the floor.
Victor threw back his head, a thunderous sound echoing out of him. The music above went dead before the humans started to scream. Ah, they could feel the danger that was unfolding underneath the club. At least it would give them time to leave.
His footsteps heavy, Victor tackled Isaac, throwing the wizard to the ground easily. Scrambling to his feet, Isaac threw a fireball at the Fallen One. It rebounded, going straight back into his own face. He screeched, wiping the ash away from his now burned dark skin.
“You ruined everything,” Victor said, his sharp teeth spitting blood everywhere. “I’ll kill you, then I’ll kill him.”
Pointing towards where I hid, he grinned manically. How the fuck did he know where I was? Great, there would be no surprising the beast then.
Swinging for Isaac, Victor made quick work of wrapping his thick fingers around the wizard’s neck. Getting up, I moved around the seating area as Victor started snapping his teeth. Watching him as I moved towards Kalic and his creator in the opposite containment area, I paused when a shark shaped fin ripped through the T-shirt he wore.
The shirt fell away, leaving him bare. Tattoo’s marked all of him. Animals, all different kinds, intertwined on his skin. Shape shifter. The bastard Fallen One had obviously jumped into a shape shifter. What a very clever move.
“Kalic,” I said, moving behind the others, but keeping my gaze on the enemy as he ripped off Isaac’s head and chomped on his shoulder. “You’re not going to get out of here alive. I have a feeling that he’s going to shapeshift into different animals so he can kill you all.”
The vampire’s teeth strained together as he looked at the tall woman beside him. “Firstly, there’s a lot of blood in here.”
I looked at the floor, bathed in red. Cringing, I shrugged. “Can’t help you with that unless you want to get on your hands and knees, brother.”
His glare was interrupted by the woman at his side. “Secondly, why the fuck should we help you, when it’s you he wants?”
“Because, love,” I said, edging back slightly when Victor threw Isaac’s head on the ground. “He won’t stop until we’re all dead. I promise you that.”
“My name is Antonia, not love. Kalic, can you control yourself long enough to kill this bastard? He did enforce my kidnapping after all.”
Oh, it seemed the vampire Antonia was up for a fight. I eyed her, tracing my gaze over the curvy length of her. A surge of desire pulsed through me. It had been too long since I had released my pent up energy.
Shaking my head, I grinned. A vampire was not the right woman for me. Not only that, a Fallen One was currently dragging Isaac’s body away from the wizard leader still alive on the floor. What the hell was he doing?
“I smell fresh human,” Victor said, his deep voice vibrating through the basement.
It seemed his lust had toppled his sense, which was good for me. Shrugging, I patted Kalic on the back. “If you decide to help, try and get a hold of him for me.”
They didn’t reply as I slunk to the wall, about to move into the main area where Victor now piled his prize on top of Kitty’s body. Ah, a ritual of collecting his kills. Very animalistic.
“Victor, you big piece of shithead, what the fuck do you think you’re doing in my club?”
Jack had a death wish it seemed. Thrusting away from the bodies, Victor spun towards Jack who was near the other end of the basement. Not far from Chloe, the little twerp.
“You’re the human I can smell. Ah, I may just have to snack on you before facing Thunder Hunter.” Running towards my friend, Victor leapt into the air just before he reached him.
A bolt of golden magic came from the cubbyhole Chloe hid in. What the fuck? I told them both to stay out of it.
Victor fell to his knees, the magic absorbing into his body and shocking him. A small grunt left his lips, expelling specks of blood over Jack’s Odin outfit. Oh, if only the real god would come down and do my job for me. Ever since I’d had to worry about the people with me, it had become much less fun obliterating a Fallen One.
My feet carried me towards him, my sword raising up. Before I reached him, he jumped to his feet, the ground shaking under him. Not as good as my earthquakes, though.
“You stupid fool.” Victor turned towards the shadows where the magic had come from.
Shit, Chloe. Lightning quick, I darted around the beast, standing directly in front of him. His eyebrows rose as he paused in his immediate threat of attack.
“Ah, you want to face me now? Who are you protecting, Thunder Hunter?”
If I wasn’t careful, he would feel my weakness in relation to the two humans in the room. Once he knew I was invested in them, he would crush them both in one blow. And, I wouldn’t…no, couldn’t, let that happen. Ever.
14
Acid Teardrops
STAYING AGILE, I WALKED sideways, drawing the monster away from the cubbyhole. As long as Chloe stayed quiet, he would keep his attention on me. Hopefully.
“I’ve never known you to care about anyone. I’m intrigued.”
“How the fuck would you know who I cared about?” I was also intrigued.
He followed me as I led him back towards the seating area. I kept my attention glued to him, but saw in the corner of my eye, some of the leaders huddled in a far corner, away from the door. Why hadn’t they made an escape?
“I’ve kept tabs on you throughout the years. I’m rather flattered that I’m one of the last ones. And, even then, you didn’t find me. I found you. Another first, I’m sure. You see, when I worked with my friend, the one you killed, I decided that I wouldn’t sit and wait like the others had. I was ready to face you now. It’s your time, Trygger. You don’t deserve to live with the gods.”
His speech was impressive. A memory of a couple of the other Fallen Ones flashed into my mind. They had said a similar thing. First, threatening me with death…then, declaring that I didn’t qualify to live with the almighty Norse gods.
“Why do you think that?”
Our footsteps mirrored each other as we moved in a circle. When Jack ended up at my back, I shoved him, telling him to run. He slowly stalked backwards, his footsteps light. If he didn’t do as I said, I would kill him once Victor was back in Freya’s field.
“Because you’ve killed as many people, if not more, than us. You see, you’re not as light as you like to believe.”
“I don’t think I’m light, I’m dead inside. Dark, like you.” I cleared my throat when he threw his head back and laughed.
The sound rumbled around the basement. Why were the creatures not running? Had someone blocked the door?
“And, yet…you think that by helping Freya build her army, Odin will allow you to live among the gods? You’re either highly mistaken or delusional.”
I had been about to run at him with my sword, ready to thrust, but I paused. Maybe he was right. Freya had always used me as a puppet. Had she lied all along?
Allowing him to get to me was a mistake. Victor’s feet took two strides before he swung his meaty fist. About to duck, I kept silent when his fist connected to my cheek, skimming off the bone. I gritted my teeth as I tucked my body down, spinning away from him. He laughed as the sting reverberated through my head.
The sword was in my hand, ready for use. My chest wa
s flaming away with Thor’s power. Lightning, that would shock him.
Facing Victor again as he moved to look at me, I sucked in a deep breath, calling on Thor’s lightning. Hopefully it would work again. I had already used it earlier in the evening. “Oh, Victorrrrr,” I called.
He frowned when I threw my hand in the air. My sword remained lowered, there was no way he was weakened enough for me to get close enough to hit him.
A bright spark of lightning shot through the ceiling, hitting Victor straight on his bald tattooed skull. He howled, falling to his knees again. Sparks flew from him, some of them catching on a piece of material that lay near a stack of old barrels.
“Errrr…Trygger,” Jack shouted when a flame flickered into life.
Ignoring him, I tackled Victor, my fist outstretched, ready to plough into his already wounded head. He pushed to his feet, his teeth chattering before his eyes morphed into a different shape. Oh no, his ability to change shape would lessen my chance of defeating him.
I rebounded off his bulk as his chest sprouted fur. A wolf would be able to rip a throat out…easily. It was a good job Rusty…
A bark came from the cubbyhole, alerting me to my worst nightmare as Victor fell to all fours, groaning as his bones broke and he transformed into a wolf.
“Chloe, why the fuck did you bring the dog?” I shouted as Rusty appeared from the darkness.
Smoke started to filter from the now burning material. It was spreading slowly towards the barrels. Thank fuck they were….
“Trygger, those barrels!” Jack shouted, disproving my theory that they were empty.
Victor howled as Rusty trotted over to him. The pair stared each other down, ready to pounce. It seemed Rusty’s power had no effect on Victor’s wolf shape, how odd.
My gaze unconsciously sought the body of Isaac, the wizard. Earlier, he had used a similar power to Rusty on me. Had he been the one to spell the dog? And, with the wizard dead, was Rusty useless without a power?
A feminine cry went up from behind me when Rusty pounced on Victor. Chloe. If she didn’t stay away, I would have to protect her as well as kill Victor. It wouldn’t work.
Lightning Seeker: Viking Soul Book 2 (Viking Soul Series) Page 15