Dark Guardian Read online

  “Maybe.”

  Stepping away from my friend, I kept my gaze forward. I trusted Jack to keep Chloe away. He now knew exactly why I didn’t want their help, certainly not in battle, anyway. When I died, I would leave them both behind. The last thing I wanted was for them to die because of me. If I could protect them in any way, it would be to keep them away from me for good.

  “Good luck.” It might be the last thing I would hear him say, if my wish was granted.

  Yet, I somehow doubted that it would be the last I ever saw of my cocky British friend and the girl who had invoked emotion in me. No, I had a feeling that they would haunt me until my dying day.

  15

  Show Mercy

  “I KNEW YOU wouldn’t let me down.”

  The breathy voice made me jump as I walked silently down the foggy street. The couple in front of me kept walking, unaware that I followed them.

  “Fuck off, Freya,” I whispered under my breath.

  The goddess walked beside me, her bright light blinding in the darkness of the night. She put a hand on my arm as I ducked behind a building. Frederik had been about to check behind him. Both him and his wife were pretty tipsy, which helped my position.

  “Don’t talk aloud, speak in your mind, I can hear you.” Freya waved a hand to indicate that it was safe for me to go on.

  Checking around the corner, I moved back into the street as they walked ahead. I had promised the Fallen One that I would meet him tomorrow, which made him assume that I wouldn’t hurt him tonight. He assumed wrong.

  “I can’t believe he tried to play the hero. A Fallen One?” Her tut went ignored as I concentrated on the couple.

  When they came to a town house, Frederik grabbed his wife’s arse, pushing her against the brick wall. Their kiss echoed down the empty street as their breath deepened.

  If I wasn’t careful, I would have to watch them having sex. Beside Freya. That wasn’t something I wanted to endure.

  “Don’t worry,” Freya said, reaching out to run her fingers through my ponytail. “I won’t get embarrassed if they do.”

  Touching my sword for the hundredth time, I ignored her again. Why did the bitch have to show up at the most inconvenient time?

  “Because I’m invested in our cause, Trygger. I’ve waited a long time for these last few souls. They belong to me.”

  “You?” I blurted.

  Crouching behind a bin in the street, I cursed under my breath as Frederik’s wife gasped. “We should go inside.”

  He grudgingly agreed, too distracted to have heard me. They unlocked the front door and disappeared inside. He owned one of the houses close to the castle. That didn’t surprise me, he obviously needed a base near to the venue that held the mysterious balls. In fact, I remembered the report suggesting that strange things happened at the parties. Hopefully I hadn’t missed an opportunity to witness what unfolded. My best guess was that he was sucking the light out of the humans who had been picked by the other noble people.

  However, there had been no Dark Crawlers at the party, which was unusual for a Fallen One.

  “Yes, me. Odin thinks I’m building an army, so I thought I’d better prepare myself by doing just that.”

  Oh, fucking great. The gods’ egos were truly and utterly battling, yet again. If only they would admit that they were not all the best fucking thing in the world, life would be a lot more peaceful.

  “I’m not egocentric...much.” Freya’s full lip lifted up on one side. “And, be careful what you think...”

  “Stop threatening me, woman. You need me more than I need you.”

  Speeding up as soon as the front door to Frederik’s house was closed and locked, I checked to see if there was access to the back. An alley a few houses down looked promising.

  “You may be right about that, but I am the goddess of love. Do you want me to...make you fall in love?”

  My feet screeched to a halt as I was about to run down the empty tunnelway to the back of the houses. No, I fucking well didn’t want Freya to curse me.

  “Then you’d better stop thinking horrible thoughts about me. No one else does.” Freya’s voice was sulky as she followed me.

  Moving again, my steps slowed, I would wait until Frederick was asleep. The fire inside me gave me drive to carry out my plan. And, having Freya nattering in the background wasn’t helping my concentration.

  The alley led to an even smaller walkway behind the fence of the back gardens. Calculating three houses down, I lifted the gate latch as quietly as I could. It was pitch black in the garden, but my eyes had adjusted to the dark.

  A light was on in a room above. Frederik and his wife were highlighted in it, kissing and undressing each other. The Fallen One really was in love. That was something I had never known.

  “Me neither,” Freya whispered as she joined me in the garden.

  Her light flooded the small grassy area, revealing a trampoline. Seriously? Frederik had fucking children?

  Freya looked around as she tucked a strand of perfectly curled hair behind her ear. “It seems like he might. He obviously stepped straight into the shoes of a family man. Unusual for a Fallen One to actually take on that role.”

  My beating heart thundered against my chest. If I killed Frederik Jensen tonight, I would be breaking apart a family that loved him very much. A family who had no idea that their husband, or father, was actually an evil spirit that had been alive for well over a thousand years.

  “Don’t go soft on me,” Freya muttered. “They’ll live. People die every day, Trygger. It’s life.”

  The goddess’s words reminded me of a time I had spent with my grandfather Thor. For a while, he let me go to the heavens to train. He wanted to show me off to the other gods. Just because that’s what they did back then.

  Every time I was there, a soul would journey to Valhalla or Fólkvangr. Freya would wave to me, her hips swaying as she passed. Although, now I thought of it, my arrogant mind assumed it was me she paid attention to, but maybe she was actually showing off to Thor. Letting him know that his father wasn’t the only one who ruled over the souls of men.

  “They’ve almost finished,” Freya said, her cheeks turning pink when I glanced at her.

  If the goddess was so powerful, why didn’t she do the job herself?

  “Because, I can’t touch anything on earth, silly. Don’t you think I would have finished your job centuries ago if I could?”

  The light went out in the room above. Good, they had finished shagging. It wouldn’t take long for them to sleep considering the booze and quick fuck. It would have drained the energy right out of them.

  Treading across the grass, I slinked over to the back door. Testing the handle, I cringed as it squeaked but didn’t budge. The door was locked. Okay, that...

  “Why are you being so prissy about it? Blast in there and stab the bastard.” Freya’s tone intensified as I glanced over my shoulder at her.

  I had a plan, one that would cause the least amount of hassle. Not only that, I didn’t have Chloe or Jack to drag me away when I collapsed after sending Frederik back to Freya. At least I would get to see my stunning Valkyrie again.

  Freya scoffed behind me. “She’s not that pretty.”

  Ah, the goddess was jealous. Apparently, she didn’t like competition in any way, shape, or form.

  Ignoring the most infuriating woman I had ever known, I dug my dagger out of my sock. If I could just...

  Putting the blade tip into the lock, I grinned when electricity from Thor’s power blasted the metal, making it move. Twisting as hard as I could, I almost shouted in exuberance when the lock unclicked.

  “Good job, Thunder Hunter.”

  Tempted to tell her to get lost, I opened the door quietly. It didn’t make a sound, which was lucky for me.

  “I will not get lost, I’m quite enjoying this sneaking around. It makes it more exciting for a change.” Freya walked almost through me as she went into the kitchen. I jumped out of the way, the w
eird feeling of her spirit moving through my body making me hard in all the wrong places.

  “Oh, yeah, I see you don’t think I’m that annoying.” She laughed, pointing at my crotch.

  Leaving the door to stand open, in case I needed a quick exit, I left her in the modern kitchen and went through to the hallway. The couple’s bedroom was at the back, their door at the top of the stairs. Checking the living room, I grinned when it was empty.

  “You’re boring,” Freya said, holding the skirt of her dress as she went up the stairs before me.

  I followed, admiring the curve of her arse as I did. I couldn’t deny that she had an allure, but it was only because she was a goddess. If she was a human, she would be a pain in the arse.

  “Stop thinking like that, Trygger, or you’ll be in love quicker than you can take a piss.”

  Her foul mouth shocked me. The goddess was frustrated with the situation. She so desperately wanted the Fallen Ones so she could threaten Odin.

  “Threaten him? Defend myself, more like. He’s out to get us, Trygger, I swear your great grandfather is going insane. You need to get back to London after this to kill Martin and Hannah. I’m sick of those little humans thinking they have any power in all this.”

  I ignored her as we reached the top of the stairs, Martin was the last man on my mind.

  My feet were soft, silent on the carpet as I rounded the corridor to go into the other bedroom. My stomach flipped when my gaze rested on two children, both under ten. Oh, fuck. They would wake up to a father covered in blood.

  “I’ve never known you to be so...compassionate. On one hand, it’s refreshing, on another, it’s maddening. Buck up and get on with it!”

  If Freya didn’t shut the fuck up soon, I would abandon the mission and actually talk to the man the next day.

  “Okay, I promise not to say anymore...until he’s dead.” Holding her hands up in surrender, Freya stepped back to let me out of the room.

  Going over to the other door, I listened. The sounds of heavy breathing, both masculine and feminine, greeted me. They were both fast asleep.

  Pushing the wooden door, I entered. Looking straight to the bed, I smiled in thanks to the universe. Frederik slept nearest to the door. That made my life a tiny bit easier.

  “Just one thing...I will have to go as soon as you’ve destroyed him. Just know that I don’t take all you do lightly, even if you think I do,” Freya said as she squeezed past me.

  She had never been around when I had defeated a Fallen One before. No, she waited patiently at her field, ready to welcome, and punish, the evil spirit.

  Nodding, I touched my sword to disable the invisibility spell. As it showed its form, Freya’s eyes widened, her pretty lips forming an O.

  One shoe in front of the other took me to the side of the bed. Frederik lay on his back, his mouth hanging open. He was naked, his torso pale in the dark room. All it would take was one thrust of the sword into his heart.

  Taking the weapon out of its scabbard, I cringed when the slide of metal on leather made Frederik move in his sleep. He calmed as soon as I had the sword out, my hand wrapped around the handle.

  Holding it in the air, I looked up. Concentrating on the heat inside my body, I pulled Thor’s lightning through the ceiling.

  The bright light illuminated the room, waking Frederik up. His eyes widened as they landed on me standing over him.

  “Don’t,” he whispered.

  Not caring, I grasped the sword with both hands and aimed it downwards. The man wasn’t going to try and fight?

  Instead, he lay there, staring at the lightning that fizzed around the blade. His hand had already been holding his wife’s, but he didn’t let go. In fact, it looked like he was squeezing it harder. Her heavy breath told me that she was obviously still pretty drunk. Hopefully she wouldn’t wake up as I killed the man who she thought was her husband.

  “My family,” the Fallen One whispered, his eyes flaring red when I lowered my sword, ready to plunge. “I love them.”

  Air rushed from my lungs as my chest expressed my breath. My veins, all full of heat, suddenly went to ice. A Fallen One loved something? Not possible.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t let you stay.” Lifting the sword, I wrapped my hand around the man’s throat. He didn’t struggle, obviously conscious of his wife in the bed.

  Instead, he closed his eyes, ready for whatever I would do to him. The wife groaned and turned over, away from her man. Good, that would make this easier.

  Lowering the blade of my sword just as Frederik opened his eyes, I touched the tip to his third eye. His scream slashed the air as his body convulsed so badly, his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

  Frederik’s wife stayed asleep, which was impossible, but it was happening. I couldn’t concentrate on her when my hand was shaking so badly, the sword started to move.

  Letting go of Frederik’s throat, I grasped the handle to hold it steady. The blade was sucking the Fallen One out of its host, but the force was almost too much to bare. My feet were planted to the carpeted floor, my teeth gritted together as the muscles in my arms bulged from overexertion. If I wasn’t careful, I would lose him.

  Frederik suddenly went still as the shadow spewed out of his body and into my sword. I collapsed on the floor, the sword clattering to the ground. A bright light illuminated the room. Closing my eyes from exhaustion, I drifted in and out of consciousness.

  “Trygger?” a sharp voice snapped.

  My Valkyrie. Forcing my eyes to crack open, I grinned as she bent down to me. Her beauty radiated around me, the energy infusing me with life force, slowing making me feel better.

  “Hold the sword, Trygger, I can’t retrieve the spirits otherwise!”

  Her urgency made me blink. My sword, it was right in front of me. Reaching out, I clasped the handle and managed to shuffle up to lean against the bed. The Valkyrie wrapped her hands around the blade, her eyes closing as she bent her head back.

  A scream echoed in my head as the dark shadow was pulled from the sword. The Fallen One’s old human form materialised right in front of my face. An old fashioned man, one dressed in a Viking war outfit. He was a shadow, almost indistinguishable, but I could see the smile on his face.

  “That was...different,” the Valkyrie said.

  Her long brown hair flowed around her perfectly formed body. The darkness of her eyes reminded me of Chloe for an instant.

  “Thank you,” the Fallen One breathed, causing us both to stare at him.

  Bowing in shock, I acknowledged his gratitude. What the hell? Why was he thanking me?

  “Freya is going to be furious.” The Valkyrie held tight to the arm of the Fallen One, but it was plain to see that he wasn’t going to try and escape.

  My questioning frown made the Valkyrie huff. It was the first time I had seen her anything but civil and calm.

  “He’s reformed. The fact that he loved another person and tried to help people in his own misguided way means that he can’t be a Fallen One anymore. He’ll probably end up at Helheim, instead of back with her.”

  Oh, shit. She was right, Freya would be more than angry, she would probably kill me herself. But, why? How had he reformed? And, why be angry at me? It wasn’t my fault.

  Yet, what had made me spare the human he had inhabited? Was it the fact that I had never seen a Fallen One show emotion? Even the Dark Crawlers had shown that they cared about each other. That was something I had never seen in my thousand years. Were the most evil spirits from Freya’s field able to be influenced by the good in humans?

  Bending to me, the Valkyrie dragged the Fallen One’s spirit with her. Putting her hand on my cheek, she smiled kindly. “You’re amazing.”

  I blinked from the bright light, but when my eyes opened, she was gone. She had given me energy somehow. My body was able to move, albeit slowly, but better than I had ever been able to move after killing a Fallen One.

  Getting my feet under me, I raised myself to stand. Turning to lo
ok at the real Frederik Jensen, I almost fell to my knees. Instead of the dead body I had been expecting to see, he lay, sound asleep, his chest rising with his breath. A small burn mark marred his third eye, but otherwise, he was perfectly alive.

  Tucking my sword into the scabbard on my side, I swallowed hard. For the first time in my life, I had let the host of a Fallen One live. I had never known it was possible to do, but it felt...good.

  Running a hand over my face, I stopped when my eye caught sight of a glint of gold. Leaning over Frederik, I picked up the bracelet that had fallen off his wrist and onto the bed. He wouldn’t need it anymore.

  Glancing around the room, I took a deep breath before leaving. Freya had probably left just before I touched the blade to the man’s head. She would have been expecting me to plunge the sword into his chest, so went off to prepare to receive him in her field.

  Boy, she was going to be furious that a Fallen One had been lost to her. In fact, I was...probably fucked.

  Skipping down the stairs, I went out the way I came in, closing the back door quietly behind me. How the hell hadn’t the wife and kids woken up when Frederik screamed?

  “Because your love bird was out here, covering any sound you and your actions made,” Freya’s voice was cold as I entered the garden. “She followed us, right from the start. Seems to be your pretty little guardian angel, doesn’t she? But, she’s gone now. I told her to fuck off as we have something important to discuss.”

  She stood in the centre of the grass, her hands clenched into the skirts of her yellow gown. Her bright red face was unlike I had ever seen it. I had rarely heard Freya curse, she must have been truly pissed off with me. I might very well die right in Frederik’s garden, my soul going to Helheim for good.

  “Don’t think you’ll get away with it that easily. It’s good that Chloe has gone, her magic can’t stop others from hearing you. Which means, you can’t speak, so you have to listen to me.”

  Her pause was unnecessary, I would listen to her anyway. I wanted to know how she would punish me for allowing the Fallen One’s host to live. Not that I knew I was doing that at the time. I hadn’t known that the trick Devon had taught me would work on a Fallen One, but something had made me try.