Thorulf (Viking Ancestors: Forged in Fire, #3), page 1
Story Overview
Determined to travel back in time to medieval Scandinavia like her sister, Jade plays nice and stops causing trouble. Or so she leads everyone to believe. In reality, she’s recalled more than she is letting on and biding her time. Plotting ways to have revenge on a Viking who’s been toying with her in dreams, whether he remembers it or not. A Norse dragon that deserves every bit of havoc she intends to unleash on him.
Set to confront the woman accusing him of playing games with women, Thorulf heads to the future. Unfortunately, as he soon learns, she told the truth. More alarming still, he might have been spending time with their alluring enemy to spite her. Now he has to make things right. That means figuring out if Jade’s his destined mate so he can harness the power of Loki’s Dagger. A task easier said than done when Jade’s feistiness turns his world upside down.
Caught in a passionate tug-of-war, Thorulf and Jade must work together to discover how much their nemesis has infiltrated their lives. How much power she has over them and the ongoing godly war threatening humanity. Will they get along to figure things out? Or is the division between them already too great? Find out as they navigate a shrouded past steeped in shocking memories.
Thorulf
Viking Ancestors: Forged in Fire
Book Three
Sky Purington
COPYRIGHT © 2021
Thorulf
Sky Purington
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Edited by
Cathy McElhaney
Andrea Snider
Cover Art by Tara West
Published in the United States of America
Contents
Story Overview
Pronunciations
Dedication
Series Overview
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Coming Soon
Exclusive Invitation
Deities & Dragons
Series Cast
Midgard Locations & General Glossary
Nine Worlds
Previous Releases-Best Reading Order
Family Trees
About the Author
Pronunciations
Eirik (eye-rick)
Frida (free-duh)
Håkon (hawk-ohn)
Helheim (hel-himm)
Leviathan (luh-vie-uh-thn)
Loki (low-kee)
Midgard (mid-gard)
Mórrígan (more-i-gen)
Múspellsheimr (moo-spell-shay-mm)
Mt. Galdhøpiggen (gall-ter-peegan)
Naðr Véurr (nahdr vuu-ah)
Níðhöggr (neathe-högr or neathe-herd)
Valhalla (val-hal-uh)
Valknut (vulk-noot)
Dedication
For my dog, Apollo, who passed away during the making of this book. I'll miss you more than you know, sweet boy. Nobody understood love like you did. Thank you so much for being such an amazing friend.
I’ll never forget you.
September 11th, 2013–September 15th, 2021
Series Overview
As foretold by the great serpent Níðhöggr, a Great War simmers on the horizon. This time, the Sigdirs and their allies are caught in the lethal crosshairs of battling gods. Determined to keep their fellow dragons and human counterparts safe, they will do whatever it takes. Even if it means tapping into the ancient power of a blade nearly as old as the gods themselves. A dagger that requires five male dragons be forged in fire with five females, harnessing the power of fated mates. First, though, their mate must agree to be together for all eternity.
Introduction
When Leviathan and Destiny were Forged in Fire, they invoked Loki’s power and a call to arms. Leviathan’s Viking protégés must find women to mate with for all eternity. Meanwhile, four sisters have just arrived in twenty-first-century Maine, heeding a prophecy that says they must travel through time to help humanity.
Since then, Maya, the oldest of the sisters, has traveled back in time and harnessed the power of the Forge with Dagr, making them Helheim dragons who aren't just fated mates but keepers of souls on Midgard. Now, something’s astray with Maya’s sister Jade. Not only are her childhood memories running around Thorulf’s lair, but she’s acting strange. Level when she’s typically wild. So Thorulf’s heading to the future not just to check on her but to settle his own score. After all, Jade’s accused him of wrongdoing without having ever met him. And so the turbulent story goes...
Prologue
Franconia, New Hampshire
2000
“COME ON, JUST a little bit further.” Convinced her other sisters would follow when they spied the tempting cave ahead, Jade yanked Maya after her. “If you’re along, nothing bad can happen to us. The animals won’t let it.”
The truth was none of them should be wandering out this far alone. Aunt Elsie wouldn’t like it. Not at their young ages.
“I don’t think the animals enjoy it here.” Maya stopped short and shook her head, eyeing the cave dubiously before her gaze swept over their surroundings. “They’ve all vanished, Jade.” She glanced at Trinity and Raven, who were even younger than Jade. “We should go back right now.”
“Or,” Jade countered, captivated by the massive, yawning cave beckoning her forward, “we could just take a quick peek.”
“I agree with Maya.” Trinity narrowed her eyes at the cave's darkness. At how black it looked against the bright summer day. She took Raven’s hand and walked backward. “We should leave this place.”
“No, we shouldn’t.” Raven yanked free and raced over to Jade, her eyes round with rare excitement. “You’re right. We should go look.” She notched her chin at the other two. “We are dragons, after all. And dragons are fearless.”
“Fearless is one thing, foolish another,” Maya counseled. “The energy’s not right in that cave.” She shook her head and looked at Jade to do the right thing. To keep Raven away from it. “It’s too unpredictable, which makes it dangerous.”
“But it’s not,” Jade argued, confident it held intrigue rather than trouble. “I’ll show you.”
She told Raven to wait a minute, then strode that way, feeling, oddly enough, a little lighter with every step she took. But then she’d just spied something staring back at her from the darkness. Curious dragon eyes wondering just how close she dared to come.
“Close,” she vowed under her breath.
As close as possible. All the way inside. As far as it took to offer her a little escape.
She and her sisters suffered from vibrational issues, and things like this, a chance to take a break from negative energy, to explore new things when they came along, made her feel better. Sure, it was more of an adventure than she was allowed, but she couldn't help herself.
“There’s a boy dragon in there, so I’m sure everything’s okay,” she called over her shoulder when Maya started after her. She’d always gotten along better with boys than girls, so surely everything was fine. Or would be once she met him.
Rather than risk Maya stopping her, she picked up her pace, more curious than ever, when the little dragon’s eyes blinked twice and vanished into the darkness. Where was he going? She hadn't had a chance to say hello yet. Determined to stop him, she shifted and zinged into the cave only to halt when a younger, transparent version of Maya toddled by.
“Maya?” She turned back, confused, only to find the forest and her sisters had vanished. Instead, clouds floated by the mouth of a sky-high cave, and all versions of her older sister were gone.
“Who are you?” came a tentative voice in her mind. “Why are you here?”
She whipped around and spied the same dragon she’d seen before, only more of him now. About twice her size, he was black with dark chocolate brown eyes. While he seemed a smidge more intimidating up close, he was still just a fledgling like her.
“I’m Jade.” She knew better than to speak to strangers, but he was a boy dragon, so she figured it was okay. “Who are you?”
Rather than respond, he looked her over then sniffed the air as though trying to catch her scent. He wasn’t friendly in the least but rather rude. “Why are you in my lair? You do not belong here.”
His accent was funny sounding. Like he wasn’t used to speaking English.
“This is your lair?” She looked around, impressed despite herself. “It’s so big!”
“Of course it is, for I will grow into it someday.” He narrowed his eyes. “What tribe are you from? Why are you here?”
“Tribe?” She cocked her head, curious. “I’m not from a tribe. I’m from New Hampshire.”
He cocked his head in return. “Where’s New Hampshire?”
She was about to answer when a younger transparent version of Trinity toddled by then vanished. Moments later, Raven appeared. This time Jade followed, only for Raven to vanish too.
“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “What’s going on? Why are my sisters so little? And why are they ghosts?”
She turned back to confront the black dragon only to find his gaze glued to a rather stunning purple girl dragon standing nearby.
“Who are you?” she asked the female, unsure why she felt so on edge. To make matters worse, the boy dragon wouldn’t acknowledge her anymore. It was as if she no longer existed and she didn’t much like that.
She existed, and she was right here.
“Hey!” She tried to get his attention, but he completely ignored her, clearly enchanted by the newcomer. So she tried again, only for the purple dragon to turn her suddenly dark gaze on Jade. A gaze that seemed to suck the oxygen right out of the air and fill her with uncharacteristic fear, then outright terror.
“Wha..wha..,” she stuttered, scurrying backward when the purple dragon stalked toward her. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Him,” the other dragon hissed before she flew at Jade faster.
So fast that she stumbled back, lost her footing, and tumbled over the edge of a thousand-foot drop only to realize her wings no longer worked. Nothing could save her.
She was, horrifyingly enough, plummeting to her death.
Chapter One
Winter Harbor, Maine
2021
JADE JOLTED AWAKE, caught somewhere between debilitating fear and pure rage. Not at the bitch who drove her off the cliff but at him. The little black boy dragon from her nightmare. The one who did nothing to save her. Who didn’t even care.
She flung aside the blankets, swung her feet over the edge of the bed, and white-knuckled the sheets, willing away a sense of betrayal that made no sense. Or did it? Since Maya had traveled back in time and hooked up with Dagr, Jade had become more and more certain she had been betrayed. And she was starting to suspect who was at the heart of it.
Thorulf.
“Bastard,” she ground out, willing away her anger. Anger that made little sense yet grew stronger by the hour. By the very minute. She padded to the bathroom and took an icy cold shower, determined to cool down her flaming hot skin. To soothe away the deep-rooted hurt she didn’t understand. Couldn't wrap her head around.
Not yet, anyway.
She’d been in Thorulf’s mind on his adventure with Maya and Dagr, so she had some sense of who the swine was. He played tricks. Games. And he played them at her expense. She was sure of it.
“It all started with my nightmare,” she whispered, certain. Convinced that somehow, some way, what had happened in that cave had to do with the here and now. With the plight she and her sisters were facing. Namely medieval Viking dragons who needed their assistance in saving humanity. Who, or so it seemed thus far, were determined to mate with them for all eternity to gain the power required to achieve that goal.
“Yet you’ve fooled them all, Thorulf,” she muttered, relishing the frigid water. “Somehow, you fooled everyone starting with me.” She shook her head. “How, though, when I don’t even know you?”
Yet her inner dragon told her she did. That his little black dragon had been part of her life for a very long time, and she was only just remembering it now. Bits and pieces, more and more. Fragments of dreams. Flashes of nightmares.
Some might argue it was only happening because Maya’s vibrational level had been so off, and she tended to keep her sisters level, but Jade knew it was more. More than just restless energy she couldn’t burn off because she wasn't filtering negativity properly. This was something else. Something beyond frustrating, swelling like a storm in her mind. Showing her glimpses of a reality she had no idea existed up until a few days ago.
She smiled in relief when thunder rumbled and shook the house. A reminder that while she was most certainly cracking up, there was still good to be found. A little something, or should she say someone, who made it all worth it. The god who was responsible for that thunder.
“There’s my guy.” She got out of the shower, threw on her token skimpy black shorts, fitted black t-shirt, and fuzzy bright green slippers, then headed downstairs. Usually, she opted for pink as an extra pop of color, but she was feeling one hundred percent green right now.
“There you are.” Aunt Elsie dished out the warm smile she usually reserved for Jade’s better-behaved sisters and clicked on the television. “I thought you might nap the day away.”
“Doubtful when there’s a quality storm on the horizon.” She winked at her aunt, grinned at the darkening sky, and grabbed a beer. “What are you watching?”
“I thought we might try a comedy.” Hope lit Aunt Elsie’s eyes before she must have seen the flicker of distress on Jade's face. “Or perhaps another one of those Norse comic movies you seem to like so much lately?”
“Sounds perfect.” She plunked down on the couch next to her aunt so she could watch the storm and movie at the same time.
Or so it would appear.
Two things had begun happening since Maya left several days ago. First, Jade’s growing certainty that Thorulf was a dick. And she wasn’t talking about his goods but the man himself. The second, and far more interesting, were the otherworldly visitations she’d been getting every time she tuned into a Norse Marvel movie.
The only way to explain it was she astral projected thanks to godly intervention. She could be in two places at once. Sitting here, quietly enjoying a movie with her aunt while being outside. Standing on the deck like she was now, even as her other self sat inside, going through the motions.
“Yet you know it is not safe, troublemaker,” came a deep rumble.
“You enjoy calling me that, don’t you?” She grinned at the tall, muscular, hot-as-hell blonde Norseman, who suddenly leaned against the railing next to her. Hollywood had done good depicting Thor but not this good. Not nearly. Which said something.
“Are you not a troublemaker then?” His smile was infectious, the way he looked at her flattering. Yet, it wasn’t quite like a man checking out a woman. Nevertheless, flirting was her second language, especially with guys who looked like him.
“Not so much a troublemaker as an opportunist who can show someone a good time if they’d just let me.” While that could easily refer to living life to its fullest, she was just fine if Thor took it another way.
While meeting him for the first time mere days ago was outstanding, beyond exciting and wild, she got the overwhelming sense she’d met him before. That they may have crossed paths many times. Maybe in dreams or another life, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was he was a kindred spirit. That for all the flutter of her heart initially, it was short-lived. He was...comfortable. Kind and good to her existence where Thorulf was the opposite.
“How do you feel, Jade?” Thor murmured, his tone and gentle demeanor at odds with the weather he inflicted. Rain poured all around them but didn’t touch them. Lightning zigzagged from the hammer strapped to his back all the way to the blackened clouds overhead. “How do you feel since you slept this last time?”
He asked her that every time they met as if he expected her answer to be different each encounter. Almost as if he expected her to remember something.
“I feel angry,” she replied honestly, meeting his eyes, sucked into the storm within. “Very, very angry and betrayed.”
