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  A Viking’s Lost Soul

  Warriors or Hrothgier Series

  By

  T.M. Grinsley

  Copyright © 2018 by T.M. Grinsley

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Note: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are not construed as real. Any resemblance to any actual events or persons, living or dead, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

  T.M. Grinsley

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  https://www.facebook.com/TMGrinsley/

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's right is appreciated.

  Edited by Amanda “Andie” Ryder

  Cover Design by Takecover Designs

  Book Layout © 2018

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  A Viking’s Lost Soul T.M. Grinsley. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN

  Blurb

  Finn

  Fight. Kill. Erase.

  That is what I have been trained to do since before I could walk. Fight anyone who steps out of bounds, kill our enemies who threaten all we built, and erase them from the face of the earth. I was addicted to the kill- until she walked into my life.

  Her eyes have haunted my dreams since the moment I saw her. She is the one I need- the one who keeps the killer in me at bay.

  Stephanie

  No one can prepare you for the day when your parent passes away. Five years we battled cancer- and he was all that I had left. Every Wednesday night we would watch the History Channel and see what new discoveries were found all over the world.

  But now that was over. It’s just me, my cat, and the endless amounts of ice cream stashed in my freezer. Until, that is, I received a letter from a distant relative saying I needed to come back home.

  Without a second thought, I packed my belongings and left without ever looking back. What I didn’t expect was the six-foot six sex god to barge into my life and shatter everything I knew...

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 38

  Acknowledgements

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter 1

  ~ Stephanie ~

  Nothing can prepare you for the day you receive a phone call that will shatter your heart into a million pieces. A few days ago, it was a typical day in the Nils household. Father was at work, going through his daily rounds at the database center, doing everything possible to avoid his cancer treatments.

  Damn stubborn ass. Trying to get that man to do anything was literally impossible. He told me it was a waste of time and if it was his time to die, let him. As you can imagine, that didn’t fly with me, and ever since, we have been having a never-ending battle.

  I swear I felt like Lagertha from the Vikings trying to fight my father into doing something.

  So, while I slaved away at the computer, counting the seconds until I got off work, my mind wandered to last week’s debate about the Vikings. My father called them over glorified pirates, who took what they wanted with no regard for others, while I saw them as so much more.

  Yeah okay, they pillaged, slaughtered, took lands, and whatnot, but look at everything they had done. Farming, trade, the works. To my father, it was a bunch of gibberish, which was why I was looking forward to tonight. Tonight, was Legends or Myths on the History Channel, and they were focusing on the Vikings.

  It was going to take a miracle to get this man to crack. Maybe with the help of our favorite channel, they could help me sway my father’s opinion. Fat chance that was going to happen.

  Since I was a kid all I could remember was my father talking about the Vikings. How they came to be, how powerful and strong they were, what they did for the world. We even traveled the world to see artifacts that Archaeologists would dig up or what scholars think the Vikings did way back when.

  My father would often call them crocks or blasted mongrels, but I would only laugh and shake my head at his ridiculous comments. For a man who despised them so much, he sure loved to see the wonders they once held.

  See, my father was born in the United States, and my mother was born in Norway. We currently reside in Denver, Colorado while the rest of our family still lives in Norway and Ireland. I have never met said family or seen a single picture.

  Every year I would ask him why we were the only ones in the US, and he would mumble something under his breath and tell me to drop it. Sadly, being my father’s daughter, I went and did my own digging to see where we came from. After a few weeks of digging, I found a few articles about my family, but they were gone the next day.

  Strange, right? It gets better. Every time I went into my history to find the links, there was nothing there. So, when all else failed, I would go to my dad.

  Every year I would push my dad for information about our family and each year he would cuss at me in a different language and change the subject. It was a never-ending battle. You would think I would have learned by now, but my gut told me to keep trying.

  But tonight was going to be different. Since I would have my father’s undivided attention for sixty minutes, he was trapped. There was no way he would get around me. Well I mean he could, but that is beside the point. I just wanted to know more about my family and not be shut out. Hell, I even contacted Ireland and Norway trying to get information about my family, and every single time, they would cut the line once they heard my last name.

  Tapping my pen against my desk, my brain was going over ways on how I would get my father to crack, when I saw the familiar pain in the ass coworker, who loves to make my life interesting, out of the corner of my eye.

  “Any plans tonight, Steph?”

  I looked up from my computer and saw Amy sipping her coffee and giving me her, ‘you need to get a life and stop wasting your youth’ or ‘you need to get laid and stop sticking your nose in books,’ look. Amy was a short, 5-foot 3-inch woman with a lot of curves, hair I would kill for, and bright green eyes.

  Most women around the office envy her and would cut off their tit just to be friends with her, but for us, it was easy. We both hit it off right away, and she was not what I expected. We hung out a few times downtown at my best friend’s bar, and she was a blast.

  We used to go to the best clubs, try new restaurants around town to see what the latest and best thing was or talk about traveling the world. But as of late, I was more focused o
n my father than anything else.

  Amy knew what my plans were every Wednesday night, but in some way, I think she hoped I would get a life and try something new for once. You only live once, and you should live every moment like it’s your last. But right now, I wanted to enjoy what time I had left with my dad.

  “Same old, same old. Dad is working late, so I am going to make his favorite.” I replied, trying to not shift in my chair at the scolding look she was giving me.

  “Steph, when are you going to get out in the world and have some fun? Get laid, dye your hair, get drunk. You know, what normal people do. Not watch some boring old channel about people that died a long time ago. Who cares what happened thousands of years ago.”

  “Amy, I don’t know how much longer I have with my dad. Besides, everyone I dated was boring as hell, cheated on me, or thought I was insane for traveling the world and chasing ghosts that no longer exist. And for your information, a lot of people like to know what happened back in the day.” Leaning back in my chair, I cross my arms over my chest. Every Wednesday we’d have the same discussion, and every time my answer was always the same.

  “I know since your mom died when you were a kid, you have done everything you can to take care of your dad. But sometimes, you need to get out there and live a little. Your dad is an adult. He can take care of himself.” Amy set down her coffee on my desk and leaned her hip against the edge. “I know you haven’t had the best luck in the world, but I know this great guy- “

  I put my hand up to stop her right there. The last few dates she set me up on had been a disaster. One couldn’t stop staring at my chest the entire time, another was too handsy and did everything in his powers to touch my boobs, and don’t get me started on peckerhead. The dude was dumber than a box of rocks. I tried to talk about books, and he straight up asked me what the hell a book was.

  Needless to say, I left every single date and blocked their numbers. I may be old school, but is it that hard to find a gentleman who is chivalrous and has a brain?

  “No, uh uh. Not going to happen, missy. I’m done with your hookups. The last one smelled like cat piss, and the entire time, all he wanted to talk about was his ex-girlfriend. Thanks for the offer, but no.” I pushed my chair back and started to pack up my things. I had five minutes left of my shift, and I wanted to get the hell out of there. If I didn’t, Amy was going to guilt me into another date, and right now, I didn’t have the patience.

  “Whatever. Just know that when you are fifty, and alone with your twelve cats. You will wish you listened to me and went on this date.”

  “I will keep that in mind. Until then, I have to get home. See ya, girl.” I shook my head and tried to keep the image of what she just said out of my head. Who cares if I had stipulations for a guy? Don’t smell of cat piss, have a brain, and stop looking at my tits the entire time I am talking. Oh, and don’t cheat. Is that such a bad list to have?

  Hell, at the rate I am going, who knows what’s going to happen. Never been kissed. Well, I have but, not a toe-curling, knees buckling kind of kiss. Had sex once and that was a complete disaster. And have a trusty sidekick named Ragnar to keep me warm at night. Suffice to say, this girl’s sex life has been a bust.

  “Laters!” I waved goodbye and made my way downstairs to my car. It was four in the afternoon in the middle of January and traffic was going to be a nightmare in downtown Denver. I still had to go to the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner.

  Securing my purse on my shoulder, I made my way to my car and prepared to fight rush hour traffic.

  Two hours later, several horns honked, a one finger salute, and I was at the grocery store. My boots clicked with each step I took on the hardwood floor as I rushed to get what I needed. Since my father refused to do chemo treatments for his tumor, I talked with his doctor, and he told me to keep my father on a strict diet while he was doing treatment. Everything was natural of course, but with his Parkinson’s on top of his brain tumor, he was on a strict diet.

  The doc told me my father’s time was starting to come to an end, and I needed to stay positive. With each day something new would happen, and it would cause my nerves to explode. He was the only family I had left. Well, except for my cat Luna. She’s the devil incarnate. Solid black with green eyes, three months old, and attacked everything that moves.

  “Peppers, mushrooms, onions, and asparagus,” I muttered to myself. I looked at my list and realized all I needed to get was the vegetables.

  Checking everything off my list, I made my way to self-checkout. Tonight, we were going to have my famous roast chicken with red potatoes and veggies. It may sound plain and blah, but to my dad it was heaven. Little did he know, I bought a small fruit tart to go with it. His doctor would scowl at me for doing that, but sometimes the rules needed to be broken for a good cause.

  Ring, Ring, Ring!

  Only a few feet from my car, I heard the familiar ringtone I dreaded to hear. Shuffling my bags to one side, I dug through my purse for my phone. Granted, I should have put my bags in the car, but when you have been on edge waiting to find out the last test results for your father to see if he is all clear, you would answer right away too.

  A few bags slipped from my grasps, causing a few of my items to scatter about. Ignoring what just happened, my heart sank when I saw Dr. Martin’s number on my screen. Dr. Martin was my father specialists that’s been working with us for the past five years. Taking a deep breath, I accepted the call and placed the phone near my ear.

  “Dr. Martin?”

  “Hello, Stephanie.”

  “What up, doc? Did you get the results from my father’s tests? Is he getting better?”

  The line was silent for a few seconds, and I heard Dr. Martin take a deep breath. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Stephanie. But your father has passed away. He came in this morning for more testing when his heart stopped. We- “

  Chapter 2

  ~ Finn ~

  The past twenty years have been a blur. Each kill started to blend into the others. The faces were all the same. I never cared to ask why they needed to be eliminated, all I knew was that it had to be done. This is what I was trained to do. Be a shadow in the night and eliminate the threat.

  Since before I could walk, my family trained me to be a killer. I was skilled in every weapon known to man, but there was nothing like my hands around someone’s neck, feeling the life drain from their body. My body fed off the weak, and after each execution, I was harder than a rock. Sure, some would call me a sick fuck, but if they knew half the shit that happened in this world, they would think twice before casting judgment.

  No woman satisfied my needs, and if I was to get off on eliminating an evil fucker from this world, so be it. Women were good for one thing, a good piece of ass that can be tossed aside for any cock waiting to pound into their flesh. I loved once, but that bitch ruined me for everyone else. I locked my heart away with steel doors and never looked back. I fucked to get off and killed to sedate my needs. I was a born killer and was nothing more.

  But if a man like me didn’t eradicate Satan’s hounds, who would? If it wasn’t one man with a dick up someone’s ass trying to buy nukes, another stroking someone’s cock, or eating pussy for the next billion-dollar deal, I would be out of a job. You kill one sick fuck, and another would take its place.

  Every day was the same thing over and over again. Get your orders, travel to your spot, and annihilate your target. Since I was thirteen years old, that was all I knew.

  That was until the day I met Cameron Nils at the local pub in Oslo, Norway.

  He was traveling with his daughter, Stephanie, to see the ancient ruins of the Vikings, at Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. He told her they were traveling all around Norway, Ireland, and Scotland to see the ancient locations where Vikings once ruled. What she didn’t know was that he was traveling on business and needed to patch up a few things before they headed home.

  Cameron is the wealthiest man in the world, due to his
ancestors’ rule. He hides his wealth from the world, and even his daughter. His noble line was long forgotten hundreds of years ago, but my family knew better. We were hired to keep their secret safe and kill anyone who posed a threat. We protected them since the Vikings disappeared from the world. But that was never the case. We just helped them go into hiding to wait until it was time for the world to see them once again.

  Some say the Vikings ended in 1066 AD, but we never did, we only evolved. The Vikings merged into other colonies, learning their ways, but we were always there. Watching, waiting. A few would call us glorified Pirates, but we are more than that.

  Cameron Nils taught me that. Over the years, he became like a father to me. He showed me everything I know about my homeland, and where we came from. He connected me with the right people and furthered my training. I was good, but he made me better. He made me a true Viking, worthy of the name.

  Cameron was the smartest man I’ve ever known, but he was never a warrior. You give him a gun; he shot worse than a two-year-old. You give him a knife or bow; you wondered how the hell he was a descendant from the Royal Line. A Viking was not only a warrior but a man who provided for his family in more ways than people of this day and age remember.

  When you are just a boy, you would raid, pillage, and take what you wanted. But, as you grew older, your prime objective was to your family and livestock, your country, and its people. Cameron would never have been a warrior; he would have been a ruler. One who stood with the gods.

  He was smart, cunning, and no one pulled a fast one over on him. He was a skilled man when it came to money, history, government, trade, or chemicals.

  This man owns every location that holds Viking artifacts, all over the world, and has conquered the north side of the black market. His family funded organizations to look for items that have been lost over time, and credit will be given to the ones who find it. But they sign an NDA agreement not to speak a word of who hired them. There is only a small group of us who are trusted with his information and swore an oath to protect the next line of kin. Stephanie.