Valhalla Hott (2 page)

feeling of loss. What weapon could he use to battle this? He could

not slice the emotion of rage from its head with his battleaxe across

its neck; he couldn‟t run the emotion of hurt through with his

heavy blade, nor stab it with his knife. There would be nothing to

strike. How could he battle such a desolate feeling that was

without any substance?

“Odin!” he bellowed.

Suddenly the ground beneath his feet shook. Hott stumbled

and swayed under the shifting earth. Never before in his life had he

felt the earth pitch to and fro. Something huge must surely be

approaching to cause such an awful shudder. He gripped his sword

within his hand while his body was tested to remain standing. As

quickly as it had started it stopped. The mist before him grew

heavier, and he peered to see further into its surreal rolling

billows.

“I will battle!” he roared. “Bring forth a giant and let me slay

my emotions with it.”

The mist churned as he stalked on, enveloping him. He raised

his sword in anticipation. There must be something in the foul

breath of the forest smog. Something so hideous a lesser man

would die of fright just to gaze upon it. And as though thinking it

conjured something before him. An apparition formed in the

distance. A creature was moving towards him. An outline of

something approached. Hott‟s heart hammered in his chest in eager

anticipation.

Today was a good day to die.

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

Chapter 1

“All men are assholes!” Valerie muttered aloud and jumped to

her feet.

Her bikini was soaked. The short beach towel resting over her

shoulders was soaked. She was soaked, courtesy of her asshole

boyfriend and his stupid friend, James.

She had been sunning herself by the lake, not bothering

anyone, thank you very much, when the two jerks had dumped

freezing water over her. They had snuck up on her like chickens.

They knew she could floor them, if they didn‟t catch her by

surprise, with a single defense move she‟d learned on a blind date

with a very nice cop named David. Who was, unfortunately, not

her type. It was too bad he hadn‟t been.

The guy had been nice, but had nothing really in common

with her. Conversation eventually turned to his job, an area they

were both comfortable discussing. One thing led to another and

the next thing she knew they were at a gym, exchanging dress

clothes for sweatpants. David had spent most of the evening

teaching her about the element of surprise, moral and intellectual

strength, and one very handy way to use a man‟s weight against

him. Archimedes had once said: “give me a fulcrum and a lever and

I will move the world.”

Now Mark and James took great pains to dance around her

angry prowl of retribution. Knowing if she got close enough to

grasp a wrist, they would be done for. Valerie had learned over

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

time to perfect the move David had shown her. With one spin to a

vulnerable arm, she could cartwheel a man onto his behind.

Unfortunately, she could only concentrate on one man at a time.

Water dripped from her sodden hair down her face into her eyes,

and she blinked.

The first time Valerie had tossed Mark on his ass was on a

dare. He hadn‟t believed in her ability. After his numerous taunts,

she had finally obliged. She‟d grabbed his wrist in both hands,

yanked back and up in a quick fluent motion, and viola! He‟d spun

forward onto his ass with a thump.

The move had apparently deflated his ego and challenged his

manhood. It probably hadn‟t help that she‟d laughed and said those

four taboo words—“I told you so!” The juvenile jokes had begun

shortly thereafter and ended with her getting doused while she‟d

lounged unknowingly in the sun. It now appeared the men weren‟t

finished. It was also apparent they had been drinking.

“Come on, baby, we‟re just playing,” Mark said, grinning

stupidly from ear to ear.

“Why must you insist on behaving like children?” Valerie

snapped.

With her concentration on Mark, Valerie lost track of James.

The next instant, she was grabbed and lifted off her feet from

behind.

Damn them!

Mark moved in and they each grabbed an arm and leg and

tossed her into the lake off the dock. All the while giggling like two

schoolgirls, instead of behaving like grown men. And that was the

problem. There was no such thing as a grown man, just overgrown

boys.

Valerie swam to shore. Both men dove in after her, but they

climbed onto a floating raft, taunting her to join them and make

them pay. Valerie wasn‟t in the mood.

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

Barefoot, she swiftly walked up a moss and rock-covered

path.

She was dripping wet, freezing, and on her way to find the

cottage they were renting in a last-ditch effort to save their failing

relationship.

Well aren’t we off to a great start?

It was bad enough that Mark had brought his friend along on

what was supposed to be their private get together, but to have

them gang up on her was just one of the ridiculous games they

played. The only reason Valerie even tried was because she was so

tired of the dating scene. It came at women from all directions,

bars and clubs, in the paper, on TV, the computer—Meet your

perfect match my ass! Every man she had met was such a letdown.

Some were plain vermin.

In the beginning, Mark had been sweet, but over time he‟d

changed—or perhaps she had overlooked his failings because she

had wanted it to work so desperately. She wanted what her parents

had been gifted with, God rest their souls. Her mother had told

her she had just known her father was the man for her the moment

they met.

Valerie stopped at a small stump and sat, resting her head

against a nearby tree. The anger she was feeling seemed to drip

away with the water droplets that glistened on her body. Her eyes

closed, and she envisioned her mother stroking her father‟s hair

from his eyes after he‟d had a long day. One touch could make him

smile, and that smile could light up the room. He would gather her

mother close, nuzzle her neck, causing her to giggle like a girl, and

then he would kiss her. Valerie sighed as her mind played the scene

in her head. They had been such a beautiful couple, perfect for

each other.

The warmth of the sun beating down on her was heavenly,

and she sat for awhile feeling content to think of her parents. Her

memories always had such a lazy calming effect that she could lose

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

herself in. That kind of relationship was what she wanted. But you

had to work at it, which was why she tried so hard with Mark.

Only lately she seemed to do most of the giving while he did most

of the taking. Just once in her life it would be nice to have

someone guide her in a useful direction.

The serenity of the peaceful moment was what she had

needed to compose herself. Finally Valerie opened her eyes feeling

warmer and a bit more content and a great deal calmer. Her trek

for the cottage began again at a much less harried pace.

Before long she stopped at a fork in the path. She didn‟t

remember it being here.

Which way was the cottage?

For heaven sakes she was lost. “Damn,” she mumbled. “This

day keeps getting better and better.”

Taking a deep breath, refusing to let go of her calm feeling

just yet, she chose a direction and set out down a path. They were

in cottage country after all; she would run into someone

eventually. But as she walked, her content turned slowly to

concern, and she grew wary. She had been on the path far too

long. Her gait became slow and cautious. The farther she went, the

more eerie the path became. A heavy mist rolled in to surround

her. The trees seemed to grow in number and in height. A few

were gnarled and ancient. She didn‟t remember this much foliage.

The path beneath her feet had disappeared, and she climbed over a

log and pushed at some heavy branches to step into a clearing.

She then spotted the outline of something. Something very

very large.

“Oh God, please don‟t let that be a grizzly,” she whispered.

Valerie stopped dead in her tracks as the creature came

forward. Her heart pounded in her breast. She swallowed hard.

Her feet were frozen in fear, and her teeth began to chatter. The

apparition came into the clearing, and Valerie almost dropped to

the ground in relief. It was just a man. She squinted as he came

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

closer, and the mist cleared around them. He was odd to look at,

dressed in fur from the waist down, bare from the chest up. She

shrugged, thinking he must be a hunter. She personally could care

less about fur, but really this was overkill, literally. His legs and

waist looked to be encased in a wolf pelt and leather.

The closer he came, the more her woman‟s intuition rose to

proceed with caution. She took a step back but stopped when he

raised his splayed hand. He was a handsome brute. His blond-white

hair touched the tips of his broad shoulders; he had strong, rugged,

remarkable features. A generous amount of darker blond stubble

covered his face to show he hadn‟t shaved in at least a few days. His

chest was massive, his arms and legs like tree trunks. And in one

hand he held a sword. A nasty-looking, huge weapon.

What on earth do you hunt with a sword?

“Valkyrie,” the man whispered in awe.

She wasn‟t certain she had heard him right, but she thought

he‟d said her name. How could that be? She would remember

having met him. She was also startled with the way he was staring

at her, as though she were some kind of goddess. She straightened

her shoulders and stretched out a hand for him to shake.

“Yes, I‟m Valerie. Have we met?” she asked.

“You are a gift,” he replied.

Valerie felt a blush forming. She knew she was beautiful,

enough men panted after her, but she had never been called a gift

before. The man suddenly dropped to his knee before her, his head

bowed. Valerie cleared her throat with embarrassment and pulled

her hand back feeling awkward. This was going a bit far.

“I am honored you will escort me to Valhalla,” he said in a

clear voice.

“Valhalla?” she asked. “Is that the resort you‟re staying at?”

The man looked up at her with clear blue eyes. He really was

very handsome, odd, but in a cute kind of way.

“May I rise?” he asked, his voice sounded humble.

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

“Sure, knock yourself out,” she replied.

He looked at her stunned. “You wish for me to pummel

myself?” he asked.

“Huh?”

The man rose before her and raised a fist. Valerie took a step

back, eyes wide. His hands were huge. She splayed her hands

before her, thinking he was about to strike her. To her surprise, he

hit himself in the cheek, hard. Valerie screamed at him to stop.

“I am worthy then?” he asked, looking relieved.

“More like Looney tunes!”

“Are you not Valkyrie?” he asked in confusion.

“Valkyrie? My name is Valerie,” she said her name slowly,

thinking him to be nuts. “Look I gotta go, but it‟s been fun, really.”

She spun around to leave, thinking she would find her own way

back without this nut‟s help.

She didn‟t get far, before the man grabbed her arm. His long

strong fingers wrapped themselves completely around her upper

arm. Valerie had had enough of men and their juvenile games, first

Mark and the water now this. No way! Pulling free, she grabbed

his wrist with both hands, pulled his arm back and straight up

sharply behind him in a smooth motion, and with something akin

to a battle cry, she flipped him onto his ass. His body cartwheeled

in the air, and he made a loud thump as his butt hit the forest floor.

His breath was knocked out of him, and he groaned.

She would have felt sorry for him, from the bewildered look

on his face, but he grabbed her ankle and down she went. He lay

with his huge bulk on top of her. Valerie moaned.

G
ood God he is heavy.

Damn it.
Why did she never remember to run like hell after

knocking a guy down? “Get off me, moron,” she demanded.

The man rose, taking her with him. When she pushed at his

chest he released her. He seemed to be thinking.

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Viking Warriors Book 1: Valhalla Hott

“Ah, now I see,” he said as though a thought had occurred. “I

am not this, Moron you speak of. Is it him you wait for?”

Valerie rubbed at her eyes.
Good grief, he really is nuts.

“Listen, I don‟t know who you are, but I‟m leaving,” she said.

“I‟m Hott,” he declared with his arms spread wide.