Soul of a Viking (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors' Kin Book 3) Read online

  Story Overview

  Lauren refuses to believe that her sisters traveled back in time to tenth-century Scandinavia. Cybil must be off doing one thing or another. And what of Samantha? She returned then vanished again with a bunch of uncivilized ruffians who called themselves Vikings. While thankful the crude men finally left, she’s now caught in an unusual situation. No matter how hard she tries, she cannot step foot outside her Winter Harbor chalet.

  Desperate to return to the twenty-first century and figure out why he and Lauren were cursed by a Nidstang, Tait Sigdir struggles with what feels like half a soul. But that’s not all. When he finally returns to the future, he realizes how troubling things really are. Though drawn to Shannon, he can’t seem to stay away from her sister, Lauren. Hard to believe considering how difficult she is to be around. Even for a flirt like him. Yet if he’s not near her, he becomes uncharacteristically sullen.

  Caught in an unraveling hex that steers them closer to the enemy, Tait and Lauren are forced on an adventure that tests them in more ways than one. Friendship emerges. Passion ignites. Even so, love does not come so easily to those who are cursed. As it turns out, they must get through a whirlwind of unfortunate events that will either bring them together or drive them further apart.

  Series Overview

  Long ago, a new tribe was born onto Midgard, or Middle Earth, via one of the Nine Worlds, Múspellsheimr, a place of fire and lava. They were a clan of Vikings who were half man, half creature. A species called dragon that was more powerful than any other. Three dragon lineages were born of the first family. Two warred with each other. One remained neutral. All except the Sigdir clan were eventually assumed extinct until a tenth-century Viking determined to keep his MacLomain descendants safe angered the gods. When that happened, old enemies surfaced and unknowing allies from the twenty-first century were forced into the open. Now war will wage as three families born of another world are submerged in an age-old blood feud.

  Soul of a Viking

  The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors’ Kin

  Book Three

  By

  Sky Purington

  COPYRIGHT © 2017

  Soul of a Viking

  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 these books 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

  Cover Art by Tamra Westberry

  Published in the United States of America

  Contents

  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

  Previous Releases

  About the Author

  Dear Reader,

  For those who read Sean and Svala’s story, please keep in mind that though it was released afterward, Soul of a Viking’s timeline begins a month before A Viking Holiday. We’re finally learning why Lauren vanished while Megan was in the hospital in November. If you chose to pass on Sean and Svala’s tale, it will not confuse the premise of the main Viking Ancestors’ Kin saga. Their novella was written to help find love for a beloved character and to lend Svala some much needed character growth.

  In other news, there are lots of exciting things to look forward to this year. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Rise of a Viking in audio as well as several other titles. For those interested, a Family Tree is now available for both the Scottish MacLomains and their Viking Ancestors. More in depth description links for each character will be provided soon. Also, because I’m so thankful to all my devoted readers, I’ll now be offering a special giveaway to a random subscriber every time a ‘New Release Newsletter’ comes out. So if you haven’t had a chance to sign up yet, be sure to join my mailing list to find out more details.

  Thank you so much for reading and continuing the journey with me. Wishing you health and happiness always.

  xo

  Sky Purington

  Chapter One

  Winter Harbor, Maine

  November 2016

  “SORRY, CYBIL,” LAUREN muttered under her breath as she took down the picture at the end of her bed, turned it around and leaned it against the wall. “I refuse to look at this anymore.”

  Naturally, her older sister didn’t respond because she wasn’t here. Supposedly, she had traveled back in time to tenth-century Scandinavia to be with Heidrek, a man she fell in love with.

  Lauren scowled and threw a sheet over the picture for good measure.

  Called, “Soul,” it was part of Cybil’s, Dragons of Winter Harbor collection. Taken by camera about an hour or so before the sun set over calm seas, shades of yellow and gold twirled with the sun and seemed to create a dragon at peace.

  Figure the odds.

  There was nothing peaceful about the annoying picture. And there certainly wasn’t anything peaceful about her life since it had been hung there. If anything, it was in complete disarray for two very good reasons.

  The first? She was trapped in this chalet. Everyone else could leave, except her. Some unseen barrier kept her prisoner.

  The second—and everybody thought her insane because she found it the more alarming of the two threats—was Tait. A flirtatious biker who had ended up here alongside all the other riffraff her sister Samantha had dragged in.

  It didn’t matter in the least that he was evidently a Viking just like Cybil’s mysterious Heidrek. She simply did not like him. Because one way or another, he was at fault for her being trapped. How else could it be considering when she got locked in, he got locked out? Then there was that shared vision they had. Lauren shuddered with disgust at the memory of a horse’s head impaled on a pole outside.

  The bikers who called themselves Vikings said it was a Nidstang.

  A curse.

  And because only she and Tait had seen it, the curse was on them.

  Ridiculous. All of it. Yet as she scowled one last time at the picture then headed downstairs, the same unease that had plagued her for months returned. Of course, some of it had to do with Cybil vanishing, then Samantha. But there was more. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Yes, strange things kept happening, but so far she had been able to explain them away. Still, something kept eating at her.

  “I made fresh coffee if you want some, Lauren,” Sean said. As usual, he sat at the kitchen island going over paperwork for his business.

  “Thank you,” she murmured and headed that way.

  He nodded but didn’t look up. She had never related less with a man than she did Sean. While she could admit he was handsome in a rugged, sea-weathered way, they came from different worlds. She was the wife of the state’s attorney, and he was…well, a fisherman.

  “You were raised on a lake and used to love to go fishing so stop being such a prude, Lauren,” Samantha w
ould have said if she were here.

  But she wasn’t, and it was starting to wear on her. Why, she couldn’t imagine.

  “Where is everyone?” she said as she poured coffee then eyed the living room warily. “Where is that obnoxious woman?”

  Sean glanced at her with surprise, likely because it was the most she had ever said to him.

  “If you’re referring to Svala, God only knows.” He chuckled and returned to his paperwork. “Probably romping around in the woods again. It keeps her entertained.”

  Svala was Megan’s daughter. And Megan was Sean’s former best friend. Right now, sadly enough, Megan was fighting cancer.

  If Lauren were to believe the stories, Megan had traveled back in time to Scandinavia a few years ago where she fell in love with Svala’s father, a Viking King. Cast beneath an evil spell and fighting grievous wounds, he remained on his deathbed as Megan traveled forward in time to seek twenty-first century medical care. Unfortunately, however, time passed differently between the two eras.

  Or at least it had until recently.

  That meant when Megan returned she was over twenty-five years older with a full-grown daughter and son. Lauren had already met her ‘supposed’ son, Bjorn when he arrived with Samantha. She also met Tait and Sven, a teenage boy who should be at school not wandering around with a bunch of bikers. She was sticking with that premise. Bikers. Nothing more.

  Time travel didn’t exist and neither did bloodthirsty Vikings.

  Somehow, it was all one big elaborate tale.

  Unease spiked through her again. It had to be a tale. It just had to be. Yet deep down, being trapped inside this house aside, she knew it probably wasn’t. Because there were things about herself she refused to acknowledge.

  Things that were easier to run from than accept.

  Repressing any emotions that might try to surface, Lauren sipped her coffee and eyed Sean, unsure what to do next. Usually, someone was here, so she didn’t feel so alone with him.

  As if he sensed her discomfort, he glanced at her. “Are you okay, Lauren?”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to say, “No.” To finally share with someone how lonely she felt. “I am fine. Thank you for the coffee.”

  “Sure.” She felt his curious eyes on her as she headed into the living room, sat on one of the big couches, crossed her legs and looked through messages on her phone.

  There weren’t any.

  Not one.

  Lauren swallowed, set aside the phone, continued to drink her coffee and stared out over Frenchman Bay. What had she hoped for? She knew how busy Charles was. She knew he would get back to her when he could. Taking care of state business was his priority, and she had long ago accepted that. More so, she understood it.

  “I don’t have to be down at the marina for a few hours,” Sean said. “Want to watch a movie? The news? Whatever?”

  He knew if she watched anything it was strictly the news. “No, thank…you,” she said, her response stunted because he had never asked her anything like that. Anything at all, really.

  “Okay,” he said. “If you change your mind, let me know.”

  Lauren nodded and sat up straighter. He wasn’t hitting on her was he? But she knew better. If Sean was interested in anyone, it surely wasn’t her. If anything, he wanted Cybil. Or so she had initially thought before Svala arrived. Now she knew differently. He might act like he wanted nothing to do with the crazy little biker woman, but Lauren saw the way he looked at her when Svala was unaware. He desired the obnoxious, loud-mouthed creature. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why but supposed it was none of her business.

  “We’re back!” came a small cry followed by a cold gust of wind down the hallway.

  Lauren almost groaned. It was one thing to be trapped in this chalet with the unfortunate variety of people who came and went. It was another thing altogether to be trapped with her niece, Emily. It wasn’t that she disliked children. She simply did not understand them…or want to. But she loved her sister, Shannon, Emily’s mother, so she suffered through.

  “Hi, Uncle Sean.” Emily hugged him and looked her way. “Hi, Auntie Lauren.”

  “You may call me Lauren,” she reminded.

  “Oh, stop it, Sis,” Shannon said as she helped Emily with her jacket. “You’re her aunt, so I insist she address you properly.”

  “Of course,” Lauren murmured, uncomfortable as Emily smiled and proceeded to plunk down next to her.

  “I got something for you while we were out, Auntie Lauren,” she announced.

  It took everything in her not to slide down a little and put some space between them. “That’s nice.”

  Emily kept grinning at her. She smelled like some sort of sweet candy. “Don’t you wanna know what?”

  No, not at all.

  “Here.” Emily pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Lauren. “Seeing how I can’t carve like Sven, I had to buy you something to give you strength instead.”

  Bjorn’s son, Sven had carved Emily a wolf out of driftwood to lend her strength. Why he thought the little girl needed strength, she couldn’t imagine. Then again, she had lost her father in a car accident a few years ago. So perhaps that explained his reasoning. Yet the child seemed just fine.

  Lauren stared at the object Emily plunked in her hand. It was a snow globe keychain of Winter Harbor.

  “I figured because you couldn’t go out I would bring outside inside to you,” Emily informed, her eager eyes on Lauren as she waited for a reaction. “Do you like it? Does it make you less sad?”

  “I am not sad,” Lauren said automatically, surprised by the amount of emotion the trinket invoked. Emotion she could not afford. “Thank you for the gift, Emily. This was very thoughtful.”

  “You’re welcome, Auntie Lauren.” Emily pointed at the globe. “I got it especially because of those little trees and plants next to the houses,” she explained. “Mama says you used to love trees once upon a time.”

  She shook her head sharply, but Emily didn’t seem to notice as she gave Lauren a quick, unexpected hug then bounded off.

  Lauren stared at the globe and frowned before she set it next to her phone. Though small, it would tug at the material of her designer slacks if she put it in her pocket.

  “I’m making lobstah chowdah tonight,” Mema Angie announced, pouring on her New England accent as she set a bag of groceries on the counter. “Anyone who wants to hop in and help is more than welcome.”

  Lauren stiffened yet again. While she was an excellent cook, lately she had grown to dislike it. In fact, she had grown to dislike anything that had to do with what she surmised must have been her failures. The truth was, though she tried to convince herself otherwise, Charles wasn’t simply putting distance between them but punishing her for not doing things as well as she could have…should have.

  Sean added wood to the fire then said, “I’m gonna go check on Megan,” before he headed upstairs.

  “Meanwhile, we’ll help Mema Angie cook, won’t we, mama?” Emily said as she rolled up her sleeves.

  “Of course, sweetie.” Shannon glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go make a phone call then I’ll join you, all right?”

  Emily nodded, her smile wavering as Shannon headed upstairs. Lauren sniffed with indignation. She knew exactly what her sister was up to. She was calling Cameron, the brother of her deceased husband. A man Lauren was convinced she had been having an affair with before Anthony died. It was awful. Scandalous. Not only that but up until recently, Shannon had all but separated herself from her own family because of it.

  Lauren conveniently set aside the fact that Anthony had died in a car accident while pulling out of her sister, Erica’s, apartment complex. Erica was one of her five sisters and Shannon’s fraternal twin.

  The whole thing was shady and unfortunate.

  Not sure what to do with herself, Lauren decided to head back upstairs and watch the news where it was less likely she would be roped into cooking. Tha
t thought in mind, she headed into her bedroom only to freeze.

  The dragon picture was hanging at the end of her bed again.

  “Who on Earth?” she started to say before not just mere aggravation, but fresh fury overcame her. Had Svala come in here when she wasn’t looking and rehung it just to goad her? To shove the whole dragon idea in her face yet again?

  Dragons.

  Another awful part of all this.

  According to Megan and Sam, the Viking men they were all meant to be with were half dragon. She didn’t believe it. She refused to. Yet she knew this was at the root of her occasional unease. Something so preposterous and absurd, it was beyond acknowledging.

  But she was acknowledging it.

  Slowly but surely.

  A part of her she could not avoid, that would not let her escape.

  “Who did it?” she roared as she tore down the picture, tossed it aside and headed back downstairs. Lauren barely recognized her own actions. It was almost as if she was outside her body. “Who?” She looked at Mema Angie. “Was it you?”

  “What are you talking about, dear?” Mema Angie said, truly alarmed as she tucked Emily behind her.

  “Only one thing would make Auntie Lauren this upset,” Emily whispered as she peered around Angie’s leg and up the stairs. “That picture.”

  Lauren barely computed the child’s astute observation as she yanked on her jacket and headed for the deck. “It had to have been that miscreant, Svala. Where is she?”

  As always, when she flung open the door and tried to head outside, she ran into the same infuriating barrier. She started to curse but stopped herself. She was the state’s attorney’s wife and didn’t behave this way.

  Still.

  She wanted to.

  Not only that she wanted to scream every curse word she could think of at the top of her lungs.