Viking's Valor

  Story Overview

  Cursed by her dragon ancestor, Sage is at the root of a burgeoning prophecy that threatens her sisters. The only way to protect them is to leave Winter Harbor, Maine, and travel back in time to tenth century Scandinavia. More so, travel back to Håkon and Leif, the men she left behind. Two warriors pitted against each other to win her over so they might strengthen their position in an ongoing war. Yet when she arrives, she’s captured by someone else entirely.

  Set to annihilate his nemesis before he wreaks havoc and claims Sage as his own, Viking Håkon Sigdir pursues Leif. At least until Sage is taken by Magnus of the Årud tribe. Then it becomes a race to see who can save her first from the enemy’s rogue ally. A race that turns into a battle of wills afterward as their rivalry for Sage intensifies.

  Sparks fly as an age-old vendetta ignites a love triangle that threatens not just the fate of Håkon’s people but his very heart. Will Sage ultimately choose him or Leif? Will she see past the dark enchantment affiliated with her ancestor's prophecy and realize who is destined for her? Better yet, will she see clearly the evil imposter? Because if she falls for Leif’s mock heroism rather than Håkon’s genuine valor, the war will be lost before it begins.

  Viking’s Valor

  Viking Ancestors

  Rise of the Dragon

  Book Two

  Sky Purington

  COPYRIGHT © 2018

  Vikings’s Valor

  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

  Cover Art by Tara West

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For my new sister, Michelle.

  Thanks to Ancestry.com we found each other after all these years. I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to know you. Here’s to the future and all the fun times ahead, Sis!

  Love you so much.

  xoxo

  Contents

  Story Overview

  Pronunciations

  Series Overview

  Introduction

  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

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Just Curious?

  Midgard Locations Glossary

  Nine Worlds

  Previous Releases-Best Reading Order

  Family Trees

  About the Author

  Pronunciations

  Alfheimr (olv-hay-mer)

  Aðísla (ah-ue-ee-slah)

  Årud (a-row-oo-do)

  Eirik (EYE-rick)

  Håkon (Hawk-ohn)

  Helheim (hel-hi-mm)

  Hvergelmir (vur-gel-mur)

  Jörmungandr (yor-mun-gun-der)

  Jotunheim (yo-den-himm)

  Kaðlín (ˈkʰaðliːn)

  Midgard (mid-gard)

  Múspellsheimr (moo-spell-shay-mm)

  Mt. Galdhøpiggen (gall-ter-peegan)

  Naðr Véurr (nahr vuu-ah)

  Niflheim (nee-full-himm)

  Níðhöggr (neathe-högr or neathe-herd)

  Ragnarök (rag-nar-ock)

  Shea (shay)

  Svartalfheim (scare-t-ah-ul-fu-hi-mm)

  Vanaheim (val-a-himm)

  Series Overview

  Long before the dawn of time on Midgard, or Middle Earth, war raged on the fiery world of Múspellsheimr. Dominant, restless creatures that were half man, half dragon forever struggled for more power. Two factions rose above the rest, crushing their opponents until none rivaled them but one another. Of equal strength and might, they fought for hundreds of years until the great serpent Níðhöggr met his end in the jaws of his double-headed rival. As he lay dying, the mighty dragon used the last of his magic to ensure his lineage would not be extinguished but resurrected by a dark prophecy. In his need for vengeance, Níðhöggr vowed his serpent offspring would someday destroy all trace of his nemesis. Therefore, he might from the afterlife, at last taste the glory of victory through his descendants. And so the story goes...

  Introduction

  The night Sage was separated from her twin sister Jessie at birth, a curse sparked. When that curse was lifted by Jessie decades later in medieval Scotland, the prophecy attached to it ignited in tenth-century Scandinavia. When it did, Sage was at the mercy of her ancestor’s DNA activating with the sole purpose of her and her sisters seeing through a longstanding ancient vendetta. Having already helped Sven and Emily close the gateway to Múspellsheimr in hopes of keeping enemy dragons away, she’s returned to Winter Harbor, Maine to prepare her sisters for what is to come. Because one enemy dragon has already remained behind which means more could very well be on their way...

  Chapter One

  Winter Harbor, Maine

  2018

  “I CAN THINK of worse things than having two sexy Viking dragons after you.” A twinkle lit Shea’s eyes as she lounged on the deck, smirked at Sage and fanned herself as though on fire. “Especially considering how damn hot they are.”

  Sage rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Like I’ve said a thousand times since I got back, there’s nothing good about any of this.”

  Shea shrugged, nonplussed as she soaked up the sun. “I’ve seen what those guys look like through your mind’s eye so like I said, it could be worse.” The corner of her mouth shot up. “Much worse.”

  Those guys being the Sigdir dragons in tenth century Scandinavia.

  “Right,” Kenzie quipped sarcastically, sitting on the railing with her back to Frenchman Bay. Her grey tiger cats languished close to her, Pink on her lap and Floyd on the railing. “Much worse than dealing with vicious Viking killers, dangerous other worlds, marked assassins who want to murder us and enemy dragons that want to mate with, then torture us.”

  “They’re not all vicious killers,” Sage defended, though technically they were. “The Sigdirs are nice enough.”

  “See,” Shea exclaimed. “It’s not all bad then.”

  As a rule, Shea ran a little cocky when it came to her strength as a dragon, not to mention lusty when it came to men, so her response to all this was to be expected. Still. Her sister needed to start taking things a little more seriously. Something Kenzie had no qualms about doing.

  “What I witnessed in Scandinavia was terrifying, Shea,” Sage said softly, eying her with concern as she recalled all too well the burning oily tree and the serpents swimming at its base. “Skáld’s Ash i
s something out of your worst nightmare as are the double-headed serpent’s offspring.” She shook her head. “Leif might’ve seemed nice initially because he suffered from some sort of amnesia and didn’t remember who he was but I guarantee that’s changed now. I'd bet anything he's recalled his mission and who he really is. That means in the end, he’s not gonna be so nice.”

  That, she kept telling herself, was something she needed to keep firmly in mind. Mainly because she had been attracted to him. But then she’d been more attracted to Håkon, the Sigdir who most certainly would be going up against him.

  “I still can’t believe Håkon and Leif are going to be battling it out over you.” Shea, still not taking this seriously, looked at her with amusement. “You of all people. Should be interesting to watch.”

  She flinched but said nothing. Having gone through a bad break-up, it had been years since she even dated. She made a point of keeping men at arm’s length. She didn’t need them in her life to be happy.

  “The sun’s not good for your skin, Shea,” Kenzie reminded as her golden retriever, Harley plunked down next to her. “Neither is using magic on this tree I imagine.”

  The tree she referred to was what those in Scandinavia called the Maine Ash. It had appeared the night before Sage arrived here and now towered over the house. As they eventually discovered, it was one of three ashes at the root of a burgeoning prophecy laid by their ancestor Níðhöggr and connected with another far more monstrous ash tree in Scandinavia called Níðhöggr’s Ash.

  “Kenzie’s right, Shea,” she said, eying the canopy of leaves. More specifically, the ones held back by Shea’s magic so she could sunbathe. “You shouldn’t be using your magic on this tree.”

  “It’s fine,” Shea assured before she perked a brow at Kenzie. “And though you always try to say otherwise because it’s hard to wrap your mind around, we both know the sun’s great for my skin.” She preened a little. “It’ll make my scales stronger and shinier than ever for those sexy Scandinavian dragons.”

  The fact of the matter was she was right. At least about the sun being good for her. She might be fair, but Shea’s skin soaked up the sun and gave her a pleasant glow. What it did for her dragon was even better, doing wonders for platinum scales that were already glamorous enough. Scales that matched her short tousled platinum blonde hair.

  Kenzie with her blonde streaked dark red hair was the opposite when it came to the sun, seen clearly in the long-sleeved shirt and baseball cap she currently wore. If she was in the sun too long not only did her dragon weaken but her other side came out. Fondly called by her sisters Gemini Dragon, she had two very distinct personalities. While they liked the one, the other could be remarkably changeable and difficult.

  “I can’t imagine what they’ll make of you when you travel back in time, Shea.” Kenzie grinned and winked at Sage. “She might just be the key to putting a swift end to all this so we can return to our lives.”

  “Oh, you just wait.” Shea blew Kenzie a kiss and chuckled. “Those Viking dragons are never gonna be the same after I’m done with them.” She shrugged a shoulder and gestured at herself. “And hey, if they send me packing because they can’t handle all this then that’s their loss.”

  Sage smiled and shook her head. Shea was what they called a Cupid Dragon because that was what her dragon magic was all about. She brought love together whether people wanted her to or not. And as a rule, she loved every minute of it. But then she was never the one on the receiving end, claiming she was fairly certain she never would be. That it would mess with her gift.

  “So when are you going back to tenth century Scandinavia, Sage?” Kenzie asked softly, all humor gone as their eyes met. “Because I’d say things are as settled as they can possibly be here.” Her sad eyes went from Harley to her cats. “We’re all as ready as we’re ever going to be.”

  “It’s a good thing Mom’ll be here.” Shea eyed Kenzie’s animals with dismay. “Because there’s no way Dad would’ve watched those creatures otherwise.”

  As a rule, dragons didn’t keep animals, more inclined to eat them than call them a pet. But Kenzie had always adored them.

  “Who knows.” Kenzie shrugged as she absently patted Harley. “Maybe they’ll travel back in time with me.”

  “Oh, I don’t think that would be a good idea sweetie.” Sage shook her head. “Not only for their own safety but yours.”

  Because they were Kenzie’s weakness. If they were in trouble, she wouldn’t think twice about putting her life on the line. More on the line than it was already going to be.

  “I say go back, hook up with your Sigdir then get him to protect them,” Shea offered, her expression softening at the look on Kenzie’s face.

  At least Sage had two out of four sisters on board with possible Sigdir hook-ups. Sort of. Tess and Ava downright rejected the idea, Shea humored her and Kenzie went along reluctantly to keep Sage happy. In reality, she would much rather stay with her animals and keep dating her on again off again boyfriend than be destined for a Viking.

  Sage might be doing her best to remain optimistic, but she hated that they were all put in this position. That they had become a victim of Níðhöggr’s prophecy and war. Now they had no choice but to mate with a Sigdir to conquer whatever enemy dragon was heading their way. The Sigdirs might seem like a decent enough lot, but no one should be forced into a union like that. It was awful and unfair. But if they didn’t hook up with a Sigdir, then they’d be claimed by one of Skáld’s dragons, and that would be a nightmare.

  What she tried to keep in mind above all else was that fated dragons could only mate if they were destined for one another. So perhaps in some small way what Níðhöggr did was a good thing. If, of course, those fated mates were, in fact, the Sigdirs.

  Which brought her mind back to Håkon.

  She may hate her dragon ancestor, but she could admit he had chosen wisely when it came to Håkon. Though she had hidden it well, or so she hoped, her attraction to him had been instantaneous. Leif however, took a little longer. But then that made sense because she was fairly certain what drew her to the enemy were those parts of him that reflected Håkon.

  “It’s a hell of a thing,” Kenzie commented, eying Sage as she obviously caught snippets of her thoughts. “That the good guy and the bad guy cross wires.”

  “Like I said,” Shea kicked in, grinning. “It’s gonna be great fun!”

  Because their arch enemy Skáld was a double headed dragon, he had manipulated things in a most unfortunate way. When Níðhöggr claimed the Sigdir dragons he was determined to see mated with his descendants, Skáld had marked them with a tattoo that shadowed his own offspring. In doing so, he managed to somehow merge their minds. Not much but enough that Håkon might sometimes think like Leif and vice versa. How in depth this little trick was, was yet to be seen.

  So now, though she was definitely drawn to Håkon, she couldn’t help but be drawn to Leif as well. It was clever of the enemy really. Because if she mated with Leif in the end, Skáld would be one step closer to winning the war. She frowned, frustrated yet again that she would be forced to mate with anyone period.

  “I still don’t see why Kenzie’s going to be left in charge and not me.” Shea pouted though there was a twinkle in her eyes. “Then again, I’ll be with you, Sage, so I guess you had no choice.”

  “You will not be with me,” she reiterated for about the hundredth time. “You’ll be staying here to protect our sisters.” She gave her a pointed look. “Remember you’re the muscle, sweet pea.”

  It might not be obvious by simply looking at Shea but she was remarkably strong and one hell of a ferocious dragon when she was so inclined. Kenzie always said half her power came from people underestimating her. After all, such a vain, flirtatious sometimes flighty dragon struck very few as the sort who could rip their throats out before they ever saw her coming.

  “I am that.” Shea eyed her slender, toned arms with admiration before her gaze slid Sage’s way agai
n. “So I get why you think I’m best suited to be the muscle in your absence.” She was about to say more but instead cocked her head and grinned when she sensed someone coming. “Ah, there he is.”

  Seconds later, Harley started barking when Pierce walked around the side of the house and waved before he joined them on the deck. As she likely intended when she chose to wear such a skimpy bikini, his eyes went straight to Shea. She, in turn, batted her thick lashes and patted the chair beside her. “Come here, sexy.”

  Wearing a suit, as usual, Pierce was classically handsome with sandy blonde hair and gray eyes. Having been not only her real estate agent but friends with the chalet’s previous owner, Emily before she traveled back in time, he had sold them the house and still came around often. But then who could blame him with so many women about? Something he clearly had no aversion to based on the way his eyes lingered on Shea and even Kenzie on occasion.

  “Regrettably, I’m not here on a social call,” he said as he patted Harley to quiet him down. “It seems your new tree is starting to cause a stir.”

  “What do you mean?” Sage frowned, under the impression they had nothing to worry about by now. “It’s been there for weeks.”

  “Yeah, and it’s grown since,” he reminded as his eyes turned her way. Like always, she felt a jolt of awareness when he did. Not so much feminine interest but something else. Something she had seemingly been aware of when she first met him but couldn’t recall now. According to him, she had been surprised to see him here as if she knew him. Yet she didn’t. Even so, her inner dragon reacted to him, and she had no clue why.

  “Neighbors have started complaining,” Pierce continued. “They claim not only does the tree block their view of the ocean but if it falls it could damage a few of their houses.”

  “Translation, it’s creeping everyone out, and they want it down,” Kenzie said.

  “Well, I think it’s about to creep them out even more,” Shea muttered as she flinched as though burned then nodded at the tree. “Seeing how the damn thing just started doing that.”