Tur: An Elsker Saga Novella (The Elsker Saga)

TUR

AN ELSKER SAGA NOVELLA

ST Bende

Tur

An Elsker Saga Novella

Copyright © 2013, ST Bende

Edited by: Eden Plantz and Stacey Nash

Interior Snowflakes by: Eden Plantz

Cover Art by: Rebecca K. Sterling, Sterling Design Studios

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First publication: 2013, ST Bende

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Back Cover Copy

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

About the Author

Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all – great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.

Some things are worth fighting for.

TUR is an Elsker Saga novella. It is approximately 10,000 words long.

To my adorable princes.

All your dreams can come true.

An enormous thank you to the cutie pie who knows I hear Norse gods in my head and married me anyway.
Jeg elsker deg
.

To our awe inspiring boys, who fill our lives with faith, hope and love. You are the best thing that ever happened to us.
Apu
.

Takk
to Stacey Nash, the most generous friend a girl could have. Gunnar is now, and ever more shall be, yours. Just don’t tell Inga – she kind of scares me.

Thank you to my editor and friend Eden Plantz, for reminding me to write the kinds of women you want your daughters to read.

Tusen takk
to my writer friends; for reading my drafts, sharing your wisdom, and never letting me give up. Jacqueline Gardner, Stacey Nash, Eden Plantz, Melinda Dozier, Kara Leigh Miller, Rachel Kall, Cora Carmack, the girls at Indie Ignites and Aussie Owned & Read, Tracie Banister, Anna Garner, Kristie Cook, Amy Evans, EJ Wesley, the #NALitChat crew, and everyone who has offered advice and support along this journey. Thank you.

Mange takk
to Team Elsker. You championed these characters from the very beginning and brought the Elsker Crew to life through your amazing creativity. Ull and I would be lost without you. A very special thank you goes out to @ullmyhr’s Twitter Tormentors, who keep our boy on his toes.

And thanks to MorMorMa, for introducing me to these beautiful stories. And also to Norsk waffles.
Takk for maten
.

BREATHE, INGA. YOU’VE
got this.

An angry god was coming at me from across the clearing, legs pumping with decent speed. He was a blur of red hair and clenched fists, the visible embodiment of rage. Thick, blue veins pulsed beneath muscular forearms, and I could feel the fury seething from every pore. I managed to avoid the first series of punches, but the livid deity landed a fast uppercut that sent me flying. My ears rang as I shook my head, evicting the stars behind my eyes. It wasn’t like me to miss a sucker-punch.

I jumped to my feet just in time. The god charged at me like a Celtic dancer – head down, arms at his sides. Interesting approach. I sidestepped him, but he circled around, hooking my neck with one arm and forcing me down. He pounced with outstretched hands, clearly aiming for my throat. I tucked my knees over my head so he landed face first in the dirt. He came up, spitting bark and angrier than ever.

“Good,” I murmured as the god started circling. “Now I’ve gotcha.” When he lunged again, I caught his fist between two hands. His eyes widened as I squeezed. Hard. When I heard his knuckles crack, I bent my knees and pushed off the balls of my feet. I threw my arms across my chest, hurtling my opponent off the ground. He landed on his back, the air leaving his lungs in a painful sound. I left him clutching a complete set of broken fingers.

“Nice effort, Christian.” I tilted my head and offered a hand to help him up. “You nearly got me a few times there. Do you know where you went wrong?”

My student glared as he hoisted himself up with his good arm. “
Nei
. But Odin knows you’re going to spell it out for me.”

“It’s not my idea of a good time to teach you basic combat skills on Sunday morning. You’re the one who almost got himself killed in Jotunheim last week. Not me.”

“That wasn’t my fault, the—”

“I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care if they shoved starkweed root under your fingernails and used voodoo to make you sprout a second head. Your commander asked me to get you up to speed so you don’t get anyone else in your unit killed. And it’s my day off. So hurry up and tell me what you did wrong.”

“The guys were right about you. You’re a nightmare.” My charge cradled his broken hand. What a baby. While I normally enjoyed my job as Fight Choreographer and Chief Tactical Advisor for Asgard’s warriors, some days, it could be a royal pain. Since Christian had neither stopped whining nor improved his attack in the past ninety minutes, this morning garnered a
royal pain
checkmark.

“Thank you. Now, tell me where you went wrong.”

“Uh…” Christian glared at me. He was probably wondering how a girl just beat him at hand to hand. They were all like that the first time we worked together. Seasoned warriors cherished private sessions with me. Greenhorns loathed them.

“Where was your head two minutes ago?” I probed.

“I wanted to kill you.”

“That’s good.  But you were coming from an emotional place. Combat’s all about strategy. If you’ve got too much going on here,” I tapped his chest, “Then you can’t focus on what should be going on here.” He ducked before I could tap his head. Touchy little bugger.

“Fine. Let’s go again.”

“Can you stay in your head this time, or do you need to cool it for a few minutes? If you’re going to last more than a week at this job, you better learn to shut down your emotions. Find a little switch inside and just—” I flicked my finger in the air. “Turn it off. You have to want to kill me for the right reasons. And those reasons aren’t here.” I tapped his heart. Christian grimaced.

“I get it. Let’s just get this over with.”

“I hope you
do
get it. I need to get dinner in the oven before the Assignment Meeting, so I can’t be here past eleven. Move it or lose your other hand.”

“Whatever.” Christian glared at me and retreated to the corner of the clearing. “On your mark.”

I straightened my ponytail and dropped into a fighting stance. “Now!”

Three exhausting hours later, I swiped mascara across my lashes and put on my anniversary present from Gunnar. The diamond studs sparkled against my earlobes, so I added a touch of glittery shadow to my eyelids to set them off. A few quick strokes with my boar bristle brush and my long, blonde hair shone to perfection.

“Come on, babe. We’re going to be late.” Gunnar handed me the gold sash hanging over the bedpost. I glanced up and couldn’t help but smile. His wild brown hair made him look like he’d just rolled out of bed, but I knew him well enough to know he’d spent a good five minutes artfully arranging each spike to frame his face.

“Why are you staring at me?” Gunnar tilted his head.

“You’re just cute.” I tied my sash in a loose knot around my waist. We weren’t supposed to accessorize our dress robes, but they were unfortunate-looking on their own. All the riches of the realms and
this
was the best Odin could come up with? Honestly.

“I’m ready. Wait.” I swiped a coat of gloss over my lips. “Now I’m ready.”

Christian and his iron will had left me seriously behind schedule. I’d run all the way home, thrown my roast in the oven, taken a super short shower
without even exfoliating
, and we were still barely going to make the Assignment Meeting. But it’d been worth it. I’d left Christian singing my praises – he wouldn’t be a liability to his unit any more. With a few years’ practice, he might even make the Elite Team.

“Hold on. Before we leave… you have something right here.” Gunnar came up from behind me. He wrapped strong arms around my waist and pulled me to his chest. It felt hard against my back, the muscles still knotted from his morning workout. I closed my eyes and breathed in his soapy smell. It was comforting and exhilarating all at once. My senses stirred as Gunnar tugged the neck of my robe down, exposing my shoulder. He brushed his lips against the muscle with a feather light touch. A thousand nerve endings performed jumping jacks with military precision.

“Oh, do I?” My head fell to the side. “What about right here?”

“There too.” Gunnar kissed a trail from my shoulder to the nape of my neck. His tongue flicked against my skin, sending the aerobically gifted nerves into overdrive. They pulsed against each brush of his lips, driving a slow burn deep into my abdomen. I reached up to grip the spikes of his still-damp hair, and as I did he covered my stomach with one massive hand. He pulled me closer as he kissed me from behind. He raked my earlobe between his teeth, a decision that was sure to derail our afternoon. Who cared? This was going to be a
much
more enjoyable way to spend the day.

I whirled around so my chest pushed up against his. Gunnar palmed my behind with both hands, pulling me closer.  “Have I ever told you that you have an exquisite backside?”

“I believe you once said that was why you married me,” I teased.

Gunnar squeezed lightly, and my head swam from the rush of blood. In one swift movement he bent down and clothes-lined my knees so I fell into his arms. As he stalked toward the bed we heard an irate voice from the living room.

“We are late!”

Ull.

“Shove off, mate!” Gunnar yelled back. He continued his determined trajectory toward the bed.

“Wait.” My fingers grazed his face. The prickly fibers of his day-old beard tickled my skin. “Odin will kill us if we miss the meeting. Then, Ull will kill us again for ticking off Odin. How many lives do you have left?”

“Who said anything about missing the meeting? I only need half an hour. He’ll still be working his way through the tertiary gods by then.” Gunnar gave me a look that sent tingles down my back. “You really want to stop doing this?”

“No.” I stared at the emerald eyes twinkling at me. “But I also don’t want to hear it from Ull for the next five years.”