Chapter 19

Nineteen

It was reallyhard for me to give this situation all my attention because part of me gibbered in happiness. Theon was flirting back. Like, this wasn’t my imagination, the man was flirting back. I’d immediately do sacrifices to the gay gods, but I had no porn to offer, which was a damn shame.

I knew we were from two different cultures, so it was a little hard to get a read on Theon sometimes, but I sensed something was holding him back. Or it could be the stress of clearing land and protecting his people had dampened his interest. It would be hard to balance dating with not starving, had to admit.

But if he didn’t button up that white shirt to at least cover his chest, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. Also, his hair kept swaying in the wind in this sexy way and it was wholly distracting.

Miasma, Jake. Focus on miasma.

The whole clearing of the fields and learning how to heal people was cool and all, but it didn’t actually fix the source of the problem: The miasma coming over the Wall.

If I didn’t deal with that, I’d just be slapping a Band-Aid over an oozing wound.

With that said, Theon and I decided to head over to the Wall. He’d told me it was plenty wide on top, and there were stairs leading up, so I could stand on top of the Wall without issue. A nice, lofty vantage point sounded good to me.

Along the way, these huge ass wolf-looking canines approached us. I kind of froze, not going to lie. The only experience I had with dogs involved those little lap dogs who yipped and bit a lot. Theon didn’t seem at all worried, so I miiiight have ducked behind him and let him go first. His back was nice and broad, perfect to hide behind. Fae that he was, surely he could speak to animals, am I right?

Theon stopped dead and gave me an odd look. “Are you afraid of wolves?”

“Shit, they really are wolves?” I gave the half dozen or so wolves surrounding us a nervous look. “Please, please tell me they’re nice wolves.”

Theon’s hand found mine and I latched on. Such a nice security blanket. I looked up at his face and he seemed bemused by my reaction but also a little confused.

“Wolves in your world are a source of fear?”

I adamantly nodded. “There’s whole fairy tales of wolves eating children. They’re not an animal you mess with.”

“Huh.” Theon looked at his wolves with new eyes. “I suppose their large build would look intimidating.”

My dude, they literally came up to my solar plexus and looked like they weighed more than I did. Of course they were fucking intimidating!

“These you have nothing to fear from,” Theon assured me, gesturing a slightly shorter wolf with light grey fur in closer. “They are guardians. They roam the area near the Wall and alert us if something goes wrong. This fellow is Nox.”

Oh. Like an alarm system? The wolves looked so calm, and their tails were wagging a little, noses moving as they took in my scent. They did not look ready to chomp my face off.

I very carefully offered a hand, letting the wolf sniff it. After a good sniff, a snout nuzzled into my palm.

Awww. I was still afraid, but that was adorable. I dared a chin scratch and got a harder wag of the tail. If tail was wagging, they weren’t going to eat me, right?

“See?” Theon gave me an encouraging smile. “They are friends.”

“Yeah, I see that. Wait, you said they’re stationed near the Wall? Are they all right?”

“The wolves are more immune than any other creature.” Theon shrugged and tugged us back into motion. He didn’t relinquish my hand, though. Note I had no complaints. “No one’s sure why. They’re also the most sensitive to the miasma. Their noses pick up on trouble before the rest of us can actually see the miasma.”

Daw, they were good puppers. I’d sneak them some meat later.

A larger wolf, who was more a slate grey, pushed in closer and got my hand situated on his back. I was taking a wild stab in the dark, here, but I think someone wanted scritches. I gave some ear scritches and the wolf just about melted into goo at my feet.

“Stop distracting them, Jake,” Theon chided on a laugh. “They’re going to love being around you because of your divine power. You feel very good to them.”

“Oh, is that why they keep trying to attach themselves to my hip?”

“That’s why. Well, and you’re a good person, and they can sense that.”

That sly dog, slipping in a compliment. I gave him a smile, feeling a little shy under the warmth in his eyes. It was hard to maintain any kind of dignity when Theon looked at me like that.

I maaaybe tightened my grip on his hand a little and got a returning squeeze. Man was definitely flirting. Yaaaaaas.

I’d be the first to admit I didn’t get enough love and attention as a kid. People never told me they were proud of me. They just heaped abuse on my head if I failed to reach some goal. It was heady stuff whenever Theon praised me. I sometimes felt like an addict who’d finally found the one drug they wanted to overdose on.

We, unfortunately, reached the Wall before I was ready to let go of Theon. To be fair, we could have walked around the rest of the day and I wouldn’t have been willing to let go of his hand. I just wanted to put it out there, adulting sucked.

The stairs weren’t wide enough for us to walk abreast, so I reluctantly let go. I expected the wolves to stay below, but instead they went right up with us. Ready for a free show? Well, I wasn’t going to dissuade them. They were growing on me.

I reached the top, and for the first time, I got a very good visual on the situation.

“Yikes!” My heart sank straight to the soles of my shoes. “My god, man. This looks like pea soup left to rot in a forgotten corner of a witch’s cabin and it’s on the verge of becoming a sentient supervillain.”

Theon snorted a laugh in black humor. “I really can’t argue.”

I wished I was kidding with that description, but if anything, it lacked punch. Like, seriously, if you took the London fog, mixed it in with some gaseous poison, and then threw in some dark purplish dye to make it look ominous, that was what I was seeing. And it was thick—insanely so. I couldn’t see anything beyond the very lip of the Wall. The miasma covered an extremely large area. I felt like I stood on the Great Wall of China, surveying multiple mountain peaks, but I couldn’t actually see the mountains due to all the miasma.

It kept seeping over the Wall, too, in an insidious way. Much like water trying to overcome the floodgates.

My job was to deal with this? Um. I felt a sudden need to renegotiate my own contract. To say it was overwhelming was the understatement of the year. We were talking thousands of acres taken over by this goop, and I didn’t know how singing and walking around could begin to permanently fix this.

Theon gripped my shoulder in comfort. “I know it’s a lot. No one’s asking you to fix this in one go.”

I felt so much better with Theon acknowledging that. “Thank god because it’s so not happening. I feel a little crazy for even trying to sing this shit down.”

“Today’s very much an experiment. Remember? We’re just here to see if this will work at all or not.”

I know I’d said that, but still…if it didn’t work, what then? I had no Plan B.

Theon put an arm around my shoulders, hugging me to him, the gesture comforting. He didn’t say anything at all for a moment, just gave me his silent support and a minute to collect myself. I’d never had a man who would give me this—this concern and support—and Theon didn’t even demand anything in return. All I’d ever wanted were the simple things in life: romance, reassurance, and ravioli. But I’d forgo the ravioli for Theon.

I found my determination and gave a nod. “Okay. Let’s try this.”

Theon pulled his guitar around so it rested on his chest, getting his fingers in position. He gave me an encouraging smile. “What song?”

“Let’s start off easy, here. ‘Let It Grow.’”

He strummed the guitar. I blew out a breath, sucked in another for courage, and belted out the lyrics.

The warm flow of power ran through me and out my voice. I could clearly feel the vibration as it passed out of me. Oooh yeah, it was working! The miasma right in front of me cleared up immediately, and I could almost see past the Wall there for a second.

The very moment the miasma cleared, more rolled in to replace it. Hmm. That was not an auspicious beginning.

I sang louder. Theon kept up with me admirably.

More miasma disappeared in a flash, and even more rolled in to replace it.

“Let’s change songs,” I suggested, feeling frustration bubble up in my gut. “‘Want It Gone.’”

“Okay.”

This song was loud by nature, so I hoped it would do a better job. Also, easier on me since it was spoken-sung.

I sang as loud as I could, really holding the notes too, and I could feel the difference in my power.

I did not see the difference in the miasma. It was like the tide. It inevitably came rushing back in, no matter how many times I cleared it.

Frustrated, I stopped midnote and growled. “Theon. This isn’t working. I feel like we’re in a leaking boat and all we’re doing is bailing water and not addressing the hole itself.”

He stopped playing as well, expression turning downward in disappointment. “I feared it might work this way, but I’d hoped for a different outcome. Jake, I hate to say this, but the only way to address the core of the miasma is to go past the Wall.”

That sounded less than ideal. Did I want to walk around in poisonous fog? Hmm, let me think about that—y’know, I was good with skipping that life experience.

Unfortunately, pretty sure it was in the contract that I had to.

I growled deep in the back of my throat. “Damn miasma. All right, let’s go properly in. Do you suggest we gear up before doing so?”

“I insist on it.” A flash of something crossed Theon’s face, there and gone again before I could decipher it. “You are absolutely not going in there with only myself and the wolves to protect you. We have no idea what lives beyond the Wall.”

Aww, look at him being all macho and protective. Not going to lie, that got my libido going. Rawr, absolutely, you gorgeous hunk, I leave my ass—I mean, myself in your very capable hands.

Theon put an arm around my waist, escorting me back to the stairs. (I may have cuddled into the hold. Shh, don’t tell.) His voice was dead serious as we walked.

“I’ll call on the knights, get some food and such prepared. I don’t know how long we’ll be in there. Perhaps some very long rope, as well, to help guide us back out.”

“Yeah, with the miasma being so thick, we could get lost pretty quick.” I shuddered because that mental image was not pleasant. “Some kind of guide rope is a great idea. Plus, the wolves can guide us back in, can’t you? You’re good babies.”

The nearest wolf nudged at my hip, looking up at me with adoring eyes.

Yeah, I was sold on these guys now. They were too sweet. I mean, they were big enough that my head could fit inside their mouths, but they were just big puppies. Nothing to worry about here.

I glanced back at the miasma seeping over the Wall as I went down the stairs. It was like my singing had done nothing at all. It was just as thick and pervasive as it had been from the start. I really had to find the source to stop this thing altogether.

But was I, and the rest of the people here, equipped to handle whatever the source of the miasma was? I had a feeling we were in for a whale of a fight.