Chapter Fifteen Baldr

B y the time we found a suitable place to spend the night, the sun was sinking low in the sky. We’d kept inside the woods the entire journey, trying to stay out of sight in case someone or something came looking for the source of the smoke. It wasn’t a difficult journey for the first hour or so, but after that we started have to weave our way through not only the trees, but several large jutting boulders as well. It wasn’t until we came to a small clearing where more sunlight could come through that I realized they weren’t boulders, but ruins of an ancient city overgrown by the forest.

And that’s where we decided to take shelter for the night.

“This is incredible,” Mist said as I let him start our cooking fire. I sure as hell wasn’t gonna do it again. “This is just like in those books you read to me! Adventurers out on a quest, exploring ruins of an ancient world… I wonder what kind of place this used to be?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied, watching him flawlessly get a fire going with hardly a lick of smoke rising into the air. “But let’s hope we don’t have to go exploring ancient ruins… I’m not sure I came prepared for that sort of thing.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure?!”

“I left it at home,” I chuckled. “Along with everything else I own.”

Mist stiffened, his gaze fixed on the flames. “I’m sorry you got dragged away because of me.”

Reaching out a hand, I grabbed his shoulder and spun him toward me, my eyes fixed on his in the darkness that was slowly consuming the forest around us. “Don’t ever apologize for that. If I could do it over a hundred times, I’d get you out every single time.”

He smiled at that. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

It took a bit more effort to let go of him than I expected, but I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. I still craved the feeling of his skin against my own and the more time we spent together, the harder it was to keep my feelings at bay. But I clenched my jaw and forced myself to pull my hand away. Instead, I committed to being satisfied just watching him work. In less than twenty minutes he’d burned down our wood, created a glowing bed of coals, and had nestled the sweet potatoes inside.

“There,” he said, brushing his hands clean of soot. “They’re gonna take a little while to cook, but it’ll be worth the wait.” He glanced around the darkening ruins surrounding us. “If we’re gonna stay here for a little while, maybe we should look for a pot or something. There might be one buried in one of these houses.”

“I saw a place further down the river where the woods and the water meet,” I replied. “I thought that would be a good place to camp out until I can get us back to our own world.”

Mist settled down beside me with a nod, his back leaned up against the stone wall. We’d decided to make camp inside one of the old homes that still had most of its walls. There was no roof of course and the tree growing through the center of it would’ve stopped another from being put in place. Still, it kept the breeze out and the heat in. It was enough to get through the night at the very least.

“Any idea where we are yet?” he asked, crossing his arms tight in front of him.

“I’m not sure. This place seems a bit too normal to be the home of the light or dark elves. And it doesn’t feel magical enough to be Vanaheim. I suppose it might be Asgard? But again, it’s really normal.”

“Are those places not normal?”

“Everything I’ve read or movies I’ve seen would lead me to believe they’re either whimsical, magical, or extremely gaudy. And this place seems to be none of those things.” I glanced around us at the ruins. “And I don’t remember any of them having rotting cities. Plus, if this was Asgard or Vanaheim, I would’ve expected to see something incredible and magical by now. But I haven’t even felt anything, much less seen it.” I paused for a moment. “Both places are home to powerful gods.”

“Do you really think we’ll see one?” Mist asked, his face lighting up.

“I hope not,” I replied. “They don’t exactly have the most wholesome reputations.”

I glanced over, noticing he was starting to shiver despite the hot coals in front of us. Reaching out, I patted him on the shoulder and beckoned for him to get closer. He smiled wide, scooted until his hip was pressed against mine, and leaned into me, my arm wrapped over his shoulders.

Mist nestled closer to me, his body warm against my side. I tried to ignore the way my heart raced at his proximity, focusing instead on the practical need to share body heat. But it was difficult not to be hyper-aware of every point of contact between us - his shoulder pressed to my chest, his hip against mine, the brush of his hair against my neck. His earthy scent was strong, and it made my wolf run in circles, chasing his own tail in excitement. At the same time I felt my magic swirl and bubble as if it were spurred into action just by his proximity. It seemed both the wolf and the witch were fixated on this man and I couldn’t blame them. It was taking everything I had not to kiss him right then and there.

“This is nice,” Mist murmured, his voice soft in the gathering darkness. “I've never gotten to sit like this with anyone before.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady as I replied, “Yeah, it is nice. I keep forgetting there’s so many things you’ve never done.” I trailed off for a moment. “I uh… I hope I’m living up to your expectations. You know, as a friend and stuff.”

“You are. And then some.”

Warmth bloomed in my chest at his words and I felt myself lean into him on instinct. Before I knew what I was doing, I pressed a tiny kiss to his temple. About halfway through I tried to abort and make it look like I’d merely bumped him by accident. He didn’t react, but it felt like he relaxed a little more. I wasn’t sure if that made me feel good or terrified. Maybe it was a bit of both.

We sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the embers of our fire glow. The sweet potatoes were starting to smell delicious as they roasted in the coals. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me how long it had been since I’d eaten anything substantial. Less than a day didn’t sound like a long time to go without food. But when I’d teleported several miles, retrieved a spellbook from a painting’s pocket dimension, and created realm gate from scratch in a single day, it was like going without food for a week. All I could say was that I was glad Mist had dug up so many potatoes because I fully planned on eating at least three of them tonight alone.

As we sat there, enjoying each other's warmth and company, I found my thoughts drifting back to the future that awaited us. The vision of my death loomed large in my mind, a constant shadow over any happiness I might find on our journey. I wanted so badly to just let myself fall for Mist, to explore these feelings between us. But how could I, knowing what was to come? I’d thought about it a thousand times that day and still I couldn’t come up with an answer. Just a lingering sense of restlessness.

I must have tensed up, because Mist lifted his head to look at me with concern. “What's wrong?” he asked softly.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. “Nothing.” I didn’t sound very convincing, not even to me.

He frowned, clearly not believing me. “You can talk to me, you know? About anything.”

I sighed, debating how much to tell him. “I just... I worry about what's going to happen when we get back. Tyr won't give up easily. And there’s the whole situation with my brothers that has to get sorted out. Plus I don’t even know if Loki is alive. I’m trying to convince myself he is, but the more I try, the more I begin to doubt.” I stared down at the coals and the sweet potatoes whose skin had turned completely black in the heat. “And I’m fucking hungry.”

“They should be about done,” Mist said, trying to be helpful as he leaned forward to check on the sweet potatoes. He carefully rolled one out of the coals with a stick, testing its softness. “Actually, they’re perfect.”

He used the stick to roll the rest out, letting them cool on some large leaves he'd gathered earlier. The rich, sweet aroma filled the air, making my mouth water. Even without salt or something sweet to top them with, they smelled heavenly. Besides, I was too hungry to complain.

“Here,” Mist said, handing me the largest one. “I can’t help with the other things that are bothering you, but I can at least help with this. Besides, you need it more than I do.”

I started to protest, but my growling stomach betrayed me. “Thanks,” I said instead, taking the steaming potato. “Are you doing okay with all of this?” I asked, peeling the skin back and taking my first bite. “It’s a lot to take in all at once.”

“I’m having the best day of my life,” he grinned, picking up his own potato. “I’m free, I’m with the best guy in the whole world, and we’re on a storybook style adventure. Things literally couldn’t get any better.”

I stared at him for a long moment, chewing thoughtfully. “You are a lot more positive than I thought you would be.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? The worst thing that’s ever happened to me already happened.”

Those words speared my chest like a razor sharp icicle. My blood ran cold, and I forced myself to nod, pretending I understood him. But only I knew how wrong he was. Because the worst day for me, the day I died, was also going to be his worst day. He just didn’t know it yet. Having that knowledge without the heart to speak it aloud was my curse.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, savoring the simple meal as I tried to think about something other than my morbid visions. I chose to focus on the food. The sweet potato was perfectly cooked, soft and creamy on the inside with a charred skin that peeled away easily. It wasn't much, but after the day we'd had, it tasted like one of those gourmet meals I could only get if I went out of town for the weekend.

The entire time we ate, Mist didn’t leave my side. He remained tucked up against me, the heat of his skin making it difficult to stay focused. And the more I tried to think about something else, the more my thoughts drifted back to him. Before I knew it, my cock was standing at full attention. Thanks to the darkness and my thicker clothing, I didn’t have to worry about him spotting it even though he was so close. But I still felt embarrassed by it. Clearly the wolf wanted him. Badly.

As we finished eating, Mist still didn’t move. In fact, he grabbed one of his ratty coats and threw it over our shoulders as a makeshift blanket, his arm wrapping around my waist from behind as he snuggled in. I could barely breathe from being so turned on by him. Before I’d been able to push it away, to write it off as nothing. But now that his scent was all around me and his fingers were digging into my hip, I couldn’t pretend it was nothing anymore. I wanted to jump up and shout that he was my mate and that we were meant to be together forever. My visions though… I knew I shouldn’t. I just wasn’t sure if I had the willpower to resist.

My wolf was going crazy, urging me to claim my mate over and over again. To solidify the bond permanently. And the witch in me was swirling with magic, wanting to bind us together forever. The sensations were so strong and yet, I couldn’t force myself to move. I knew I should pull away, put some distance between us before I did something I'd regret. Instead, I found myself leaning into him, savoring every point of contact between our bodies.

“Baldr?” Mist's voice was soft, hesitant.

“Hmm?” I couldn't trust myself to form words.

He shifted slightly, tilting his head to look up at me. In the fading firelight, his green eyes seemed to glow. “Do you… Do you have a partner back home?”

It was a surprising question and one I never expected to have to answer. “No,” I said slowly, biting back all the other things I wanted to say. “I don’t.”

Mist let out a heavy sigh. “Me neither.” Of course I knew that, but it was a subject we’d never talked about in earnest. “Do you want one?”

“I think everyone wants a somebody,” I replied, brushing his hair out of his face. “Even people who don’t want sex or romance still want companionship. And since I’m a wolf, having a pack and a family is important to me. I love my brothers… but sometimes they aren’t enough, you know? Sometimes I want…” I trailed off, leaving my obvious words unsaid.

“Yeah,” Mist nodded. “Me too. I mean, I don’t have any family, but the idea of having one is nice. But that special person to come home to… that feels like home… that sounds nice.” He glanced up at me, his eyes sparkling in the firelight. “It’s just like those books you’ve read to me. Once all the adventure is done, the hero always has a special person to return to. They always get their happily ever after.”

I let out a long sigh. “Those are just stories. Sometimes… Sometimes life isn’t like that.”

He cocked his head to the side, one eyebrow arched. “But you want that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do but…” I paused, trying to find the right words. “None of us are promised tomorrow and there could come a day, sooner or later, where it’s just too late for that sort of thing.”

“How can it ever be too late for love?”

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to come up with an argument to prove my point. But the longer I thought about it, the more I came up with nothing. I sighed again, realizing that I was going to have to tell him the truth, eventually. Besides, if I told him about my vision now he might deal with it better when it finally came true. My demise wasn’t far off, and it was about time Mist understood the role he had to play in it. I just hoped he would speak to me again once I was finished.

“Mist… about my visions. There’s something—”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the woods around us and we both froze in place. We stared at one another wide-eyed until a crunching in the leaves nearby began to draw closer.

We’d been found.