Chapter Eighteen Baldr

I felt warmer, safer, and more at home than I had in years. There were a handful of moments where I wasn’t quite sure if I was sleeping or awake. Maybe I was somewhere in between. But those were the moments I savored because anything was possible. Any thought I could dream up would come alive in front of my eyes.

And this time I saw myself lying in my own bed back at the resort, all tucked in and cozy with Mist at my side. I could feel his soft breath against my neck and the way he threw one leg over mine, trying to get as close as possible. I had my arms wrapped around him, holding him tight so that he knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

We were happy of course. The war with Tyr and Mist’s years of imprisonment were nothing but a fading memory. The only thing we had to worry about was what we were going to have for breakfast or where we might take a walk that day. My brothers were home, their own mates just as safe as mine. Everything was perfect.

But then flashes of memory began to invade my peace. I saw Tyr striking Mist and flinging him to the ground. I saw my mother’s spellbook tear as we stepped through the realm gate into an unknown world. There was peace and beauty for just a moment in those green fields before there was smoke, screeches, and serpents in the night. My vision shifted then as if I were outside of my own body. I watched as my Alpha wolf stalked toward Mist, intent on killing him in the adrenaline fueled fury of the moment. But then we were falling into darkness. It wasn’t until I came to again that the memories turned pleasant. My groin stirred remembering the way Mist’s body felt, his tight hole wrapped around my cock.

Had it all been a dream? I wasn’t sure. The vision was still fuzzy, like I was half in and half out of my wolven form. Everything was a confusing mix of emotions and sensations. We both reached orgasm at some point and after that I expected the feelings to fade.

However, I could still feel Mist in my arms. His breath still danced across my neck. And it wasn’t until I opened my eyes that I realized he really was in my arms, curled up on top of me. That wasn’t all either, I could smell the sex and cum on us both. And there, tingling at the back of my skull, was the faint buzz of a connection. It was no ordinary mate bond though. Something more had bonded between us and I swore I could almost see his dreams playing in my head. Something similar to the one I’d had about being back home with him.

And that wasn’t all. I could feel his magic as if it were my own. Without thinking, I reached for it, trying to get a sense of it. The moment my mind brushed up against it, I gasped aloud and forced my mind away from his. Suddenly I finally understood why Tyr had kept him in that dome for all those years. The power that was inside him was pure chaos, unfiltered and untamed. For nearly a decade Mist had been building walls around his power, making sure that nobody could access it. Not even himself.

But I saw the truth. His walls were fragile at best and his magic leaked out of them like pinholes in a dam. Given enough time and trauma, that dam would burst and anyone within a mile radius would be caught in the blast. Mist himself would be consumed by it as well, of course, nothing left in his wake but ashes and scorched earth.

I’d never felt anything so terrifying and awe-inspiring in my life.

The moment the terror of his magic faded away, I realized the truth about this newfound connection between us that had somehow been run over by my curiosity before I could put words to it.

We were mated.

My heart raced as the full implications of what had happened settled over me. We were mated. Bonded for life. And while a part of me rejoiced at finally being connected to my true mate, another part was filled with dread.

I had seen my own death. It was coming soon, far too soon. And now I had bound Mist to me, ensuring that when I died, he would feel that loss more acutely than anyone else. The pain of losing a mate could drive a person mad with grief. Some never recovered. And considering the way I’d seen myself perish, it would hit him even harder now. How could he go on living after such a thing?

What had I done?

I looked down at Mist's peaceful sleeping face, guilt gnawing at my insides. He had no idea what was coming. No idea of the pain I had inadvertently sentenced him to. In my lust-fueled Alpha state, I had acted on instinct without considering the consequences. I knew why, of course. The wolf had recognized its mate and acted on instinct. And I... I had wanted this too, even if I hadn't admitted it to myself. But I had known about my vision, about my impending death. I knew I shouldn't get close to anyone, least of all Mist. And yet here we were, bound together on a deeper level than any wolf had been bound before.

The bond usually came with the sharing of emotions. For some it was hardly there, only letting extreme emotions filter through during intense moments. But this was something else entirely. I could see Mist’s dreams in the back of my mind as I stared at him. Hell, I’d been sharing them while we were both sleeping. Not only that, I could touch his magic, feel it as if it were my very own. A part of me wondered if I could use it too, although I was too afraid to try. And if I was that closely bound to him, what did that mean for me when his magic finally burst forth like it inevitably would? I couldn’t see the future beyond my own death, but I had no doubt that would be the moment where he found he could no longer control the chaos roiling within him.

Everyone, myself included, was in danger now. And most of all, Mist.

Then he stirred in my arms, probably because I was freaking out on the inside and he could feel it. Just as quickly as I saw him move, I pushed my feelings down, trying to hide them from him. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at me, a sleepy smile spreading across his face. “Hey,” he murmured.

“Hey,” I replied softly, trying to keep the turmoil I felt from showing on my face.

He stretched slowly, his body pressing against mine in a way that sent tingles through me despite my inner conflict. “Last night was...” he trailed off, a blush creeping up his cheeks. “Well, it was amazing.”

I couldn't help but smile at his bashfulness. “It was,” I agreed. And it had been - more incredible than I could have imagined. Which only made our situation that much more painful. I didn’t want to give up what we had. The chemistry between us was palpable. I just didn’t see how I could let it go on.

Mist's brow furrowed slightly as he studied my face. “Is everything okay? You seem... I don't know, worried about something.” He reached back, touching his neck. “It’s almost like I can sense it.”

I sighed, shaking my head. Creating the bond usually came with a warning beforehand, but Mist had no idea what he was feeling.

“It’s the bond,” I said at last. “It lets you feel my emotions. Or at least that’s how it works between wolves. But for us… it feels stronger somehow.”

“I thought it was the telepathy spell again.” He paused, the realization of what I’d said sinking in. “Wait… are we mates?”

“Yeah. Officially now.”

“So that means… that you… did you know I was your mate?”

I reached up, caressing his cheek because it didn’t if I was affectionate now. The damage was done. We were bonded.

“Not until I got through the dome,” I said truthfully. “I knew I liked you and I maybe hoped that such a thing could be true. But it wasn’t until I caught your scent that I knew for sure that you were my fated mate.”

He just stared at me, his eyes sparkling in the dim greenish glow. A smile crept over his face once more. “I really like you,” he said at last. “I know you’re the only person I’ve known besides Tyr, but I do like you a lot.”

He seemed to be holding back and honestly, I was thankful for it. I was having so many emotions all at once that I wasn’t sure I could handle any proclamations of love. Not that he felt that way about me. Or at least, I hoped he didn’t. Or did I? Fuck… my brain was such a mess.

“You okay?” he asked, sensing my feelings. “You seem… troubled.”

“I’m just…” I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Hiding my emotions was going to be a lot harder now thanks to the bond. “It’s a lot to process all at once.” I gestured around in the darkness, taking a look at it truly for the first time. “And I have no idea where we are or how to get out or how to get home.”

“Well… maybe we should get dressed and then take a look at your mothers spellbook.”

I glanced down at the torn remnants of my clothing on the ground beside us. I seemed to vaguely recall being so horny that I ripped them off in the moment without thought.

“Uh… well, I have a blanket in my bag that we could fashion into something?” Mist offered.

“Great…” I sighed. “Lost underground in a strange world and I’m gonna have to wear a kilt the entire time.”

“I think it’ll be cute.”

His smile was infectious, and I returned it despite the turmoil in my heart and mind. Without a word, Mist peeled himself off of me, evidence of our fun the night before matted into my chest hair. That was going to be fun to wash out, eventually. He rummaged through his bag until he pulled out the blanket and draped it over me. Then, putting himself on full display, he began to slowly dress. I had a feeling he was teasing me, but it wasn’t until he caught me staring at his ass that I was sure.

“You know…” he said, slowly pulling his pants lower once more. “We could always just do a quick repeat of last night. Just to make sure we did it right, of course.”

I sat up, letting the blanket pool around my waist and rock hard cock. Reaching out, I pulled him toward me, wrapping my arms around his hips. I gave him a few soft kisses on his left ass cheek, then a sharp bite before he yelped and skittered away from me.

“Don’t tempt me,” I growled, smiling despite myself. “I won’t be so gentle next time.”

Mist looked frightened, but blushed at the same time, the front of his pants tented as he pulled them on the rest of the way. Clearly we had a lot of sexual tension we needed to work through, but I had to conserve my energy for now. Until we could get a good meal again, I had to save what little I had left for an emergency. Wrapping the blanket around me, I pulled out my mother’s spellbook as Mist took a seat next to me.

“There was a spell in here that might help,” I said, flipping through the pages. “I saw it flash by while I was trying to get us out of the dome.”

“Couldn’t we just open another realm gate to get home?”

“That would be easier. But it’s a complicated ritual with supplies we’d have to find. Not to mention, I don’t think I have the energy to pull it off again. And the emergency spell isn’t specific enough to guarantee we make it home. It’s lucky we ended up here in the first place and not Muspelheim or Helheim.”

“Neither of those sound good…”

“If the stories are to be believed, they are no place for people.” Finally I saw the spell I was looking for and jammed my finger against the page. “Aha! Here it is!”

“To Call A Guide,” Mist read. “Is that what we need right now?”

“I think so. A spirit guide could get us out of these ruins and maybe back home to our own realm. At the very least, we can get some information out of them.”

“Alright,” he nodded. “What do we need to do?”

“All I need is a drop of blood and…” I trailed off for a second.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“I need a host.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means one of us will have to be the medium for the spirit to speak through… It’ll have to possess one of us.”

“Uh… is that safe?”

“It’s a temporary spell, so yes…”

“But?”

“But it’s uncomfortable to say the least.”

“I can do it,” Mist offered without a second thought. “That’s no big deal.”

“Actually, I think I should.” He looked confused for a moment and I felt a pang of hurt in the back of my mind. “It’s not that I don’t trust you to do it,” I said. “Or that I think you’re not capable. What I’m worried about is your magic and the stress of the possession.”

“Oh. That’s nothing to worry about! My magic is untouchable anyway.” There was a tone of disappointment in his voice. “And I’ve been through a lot worse.”

“Mist,” I said gently, placing my hand on his arm. “I need you to trust me on this, okay?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “What do you know that you’re not telling me?”

I took a deep breath. “I promise we’ll talk about it, okay? But right now we need to focus on getting home.”

It was clear that I was hiding something and Mist felt it keenly through the bond. There was hesitation in his voice when he finally said, “Alright. I trust you. But the way you’re acting right now… it worries me.”

I squeezed his arm. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” It was a lie, but I did my best to cover that up. “Once the possession begins, you’ll only have five questions to ask the spirit before they return to the spirit world.”

I placed the book down in front of me, lifting a finger to pierce with my own canine, but I stopped halfway.

“Oh, and whatever you do, don’t tell the spirit my name.”

“Why not?”

“Because some spirits,” I said, my voice low and serious. “Are not from the mortal realm. And if they have my name, they may be able to use my magic against my will.”

Mist clamped his mouth shut, nodding furiously. “Okay. Yep. No names. Ever. Got it.”

I nodded, giving him a smile before I took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do this.”