2. Two

Two

Bo

I had grown up with my grandmother's stories about our kind. Troll lore was rich, funny, occasionally brutal, and fascinating. And it was full of talk about the mate bond. Trolls mated once and for life.

The way our magic supposedly worked had never ceased to amaze me, but until this very moment I had thought they were mostly just nice stories you told children at bedtime. My grandmother had tried her best to make me believe in love, and I had. Sort of . But I didn't think it was for me.

Then I had set eyes on the pretty human man with his warm scent, full beard, and elegant hands. And I knew. It's him. My soul recognised him as my mate, as the other half of my heart, as my grandmother had called it.

And fuck if the rest of me didn't recognise him, too. I woke to him, every cell in my body aware of his presence, his nearness, and full of the urge to touch him. I wanted to learn everything there was to know about Oliver Bright.

Turning my back on him sucked, but knowing that his gaze hung on my ass as I made my way upstairs made me feel marginally better.

My room was a minimalist space with cosy touches that reminded me of my flat in Veitsreuth. Once I had unpacked my clothes, I wanted to go exploring for a bit before we headed to lunch and then had our first mental and leadership session this afternoon.

Coach Jerke had been so stoked about the chance to train at the state-of-the-art facility Blue Kraken built near a village twenty minutes from Lone Fox Distillery. They were a Scottish hockey charity run by two former pro players.

They selected us, one of Germany's best teams, to host our training camp there. The kids the charity supported would join us for three days near the end of the month. This was an experience we were all looking forward to.

I left everything behind and just took my keys. I'd send my sister a few pictures later, or maybe call her, but I needed some vitamin S first. As soon as we arrived on the estate, I'd spotted a small forest behind the cluster of buildings…Skogen, the forest, always called my name.

I arrived back downstairs to find the guest house's hall deserted, and I felt my lips pull into a pout. Shame . I would have loved to see him again, and again, and again. Preferably as he was coming undone around me.

Damn. Since when are you just thinking with your dick, Bo?

I followed the path toward the forest, glad no one of my team was around. When I sorted through my feelings, I was best left alone.

The asphalt soon changed into a deer path that led me along a bubbling stream through the trees. They bowed over my head like old friends greeting me back in their midst.

We Forest Trolls might have adapted to modern life, but our roots lay here, covered by Milky Fairy Moss, and buried deep in the soft earth. I pulled off my smart boots and socks, depositing them on the side of the path so I could pick them up on my way back, rolled my trousers up to my knees and waded through the stream.

Pine needles soon clung to my wet toes as I wove through the woods. This is where I belong.

Not long after that, I came to a little clearing; the ground covered in dark green moss dotted all over with tiny white flowers. I lay down, staring at the patch of sky framed by the treetops, and let everything my grandmother had ever told me come forth like the animals did. The bugs and worms I knew were there, the birds going about their business, entirely unbothered by me. They know I would never hurt them. And even a deer passing by the clearing without sparing me a glance.

With my batteries charged and feeling way more grounded, I got up after about an hour, and cut back through the trees until I reached the stream. I was about to wade back through it when I spotted something else nestled against one of the tree trunks. Tiny mushrooms with purple caps. Wood Blewits…here, of all places?

If that wasn't a good omen, then I didn't know what was. I picked a few, careful not to destroy the mycelium so they would just grow again and replace the ones I'd taken.

They would dry nicely and who knew…perhaps I'd find a use for them during my time here.

Let's hope so.

I ran into Nate, Guns, and Max on the way back up to my room. Good on them for taking our rookie under their wing. He still looked like a fledgling, but under Coach Jerke's training plan, I knew he would fill out soon enough. I'd seen him skate only once so far, but the kid had potential.

"Hey Bo, where were you? We knocked on your door. We thought you were napping."

Out of the corners of my eyes, I spotted Ollie at the front desk, pretending to sort papers. Does he realise I can see he isn't moving at all?

"I needed some Waldbaden," I explained with a grin. Vee had introduced us to it recently. They had built a huge wooden bathtub in the woods right behind Nate and his cabin, where you could indulge in some forest therapy. "I kept my clothes on, though," I added, remembering our last session. They had invited us to the grand opening of their newly added sauna. We had celebrated with beer and barbecue, and spent most of our time naked. I'd been the happiest Swede in Bavaria.

The soft choking noise from the front desk made it almost impossible for me to keep my composure and not check him out. He quickly masked it with a cough and noisily shuffled his papers around.

"Oh, I bet the animals wouldn't have minded seeing some Troll dick," Nate added conversationally. Did he notice anything?

I said nothing, just bumped my fist to his shoulder and let them pass first so I could ascend the stairs. Before I went up, though, I turned at Ollie, who was watching me, and gave him a little smile. He blushed, but returned it.

Now I just need to figure out how I can make him mine.

My sister picked up on the second ring.

"Bo August, it's been two weeks!"

I snorted. She always called me Bo August when she was pretending to be mad. It was the Bo August Persson I needed to watch out for. That would mean she was seething. "It's good to hear your voice, too. How are you?"

She launched into a quick summary of her last two weeks, about the kids who had finished school for the summer, and that they hoped uncle Bo would come visit them soon, or that maybe they could come to Bavaria. "They miss you."

"When we're back from Scotland, I think I can visit for a bit," I told her. I missed my niece and my nephew, too.

"How is Scotland? Rainy?"

"Surprisingly nice. Apparently, the climate has been changing over the past years. Jerke told us on the drive here," I explained.

She took this as an excuse to rant about the changing weather and tourism. My sister was part of the Scandinavian Creature Council, where she served as the representative of the Swedish Forest Troll delegation.

"Signe?" I cut in when she was trying to catch her breath after her rant. "Do you remember what Mormor always told us? About fate and meeting your mate?"

"Yes, I do." My sister chuckled. "She loved these old stories. Why are you asking?"

"I think I've met them."