by Shea Balik
Since then it had been a whirlwind of getting hurt, running for their lives and fainting, much as he’d rather not focus on that last part. But as it had happened twice, it was kind of hard to ignore.
Now, he had to deal with Bjorn shifting into a fucking bear. It was too damn much. His head spun and Kegan just knew he would have to add a third time to his passing out as everything went black.
CHAPTER 7
The next time Kegan came to, he was beginning to realize he didn’t have much choice but to accept what was happening around him as real. He hadn’t exactly rebelled against the things his family had told him growing up, but he also hadn’t entirely accepted it either. Maybe if he had, they’d still be alive.
Probably not, but it certainly hadn’t helped. No. He needed to deal with all the craziness around him head on, not continue to run from it. Well, he was going to run from the monsters, but not the rest.
It was time to admit there were things in this world he still didn’t entirely understand. Only by acknowledging them would Kegan have a chance of surviving and now that he’d faced the beasts that had killed his family, Kegan was determined to live.
To do that, he was going to need the man who’d saved him. The same one who’d mentioned he was immortal shortly after they’d met and who apparently could shift into a bear. He also was going to have to put his previous notions of druid rituals aside and assume Bjorn was correct and he’d somehow managed to inherit the magic of his ancestors.
Resolved, he opened his eyes, ready to face the world, only to have mother fucking fate laugh in his face. Nothing in this world could have prepared him for seeing Bjorn completely naked as he stood near the stove, dipping a washcloth into a pan of water.
The sight of those perfectly sculpted muscles rippling with each movement as that damn lucky washcloth traveled along Bjorn’s body with hair covering nearly every inch of him was enough to make his mouth water.
Yet, it didn’t. As enticing as the heavenly sight before him was, all Kegan really saw were the dozen or so wounds that crisscrossed over Bjorn’s arms, torso and two deep ones along his right hip. For the briefest moment, Kegan had thought to try and get up to make sure Bjorn was okay, but before he could make his body obey, Kegan watched as one of the more shallow cuts, that appeared to only have a minimal amount of blood seeping from the opening, sealed together.
It was still pink, as if the flesh wasn’t quite healed, but the opening that had been there wasn’t any longer. Kegan could feel his eyes widening as his gaze sought out another of the wounds, this one deep enough that Kegan assumed it would need stitches.
His breath caught in his throat as he witnessed the tissue of the jagged edges nearly an inch long come together, as if an invisible hand were sewing them with equally invisible stitches. It wasn’t until he’d nearly passed out from lack of oxygen that Kegan drew in a sharp breath.
Black eyes swung to his. Bjorn grabbed a nearby bath towel that hardly did anything to cover that glorious body, or its strange ability to heal.
“How?” he breathed out, unsure what else to say.
There was that twitch along the corners of Bjorn’s lips again. Kegan had no doubt the man was laughing at him, but at the moment, he didn’t give a shit. That he hadn’t fainted again was a big win in his book. The fact was he was so stunned he’d actually stopped breathing, normal as far as he was concerned, considering his brain was having trouble wrapping itself around what his eyes were seeing.
“Are you sure you’re ready for explanations?” Bjorn asked. “You’re white as a ghost and you’re shaking like a leaf. The last thing we need is for you to pass out again. This cabin is decent enough, but we don’t want to stay here too long. We have no idea how long the Unseelie’s pet dogs can stay in our world, and I would prefer not to be the one to test it.”
Neither would Kegan. He nodded, although even he had to admit it wasn’t exactly convincing. How did one appear confident when all Kegan wanted to do was throw the covers over his head until the rest of the world disappeared?
No. He wasn’t going to hide, right? He needed to face this head on. Refusing to believe what was right in front of him only got people killed. It was time to grow the hell up. Kegan just wished it was as easy as it sounded.
“Yes,” he said with far more fortitude than he thought he could muster. “I need to know.”
This time those lips didn’t twitch, for they curved upward into a genuine smile. He would even swear the man looked… proud of Kegan. Damn, if that didn’t feel good.
Kegan nearly cried when Bjorn reached for his pants and slipped them on, covering the curve of that tight, muscled ass. He’d never even got to see the man’s cock, since he’d been turned slightly away from Kegan before he’d grabbed the towel to cover himself. It was probably for the best, but damned if Kegan didn’t wish he’d at least gotten a glimpse.
Once Bjorn put his sleeveless shirt back on, he took a seat next to the bed. Those black eyes had a way of making Kegan feel like squirming under their intensity, but he held his composure.
“It started when the raiding party I was on interrupted the summer solstice your ancestors were performing. Most of the men I was with died fighting the Unseelie pets that had come through the veil to attack the druids performing the ritual. We did end up killing all those monsters, but not before every druid there died, too.” That Bjorn could say something like that with a straight face gave Kegan pause.
Actually, it caused the world to stop for several long minutes as he tried to make sense of the man’s words. But Bjorn didn’t stop there.
“Pissed at what we’d done, the last druid cursed us before he died. He had called upon our God, Odin, to make us pay for our sins. In the end we were made immortal and were required to defend the druid lineage until the veil could be sealed. In order to make sure we could fight the Unseelie’s minions, we were paired with an animal that we could shift into so we could protect the druids.”
“Raiding party?” Kegan couldn’t say why that was his first question, but it was.
Bjorn smirked. “Yes, raiding party. I was born in the eighth century as a Viking.”
Did Kegan actually promise himself not to faint again? It was unfortunate, because it seemed like a good time to do so. Hell, it was the perfect time and he wasn’t so sure he was going to be able to keep that promise. Then again, there were so many parts to that story that he wanted to ask about, they would be there for months if he kept fainting each time he asked a question.
Shaking his head, to clear the lightheadedness that tried to overwhelm him, Kegan found the fortitude to continue. “Okay. So my…” Kegan paused as he considered just how long ago all this took place. “Ancestors, cursed you for interrupting the solstice and getting them killed.”
Bjorn shrugged. “Essentially.”
“You were made immortal.” Kegan glanced to the two wounds that were nearly healed on Bjorn’s arm. “Which means you heal quickly.”
That caused Bjorn to frown, turning him into that fierce warrior that he’d met earlier. Kegan wasn’t so sure he approved of the way Bjorn looked right then. Sure, he was hot as fuck when it came to the, ‘I can take on an army,’ vibe, but he didn’t like the frown.
“Yeah, your ancestor fucked us good with that one. Sure, we’ll survive any injury, but it still hurts like a bitch when we get the injury.” Bjorn lifted his shirt to show off the deepest wound across his side that gaped open even as the others were mostly closed.
Nausea rolled around in Kegan’s stomach as he looked at Bjorn’s wound. He’d never been great with blood. Thankfully, Bjorn dropped his shirt back into place.
Taking several calming breaths, Kegan waited for his equilibrium to return. “You keep mentioning others. Who are you talking about?”
The smile on Bjorn’s face was genuinely happy. “My friends,” he answered. “I couldn’t have made it through all this without them. But,” he said as he stood. “That will have to wait until our next break.
We need to get moving again.”
“Where are we going?” Kegan asked as Bjorn quickly cleaned up the one room cabin. It didn’t take long, since whoever it belonged to, believed in living a spartan lifestyle while there.
He felt bad that they didn’t have time to wash the towels or bedding. Maybe one day, he’d return and thank whoever had unknowingly provided them with the shelter they’d so desperately needed.
“Okay,” Bjorn said once he’d helped Kegan get dressed into his stiff, bloody clothes with enough holes to be considered swiss cheese. The med kit, which was sadly out of just about everything but the needle and thread for stitches was again tucked around Kegan’s body as they stepped outside and shut the door. “I’ll shift. You just need to climb on. It would be helpful if you could stay awake as long as you can.”
Kegan felt his brows furrow as he tried to piece the request together. “But I was unconscious last time, right?”
“Yeah.” Bjorn didn’t sound happy about it. “My bear can’t risk running fast if there’s a chance you’d fall off with no way to get back on.”
“Aahh.” Made sense. “I’ll try, but I’m not sure how long I’ll last. Just getting out of bed exhausted me.”
“I know, dollface,” Bjorn said more gently than Kegan expected from the man. “Just try.”
Then, unlike the last time, Kegan watched as a bear practically burst from Bjorn as if it were just waiting to get out. There was no fur rippling along his skin, or bones popping and cracking like in the paranormal books he used to read. Just one second Bjorn stood there and the next a bear.
“What a minute,” he said as the thought of those books came to mind. “You shifted earlier yet you had on the same clothes as before.” He was sure that wasn’t supposed to happen. “Shouldn’t your clothes have shredded or…” Kegan frowned as he glanced around at the trampled snow covered ground, “something,” he finished lamely when he didn’t see even a hint of material.
He was sure animals couldn’t roll their eyes, yet Bjorn did. Then he shook his head and nudged Kegan as if trying to encourage him to climb on.
Right. Bears didn’t talk.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I want an explanation when we stop.” Then, as he vaguely remembered from earlier, he climbed on Bjorn’s back and curled his front along the big, furry animal, reveling in the softness below him.
He definitely could get used to this.
CHAPTER 8
Two long, tiring days and still no civilization to be found. Bjorn did his best to hide it, but he was beginning to be concerned. Food was challenging to find in the dead of winter, especially the amount he needed to eat to maintain shifting. It took up large quantities of energy and his bear just hadn’t been able to find anything to forage or kill.
Plant or animal didn’t matter to his animal, just so long as it was enough to sustain them both. Their only saving grace had been the minimal amounts of canned and packaged food they’d found in the cabins his bear had managed to come across.
But it only staved off his hunger enough for him to ignore his grumbling stomach and push on in hopes of coming across somewhere with a way to communicate to his friends to come get them. Of course, that would only work if he knew where they were.
His bear was great at keeping them ahead of the Unseelie, which he could still feel chasing them, and even finding them shelter that provided a source of heat and some food supplies. But when it came to coordinates, his animal had no clue.
“That still doesn’t seem possible,” Kegan said as he watched Bjorn shift into his human form, clothes and all.
“And I believe I told you I’m not one of your ridiculous romance stories,” Bjorn teased. Never having read one, he’d been shocked when Kegan had told him everyone knew shifters didn’t keep their clothes when they changed forms. “Clearly, those authors are perverts.”
Kegan stuck out his tongue at Bjorn and damn if he wasn’t tempted to suck it into his mouth. Thank Odin for making sure he remained fully clothed for it would be rather challenging to hide his hardening dick.
“Come on, dollface,” he said as he forced his way into yet another cabin. “See if you can find something to eat that’s more than canned tuna and soup.”
“Yeah, right.” Kegan rolled his eyes. “I see someone having left a fully stocked cabin in the middle of nowhere in the midst of winter.”
He had a point, but Bjorn was still hopeful as he went to the woodstove to light a fire. It was a good thing these cabins had a way to heat. Then again, it was the only way for the owners to cook since there was no electricity or gas for a real stove.
“Jackpot,” Kegan called out excitedly. Bjorn turned to find him holding out a box of macaroni and cheese that just needed water, a box of instant mash potatoes and three large cans of stew, that only needed to be heated to be ready.
Hell, in a pinch, Bjorn would eat it right of the can, even though it was most likely frozen in this cold temperature. But since they had a fire, that wouldn’t be necessary.
Relieved they would finally get a decent, filling meal, Bjorn nearly gave a shout of his own to find three good sized pots instead of the typical ones they’d found in most of the cabins so far. “Can you check the place out and see what else you can find while I go fill these pots with snow?” Bjorn asked as he reached for the pots off the open shelf above an actual sink.
It didn’t have any running water, but it did have a drain, not that Bjorn would be rude enough to use it in such cold weather. Pouring liquid down it might cause the pipes to break if it didn’t drain all the way out. Not knowing this cabin well enough to check, Bjorn would just wash them outside like he had been doing everywhere else.
Once he all three pots on top of the stove, he went to see what Kegan had found so far and to help him if needed. This cabin was slightly larger than some of the others, but not by much, so it shouldn’t take them more than a few minutes to search for whatever they might be able to use.
“Did you find anything, dollface?” Bjorn had come up behind Kegan as he searched a small closet, something none of the other cabins had.
Kegan whirled around, a choked off cry accompanied it as he reached for his side. “Ow.” Kegan leaned heavily against the wall with two long-sleeved shirts in his hands. “That hurt.”
Bjorn didn’t hesitate to pick him up and carry him to the bed. Up until now they’d managed to avoid popping any stitches. He just hoped that was still the case, for all the pain medication had run out long ago. He didn’t even have any aspirin.
Setting Kegan on top of the comforter, Bjorn quickly went to work taking off the many layers Kegan wore to stay warm. Considering every one of them had been partially shredded on one side and covered in dried blood, they weren’t exactly doing their job. Probably the reason Kegan had been holding the shirts he’d found in the closet.
Relieved to not see any rivulets of blood, Bjorn took a closer look. He made sure to look at each stitch along Kegan’s incisions. He couldn’t see the ones that had been deeper within Kegan’s body, but Bjorn would have to hope they’d stayed intact.
“It doesn’t look like any of them gave way,” he told Kegan. “But I want you to remain in bed. We really don’t want to take any chances since we’re out of pain meds.”
He hated how Kegan’s skin was now deathly pale when his color had just started to return that morning. He would feel so much better if he could get Kegan back to Bjorn’s home in Colorado where Brandr, who had become a doctor over the years, could take a look at him.
“This sucks,” Kegan moaned. His eyes were closed as he tried to breathe through the pain that he was clearly still experiencing.
Bjorn agreed. He hated seeing the otherwise vivacious man like this. Now that Kegan had been more awake for the previous night and much of that day, he’d talked and talked and talked to Bjorn’s bear as they made their way through the wilds of what Bjorn was fairly sure had to be Alaska since they were heading west. He just wished he knew why they were h
aving trouble finding a town.
Then again, Alaska was huge and as fast as his bear was, it would still take days, probably longer since he had to be more careful with Kegan on his back, to cross the wilds of the state.
“Can you tell me more about your friends?” Kegan pleaded. His teeth clattered together in the still chilly room, making the words a bit garbled but Bjorn still understood him.
“Come on.” Sliding his arms under Kegan’s back and legs, Bjorn lifted him from the bed. “I need you to stand for a minute while I turn down the covers. It’s still going to be a few minutes before the fire is able to heat the room.”
Kegan’s head bobbed up and down, but he wasn’t sure if that was him agreeing, or from the cold. Not that it mattered. So long as Kegan was somewhat steady on his feet for the next few seconds, Bjorn was happy.
He turned, still watching Kegan out of the corner of his eye in case he started to go down, and yanked the covers back. Flannel sheets. Nice.
He heard a soft moan. Kegan swayed way too much and his eyes started to close. Lifting the slight man back into his arms, Bjorn gently placed him back in bed and tucked the covers around his body, but that only seemed to make Kegan’s body shiver that much harder.
“Cold,” Kegan got out around his chattering teeth.
Bjorn doubted Kegan had suddenly gotten too cold. It was probably his body’s reaction to the increasing pain. And the constant pain. As well as the deep wounds in his side. The pain killers had helped his body to cope before. Without them, it was likely his nerve endings were scrambled, unsure how to react.
Even though Bjorn was starting to feel some warmth filling the room from the fire, he knew it would still take another ten or fifteen minutes for it to be nice and toasty. The fact that Kegan’s body was dealing with some shock, it could take even longer for him to really feel it.
Maybe if Kegan’s teeth hadn’t been chattering so hard Bjorn feared he’d break a tooth, he might have reassured Kegan and hoped for the best. But Bjorn couldn’t stand that the sweet, funny man was suffering.
