A Flicker of Hope (Druid's Curse Book 2)

by Shea Balik

  Refusing to think about what he was doing, Bjorn climbed onto the bed and curled up around Kegan. He placed one arm under those blonde locks, letting Kegan rest his head in the crook of his body. The other, he carefully wrapped around his chest, doing his best to make sure he remained high enough so his arm wouldn’t brush against the wounds.

  Instantly, Kegan sank closer, fitting himself perfectly against Bjorn as if they were made for each other. Bjorn had to grit his teeth to try and hold back his already mostly hard dick from becoming even harder as that taut ass snuggled against his groin.

  Fuck, this was a bad idea.

  It was so much worse than just bad. For no matter how hard he tried to fight the feelings coursing through him, Bjorn couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would be like to hold Kegan like this all night, every night.

  Bjorn might have been in his bear form much of the time since they’d encountered the Unseelie’s pets, but it hadn’t stopped Kegan from chatting away during their long trek across the empty, snow covered land. Just thinking about it had Bjorn smiling, something he would have sworn before meeting this amazing man he would never have done.

  Mainly because Bjorn hated unnecessary talking. And then the topics Kegan brought up would have made Bjorn’s normal self cringe. Instead, he’d found his bear cocking his head to make sure he didn’t miss a word, no matter how inane the subject matter.

  Once, Kegan had talked about hair products for fuck’s sake. It had taken an hour and half for the smaller man to go through all the products he’d tried from around the world and how well they did or didn’t work. Like Bjorn gave a shit about hair products. Hell, he hadn’t even realized just how many kinds there even were.

  Admittedly, Bjorn had his favorite, but that was because it didn’t smell like flowers or some shit. He sure had never once considered if it offered bounce, made his hair frizz, or caused his hair to be too oily, or too dry.

  Shampoo and conditioner alone had been a twenty minute discussion, at least. Then Kegan had moved on to gels, mousse – which had confused Bjorn as he thought that was a dessert – and other styling products.

  Based on the fact that Kegan had been dressed in warm layers that didn’t exactly scream, ‘fashion statement,’ as well as the fact that he hadn’t had any styling product in his hair that Bjorn, or his bear, could tell, Bjorn wouldn’t have pegged Kegan as someone who gave the topic much thought.

  It should have annoyed him. So why hadn’t it? Why had Bjorn only found it…adorable? And why the fuck did he keep using that word when it came to Kegan?

  If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up breaking his rule about falling in love and end up claiming Kegan for eternity. He needed to put distance between them before he ended up losing his chance to end his immortality and go to Valhalla.

  But instead of distance, he gently pulled Kegan further against his body, until nothing but their clothes separated them.

  He was fucked.

  CHAPTER 9

  Four days and Kegan was losing his damn mind. First of all, he was still in a fuck ton of pain. There was no easing it either. Whether he was sitting, standing or lying on his back, stomach or other side, it still hurt like a bitch. The only time he felt even remotely okay was when he was snuggled up with Bjorn.

  Which was the second reason he was sure he was about to snap. Bjorn. He wasn’t entirely sure when the man had decided the best way to keep Kegan warm whenever they waited for the fire to heat whatever cabin they’d found to rest, but it was causing all sorts of hell with Kegan’s libido.

  Wounds and pain be damned, Kegan was ready to beg Bjorn to fuck him through the mattress. Even now, when he was pressed up against the thick fur of Bjorn’s bear, Kegan couldn’t stop his unruly cock from pushing against his zipper.

  Finally, he was exhausted. Kegan was used to walking for days on end as he backpacked through various countries, but not when he was this injured. Then again, he had never been nearly killed by a monster that shouldn’t exist as it tried to slice him open.

  The throbbing of the wounds didn’t allow him much sleep, not that they ever stopped long enough to really give him time to do more than nap. The Unseelie were gone. Kegan was almost positive of that. He’d felt them on their trail for the first couple of days, but then, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he could no longer feel their presence.

  Yet, they still traveled as if they were being chased. Each time they stopped, it was to check Kegan’s wounds to be sure there was no infection or that he’d popped a stitch. They would warm up and eat, assuming there had been food in the cabin they’d stopped at, which twice now there hadn’t been.

  Bjorn would insist Kegan sleep, but within an hour, he was being wakened to start their journey once more. At most he was given three hours of sleep each day. Well, in a bed. When he was on Bjorn’s bear, Kegan often found himself falling asleep, but he tried to stay awake as much as possible.

  “I know you’re sick of my complaining,” Kegan admitted, but not giving a shit at that point. “But shouldn’t we have found some sort of town with a phone by now?”

  They’d discussed it many times when Bjorn was in human form, with no success. Neither knew where they were and Bjorn’s bear hadn’t been able to sense a town.

  “I mean, I know Alaska is big, but we’ve been traveling for days.” Kegan heard the whine in his voice, but it was hard to stop it when his body was too damn tired to give a shit. “Are you sure your bear hasn’t been going around in circles?”

  He swore that bear made a sound suspiciously like an insulted grunt of displeasure.

  “What?” Kegan grumbled. “I was just asking.”

  When something sounded in the distance he began to hope. He lifted his head and cocked his ear in the direction they’d been walking. “Did you hear that?” he whispered, afraid his voice would drown out the sweet sound. “It’s bells.”

  Church bells. Or at least that’s what it sounded like to him. Then again, they were more of a whisper on the wind, so it was possible it was something else altogether. But the point was, it was something.

  If they were lucky, it would a place where they could call Bjorn’s friends for help. Maybe even find a doctor, because he hadn’t wanted to say anything, but Kegan was beginning to feel hot. Not lying on bear fur warm, but like he had a fever and his entire body was starting to feel as if it were burning up.

  If he were being completely honest, he’d felt…off when they’d stopped the last time, but he hadn’t wanted to say anything. Plus, he’d felt his forehead and it hadn’t been particularly warm to him.

  Kegan had assumed it was his body trying to tell him to get more rest. Now, he was fairly certain it was the first warning signs that he had some sort of infection. Whether it was from the wound or just being sick, Kegan couldn’t be sure, but for the past hour he’d been struggling to remain coherent.

  But if they really were near civilization, maybe he could relax and take a nap while Bjorn and his bear got them where they needed to go.

  ***

  “We’ve given him a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics, but until we get the labs back we can’t be sure he doesn’t need something else.”

  Kegan heard voices talking close by and he wanted to tell them to shut the hell up so he could go back to sleep, but he didn’t have the strength. It was as if someone had pulled the plug on his energy and it had drained right out of him.

  “Is he going to be okay?” The deep rumble of Bjorn’s voice let Kegan relax as his body floated blissfully.

  If he could, he would open his eyes, because Kegan would swear he was on a fluffy cloud, lazily drifting in the air. After all the suffering he’d endured the past several days, he could get used to feeling nothing but this tranquility that surrounded him.

  Well, he could do without the beeping or the voices. Not Bjorn’s voice, though. As far as he was concerned the man could sit there and talk all day.

  “I can’t promise that un
til we get the tests back,” the other, more nasally sounding voice said. “But I would suspect he’ll recover.”

  He would swear he heard Bjorn whisper under his breath, “Thank Odin.” It wasn’t as if anyone else would say those words, but with all that beeping, not to mention the floating sensation, Kegan couldn’t be sure the words had been said at all.

  A hand engulfed his, then thick fingers threaded with his fingers. Warmth seeped into Kegan, making his heart beat faster. “Please be okay, dollface,” Bjorn whispered, this time loud enough that Kegan knew what he’d said.

  As much as he wished he could reassure Bjorn he’d be okay, the arms of sleep took hold, lulling him into its embrace.

  ***

  “Then why isn’t he awake?” There was frustration in Bjorn’s voice but Kegan swore he heard panic there as well, which didn’t make any sense. The entire time they fought the monsters, then ran from them, even when Bjorn was stitching Kegan back together, the man never seemed to lose his calm reassurance that everything would be fine.

  “From what you said, you two were constantly on the go,” a strange voice said. “Kegan had no time to rest when his body needed it. He will wake up,” the strange voice promised Bjorn. “You just need to give him some time.”

  “How much time?” Bjorn demanded more than asked.

  “I can’t answer that,” the new voice told him.

  The need to reassure Bjorn that he was okay was strong enough to override some of Kegan’s exhaustion. Blinking, he let out a strangled moan. Fuck, but his mouth felt like there was a baseball sized cotton ball in it.

  “Kegan?” Bjorn’s hand, that Kegan hadn’t even realized had been holding his this whole time, squeezed gently. “That’s it, dollface. Open those pretty grey eyes for me.”

  That made him smile.

  Something brushed along his lips. “Here,” Bjorn told him. “I have water with a straw to make it easier for you to drink.”

  Opening his mouth, the moment he felt the slim straw he took a sip, letting his mouth soak up the liquid, before taking another to help lubricate his throat. Feeling slightly better, he managed to pry his eyes all the way open to find worried black ones staring back at him.

  “You know my eyes are grey?” he asked. He’d assumed the big man hadn’t paid that much attention to him.

  “Okay, I think that’s my cue to leave,” the voice he’d heard talking to Bjorn said, but Kegan didn’t bother to look his way as he waited for Bjorn’s response.

  “Thanks, Brandr,” Bjorn said without taking his gaze from Kegan. “Of course, I know your eye color. Did you think I was blind?”

  Kegan wasn’t about to answer that truthfully. Instead he asked, “Where are we?”

  “A hospital,” Bjorn said way too matter-of-factly.

  If he’d had the energy for his usual sarcasm he would of rolled his eyes, called Bjorn an ass and said, ‘No shit, Sherlock.’ The dingey white walls, smell of disinfectant that competed with the scent of sickness, as well as the faint beeping machines told him that.

  But Kegan couldn’t remember entering the hospital to begin with, much less being checked in as a patient. “How?”

  “The town we were close to before you passed out that last time had a helicopter service that agreed to fly us to Anchorage.” Bjorn’s large hand held Kegan’s tighter as he visibly swallowed several times before adding, “You were really sick.”

  Kegan did his best to squeeze Bjorn’s hand in return with what little strength he had left. Just being up for these few minutes drained his energy until he felt his eyelids closing. “I’ll be okay,” he whispered, hoping Bjorn heard him.

  When lips pressed against the back of his hand, then his forehead, Kegan wished to God he could find the stamina to open his eyes once again, but darkness was doing its best to take him under its comforting spell.

  “It’s okay, dollface,” Bjorn told him. “Get some sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

  At his savior’s suggestion, Kegan let sleep envelop him once more.

  CHAPTER 10

  “No.” It wasn’t so much the word as Bjorn’s tone that indicated he wasn’t about to let this discussion continue under any circumstances.

  A really big part of Kegan, the one that had already faced the Unseelie’s monsters and barely survived, wholeheartedly agreed with Bjorn and was grateful that he was willing to stand firm against his friends. The last thing Kegan wanted was to die, especially after the hell he’d gone through the past two weeks to get himself on the road to recovery.

  He’d remained in the hospital for a full week. Once they’d released him, Bjorn and his friend, Brandr, who apparently was also a doctor and one of the only reasons the doctor at the hospital had been willing to release Kegan, brought him to their home in Colorado.

  The trip, even if it had been in a private charter plane with no stops and minimal driving time from the airport to the enormous hotel looking place they called a house, had left Kegan feeling as weak as a newborn kitten. Two full days in bed had given him the strength to finally leave his room, that looked as big as his family’s home where he’d grown up.

  Bjorn had insisted on carrying him down the stairs, which Kegan had reluctantly accepted. Okay, so he’d been thrilled for the offer when he’d taken one look at the curved staircase that made him dizzy just thinking about trying to navigate it. Not that he was about to tell Bjorn that. No way. No how.

  At first, Bjorn’s overprotective ways had been cute. Who was he kidding? Kegan had been turned on more than once when Bjorn had demanded the staff leave Kegan and get the hell out of his hospital room so Kegan could sleep. If Kegan even mentioned wishing he could have a burger, Bjorn had demanded it was brought to him.

  But the shine of that wore off quick. Real quick. Within two days, Kegan was ready to tell security to ban Bjorn from his room. He didn’t, but it wasn’t because he hadn’t wanted to. Kegan had feared Bjorn would kill anyone stupid enough to tell him what to do.

  Then there was ordering Kegan to rest even if he hadn’t been ready to sleep. Or not allowing him to walk, even when the physical therapist insisted it would help him heal. It took the doctor, as well as Brandr, informing Bjorn that Kegan could end up with pneumonia, bed sores – which, just, ewww – as well as other complications if he didn’t get up and move around.

  Then, Bjorn became a frigging drill sergeant, making Kegan get up and walk at the prescribed times, even if he was in the middle of eating, sleeping, or, once, when he was using the bathroom. That one caused Kegan to throw a bedpan at the man’s head.

  It was probably why he let that other part of him, the one that had promised to not hide from his role as a druid, to speak up. “You don’t have a say,” he told Bjorn with just as much conviction as the man had used.

  Then he turned to a now smirking Arne. Refusing to give the man any more satisfaction than he was already feeling, Kegan shifted his gaze to his friend, Ryley. “What did Arne mean by training? I know the rituals, I can’t imagine I need to practice them.”

  Before Ryley could answer, Arne stuck his sarcastic nose in where it didn’t belong. “Yeah, but are you ready to face a horde of Unseelie pets, who want nothing more than to kill you?”

  Kegan wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained. If Arne thought he was the only one who knew how to use sarcasm, he was about to find out just how wrong he was. Kegan lifted up his shirt, showing some of the still raw and healing scars on his side.

  “Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt.” With a smirk of his own, he added, “Anything else?”

  Fritjof – and as a side note, what the hell was up with these names? It was like they came straight out of the medieval…oh right – as he was saying, Fritjof burst out laughing. “Dude, he fucking told your ass off.”

  “Enough,” the apparent de facto leader, as well as Ryley’s…boyfriend?… Eirik barked out. Then his gaze went to Bjorn. “I get it. I do. Ryley’s healing time is much faster, but he still almost died. But if we don�
�t get that veil sealed, the Unseelie will only keep sending more of their minions after them.”

  He didn’t wait for Bjorn to answer before turning to Kegan. “As for training, it’s important for you to learn hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons training.” When Kegan started to argue, Eirik held up his hand to stop him. “Seriously, even Ryley’s sister, Meghan trains. You saw how many they sent after you and sometimes running isn’t possible.”

  He hated it, but Kegan could understand why. Eirik was right. They wouldn’t always be able to run, especially if they had to finish the ritual. And hell, if Ryley’s sixteen-year-old sister could do it, surely he could, too.

  “I’ll do what I can,” he told them. “Obviously, in the beginning I won’t be able to do as much, since I don’t think it will help any of us if I reopen a wound.”

  “Or Bjorn could fuck you and claim you, then you’d heal as quickly as Ryley,” Arne shot out.

  Kegan didn’t have a comeback for that because he had no clue what Arne was even talking about. “Huh?” was all that came out of his mouth, leaving Arne looking triumphantly at him as if he’d somehow won this battle.

  “You’re a dick,” Oluf, who was the chef of the group, told Arne. The others nodded their agreement.

  By the red currently flushing Bjorn’s face, it was clearly something he didn’t want to discuss. That peevish side of Kegan wanted to make Bjorn tell him, just so the man could see what it felt like to be forced to do things he didn’t want to do, as Bjorn had been doing to him lately. But it was only a small part of Kegan that would have enjoyed that.

  The rest of him, the more adult side of him, would have felt bad for doing that to anyone, especially Bjorn. Sure, he’d been a bit highhanded, but it had been out of concern for Kegan. He may have gone about it in the wrong way, but Bjorn’s heart had been in the right place.