Page 28 of Baldr's Secret Mate

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 saltor 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 aboutsomething 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.

Chapter Sixteen: Mist

Ice cold fear burned through my veins, filling me from head to toe. Suddenly all the heat from my meal and the fire was gone. And Baldr was just as chilled beside me, the horrendous screeching noise piercing us down to our bones.

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