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

by Shea Balik

  When Bjorn was balls deep they both groaned. Kegan was sure he’d never been stretched so wide in his entire life. It was as though Bjorn filled him up to the brim. It was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

  As if Bjorn was made just for him. As sappy as that sounded, Kegan felt to his bones that it was true.

  Slowly, ostensibly making sure he wouldn’t stress Kegan’s wounds, Bjorn thrust in and out. With each slide of that thick flesh along his channel, Kegan’s muscles fluttered in ecstasy. It was too much and not enough all at once.

  As much as he wanted to beg Bjorn to fuck him harder, Kegan didn’t bother, for he knew it would do no good. Nor would he appreciate it if Bjorn listened to him, since his hip was already burning as his wounds stretched to accommodate the way he had his leg lifted toward his body to give Bjorn room.

  Still, he wasn’t going to come like this. It was tortuously slow, even if every move made his eyes try to roll back in his head and toes curl. Unsure what to do, he gazed wild-eyed at Bjorn. “Please,” he cried out. “I need…”

  He had no idea how to finish that, but when it came to Bjorn, he didn’t have to, for if there was one thing Bjorn could do better than anyone, it was to anticipate and fulfill Kegan’s needs without him having to say anything.

  A large, calloused hand wrapped around his cock and stroked him. His grip was tight, giving Kegan the added something he so desperately craved to find his relief. His balls pulled up tight to his body as Bjorn thrust deep and then froze.

  Warmth filled his channel, as Bjorn unloaded his seed within Kegan’s body. Then he dropped his head down to Kegan’s neck just as Kegan’s dick erupted between their bodies. A sharp pain along his neck had him wincing, but before he could ask, “What the hell?” it morphed into something more.

  Pleasure swamped him, and his dick twitched, another shot of fluid erupting from the tip. “Damn,” he sighed as euphoria bounced around inside of him, giving him the ultimate high.

  He’d hardly noticed Bjorn pulling out of him and dropping down to his side. But when he felt those strong arms wrap around him, Kegan grinned as happiness bubbled up inside of him. There were too many emotions zipping through him that Kegan couldn’t contain them.

  Before he knew what he was doing, he blurted out, “I love you.” Instantly, he wanted to slap a hand over his mouth.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  He never should have said that right after sex. What if Bjorn thought he was only saying it because he was on an orgasm high? Especially since, in a way, he was. Oh, he loved the man. But it only spilled from his lips right then because he was on cloud nine.

  “I mean…” What was he supposed to say? And why hadn’t Bjorn said anything? Terrified Bjorn didn’t feel the same way about him, he braced himself as he glanced into those black eyes that contained so much love, they took Kegan’s breath away.

  “Did you mean it?” Bjorn asked.

  He couldn’t lie. Or try to backpedal. Kegan loved Bjorn too damn much for any kind of games. “Yes,” he said.

  Those firm lips curved into a bright smile. “I love you too, dollface.” Then that smile disappeared and Bjorn said, “Um, I forgot to mention, there are consequences for what just happened.”

  That didn’t sound good. In fact, it sounded kind of ominous. “What would that be?”

  Bjorn waved his hand over Kegan’s side where he was injured. “Well, for one, you’ll heal faster, which you kind of heard the guys talking about before.”

  Someone had, but it had been Ryley who had filled him in on their ability to heal faster. “And the second?” Not that Kegan needed Bjorn to tell him. At least, if it was what Ryley had already told him.

  “Uhm, well,” Bjorn said as if he were trying to find the words. “Now that I’ve claimed you as mine…” he hesitated, his face flushing a shade of pink. “You’re now immortal.”

  CHAPTER 14

  “There’s only a week left until Imbolc and you’re haven’t managed to call forth your magic half of the time,” Fen said with so much disdain, Kegan was sure he could have reached out and touched the emotion.

  “Funny,” Kegan said. “I don’t remember asking for your opinion. And since you’re the one who is supposed to be teaching me, I would say it is you who is failing.”

  It was taking every bit of energy Kegan had not to fall to the matt in a sweaty heap, panting for more oxygen. But he wasn’t about to give the pompous ass the pleasure of seeing him like that. Hopefully.

  “Since it’s you who has to face the Unseelie’s pets,” Fen said way too gleefully in Kegan’s opinion. “My succeeding or failing is irrelevant. It’s you who dies if you don’t figure this out, not me.”

  Asshole had a point. But point or not, Kegan was too damn tired to continue. He might have healed a lot faster now that Bjorn had claimed him— he was still a bit miffed his lover hadn’t told him about the option sooner— Kegan’s wounds were nothing more than light pink scars, but the exhaustion was still there.

  Not as bad as it had been before, but that didn’t mean he was ready for the four hours of physical training, as well as the two hours of magical training each day. He needed a rest or Kegan feared he would be the one to break.

  “Maybe, but it also tells me training with you is a waste of my time since you haven’t been able to help.” Kegan didn’t wait for the Fae’s response as he threw open the door and walked out.

  All training was done in the basement. There were several rooms for combat situations, whether it be hand-to-hand, or weapons, as well as a work out room with treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines, and free weights. Then, there had been the room he’d just come from.

  In some ways it was similar to the combat training rooms. Basically, a large room that allowed free movement. But there’s where the similarities ended. The room was shielded by magic. Every time he entered the room, Kegan had felt slightly queasy as the magical energy swirled around him.

  Whenever he left, Kegan couldn’t help but sigh with relief. It was as if he had to battle the powers that pulsed in the room the whole time he was in there. That, more than anything, drained Kegan, until he was ready to collapse.

  “Done already?” Bjorn said from where he’d waited for Kegan in the hall.

  He must have seen how wiped out Kegan was, for he picked Kegan up and strode up the stairs, not stopping until they were in their room. Even then, once he’d kicked the door shut behind them, he kept going until he reached the bathroom.

  Gently, he set Kegan on the large counter and went to start the eight shower heads that Kegan loved to stand under, now that he wasn’t at risk of reopening any of his scarred over wounds. The sound of the spray instantly relaxed Kegan, his overly tense muscles not even needing the pulsating water on them to start to unknot.

  With infinite care, Bjorn started to undress him. The soft brushes of his hands along Kegan’s skin caused him to smile even as his cock filled with need. It was like this all the time when he was with Bjorn. The man just had to look at him and Kegan’s body would cry out for his lover.

  When he was completely naked, Bjorn stripped his own clothes off hastily. Then he was back in those big, strong arms and being carried into the shower as if he were the most precious thing in the world.

  He couldn’t have stopped the moan as the water from all those jets started to pound against his sore muscles, forcing them to release their tightly wound knots.

  “Better?” Bjorn murmured as he reached for the shampoo.

  All Kegan could manage was a nod.

  When those magic fingers started to massage in the shampoo, Kegan was sure he’d died and gone to heaven. The man seriously had a way with taking care of Kegan, treating him like he was someone to be treasured and pampered, even when Kegan was acting like a brat.

  Not that Bjorn didn’t often match him sarcastic word for sarcastic word, but at times like these, when Kegan felt disjointed and unsure of his place in the world, Bjorn had a way of putting everything in persp
ective.

  Every inch of Kegan’s body was cleaned. Even the soles of his feet were scrubbed with the loofah then massaged with those strong hands. It was so damn nice, and more than a little erotic to see such a big, strong man on his knees before Kegan, as if he were happy to serve.

  He couldn’t have stopped his dick from filling if he’d wanted, which he definitely didn’t. Sex with this man was exactly what he needed. Still on his knees, Bjorn glanced up at him with a smirk as Kegan’s cock bumped against his face, as if making its own plea for attention.

  Thank God, he didn’t tease Kegan, for he might have had to beat him over the head with his dick if Bjorn had. He needed this man more than his next breath and Bjorn didn’t disappoint.

  Wet heat enveloped his hard length, swallowing it down without preamble. When Bjorn reversed course and added suction, Kegan felt his eyes try to roll back in his head as bliss enveloped him.

  Bjorn was a master at sucking cock. Well, sex in general, if he were being honest. It wasn’t just the man’s technique, it was the way he paid attention to the smallest of details. Each moan or jerk of Kegan’s hips was all Bjorn needed to know how much Kegan was enjoying what he was doing to him.

  Unlike most men Kegan had slept with, which hadn’t been many since he hadn’t wanted the entanglements, he never really gave a shit if he liked what they were doing. Not that Kegan was shy about telling them, but even then, they were usually too concerned with their own satisfaction to worry about his.

  Not Bjorn. The man made pleasing Kegan an artform. It was as if he got off each time Kegan made a sound of pleasure. It made sex change from something he did to find release, to craving it all the time.

  Then again, that was how Bjorn was in all aspects of their lives. His lover cared about Kegan, and he showed it in everything they did. Even just something as simple as eating, Bjorn always consulted with Oluf about what he was cooking for dinner since Kegan wasn’t a fan of seafood.

  Now, whenever Oluf cooked seafood, he also threw a piece of chicken on for Kegan. It was so damn sweet, Kegan had stared at Bjorn for several minutes, his jaw nearly on the ground that he’d made that happen.

  Bjorn growled, sending delicious vibrations through his cock, bringing Kegan out of his head and into what his lover was doing to him. There was a slight reprimand in those dark eyes, as if Bjorn had known Kegan hadn’t been there mentally.

  Kegan pushed his hands through Bjorn’s wet hair when his talented tongue lashed against his slit, digging in as if trying to pull out every drop of fluid he could find. Holding Bjorn’s head steady, Kegan fucked into the man’s mouth a few times, savoring the way the big, strong man had no problem letting Kegan take control.

  When he loosened his hold, giving that control back to Bjorn, his lover drove all the way to his base. His tongue extending to lick at Kegan’s balls.

  “Oh fuucckk,” he moaned as wave after wave of delicious shivers went up and down his spine. No way was he going to last much longer.

  His toes curled against the stones of the shower floor when that tongue then moved up his stalk to tease the underside of his crown. Unable to tear his eyes from the sight of this amazing man, on his damn knees giving Kegan as much pleasure as he could, he felt the start of his orgasm at the base of his spine.

  That talented tongue dipped back into Kegan’s slit. He swore pure electricity raced up and down his spine, landing in his balls, forcing them to empty their contents.

  “Yes,” he shouted to the ceiling as his head dropped back on his shoulders and he came into Bjorn’s mouth.

  The sensation of Bjorn swallowing down every last drop caused another jerk of his cock as more fluid poured into that talented mouth. Boneless, his legs refused to hold him any longer and Kegan started to fall.

  But, as usual, Bjorn was ready, catching him up in his arms. The shower turned off and he was taken to the bathroom counter. He sat on the marble surface, his back leaning against the mirror as Bjorn dried him off swiftly.

  Bjorn cradled him back in his arms, so he was tucked close to the man’s hard body. He whimpered when Bjorn gently placed him on the bed.

  “Shhhh,” Bjorn whispered. “I’m right here.”

  To prove that, Bjorn climbed into bed with Kegan and curled around his body like a spoon. It was how they slept every night. Kegan was wrapped up and protected by this kind, generous man, who showed Kegan how much he loved him with every action.

  “I love you,” Kegan told him, hoping Bjorn understood just how much that was true.

  “I know, dollface.” Bjorn kissed the back of his neck. “I love you, too.”

  Happy and smiling, Kegan cuddled closer to Bjorn and fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 15

  After breakfast Kegan got up from the table, wishing like hell he didn’t have to go back into that basement for more training. A week wasn’t nearly enough time for him to be ready to fight those monsters in hand-to-hand combat. And he sucked trying to use any of the weapons he’d touched.

  When he shot a gun, he couldn’t stop his eyes from squeezing shut. Not exactly something that helped his aim. After the last time he’d used a gun on the Unseelie’s pets, and almost hit Bjorn instead, they’d both decided it was best for him to keep his hands off that particular weapon in the future.

  But he wasn’t any better with swords, knives, or some stick thing Oluf had decided to have him try. It was when he’d tripped himself using the stick thing instead of his opponent that Kegan had decided he wasn’t ever going to master how to use any of them.

  “Come on, dollface.” Bjorn placed a hand on his lower back and led him from the kitchen to the stairway that led upstairs instead of the basement.

  Confused, he glanced up at his lover. “Where we going?”

  Bjorn smiled at him. “I have a surprise for you but we’re going to need warmer clothes.”

  Kegan nearly asked what the surprise was, but if he was honest, he didn’t give a shit. As long as he didn’t have to go back into that basement, he was golden. Even better, warmer clothes probably meant they’d be heading outside.

  Most days he forced Bjorn to take him on a walk outside, but they usually stuck to the driveway or horse paddocks. Yeah, on top of the massive house that looked more like a giant hotel, the guys raised horses. Well, sort of.

  When some of the locals, who helped them with the ranch, started to question why they weren’t getting older, they’d sold off all but their own horses, as well as a couple of extras. Breeding was only done in order to replace horses when they died, but otherwise they usually kept twelve horses on the property.

  Meghan, Ryley’s sister, had fallen in love with the horses and had begged for her own horse. Eirik, who would do anything to keep Ryley happy, which extended to Meghan, told her she could either pick one of the four left, or they could breed a new horse for her.

  She ended up with a mare with a pretty light brown coat, a dark mane, and dark legs, as well as a dark patch that started between her eyes, running down her to the tip of her nose. At only fifteen hands high, it was the perfect horse for Meghan.

  As someone who also loved horses, Kegan had been tempted to ask if he could also have a horse. But he’d refrained. Mainly because even though he was basically healed, he hadn’t had more than the short walk each day to himself. Well, technically he’d been with Bjorn, but for him, that amounted to the same thing, as he preferred to be with Bjorn than by himself.

  “Wear comfortable jeans as well as boots,” Bjorn told him as he went to his closet and pulled out his own boots.

  Kegan felt his heart speed up. Were they going horseback riding? No way could Kegan be that lucky, could he? He hadn’t even mentioned to Bjorn how much he enjoyed the activity. Had Bjorn guessed?

  Probably wouldn’t have been that hard, since Kegan often stopped at the paddocks on their walks to feed the horses carrots he kept in the pockets of his coat for whenever they went out. Their time outside usually ended up being half walking and half petting the ho
rses. Thankfully, Bjorn had never complained.

  Too afraid to ask any questions, Kegan quickly changed clothes. Faster than he had changed in a long time, Kegan was ready within minutes, a smile on his face as he waited expectantly for Bjorn, who grabbed a towel and a warm fleece blanket.

  He tucked both items under one arm, then reached out with his other hand for Kegan’s. Their fingers linked together and Bjorn led him from the room and down the stairs where a bag was waiting for them at the door. Bjorn didn’t say anything as he picked up the bag without dropping the towel or blanket.

  He did nod toward the coat closet. “Would you mind grabbing our coats?”

  Kegan opened the door, neither of them having released the other’s hand. Instead he grasped both coats in his free hand and bumped the closet door closed with his shoulder.

  When Bjorn opened the front door, Kegan was practically jumping out of his skin. They were leaving. No basement. No training. No Fen. Just them, outside. A giddy laugh was bubbling up inside of him that came out as he stepped onto the front porch.

  That one sound turned into a full blown laugh as they rushed down the stairs, neither of them caring about the possibility of ice. That was probably stupid, but Kegan didn’t care. He knew Bjorn would never let him get hurt. It might not have been a realistic belief, but it was one he felt deep in his bones.

  So long as Bjorn was by his side, Kegan would be completely safe to enjoy every moment of this adventure. They ran all the way down the long curved driveway that either went up the mountain to the east on a crazy drive where Kegan, who had already been injured at the time, was sure he was about to lose a vital organ on the death defying drive.

  It had been an experience he probably would have enjoyed a whole lot more if he hadn’t been hurt. Then again, the deep ruts, steep drop from the top, to the wooden signs that declared they were at Wolf Canyon Ranch, would have been something only a rollercoaster enthusiast would have enjoyed.