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

by Shea Balik

  Of course, since Kegan loved rollercoasters, he was fairly sure he would have loved it. As it was, with fresh stitches and still suffering from his recently cured infection, it had his stomach reeling with the need to throw up. Thankfully, he hadn’t had much in his stomach, and he’d kept himself from vomiting – barely.

  Instead of heading to the east though, they went straight until they reached the barn. “Please tell me we’re going horseback riding,” he blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer.

  Bjorn grinned down at him. “I thought you might enjoy it. You know,” he teased, “since you dragged me down here every night to feed the horses carrots.”

  Kegan tipped his head back and laughed. God but he loved this man. When they stopped to open the barn door, Kegan pushed up to his tiptoes and kissed those lips he’d become addicted to. “I love you,” he told the man who not only had captured his heart, but somehow found a way to heal it.

  “I love you too, dollface,” Bjorn said against his lips, taking a moment longer to linger over the intimacy of the way their lips touched, their breaths mingled, and their bodies fit together so perfectly.

  Kegan wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that. He could have remained in Bjorn’s arms forever, but the neigh of the horses beckoned them. Bjorn chuckled as the sound interrupted them. “I think they’re waiting for you.”

  Kegan let out a snort. “Please, they know your voice better than mine. It’s you they’re excited to see.”

  Bjorn lifted his brows up and down as he slid open the large door. “Yeah, but you’ve been the one bribing them with treats for the last several weeks.”

  That had Kegan chuckling. Then again, he felt so light and carefree he was fairly sure it wouldn’t take much to keep him smiling and laughing.

  Standing in the middle of the barn with a huge grin on his face was Hrafn. “I put the other horses out to pasture already,” Hrafn told Bjorn. “I left Lightning in the small paddock next to the barn when you’re ready to saddle him.” Then he pointed to the three horses still in their stalls. “Just let me know when Kegan is done picking one so I can let the other two out.”

  Then Hrafn grinned at Kegan. “You are so lucky. There’s nothing better than picking out your own horse.” After spilling the beans without even realizing what he’d done, Hrafn turned and left. He was in charge of the horses and he spent most of his mornings doing various chores around the ranch.

  Bjorn shook his head at Hrafn’s back but he didn’t say anything to his friend. There was a lot of leeway given to the man. He would be mortified and most likely feel bad for days if either of them told him what he’d done.

  “Well, as Hrafn said, you can pick out one of the horses as your own,” Bjorn chuckled, not even the littlest bit upset by Hrafn taking his surprise. That was just one of the many reasons Kegan loved the man so damn much. “Or, if you’d don’t want one of these we can…”

  Kegan didn’t let him continue as he headed straight for the stall that held a sweet chestnut stallion with a white stripe down his face, as well his right front leg being white and a black mane. “I want Chestnut.” Not exactly an original name, but it fit him perfectly. He was so kind and gentle, yet Kegan had seen him running around the fields with the kind of spirit he wanted in a horse.

  “I figured you might pick him,” Bjorn said with a huge grin.

  Kegan didn’t care if Bjorn was teasing him since it was Chestnut he always snuck an extra treat to before they’d head back inside after their walk. The horse had deserved it, for he’d always waited patiently for Kegan to feed and pet each of the other horses before coming forward for his own treat and attention.

  “Then let’s get him saddled,” Bjorn said as he headed to the tack room.

  The day turned out to be everything Kegan had needed. Bjorn had done that for him. Not that Kegan was surprised. The love of his life had a way of always knowing exactly what to do to make Kegan happy.

  Sighing as they headed back to the barn after several hours on horseback and a picnic lunch that Oluf had made for them, Kegan couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholy.

  “You okay over there, dollface?” Bjorn asked as if the man had a direct link to what was in Kegan’s head.

  If Bjorn hadn’t been like this since pretty much the moment they met, Kegan would have assumed it had something to do with them bonding, which still had him reeling at times. Immortal. That was a big word. One he wasn’t so sure he was ready to think about. So he pushed it to the back of his mind and answered Bjorn.

  “Yeah. I guess I just wish we didn’t have to go back.” Bjorn didn’t say anything, which only caused Kegan to feel like he needed to explain. Probably why he’d remained silent, jerk. It was kind of irritating to be with someone who seemed to always have it so together. Then again, it was nice most of the time.

  “It’s just, out here, I can relax, forget for a little while that Imbolc is just around the corner.” Already the tension was starting to return to his shoulders. “Fen was right. I’m never going to be ready.”

  Bjorn reached over to take his reins, stopping both horses. Then, with more strength and dexterity than any one man should have, he wrapped an arm around Kegan, picked him up and placed him on Lightning, so they were facing each other.

  “First, you need to understand, I will never let anything happen to you.” Bjorn’s dark eyes bore into his so Kegan could see it was more than a promise, it was a guarantee.

  “Second.” Bjorn’s tone went from deadly serious, to frustrated, with a touch of lightheartedness. “I’ve fought those assholes for more than a thousand years, and I don’t care how much you train, there’s no such thing as being ready. Fuck what Fen said. When the time comes, you’ll figure it out. And don’t forget, you’re not alone in this.”

  Kegan couldn’t stand to hear any more without crying so he pushed forward until their mouths were sealed in a kiss. Grateful to Bjorn for making him feel better, Kegan was determined to show him just how much he loved him. With any luck, it would involve a blow job and that nice thick cock in his ass at some point.

  CHAPTER 16

  “Oluf, Ulf, and I have our instructions,” Arne said as Bjorn came downstairs three days later. There was only two more days until Imbolc, which started on February first. That none of his friends had been sent out to find other druids and hopefully save them from the Unseelie’s pets had concerned Bjorn, as well as the others.

  There were times he’d been sent to Asia, Europe, and even Australia. Now that he knew Kegan had basically been on the run, it had made a lot of sense for Bjorn to travel as much as he had. On the other hand, Eirik had found Ryley in Florida, a place Eirik had never been sent in the past.

  None of them, not even Fen, who was the one giving them the locations of where they might find more druids, knew anything about the places they were given. Fen only sensed the fractures within the veil that the Unseelie’s minions were heading toward in order to enter the human world.

  Until Bjorn or one of his friends arrived, none of them had any clue why the Unseelie picked those specific openings. Sure, they knew there was probably at least one druid close by. But who or why the Unseelie were zeroing in on that specific druid or family, they had no idea.

  Until Eirik had discovered Ryley, and Bjorn had sensed their deep feelings for each other, not to mention that Ryley had turned twenty-one on Samhain, there had been no rhyme or reason from what they could tell. But once Ryley had been found, Bjorn knew they were being given the chance to do what they’d been cursed to do. Seal the veil permanently.

  Until Kegan, Bjorn had assumed it would also mean ending their curse of immortality. Never once had he imagined wanting to live even longer. But, when it came to Kegan, eternity didn’t seem long enough.

  “When do you go?” he asked Arne, who sat down at the large kitchen table after filling his plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, and a bowl of fruit.

  “Soon as we’ve eaten,” Oluf answered for Arne as
he took his own plate to the table. “I have a lasagna in the fridge for tonight. The instructions for heating it are on the counter.”

  “Heating what?” Meghan asked as she and Kegan entered the kitchen.

  “Dinner,” Arne said. For all of Arne’s abrasiveness, there were two people he always tried to protect, Hrafn and Meghan. “We, uh, Oluf, Ulf and myself, have to leave as soon as we’re done eating.”

  Meghan’s smiling face dropped. “Oh. Is it that time already?”

  “What time already?” Kegan asked.

  Bjorn pulled his lover close to his body. “As the veil tears, Fen is able to sense where the Unseelie are sending their pets to breach it.”

  Kegan gazed up at Bjorn, the question he was about to ask clearly there in his eyes. “Is that how you knew where to find me?”

  Bjorn nodded. “Fen sends us to where the pets are going through the veil, but once we get to the location, we’re able to sense any druids nearby.”

  Those pretty grey eyes clouded over as his brows furrowed. “You can sense druids? How is that even possible?”

  “It’s part of the curse,” Ulf spit out. “Your ancestor wanted to ensure we saved his descendants. Hard to do if we can’t identify you.”

  “Ulf,” Bjorn barked out. “This isn’t Kegan’s fault.”

  But Kegan placed a hand on his arm to stop him. “It’s okay, Bjorn. I get where Ulf is coming from. It’s not like I exactly chose to be a druid.”

  “Now that Bjorn found Kegan, does that mean they will be doing the ritual with me and Ryley?” Meghan asked dejectedly, as if she feared the answer wouldn’t be what she wanted to hear.

  “What about me, princess?” Eirik feigned being hurt for being ignored as he and Ryley opened the door to the kitchen. “I’ll be there too.”

  Pink flooded Meghan’s cheeks. “Sorry. I just meant…” she faltered to come up with something to explain her not mentioning Eirik.

  “It’s okay, Squirt,” Ryley wrapped an arm around Meghan’s neck and gave her a mock noogie. “Eirik’s only teasing you. Although, it was kind of rude to forget him as he was the reason we survived,” he chastised his sister.

  “Yeah, but he can’t die.” Meghan appeared scared and Bjorn wasn’t so sure taking her with them was a good idea but Ryley and Eirik were right. They not only needed an extra druid to perform the ritual, but without anyone to protect her, there was no way Meghan could stay at the house by herself.

  Ryley tugged his sister into his arms. Eirik wrapped his arms around them both. “I swear, I won’t let any of them hurt you, princess,” Eirik swore with the promise of death to anyone, or, in this case, thing, that even thought about it.

  “Fuck,” Fritjof cursed as he slammed the door open and stomped into the kitchen with a dejected looking Hrafn and an amused Brandr behind him.

  “I don’t know why you’re acting surprised,” Brandr said with a laugh. “We get sent out every time. Did you honestly think we weren’t going to this time?”

  Fritjof flipped Brandr off. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “You three got your assignments too?” Arne called out from where he was just finishing his breakfast.

  Fritjof didn’t answer as he went to fill a plate for himself. It was Hrafn that said, “Yeah. Fen told us to be ready in ten minutes.”

  “Asshole, wasn’t even going to let us eat,” Fritjof told them. “I told him what he could do with his ten minutes.” Then he handed Hrafn the plate he’d fixed. “You better eat quick. No telling when Fen will show back up.”

  “I don’t get it,” Kegan said. “If Bjorn is correct and you find those of us turning twenty-one…”

  He stopped, eyes widening as he turned to Ryley. “You don’t think?”

  “Cullen,” Ryley answered while he nodded. “He is turning twenty-one on February first.”

  “Who’s Cullen?” Arne asked as he placed his plate in the dishwasher.

  Kegan looked at Ryley again, who stared back at him. He wore the same half-amused, half-horrified expression that Ryley did. Bjorn wasn’t sure who this Cullen was but obviously there was a story there.

  “What?” Ulf asked as he got up from the table to take his own plate to the sink. “Does he have horns or something?” He rinsed off his plate and opened the dishwasher.

  “No, but I would recommend to whoever finds him to be prepared.” Ryley said.

  Ulf stopped as he was leaning over to place his plate on the rack and glanced at Ryley and Kegan. “What does that mean?”

  Kegan chuckled. “Let’s just say, Cullen has a way of surprising everyone with his ability to be prepared for anything.”

  Ulf stared at him for several long moments, then shrugged and put his plate away. “If that’s true, he might have a chance to survive until one of us gets there.”

  Kegan barked out a laugh. “Good thing you all are immortal, because if he doesn’t know you, there’s a good chance he will kill you before you know he’s there.”

  Ryley chuckled. “So fucking true. He almost killed his own mother when she stopped by his apartment two years ago without telling him. As it was, she claims he gave her a heart condition.”

  Kegan must not have heard that story for he appeared surprised.

  “Whatever,” Arne said as he headed out of the kitchen. “Dude is no match for us, but I think it’s cute you two think he has a chance.” The door swung shut behind him after he left.

  Ulf followed, telling them he’d see them in a few days. It wasn’t long before the others followed, until it was just Ryley, Eirik, Meghan, Kegan, and Bjorn.

  “I’m going to the stables,” Meghan said, then left them.

  Bjorn waited until he heard the front door close. Then he grabbed two plates. Handing one to Kegan, he started to fill his own. “Are you sure it’s wise to take her with us?” he asked again.

  Eirik shook his head. “No. But with no one here to protect her in case those things find her, we can’t exactly leave her behind.”

  “Plus, until we find the others, we need every druid possible to perform the ritual if we have any hope of not letting the veil open further,” Ryley reminded them.

  “He’s right,” Fen said as he suddenly appeared before them. “Currently, the druids are only barely able to keep it so it doesn’t open further or more often.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Kegan asked, the anger in his tone still letting Fen know how much he didn’t like the Fae.

  Fen looked at Kegan like he was a bug he wished he could squash. Bjorn stepped up closer to his lover and gave Fen a warning look. Fen might have him beat on magical abilities, but Bjorn was immortal. He’d survive anything Fen tried to do to him.

  “Currently, the Unseelie’s pets can only come through just before you are ready to do a spell because that’s when the Veil starts to break down,” Fen explained as if they were all children. “If enough druids don’t complete the rituals to reinforce the magic that keeps the Veil in place it will either open up earlier, allowing the pets through any time of the year, or…” Fen hesitated, as if he didn’t want to admit whatever he thought could be worse. Not something Bjorn really wanted to contemplate.

  Finally, Fen let out a heavy sigh and said, “It’s also possible that one of the holes within the Veil will open wide enough to allow something other than the lowest beings get through.” Bjorn tensed, praying Fen would stop, but he didn’t. “Like an Unseelie or possibly even a Seelie.”

  “Fuck,” all four of them said at the same time.

  CHAPTER 17

  Two days. Forty-eight long, stressful hours, Kegan, Bjorn, Ryley, and Eirik thought of little else than Fen’s last words before he’d disappeared. Not that Kegan was complaining that the Fae wasn’t around, but dropping a bomb like Fen had, then just vanishing, hadn’t been what he wanted either.

  So lost in his thoughts as he stared out of the bank of two story windows along the back of the living room, Kegan hadn’t even heard Bjorn enter until he’d wrappe
d his arms around Kegan and pulled him back against his chest. “We’ll keep the Veil from deteriorating,” Bjorn promised.

  The thing was, for the first time since meeting Bjorn, Kegan didn’t believe him. There was no doubt, Bjorn would do everything in his power to keep Kegan safe so he could complete the ritual, but it wasn’t up to just him, Ryley, and Meghan.

  There were thousands of druid descendants. He knew many no longer practiced, but having met more than his share of families through the years, Kegan knew there were still plenty that continued their traditions. But thanks to the Unseelie’s minions, those numbers were dwindling fast, as they systematically killed family after family.

  It had gotten bad enough that even the news was beginning to report on the worldwide uptick in gruesome animal attacks, killing entire families right on their own property. Keegan knew better. Hell, he’d witnessed the destruction of those supposed “animal” attacks.

  “I’m not sure that’s a promise you can make,” he told Bjorn honestly. It was the one thing they both agreed on completely. No lying. Not even to make the other feel better.

  Bjorn let out a long, heavy sigh. “You’re right. I can only promise to do everything in my power to keep you, Meghan, and Ryley safe enough to do the ritual. But the rest of the druids…” He let his voice drift off, most likely sensing Kegan didn’t need to hear the words to know their truth.

  More druids would die that day. Hell, they may already be dead, since the Unseelie’s pets most likely started coming through the veil. Small tears would have started opening a couple of days ago. Right around the same time Fen had sent the others on their assignments.

  Those rips wouldn’t have been opened enough for even the lower beings of the pets to get through right away, but depending on where in the world the druids were located, some of them would have been opened by then.