Page 19

GUNNAR

A s we drove back to the camp all those old instincts I’d worked hard to bury deep started to come to life. Every movement and sound were magnified a hundred-fold, and my senses were on high alert. Something was coming but I wasn’t sure what or when.

“Did you know there’s another portal in the woods?” Flynn said.

“No, I only know about the main one at the facility. There are many portals through both our worlds though.” I didn’t know where they all were but there were many ways to cross into each world if a being wanted to make the effort. “It is said there was a map that showed all the portals but I’m not sure it exists. The portals are not always stable.”

“Frank told me about it the other day. I guess he discovered it when he was out exploring where we’d be working next. It is guarded but it’s not nearly as secure as the main portal in town. Could there be other portals that no one has discovered yet?” he asked.

“It is possible. Especially if it was remote,” I said, and wondered if this was why Vince Drummond had been gone for months and then suddenly appeared.

“Why don’t we explore the woods around camp and see if we find anything. We could even pack enough to stay the night so we can spend a little more time out there,” Flynn said.

“I wonder if your uncle has been using the portals to keep hunting monsters without the facility knowing what he’s doing,” I admitted.

“As long as I can remember he’d always be gone for months and then he’d show up out of the blue. He’d never say where he was or what he was doing and never talked about it. He’s always been horrible to anyone unlucky enough to cross his path, but he always had a group of a few members of the community that seemed to flock to him. I could never understand why.”

“I trust the word of the leshy. He would not have come out here to warn us if there was no need. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose by this,” I said. “Monsters do not as a rule help other monsters.”

“I’ve known Bo and his wife for a while before I knew he wasn’t human. He wouldn’t lie, and he wouldn’t warn us if there wasn’t a threat,” he said, agreeing with me.

“Let’s go into the woods tonight and see what we find there,” I said.

As soon as we returned to the camp both of us packed a bag with everything we’d need to stay in the woods until the end of the weekend. Flynn was very careful to make sure we had enough supplies, bedding, shelter, and anything else he could think of. My mate was smart, and didn’t go into any situation without planning. I, on the other hand, usually burst in unprepared and ready to tear apart anything that stood in my way. I was learning there were other ways to deal with problems.

“This is nice,” Flynn said as we walked through the dense forest going past where we’d met the leshy the last time we’d come out here.

“It is. I only wish we were here for other reasons,” I said and cleared a path for Flynn through the thick underbrush.

“We can still have fun while we’re out here exploring,” Flynn said. “I’ve missed you this week.” We had decided it was better that we didn’t spend any time alone during the week. Flynn didn’t want the crew to think he was favoring me in any way, and I didn’t want anyone to know he was my mate that could use it against him.

I turned to face him and cupped his face in my hand. “I have missed your touch, mate. You are all I think of and working next to you is not enough,” I whispered before kissing him. One touch and I wanted more. It was all I could do not to tear his clothes off and fuck him against the nearest tree, but right now we needed to find out all we could about any possible threats. “Later, my love. I promise I will remind you exactly who your mate is once we know we’re safe.”

“Okay,” he said, his eyes glazed over and still in a daze. “We should keep walking. Let’s see how far out we can get before dark.”

“As you wish.” We continued to walk but I wasn’t sure what we expected to see. If there was a portal, how would we know when we’d found it? In all the time I’d spent wandering Iceland the only portal I had found there was the one that Einar had guided me through. I had been to the edges of the monster realm many times, but before that day I had no reason to want to travel away from my homeland. Now I felt no reason to return, because my home was where Flynn was.

“Let’s rest here,” he said and slipped off his pack while sitting on a rock. “I think we should set up camp before it’s too dark.”

“You are right. I forget that humans cannot keep going without rest and nourishment. Please know it’s not that I’m not concerned for you,” I said.

“I understand. This is all new to me too,” he said and took a big drink of water. “This is a good place to stay. We’ll get an early start tomorrow.” Flynn walked around the small, protected area under two ancient trees. The floor of the forest was soft here and covered with layer after layer of pine needles. He knelt and pulled more out of his pack than I would have thought possible to fit in it, and after a short time he’d set up a simple tent and was gathering rocks to make a fire pit.

“This is nice,” I said and knelt next to where he was now trying to start a fire.

“It is. I brought hot dogs and marshmallows to roast on the fire. I thought that would be the easiest out here and I didn’t know if you’d ever had smores before,” Flynn said without looking away from where he lit a small piece of paper he’d brought with him.

“What is a smore?” I asked.

“Ooey gooey goodness,” he said. “It’s a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker. You’ll love it. They’re a camping tradition,” he said. We sat near the fire while he roasted hot dogs on a stick, and I watched him. I could watch Flynn all day and never tire of it.

As night fell the forest fell silent, but I knew there were many creatures about. Not all of them were from this world and most didn’t want humans to know they were here. Those were the creatures I needed to speak to. They were the ones who would know more about a man that hunted monsters.