Chapter 16- Crisp air

Peggy stirred slightly as she awoke. She hadn’t had any strange dreams, which was a relief, as after the rogue attack and with the possibility of having a mate bond with Mikael, she hadn’t slept as well as she would have liked to. Usually, at this point, she would pull up her blanket and cuddle into it, enjoying the warmth before she had to go out into the cold. The further north the group went and the closer toward the werewolf countries of Arcterra they got, the colder the air got. She was used to the more mild days of Albiontё.

But today, she was already very warm.

Too warm.

She blushed hard as she felt a soft breath against her ear. The smell of chewed mint and pine let her know immediately who this was.

Mikael.

As she came more into reality, she realised that he had his arm wrapped around her middle, his legs pressed against hers.

He probably hadn’t gotten into this position on purpose, but still, it made her flustered. His back was pressed against her, and she could feel every line and plane of his body.

He would be mortified if he woke up like this... And honestly, so would she, but she didn't have any way of escaping his grasp. Her face was already almost pressed into the fabric of the tent.

She closed her eyes and tried to take soft breaths, as if she was still asleep. She didn’t want the embarrassment that would come with him realising what had happened when he woke up.

Instead, she lay there in the silence for ten… Twenty… Thirty minutes.

Then, her body betrayed her, and her stomach growled.

She swallowed hard, hoping it wouldn’t disturb Mikael… then he stirred. She felt his body waking before his mind. Then his mind caught up, and through the bond, she felt the panic as he realized what had happened.

For a moment, she felt relief as she thought she had gotten away with it.

Then she felt him drifting into her mind through the bond… She was made.

“... You’re not asleep, are you?” he whispered.

“I was trying to save us both some embarrassment,” she whispered back.

“It didn’t work,” he whispered.

“I noticed!” she whisper-shouted back.

“Guys!” Eli called from outside the tent. “We have a problem.”

“O,h thank fuck,” they both thought. Peggy quickly pulled on her jacket and stepped outside, Mikael following close behind.

“What happened?” Mikael asked.

“Nieve went to scout the area. We knew the monastery should be around here somewhere, but we couldn’t find it… Not until this morning. He hasn’t told me what happened, but he came back sick,” Eli explained.

“That’s not good,” Mikael said, a shiver running up his back.

“How could he come back sick from a scouting mission? It should have only been a few hours at most, right?” Peggy asked.

“Right,” Eli nodded. “Either there was wolfsbane in the area, which shouldn’t be able to grow near a monastery… Or this is some kind of magical effect. Either is bad.”

“It might be safe for me to look then?” Peggy offered. She felt Mikael stiffen next to her. “I mean, I’m human, so wolfsbane won’t hurt me if I don’t touch it, and magic is less effective or something, right?”

“Less effective doesn't mean it can’t hurt you,” Mikael growled.

“If it’s ambient, then it won’t be as bad for you,” Eli said. “But if this was some kind of ritual, it could be really bad.”

“But what if there’s a problem at the monastery?” she protested. “People could be in danger.”

“I’m not letting you put yourself in danger,” Mikael said.

“Nobody has to put themselves in danger,” Eli said. “We can both go with Peggy, if something feels off we can turn around.”

“What about Archer?” Peggy asked.

“He’s sleeping it off,” Eli explained. “Let him rest.”

Peggy nodded.

“Ok… Let’s go,” she said.

The walk toward the monastery was mostly quiet between the three of them. Mikael was quickly learning that Peggy was not the most agile individual, as she slipped several times on muddy patches. Each time he caught her, she could feel heat rising up on his neck and ears. Each touch seemed electric or fizzy, each glance holding more meaning.

Mikael kept an arm around Peggy’s arm on the last leg of the hill and walked her to the treeline. 

They ended up in a clearing…

No.

A clearing was the wrong word.

It was more like a blasted heath in the trees, with the crumbling brickwork that used to hold up a monastery. The bricks looked grey, but Peggy could guess they used to be white. Windows were shattered. Worst of all, scattering footprints littered the ground.

“What… What the hell?” Peggy whispered.