Midnight Eclipse (Paranormal Viking Romance, Completed)

Chapter 16: Believe Me

Greenland, Present Day

The world appears like a dream as I walk from the cave. The Greenlandic landscape is too bright to be real. So perhaps it's all just a dream. I will wake soon, finding myself tucked underneath my fluffy comforter at home in Sweden. Because surely, this can't be actually happening. There can't be a six-hundred-year-old Viking who turns into a were-bear in the sunshine dwelling between rocks and ice.

I need something to hold on to. Something to center me in this world, assuring me reality still exists.

In my dazed state, I walk across miles of untouched wilderness. Cliffs formed by ice and erosion, lingering piles of snow that not even the summer sun can melt, and sprinkled tufts of greenery line my path. Will I ever find my way back again? I'm honestly not sure, but something tells me that Björn will find me somehow, or I will find him. Our destinies are tied together in a tangled mess. We can't break the bond without breaking ourselves, so we need to carefully thread our respective yarns to untie each other.

Suddenly, I find myself on a familiar road. Bluebells grow on the roadside and sea birds yell in the sky above a house on a cliff in the distance. A house that I know is filled with everything Greenland is: bright colors and dangerous temptations. A house I know is real.

Mikk's house.

Somehow, my inner compass knew where I was going all along. Because despite everything, Mikk is who I need right now. I need someone who I can tell about the mysterious events that have just unfolded. Someone who will believe in my truth, even when I barely believe in it myself.

So with branches sticking out of my hair and dirt smeared on my cheeks, I walk upon a familiar driveway and knock on a door I've walked through before. Hopefully, he's home, or I will have to lounge on his doorstep like a lost kitty.

My fear of feline despair dissipates when I hear steps from inside, and soon the door is cracked open. I can't prevent the butterflies in my stomach from fluttering upon meeting kind eyes, glittering like sunshine on waves. I also have to admit to not being completely unaffected by the sight of bulging upper arms underneath a white t-shirt, stained by paint drops.

Why is the guy wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt in fucking Greenland? Is he just trying to mess with me? It even has a v-neck revealing a hint of dark hairs on his chest. A classic trick to lure women. And I swear the way his hair curls outward right above his shoulder--shaped by the baseball hats he usually wears--is also part of an elaborate plot to drive me crazy. Although maybe I'm already far across that brink.

"Saga?!" Mikk exclaims, giving me a look of bewilderment. I can't really blame him as I'm probably a sorry sight right now, sticks and all. Not exactly an alluring vixen from the wilderness. "Where have you been?"

Where do I even start? "It's a long story," I mumble, instinctively reaching for the beartooth in my pocket for guidance. But the artifact isn't there anymore. I left it in the worn palm of an ancient Viking who walks in the skin of a ferocious predator in the daylight.

Yeah, putting it like that, it does sound quite unbelievable. Although I'm not sure the phrasing is the issue.

"I thought you went home," Mikk replies, a sting of hurt in his tone. "My mom told me you left this morning without even saying goodbye. Her conclusion was that it must be my fault, which earned me a long talking to about how to treat a woman... so that was fun." He looks down and pulls his hand through his hair, perhaps trying to hide the rising blush on his cheeks. But I still notice.

"I'm sorry." Although not that sorry, since the thought of Mikk getting scolded like a naughty schoolboy amuses me. He deserved it. "I did leave. Or I was planning to at least. I left a mess back home and I need to sort it out."

"You could at least have told me you were leaving." The redness on Mikk's face has mellowed and he braves himself to look up. "I thought we..." Messing with his hair again, he sighs. "Nevermind."

"I... should have said something," I mumble. Now it's my turn to look down, trying to avoid his glittering eyes. "I can explain later." Although, really, I don't want to explain. I've had enough of confronting men who have scorned me for this year. "But right now, I need your help."

Without hesitation, despite my flighty explanations for my absence, Mikk nods. "Of course, I'll help you." He looks upon my disheveled appearance. "It looks like you might need a bath and a hot meal."

That does sound tempting, but before indulging in any luxuries or getting lost in those dark eyes, I need to tell him where I've been. Because only then can I be sure I'm not wandering in a dream.

"Mikk," I whisper. My gaze falls down upon the worn wood of the stairs once again. "Can I tell you something? I know it will sound weird, but please hear me out."

A tap on my chin tells me to look up. Everything else is cold, but Mikk's hand is warm.

"You can tell me anything," he says as my wavering eyes meet his. "I will believe you, Saga."

"I know you will," I reply, and it's true. After all, Mikk has believed in my odd tales before. "But I'm not sure I believe myself in this instance. I need you to come with me somewhere tomorrow, to show you what I've seen. Because I need you to confirm it's actually real. Then, I may believe in myself."

He lifts an eyebrow. "What have you seen, Saga?"

I take a deep breath, peeking into his safe eyes as I say the impossible words. "I saw Björn," I reveal. "Not in my dreams, like before, but in real life. He's still here, in Greenland. He's still alive. I need to help him, and I need you to help me do that."

I need Mikk. I can't deny or avoid that truth. I can't run from him, as even when I tried my path lead me back to his doorstep once again.

"Whatever you need me for, I will do it," he assures me. "I believe you and I will do what I can to help." A smile sparkles in his eyes. "Although I have to admit that I don't have much experience of this particular kind of situation..."

Author's Note: Of course, Saga couldn't just run away from Mikk like that!