by Bianca D’Arc
Which was another problem he’d have to overcome if he wanted to convince Helen to be his mate. He’d been living a rather vagabond existence up ‘til now, taking jobs as they came along, never really staying in one place for long. If he had a mate, that would have to change. He didn’t want to scar a gentle soul like Helen’s with his tramp lifestyle.
Ostensibly, he still lived in Iowa, but really, he hadn’t been home for long in years. He’d only paused there between assignments, and even Uncle Arch knew that eventually Jim would have to find a place where he fit. Not that Jim didn’t love his brother. He did. He supported Brock, as Alpha, as much as possible. Jim just hadn’t fully made the transition from the military life he’d lived for so long back to civilian life, yet. Maybe he never would.
He’d talked it over a time or two with Uncle Arch, and the last time the subject had come up, Arch had surprised Jim by suggesting he check out what the ex-military bears had built in Grizzly Cove. Arch had thought Jim might find that town easier on his senses, since just about every damn bear in it was ex-Special Forces. Either that or Arch had suggested hooking up with Jesse Moore’s mercenary team and living in Wyoming with them.
Jim hadn’t wanted that. He’d given up the military and didn’t want to be a full-on mercenary. He preferred doing what he’d been doing. Running specialist jobs for friends of friends or those who came with good credentials and high recommendations from people he trusted. He liked being a troubleshooter.
Come to think of it, Ezra Tate had hinted more than once that he was looking for more people with Jim’s unique skills to help clean up the mess left behind by SeaLife Enterprises’ former CEO. Jim might just have to sit down with Ezra when this mission was over and discuss that possibility in more depth. If he did go to work for SeaLife, he’d have a legitimate reason to rent an apartment in Grizzly Cove and check the place out to see if that was where he was meant to be.
If he had a real house, he could offer some stability to a mate, but would Helen want to live clear on the other side of the country from her close-knit family? Jim didn’t think so. Yet another obstacle in their path. At this rate, he’d never find a way for them to make a go of it. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.
Discouraged, with his wolf howling denial inside his brain, Jim got back to work. His first call was to Joe. He knew Joe had sent his investigators over to the old feed mill to go over everything there with a fine-toothed comb. Shane had probably spent all night working through whatever evidence he could find in the building and on the grounds. Jim was interested to learn if they’d found anything actionable.
“Glad you’re up,” Joe said, his voice filled with energy. “There have been some developments. Can you come over to my office?”
“I’ll be there in about ten minutes,” Jim answered right away and ended the call after a quick farewell. He dashed off a note for Helen, so she’d know where he was when she woke, then headed out to see what had been found.
*
Helen woke by slow degrees. She felt deliciously lethargic after the rather acrobatic night she’d spent in Jim’s arms. He’d surprised her with some of the positions he’d coaxed her into, but it had been worth it. She felt decadent when she thought about the incredible pleasure they’d shared. Never in her life had she reached such highs as she did with Jim. She’d come to the conclusion that he’d thoroughly ruined her for any other man, but she couldn’t really bring herself to care. Not right now, at any rate. Not when she felt so sated.
She put on a satin robe she’d picked up during her shopping yesterday and padded barefoot out into the rest of the suite, looking for him. She didn’t find him, but she found a note, along with a single rose she recognized as having come from the B&B’s garden. Her heart just about melted. Whether he’d picked the rose himself or saw it somewhere in the house and purloined it for her didn’t matter. What mattered was the thoughtful gesture.
His note indicated that he was already working, over at the mayor’s office, examining the evidence haul. She felt decadent for having slept in but was thoroughly enjoying herself. She took a shower, remembering all the naughtiness they’d gotten up to in that shower stall the night before with fond delight, then dressed and headed downstairs to see if there was any breakfast still available.
There was, and she spent a few minutes chatting with Felicia and Miss Felicity while she ate then worked with Miss Felicity for a few minutes, doing another healing session that went even better than Helen had expected. The extra energy boost she got from making love with Jim seemed to give her even more power to work with when she healed.
“You know, I may have overestimated how long I’d need to treat you,” she told Miss Felicity when she was done with the morning’s healing session. “You’re taking to this better than I’d expected, and I’ve had a bit more energy to work with since being…uh…in this town.”
“Being with young Jim, you mean.” Miss Felicity grinned as she gave Helen a knowing look.
Helen felt her cheeks heat with a telltale flush but realized Miss Felicity must have learned a thing or two in her time. Maybe she could explain what was going on.
“I don’t understand it,” Helen said, gauging Miss Felicity’s reaction to her words. “I’ve never gotten such an energy boost from anyone. Being around Jim does something unexpected.” Helen shook her head. “Have you ever heard of anything like that before?”
Miss Felicity nodded. “It’s the combination of shifter magic with yours. I’ve seen such things go either way. Sometimes, they work together and feed each other, making both people stronger than they were before. Sometimes, they clash. The times I’ve seen it cooperate were among mated pairs who had very strong emotional bonds and very happy lives together.” Miss Felicity smiled broadly. “I’m glad to see you two doing so well. I expect great things to come of your relationship.”
“If we even have a relationship,” Helen muttered, forgetting, for the moment, about sharp shifter hearing.
“Do you mean to tell me that boy hasn’t declared himself yet?” Miss Felicity seemed a bit outraged.
Helen felt the odd need to defend Jim from the old lady’s ire. “He’s hardly had time. We only just met a few days ago, and we’ve only been…um…together…well…not long at all.” Helen felt herself blushing again. People didn’t talk much about sex in the culture she’d been raised in—and especially not with their elders.
Miss Felicity scoffed. “Things were done differently in my day. Not to say we didn’t have our fun, but mating was serious business, and we didn’t screw around when it came to that.” Miss Felicity seemed to think about it then shrugged. “I suppose he must be confused,” she finally said. “I’ve seen that happen more than it should. Some men just don’t know what’s good for them when it’s standing right in front of them. He’ll figure it out eventually. They always do. It just takes some longer than others.” She shook a finger at Helen. “Don’t make it too easy on him when he does. A woman deserves to know where she stands, and if he makes you wait, you give him what-for when the time comes, understand? It’s the principle of the thing.”
Helen could do nothing other than nod and agree with Miss Felicity, even if her words were a bit bewildering. Helen still had no idea if she and Jim were meant to be together long-term. After last night, she’d love it if that was the case. They already knew they worked well together under pressure, and they had complementary skill sets. She also enjoyed his company and thought he felt the same, and when it came time to make love…well…that was pretty darn fantastic, so it was clear they were compatible that way.
If that was enough to make a mating among shifters, they were already there. The thing was, Helen wasn’t a shifter, and she wanted that one elusive thing that they’d never even hinted at. She wanted love.
For her part, she was already most of the way in love with Jim, but she wasn’t sure what he was feeling, at all. The topic had just never come up. Sure, he’d showed her he cared with his gestures and gent
leness, but was that enough to build a life on? Was it love?
She didn’t know. She was downright afraid to even hint at the subject, lest it ruin what they already had together.
Helen left Miss Felicity, who was feeling as well as Helen could probably make her. If they were still here tomorrow, Helen would try another treatment, but she really thought her work was done. On her way out the door, she spotted Felicia and told her as much. Felicia surprised her by giving her a big hug and a tearful thanks for helping her great-grandmother, which made Helen’s heart fill with joy. She loved helping people, and by helping Miss Felicity, she’d helped Felicia, as well.
What was it Jim had said? He loved it when a plan came together. Yeah, Helen thought, she agreed wholeheartedly.
Helen smiled as she walked toward the mayor’s office. It was time she reasserted herself as part of the team.
Jim ran into Helen on the steps of city hall. He was just leaving the meeting with Joe and Shane.
“I was just heading back to the B&B to talk to you,” he told her.
She smiled up at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat with happiness. “What’s up?”
“They found some evidence that needs to get to Grizzly Cove as soon as possible.” Jim took her arm and escorted her down the block, heading back toward the B&B. “I volunteered to fly it there, but we have to leave, right away.”
“I can come, too?” she asked, as if surprised.
Jim stopped walking and turned to look at her. “If you want. I didn’t mean to imply you had to, but I thought maybe you’d want to see this through.” Did she want to go home? Was their partnership at an end, now that she’d saved him, more than once?
Why did that thought hurt so much? Damn.
“You bet I want to see it through,” Helen replied, and he found he could breathe, again. “I just wasn’t sure you’d want me around, now that your mission is fulfilled.”
“Not want you around? Is that what you think? Even after last night?” Jim cursed under his breath. “Honey, if you couldn’t tell how much I want you around, then I wasn’t doing my job right last night.” He bent down and kissed her gently. “For the record, I definitely want you around, for as long as you want to stick around.”
“That sounds good to me,” she said in a low, sexy voice.
If they weren’t standing in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street, he probably would have kissed her a whole lot more. As it was, he turned, tucking her under his arm as they resumed walking back to the B&B.
“Are you okay with leaving today? Were you going to do more for Miss Felicity?” he asked as they walked. “Maybe we can stop through here on the way back, so you can do more for her.”
“No need. I think I’ve done about all I can for her. I just did a treatment with her, and it went better than I expected,” she said. “I think I might’ve mentioned the power boost I get from being with you? That seems to give me even more ability to heal than I usually have, so the treatment was extra strength. She’s about as good as I can get her, right now.”
Jim was glad to hear it. He hadn’t wanted to leave that old lady in the lurch, but the entire population of Grizzly Cove needed the evidence they’d found in the old feed mill. The words on the documents could be relayed by phone, but the actual physical documents had more to them. Potentially, they had a magical aspect that the leaders of Grizzly Cove wanted their specialists to examine firsthand.
“That’s great,” Jim replied to Helen as they neared the B&B. “Joe already has people working on refueling and resupplying the plane. He also talked to Sal and rented the plane officially for us. Joe will meet us at the plane with the bags of evidence. He’s stocking us up with food and drink, too, so we should be able to just drop off the rental car at the airport, load and go.”
“Sounds like you boys thought of everything,” Helen commented as they mounted the steps to the porch. Little Angus was just inside the door when they entered and leaped excitedly at Helen’s heels.
“I think you’ve got a fan,” Jim observed, grinning at the little dog’s antics.
“He just likes me because I took the pain out of his paws.” Helen bent down to pet the dog and took a quick look at his paws. “All better,” she said with satisfaction as she stood, again.
They packed quickly then headed downstairs. Felicia was already waiting for them, Miss Felicity beside her.
“The Alpha called and explained you were leaving,” Felicia said. “We just wanted to see you off and thank you for all you’ve done for our town and for us.” Felicia hugged Helen. “I can never thank you enough for what you did for my gran,” she said quietly.
“I was happy to help,” Helen said with a smile and a shrug. “It’s what I do.”
Felicia laughed with her, and Jim was glad to see that Helen had made friends among these people. Miss Felicity gave her a hug next, and then, she beckoned to Jim, having him bend down so she could kiss his cheek.
“You take care of that girl,” Miss Felicity whispered for his ears only. “She’s going to make you a fine mate, if you ever get your head out of your ass and figure things out. Don’t let her get away.”
Shocked a bit by her crude language, Jim was nevertheless floored by her presumption. He wished he had more time to talk to the old lady, but duty called, and he would just have to muddle through and figure this emotional stuff out for himself. Goddess help him.
Chapter Nineteen
True to his word, Joe had set everything up, and all they had to do was take possession of the evidence bags—two big suitcases Jim stowed in the back—and get going. There was plenty of food in the galley, and Helen served lunch after they’d been in the air for an hour or so. Joe had filed a flight plan for them that included a quick fuel stop in Colorado at a small airport owned by a family of cougar shifters. It was nowhere near as big or fancy as Big Wolf Airport, but it was perfectly positioned and run efficiently.
They were able to fuel and go, taking only a few minutes to climb out of the plane and stretch their legs. The cougars weren’t overly friendly, but cats were like that, sometimes. They went their own way, but they did a good job. Jim watched, to make sure.
He fielded a call while they were on the ground from Ezra, in Grizzly Cove. They talked about how the flight was going and when they’d arrive. Ezra said he’d try to have someone drive up to the closest airport, in this case, Seattle-Tacoma, or SeaTac as it was called. There were smaller airstrips, but the big airport had better services, and the plane needed a going over by a mechanic before they flew it back.
Jim had discovered a slight problem with one of the switches that he’d like to have fixed before he returned the plane to Sal. He was certain there would be crackerjack mechanics at SeaTac who could handle just about anything they might find. Jim wanted to make sure everything was perfect when he brought the plane home to Sal. He’d been more than kind in loaning it to Jim, and even though Joe was paying for this additional voyage, Jim knew it wasn’t normal for Sal to rent his baby to other pilots. If they used this plane for charters, it was likely only family allowed at the controls. Sal or his daughter, and that was it.
They left the cougar air trip and arrived at SeaTac a couple of hours later. The food was gone, and all they had to remove from the plane was their bags and the two bags of evidence, which was packed in suitcases to blend in with their personal luggage. A rental car had been arranged, and they were on the road in short order, heading south along the coast.
The drive down to Grizzly Cove wasn’t long as the crow flies, but once out of the metro area, the roads became rather twisty, and the speed limits lowered to match. Helen drove. She’d argued that he’d done all the flying, so the least she could do was the driving. Jim hadn’t minded. He didn’t expect trouble, but if it found them, he’d be ready. Plus, he was able to devote his attention to the phone, which hadn’t stopped since they’d landed.
Joe had requested a call at each point along their journey, and Jim felt it only po
lite to ease the Alpha’s concerns by calling. Jim had also called Ezra, to fill him in on where they were. Ezra had apologized for not meeting them at the airport, but he’d been delayed leaving the cove. Jim told him not to bother. They were making good time and would be there within the hour.
Jim next called Big John Marshall, as a courtesy. It was only polite to talk to the Alpha of a territory before entering. Jim told Big John about Helen and that she was magical but not a shifter. Big John seemed to take that news in stride and didn’t ask for details. At that point, Jim had to wonder if all he’d heard about Grizzly Cove becoming a haven for all sorts of magical folk was true. That would certainly explain the Alpha bear’s easygoing attitude.
Jim was about to check in with his Uncle Arch when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. If he’d been in wolf form, he’d have said his hackles rose. Whatever it was, he knew that feeling. Trouble was coming and coming fast.
“Something’s about to happen,” he said, warning Helen as best he could. “Be alert. Something bad is coming.”
In the last moments before the shit hit the fan, Jim placed a call to Ezra. “Better send the cavalry. Something’s going down,” Jim said shortly, giving Ezra their location just as lightning struck a tree ahead and sent it crashing across the road. Helen stood on the brake, and the rental car stopped just shy of the massive pine. Jim was alert, giving a terse recap of events to Ezra, even as he armed himself and got ready for action.
Then, there was no time left.
“Get out of the car!” Jim yelled at Helen, diving for the driver’s side door as she rolled out of it. A woman approached the passenger side, lightning playing about her hands.
He realized in an instant, that she’d felled the tree, not lightning from the sky. For one thing, the few clouds above weren’t storm clouds. It was a beautiful day with no rain. The lightning was a mage bolt, and it had come from the woman.
