Storm Bear

by Bianca D’Arc

  Too serious. She knew she was getting in way over her head, but her heart didn’t care what her head thought. Her heart wanted to follow these feelings wherever they led. Ace was at the center of everything, and if he wanted to stay in Grizzly Cove, she just hoped he invited her along.

  And, if he didn’t want to stay here, that was okay, too. As long as he wanted them to be together, she would go wherever he did. It was just that simple. And that staggering. She’d never had these kinds of thoughts—permanent thoughts—about a guy she’d only really just met. Heck, she’d barely had daydreams of forever with her last serious boyfriend, and they’d dated for more than a year, on and off.

  Then, her power had shown up in earnest, and her life had gotten weird. She’d been rolling along fine as just another regular human woman with no magic for most of her life, when suddenly, in the middle of what should have been her college years, her strange affinity for the weather had become obvious, and she finally realized that she could actually control it to some extent.

  A girl in one of her classes had been the daughter of a highly-ranked mage family, and she had looked down on Sabrina. It was that snobby girl who had finally clued Sabrina in.

  Magic. The girl had uttered that word when they were alone in the hall one day, and something had clicked into place in Sabrina’s mind. Magic was her problem, and the obnoxious girl obviously had a lot more knowledge than Sabrina did about it.

  Sabrina braved the other girl’s scorn to ask a few questions. It had been worth the insults to finally learn that there really was such a thing as magic and witches…and wizards, mages, magic users, sorcerers…whatever they were called.

  The girl had admonished Sabrina to get her act together and stop leaking magic all over the place, where just anybody could sense it. Apparently, she’d been wreaking havoc with the girl’s concentration all semester, and that was probably a large part of the reason she was so hostile. Of course, she was the first of many to disparage the fact that Sabrina only had a small amount of power—and all of it was directed towards weather working.

  A one-trick pony. That’s what she’d been, magically. And it wasn’t really much of a trick, at that. Just a little weather-witchery. Nothing special, and certainly nothing to garner enough attention to attract a teacher. The girl had grudgingly told her how to stop broadcasting her power, but that was more for the girl’s benefit than Sabrina’s. After that brief, nastily-worded exchange, Sabrina had never spoken to the other girl, again.

  Sabrina had left school soon after. Her heart just wasn’t in it, and frankly, she’d run out of money. Loans were available, but she didn’t feel comfortable going into debt when she didn’t really have any clear idea of what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She just couldn’t see herself working in an office, watching the clouds roll by through a tiny window. That sounded like torture, in fact.

  So, instead, Sabrina had traveled wherever the wind had taken her. Eventually, she’d discovered the town in Canada and learned about werewolves. She’d bartered her small gift for a safe haven, though it hadn’t lasted all that long before her power ratcheted up unexpectedly.

  And that’s how she’d ended up here. With Ace. A man who could very easily be the love of her life. Strange, how things worked out. It was enough to make her believe in magic, all over again.

  And, speaking of magic… Urse walked into the bakery, greeting Sabrina and Ace with a friendly smile.

  “Glad you two are still here,” Urse said brightly, coming right over to their table. “I thought maybe this afternoon would be a good time to introduce you, Sabrina, to some of the mer.”

  “Seriously?” Sabrina lit up. She was really intrigued by the idea of honest-to-goodness mermaids living in the cove.

  “You bet. And Ace,” she looked at him, “John wanted me to ask if you had time, maybe you could have a look at some of the town vehicles? He said he’d count it as a personal favor. Apparently, Brody’s been singing your praises all over the office.”

  Sabrina spent the afternoon with Urse, meeting some representatives of the mer pod that lived in the cove, while Ace took a look at the small fleet of vehicles parked at the town hall. He knew damned well that he was being checked out by the guys. Several of the core group of ex-military bear shifters came up to talk with him while he was working on the cars and trucks. A few offered to help for a while, subtly grilling him while they worked.

  Ace didn’t mind. He knew acceptance here would have to be earned. Most of these guys didn’t know him, but they seemed to come to respect his skills by the end of a very productive afternoon of automotive repair. He had taken care of all the easy fixes, right away, and left a few more complicated jobs for later. He’d started an overhaul on one engine that was badly in need of it and was already making mental plans on how he would go about fixing the others.

  He would need to order a few parts, and he’d made up a list, intending to talk to John about it at dinner. He figured he’d go right to the top—to the Alpha bear. Few things happened in this town without his say so. At least, that’s the very strong impression Ace had. He’d do a bit of evaluating of his own. He was on display for the guys who’d built this town, but they were also on trial with him. If Ace was going to even start thinking about staying here, he’d have to know more about the population. He’d need to make friends, which wasn’t something he did easily.

  Honestly, he felt a bit like a fish out of water without his brothers around. They made friends as a group, usually. It was odd to not have Jack and King there to get their opinions on the people he met. He wondered if they were having the same issues, but he still had a few days until the agreed-upon call time.

  Wherever his brothers were, he wouldn’t impinge on their time away. They’d agreed to a schedule of check-ins, and he would abide by it. Only a dire emergency would make one of them break the schedule and call early.

  The Alpha’s home was really nice. John and Ace stood outside on the deck while John presided over the grill. The girls were inside, talking like old friends. Apparently, the day spent together had helped create the beginnings of a bond between them. Ace was glad. Sabrina could use a few allies in her corner, and these two were powerful—each in their own ways.

  “So, have you heard from your brothers lately?” John asked as he turned the steaks on the grill. The Alpha’s tone might be casual, but Ace knew the question was anything but.

  “We agreed on a timetable for check-ins,” Ace explained to the Alpha bear. “It’ll be a few days yet before we call each other.”

  “Must be difficult for you, being away from them like this,” John said, clearly fishing.

  Ace shrugged. “It’s good for our mental health to get out and do things on our own once in a while. We usually spend so much time together, I’ll admit, it feels strange not to have them around, but we’ve separated before a few times, and it always turned out to be a good thing. It makes us that much closer when we get back together.”

  “You know we’ve been scouting you.” John turned, pinning Ace with his intent gaze. Ace nodded. “The thing is… We’ve all met you, and pretty much everyone who’s interacted with you has a good report, but we don’t know your brothers. The background we’ve been able to establish makes it pretty clear—in addition to what you just told me—that in all likelihood, you three come as a package deal. That’s where we have reservations.”

  Ace nodded. “I appreciate your honesty, and I’ll be just as blunt. I like your town. I think you’ve done a really great thing here. Everything I’ve seen tells me I’d be a fool to leave, but by the same token, I have a life and friends—and, yes, my family—to consider. Our original plan was to meet back in Phoenix when we were done with our travels.”

  John held Ace’s gaze for another long moment before turning back to the grill and giving a philosophical shrug of his shoulders. “Well, nothing needs to be decided, right now. You’re more than welcome to stay in town for a while. Who knows? Maybe one or both of
your brothers will wander through in their travels, and we can get to know all three of you.” John started serving up the steaks, the two men working together to juggle the plates. “Stranger things have happened.”

  Dinner was lovely, and Sabrina had seldom enjoyed an evening with friends more. Urse was someone she could both respect and like. Given half a chance, Sabrina thought Urse could become a really good friend. It all depended on how long Sabrina got to stay in Grizzly Cove. Right now, she wished she could stay here forever. She had a little fantasy about working in one of the galleries on Main Street and helping keep the place safe from the worst of the weather. Maybe the people here would appreciate her efforts in a way nobody else really ever had.

  She could even do as some other weather witches she’d heard of did and hire out to local communities of Others to help them keep their areas free from damaging storms. Some magical folk who had interests in agricultural activities hired weather witches to steer rain to their crops or away, depending on need. Sabrina could do that. She’d been able to do that even before her power had taken a massive spike.

  She’d bet, with her increase in ability and the control she was learning from the mages here, she could do it from a much longer distance. She could probably stay here, safe in Grizzly Cove, and steer weather within several hundred miles. She’d have to ask the magic circle if they thought her hunch on that was right. Maybe they could even do a few controlled experiments.

  But that was a daydream for another time. For now, she still had to work on her control and understanding of her newly increased abilities. She pulled her bike up next to Ace’s in the hotel parking lot and parked. She liked riding the bike because it gave her time to think, but being with Ace was even better.

  They walked into the hotel room together, speaking softly about the dinner they’d just shared with the Alpha couple, and she had a warm glow in the region of her heart. After all the turmoil of the past few days, to have such a calming, enjoyable evening was a treasure.

  The hotel room was just as inviting as it had been when she’d first arrived. She just could appreciate it more, now that she was way calmer. The rooms were built for shifters. Everything was large and durable, and there was actually space to move around, unlike most other hotel rooms, which were built for economies of scale.

  After checking the suite for safety—something Ace did as a matter of course, it seemed—he plunked himself down on the sofa in the main room. They’d been given a suite that had a main room with a seating area and large television with separate bedroom and bathroom attached. Compared to the rinky-dink place they’d stayed that one night on the way here, this suite was a mansion.

  Ace looked like he wanted to talk. Or decompress. He didn’t turn on the TV, but he sat on the couch, looking like a man with a lot on his mind. Sabrina went to the small fridge in the suite and took out two cold drinks—beer for him and bottled water for herself—and joined him on the couch.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” she said. “Or, rather, how about a beer, instead of a penny?” She handed him the bottle and was glad to see him smile faintly. He looked tired. Or, maybe, contemplative.

  “Thanks.” He opened the bottle and took a long pull of the imported brew before speaking. “John told me they’d been scouting me.”

  “For what?” She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by the term. Were the bears putting together some sort of team? Or was he talking about being checked out for residency in the cove?

  “They don’t have a mechanic shop in town. Seems they think it’d be a nice addition,” he replied. “Makes sense,” he added. “They’ve set the place up for tourists to pass through and spend money. Those tourists will need a place to get things checked out if their vehicles decide to misbehave. Fastest way to get them on their way is to have someone in town qualified to fix them up and move them along.”

  “So…they’re open to tourists, they just don’t want them to hang around that long?” Sabrina had to chuckle at the way the bears thought.

  “That’s about the size of it. Blending in, but also not allowing folks to stay too long. I bet Urse will ask for your help with that if they ever have a problem. Bad weather will usually get tourists to leave a place and go somewhere sunnier.”

  “You’ve got a point there, but I have no idea if they’re willing to let me stay.” Sabrina took a sip of her water. It felt cool against her throat. Clean. Pure. Like almost everything about this magical place.

  “Would you want to, if they let you?” Ace asked in a soft voice.

  Sabrina didn’t really have to think about it. “Yes,” she answered immediately, her tone wistful. “I’m not sure they’ll let me, but if they did, I’d want to do it. I’ve never been any place as…accepting…as this.”

  Ace sighed. “You got a really raw deal up north. Most wolf Alphas are a lot better than Tobias. He basically hung you out to dry.” Ace’s gaze met hers. “Don’t worry. I’m making a full report to the Lords. They will have a little talk with Tobias, I’m certain of it. They’re werewolves themselves, and they don’t tolerate that kind of insensitivity.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t sweat it. I’m done with that place, now.” She thought about that for a moment. “Except for Marilee. I’d like to stay in touch with her, if at all possible. She was the best thing about that town. My one true friend up there.” Sabrina smiled. “And, she’s got my stuff. She said she’d pack it up and send it for me. I’m going to have to give her a call soon and make arrangements. Once I figure out where I’m actually going to land, that is. I’m hoping it’s here, but I should probably wait to make sure.”

  “No need to rush anything. Marilee seemed like a good friend. She’ll take care of your things until you figure out where you’re going to end up settling,” Ace advised.

  He had a way of making everything seem so simple. She liked his calm manner and had really needed his quiet determination when they were in jeopardy. He was a good man to have around in all sorts of circumstances.

  “So, you never said if you’d stay or not. Do you like Grizzly Cove?” she asked him.

  “This place…” He seemed to search for words. “I’ve never felt more at home in a new place so quickly,” he finally admitted. “But there’s more than just me to consider,” he added.

  For a split second, she thought he might be hinting at something more permanent between them, but then, she remembered his family. She’d never met them, but apparently, the three brothers were more together than apart.

  “Have you talked to either of your brothers, yet?”

  Ace shook his head. “We agreed on a strict schedule for calls. I don’t want to interfere in their journeys, so we have a few days yet before we call each other. By then, maybe, things will settle out, and I can be more definite about what’s going on. We have jobs waiting for us in Phoenix. We liked working there and the people we worked with. But, I guess, we were all feeling sort of antsy to be on the road. When Ezra called and asked for help, we were out of there like a shot, headed for South Dakota. And, then, when we probably should have headed back to Arizona, we decided to go walkabout.” Ace shrugged. “I expect all three of us felt it was time for a change. Whether that means just having a little adventure before returning to Arizona or relocating completely, I still don’t know.”

  “But, if you get the invitation to stay here and your brothers are willing, would you?” she insisted.

  Ace looked at her, meeting her gaze with an unreadable expression on his face. “Yeah,” he finally answered, “I would. I like the people and the place. There are just a lot of variables to work through, right now.”

  Sabrina nodded, feeling the weight of her own uncertainties pressing down. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

  “Come here,” he said gently, holding one arm out. She scooted under his arm and snuggled into his side, enjoying the quiet and the man. He placed a tender kiss on the crown of her head as she settled against him. “It’ll all work out. I promise.”

&
nbsp; Sabrina must have dozed, because sometime later, she felt herself being lifted into the air by Ace’s strong arms. He treated her so gently. How could she not enjoy her time with this special man?

  “What time is it?” she asked, her voice rough with sleep.

  “Sorry,” he said immediately. “I was trying not to wake you. It’s after eleven. I was just going to put you in bed.”

  He crossed the threshold into the separate bedroom of the suite and placed her on the bed. She looked up at him, and suddenly, she didn’t want him going anywhere. She had no idea what he’d had planned when he brought her in here, but she had definite ideas about what was going to happen next. Starting with getting rid of all the clothes between them.

  “Don’t go,” she whispered, touching his cheek as he bent over her.

  His eyes flared with awareness as he sat on the side of the wide bed. She sat up and moved closer, putting her hands on his shoulders in a caress as she angled in for a kiss. He picked up on her intent and met her halfway, his arm going around her waist and pulling her in closer.

  The kiss started out steamy and ended up downright scandalous. She pushed at his clothing, wanting it gone. Luckily, he seemed to get the idea, and he helped her remove his shirt. When she was able to touch his skin, she settled in for a nice long exploration of his shoulders and arms. She loved his broad, muscular shoulders so damned much. Just watching him move made her want to touch him, and touching him… Well, that was just the beginning. Touching led to wanting other things. Much more wicked things that she already knew would send her right up to the stars and back, again.

  Being with Ace was an addictive thing. The more she touched him, the more she wanted to touch him. The more they made love, the more she wanted to make love with him. It just kept getting better.