by Bianca D’Arc
Chapter Twelve
The first thing Urse did when she went inside was to grab her cell phone. She spared a moment to text Mel that she was okay and promised to call in a bit, but she had to talk to her grandmother first. Urse knew John and his friends were making a lot of phone calls too. They were interfacing with those Redstone people about who was going to join Cam tomorrow, and somebody was reporting to the Lords of the were, but Urse was more interested in the magical side of things, and what her Nonna thought about the knight showing up.
And Cam said he’d known Nonna when she was younger. Urse wanted to know more about that too, but when Nonna refused to say much about her prior acquaintance with the fey warrior, other than the fact that she had known him in her youth, Urse was disappointed. No matter how much she wiggled around the subject, Nonna would say no more.
She did, however, tell Urse to listen carefully to any suggestions Cam might make. She spoke very highly of his magical abilities and seemed both worried and glad that the fey knight had come to Urse’s aid.
Nonna had also taken time to go over every step of the ceremony Urse would perform the next evening. She helped Urse rehearse the wording of her spell and discussed potential countermeasures that might be required, if the leviathan fought back directly as it had the first day.
Urse also described the spell song it had used on her that afternoon. Nonna was very interested in how Urse had been able to break away enough to stop walking toward the water. Nonna seemed impressed that Urse had been able to do so, even if she’d been frozen in place for a time. And Nonna was even more interested in the way John’s shift had cut the magical cord that had been pulling her toward the leviathan.
After she finished the long call with Nonna, Urse called her sister and filled her in on everything that had happened. The first thing she did was release the ward on the doors to the bookstore so Mellie could get out if she wanted to leave. She hadn’t meant to imprison her sister all afternoon. She’d have to come up with a better solution from now on. It wasn’t fair to Mellie to be trapped like that, and Urse both begged for forgiveness and promised not to do it again.
Then came the question of when she was coming home. Urse squirmed for a bit, not sure how Mellie was going to take the news of her new relationship with John.
“Uh…would you mind if I stayed here at John’s tonight? I could ask him to have some of his guys check on you if you don’t want to be all alone there.”
“Wait a minute,” Mellie said. Urse could hear her sister’s excited amusement through the phone line. “Do you mean to tell me that you and the mayor are getting it on?”
“Well…”
“Holy shit!” Mellie nearly shouted into the phone. Urse cringed and held the earpiece away from her head. “I can’t believe it!” Mellie went on, gushing for a moment, then her voice dropped. “Does he growl when he comes?”
“Amelia!” Shocked, Urse used her sister’s full name, scolding even as she blushed.
“Come on, you can tell me,” Mellie wheedled, but no way was Urse discussing this. Not now. It was still too new.
“So that settles it then.” Urse ignored Mellie’s question. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. But I’ll need a change of clothes…” She trailed off, thinking about logistics.
“I can pack a bag for you and have one of the guys bring it over. They seem to have set up a watch on the street. Every few minutes, one of the men strolls past, and it’s not exactly casual.”
“They’re watching the store?” Urse grew alarmed.
“Oh, no. They’re looking at the cove, mostly. Patrolling up and down the street, not just in front of the bookstore.” That made Urse feel a little better. “I’ll ask Peter the next time he drifts by, if he can run your things up to John’s. I’m pretty sure he won’t mind.”
“You’ve got that Russian bear wrapped around your little finger already, don’t you?” Urse chuckled.
“Don’t I wish.” Mel sighed playfully.
“Be good and stay indoors,” Urse reminded her sister. “That thing in the cove almost lured me in earlier today. It has magic that can reach right through my wards. If it could get to me, it can probably get to you too, so promise me you’ll be careful. In fact, why don’t you see if you can go sleep over at the bakery again? It’s not really safe to be alone.”
“I’ll do that,” Mellie agreed. “But you’re no fun. I want to hear all about you and the sexy mayor when you get back here tomorrow. I expect a full report.”
Urse blew a raspberry into the phone before hanging up. Mellie knew Urse loved her, but no way was Urse going to entertain her sister’s prurient curiosity about what John was like in the sack. Not now. Probably not ever.
She must have dozed off because the next thing Urse knew, she was being carried down the hallway in John’s arms. She roused when he paused to open a door and looked around. He’d brought her to a bedroom. It was huge, as was the bed, and from the few belongings scattered around the neat room, she realized it must be John’s.
He laid her on the bed and sat down beside her. His fingers traced gently over her face as he gazed into her eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better.” She reached up to hold his hand against her cheek. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of my town. I had no idea when we started this that it would take so much out of you. Are you sure you can do the next two ceremonies in such short order?” His eyes narrowed, and a frown wrinkled his brow.
She sat up in the bed, facing him. “I recover quickly. It’s just the immediate power drain that’s so hard on me.” She tried her best to reassure him, but he was still frowning. “Besides, I really have no other choice. The moon will be full night after tomorrow, and every day I wait is a day the cove is still in danger from the monster.”
John moved closer. “You do have a choice, honey. You could always walk away and leave us to deal with this on our own.”
Was he testing her? She thought he knew her better than that by now.
“No, I couldn’t.” Her tone was hard, but he was smiling now.
“I figured that’s what you’d say.” He placed one big hand at the back of her head and drew her in for a quick, hot kiss. “You’re fierce, babe. I love that about you.”
Her breath caught at his use of the L word, but he didn’t give her time to think about it. He lowered his head and kissed the living daylights out of her.
And before too long, all thought was banished. Only sensations were left. The feel of his body pressing down over hers. The sudden discovery that he had done away with both of their clothes while he’d been kissing her. The slide of his rough skin over her smoother bits. The sensual delight as he gently claimed her body with his, coming into her in a slow, steady wave.
Like the water lapping at the shore, he began a rhythm that gradually increased, making her moan as he made love to her. And it really did feel like love. There was something different about this night as compared to last. Something familiar, yet incredibly unique. Some melding of energies that turned the building passion into an inferno of desire.
Before all coherent thought fled, she registered the differences and did her best to try to keep up with the raging ecstasy that wanted to break free.
And then, it did.
With a cry of his name, she came, realizing he followed her into bliss only a few seconds later. They were together in all things now, including the ultimate fulfillment. He held her throughout, keeping them joined as the passion peaked, then dropped, then peaked again.
She fell asleep again, his body still joined to hers, and that was the last thing she knew until morning.
John lay awake for a long time, running his finger lightly over the soft skin of her arm, wondering where this relationship was going. She was his mate. He didn’t doubt that now. But how could a powerful witch mate with an Alpha bear? John was torn between the responsibility he felt toward his men,
the town they had all built together, and the deep-seated yearning for his mate.
There was one factor in her favor though. He’d spent a few minutes looking up information about her ancestors. The bear shifter, in particular. Francisco. Turned out he was quite the hero back in the day. Francisco and his mate, Violetta, were both mentioned with great respect in the history of their people.
Francisco and Violetta had worked together—shifter and mage—to keep their people safe. John wanted that with Ursula. Oh, he didn’t want to be famous or mentioned in the histories. He just wanted to live a happy, fulfilled life, full of joy and laughter, with his mate. He wanted her to be by his side, his helpmate, as he would be to her.
He feared they were living in interesting times, as the ancient curse went. Evil was stirring and targeting his people. He would do all he could to defend this place and the people who had made it their home. He liked that Ursula was prepared to do the same. He liked the way they’d worked together today and yesterday. He liked that she’d been able to draw on his innate magical energy and use it to craft something that would protect the cove for years to come.
He just plain liked everything about her. But the question remained in his mind… Could they make this work like her ancestors of old had? Could a bear shifter and a strega really be mates in this modern age?
He sincerely hoped so.
*
As they sat eating breakfast, looking out at the view of the cove the next morning, John filled Urse in on the people they were expecting to arrive that day. He seemed almost excited to welcome them, and Urse could hear the pride in his voice as he talked about showing them around town. Particularly the one he called Red.
“Red is Steve Redstone,” John told her. “He’s the second in command and second oldest of the Redstone brothers. Both he and his older brother, Grif, served in Special Forces, but Grif retired before Steve. They’re cougar shifters, but their Clan encompasses all sorts of Packs, Clans and Tribes. You’ve heard of Redstone Construction, right?”
She nodded. “They’re like one of the biggest construction firms in the country.”
“That’s the one. The brothers run it. Five werecats with majorly Alpha tendencies, and somehow, they make it work.” John sounded like he admired the set up. “Cats aren’t that dissimilar to us. They like to roam alone from time to time, just like bears.”
Urse was interested in all the information John was sharing. Something had definitely changed overnight. He’d been forthcoming with her before, but now, he was letting her in on the inner workings of his mind and telling her things about his people that he probably wouldn’t have told her just a day or two ago. She liked it. She felt like he trusted her, and she really, really liked that.
It was a sign of a strengthening of their relationship. It was a sign of commitment. A sign that she meant more to him than just a momentary fling.
“So seeing what they’d accomplished gave you inspiration for what you’re doing here?” she asked, curious.
“In a way. If a bunch of Alpha cats can subdue their dominance in favor of working with their family, I figured me and my guys—who are just like family to me—could do it too. Bears are better than cats, right?” He grinned in a way that told her he was definitely teasing.
“I bet that’s exactly the sales pitch you used.” She shot him a grin.
“Guilty as charged.” He smiled as he went back to eating the mountain of scrambled eggs and bacon he’d made.
Urse had taken about a quarter of the plate he’d originally set before her and shoveled the rest onto his plate. He’d frowned a bit until she told him there was no way in hell she’d ever eat that much in one sitting. From all appearances, he had no problem eating her portion in addition to the giant one he’d served himself.
“So who else is coming?” she asked, curious about the other new shifters who would be coming to town with Cam.
The very idea that Cam could transport both himself and others magically still boggled her mind, but this was her first encounter with a real live fey. Who knew, really, how deep their magic ran? She’d heard all sorts of fantastical stories about fey since she was a child, but she wasn’t sure what was real and what was just exaggeration.
“An owl shifter named Joe Nightwing,” John surprised her by saying. “I don’t know him personally, but I’ve heard good things about him.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing as an owl shifter,” she admitted.
“They’re a great help with aerial recon,” was John’s rather prosaic comment. “The third guy is a fellow I know by reputation. He’s a mercenary. He leads a group that’s a mixed bag of various kinds of shifters. His name is Seth, and they call him The Golden Jackal.”
“Is that some kind of code name?” Urse asked, intrigued by the mysterious moniker.
John snorted. “Yeah, but it’s also what he is—his beast half is a golden jackal. He’s Turkish, I think. I always thought it was kind of stupid to advertise what he was like that, but they say Seth has a rather ironic sense of humor. It’d be like me calling my group Papa Bear and the Grizzlies.” He snorted again, laughing into his coffee mug.
“Sounds like a 50’s doo wop group,” she joked, chuckling with him.
“I was surprised he was here in the States, actually. Seth is one of those guys who operates in the Middle East most of the time. He speaks a bunch of languages and can infiltrate where we Westerners can’t always go. Seems he’s been in the States for a while now and had traveled to Las Vegas to share intel with the Redstones. He was heading to Wyoming next, but he was willing to stop off here first and help with our little problem.” John finished off the last of his coffee. “He’s probably interested in gathering intel here too. The Jackal’s specialty is recon, so I’m not surprised he’s in the middle of this—whatever this turns out to be. I suspect if the Destroyer is really back in this realm, he’d be the first to know for sure and have proof.”
“When do you expect them to arrive?” The question was no sooner out of her mouth than she felt a big fanfare of magic flaring, as if the sounding of magical trumpets. “Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re here.”
John’s phone rang before he could even ask her how she knew. He picked it up, giving her a raised eyebrow look.
Urse went into action, clearing the empty breakfast dishes and loading the dishwasher while John held a conversation with the sheriff. It looked like their busy day had just begun.
Cameron had poofed in at the town hall this time, along with his three companions. Brody had drawn his weapon on them when they just suddenly appeared, but recognizing Steve Redstone, he put up the muzzle almost immediately, swearing roundly. The guys were still having a good laugh about his reaction when John and Ursula walked into the town hall about ten minutes later.
John greeted them all, letting Steve Redstone do the formal introductions to the two new shifters. Brody had called Zak in, as well as the rest of their core group. The Spec Ops bears had always worked and traveled as a group, while guys like Seth went from team to team and place to place around the world until he’d gone out on his own, gathering a group of likeminded misfits around himself.
With the arrival of Steve and the other shifters, who seemed to know a lot more about Cam than John did, his bear instincts began to settle. Although he would wait and see how Cam behaved, the acceptance and recommendation of the other shifters went a long way toward making John feel better.
John ushered them all into the war room they’d set up at town hall, Ursula with them as the notable sole female. She didn’t seem to mind, but John realized other women—bear women—wouldn’t be so accepting of the lopsided way the military created its Spec Ops teams. John didn’t have anything against women in combat. Bear females could be even more lethal and destructive than many males. But the human military didn’t usually allow women in combat roles—especially not in Special Forces.
That was one of the reasons John had concocted this
retirement strategy. In a village setting, he’d hoped to even out the numbers of males and females, with the aim of helping some of his guys find mates. A lot of them had been soldiering for way too long. Some of them had horrific experiences in their pasts that would probably only begin to be healed by the intervention of an understanding, loving female touch.
“Tonight’s festivities will happen at sunset,” Cam stated, drawing everyone’s attention as they sat around the big conference table in the war room. “The third and final ceremony of the sun will be the culmination of the good work Lady Ursula has done so far. With our help, she may be able to direct the energies of her last two spells into a new protective barrier that will prevent anything like what happened yesterday to bring me here, from happening again.”
“What exactly did you hear, Ursula?” John asked her softly, knowing they all needed to know as much as she could tell them so they could be on the lookout and not fall victim to what had almost happened to her.
“It was a song. Like I imagine a siren’s song might sound, but wordless. More like an indistinct whispering. If the whispers were some kind of communication, they weren’t in any language I’ve ever heard before. They might have been in some language from another realm.”
“That is more likely than not,” Cam confirmed, frowning. “Such language is not fit for mortal ears. Be glad you could not hear it clearly. Such a thing could confound you permanently, leaving you trapped in your own mind. Mad.” He looked around the table, catching every eye. “My advice to you, should any of you suspect you are hearing the voice of the leviathan, hold your ears and do everything in your power not to listen, if possible.”
