by Bianca D’Arc
“The pull was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I started out following it, trying to figure out what it was, and suddenly, I found myself halfway around the cove, in the woods. It led me out of sight of everyone else, into the woods and around to where my ward no longer held the creature at bay. If the bond hadn’t been broken by John’s shifting in its path, I shudder to think what would have happened.” Ursula shivered in her seat.
“‘Tis to your credit you were able to wake yourself from the leviathan’s song before you were out of the woods,” Cam commented.
“It felt like something was wrong, but at first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. Eventually, I woke up and I stopped walking, doing everything I could to resist, but I was frozen. I couldn’t move until John found me and shifted, breaking the spell,” she admitted, smiling softly at John, like he was some kind of hero or something.
John felt that smile all the way down to his bones. That his mate would look at him like that was…well…it was an amazing feeling. It was something he wanted to see for the rest of his life. He wanted to be worthy of that kind of look from her all the time. He would do everything in his power to be her real life hero from now until eternity.
Cam cleared his throat, gently bringing John back to the conference room and the meeting that was in progress. Only Ursula had that effect on him. Only his mate could distract him from a room full of shifters holding a war plan session.
John shook his head, amused at himself. He couldn’t get upset about it. Finding his mate was a momentous thing. It might be a little inconvenient to be so distracted during a crisis like this, but he couldn’t feel bad about it. He’d found his mate! He’d cut himself a little slack on everything else—as long as he was still able to keep everyone safe.
They kept making plans and accounting for all sorts of contingencies that might never come to pass. Joe Nightwing was going to do aerial recon, as John had expected. He would be reporting to Brody, who was going to coordinate the ground troops while John was once again in the center of the circle with Ursula.
The Jackal was surprisingly easy to work with. He was smooth-tongued and had a wickedly sharp wit and eye for strategy that John came to quickly respect. He, too, would be reporting to Brody, but he was going to be paired with Zak, running recon. Having the two newcomers on recon would free up John’s men for defense.
“I’d like to split up our forces into two groups. Alpha team will be led by Brody. Red, if you’re up for it, I’d like you to lead Beta.” John nodded toward Steve Redstone, using the nickname he’d gone by in the military.
“It’d be an honor,” Red answered right away, as John had known he would.
Red might be a cat, but he was a born leader of men. He didn’t do well in the background. He had to be one of the guys leading the charge. It was where his true talent lay, and John was happy to exploit the strengths of every single one of the men under his command.
Not that they were still in the military, but this was sure starting to feel like one of their old ops. They hadn’t gone up against magic often, but occasionally, there were unseen forces their unit had to deal with when regular human troops were getting their asses handed to them. Most of the brass never knew why John’s team was so damn good at the impossible missions. They just knew he got results.
There was one officer though…a Navy admiral…who knew the score. He was in the command structure, and he knew exactly who to call when magic came into play. He was the one John had called when the leviathan had first appeared, but though he was willing to send his best people, they were otherwise engaged in real world activities at the moment and wouldn’t be free to come out to Grizzly Cove anytime soon. Those were the guys they needed. John could feel it in his bones.
Until those guys were available, the residents of Grizzly Cove simply had to do what they could to protect themselves from the creature. Ursula was putting herself and her magic on the line to do just that, and he couldn’t be more proud of her. She was one hell of a woman.
“Now…” Cam said, breaking into John’s thoughts. “I believe you have a sample of one of the smaller creatures on ice somewhere. Is it possible we could take a wee look? See what we’re up against?”
“Sure.” John signaled to Brody, who was closest to the door. Brody got up and left the room. “We sent about half of it up to the Lords after Zak here managed to rip one of the tentacles off the smaller creature that had attacked his mate, but nobody in Montana had ever seen anything like it, and the High Priestess is away at the moment. We’re hoping to get more information once she has a chance to look at it.”
At that point, Brody returned, carrying a heavy duty trash bag in his hands. He placed it on the table in front of Cam, pulling it open to show what was inside.
Cam scrambled from his chair, standing up in what appeared to be alarm. John watched, seeing the fey’s face pale.
“Uh, Brody, you want to move that a little farther away from him?” John said into the stunned silence. Nobody had expected the cool, collected fey to nearly jump out of his skin like that.
“Sorry,” Brody mumbled, taking the bag back and moving it down the table a good five feet. Cam watched it with an intense expression.
“Dear Mother in heaven,” the fey muttered as the tentacle fragment moved farther away. “I never thought to see such things in this realm again.”
“What is it?” Steve asked, looking into the trash bag that was now closer to him.
“I thought…” He trailed off and started over. “I’d hoped you were exaggerating. Or just plain wrong, but this… This is definitely from one of the leviathan’s minions. Something from another realm. An evil thing from a place of evil. A creature of chaos and hunger that never ends.” Cam was staring at the bag, his face still pale. “Such things should not be here in the mortal realm. This is very bad indeed. It means the Destroyer’s followers are even stronger than we suspected. Otherwise, they could not have summoned such a demon.”
“Any tips on how to send it back where it came from?” John asked. “The strega seem to think it cannot be killed, only banished.”
“Oh, aye. That’s the way of it. Its power is connected to its own realm and, as such, cannot be severed from here. It needs to be sent elsewhere, but it is not a job for just anyone. That would require a very special skill set and balls the size of Kentucky.”
John couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected comment, and finally, the tension broke. Cam seemed to calm, and a bit of his normal color returned, though he remained on his feet until John gave Brody the nod, and he took the bag back to the empty fridge, where it had been stored.
“Trisha should probably take a look at this,” Steve offered. “My mate is Admiral Morrow’s daughter. She has powers over water, like her brothers.” Then Steve frowned. “But I don’t want her in danger.”
“I called Admiral Morrow when this all started,” John told him, nodding. “The Admiral promised to send one of his sons here as soon as they were done with their current assignment, but they’re out of communication for a while yet. Deep undercover.”
“Probably deep underwater,” Steve commented with a chuckle.
“That was the impression I got,” John agreed. “They’re coming, but I don’t know when.”
“Well, then, if you’ve got a Navy SEAL water sprite on the way, we’ll just leave the creature to him,” Cam declared. “Either one of them has the skill set I was talking about, no doubt. If anyone can rid this world of the leviathan once again, it will be one—or maybe both—of Trisha’s brothers. I’ve met the lady, and her power is formidable.” Cam nodded respectfully to Steve.
“We just have to do what we can until then,” John put in.
“Aye,” Cam agreed with him, nodding again. “And the lassie’s wards will go a long way toward safeguarding this cove for generations to come. What we’re doing here right now is not trivial. In fact, it is vital if you wish to keep this town going. Concentrating this much magical power in
one place will require ongoing protection.”
“I guess I didn’t really think of that when I came up with this idea.” John felt a little sheepish for having overlooked such a big thing.
He knew intimately how magical bears were. He should’ve thought about how grouping them together in one spot might attract the wrong sort of attention. But in his defense, the plans for the town had been in place for a very long time—years longer than anyone even thought there might be a threat from something like the Venifucus.
“Don’t feel bad, Alpha,” Cam absolved him. “Under normal circumstances, you and your people probably could have handled whatever came your way. None of you could have foreseen some damn fool would be mad enough to release the leviathan.”
Chapter Thirteen
When lunch was brought in for the guys, Urse decided to leave. John insisted on walking her back to the bookstore, where she could rest up for the evening’s work. He dropped her off at the door, insisting she enter before he would leave and making Amelia promise to keep her sister there and call him if Urse stepped even one toe outside the store.
The kiss he gave her before leaving set her toes on fire and left her feeling a little bit giddy, but any promise of passion fulfilled it made would have to wait until later.
Surprisingly, Mellie didn’t give her any guff about her new relationship with John. Mellie just gave her a big hug and told her she’d already made lunch. Urse had to smile. Nonna had taught them well. The best comfort an Italian woman could offer her family was to feed them.
Mellie had gone all out on lunch. She’d prepared all of Urse’s favorite dishes, knowing she wouldn’t be able to eat again until after the sunset ceremony.
“Thanks, Mel.” Urse almost sniffled when she saw the awesome lunch Mellie had prepared, but settled for hugging her sister again, briefly.
After she ate, Urse prepared the few things she’d need for the evening, repacked her overnight bag in case she ended up at John’s again, and then did a little tidying up around the apartment before she settled in for a nap. She needed to be rested before she attempted to lay another ward in the presence—and defiance—of the leviathan. She hadn’t really told anyone how drained she felt after each session, but the effect was becoming greater. She just had to get through tonight and then the big full moon ceremony tomorrow…
She prayed to the Mother of All that she had the strength.
When Urse woke, John was there, sitting on the side of her bed, smiling softly, though she could read concern in his warm brown eyes.
“How are you feeling?” The warm growl of his voice swept over her senses like a velvet caress.
That new part of her that seemed to be growing stronger in his presence stretched to meet him. The tiny part of her soul that touched the bear spirit was happy whenever they were near John. Of course, John seemed to make every part of Urse happy. He was so safe and warm. He was also caring and so handsome she could still hardly believe he was real.
“Better,” she told him. “I was just a little tired. What time is it?”
“About an hour ‘til sunset. I left the guys to prepare and figured I’d come over and help you get ready, if you needed help.”
“I already set up the few things I’ll need. I just have to freshen up and get dressed, then we should probably get moving. I want to be up at the site in plenty of time.”
John stood and moved back while she sat up and got out of bed. She paused long enough to step close to him and give him a hug. He seemed bemused by it, but he wrapped his strong arms around her and let her snuggle into his warmth for a moment.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” she whispered, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against the steady beat of his heart. He was such a good man. So strong and yet so tender with her.
“Anytime, honey.”
They stood for a few moments longer before she reluctantly drew away to start getting ready. John went out into the living room to chat with Mellie while Urse did her thing.
After she’d put on the fresh clothing she’d laid out before falling asleep, she went out to find John. He escorted her to the door, and Mellie followed them down, giving Urse a hug.
“Be careful, sis,” Mellie whispered.
“You too. Don’t leave the building.”
“I’m leaving Peter with you,” John put in, directing his words to Mel. “I don’t trust the leviathan as far as I could throw it. Until we’re sure it can’t reach either of you, someone will be watching over you at all times.”
Mel stood back and nodded at John. “Thanks.”
Urse would have expected her sister to object, but Mellie was just as scared of the leviathan as she was now. That thing was dangerous and had proven it could reach through the wards with its song to lure Urse away. If it could do that, it could probably do the same to Mel. Better to have a bear shifter guard watching her, and Urse suspected Mel liked Peter even more than she was letting on.
They left without further comment and headed for John’s SUV. He drove them around to the northern point of the cove, where tonight’s work would be done. They didn’t talk much on the way. Urse was going over what she had to do in her mind and trying to calm down. Her nerves were fried, which wasn’t a good mindset with which to go into a major magical working.
“It’s gonna be all right,” John said, covering one of her hands with his as he pulled to a stop in the woods near the northern point of the cove. Other cars were already there, in a small clearing, meaning his guys were already in the area, securing the perimeter.
“How do you know?” She allowed a bit of her doubt to show. She felt safe enough with John to let him in.
“Because I’ll be with you every step of the way. When we’re together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. And we have allies.” He nodded toward the tree line. “Cam’s already here. I know we just met the guy, but I have a feeling he’s going to come in handy.”
His attitude helped a lot. “Thanks. I needed the reminder. This has already taken a lot out of me, and I was worried…”
“Honey, I know this is draining you. I’m sorry for it. Sorrier than I can say. But I don’t think your Nonna, or the Mother of All, would set a task before you that you couldn’t accomplish. You said your grandmother knew your magic better than anyone else, right? She was the one who laid out the initial plan. She’s never given you reason to think she doubts your ability to see it through. If she has confidence in you, so should you.”
Now that was something she hadn’t thought of in quite that way.
“You know…you’re right. Nonna wouldn’t set me up for failure. And we decided on this course even before she knew Cam was here—or what you and your men truly could contribute. I think there’s power enough to spare on our side. At least, I hope so.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know so.” His tone was full of the confidence she needed so much to hear. “It may tire you and stretch you to your limits, but you’ve got this, baby. And I’m right there with you. I won’t fail you. Ever.”
She reached across the center console and kissed him. He was such a good man.
“How did I get so lucky as to have you here, exactly when I need you?” She whispered her thoughts, but she knew he heard her. He kissed her back, taking just a moment to give her a proper, toe-curling kiss.
Urse felt the ripple of magic that told her Cam was nearby as she moved away from John. Sure enough, the fey knight was standing about ten feet from the SUV, in plain sight, pretending not to see what they’d been doing. The magical “knock” had been his polite way of letting her know he was there.
She sent Cam a smile and then opened the door and hopped down from the tall vehicle. John got out on the driver’s side and came around to walk with her toward the trees.
“Is everything ready?” John asked the man standing behind Cam. It was a bear shifter she hadn’t met before but knew from seeing him around town.
“All set to go,” the man replied. He looked awfull
y familiar, and when Brody stepped out of the trees and came to stand next to him, she immediately saw the family resemblance.
They must’ve seen her eyes widen because Brody tipped his hat toward her. “Have you met my brother, Jack? He’s the Game Warden.”
“Nice to meet you, Jack. Thanks for helping with this,” she told him, giving him a warm smile.
“Happy to be of service, ma’am.” Jack tipped his hat much the way Brody had done.
When they arrived at the site, Urse realized the exposure in this particular setup. They were on a small triangular spit of rocky land that marked the northern side of the mouth of the cove. There were no trees nearby. The land dropped off abruptly to a narrow strip of beach that lay about five feet below the rocky ground she would be standing on.
The ocean was already churning, and she sensed the approach of the leviathan and its minions beneath the waves. She began to understand it had left the smaller creatures nearer to shore to keep watch while it went out into the ocean to do Goddess-only-knows-what. And now that the shifters, herself and Cam were present, the minions were calling to its master.
“We don’t have a lot of time.” She nearly had to shout to be heard above the crashing of the waves as it increased in intensity. “It knows we’re here, and it’s coming.”
“Aye,” Cam said, appearing at her side. “Cast your circle, milady. I’ll protect from without as best I can while you and your bear work the magic within.”
Urse wanted to question Cam’s decision, but there was no time. She’d thought he’d be inside the circle with her, helping her, but instead, he was going to be outside? That was disappointing, to say the least. But he knew his own abilities better than she did. Maybe there was something he could do from outside the circle that would help more. She had no idea what that might be, but she had to trust that she—and John—would be enough to seal this side of the entrance to the cove with one of her most powerful wards and make it safe.
