Alpha Bear (22 page)

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
awfully 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.

She’d been going through what she would do
since last night. She cast a much smaller circle this time, making
sure John was close to her. He said nothing for the moment. He just
helped as he had before, in spreading the salt and standing by,
offering his silent support.

“Get your guys as far away from the beach as
you can,” she told him as she cast. He was wearing a radio that
would be useless once she closed the circle, but for now, he could
still communicate with his men. She had to warn him that this time
was different. “The leviathan is coming. It’s going to put up one
hell of a fight and anyone outside this circle will be in very
serious danger.”

“What about Cam?” John asked, already
fingering his radio.

She shrugged, turning to him in confusion,
letting her fear show for just a moment. “I have no idea what he’s
capable of, but he said he’s staying outside the circle. I can only
assume he has defenses of his own, but everyone else will be super
vulnerable. Keep them well back. They can’t help when the magic
starts flying anyway. Do it now, John. I’m nearly finished with the
circle.”

She started moving again, knowing he was
talking fast and low over his radio. She looked up and received his
nod before she lay the last grains of salt and said the final
incantation.

She had no sooner closed the circle before
the leviathan became visible in the distance. It was closing
fast.

“Sweet Mother of All,” she whispered,
watching it approach, frozen for a moment. John stepped up behind
her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He dipped his head close
to her ear and spoke in low, urgent tones.

“Don’t let it intimidate you, honey. Often
the biggest shows are put on by the weakest opponents. This is all
designed to scare you and make you falter. Don’t let it get to you.
It wouldn’t try so hard to stop you if you weren’t seriously
cramping its style. Do your thing, babe. I’m right here, with
you.”

She stayed one moment longer in his arms,
gathering courage from his presence and his words. He was so good
to her. He knew just what to say to bolster her.

Patting his hands, she stepped forward toward
the ocean, meeting the advance of the creature with purpose in her
steps. She positioned herself at the center of the circle and began
to chant.

The words were ancient. Powerful. She had
thought out each in advance and done all she could to craft the
perfect sequence of prayers, benedictions, beseeching and
commanding of the power that flowed through her by the will of the
Goddess. She began to feel the power exerting itself through her,
up into the center of the dome of protection she had spun,
gathering strength and steam until it was ready to be
unleashed.

As before, she felt John’s support as his
magic came out to play with hers. They were even more attuned to
each other than before, and she was able to take more of his raw
energy and fashion it into what would become one of the strongest
wards she had ever produced—if she could follow through and cast
the spell before the leviathan did something to thwart her.

She felt the creature’s assault on her circle
of protection. It battered at her, to no avail. She worried briefly
for the men who were outside the circle, but she hoped they were
all smart enough to know when to stand back.

All except Cam. She felt his presence behind
her circle, moving swiftly around as the leviathan grew closer.
What was he up to?

He came around the side of her circle closest
to the sea, and she understood. He was the ace in the hole. The
surprise to distract and enrage the creature. While Cam did battle
with it on a magical level, she would have to act to protect the
cove. Timing would be everything.

The creature seemed to stop in its tracks the
moment Cam was revealed. And then, all hell broke loose once more.
The creature seemed to jump up out of the water, trying to reach
the fey warrior on the land.

It was hideous. All she could see were myriad
tentacles and razor sharp projections. It couldn’t come completely
out of the ocean, so all she saw were the parts it could project
upwards and outwards, but that was more than enough. She’d be
having nightmares about it for the rest of her life, she was
sure.

She spent a moment worrying about Cam, but
then, she realized the fey was more than equipped to serve as a
diversion while she did her thing. She’d better get on with it, or
all his daring would be for naught.

Urse concentrated on her spellcraft, drawing
on the energy of the earth, the sky, the wind and even the water.
She called upon the willing gift of magical energy from the Alpha
and, through him, from his people. She didn’t take too much from
them. They needed to be able to defend themselves, and there was
still tomorrow to consider, when they would be called upon again to
donate power to the protection of their town.

She took what she judged to be enough. She
had a specific goal in mind for tonight. A geographical area she
wished to protect with her spell that covered exactly half of the
mouth of the cove. The other half would be done tomorrow—and then
some. Tomorrow night, when she had the power of the full moon to
call upon, and no spellwork to do the following day, she would
create the biggest overlap she could to be certain the cove had as
much protection as she could provide.

For tonight, she knew exactly how far to push
herself and her helpers. She spoke the words, her confidence
increasing as she felt the way John’s power merged so much more
seamlessly with hers. It was beautiful, really, but she didn’t have
time to sit and study it. Perhaps that would come later. When the
danger was past.

When she was ready, she loosed the spell,
only peripherally aware of Cam’s golden armor glowing just outside
the circle as he faced the monster. Whether his armor manifested to
everyone or if her ability to see it was a byproduct of the immense
power she wielded, she didn’t know, but she was glad to see that
mark of the Goddess as she flung her spell in the very teeth of the
leviathan.