Alpha Bear (25 page)

She prayed they would never face another
situation so extreme that she would have to call upon John and his
men to lend her their power. If they could do that, they might just
have a shot at a peaceful life here in the cove.

As the briefing went on, John painted a
picture of success tempered by the need for more action. The
leviathan was on the move. The lone, brave fisherman who’d dared to
take his boat out beyond the safe zone had described a roiling sea,
filled with evil creatures like the one that had attacked Zak’s
mate in the cove not too long ago.

While the new wards seemed to be keeping the
creatures off shore in the three areas that had already been
warded, they could, and were, still gathering in deeper waters and
the non-warded area. So the water was still off limits to everyone,
and would be for some time to come. Urse wasn’t too concerned about
that. The water was going to be Mellie’s problem. Urse was
concentrating on the land. Though, of course, she would offer her
sister all the support and help she needed when the time came.

The important thing for right now was to
protect everyone on land as best as she could. That was her
mission, and that’s what she would finish—to the very best of her
abilities—tonight. Goddess willing.

When talk turned to where the men would be
stationed around the area where they would be working and the
coffee pot ran empty, Urse got up to make a new pot. She didn’t
really need to know every single detail of where every man would
be. She trusted to John to deploy his people and see to their
safety. That was his thing, by all accounts, strategizing who would
work best where.

No, Urse had to focus on her part in all of
this. She was going to be the one on stage, as it were, though
every man who was backing them up played an important part. She
couldn’t do what had to be done without them, but by the same
token, she didn’t want to flub her part and screw everything up at
the last minute.

So she needed some alone time to think and
prepare quietly.

Currently, that was the kitchen. She reloaded
the coffee maker with fresh ground coffee and simply stood there,
watching it perk. The steam rose from the back of the machine in
little whispers that were almost hypnotic. Perfect. Just what she
needed to take the stress off her shoulders for a couple of
minutes.

She watched the steam and blanked her mind,
looking within to settle her stretched nerves. She was peripherally
aware of someone walking into the kitchen a few minutes later, and
she blinked, breaking the mini-meditative session. She breathed
deeply, enjoying the aroma of fresh coffee as it wafted through the
kitchen. Even just those few minutes away from the stress in the
other room had refreshed her.

She turned her head to face the newcomer into
her private space and was unsurprised to find Cam leaning sideways
against the kitchen counter, his arms folded in front of him as he
watched her. He smiled, and something in the twinkle of his eye
said he knew exactly what she’d been doing.

“Welcome back,” he said, nodding toward her
in a playful way. “Smart of you to take a little break from the
testosterone convention out there.”

She sniffed at him, playing along. “As if
you’re not part of it. You’re as bad as the rest of them.”

He bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Ask me
no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies.”

“It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of
fact.” She reached for the pot of coffee, switching off the machine
that had finished its job for the moment. She’d bring the whole pot
out to the guys, and she was pretty sure it would all be gone
before it had time to grow tepid.

“I stand corrected.” He didn’t move when she
made a motion forward.

He wasn’t exactly blocking her in a hostile
way, but it was pretty clear he wanted to speak to her. She placed
the carafe of coffee back on the warmer and turned to face the fey
warrior, copying his stance and leaning her hip against the kitchen
counter.

“Spit it out.” She thought a slight challenge
was in order. He seemed to like battling verbally, and being
Italian, the fine art of argument—not in an angry way—was her
forte.

“Ah, the direct approach. Just like your ol’
granny.”

Cam smiled at her again, and she had to stop
herself from reacting to the reminder that he was the next best
thing to immortal and had known her Nonna as a young woman. It was
a strange feeling, dealing with a fey. Even weirder was the
juxtaposition of his role as knight protector and this wise ass
side of him that was all troublesome male. Who was the real
Cameron? Would she ever get to know him well enough to know what
his real personality was? Or did she even want to get that close to
a fey?

After all, he would never grow old. Perhaps
this standoffishness on his part was a protective defense. If
everyone he befriended eventually died and he just kept going, that
had to be hard on his heart. Losing friends was always hard. Maybe
he’d decided to keep everyone at arm’s length as a way to prevent
the pain of loss.

Unfortunately, she didn’t think that was
going to work out for him. No matter how hard you tried, you could
never completely shut out the world from your heart. Not if you
were a good person. And there was no doubt in her mind that Cam was
good. He would never have been blessed by the Goddess to be one of
Her chosen knights if he wasn’t pure of heart.

So the cocky attitude had to be a defense
mechanism. She couldn’t really blame him, though it was a little
annoying.

“What’s on your mind, Cam?”

He seemed to study her for a moment before
replying. He squinted a bit, tilting his head as if examining a
specimen under a microscope.

“I wanted to be sure you were in the right
frame of mind for tonight’s work. It’s all well and good for the
bears out there to come up with an action plan, but you’re the one
on whom everything will rise or fall. Your role cannot be
underestimated, and your emotional state is crucial.” His
expression lightened just a tiny bit. “So, tell me, how are you
feeling?”

“Truthfully?” She dropped her head, looking
up at him from the side, allowing her shoulders to slump a bit.
“Tired.” She rolled her head around, trying to loosen the kinks in
her neck. “I’ve never done this much sustained magic in my life.
And I’ve never handled so much raw power. The bears…”

“They pack a wallop, don’t they?” Cam agreed,
smiling kindly. “Furry little buggers.”

She had to chuckle at that ridiculous
description of the mighty grizzlies and their assorted friends who
sat in the other room and, even now, she knew, guarded the
perimeter of their Alpha’s land. There was nothing
little
about any of them. Not their size, nor their magical power. Each
and every one of them was formidable on every level.

“I suspect only a fey could get away with
saying that.”

“And only out of earshot. Aye, you’re right,
lass.” Cam kept the mood between them convivial. “And how are you
doing with the Alpha? Are things settled between you?”

“Settled?” She had to think about that for a
moment. “We have feelings for each other, but I’m not sure how his
people will react to it. Frankly, I’m worried they’ll still want to
run me and my sister out of town after this is all over.” She
slumped against the counter a bit more. “We come from such
different traditions. I keep wondering if a shifter and a
strega
can really make a go of it.”

Cam seemed to study her before saying
quietly, “Francisco and Violetta did, and the world was a better
place for them in it.”

That sounded as if…

“Did you know them?” She had to ask, though
the very thought of it boggled her mind.

Cam sighed. “Aye. I knew your ancestors and
called them friends. They would both be very proud of what you’re
doing here, and I think Francisco, in particular, would’ve liked
your Alpha. They are cut very much of the same cloth.”

This was a rare opportunity. Cam had been
there. He’d seen how her ancestors interacted, the challenges
they’d faced, the way they’d managed such a diverse relationship.
She could pick his brain…if he let her.

“How did they do it?” she asked simply,
hoping he’d give her some clue, some hope.

“That would be telling.” Cam’s eyes twinkled
as he grinned, and she couldn’t believe he was teasing her now,
about something so very important.

She growled at him, surprising herself a bit.
She’d never growled at someone before. Maybe John was rubbing off
on her more than she knew.

Cam straightened away from the counter and
gazed at her, approval in his eyes.

“Now that, right there, is why you’ll
probably have an easier time of it than they did. You have
Francisco’s blood in your veins. The others will recognize it on
some level, if they haven’t already. The more you are around John
and his people, the more you will feel the influence. Oh, you’ll
never be a bear shifter, but you’re an Alpha female in your own
right. That ought to go a long way toward solving any problems that
might crop up.”

“I’m not that strong,” Urse insisted, almost
afraid to believe what he said might be true. It meant so much to
her that John’s people accept their relationship. She didn’t want
to cause a rift between him and his comrades.

“Being an Alpha female is more than the kind
of strength you’re probably talking about. Being a true Alpha
female means being like the Goddess—kind and benevolent when
needed, nurturing all in Her path, being there for anyone who needs
help, but also steadfast when necessary, as you are being now in
placing your wards. You are already caring for the Clan gathered
here by doing so. They recognize it. You’ll see. You’re earning
their respect with everything you do here, lass.” Cam’s expression
was serious. She almost believed him. “And if you canna believe
me…” he said, as if reading her mind, “…then have a talk with Steve
before he leaves. Ask him about his mother. Now there was an Alpha
female of the highest caliber, Goddess bless her.”

Cam walked closer and put his hands on both
of her shoulders. He was a lot taller than she was—taller even than
John—so she felt tiny and sort of enclosed by his presence. His
gaze held hers, and the space between them became charged with a
benevolent sort of energy.

“You must put all these thoughts from your
mind tonight, lass. You have to focus your mind, body, heart and
soul on the spell. Only then, will you succeed in protecting this
place and its people.”

She felt every word as if it were an
imperative, etched in her mind. Was he using some kind of magic on
her? She wasn’t sure, but did it really matter? It was for good. He
was a knight, pledged to the Goddess Herself. She trusted him.

And as she thought that, the magic he had
been using absorbed into her skin, into her body, mind, and soul.
Probably just as he’d intended. And she could feel the goodness.
This was his way of helping her.

Cam smiled at her. “I wish I could do more
for ye, lassie, but this is your trial. Your task. I do not doubt
you. See that you do not doubt yourself.”

She smiled back at him. “I’ll do my
best.”

“Aye.” He dropped his hands and stepped back.
“That is all we can ever ask of ourselves.”

Cam moved away, toward the entrance to the
kitchen, and that’s when Urse saw John standing there, in the
archway. He was frowning at Cam, but the fey merely smiled and
sauntered out of the room.

John moved inside and walked closer to
her.

“You okay?” he asked, still frowning.

She went right up to him and put her arms
around his waist, hugging him close and resting her cheek against
his chest.

John wasn’t sure what to make of the scene he
had just walked in on, but having Urse in his arms felt good. Good
enough for him to not go after the fey bastard who had just been
way too close to his mate.

“I’m good, John,” she said softly, her words
muffled against his chest. “In fact, when I’m with you, I’m the
best I’ve ever been.”

His breath caught. She’d just hit the nail on
the head of feelings he’d been having for a while now, but couldn’t
quite articulate. There was something about having Urse in his life
that made him a better man. A better leader. A better Alpha.

“Roger that, honey, and right back at’cha,”
he whispered, bending his head so that he could kiss the crown of
her hair.

They stood there, content in each other’s
arms for long moments. Only the arrival of Zak, looking for fresh
coffee, broke them apart. Zak stole the carafe from the warming
plate and went back out into the living room, but by then, John and
Urse had let go of each other, though they didn’t go far. Arm in
arm, they walked back into the living room to face the knowing
looks of the rest of the team.

Nobody said anything for a moment until
finally Zak broke the tension by the simple act of pouring more
coffee for everyone. Eventually, he sat back down in his spot
around the low table, and they all got back to work.

John felt like roaring with Urse tucked close
to his side as the guys kept right on making plans. None of them
objected, which meant they tacitly approved of the relationship. It
was a good omen for breaking the news to everyone.

But that could wait until after the ceremony
tonight. Actually, it could wait until John and Urse were damn good
and ready to talk about their mating.

Long before the moon rose, everyone was in
position. John had taken Urse to a spot she never would have
expected on the southern tip of the cove. On a rocky bluff stood a
short circle of stones. A sacred place.

Oh, it wasn’t Stonehenge. The rocks here were
smaller and uncut. They looked more like the standing stones in
France than the more orderly blocks of England, but they would get
the job done. This felt like a natural formation, put here when the
earth was young, blessed of the Goddess.