Saving Grace (9 page)

In general, the bear shifters meshed well
with the Native Americans of the area, and Gus’s very nature seemed
to earn their respect. Gus was a special kind of bear. Rare and
revered in this part of the world. He’d been born and raised in
British Columbia, Jack knew, and he’d been eager to settle in the
Pacific Northwest when Big John had suggested it, even though most
of Gus’s immediate family was gone.

“Are you both ready?” Gus was finished with
his prayers and had turned back to Jack and Grace.

Jack looked at Grace, and she gazed back at
him.

“What do you want us to do?” she asked,
keeping her attention focused on Jack and Jack alone. He liked
that. So did his inner bear. He stepped closer to her and took both
of her hands in his as they stood near the stone altar at the
center of the circle of stones.

“That’s perfect, actually,” Gus said,
sounding bemused. “Just keep holding hands like that and don’t let
go. I’m going to coax your magics into the open. There’s a chance
you might feel the exchange. Ideally, they magic will meet, merge,
split and remerge, then return to each of you, two halves of one
whole. Sound good?”

“Just get on with it, Gus. I want my mate
safe.”

“Keep your shirt on, Jack. The Goddess
doesn’t appreciate your impatience, and neither do I.”

Grace giggled. The exchange was typical of
the camaraderie between Jack and Gus, and the rest of the guys from
the old unit, for that matter. He was glad Grace seemed to
understand that without being told. She really was perfect for him
in every way.

Gus began muttering again, speaking words in
a chanting tone, beseeching the Mother of All and the Great Spirit
among others. Jack knew the divine went by many names, and though
he called Her the Goddess, he didn’t object to other people’s
beliefs—as long as they were on the right side of things.

Gus chanted a bit more, gesturing with his
hands now and then. It took a few moments, but then, all of a
sudden, Jack felt it. His spine went rigid as his inner bear roared
at the intrusion. It felt like his magic was being sucked out, none
too gently.

Jack heard Grace gasp and felt her hands
tighten on his. The sensations weren’t comfortable. Not at all. But
it wasn’t exactly painful. Just really, really odd.

And then, there was a cacophony of
indescribable sound and a glimmer of golden light mixing with
turquoise above their heads. He couldn’t look at it. It was too
bright. And besides, he wanted to keep his eyes on Grace. Whatever
he was feeling, so was she. He could see it in her eyes.

If they just concentrated on each other, they
could get through anything. Including this majorly uncomfortable
sensation.

The sucking feeling ended, and Jack’s inner
bear felt a strong sense of dismay. Jack felt empty. As if every
drop of magic in him had been wrung out. Which it probably had.

Jack realized the golden magic was his,
mixing with the pure blue of Grace’s, somewhere above their heads,
inside the sacred circle. Jack hoped Gus would work fast. He’d
never been this uncomfortable in his life—including the time he’d
been captured by terrorists intent on torturing information out of
him. They hadn’t succeeded, but it had been a dicey few hours
before he’d been able to free himself.

The gold and blue merged into a lovely
greenish hue around them, then it split again into gold and blue.
And then, it merged again, just like Gus had said. Green light
showered around them, bathing them in its glow as the magic began
to trickle back into them both.

Was it his imagination, or had the intensity
and quantity of the light increased markedly?

Jack started to believe he wasn’t dreaming
when the power began to come back into him. It started slow and
then became a steady stream, building as it returned home, into his
soul. It was stronger. There was definitely more of it. And it
was…different. It had a salty flavor, if he had to describe it. The
light was no longer the gold of the earth alone. Now it was mixed
with the blue of the ocean to form something new. A green that
tasted of both, and was stronger than either had been alone.

Grace’s eyes widened as she discovered the
newness of their shared magic about the same time he did. She
gripped his hands tightly, but the wonder in her gaze mirrored his
own feelings exactly. There was nothing to fear in this. It felt
right and good.

Gus had come through for them. He’d joined
them closer and faster than they could have done on their own. Jack
prayed the boost in power would keep Grace safe from the call of
the evil thing in the water. That was the most important thing…her
safety.

She was everything to him. His life. His
world. His love.

“You’re that to me too,” Grace whispered, as
if she’d been able to read his thoughts.

Had she? It certainly seemed that way. And
wasn’t that an interesting result of this sharing of magic? Jack
wondered if it would be a long-term effect or if it was something
momentary that would wear off. Only time would tell.

“I love you, Grace.” And he didn’t care that
Gus could hear him. Everyone should know that she was his and he
belonged indelibly to her. They were mates.

She moved into his arms, and they hugged each
other tight, each holding the other until the final traces of magic
had settled back into their souls. When the broke apart, they were
both smiling softly.

A small sound to the right had Jack looking
over at Gus. The shaman seemed stunned, clinging to a nearby rock
with a dazed expression on his face. Jack frowned.

“Is he okay?” Grace whispered, stepping back,
out of Jack’s embrace.

“Not sure,” Jack answered, already moving
toward his friend. “Hey, buddy, you all right?”

Gus blinked a few times, trying to focus on
Jack. He was out of it, no doubt, but he looked like he was coming
around. Jack hadn’t realized this work would take so much out of
the shaman. Jack touched Gus’s shoulder, and a little shock zinged
through him and then was gone. Residual charge from the intense
magic that had been flying around the circle only moments
before?

“Did you see it?” Gus’s raspy voice garnered
Jack’s full attention.

“The light? I didn’t look directly at it, but
I saw the colors change. It’s green now. Pretty cool. And it feels
nice, like it belongs. As if it’s always been this way. I didn’t
expect that.” Jack helped Gus stand up straight, still concerned
for his friend.

“There was a message in the light,” Gus
claimed, his voice still weak. “A vision. I saw mermaids in the
cove.”

“Swimming?” Grace asked, a smile on her
lips.

“Swimming and walking the streets. Your
people were part of our community,” Gus confirmed.

“Wow.” Grace looked from Gus to Jack and
back, clearly surprised by Gus’s words.

“I like that idea,” Jack voted. “I’m just not
sure what the rest of the guys are going to think.”

Gus chuckled and it was a happy sound. “I saw
young. Little swimmers and little bears. I don’t think anyone who
finds a mate among the mer will mind at all.”

Jack knew the truth of that firsthand.

When they stepped outside of the sacred
circle, Jack felt the pull of the sea. And then, he felt the call
of the evil in it. It wasn’t strong, but it was persistent. He
turned to look at Grace.

“How is it now?”

The relief on her face spoke volumes. “So
much less than it was. It’s just a light buzz now. Easily ignored.
Before it was a siren. I can manage this. No problem.”

Relief flooded him as well. Whatever happened
next, they were in this together.

Grace walked beside the two men. Gus had been
drained by the work he’d done to help them, but he was able to
walk, with a little support from Jack. She liked the way the old
comrades leaned on each other, and she particularly liked the
shaman and the vision he claimed to have seen. If he was right, she
wasn’t going to be the only mer in Grizzly Cove.

It was something she’d talked about with her
sister when they realized the town was being built in one of their
favorite resting spots. Before the bear shifters had claimed the
land, the cove and its secluded beaches had been a favorite spot
for sunbathing and gossiping. Since the land-dwellers had come,
though, her hunting party had stayed clear.

Maybe now, they could all live in harmony,
sharing the cove. It was a nice thought.

Her life was here now, because Jack was. He
was her mate. That thought still made her tingle with joy. She
finally understood why her mother had chosen to stay on land with
her dad. They were true mates, just like Grace and Jack. He was her
safe harbor. He was the link to the land that kept her in her human
form, so they could be together.

It was beautiful, really. And Grace knew from
observing the deep love between her parents, that it could work.
She couldn’t wait to introduce Jack to her folks. Grace thought her
mom would be overjoyed that one of her children had found the same
incredible happiness she had.

“You know…” Grace heard Gus talking to Jack
as they walked slowly down the bluff, “I have a feeling there’s
more than just mer in Grace’s bloodline.”

“What do you mean?” Grace went to Gus’s other
side. He was moving better now, regaining strength as they got
farther away from the stone circle and closer the house in the
distance.

“Only one of your parents is mer, right?” Gus
asked, instead of answering her question.

She nodded. “My dad is human.”

“A little more than just human, I would say.”
Gus’s cryptic words made her frown. “Your sire is probably a
mage.”

“Dad isn’t magical at all,” she told him,
trying to think of what Gus could possibly be getting at.

The shaman shrugged. “He’s probably latent,
but there’s mage potential in your energy. It’s not solely mer.
Even for a mer, you pack a wallop, Grace. Part of that is due to
your father. And that magic on his side—in the open, or
not—probably has a lot to do with why your parents’ mating works so
well. Their magic blends and complements each other. The magic is
the glue that holds them together. And because bears and mer are so
innately magical, the signs are good that you two will do really
well together too. You’re well balanced and will have strong cubs
and a bright future.”

“More visions, Gus?” Jack challenged his
friend with a broad smile. “Or wishful thinking?”

Gus tilted his head to one side as if
considering. “A bit of both, actually. If I didn’t say it before,
I’m really happy for you both and wish you nothing but the best in
life. You deserve it.”

Jack sobered, reaching out to hug his buddy,
pounding his back a couple of times. “Thanks, Gus.”

When they broke apart, Gus sobered. They had
stopped walking and were surrounded by tall sequoia, birds flitting
around them in the forest. It was an idyllic place.

“I feel it’s only fair to warn you though…”
Gus’s expression was troubled. “We’re in for a rough ride. That
thing is still out there, and Goddess knows what else is happening
in the greater battle against evil. My biggest fear is that the
leviathan is a symptom of something far worse.”

Grace saw Jack’s jaw firm, and his spine went
a little straighter. He wasn’t going to cower in fear. He was going
to fight.

And if that was the case, she’d be right
there with him, fighting at his side. She was a huntress, not a
minnow. Her new mate would learn that soon enough—as would the rest
of the members of her new community in Grizzly Cove.

“Your lady and her people will be effective
allies, if what I’ve foreseen comes to pass. They’ll be the first
line of defense against enemies who would approach from the sea—and
you’re part of that now, Jack. The blending of your magic makes you
uniquely qualified among the bear population. You’ll learn the way
of it in time.”

“Do we really have that kind of time?” Jack
asked in a low voice.

Gus sighed. “We’ll be dealing with this
problem for some time to come. I wish I could say differently, but
from all I’ve seen and surmised, you’ll have time to figure out the
new magic and will be called upon to use it at some point in the
future. You know what to do. Learn it as quick and as well as you
can. Get ready. Be prepared.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll be a regular boy
scout.”

Gus clapped him on the shoulder, then turned
to look at Grace. “You’ll both have a role in this. Between the two
of you, you’ll have responsibilities toward both the land and the
sea. The Mother of All wouldn’t have joined you—blessed you—so
completely, if She didn’t have plans for your unique talents.” Gus
cracked a smile.

Grace smiled back at him. “I’m a huntress,
which means I’m part of a group—what we call a hunting party—that
protects and defends the bigger gatherings. We also hunt to provide
for ourselves and our people,” she told them, noting the way both
men’s eyes widened. Well. She was glad she could surprise them.
Being underestimated was one of her best tactics. “It’s in my
nature to do the same here on land as I do in the ocean. And if my
sisters are allowed to swim in the cove once again, they’ll do the
same. We protect. It’s what we do.”

Gus looked at her, then shifted his gaze to
Jack, merriment dancing in his eyes. Jack seemed just as amused,
but she didn’t feel they were laughing at her.

“I want to be there when Big John finds out
the mermaid has teeth,” Gus said cryptically.

“The rest of the guys
are about to get a huge wake-up call,” Jack agreed, folding his
arms in front of his chest as if in satisfaction. “Here we all
thought we were the big badass defenders of the cove, and it turns
out we’re going to have help from fierce, beautiful women.” Jack
unfolded his arms and put them around Grace’s waist, pulling her in
for a playful hug.