Alpha Bear (16 page)

He was so intensely magical it almost took
her breath away. His magic shone through in everything he did, now
that she knew it so intimately. His magic made her feel warm, and
it sparkled against hers in a joyful way.

The casting of the circle went a lot faster
due both to the smaller size of the circle and the easy cooperation
between herself and John. He knew what to expect this time and was
ready to help her even before she knew she needed help.

When the sun hit the highest point in the sky
and was at its strongest, she cast her magic. As before, John had
added his own flavor of magic to her spell, and she thought the
blending of energies made her spell stronger. It added shifter
magic to her wards that would, in all likelihood, make the
protections easier for the shifters to deal with. Knowing how
magical bear shifters were now, Urse had realized that many of the
bears would probably feel the tingle of the wards as they went
about their business.

It probably wouldn’t bother anybody, but the
added dimension of John’s shifter magic would make it easier—more
comfortable—for the shifters who might notice it. That was probably
an important thing to consider in a town full of shifters.

When she released the spell, the leviathan
put up a show of thrashing around as it was pushed back from the
part of the cove she’d just managed to ward, but it wasn’t quite
like what had happened yesterday. Urse wasn’t going to complain,
but it definitely made her wonder. The smaller creatures acted
about the same, but the big kahuna wasn’t fighting the way she’d
expected.

Nevertheless, she saw the spell through to
the end. The ward set, and Urse broke the circle, lowering the
shield between John and her and the rest of the world.

John touched her shoulder, drawing her
attention. She turned to him, meeting the concerned look on his
face with one of her own.

“Did that seem just a little too easy?” he
asked quietly.

She squinted up at him. “I didn’t want to say
it, but…”

“Yeah.” John put his arm around her
shoulders, and just the warmth of that move made her feel better.
“Let’s check with my guys. They were watching too, and they’ll be
scouting to test the results of this afternoon’s work.”

She walked with him toward the small
gathering of men, which included the sheriff, Brody, his deputy,
Zak, and Peter. All three of them looked skeptical, which meant
they’d realized something was a little different too. Urse’s heart
sank.

Urse and John joined the threesome, and they
all seemed to wait for John to speak. Even Urse was waiting for the
Alpha, which struck her as a little funny.

“I can tell by the looks on your faces that
you saw what we did,” John began. “We need to check why that
critter was so damned cocky today.”

“The spell set as it should. I could feel
it,” Urse put in.

“Early reports say it took effect just like
yesterday, but we’ll do more testing, of course,” Brody said,
lifting his walkie-talkie. “At least we were able to verify that
electronic comms don’t work inside the circle.”

Urse hadn’t realized it, but apparently, John
and his men had been trying to communicate over the radio headset
John had worn. She wasn’t surprised it hadn’t worked. Magic had a
tendency to interfere with mundane things every once in a
while.

“We have our work cut out for us then,” John
said quietly, eyeing each of the men who reported to him. They
started discussing logistics and who was stationed where and doing
what.

Urse felt herself drooping. The energy output
had been the same as the day before. It was a little easier to
handle but still incredibly tiring. Urse just wanted to get
horizontal and unconscious for a few hours, until her energy had a
chance to regenerate.

“I’m going to head back to the bookstore,”
she put in when there was a break in the conversation. She stifled
a yawn. “The whole area near Main Street should be safe now. I’m
not sure where the ward ends. You’ll be able to tell me that after
you do your tests,” she said, gesturing toward the men. “Be
careful. That creature is up to something. I have no idea what, but
be on the lookout for anything strange.”

“Good advice,” John seconded as her voice
trailed off into another yawn she couldn’t quite hold back. He then
turned to her. “Do you need help getting back to the store?”

“No, I’m fine. Like I said, this area is
warded. I’ll be okay from here to the bookstore. It’s not that far,
and Mellie’s waiting there for me. I’m going to sleep for a few
hours.” She reached up without thinking to kiss John’s cheek before
turning to walk away.

Only then did she realize what she’d done
when she saw the raised eyebrows on the sheriff, deputy and their
friend Peter.
Oops.

She’d just outed their change in
relationship. Maybe. Urse had a hard time finding the energy to
care. She would apologize to John later, in case he hadn’t wanted
anyone to know about them yet. And of course, she’d have to come
clean with Mellie sooner rather than later.

But she’d talk with Mel after she took a nice
long nap. Frankly, she didn’t have the energy to do much more than
go to the store, fumble her way upstairs and find her bed.

Ursula had kissed him. In public. Just a peck
on the cheek, but it was so out of character for him and the women
he dealt with day to day, every one of the guys noticed.

“So…you and the
strega
, eh boss?”
Peter said with a speculative gleam in his eye. “Nice.” The
approving nod that accompanied his words surprised John.

“Really?” John would have squeaked, if his
basso profundo voice had been capable of making such a sound.

“Hell yeah, man,” Zak said casually. “She’s a
pretty gal, and her magic is pure. If you could see it the way I
do…” Zak trailed off, and John saw the way his gaze unfocused.

“Golden sparks and healthy green swirls?”
John supplied, wondering if the only one of his men who could
actually perceive magic with his eyes saw the same thing John did
when he was standing inside the magic circle with Ursula.

Zak’s gaze snapped back to John. “Yeah.
That’s exactly what it looks like. Pure gold, which is one of the
highest forms of energy, and healthy green, which means growth and
nurturing. That’s a heady combination.” Zak nodded, giving his own
approval. “She’s the real deal,
mon ami
. Her wards are
permanent, and mixed with your strong Alpha magic, they’ll protect
this town and its shifters forever. That’s some powerful mojo.
She’s good people.”

John was thrilled by the response, but Brody
hadn’t said anything. Zak was one of his most trusted men, as was
Peter, but Brody was his second in command. His opinion held a
little more weight than the others.

“And you?” John asked Brody directly, wanting
to get it over with. If Brody didn’t like the idea that the Alpha
was getting involved with a magic user, his opinion would hold a
lot of weight with the rest of the guys. “What do you think?”

Brody held his gaze and stood casually, but
John knew he was fully alert, as he always was. Brody was a
soldier’s soldier, as were most of his men, but Brody was the XO,
the one who could be relied on to act when and if the Alpha wasn’t
around. Next to John, Brody was the default leader of this powerful
group of fighting shifters.

“Are you serious about her?” Brody asked
quietly, not giving anything away.

John hadn’t expected to have to come clean
this way, but maybe it was best to get it over with, so he knew
where he stood. So be it.

“Yeah. I think she’s my mate.” There. He’d
said it out loud.
Whew.

Brody made him wait for a heartbeat more,
then his face split in a grin. “Well, hot damn. I can’t say I ever
expected we’d have magic users in this town, but if it’s the
Ricoletti sisters, then it’s okay with me. Both of those gals are
on the right side, and they wouldn’t intentionally hurt a fly. My
mate and her sisters love those girls, and I think they’ll squeal
in happiness when they realize you’ve been snared by one.”

Brody went one step further and stuck out his
hand. John took it and received not only a shake, but a manly bro
hug and a few pounding slaps on his back. The gesture was repeated
by Zak and then Peter, in turn.

John was floored. He hadn’t expected to get
such an easy pass from his guys. He thought at least some would
object to the idea of allowing the witches to not only stay in
town, but for one to become mate of the Alpha. Of course, this was
only three of the group, but they were an important three. Judging
by their reactions, the rest of the group might not be so bad.

“I already decided I’d step down as Alpha if
I had to. A true mate is more important than anything else. If we
have to leave town, I’ll do that too,” he revealed, glad of the
immediate denial he could see in his friends’ faces.

“I don’t think there’ll be any need for
that,” Brody said quietly. “Everybody can see what Ursula is doing
here, and how much she’s giving of herself to do it. If that
doesn’t earn her a place in our hearts, and in our community, then
I don’t know what else would.”

John felt his heart warm as he realized that
his guys hadn’t disappointed him. He’d been willing to give up his
dream of this town for the dream of a true mate, but now, it looked
like he might just have a shot at having it all. His town and his
mate. The best of both worlds.

John’s warm and fuzzy feelings were cut short
as his cell phone rang. He removed the small device from his belt
and looked at the number. It was Amelia’s cell number. John frowned
and pushed the button to answer.

“Hello?”

“John, is Urse still with you?” Amelia
sounded worried.

“No.” John frowned. “She left a few minutes
ago. She should be at the bookstore by now.” John started looking
toward the street where Ursula had disappeared. A few hand signals
had the other guys looking as well.

“She’s not here, and I can’t get out. The
damn ward is still up, and she has to be the one to set me free.
John, I’m worried. She wouldn’t have had much energy left after
casting that spell. She should’ve come home to sleep it off.”

“That’s what she said she was going to do,”
John agreed, even as he began searching the street. “I’m on it.
I’ll find her. Sit tight. I’ll phone when we have her.”

“Find her fast, John. She’s in no state to be
out on her own right now when her energy is so low.”

John ended the call, cursing himself for not
going with Ursula. He should have seen her safely back to the
bookstore.
Dammit!

Brody came up to him, waiting to hear what
John would say.

“Ursula is missing. She didn’t make it back
to the bookstore, and she locked her sister in magically. Amelia
can’t come out until the wards come down, so she can’t help. I’m
going bear to see if I can sniff her out.” John was already
stripping, handing his wallet and electronic gear to Brody. “Put
everyone on alert. Keep checking the extent of the ward she put up
today and make notes, but have everyone keep an eye out for Ursula.
She couldn’t have gotten far.”

Brody nodded, putting all of John’s stuff
into a net bag that had been in one of his cargo pockets. They
walked into an alley as John stripped completely bare. He left his
clothes for Brody to take care of and shifted quickly to his
grizzly form.

Where was that singing coming from?
Urse stumbled a bit on her way back to the bookstore as an eerily
discordant melody flowed through her from all over. Or was it
coming from over there?

Urse followed the tones of the song, wanting
to know more. She was at her lowest ebb of energy and perhaps not
thinking too clearly, but something made her follow the siren song
she heard with every fiber of her being. It was alluring.
Luring.

Something was wrong.

No.
The song was calling her.

Urse left the sidewalk and went up one of the
alleys between buildings. There wasn’t much to Main Street. Just a
strip of galleries and stores, some with alleys that led to the
back. Behind that, only the woods. Thick woods. Pines and
mysterious Pacific Northwest growth. A few mighty redwoods were
found deeper into the forest, but Douglas fir and more common pines
populated the area behind Main Street.

Urse found herself walking into the forest,
following the song as it pulled her to the left, through the thick
undergrowth and around the edge of the cove, hidden in the woods.
The pitch of the song changed, and she followed it, yawning, but
unable to break away.

Her feet dragged through the undergrowth, and
she was vaguely aware of her skin being scratched by branches and
brambles, but she didn’t really feel it. She didn’t feel much of
anything. The song was all-consuming.

It drove her. Dragged her. Gave her just
enough energy to pull her tired body through the forest.

Something was wrong.

No.
The song was all important.

No. Something was wrong.

Her consciousness rose as her steps faltered.
The song raged louder, calling her even more vehemently.

That wasn’t right.
Her head cleared a
little as the wrongness of her actions penetrated the fog around
her mind.

She stopped walking but found she couldn’t
move away. She could only go forward. Her feet were frozen if she
tried to move back the way she’d come.

Oh, yeah. That was definitely wrong.

Her head cleared more as panic set in. She
couldn’t move. Now
that
was a problem.

And magically, she was at her lowest point.
Her internal energies would need time to regenerate. The song still
sang in her ears, but she recognized it now. It was a siren song,
though she doubted any sea siren was at the root of it. No, this
was the leviathan singing in its inhuman, magical voice, luring her
to come to it so it could destroy her.