Night Shift (Grizzly Cove Book 3) (12 page)

Zak’s faith was powerful but also very private. He knew humans believed differently, but he hoped Tina would agree to be his mate in the shifter way, with the blessing of a priestess. He’d have to figure out the best way to ask her, though. As it was, he hadn’t even been able to tell her how much he loved her yet.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he wasn’t sure she fully understood shifter mating. Bears mated for life, and now that he’d found Tina, he knew there would never be another woman for him. Even if she refused his proposal, he would never be able to commit to another. She was it for him. His one chance at a life full of the love he’d always craved, and had never really believed he would find.

He was truly blessed to have found her. Now he just had to figure out how to convince her to spend the rest of her life with him.

“The kitchen will be about here, right?” she asked, having left his side to walk over the empty lot that would eventually become home to their new restaurant. Zak joined her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

“Yep,” he whispered into the early evening darkness, illuminated faintly by the streetlights on Main Street, which were more for decoration and charm than security, and the brilliant moon above. “Kitchen will be back here. Stairs going up to the apartments above and a communicating door with the back of the bakery. We can meet in the hall for a little hanky panky when things are slow,” he teased.

Her sister, Nell, was covering for her in the bakery tonight since she’d wanted to be with Zak at the meeting. It was a rare night off for them both, and although they probably should go back and relieve Nell, Zak couldn’t help but want to spend more time alone with his mate.

“Or any old time,” she whispered back, looking up at him, her eyes glinting in the faint light.

“Will you marry me?”

Zak didn’t mean to blurt it out just like that, but the moment had overcome him. Her beautiful face, lit by moonlight. The hope of the place where they stood. He’d just been moved to ask.

And now he was nervous as tears filled her eyes. She looked so startled. Like a deer in headlights that was going to cry, but whether in joy or heartbreak, he wasn’t sure. He had to say something to make it better. He’d been an ass to blurt it out like that.
Dammit.

“I mean…” He searched for words. “You’re my mate, Tina. My bear knew it from almost the first time we were together. It just took my human side a bit longer to catch up and gather the courage.”

She remained silent, and he didn’t know what to do. Finally, he realized there was something missing. Something he’d never admitted to her out loud, though he’d done his best to show her every time they made love. But the time was now. He had to tell her.

Zak drew a deep breath, then bared his soul. “I love you, Tina. I love you with everything I am, and I will love you for eternity. Please say you’ll be mine.”

The tears fell then, and she lifted up on tiptoe, drawing closer to him.

“I love you too,” she whispered into the magical dimness of the moonlit night. “I love you, Zak, and I want to be with you forever. For always.”

“You’ll be my mate?” He gathered her trembling hands against his chest, not daring to believe she was agreeing.

“Yes, I’ll marry you. Mate you. Whatever you want. I want us to be together.”

He lifted her in his arms and spun her, his happiness overflowing his heart and lighting up the world. At least it felt that way.

He kissed her, tasting the salty tears of joy mixing in. Hers. His. It didn’t matter. They were both feeling too much to contain. Too much joy. Too much happiness. But never too much love.

Long minutes later—how long, he didn’t know—he let her down to stand on her own feet again, though he kept his arms around her. They were standing in the empty lot that represented so much hope for their future…together.

Tina cupped his cheek in her hand, drawing his gaze to hers in the moonlight. She looked so serious all of a sudden, he frowned a little.

“Are you disappointed I’m not a shifter?” Tina asked, fearing his answer. But she had to know the truth.

“Never,” Zak answered immediately. “Never think that,” he whispered more tenderly.

His eyes were shining as she knew hers were. The moment was emotional, and she liked that he didn’t hide his reaction from her. He was such a strong man he could never look weak to her. Even overcome with emotion, he only showed his confidence and strength of personality. He was such a great guy. She didn’t know what had made him fall in love with her, but she’d do all she could in the future to keep him as happy as they were at this moment.

“The Goddess made you just for me,” Zak went on, surprising her. “You are perfect just the way you are.” He placed gentle kisses on her face that made her feel cherished in the most amazing way. No man had ever made her feel as special as Zak did.

He surprised her by dropping to one knee, right there in the grass and wildflowers, taking her hand in his. He looked up at her, his face illuminated by the glimmering, romantic moon. He was so handsome it stole her breath.

“Will you marry me in a ceremony the way humans do?” he asked, looking up at her so earnestly she could only nod as tears fell freely once more. “And will you also join with me under the blessings of a priestess of the Lady? The way shifters do? I want it to be official in every way possible, recognized by my people and yours, legally and spiritually, in front of your God and my Lady. What do you think?”

He looked so nervous that she dropped to her knees right there in the empty lot and took both of his hands in hers. The moment was solemn in a way she’d never expected.

“I’d be honored, Zak. And I’m incredibly touched that you’d ask.” Tears were rolling down her face, but she didn’t care. “I love you so much. I’ve loved you for a long time, but I never dared dream you’d feel the same. I want what you want, Zak. I want you to be happy and to have all your dreams come true.”

“You’ve already shown me that,” he replied, laughing through the tears. “I can’t believe what you did with Master Hiram, and giving up all that money so I could build my dream business.”

“
Our
dream business,” she corrected him. “When I heard how you felt about the restaurant, I decided then and there to figure out a way to make it happen. Hiram only accelerated my plans, which I think is a sign from above that we’re on the right track. We’re meant to be together.”

“That we are,” he agreed, resting his forehead against hers. “The Goddess made you just for me, Tina, and She knew what She was doing when She brought us together.”

He kissed her then, and it felt like the Goddess’s Light was sparkling down around them. When he cracked his eyes open a bit, he thought he saw the magic of Her divine touch, and he knew their future was blessed.

EPILOGUE

With Master Hiram’s money, Zak was able to get construction started, not only on the home he was building for his new mate, but also on the restaurant. In the meantime, they were living above the bakery, sharing every night together, making plans and dreaming dreams.

The problem of the sea monster in the cove hadn’t been solved yet, and everyone was staying clear of the water as much as they could. In the meantime, experts were being consulted, and plans being made for how to deal with another incursion, should it occur.

There were a few beings in the Spec Ops community who were uniquely skilled in the ocean and with its creatures, and they were being consulted as well, though they were tied up in other parts of the world at the moment. Still, the Morrow brothers and their Navy Admiral father were on the short list of people Big John would call in when and if things came to a head. Two of the brothers were Navy SEALs and not-quite-human. The other—a step-brother—was a badass Army Green Beret who had served with the oldest of the Redstone brothers from Las Vegas, and though he was one hundred percent human, he had earned quite a rep among shifter Spec Ops warriors.

John had already talked to the Admiral. The old man had promised that as soon as his sons were done in the Middle East, they’d be heading out to the Pacific Northwest—or wherever the sea creatures showed up next. Though he couldn’t call his sons off their current assignment fighting terrorists, he’d send them one at a time, if he had to, as they came off their current duties. For now, they had commitments to the human government the Admiral had to allow them to fulfill before he could send them off on an assignment that wasn’t necessarily sanctioned officially by the U.S. government.

In the meantime, life beneath the waves was becoming increasingly perilous. Inhabitants of the sea were being hunted and had to be especially careful when they ventured near the shore, where the land peoples dwelled. But those who lived with a foot in both worlds had to be especially wary. The sea sirens and mermaids, the selkies and water sprites—they were all in particular danger.

Especially those who dwelled in the waters off what was now called Grizzly Cove.

# # #

Thanks for reading
Night Shift (Grizzly Cove #3)
. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.

The next
Grizzly Cove
story is called
Alpha Bear
. Scroll down for a sneak peek…

A complete list of all of Bianca’s books, separated by series, follows the excerpt. You can also check out Bianca’s website at
WWW.BIANCADARC.COM
. Or you can sign up for
Bianca’s Newsletter
to be alerted when new books are released.

EXCERPT FROM ALPHA BEAR

© 2015 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.

CHAPTER ONE

Ursula and Amelia were settling in to their new apartment in their new town, but things were definitely strange here in Grizzly Cove. For one thing, the place was lousy with magic. Shifter magic, if she didn’t miss her guess, just like her grandmother had told her about.

Nonna Ricoletti had taught her granddaughters all about the unseen world. The sisters hadn’t really believed most of what Nonna had told them until they got out into the wider world and realized Nonna wasn’t just some crazy old Italian eccentric. No, Nonna was a witch. A
strega
.

And she was a Catholic too, but that was Nonna—a woman full of contradictions. She preferred to see the Catholic mother of God as the Mother of All. And if she mixed a little blasphemy into her daily devotions, in the privacy of her own mind, she figured it was between herself and the divine. No need to get some priest involved.

Ursula missed Nonna, but her grandmother had played a large part in shooing Urse and Mellie out to seek their futures In this new adventure. And this new place. Teeming with shifters.

Bears, mostly, Ursula thought. She didn’t have the strongest nose in the family, but Nonna had sworn they were descendants of one of the strongest of the Italian Alpha bears and his human magic-using mate. Nona was their great-granddaughter, and the magic had stayed strong in her line, while the shifting talent had passed on to other branches of the family that were now somewhat estranged.

Both Urse and Mellie could sense magic. Mellie was better with potions and kitchen magic, as Nonna called it. Urse was better at straight-up spoken or chanted spellwork. Nonna had taught them as much as she knew, and when they’d progressed beyond her abilities, she’d brought in friends of hers from the magic user community for what she called
visits
, but were really tutor time for her granddaughters.

There were more than the average number of mages in their hometown of San Francisco, but Nonna had brought in specialists from far afield, including a few from her native land. She’d spared no expense when it came to her granddaughters’ education, and they loved her for it—and for the fact that she was the most loving grandmother a kid could ask for.

It had been hard to leave home—and especially Nonna—but she’d practically forced them to go. Nonna had a bit of foresight and had been known to make the odd prophecy now and again. The girls had learned to listen when she gave them advice and this time, she’d been adamant. She’d told them that their futures were waiting for them in Grizzly Cove and that they shouldn’t be afraid to embrace their destinies.

The fact that she’d been so vague, while at the same time being so forceful meant that she knew a lot more than she was saying. But that was her burden as a clairvoyant, she’d always claimed. She had to balance how much to reveal of the future with what she called
la forza del destino
, or in English, the power of fate.

Luckily that particular gift hadn’t manifested in either of the girls. Personally, Urse thought it would be a real pain in the ass to know what was going to happen and have to decide how much to say in order to arrange the best outcome. That was a little too much like playing the Almighty for her comfort. She didn’t trust herself not to mess it all up by saying too much or too little to the wrong person.

Better such things were left to Nonna. She had years of experience and the purest heart Urse knew. Nonna could handle that kind of pressure way better than either of her granddaughters. What was probably why that gift hadn’t passed to either of them, though Nonna claimed it could manifest later in life.

That was something Urse was definitely
not
looking forward to—if it should ever come to pass.

Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted by the tinkling bell that hung over the door that led to Main Street. Since they weren’t open for business yet, it had to be Mellie returning from her sugar run to the bakery down the street.

“Thank the Goddess! I’m about to starve over here, Mel. Gimme one of those honey buns right now!” she yelled toward the front of the store.

Urse had been stacking books all day, taking them from the back store room to the shelves out front, where she was working on their displays. Mellie was supposed to be helping, but she’d gone AWOL about twenty minutes ago, claiming she was just going to make a quick run to the bakery to get snacks.