Spirit Bear

by M J Waverly

  Justin removed a crumpled note from his pants pocket. "Artemis."

  "Does she have a last name?"

  Justin read the note. "Wilde."

  Artemis Wilde. Kimber checked her out on the internet. She was a wealthy investor in wildlife and ecologically aware companies.

  Shivers traveled through Kimber's body as a premonition hit her that her life wasn't going to be the same after this meeting.

  Two days later, Kimber arrived in Lamberton, Alaska, rented a Jeep to get to this remote town surrounded by Boreas Mountain near the ocean.

  According to the GPS directions, Bear Bay should be twenty miles away. As she turned a curve, a huge bear crossed the road. Kimber slammed down on her brakes. Her bear charm burned against her skin.

  The large bear turned and looked at her, and then his eyes locked with hers. She pressed her hand against the window. Was this her bear? Was this the bear of her dreams? For a brief moment, she wanted to run after him.

  Are you crazy? You don't run after bears in the wilderness. Maybe it was her weather magic that attracted her to the bears.

  Her phone buzzed. It was a text message from Artemis Wilde. Checking in. Looking forward to meeting you.

  She needed to make this meeting. She'd have time to help the bear later. Kimber continued on the bumpy road filled with potholes until she reached Bear Bay, Alaska.

  At the Broken Toe Cafe, Kimber pushed the door open, and a wave of energy passed through her. Three older gentlemen sat at the end of the counter. They huddled around the newspaper and chortled as they read the events of the day.

  A nice young woman behind the counter waved. "Come in and stay awhile. It's getting cold."

  "Yes. It is. I'm here to meet someone." Kimber walked to the counter and removed her gloves.

  "I'm over here." A woman with purple hair waved. Kimber blinked. It couldn't be. She wandered over and sat down.

  "Do you have a sister that lives in Courtland, Oregon?" Kimber asked.

  "No. But, I do travel around to the far reaches of the galaxy."

  Kimber would act like she hadn't heard that last bit. She hoped this wasn't a waste of time meeting with this woman.

  Artemis Wilde splayed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Would you like some food? The cook is a world-renowned French chef."

  "Really? What is he doing here?" Kimber asked. "Not that this isn't a nice town. It's beautiful but remote."

  "Just the way the bears like it." Artemis opened a raw sugar packet and stirred it into her coffee.

  Kimber ordered the quiche and a small salad. She decided to be forthright. "So, you want to invest in Khione Boards?"

  Artemis's face softened. "Yes, I do. I find your company very interesting. Named after the snow nymph?"

  "Yes, it is. Thanks. My brother said you liked the spirit of the company blog."

  "Yes, I sense your love and passion for nature and wildlife. Something I am dedicated to as well,' Artemis said.

  Kimber relaxed and when the waitress brought her food. She and Artemis talked about various things, including the company.

  "I definitely want to invest." Artemis finished her coffee. She pulled out a notebook and a pen. "I think I can also help with the promotion of your company."

  "Oh, yes. How?" Kimber leaned over the table and watched as her new friend sketched a map.

  "Follow these directions, and I'll meet you there."

  Kimber's mouth dropped open as she studied the map, and when she looked up, Artemis had disappeared.

  Jumping up, Kimber ran to the waitress behind the cash register. "The woman, who I was with, did you see her?"

  "Oh, yes. The nice lady just left, and she paid for the bill, too. She left a great tip," The waitress answered.

  Speechless, Kimber stood there and tried to process what had just happened in like under sixty seconds. One moment, Artemis had been there. The next. Poof. Gone.

  The waitress tilted her head. "If you're heading out to Boreas Mountain, then you want to get started before it gets dark.

  Upon Boreas Mountain, Eli stretched his arms, and snowflakes drifted down on this late afternoon snowboard run. He sensed the spirit of the mountain, but today he wasn't connecting with it. With nature. Despite his need to train for the competition, he couldn't stop thinking about Kimber Gold, the woman, Artemis deemed his mate.

  It didn't help that his bear wasn't speaking to him. Something burned in the front pocket of Eli's pants. He reached in and pulled out the damn bear charm with the snowflake symbol. He'd left it at home this morning, but the damn thing always appeared whenever he tried to keep it at home.

  The wind blew, and the snow circled like a winter tornado, and then Artemis materialized with Minerva, the owl.

  "Is this like a summoning charm?" Eli held out the bear charm.

  She placed her hand against her chest, and her eyes widened. "I wouldn't do such a thing." Her lips quirked up. "Do you need me?"

  Eli sighed. "Not really, but obviously, you need something from me. I thought you said I could train for the Spirit Competition. This is my big comeback."

  Artemis spread her arms wide and snowflakes collected in her purple hair.

  "Am I simply not allowed to visit one of my bears?" The goddess cocked her head.

  She was up to something. Eli sensed a trap, and it didn't bode well for him.

  "Of course." The muscles in his neck tightened.

  As if reading his mind, the goddess placed her finger against her cheek. "It is a lovely view up here, but you must get lonely."

  Eli narrowed his eyes. "Not at all. I come up here for solitude."

  Artemis snapped her fingers, and they were at his secluded cabin tucked in among the trees. Stunned, Eli looked around. He stared up at the stern-faced goddess.

  "Not today. You have a visitor, and her name is Kimber Gold, and she is your lifemate, and I expect you to be a nice bear. You only have a few days to make Kimber your lifemate, or she will become the mate to another bear shifter."

  Snapping her fingers, the goddess vanished. Minerva hooted and flapped her wings and then flew away.

  A blue Jeep parked in front of him. The woman driving was the same golden curly-headed woman he'd seen outside of Mountain View Sporting Goods Store. Kimber Gold.

  She parked and jumped out. And then stopped as a shocked expression crossed her face. "It's you." Today, Kimber wore tight-fitting jeans, which emphasized her curvy hips, a snug sweater, and boots.

  Eli's bear reared his head. "She is here. Our lifemate. We must claim her before it's too late.

  Today, Eli couldn't deny the attraction. Magnetic energy pulsed from Kimber, and it connected to this area in his chest. He rubbed his sternum to ease the tightness. This was a different pain from the one he'd experienced from his broken ribs.

  Kimber held out a torn notebook paper. "I was given directions to this place by a very unusual woman. We were to continue our meeting."

  "Did she have purple braids in her hair?" Eli asked.

  "Yeah." Kimber ran her hands through her thick curls. "Her name is Artemis Wilde."

  Eli cleared his throat, and his groin grew hard as he imagined Kimber's tiny body next to his. "I know her. She can be rather eccentric." Should he explain that Artemis Wilde was none other than the goddess, Artemis?

  "She called and told me she couldn't make it. I'm supposed to meet you in her place."

  He took the notebook paper from Kimber's outstretched hands, and the image changed from one of a map to a bear with the word, lifemate written beneath it.

  Eli kept his face a mask of concentration.

  "Is this where you live?" Kimber turned around with her arms wide.

  He nodded. "I built the cabin."

  "It's beautiful." More snow began to fall. Kimber closed her eyes, whirled around, and then held her hands upright.

  Suddenly, birds began to sing. A moose stepped out and strolled over to Kimber. She laughed, and its sweet melody melted the tightness in Eli
's sternum.

  He pointed at the moose. "What? I've never seen this before."

  She flashed a mega-watt smile of pure delight. "I have this Snow White ability with animals. They come to me for some reason."

  His bear found her irresistible, too. Trying to resist Kimber would be harder than Eli thought.

  Chapter 3

  Kimber couldn't believe out of all the people and places she would find in this part of Nowheresville, Alaska, she'd run into Eli Whitlock.

  She focused on the moose rather than attempt to make conversation with the handsome athlete. Kimber bit down on her bottom lip. Where was Artemis Wilde?

  Chunkier, heavy flakes of snow began to fall. Whenever Kimber became nervous, her weather magic would kick in. Not all the time, especially in Oregon. Most often, it rained. A confused Eli surveyed the sky. In the east, it was still blue.

  The moose strolled away and disappeared into the woods.

  She waved. "Have a nice life Mr. Moose."

  This meeting with Eli Whitlock was connected to Artemis Wilde. Whoever and whatever she was. This was her doing.

  "I followed the map, and I definitely didn't expect to see you out here. Kimber leveled her gaze at him. "You weren't very nice when we met last time." She slapped her hands over her mouth. Those words slipped off her tongue.

  Eli's forehead furrowed, and heat rushed up to his face. "I'm approached quite a bit for representation for various companies. It's against my principles after the accident."

  "I can understand that. Khione Snowboards represents the spirit of my family's values. We wanted to bring what we feel in our hearts and souls to our company and help our customers connect to the magic of sport and nature."

  Eli nodded. "That could be your intent. Still, you want to sell more boards. It comes back to the sale. Not the person."

  Kimber studied Eli. He had a hardness about him as if the ice from the glaciers found its way into his heart. She admired that he stuck by his principles, but he didn't have to rude to her and what her family represented. There was no way she could or would convince Eli Whitlock to represent Khione Snowboards. If this was Artemis Wilde's plan, then Kimber it wouldn't work.

  She lifted her hands up in the air as little flakes of snow fell down. "It's a waste of time to even try and convince you. I do want you to know my brother, and I hold true to our values even in our company."

  Eli's smug expression changed to one of surprise. "Interesting reaction."

  Kimber waved. "I'm leaving." She walked back to the Jeep. Eli followed her, probably to make sure she left his property.

  He stepped ahead of her and blocked her way. "Listen, while you're here, let me show you around, we might run into another moose. Hard to resist a nature-moment."

  "I'm leaving." Kimber moved around him with her keys in her hand.

  He blocked her again. "Please. I can be a nice host rather than a rude host. Let me make it up to you."

  "Stay." A voice that sounded like Artemis Wilde boomed in Kimber's mind. She rubbed her temples because it had bounced off her skull.

  Could she trust Eli? She cut her eyes over at him, and he held out his hands. Maybe he wanted to make up for being rude in Courtland, Oregon.

  She was here. And she would like to see another moose. Gentle giants as long as you respected their space.

  Eli gestured toward a trail that led up a mountain. "I think we'll run into your friend, Mr. Moose, if we walk up here."

  Kimber nodded. "Lead the way. I'm only staying because I want to see Mr. Moose. Not you."

  Eli hiked ahead of her, and she admired his toned ass in the tight activewear. The man was in prime physical condition.

  "How long have you lived up here?" Kimber asked.

  "I've lived here since I was a young cub." Eli gazed out over the horizon.

  Cub. That was an interesting word to describe your younger self. He could've been a Boy Scout.

  Eli held out his hand, and his nostrils flared. In the blink of an eye, he'd changed from the relaxed Eli to something primal. "It is too dangerous for us to hike. I think it's time you return to town. This was a mistake to bring you here. I don't think it will work." He spun on his heel and started walking down the trail.

  No explanation. Just turned around. And took off. Kimber inhaled, folded her arms, and tapped her foot. Her magic tingled. That little bit of faery magic churned over and over as she allowed the anger to fuel it. She had to be careful, she didn't want to get the Spins. Whenever she used too much magic, it would drain her physically and made her feel as if she was drunk.

  The snow really began to fall. Thick, white flakes dusted the ground, the trees, and the bushes that lined the trail. And fell on top of Eli Whitlock.

  Kimber had enough of Eli Whitlock. She stomped past him. "You can play your games. I'm leaving, and I don't ever want to see you again."

  Huge piles of snow cascaded down upon him. Eli had caught a unique scent on the wind. Another shifter?. Or a wild bear awakened early from hibernation? He had to get his mate away, or she would be in danger.

  Kimber stomped past him. There she went.

  More snow fell. Where had this snow come from?

  "Kimber." He called out.

  She didn't turn around but kept moving down the trail at a fast pace.

  Bursts of light surrounded him, and he shifted into his bear form. "We need to find the bear."

  "You have lost her for us." His angry bear raced down the trail. "I won't lose her."

  Eli hated it when his bear disobeyed him. "We need to find the bear which has wandered into our territory."

  "I won't lose her. Do you remember what the goddess said?" His bear growled.

  Artemis's words returned, and fear clawed through Eli. "You must claim your lifemate. Or another bear shifter will claim her."

  "That's why we must find this other bear," Eli said. "We don't want it to claim Kimber."

  His bear wasn't happy but agreed. "Then, we find Kimber."

  Recently, Barron Montgomery and his lifemate, Evergreen Carter, had problems with one of Artemis's enemies, Orion Hunter. The blood dropped from Eli's head down to his paws. He'd never even considered it a possibility that Kimber could be in danger from him.

  The bear sanctuary, with its Zeal barrier, made more sense to Eli. He would have to talk to Jacque and Barron and reconsider their offer of joining forces once he finished making his comeback.

  Down the trail, Eli heard the roar of an engine. He climbed up a small hill and could see the Jeep in reverse, slinging mud and dirt everywhere as Kimber drove away.

  The words, 'I never want to see you, again,' rang in his ears. She would see him. Again and again.

  And his bear stood on all four legs and roared.

  Back in Bear Bay, a worked-up Kimber couldn't return to the Grizzly Gulch Motel. She didn't have Artemis Wilde's number to explain what had happened. If Artemis thought Eli Whitlock would represent Khoine Snowboards, then it wasn't happening.

  Kimber needed to work out this fury, which had formed after her weird encounter with Eli; otherwise, there would be inches of snow on the ground. She found herself outside of the Bear Bay visitor's center for information. She might find something to do.

  The nice lady recommended the Bear Bay Nature Center, which contained interactive exhibits, rescued animals, who couldn't be returned to the wild, and numerous trails.

  At the Bear Bay Nature Center, Kimber carried water and some trail mix she'd purchased in the gift shop. Hiking was the answer. She'd decided to take a short walk on the woodland trail around the nature center's building with its huge glass windows.

  She stomped her foot. Dang it! She'd left her can of bear spray in the car. Oh well, she didn't need it. Since the bears were still hibernating, Kimber would be fine. It was a short hike near the nature center.

  The more she walked, the more she thought about Eli Whitlock. He treated her as if Khione Snowboard Company was beneath him and his high and mighty principles. While he
recovered from his injuries, he'd developed a bitter attitude.

  Well, you know what? Her company didn't need him. He certainly wasn't worth the trouble. She crossed a boardwalk over a rushing creek, and the sound of the water soothed her frazzled temper. After checking the map on a wooden sign, she decided to take a trail that led to an overlook. She took a glug of water and shoved the trail mix into her jacket pocket.