The Dire Bear’s Witch

by Jessica Ripley

  “I just need the address of this place so I can get a car to pick me up.”

  “That’s not necessary. My driver can take you wherever you need to go.” He slid a blazer over his oxford shirt, pulling off the no-tie look while looking powerful and devilishly handsome, in Dixie’s opinion.

  “Okay, great, where should I meet them?”

  “If you wait in the kitchen—there’s a door to the garage there—I’ll page the driver.” He headed toward his office door.

  “Okay, but how do I get to the kitchen?” Dixie felt slightly embarrassed to be so helpless and even more convinced that she should have been on the road with Gerri. “I’m sorry.”

  He took a look down the hallway, then back to her, then sighed. “Follow me.”

  They didn’t make it to the kitchen. When they turned into the front to cross over to what Dixie assumed was the side of the mansion with the kitchen, they were stopped by three grim-looking new faces—Dixie assumed they were the council members—as well as the harried-looking housekeeper and Taren, who didn’t look at all concerned. In fact, he looked happy—excited even—like a man about to watch a very entertaining show.

  “Dixie, Slade, I was about to send for you,” Taren said. “The council is here and wants to have a little chat. We’re headed to the sitting room, if you could join us.”

  “I’m sorry, I was just about to leave.” Dixie gestured to the suitcase she was pulling behind her.

  Taren took the handle out of her grip and sent it rolling across the foyer on its four all-direction wheels. She looked back at him, wondering why he would do that. “If I have to put off my golf game, then you can postpone your trip for a bit.” He chuckled and waved his arm to direct them all into the sitting room. The council members went straight in, but the housekeeper went after the suitcase, giving Dixie a look that assured her she’d put it somewhere safe.

  Dixie looked to Slade, who had an unreadable yet grim expression on his face. “I guess I don’t have a choice here?” she asked.

  He sighed and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.” He touched the small of her back and gently led her forward. It was an intimate gesture that told Dixie more than his words did. Whatever was going to happen, he was ready to look out for her.

  5

  A different staff member brought in a tray of drinks and offered them to the council members, who were settled in seats around the room. Dixie stood awkwardly until Slade directed her to a vacant chair. He stood behind her, while Taren took the largest chair across from them.

  “What can we do for you?” Taren asked once everyone was settled. “I’d much rather have a scheduled visit than have to leave an A-game.”

  “Yes, we can relate.” The man with the slim build and slicked-back blond hair spoke. “It’s always nice to get some notice before trouble is dropped on you.” At that, he looked directly at Dixie.

  She lifted her eyebrows, growing nervous at the situation now that she realized she was somehow involved, or to blame for the visit. “Why are you looking at me?” she asked, ready to defend herself, as she’d not done anything to cause trouble to anyone, but she held back from saying any more when Slade’s hand gently squeezed her shoulder. If she’d somehow caused offense, she needed to find out what it was and make sure she didn’t make it worse for her hosts.

  The woman with the mousy brown hair and glasses responded. “We’ve been contacted by the local wolf pack to intervene. Bringing in a new immortal to the area without permission is a violation of the area treaty.”

  “What does that mean?” The words fell out of Dixie’s mouth before she could stop them. “Wait, the local pack? You mean Maeve?” The woman from the night before had warned Dixie to make nice and decided to report her to some council because she’d failed to suck up to her?

  Taren tossed a scone at Dixie. She barely reacted in time to stop it from bouncing off her and falling to the floor. She looked at him, confused, and found him smiling, his cheeks a bit pink and his eyes twinkling as he held a finger up to his lips to shush her. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get this sorted out.”

  Strangely, the weird gesture from Taren made Dixie feel more comfortable, like no matter what the council wanted from her, Taren would be with Slade in protecting her. It was a situation she hadn’t been in before, one where several people were ready to stand up for her, and she liked it. Now, if only she could keep her mouth shut.

  The larger councilman, who had hair a shocking red hue, spoke next. “The council of immortals has a treaty with the local pack to not allow new immortals into the area without pre-approval. Since you don’t have that, we’re here to make sure you leave.”

  “Wait, what? I can’t be here, just because I’m immortal?” Oops, already failed at keeping my mouth shut.

  “You can’t be anywhere, because you’re immortal,” the blond man added.

  “Because you’re immortal without authorization,” the woman specified.

  “What does that mean? I don’t need to ask permission from anyone. I earned my life fair and square.” If Slade’s hand wasn’t still on her shoulder, she would have risen to her feet with her objections.

  “Your immortality bargain is between you and Death, but your presence on earth is governed by supernatural leadership.” The woman stared daggers out of her eyes at Dixie, as though she’d done something very wrong to her.

  “How do you know anything about me?” Maeve had mentioned she’d heard rumors, but it seemed like plenty of details were out there somehow. Had Death itself gone to a bar to drown its sorrows and tell everyone about the witch who got one over on it?

  “We have our ways. We wouldn’t be a good council network if we weren’t able to keep tabs on our population. This is how we ensure order is kept.” The red-haired man matched the woman’s angry look at Dixie.

  “And what exactly are you going to do if I decide to stay?” Even though she’d been planning to leave, she wasn’t going to do it just because they told her to.

  “You’ll be subject to ‘immortal abomination without status’ law and subject to immediate termination.” The woman delivered the news in the same tone you would deliver a weather report.

  “That’s enough.” Slade’s voice seemed to boom in comparison to the others. “Threatening Dixie is equal to declaring war on this household.”

  Dixie’s heart leaped in her chest. She’d been jumping to her own defense, and it felt so good to have someone else defend her against the three angry people.

  Slade continued. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but if there’s one thing I hate, it’s a bunch of young pups pissing all over the place and acting like their rules supersede everything else. Maeve went behind our backs about this because she knew she wouldn’t be able to confront me to my face.”

  “We have a treaty—” the red-haired man started.

  Slade cut him off. “This isn’t about the treaty. This is about Maeve’s, well, whatever her problem is. Dixie being here one day isn’t enough for the council to get stirred up over. Maeve pushed you here, for whatever reason, and you’re letting her puppet you.”

  “How dare you!” the red-haired man shot back. “We’re here because it’s our job to keep law and order in the supernatural community of our region, not because the wolf pack orders us around!”

  The blond man added, “There are certain rules that must be enforced. It’s our duty and responsibility to see to that.”

  That was news to Dixie. She’d never had any interactions with councils or packs when she lived alone in the woods with her family. They never discussed politics. Had they simply been left alone because they hadn’t been reported? It seemed likely.

  “Look over that treaty again and see how it says that there are certain rules you follow, like not entering our house and trying to tell us what to do. We keep to ourselves. This move by you is just kicking the hornet’s nest.”

  The councilwoman sighed. “This intruder latched right onto the rich, powe
rful, brooding sucker who can’t help himself from aiding those in need.”

  Dixie held back from responding, not wanting to get herself in any deeper trouble, but the woman’s accusation struck her as outright ridiculous. Dixie wasn’t latching onto anyone. She’d just been there for one night, for a party so she could meet some people, and she’d been planning on leaving that morning!

  The blond man spoke again. “It’s simply the way we limit this kind of thing. We’ve had an understanding with you bears, we leave you alone, but this outsider isn’t in the Dire Clan, and not subject to the agreement we have with you.”

  “You’re wrong,” Slade said in a measured voice. “She is a member of the Dire Clan. We’re allowed to bring our mates to the region, mortal or immortal.”

  At that word, mate, all eyes snapped to Dixie and Slade.

  Dixie wasn’t an expert on shifters, but she knew enough to know that mate was a pretty intense concept. Why did he say that? Was he annoyed by them enough to try to pass her off as his mate?

  “You can’t just claim this random woman is your mate to protect her from us,” the redhead said.

  “Random?” Taren cleared his throat, finally joining the conversation. “Did your sources not tell you that Dixie was delivered here to Slade by Gerri Wilder herself?”

  Taren’s face beamed with pride, and the council members seemed taken aback at the mention of Gerri. What power did Gerri have that caused such reactions?

  “And you plan on committing to this mate?” the woman asked. “The bond has to be put in legal form—human laws, marriage—for her to be considered one of your clan.”

  What was going on? Yesterday Dixie had met Gerri Wilder and attended a party with her, and today the word marriage was being thrown around? Why was everything feeling like it was getting turned upside-down? Before she could ask if she got a say in any of it, Slade spoke up. “We’re in our allotted grace period. We’ll be in touch with further information.”

  The council looked at each other and murmured in low tones. Finally, the blond man said, “Fine, but we’ll be back if we don’t see the proper paperwork filed in time.”

  Everyone stood, and as the council members passed Dixie, the woman reached her hand out. Not wanting to be rude, Dixie accepted the handshake. Too late, she realized that the woman was chanting a spell. Dixie tried to pull back, but it was too late. Whatever the woman had done, it was already sinking in.

  “Dixie Reade, once you’re completely approved, you’ll be accepted into our ranks. But until then, this magic feedback curse will ensure you don’t go rogue.”

  “What the hell did you do to her?” Slade pulled Dixie back from the woman, looking angry.

  The blond man spoke. “It’s well within our rights. When she has approval, we’ll remove the curse. Until then, she’s advised to avoid using spells, or she’ll experience the magic surging back at her.”

  Slade looked fuming mad, but also like he was trying to control himself. “It will hurt her?” he asked between gritted teeth.

  “Only if she uses magic,” the woman answered. “We advise you all to get this sorted out quickly, and for Dixie to not use any spells until then.”

  Dixie sat back down on the chair as the others filtered out, all except Slade.

  “What’s going on?” she asked him. “My mind is spinning. I don’t understand.”

  Slade sighed and sat on the couch near her. “I didn’t know that you weren’t registered. I mean, even if I did, I couldn’t have known that Maeve would submit a complaint.”

  “I guess I should have told you last night. I just didn’t want to stir things up, but I mean, I guess they’re stirred up now, and by Maeve’s own hand—”

  “Dixie, what should you have told me?” Slade interrupted her rambling.

  “Sorry, I mean about Maeve. She’d asked me for the immortality recipe.”

  “That’s what this is about? We should have told the council! If they’re mad about you, a new immortal, they’ll be pissed to know Maeve wants to become one.”

  “I’m guessing that’s a no-no?”

  Slade ran a hand through his dark hair. “You guess right. No matter. Anything to do with Maeve is second to taking care of you.”

  “Yeah… so… about that. The mate thing? The marriage thing? Do you want to explain any of that to me?”

  He shifted in his seat, visibly uncomfortable. “Did Gerri really not tell you why she brought you here?”

  “She said I needed to meet other immortals.”

  “She’s a matchmaker. Did she tell you that?”

  “What? No! I didn’t know this. Why didn’t she tell me?” Probably because if she had, it would be unlikely I would have gone with her.

  “I don’t know why she does things the way she does, but she knew you were my mate. She brought you here for me.” Was there tenderness in his eyes when he looked at Dixie now? She started to feel overwhelmed. She hadn’t come there for love, and things were escalating very quickly.

  She shook her head, not wanting to believe what he was saying. “That’s not possible. I met her in a café. It was random. She just spontaneously invited me to the party.”

  “Nothing is random or spontaneous with Gerri. She’s a wolf shifter, but she’s got some other stuff going on with her. No one knows how she does it, but she does. And with a 100 percent success rate. She’s never wrong with her matches.”

  What have I gotten myself into? Dixie stood, needing to be alone and catch her breath. “Excuse me, I just need a moment.”

  She fled the room, making her way to one of the guest bathrooms. She remembered where they were from the night before. There, she splashed water on her face and took a few deep breaths, steadying herself on the counter and looking at herself in the mirror while she tried to figure out what was going on.

  Just a day ago, her biggest problem had been finding excitement and meaning in her life, and now she’d found much more drama than she’d wanted. She’d thought Gerri’s idea of meeting other immortals would be fun, but it had completely gone off the rails, changing everything completely, in ways Dixie couldn’t have imagined!

  She pulled out her phone and found Gerri’s number, forgoing a greeting when the call was answered. “Gerri, what in the world have you gotten me into?”

  “Hmmm?” Gerri answered. “Is everything okay? You seemed like you were having a nice time with Slade last night.”

  “No, everything isn’t okay. It’s gone topsy-turvy! Some council showed up, saying I don’t have permission to exist, and Slade is saying I’m his mate and that you knew about it.”

  “You’re illegal? Oh, that’s unfortunate. Lucky for you, Slade’s there to help. He’s not one to let laws tell him what to do, and he won’t let them mess with his mate.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were taking me here to hook me up with Slade?”

  Gerri chuckled. Seriously? “I was not hooking you up with anyone. People have free will.”

  “Gerri, I’m not joking. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Seems pretty clear to me. Marry Slade. Become Mrs. Dire Bear, and the council leaves you alone.”

  “I’m not going to tie myself for eternity to someone just because some lawmakers say I have to. If I didn’t have to follow Death’s plan, I don’t have to follow theirs either.”

  “Would it really be just because lawmakers said so? I thought the two of you had a nice connection last night.”

  Dixie sighed. She’d hoped Gerri would be more helpful. “Gerri, I agreed to meet some people, to make some friends, but that’s it. I’m not going to have a nice conversation and then marry some guy because his shifter mate sense tells him he wants to be with me.”

  “Well, there is another option,” she said, finally lifting Dixie’s hopes. “You can look to one of your kind, another immortal witch, and get them to sponsor you and protect you from the council.”

  Her heart soared. “Yes, that’s what I need to do. How do I find another imm
ortal witch? Did I meet any last night, or is there one you can introduce me to?”

  “I’m sorry, dear, I’m on the road and don’t have all my contacts in my phone.” She laughed. “Can you imagine how much storage in my device that would take up? You have no idea how many people I know!”

  Good for you, Gerri, she wanted to say but held back from the sarcasm. “When will you be back in your office?”

  “Don’t wait on me, Dixie! Slade can point you in the right direction. Tell him you want to look at the other sponsorship options. We more or less know all the same people. Oh, there’s my next client. I have to go!” Before Dixie could respond, Gerri hung up.

  6

  “I can call someone in for tonight, get this marriage on the books.” Taren had followed Slade back to his office, clearly excited about the fact that the council had pushed them to this point.

  “You know she gets a choice in this, right?” Slade asked him while growling and pacing. “No matter what you and Gerri did to set all this up.”

  “So I used the matchmaker for you. It’s not like it’s a surprise,” he replied. “You’ve known you were on Gerri’s list for years. Now, her needing proper immortal registration, I didn’t know anything about that.”

  Taren didn’t lie about things like that. If he stirred up trouble, he claimed it. “But you’re happy to use the situation to get me settled down with this woman I don’t know anything about?”

  “You have forever to learn about her. First, you have to get her to agree to marry you tonight.”

  “I don’t have to anything.”

  “Sure you do. She’s your mate. You have to provide protection for her.”

  “You say that like it’s all so simple.”

  “Can’t it be?”

  Slade stopped and looked at his father. Was he right? Slade did have a duty to provide for his mate, but that didn’t mean they had to have a relationship. He couldn’t deny how protective he felt about her or how much rage coursed through his body when they mentioned extermination. “They said we had to have it on paper, but they didn’t say we had to keep living together or anything. We marry, she earns legal standing and protection from the clan, and then she can keep on going about her merry way.”