by Bianca D'Arc
She walked in and found the sheriff there in the main office, standing over a filing cabinet. He looked up when the door opened and smiled at them.
“G’day,” Seamus said by way of greeting. “Have you met Moira Kinkaid yet?”
The sheriff shut the cabinet drawer and ambled over, a faint smile on his face. “Yes, I have. How are you today, ma’am?”
“Fine, thanks, Sheriff,” she answered, reserving judgment about the man now that she knew he’d been keeping Seamus in a cell. She wanted to see this so-called cell first, before she made up her mind about the man, and the town.
“Look, Brody…” Seamus eyed the other man. “I’m not trying anything here, but Moira got concerned when I told her I was staying at the jail. She wants to make sure you’re not locking me up at night or something.”
Brody looked surprised, and then, his brows drew together in concern. Good. Let them know they were on trial with her. She wasn’t going to take anything in this town at face value. Not until she’d done her own investigation. She realized that she didn’t mind that they knew she was investigating. In fact, so much the better. Moira adapted her style to each new situation Kinkaid presented her with. In this case, she decided, open honesty looked like the best course. She had a feeling both the bears, and she, would be much more comfortable this way.
It wasn’t her usual style, to be sure, but this trip had been full of strange new experiences so far. She supposed that would continue—especially now that she’d run across the first koala shifter she’d ever met. She hadn’t even really known there were any. Perhaps they were rare? Or maybe they just kept to themselves. She wasn’t sure, but she had a feeling she’d be learning a lot more about them before this trip was done.
“Nell mentioned you two had met when I spoke to her a few minutes ago,” Brody told them. He smiled as he gestured for them to go ahead into the hallway that led to other parts of the building. “Good to see someone taking an interest in Seamus’s welfare. Maybe it’s time to sober up, son,” Brody added as Seamus passed him, giving him a heavy pat on the back.
Rather than take offense, Seamus paused to look back at the grizzly shifter. “Might be,” he agreed, then turned to escort her into the back portion of the building—where the cells were located.
He opened a door, and the first thing she saw was a traditional cell with bars. Seamus ushered her right past it.
“This is the one they set up for tourists. As long as I’ve been here, nobody’s ever been in it. See how shiny everything still is? I doubt they’ve ever used it.”
She noted the new construction look to everything as they passed the open cell. Seamus opened another door that led to what looked like a meeting area that had several doors leading out from it. He chose the nearest one and opened it.
“This is my bunk,” he stated, standing back for her to peek in the door.
She was relieved to find the room exactly as he had described. A double bed—big enough for the giant shifters who lived in this town—and all the amenities Seamus had mentioned. It looked more like a hotel room or maybe an officer’s billet than anything else. The door did have a pretty substantial lock on it, and the door itself was made of steel. It would hold a shifter—as long as the construction of the walls was as strong as it looked.
“We had this room put in special in case we ever needed to lock one of our own up for some reason. It’ll hold a bear,” Brody said from behind them. She hadn’t heard him approach. She’d thought they’d left him behind out in the front office.
Seamus took a key on a ring out of his pocket and dangled it from his hand. “But they don’t lock it. Like I said, I’ve got the run of the place.”
“I know it sounds bad,” Brody allowed when she turned to face him. “But when Seamus showed up, we didn’t have a lot of choices on where to put him.”
“Plus, you did arrest me at first,” Seamus reminded the sheriff.
“It wasn’t really arrest,” Brody protested with a smile. It was clear the two men liked and respected each other now, even if they hadn’t started off on the best of terms. “It was more like protective custody.”
“Who were you protecting?” Moira asked, curious. Had the sheriff really thought Seamus could be a danger to Nell or her sisters?
“Him, if I’m honest. Seamus’s biggest enemy is himself, as far as I can see.” The criticism was said in a friendly tone that made it easier to bear. At least, that’s the way it seemed, judging by the expressions on the men’s faces.
“Too true, mate. Too true,” Seamus agreed, his Aussie accent coming on thick.
“Well, I’m glad to see your cell isn’t as bad as I’d feared,” Moira began. “Look, Sheriff, Seamus and I need to talk with Big John, if he’s available. I’ve spoken to my Alpha after hearing Seamus’s story. There are a few things we need to discuss.”
Brody nodded. “I can set that up. How soon do you want to see him?”
“As soon as possible,” Seamus answered. “Samson Kinkaid hired some folks we think are former colleagues of yours. Do you know a mercenary group out of Wyoming?”
“Moore’s men?” Brody asked, frowning a bit. “Yeah, we know ‘em. If they’re involved, I’m certain John will make time to speak with you. Let me just give him a call.” Brody stepped away and pulled out his cell phone.
CHAPTER FIVE
The fact that John agreed to come right over to the sheriff’s office after Brody placed the call impressed Seamus. He’d heard Brody’s side of the conversation, and he hadn’t mentioned Moira’s presence, which left Seamus to wonder if the Alpha bear had come out of real concern for Seamus, or because he’d somehow heard the representative of Clan Kinkaid was in on this. Either way, it was nice of Big John to drop everything and come to them instead of making them go to him. Other Alphas would have been much more lordly about it, Seamus was certain.
Seamus cringed at the fact that he hadn’t had time to get in a quick shower, but he’d spent a few minutes in his bathroom changing into clothes that didn’t reek while Brody entertained Moira with talk about his mate’s bakery. Seamus would’ve liked to shave too, but there was simply no time. He settled for splashing himself with a bit of water in strategic places and putting on fresh clothing. It would have to do.
John greeted them with handshakes and concerned smiles, commandeering the meeting space just outside of the room Seamus had been living in for the past few weeks. There was a conference table and chairs there, and John invited them all to sit, including Brody in the gathering since the sheriff was his second-in-command.
“Now, what’s all this about Moore’s men?” John began once they were all seated.
Seamus wasn’t sure where or how to begin, so he turned to Moira. She seemed more than happy to take the lead, and he was relieved. The grizzlies had a way of intimidating him, even though he’d befriended most of them in his time here. They weren’t as scary as they seemed, but they were still apex predators, and Seamus was very much still a stranger in a strange land.
“Seamus told me about his imprisonment,” Moira started off, going for the facts right away.
Seamus remembered her phone report to her Alpha and was glad she was there to boil everything down to the bare bones. She was good at it, so he sat back and let her do most of the talking. She rehashed the salient points of his story, telling the bears about the lioness and selkie boy. Seamus hadn’t told anyone that part of his story until today, so this was news to the bears.
When Moira got to the part where she’d called Samson Kinkaid, the bears grew very still. Both Brody and John had been frowning fiercely, but when they heard the boy was all right, they seemed to rally.
“What about the woman?” Brody asked, butting in when Moira paused to take a breath.
“She hasn’t made contact, so we don’t yet know her fate. Sam mobilized all our people in the area, but we didn’t have many, and most are sea-based and not much good in the mountains. That’s where the mercenaries come in. He got i
n touch with Major Moore and hired a platoon of his SAR guys.” Seamus knew that acronym. SAR stood for search and rescue. “They want to send someone here to talk to Seamus and get his story first-hand. Sam asked me to clear that through you, Alpha. He wouldn’t send anyone into your territory without your express permission.”
John nodded gravely. “I appreciate that. Samson Kinkaid has always been known as a stand-up guy and a good leader. I know most of Jesse Moore’s men, so I’ll contact him and see who he’s got in mind to send. Leave it in my hands, Miss Kinkaid. I’ll make sure our Seamus gets to give his information to the right people, and I personally pledge whatever help I can provide in the search for your lost lioness.”
Our Seamus, John had said. The term hit Seamus right between the eyes. It sounded as if the bear Alpha was claiming Seamus for Grizzly Cove. He hadn’t expected that. Not in a million years. With those simple words, the Alpha was accepting him as one of his own. Part of his Clan. Under his protection.
It both rankled and felt amazingly good. Big John was an easy man to follow. He’d earned the loyalty of so many usually-solitary bears because he was a strong, thoughtful, big-hearted, brilliant strategist and commander. While Seamus was used to leading his own kind, his soul wasn’t shared with the kind of apex predator Big John carried. It was humbling to be thought of as worthy of the Alpha bear’s protection, and Seamus wouldn’t soon forget the honor those simple words had bestowed.
“I’ll pass that along to Sam,” Moira said, smiling softly at the big bear shifter. “I guess you realize by now that I’m not just a low-level Clan member sent to consult because of my familiarity with the leviathan. I’m actually Sam’s cousin and one of his top operatives. I was sent to help, and I do have knowledge of the leviathan, but I was also tasked with keeping my eyes open and reporting back to Sam about your town. He’s very interested in what you’re doing up here.” Seamus hadn’t expected Moira to out herself like this, but one look at John’s face told him the Alpha bear already knew, or had guessed, her true purpose.
“I’m glad to have honesty between us, Miss Kinkaid,” John said quietly. “I had an inkling that’s what you were doing here, but I figured the town and its people would stand or fall on their own merits in your eyes.”
“So that’s why you were so interested in where Seamus was bedding down,” Brody said with a smile. “For a minute there, I thought you might be checking out his digs for other reasons.” Brody laughed, but Seamus felt distinctly uncomfortable, and when he looked over at Moira, she was blushing.
“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t holding him prisoner too. The first time was bad enough, don’t you agree?” Moira brazened her way past the awkward moment, but John’s eyebrow was raised in speculation when he met Seamus’s eyes.
“Rest assured, we have no plans to imprison anyone,” John reassured her. “And now that the mer are here, construction on guest housing is going double-time. They’ve been good enough to spend their nights in the cove for now, but we have to create a better option, and soon.”
“I’m lucky you invited me to stay in your guest cottage then,” Moira answered.
“Here’s a little secret…” Brody leaned in and mock whispered. “John’s so-called guest cottage was a garage-slash-workshop until the day before yesterday.”
John squirmed in his seat a bit, which Seamus found hilarious. Moira joined in his laughter and the tense moment passed.
“Well, then. I’m doubly honored that you would go so far out of your way for me, Alpha,” Moira said graciously after the laughter died down. “I would never have guessed it was a garage. It’s really rather cozy.”
“You can thank my mate for that. She did all the decorating. I just did as I was told.” John held his hands up as if claiming innocence, but he was smiling all the same. The pleasure he felt when he talked about his mate was obvious for anyone to see.
*
As Moira got acquainted with the waters of the cove in her seal form later that afternoon, she reflected on everything that had happened since her morning walk along the shoreline. Stumbling upon Seamus had opened up a whole new world to her. She hadn’t known there were koala shifters. She hadn’t known about the bastards who had been hunting shifters and holding them prisoner for months. She hadn’t known that meeting one man could change her life, and her mission, so drastically.
She’d gone from being an undercover agent to blurting out her mission to all and sundry. She’d never done that before. It was kind of…liberating. And a little scary.
Moira had always worked from the shadows, hiding her true purpose, position, and abilities. Being able to operate in the open here in Grizzly Cove was refreshing. She liked the respect the Alpha had given her—and Seamus. This bear Alpha was more like Sam than she’d realized.
In her work, she’d met many people in powerful positions. Almost universally, she was dismissed by the bad leaders as a mere secretary or clerk, unimportant and unimpressive. The good ones treated her with a bit more respect, but still dismissed her as a mere underling. The really great leaders treated her as they would treat anyone in their domain, with equanimity and fairness.
In her experience, such leaders were few and far between, but when she found one, Clan Kinkaid usually did business with them in one way or another. It might be a partnership in some venture or the providing of seed money for a new innovation. Clan Kinkaid, as a business enterprise, and Sam Kinkaid, in particular, liked to invest in good people with novel ideas. If that didn’t fit as a description of Grizzly Cove, Moira didn’t know what would. If she had anything to say about it—and she had quite a bit of quiet power in her Clan—Kinkaid would be investing with the bears in the not-too-distant future.
After the meeting had ended, John had agreed to call Major Moore and arrange for a meeting between one of his men and Seamus. He’d already been speaking on his cell phone as she watched him walk out of the sheriff’s station and down the street toward his own office. Brody had gone back to his paperwork with the assurance to John that he’d be ready to help arrange the meeting when needed.
When she mentioned needing to get to work surveying the cove, Seamus had offered to show her the new boathouse where water-based shifters could enter and leave the waters of the cove without anyone seeing them from shore. He’d left her there with a bashful smile and a promise to see her soon, though they’d made no definite plans. That had been a bit of a downer, but in such a small town, she was pretty sure it wouldn’t be difficult to run into Seamus again.
She knew for certain that she didn’t want to finish her business and leave Grizzly Cove without spending more time with the sexy koala shifter. There was something about him that just drew her toward him, like iron shavings towards a magnet. His story was compelling, and her heart went out to him for what he’d been through, but more than that, she found him fascinating on a very basic level. As if they’d known each other in some other life.
Moira shook her head. Even in seal form, she wasn’t much for mystical thinking. She might be a creature of magic, but past lives weren’t something she’d ever contemplated before. It was utter nonsense…wasn’t it?
Moira stuck close to the surface of the cove as she made her way toward the mouth that would lead to the ocean. She didn’t want to interfere with any of the mer who were making the cove into a home. She especially didn’t want to be seen as a threat to any of the young that had accompanied the pod out of the ocean and into the cove.
Such a move was unprecedented. Moira had met mer before, in her travel in the ocean, but mostly, they kept to themselves. They were friendly enough, but since they had gills and could stay underwater indefinitely and dive deeper than any seal, their paths didn’t often cross. Still, they were allies, of a sort, united in trying to keep the oceans clean and safe for their people and especially their young.
As Moira headed toward the somewhat blurry line that separated the waters of the cove from the ocean proper, she saw a flash of scales below he
r. It was too large for any fish, and as it drew nearer, she realized it was a mermaid. The woman was in her full mer form, covered head to tail in scales that hid most of her attributes, but the long, flowing hair seemed to indicate it was female. A female warrior, if the trident in her hands and the multiple knives strapped to her arms were any indication.
She smiled, though, when she came face to face with Moira’s seal form, showing teeth that were sharper than human. The mer were really fascinating. When they shifted, they retained their human shape and size but gained gills and the ability to breathe under water.
Moira supposed that shouldn’t impress her as much as it did, seeing as how Moira herself went from human to animal. It just seemed…weird, for lack of a better word, that they should still keep their human shape, yet change so much.
When the mermaid pointed toward the surface with her trident, Moira understood that she wanted to surface. Probably so they could talk. Moira would have to shift to full human form to do that, but she didn’t mind. She headed up to the surface, only a few feet above their heads, shifting as she went.
By the time she broke the surface, she was human. The mermaid was only seconds behind her, and when her head popped out of the water, the scales had receded to below her chin. The partial shift was impressive—another thing about the mer that was fascinating to Moira.
“Hi, I’m Janice. I didn’t mean to interrupt your exploration, but you’re coming awfully close to no man’s land. The waters of the cove are safe, but the area just beyond the mouth of the cove is seriously dangerous. I’m part of a group that’s been set to patrol the boundary to warn those who might not realize, and help those who accidentally stray too far.”
“I’m Moira. Thanks for the warning,” she said, glad to see the mer were on top of things out here. “I actually just came to get a feel for the demarcation zone and see what might be waiting on the other side, if I can. I don’t plan to venture over the boundary,” she told the warrior mermaid. “Can you see the leviathan or its minions from here?”