by Bianca D'Arc
“Right you are,” Seamus said, taking her into his arms and laying a kiss on her that curled her toes. “Think of me,” he whispered as he let her go by slow degrees.
“After that kiss, how could I not?” she replied honestly, making him grin even wider. That devilish twinkle in his eye set her insides on fire with renewed need, but this was not the time. Down, girl.
“Then my work here is done.” He let her go completely and tipped his imaginary hat to her and then to the ladies still watching them through the window. “I’ll see you after?”
“You bet. I’ll meet you at town hall if we finish first,” she promised.
“And I’ll come here if my meeting ends before yours.”
She didn’t want to let him go, but she knew they both had important things to do. They would be together again soon, and that would have to suffice for now.
Leaving Moira at the bakery sent a little pang of longing through Seamus’s heart. Only a day together, and already, he missed her when she wasn’t near. After last night, things were more serious than he would have thought.
He believed in his heart of hearts that she was the one. But what did he have to offer her besides his undying devotion and his battered heart? He was an Alpha, but not like the apex predators she was used to in her Clan. She was cousin to the Kinkaid Alpha, for heaven’s sake, known the world over as the lion king, though use of that ancient title had cooled since the humans had released that cartoon movie. The sad fact was, Moira was powerful in her own right, and they were a terrible mismatch.
They didn’t even live on the same continent. Although…they did have Irish heritage in common. Somewhere way back in their lineages, their people had come from the same little island in the North Atlantic. Ireland. That magical isle of fey and storytellers, music and blarney.
Was that enough to bond them for life? He just didn’t know.
With more questions about his budding relationship with Moira than answers, he headed into the town hall. He followed the noise of men talking to the conference room and found the man from the helicopter sipping coffee with Brody and John. All three acknowledged him when Seamus walked into the room.
Judging by scent, the new guy was another grizzly bear. Fitting, really. Moore must’ve chosen to send a bear shifter because of the town’s population, figuring the other bears here might take to the newcomer more readily if they had their animal sides in common. Watching the easy rapport between all of them standing by the coffee pot, Seamus suspected Moore had been correct.
“Seamus, come meet Trev,” John said, gesturing for Seamus to join them. Brody was already pouring a fresh cup of coffee and handed it to Seamus as he approached. Considerate of him, really. Seamus thanked the sheriff with a nod as he accepted the brew. “Seamus O’Leary, this is Trevor Williams. He’s one of Moore’s guys now, but he served with my group from time to time back in the day.”
The pieces fell into place suddenly. John and Brody weren’t accepting the new guy just because he was a bear shifter. They accepted him this easily because he was someone they knew from their military days. They had a shared history as well as a shared animal spirit.
Trevor gripped Seamus’s hand with the bone-crushing strength he’d come to expect from these big bear shifters. Seamus returned the gesture, having learned not to wince as his finger bones ground together. The guys meant nothing by it. It was just their way. Most of them didn’t really hold back their bear strength when they were dealing with other male shifters. It was only with the women that they tempered their power.
After greetings were exchanged, coffee poured and pastries from the open bakery box snagged, they all sat around the conference table. Trevor ate a few bites of the honey bun he’d chosen—a favorite among the bears, Seamus had noticed—and gave Brody compliments to pass on to his mate about the food. It was clear the men had prior knowledge of each other, and Seamus was inclined to give Trevor the benefit of the doubt based on John and Brody’s warm acceptance of him. He’d known both the Alpha and the sheriff long enough now to trust their judgment. If they vouched for the new guy, then he was okay with Seamus.
“How goes the search for the lioness?” John finally asked, once they were ready to get down to business.
In reply, Trevor removed a thick wad of paper from one of the cargo pockets on his black, military pants. He placed the paper on the table in front of him, then lifted out the largest stack—a folded map, which he began to unfold and lay out on the table.
The men all stood to get a better perspective on the map, including Seamus. He recognized some of the features on the topographical drawing right away.
“This is where Eamon went over the cliff,” Seamus said, pointing to a clearly marked cliff that jived with what he remembered of their path. “And this is the path we took.” Seamus traced out the reverse path with his finger until he came to a spot he would never forget. “This is where we left her. Did you find any trace of her here?” He looked up at Trevor, hope building in his heart.
“We found some traces of her blood there, but either she’s very good at erasing her prints or Mother Nature has diluted the trail with rain and weather over the intervening weeks.” Trevor pointed to an area of woods that didn’t look that much different from any other section, but Seamus thought he knew what the other man was going to say. “This is where we found the abandoned compound. Lots of evidence of animals being kept there, but the place is now empty.”
“Who owns the land?” John asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Unknown. It’s wrapped up in a lot of shell companies and red tape from what I hear. Samson Kinkaid himself is working on it, and if he can’t find out, nobody can.” Nods all around to that statement indicated the respect other shifters had for the lion Alpha, and his political and business ties. “On the pro side for the lioness, we don’t think she was recaptured by whoever ran the compound. They cleared out too fast and were seen by locals hightailing their way off the mountain. They didn’t have any animals with them, and she was too injured to shift, right?”
Everybody looked at Seamus, and he nodded. “She was cut up. Looked like they might be surgical scars of some kind, but I’m not sure. She couldn’t shift, according to Eamon, and I had no reason to doubt his word.”
“He reported the same when he finally got word to his Clan,” Trevor replied. “She was too weak to shift. It was remarkable she made it as far as she did with you before she could go no farther. She must be quite a strong-willed woman.” Trevor sounded as if he respected the unknown female, and Seamus understood why. The lioness had been a noble partner in their escape, and he’d admired her strength of will and heart.
“She was amazing,” Seamus said quietly. “I think she got as far as she did because of Eamon. If it had just been her alone, she probably would’ve given up long before, considering how bad off she was, but she was determined to get Eamon to safety. I could see it in her eyes.”
“That could very well be. Seems she’s his older sister. Must be odd to have siblings with completely different animals,” Trevor mused. “From what Eamon said, they were captured together while on a field trip for his school. He attends a human school, and his sister was along as a chaperone on a bus trip to the local zoo. How’s that for irony?”
“How long were they missing?” Brody asked, frowning.
“Three months. We know the date they were abducted and from where, so that gives us the start date. We know the time period where the folks from the compound were leaving, but that was spread over several days. We don’t know when the big jailbreak occurred with any exactness because the jailors could have stayed for days or even weeks before deciding they’d been too badly compromised. Eamon isn’t much help because he stayed in his seal form for weeks before making it to an area on the coast where he knew he could find help. He didn’t keep track of the days.”
“Neither did I,” Seamus admitted. “Though I know when I got here, at least, and I can say that was about two to three
weeks after getting out of that hellhole.”
“Well, that’s more than we had before. It’ll help us triangulate the time a little closer at least,” Trevor said. “The reason we’re so interested in the timing is that we have lion input from the Kinkaids on possible outcomes and timeframes for their female. For instance, they’ve given us an idea how much terrain she could cover if well or injured, which gives us parameters for a range to search. Unfortunately, it’s a very big range.”
“Distance times time,” Brody muttered. “And it’s been a long time. She could be pretty much anywhere by now.”
“Not anywhere,” Trevor corrected gently. “We know, for example, that she would probably stay away from population centers, so that helps us narrow things a bit. And there are geological barriers that would prove impossible for her to navigate, even if she was completely well.”
“All right,” John said, holding up one hand to stop the recitation. “Why don’t we do what we promised the Kinkaid Alpha we’d do and let Seamus here give you his full account from beginning to end?”
Trevor nodded agreement. “That’s what I’m here for.”
What followed was two hours of testimony and cross examination. A court of law couldn’t have done better, Seamus thought. He was limp as a wet noodle mentally by the time he’d told his tale and answered all of Trevor’s very in-depth questions.
When they were finally finished, Seamus left the bears to their discussion of the military search operation. John and Brody understood that stuff better than Seamus, who had never been in the military. He was glad to have unburdened himself to someone who was actively doing something to find the lioness. Now, he felt, his load had been lightened.
He’d volunteered to go back to Oregon with Trevor, but the same reasoning against that still held. Seamus was known to the bad guys, and his presence might endanger the operation more than help it. No matter how much he wanted to be the one to find the lioness and bring her back to her family, he understood the reasons why he should stay away.
As he walked out of the conference room and back toward the main entrance of town hall, he heard female voices ahead of him. Moira. She was there, and she was talking with Urse. They must’ve finished their breakfast meeting long ago and come looking for him. Well, Moira had come for him. Urse was probably there for her mate, John, and keeping Moira company while they waited.
“Ah,” Urse said, seeing him coming down the hall. “Here he is now.”
Moira turned to meet his gaze, and Seamus almost stumbled.
She was so beautiful. So magical and alluring. And his.
She stood and came to him, meeting him halfway. The ladies had been sitting on a bench by the window, just adjacent to the front door of town hall. They were in the reception area that fed the hallway leading to the rest of the building—the offices and conference rooms, and the big meeting hall at the back.
“G’day, Mrs. Mayor,” Seamus said to Urse after kissing Moira hello. He kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked back toward the bench. She felt so good next to him, her presence stabilizing and reenergizing him at the same time.
Urse laughed. “It’s just Urse, Seamus. No need to apply my husband’s title. He’s the mayor, not me, and I’m very happy that way.”
Seamus tipped his imaginary hat to her. “Right you are, ma’am.” He squeezed Moira’s shoulders. “Thanks for keeping my lady company. Your mate is talking military jargon with his visitor and Brody. I left them to it.”
Urse rolled her eyes. “Great. That’ll keep him occupied for another few hours if I don’t remind him about the twenty million other things on his to-do list for today.” She stood and headed toward the hallway. “Good to see you, Seamus.”
Seamus and Moira said goodbye to Urse as she left for the conference room. Then, he turned Moira in his arms and gave her the steamy kiss he’d been craving since they parted that morning. It had been much too long since she’d been in his arms. He was greedy, dammit. He wanted all her time, though he knew that was impractical at best.
He’d have to settle for whatever moments they could steal from the day to be together. He was okay with that…as long as she was. He sent a silent prayer to the Goddess, hoping Moira would want to be with him far into the future. Maybe even…forever…
CHAPTER NINE
As far as Moira was concerned, the morning had been a great success. She’d met Nansee, the mer pod leader, and liked the woman very much. They’d discussed the leviathan problem in detail while Mellie and Urse asked questions and added their own magical observations. It turned out that Moira had much more in common with the mer than she’d thought, and Nansee had admitted to the same. She’d even extended an invitation to swim freely in the cove, even among the newly claimed homestead areas the mer had been industriously building.
As a selkie, Moira could dive, but she couldn’t stay below water as long as the mer. Still, the offer of safe passage and welcome among her people that Nansee had extended was something Moira hadn’t expected. In return, Moira had told Nansee that the Kinkaid Alpha was interested in opening a dialogue between the mer and the selkie part of the Kinkaid Clan. This was the first step in diplomacy, and frankly, Moira hadn’t thought she’d get any further than making the offer. Instead, not only was the offer accepted, but the mer had extended the hand of friendship.
Moira would be careful, of course. She was wary by nature. But she had a feeling that this was the start of something big. A beginning of cooperation among the sea shifters that hadn’t existed in a very long time…if ever. There were stories, of course, of the sea-based shifters working together to fight the Destroyer of Worlds. If the worst should come to pass and that fiend had truly reentered the mortal realm, then perhaps the need for all creatures who served the Light to present a united front would also return. If so, they were laying the groundwork now.
If not, it was still a good move to be on friendly relations with the other creatures of the sea—especially a powerfully magical group like the mer. Nansee hadn’t been able to speak for any pod except her own, but she was in contact with other pod leaders and would send the message to them that the Kinkaid Alpha was interested in forming alliances. Whether or not the others would respond, Nansee had warned, was up to them, but Moira was hopeful for good results.
“How did your meeting go?” Seamus asked her as they left the town hall.
“Very well. I really like Nansee, and we were able to pool our knowledge of the creature. I think it’ll help Mellie in her potion-making, at least. Urse is going to present a detailed summary to her mate.”
“Sounds like you made good progress.” Seamus kept his arm around her as they walked down the street, and she loved the way it made her feel protected and…sort of…cherished. Such gestures from men had been few and far between in her life. “We did too, though I felt really wrung out at the end of that grilling I just took.”
She touched his hand and turned her head to look up at him. “Are you okay?”
“Right as rain. Or, I will be, once I’ve had something more substantial than just pastries to eat, and a chance to be around you for a bit. You steady me, Moira. I never thought I’d say something like that, but the minute I saw you sitting there, waiting on the bench, I started to feel better.” He leaned down and kissed her, right there on Main Street. A good toe-curling kiss that set her to thinking of ways to get him alone as soon as possible.
“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Moira asked him when he finally let her up for air. He must’ve seen the invitation in her eyes because his expression instantly filled with regret.
“I promised Lyn Ling I’d go over to her shop and finish the tile mosaic she asked me to do there. I already did one in the ladies room and one in the gents, but she wanted a piece in the small vestibule leading to them to tie it all together. It should only take a couple of hours to finish up, and she wanted it done in time for the weekend, so I really should get to it today.”
“Tha
t’s okay,” Moira told him. “I should go for another look around the cove myself. Nansee was very welcoming, and I’d like to firm up those new bonds of friendship and cooperation with some of her people. Janice will probably accompany me on another tour of the perimeter if I ask her.” She started thinking about how her afternoon would shape up. “Is it too early for lunch? You mentioned getting some more substantial food.”
“Yeah, I could go for lunch, if you’re up to it, that is. If you want to wait, I can too. It’s your call,” Seamus told her gallantly.
They ate lunch together, repeating what they’d done that first day—only twenty-four hours ago, when they’d met. This time, though, Seamus went into the bakery and made nice with the sisters, only two of whom were there today. They were gracious and welcomed him, assembling sandwiches that were even larger than their usual massive creations.
Seamus and Moira ate their meal at the same picnic table, but the mood today was so much lighter, so much happier. They touched often, holding hands across the table when they weren’t needed to hold their sandwiches. They smiled a lot and generally enjoyed each other’s company.
All too soon, the food was consumed, and it was time to get on with their days. Seamus escorted her to the boathouse, from which she’d make her entrance to the water. Janice was there already, waiting for her. Seamus left Moira with a hot kiss that kept her warm for long minutes while Janice teased her about her fondness for the koala shifter.
“Nansee sent the word down that you’re to be given every welcome,” Janice told her as they were stowing their clothing in lockers provided exactly for that use. The mer had really thought of everything when they’d set up the boathouse.
“Why do I suspect you had a lot to do with that?” Moira said, teasing her new friend.