Spirit Bear

by D'Arc, Bianca

  Laura pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “I’ve heard that one before.” She took his hand and let him pull her up to stand in front of him.

  “Let your wolf run, Laura,” Gus coaxed. “Let her know she’s still a valued part of you, even if other things have changed.” He moved back a few paces and lifted his shirt off over his head, giving her a saucy grin. “There’s no better way to experience the magic of this place than in our fur.”

  Laura was distracted—as she always was—when Gus took off the rest of his clothing. Naked, he let her watch as he morphed into the most beautiful bear she had ever seen. Growing up in the arctic, she’d seen many polar bears. While Gus’s fur was not brown, it wasn’t the pure white of a polar bear either. It was more a soft cream…like the colors she’d chosen for her murals.

  She knew immediately how she would finish the redwood scene. Gus’s cream-colored fur would fit perfectly with the theme she had created. Anybody who had seen the Spirit Bear would know what her mural showed, but only those who knew Gus was the Spirit Bear would know she would be painting his portrait.

  Daring greatly, she shucked her clothes and allowed the wolf to take her body. It had been so long since she’d been free to shift back and forth between her forms. She was rusty, but she found that once she became the wolf again, her fur felt familiar…and much loved. She had missed this other part of herself while she’d been human.

  Fear had kept her in her human shape. Fear that, once she shifted, she’d be trapped once more in that form. It was unreasonable, she knew, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. Fear was a near-constant companion. Fear that she would be recaptured. Fear that she would lose all that she had just regained. So much fear. It was a terrible companion to her every waking moment and filled many of her anxious dreams.

  Only when she was with Gus did the fear recede. He kept the nightmares at bay. He made her feel safe. And, now, seeing his bear form, she could see the magic of him. The Goddess-blessed shape of his bear. Gus wasn’t an ordinary man. He was a shaman. Filled with an ancient power held in reserve for when it was needed.

  Laura realized, in that moment, that a lot of his friends and coworkers in Grizzly Cove probably didn’t realize the extent of his power. It was deep and connected to something so immense, she could just barely sense it, but not see it in its entirety. He was an extension of the Light that shone through the universe, bringing goodness and justice to the dark places. He was a benevolent spirit dedicated to the will of the Mother of All.

  Laura could actually see the strong thread of power that wound from his being, down into the earth and out into the cosmos. She’d never witnessed anything as powerful, though she recognized the pattern from the few holy people she had encountered in her lifetime. She’d known instinctually that Gus was something special, but this went well beyond her expectations.

  He padded up to her in his bear form, approaching slowly so as not to scare her, but she could never be afraid of Gus. She closed the distance and sniffed at his fur, wanting to be certain of his intentions before she did anything. She’d never been this close to a bear shifter before. She didn’t know if his people had some sort of protocol. She would observe and learn, and follow his lead.

  At her cautious approach, he made a grunting sound and snuffled closer to her, his nose tickling her ribs. He seemed playful, so she rubbed her cheek along his side. His fur was so soft. It had a different texture than wolf fur. Softer. Finer. And he smelled different than her wolf brethren. She found the scent of his bear both alluring and dangerous. A heady combination.

  When he started walking, she followed him, concentrating on him at first, rather than the scenery. After a while, though, she couldn’t help but notice the energy of the grove. Every gigantic tree had an aura all its own. She could see things so much clearer in her wolf skin. Every leaf, every pine needle, every branch had a signature.

  Forgetting her fear, Laura bounded ahead to investigate the next forest giant, and then the next. Before she knew it, an hour had passed as she walked among the trees, her companion a ghostly Spirit Bear.

  At that point, Gus started herding her back toward the entrance to the grove, where they’d had their picnic. She was sad to see her moments of exploration come to an end, but she knew it was for the best. She had to get back to work. She had a mural to finish, and she knew just how to do it now. Her fingers itched to pick up a brush and paint.

  When they reached their picnic blanket, Gus shifted first. He dressed while she watched, wanting to enjoy a few more moments in her fur before going back. She’d been afraid to shift since her rescue, and she wasn’t completely sure about shifting back.

  Gus dressed as he watched her. “We were getting close to the ward,” he told her as he tugged on his pants and then shrugged into his shirt. “I didn’t want to cross over onto tribal land, though they usually don’t mind. I think it’s just safer for you to stay within the ward for now.”

  Just like that, Laura flowed back into her human form. It had been easier than she expected. She’d thought about the things she wanted to say to Gus and how she needed to be human in order to speak with him and then…she was. Presto change-o. Huh.

  She sat back and gathered her clothing, dressing only a little self-consciously. “It’s okay,” she told him. “I want to get back to the gallery anyway. I’ve got a painting to finish.” She grinned as she thought about her new vision for the composition.

  Gus worked in the back room while Laura painted in the front part of the gallery that afternoon. He’d picked up several boxes of wares from the res. Apparently, the artisans had been working overtime to produce items suitable for sale, and as a result, Gus had enough stock to put some in back. He worked on setting up an inventory system and entering the items into the database he’d already created. He had a plan to teach Laura how to use the computer by starting her out with just the inventory control system he’d devised. He’d made it as simple as he could, in order to encourage her.

  She didn’t know it yet, but once he got her comfortable with that, he had plans to introduce her to her new smart phone. He’d already purchased it, but he wouldn’t spring it on her, right away. She had a lot of catching up to do as far as technology was concerned.

  Gus deliberately stayed busy in the back room to give Laura space to complete her masterpiece. And it was a masterpiece in his estimation. She was incredibly talented, and every mural she had painted in the gallery was absolutely stunning. He didn’t want to interfere with a genius at work. Few had seen the murals, yet, but he knew that once people got a good look at what she’d created here, her reputation would rise as a true artist.

  As he was finishing up with his inventory, Laura surprised him by coming into the back and giving him a megawatt smile that made her eyes sparkle. She was happy. He loved seeing her that way.

  “Got a minute?” she asked.

  “For you, I have more than one,” he answered readily. “What’s up?”

  “I finished the redwood mural. Want to see?” she asked, a bit shyly.

  Gus got up from the chair he’d been sitting in behind the desk and joined her by the door. “Of course,” he told her, putting one hand on her lower back as he escorted her into the main room. He loved touching her, and it had been far too long since he’d done so.

  They went through the door, and Gus turned to look at the mural. It had been beautiful before, but now… His breath caught.

  “Is that…me?” She had painted him into the redwood scene, his cream-colored coat unmistakable to those who knew of the existence of the Spirit Bear.

  “Do you like it?” she asked. He could hear the tension in her tone, as if she wasn’t sure how he’d react to the intensely flattering depiction she’d created of his beast half.

  “Like it?” he breathed, taking in the finely detailed scene. She’d captured the scale of the giant sequoias perfectly. The bear was dwarfed by the massive trees, as he was in real life. Somehow the addition of the bear to the co
mposition added more depth and scale to the entire thing, making it even more majestic. “Honey, you’ve outdone yourself. And I’m incredibly flattered that you would put me into one of your paintings.” He turned to take her into his arms. “Thank you,” he said, kissing her temple then her cheek. “I’m overwhelmed.”

  “Now, we’re both on the wall,” she replied in a soft voice.

  He looked at the entirety of the back wall of the gallery where the two murals were separated by the doorway. Laura’s white wolf was on the left, and now, Gus’s bear form was on the right. She’d painted them facing each other and both in motion as if they were walking toward each other. He wondered if she’d done that on purpose, but it didn’t matter. He would take it as a sign that even she thought they could meet in the middle. Gus liked that thought very much.

  “How about, as a thank you for immortalizing me in your mural, I take you out to dinner?” he asked, wanting to spend more time with her.

  “I’m a mess! No way,” she told him, laughing and holding up her paint-stained hands. “How about we have dinner upstairs, instead?”

  Oh, he liked the sound of that even better. “All right, but we’re not cooking. I’m going to call Zak and get him to make us dinner to go. What would you like?”

  They discussed various options for a few minutes before deciding on what he would request. Gus sent Laura upstairs to get cleaned up while he called Flambeau’s and put in the order, plus a few modifications of his own.

  Gus closed up the gallery and shut off the lights before heading off down the street to pick up the dinner he’d ordered. He spent a few minutes talking with John, who happened to be waiting for food as well, while Zak finalized the food orders in the kitchen. A lot of folks picked up their meals from Zak or the bakery, since they were the only two eating establishments in town, so far.

  “How is it going with Laura?” John asked casually. Almost too casually. Gus knew what his friend and Alpha was really asking, and Gus was uncomfortable all over again, with the idea of spying on her.

  “She’s turned out to be quite the artist,” Gus said.

  “I’ll have to come take a look. Maybe tomorrow, if my schedule allows,” John replied.

  “We’ll be starting to set up some of the displays tomorrow. The artisans on the res really came through,” Gus reported.

  “That’s good. Any repercussions?”

  Gus knew John was talking about the tribe’s new understanding that the town just to the north of the res really was populated by shapeshifters. John hadn’t been thrilled by the news that the elders both knew and accepted that a town full of shifters lived nearby, but he’d shrugged it off after the initial upset.

  “Nope. Everything is good. Actually, it’s a bit better than it was before,” Gus admitted.

  “Laura’s doing, you think?” John asked, one eyebrow raised in a speculative way.

  “She’s definitely part of it. The elders really liked her when they met her,” Gus told his Alpha. “She understands the native lifestyle probably better than a lot of the folks on the res. They seem to look up to her and the more primitive survival skills she grew up learning. There’s even talk of her showing some of the res kids how the Inuit do things way up north, but that’ll have to wait until she can cross the ward, unless they want to come up to my backyard and do it there.”

  “I like the idea of building better relations with the tribe,” John mused. “And I’m glad Laura’s finding acceptance. I know she had a rough time finding work until you came up with your job offer.”

  So, John knew about that, huh? Gus wasn’t surprised. John had his finger on the pulse of the town, which was his creation, after all.

  Gus shrugged. “It was a good solution. I needed someone to look after my investment, and she needed a job and a place to live. Win-win.”

  Gus decided to ignore the pointed look from his Alpha as Zak came out of the back with two giant shopping bags full of food. What was between him and Laura was private. For now. If the time came when they decided to take things further and go public, well… He’d deal with John—and anyone else who dared raise an eyebrow at him—when the time came. For now, Gus was going to enjoy being with the woman who was fast coming to mean perhaps a bit too much to him, but he couldn’t help it. She was just…perfect.

  Beautiful. Desirable. Strong and damaged but working her way through her recovery. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to be the one she reached out to in the middle of the night, or any time during the day. If the other guys dared make a stink, he’d have something to say about it. He might give the impression of being an easy-going bear, but threaten Laura, and his claws would come out.

  Gus left the restaurant before he said anything else, merely nodding politely to John as he talked with Zak about something or other. Gus had places to be and a woman to seduce…if she’d let him. Boy, how he hoped she’d let him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Gus found Laura upstairs in her apartment when he got back to the building. She had changed out of her painting clothes, and her hair was damp, so she must have showered while he was fetching dinner. He knew she didn’t have a lot of clothing. In fact, he’d been pleased to hear from one of the mer shopkeepers that Laura had spent part of the money he’d given her on a few bits of clothing. T-shirts and leggings, mostly. Inexpensive and versatile.

  He knew she needed more clothes, but he had to be careful. She was a proud woman, and he didn’t want to insult her by offering what she might see as “charity”.

  She was wearing a Grizzly Cove T-shirt in a pretty pink color. They’d allowed a few different designs to be printed, mostly to sell to tourists. John had been surprised when most of the guys and almost all the mer wanted their own Grizzly Cove T-shirt, bringing a small percentage of the profits to the town’s coffers.

  As the town grew, the town council, of which Gus was a part, had decided to collect small amounts from various enterprises to use for the general upkeep and as an emergency fund should anyone in town need help. They’d decided that anything bearing the town logos would pay a small percentage into the town fund. Ironically, that fund had grown faster than any of them had expected when the first order of shirts sold out in less than a week.

  The initial order had been meant to supply the expected tourists that would soon come into town, once the warmer weather hit. Instead, the entire order had went to people who already lived there, and they’d had to reorder and double the quantity. A small selection of shot glasses, beer and wine glasses had also been ordered with the various approved town logos, as well as things like tote bags and beach towels. The shops were fully stocked now, in anticipation of receiving tourists.

  Nobody knew exactly when or how the tourists would find the place, but everyone knew there was no way to keep curious humans out of town. Instead of shunning them, the decision had been made early on to try to welcome them as best they could, entertain them while they were here, then send them on their way, happy they had taken the detour to see the town, and perhaps spend a little money on the art produced there.

  And art was something Laura was proving exceedingly proficient in making. As she escorted him into the apartment, Gus noted the little side table by the couch had that box with the antler pieces and tools in it. It looked like she’d been working at turning the raw antlers into miniature works of art.

  “I hope some of those are meant to sell in the gallery,” he said, nodding toward the box as he walked past on his way to the kitchen island. He set the bags down, and she took one, helping him unpack the contents as if they worked together all the time. He liked the feeling, and his inner bear approved.

  “First, I wanted to make gifts for the people who’ve helped me,” she told him as they worked side by side, “but I’ve got a few that I could put on display downstairs, just to fill that corner. I have enough material left to make the gifts, regardless. I just need a little time to finish them.”

  Gus noted a small easel set by the window, along
with a stack of small, blank canvases. “Are you painting, too?”

  She shrugged. “Again, some are gifts, but I’ll have a couple ready for the gallery opening. I don’t want that corner to be empty.”

  Gus wanted to tell her to forget about making gifts and concentrate on saleable goods, but he knew that wasn’t going to go over well. Heck, it wouldn’t have worked on him, either. There was such a thing as pride and honor. Laura seemed to have that in spades. She honored her debts, even if they had been forgiven. Pride would not let her take something for nothing, even if what she could give in return was just something small, though heartfelt. He understood, so he let it go.

  “It’ll all work out,” he replied gently, unpacking the last of the containers while Laura turned to the cabinets to get a couple of plates and some silverware.

  They shared a companionable dinner and talked about the preparations everyone in town was making to welcome tourists. They’d had a few from time to time last year, but they all expected more of an influx of human visitors this year, as soon as the weather got a little more cooperative. Though the climate of the area was reasonably temperate, there were lots of storms that made the small mountain roads that were the only way to get to Grizzly Cove somewhat treacherous for part of the year. As soon as the weather turned, people would start traveling those roads again, and as long as they weren’t evil-hearted, any humans should pass right through the protective ward surrounding the town, not even realizing it was there.

  If they were of evil intent, the ward would repulse them gently. It would give them the urge to turn around and go somewhere else if they were non-magical folk, who didn’t even know such things as wards existed. If they were magical folk, the reaction of the ward would be stronger, and they’d be repulsed with prejudice if they tried to bully their way in magically. Urse had set up her ward with different response levels—another mark of a master mage with a once-in-several-generations gift for ward-casting.