Spirit Bear

by D'Arc, Bianca

  Tears came unbidden to Laura’s eyes and flowed down her cheeks. This was the best gift anyone could have ever given her. She had lived with the fear that, even if they’d succeeded in freeing her of the compulsions, all it would take would be to get in range of a Venifucus mage, for the spellwork to be remade. She would have killed herself before she’d let that happen, but she was realistic enough to know that she might not get the chance. If the Venifucus got to her, she could easily become their weapon, all over again.

  But, with Urse’s gift, it couldn’t happen. Laura was truly free.

  “Thank you,” she sobbed, relief overcoming her. “Thank you,” she repeated, unable to say anything more as she cried quietly, overwhelmed for the moment. Gus stepped closer and took her into his arms, rocking her.

  “You’re safe. You’re whole. You’re free, my love,” he told her. His words were the purest music to her ears. “And…” he whispered in her ear so that only she could hear, “…you’re my mate. Aren’t you?”

  She pulled back to look into his eyes. This she could give him. Finally. She could take the happiness and joy he offered and give it back to him to last a lifetime. Here, in this sacred place, in front of friends. She could be brave and do the right thing. For both of them.

  “Yes, Gus. You’re my mate, and I’m yours. For now. Forever.”

  *

  After everyone heard that declaration, it didn’t matter how tired they were, there was nothing for it but they must celebrate the new mating. Everybody piled into their vehicles and drove straight to Zak’s. He fired up the burners while drinks were passed around, and many toasts were made. Some of the other men helped Zak with the cooking, but mostly, it was the Cajun chef who cooked the special—uncharacteristically non-spicy meal—for the newly mated, and newly healed, white wolf.

  “To the start of our own little wolf Pack!” Brody raised his glass, grinning at his own toast.

  The rest of the guys joined in the laughter, including Marilee and her mother. Their two resident werewolves.

  “I thought you built this town for bears?” Laura teased John, who had already accepted her apology for her earlier uncontrollable behavior.

  “I did,” he confirmed, nodding sagely. “I guess the others who’ve shown up realized what a good thing we had going here and wanted to join in the fun.”

  Laura knew it was much more than that. Each new resident had been checked out before they’d been invited to stay. Based on some of the stories Gus had told her about their military days, she imagined every resident of the town had a dossier somewhere in John’s office or, perhaps, some even more secure location.

  She didn’t mind that, really. She was glad to know that everyone here was safe. Living in an area of the world so much more densely populated than what she had grown up with was tough for Laura. She’d already experienced the downside of not knowing everyone in the area. Her first foray to the southern parts of Canada, where a lot more people lived in big cities, had proven disastrous.

  The fact that Grizzly Cove was a small town where everybody knew everybody else felt a lot more secure to her. Especially when she factored in the skills that the core group brought with them. They would make sure Grizzly Cove stayed safe for all its inhabitants. They were all protectors, to one degree or another. According to Gus, there were intelligence specialists, terrorism and guerrilla warfare experts, martial arts masters, sharpshooters and snipers, underwater demolition specialists, and a host of other skills represented by the men who had gathered around the Alpha bear.

  And, of course, with the addition of the mer in the cove, a whole new set of skills had been added to the town. The few humans who had been let in had certainly made their mark already. As had the alliances with people like the Master vampire of Seattle and the Lords of all were in North America. Little by little, Grizzly Cove was putting itself on the map, so to speak, where magic and shapeshifters, among others, were concerned.

  Laura figured she was in good company. The bears weren’t quite like a wolf Pack, but they were protective of each other in a way that she found utterly charming. She had her daughter back in her life, and now, she had finally, after a long and circuitous path, found her one, true mate. She had it all, really. Which was pretty amazing considering that, for so many years, she had believed she had lost everything.

  Laura could never have predicted the amazing future she now considered. The Mother of All had smiled on her, and Gus had done everything in his power to make it happen. If she hadn’t loved him already, that would have been the clincher.

  Gus was a warrior of the spirit. Like his ex-military comrades, he fought on the side of Light, but his weapons were of the heart and soul. She could hardly believe she had been so blessed as to find not only her daughter, but the love of her lifetime, all right here in Grizzly Cove.

  The swinging doors to the kitchen opened, and for a few moments, everyone’s attention was on Zak and his helpers, as they brought out trays and trays of food. He had cooked for an army, she realized, in a somewhat literal sense. She smiled at her own thoughts, and Gus came in for a quick peck on the lips before drawing back.

  “What was that little smile for?” he asked in a voice that carried only to her while everybody else was preoccupied with the arrival of the food.

  “Just thinking about how lucky I am,” she told him, reaching upward to return the tiny kiss.

  “Luck was just a little part of it,” he told her. “I recognize the hand of the divine when I see it, and believe me, the Mother of All played a large part in recent events.”

  “I believe you’re right.” She turned to put her arms around his neck. His arms came around her waist as if they belonged there. And, she realized, they did. Now and forevermore. It was a heady feeling to know that she would have Gus in her life for as long as they both lived. “And I couldn’t be more thankful for all the blessings bestowed on me. I never thought I would ever be happy again. I hate to admit to the despondency and lack of faith that plagued me for many years.”

  “That’s all over now,” Gus told her. “I won’t say it’s all going to be blue skies and rainbows from here on out. There will undoubtedly be rain on occasion.” He chuckled, and his eyes glinted with humor. “In fact, given our location in the Pacific Northwest, there’s probably going to be a lot of rain.” Laura joined in his laughter, but then, he got serious again. “But we’ll weather any storm that comes at us. Together. Forever. You and me, and all our friends. We’re a big family here, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet. We look out for each other. I won’t promise you it will be anything like a werewolf Pack. We don’t really go for all that hierarchy stuff—at least not very seriously—but the care and concern are real. The love is real. I know you and Marilee need that closeness of Pack, and we’ll try to be that for you. We’re bears, but we’ll be your Pack.”

  Laura was speechless for a moment, touched beyond words. That he would worry about something like that only confirmed what she already knew. Gus was the spiritual warrior for his bear Clan. He looked after all the souls in Grizzly Cove, including her and her daughter, now.

  Laura reached up and stroked her fingers through his hair, holding his gaze, hoping he could see the love in her eyes. “I’m not much of a Pack animal anymore,” she told him. “But I believe I could do really well in a Clan.” She coaxed his head downward so their lips were only inches apart. “Of course, I’ll do well anywhere…as long as I’m with you.”

  She kissed him then, and didn’t even mind the cheering, stomping and loud whistles that started up a minute later. The bears were better than Pack. They were family. The family of those who had fought together, bled together and helped each other through thick and thin.

  Gus picked her up and whirled her around, and Laura knew that the moment was perfect. The first of many, she prayed…with her true mate.

  EPILOGUE

  The next day, Laura met Marilee for lunch at their usual picnic table near the beach. Laura had thought l
ong and hard about whether or not to tell Marilee her suspicions about Roger. Marilee had to know something wasn’t right with the supposed mating, but Laura didn’t want to hurt her daughter by talking about the bad suspicions she had about Marilee’s father. He was still her dad, even if he’d been doing as Laura now suspected, and had coerced her into the relationship.

  Marilee brought the lunch from the bakery. Once it was all set out and they’d exchanged a few pleasantries and had a few bites of their bakery sandwiches, Marilee spoke before Laura could pluck up the courage.

  “I just want you to know that I’m truly happy for you and Gus,” Marilee said, her tone serious, her expression laced with care and love. “I guess my father wasn’t a true mate, then?”

  Luara shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she replied carefully. “It was all so long ago, and I was very young. I’m not sure if what I felt then was real, but with Gus, there’s no doubt. He’s the real thing.” Laura blushed a little at her own admission. It was all still very new, and the joy in her heart took her by surprise every time she thought of her true mate.

  “Like I said, I’m really happy for you. I know what being with your true mate feels like now, and I’m glad you have that,” Marilee told her mother. “You deserve all good things after everything you’ve been through. And Gus is a great guy. I think I’ll like having him for a step-dad.”

  “Oh, my.” Laura blinked. “I hadn’t really thought of that.”

  Marilee giggled. “Don’t worry. Gus did. He already told me that he expects me to get him a card for Father’s Day.”

  “When did he do that?” Laura demanded, amused at her mate’s antics. She loved the silly bear so very much.

  “This morning, when he swung by the bakery on his way out to the res. He brought the elders a fresh batch of honey buns and told me to behave.” Marilee laughed outright. “He was in a fine mood. Joking and laughing with everyone. The other customers were teasing him, too, about how they knew exactly what had put him in such a state. The comments got a little dirty from there, but all the other guys waiting for their orders uniformly offered their heartfelt congratulations. Everybody seemed happy to see Gus mated so well.”

  Laura laughed with her daughter as they kept eating their lunch and chatting. When they were about finished, Laura put her hand over Marilee’s and caught her eye.

  “I’m really glad you’re okay with me and Gus being mated. I love you, Lee Lee, and I always will.”

  Marilee covered her mother’s hand with her free hand and squeezed lightly. “I love you, too, Mama. I’m glad you’re happy, and here with me. I’ve missed you.”

  Both of them were sniffling and smiling at the same time. “I missed you too, baby, but that’s over now, and we have beautiful, new, happy lives in front of us. With our true mates. The Mother of All has been very kind.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Marilee replied quietly.

  *

  A few days later, the White Wolf Gallery officially opened for business. It was the first of the galleries in Spirit Bear House to open, but definitely not the last. Laura had worked on the place a little at a time, while also enjoying spending time with her new mate. Together, they’d put the finishing touches on the gallery in time for the grand opening.

  Everybody in town gathered to officially open the building for business. Gus provided a barbeque around back, on the beach behind the building, for all his friends and neighbors. He was finally getting to throw that party he’d dreamed about where he provided the feast for his friends. They’d all done so much for him and Laura. This was just one small way he could show his appreciation.

  The mer were there in force, mingling with the bears of Grizzly Cove, really for the first time, socially, in any real numbers. That was thanks mostly to Laura and her budding friendship with Francis, who had followed Nansee’s suggestion to start working in one of the mer galleries at the rear of Spirit Bear House. Laura had been going over to the two mer-run shops almost every day to help them prepare for their grand openings and had made quite a few friends among the women who were running those businesses.

  They had all come out to the grand opening of White Wolf Gallery to show their support for Laura and Gus, and they’d stayed for the barbeque, mixing with the townsfolk more easily than Gus would have expected. A few of the mermaids even paired off with some of the single bears, sitting together down the beach a ways, having impromptu picnics as they got to know each other better.

  Laura’s murals had been a big hit. Her scrimshaw pieces and the smaller canvases had been remarked upon by almost everyone, and quite a few requests for her to paint murals in people’s homes or businesses had been coming in all day. Gus was so proud of her. She’d come such a long way in such a short time. He would do all in his power to see that she kept on thriving here in Grizzly Cove for the rest of their lives.

  *

  Thanks for reading Spirit Bear (Grizzly Cove #14). If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.

  A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows the excerpt. You can also check out my website at BIANCADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

  Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.

  Welcome to The D’Arc Side…

  WWW.BIANCADARC.COM

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