Ursus Borealis: Book One

by D. L. Lewellyn

  “What destinies are you speaking of?”

  He smiled, “Soon precious one and I will explain it all.”

  “Zigan means oar or rudder in Sumerian? Is that what your name means?” I had been excited to hear I had translated one of the symbols correctly.

  His eyebrows rose in surprise, “Well done, Selena. It is the continual name of my reborn soul. My first name is Enkara, meaning…”

  I jumped in, “Weapon.”

  “Correct again, which means I will help guide you when it is time for us to fight an ancient enemy.”

  Looking please with me he crooked his finger under my chin to draw me closer and said one last mysterious thing, “You will now know when I am near.”

  Grey mist enveloped him and suddenly I was standing alone in my home once again, my heart racing, shivering at the absence of his warmth, the warmth that convinced me he had not been a dream. How does he travel like that? What ancient enemy? The thought that I had some part to play in a battle was ludicrous.

  He kept bringing me more questions. It all seemed so dreamlike, yet I knew that I had seen a tiger in my woods, and he had just made blood disappear from his hands. Whose blood?

  Then, I felt a tingling on the inside of my wrist and when I looked there, I gasped. An intricately detailed tiger was tattooed over the pulse of my wrist. As I stared at it in awe, it faded from view, and I blinked. I blinked again, but it did not return.

  Chapter 16

  Zigan

  Selena was now marked with my sigil. It was too soon to explain to her the destinies of our bonded souls. But she must at least begin preparing her mind to accept that something unusual was happening in her life, and that she needed to plan for a different kind of future.

  She still had no knowledge of the supernatural world, though I thought she may be getting an idea that things were not as they seemed.

  Twice now I had to eliminate Anurashin scouts sent to spy on her, possibly take her, and I could only hope that I had delayed the inevitable a little longer. She needed to learn much more about the world around her before she was ready to face the ruthless prince and his brothers.

  Though I relished these brief encounters, the opportunities to be close to her, I was no threat to her alpha. My role would be different.

  I was bonded to her at the deepest level of our souls, but that simply meant that I could be where she needed me to be and do what was needed to aid in fulfilling our destinies. It was my life’s purpose, and I was content to simply watch over her, protect her, do what I have trained to do all my long life.

  She and her alpha would both become aware of the prophecy soon enough. But both needed to be tested and allowed to make their own decisions about the challenges they would soon face.

  I was the rudder guiding the wind of prophecy. A prophecy that provided a slim hope of changing the course of this world’s history that the Anurashin had been working thousands of years to direct in their favor. I had dedicated my life to my Order as a magus, preparing for what I must do to one day face this threat.

  It was alarming that Anurashin scouts had already detected her, but I thought that it was not because they believed her to be a maiden of the prophecy but simply because of the interest in her from the alpha. He was their current focus, and I knew why that was. The princes would be increasing their efforts to get at him and his people, and to get to him, they would use her.

  Seeing her ready to face a threat, knife drawn, determination etched in her beautiful face, I knew she would be worthy of the challenges ahead.

  I called the shadows to me and in a blink of an eye, I was thousands of miles away from Quincy, California.

  Chapter 17

  Selena

  It was going to be one of those perfect June days in the Sierras where it did not quite reach the eighties, exactly right for spending the day outdoors.

  Dressed in my jeans, Converse shoes and an apple green cotton and lycra shirt with a scooped neck and three-quarter sleeves with lace panels, one of my favorites, I was ready for Gemma and Kenny to arrive. My mouth was already watering for pancakes and maple syrup, and I was looking forward to spending a whole morning with all my friends.

  Despite the mystery and all the questions spinning around in my head about Zigan, I was in a glorious mood. After he had left yesterday, I made my way around the house in a detailed search for clues as to what had gone on before he appeared, but finding nothing, no blood, no signs of the struggle that I had heard, I felt again the unreality of it all.

  When Gemma and Kenny arrived at my doorstep promptly at eight, I grabbed my favorite phone clutch, and we all walked the few blocks to the firehouse.

  I had texted Andras last night to let him know my plans, and we agreed to meet there. I smiled to myself. Of course, that was not the extent of our texting. The man could be sexy and charming in print as well.

  Andras and the guys had planned on arriving en masse on their rumbling bikes in a show of support for the town’s volunteer firemen, and I happily spotted them at the tables already serving up pancakes.

  We soon made our way to the tables set up under canopies at the side of the old firehouse. I saw other patrons of the Starlight here and smiled when I spotted Olivia and Red in line waiting for their stacks to be piled on. Red had a satisfied smile on his face.

  Olivia’s eyes were darting around eagerly taking in every male in the place. Then it struck me that there were lots of women here today, far outnumbering the men, and when Gemma said they must have been bussed in, we burst out laughing.

  “What’s the joke, dudes?” Kenny asked us. When I voiced our observation through my snorts of laughter, he rolled his eyes and said, “What do you expect from an event hosted by firefighters and giant Harley Davidson dudes in leather.”

  Still clutching my stomach in laughter over the image of a bus full of women I gasped, “Please stop. Too funny!” All three of us were laughing now.

  Then Kenny added, “Wait. Why am I laughing? I like these odds.” And he waggled his eyebrows at us. We broke out in more snorted laughter. But sure enough, Kenny was now scanning the participants taking inventory.

  Then I had a thought, “Is Hannah going to join us this morning?”

  Gemma looked at me and then Kenny. “Hannah?”

  He answered my question, “No. I invited her, but she has to get ready for final exams this week.”

  I turned to Gemma, “Hannah teaches at Lassen.”

  Then Gemma said, “Oh yeah. I did see you with a pretty redhead the other day. Is that who we’re talking about?”

  “Yep,” he said as we watched him closely. He changed the topic. “Time for some fluffy maple-drenched goodness.”

  The three of us eagerly turned to the tables where the golden stacks rose and fell as the hungry supporters passed through the line.

  The firefighters whose appeal had been the source of our amusement were milling around being perfect hosts, making sure people got seats and lots of pancakes. Me and Gemma took our own inventory now of the typical dreamy looking firefighters seen on every fund-raising calendar in every community in every country.

  What was it that gave firefighters that universal appeal? Was it their resemblance to real life superheroes? It was a mystery that likely would remain unsolved throughout time.

  The pancakes had begun rolling out at breakneck speed as the crowds increased, and the seats were constantly full. As people left, others took their places.

  Naturally, I gravitated to the line where Andras stood looking as delectable as the fare he was doling out. He smiled big as I held out my plate to him in eager anticipation.

  As I watched him load up my plate, I took the opportunity to ogle his towering form clad in black leather britches that molded him in mouthwatering ways. As a nod to the warm day, he wore a dark green tank tucked loosely into his low waist band, which let me see much more of his intriguing tattoos etched over so many impressive muscles.

  The urge to count those muscles
with my fingers slowly while blindfolded was suddenly overwhelming. Sheesh! Get a grip, Selena. Never had I lusted so much after anyone. He winked at me, making me blush as I realized the fantasy was probably written all over my face, not to mention I was holding up the line.

  But hey, it had taken me a while to reach him due to the excessive number of females queued up ahead of me, likely doing the same ogling. I think the only thing keeping the line moving was those same females being led to their seats by the equally enticing firefighters.

  Looking to each side of him, I noticed he was not the only one whose line was packed with females. Each of the guys, even Sam within his hood, were cheerfully doling out the goods.

  I winked back at him, and he grinned then said, “You three look like you’re having a good time.”

  “Absolutely, and I’m starving! See you in a bit.”

  Gemma, Kenny, and I found a big table and saved places for the guys. When the fire chief had determined his district had met its fundraising goal, things started winding down. The guys, released from service, crowded around us with their heaping plates.

  Colin introduced us all to Ryan who had been cheerfully serving as well, and who was now exclaiming that he was dying to eat some of the bounty he had been passing out for the last hour. Stuffing his face with fluffy forkfuls, he mumbled, “Nice to meet you all.”

  He was a good-looking kid, and I could tell he was going to be as stunning as his cousin. He was already nearly six feet tall and had the white-blonde hair that graced his cousin’s head, but his eyes were a remarkable amber, and he had dark eyebrows that contrasted dramatically with his hair and illuminated those eyes. It was unusual coloring.

  Becoming more articulate once he swallowed enough of his pancakes, he proceeded to regale us with tales of his childhood adventures with Collin and Andras.

  “I was ten when I got to go skiing the first time during my winter break and they took me to Coppervale. Even though I had never been before, I made a big stink about being forced to use the Bunny hill like a beginner.” We laughed when he made the word beginner sound like ‘baby’. “I proceeded to beat both of them down the advanced slope.”

  With great affection and even more amusement deepening his voice, Andras said, “What Ryan is failing to mention in this story is that he made it down first but not without breaking his leg, in two places. He spent the last thirty feet tumbling his way to the bottom. But he was fast, I have to give him that.” We all laughed.

  Colin added, “We had to get the hotdogger medical attention and cut our trip short. However, as you heard, Ryan only remembers the highlights.”

  Ryan’s face took on a look of retaliation and he said, “If I recall bro, that was the same trip when you got your long-ass legs stuck in the lift and made a not so graceful exit in front of three girls who had been checking you out.”

  We all howled at the image, and Colin’s ears flamed red. He growled at Ryan, then grinned.

  Today was the first time I had been formally introduced to the redheaded brothers Ross and Ramsay, who had been quiet for the most part listening to every word. The two of them sitting together with their red hair shining like copper in the sun were splendid to look at, their similar faces differentiated mostly by the color of their eyes, one pair moss green and the other turquoise.

  The other differences were their individual hair styles, one shaved up the sides with longer locks brushing over his forehead and the other with straight hair past his shoulders, which he wore now in a partial manbun pulled to the back of his head, the rest of his hair falling straight beneath it.

  Then there were the panther tattoos on their opposite shoulders and arms, striking in their bold black ink, but with distinct designs for each of them.

  Asking them outright if they were twins, Ross, the one with the long hair, chuckled and said, “Actually, I’m the oldest of three siblings.”

  Ramsay shoved his shoulder laughing, “Older than me by only ten minutes! We have a baby sister that came along about eight years later. Remi just started college at only seventeen.”

  The twins shared a proud look, then Ross added, “And before you ask, her hair is an even brighter red. But on her, it works.” I grinned at them both.

  Ryan asked eagerly, “What college?"

  Ramsay laughed, “Caltech.” Ryan got a thoughtful look on his face and the twins smiled at each other.

  While Sam still had his hood up shrouding much of his face, he had let it fall back in front of our group more than usual. His rarely viewed emerald eyes crinkled in a smile, as he sat back crossing his arms over his burly chest and asked me in his quiet voice, “What about you Selena? Do you have any siblings?”

  “I have an older brother with a fishing lodge in Ketchikan who has yet to invite me to visit.”

  The twinge of sadness at this thought surprised me as having missed my brother for so many years now, I had learned to ignore the feeling. But with everyone talking about family, it was suddenly a sharp pain in my chest. Realizing I sounded a little sad, I flashed a grin around the table, and said, “I look forward to visiting him soon.”

  Colin asked Gemma next about her siblings, but we all stopped smiling as a guarded look took over her face. She murmured, “No, no family. It’s just me.” I took her hand under the table and Andras considerately changed the subject.

  “Pretty amazing pancakes for being grilled by the dozens in a production line, eh?” He demonstrated his appreciation by forking a big mouthful, chewing, and licking his lips, and I had to squirm a little in my seat.

  Colin cleared his throat making me realize I had been watching greedily while Andras enjoyed his bite, and Colin gave me a knowing look, making the heat rush to my cheeks.

  Andras had no problem with adding to my discomfort and he winked at me. If anybody asked, I would blame my perpetual red cheeks on the sun.

  Ryan announced he was going to nab another stack before they cleared it all away and Kenny said, “Me too, dude,” and followed him.

  After the guys finished their pancakes, we all volunteered for cleanup duty. Gemma, Kenny, and I rolled up our sleeves, figuratively that is, and joined the crew and the guys in the huge kitchen of the firehouse.

  Someone put on the stereo booming out Seventies rock music, and we all moved around each other yelling out the lyrics to Aerosmith’s Walk This Way and singing into phantom mics to Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, all in a blur of activity, washing dishes, wiping down tables and chairs, hauling them back to the big storage closet, and making all the kitchen appliances shine.

  Jokes flew around along with lots of dish suds and copious amounts of laughter. At last, everything had been put to rights and we all said our goodbyes.

  The firefighters gave their hearty thanks to the guys for their help. One of them, Jasper, said, “It was one of our most successful breakfasts in years, dudes. You guys rock! I hope you can help out again next year.” Andras promised him they would.

  This time when I followed Andras to his Harley, I got to hop on again, but not of course until after he fastened his extra helmet to my head with his gentle hands. We got snug on the big bike and roared off along the highway.

  “Have you explored the Feather River yet, Selena?” he asked me through the comm link.

  “Not much really, I took a short drive with Gemma along a stretch of it once and had planned on doing more. I’m glad I waited till now, though.” And I squeezed him tighter.

  He laid an arm over mine and squeezed me back. “I have a place in mind where we can stop for our picnic, that I think you will really love.”

  That sounded promising, and for the next ten miles or so, the rumble of the bike lulling me into a peaceful state, I let my body sway with the bike around the curves of the highway that followed along the river, as the shadows of the pine trees alternated with the shadows of huge granite outcroppings and batches of poplars along the way.

  Andras took an exit off the road that wound down to the river, which led
to a designated picnic spot with a parking lot and bathrooms. We parked and locked up the bike and Andras grabbed a duffle bag he had strapped to the back and took my hand.

  We walked along the gleaming river for a bit until we found a hidden spot in a batch of poplar trees close to the river’s edge. He unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out a thick wool blanket and laid it on the ground, picking a soft spot mixed with sandy soil and tufts of grass.

  I could see that there was a small cooler in the bag as well and a bottle of wine. “For later,” he said. It became apparent that the repast would be for later because he had something else on his mind now, and he pulled me down with him to the blanket.

  My heart thudded when he grabbed my hips and tugged me between his long legs, his raised knees caging me in.

  He wrapped his strong arms around me and proceeded to gather my hair, moving it over the front of my shoulder, then nuzzled my neck, his hot breath sending shivers fluttering through me. “You smell like maple syrup,” he purred into my ear.

  Leaning back against his shoulder, I sighed as he ran his fingers through my hair and settled us back against the duffle bag.

  We spent some time simply appreciating the nature surrounding us and the peaceful sounds of the river.

  Chapter 18

  Andras

  This was where I wanted to be at long last, in a prone position with Selena’s lovely body close to me. I had been thinking of nothing else since that first kiss, demanded from her after she had destroyed my determination to leave her alone. She smelled like jasmine, oranges, and the sun.

  Nuzzling her neck and burying my face into her soft hair, I caught the lingering scent of maple syrup. Delicious.

  Her breath caught when I began running my fingers through her tresses and she shivered, then sighed deeply, and I noted for the future that she liked this activity a lot.

  Satisfied with her reaction, I pulled her against me so we could absorb our surroundings. It was a beautiful day.