Alpha Bear

by Bianca D’Arc

  “So you time to prepare, and I have to jump in head-first tomorrow? Damn.” Urse sipped the red wine they’d served with the dinner as they sat around, finishing the last of their meal.

  Mellie laughed at her. Urse stuck her tongue out at her sister. Childish, but they loved each other. They just had a funny way of showing it sometimes.

  “Nonna doesn’t even want me to be your backup tomorrow. She made me promise to stay home.” Mellie looked upset by that. “I’m sorry, Urse.”

  “It is what it is. Don’t worry. John here is going to be my backup.” Urse gestured toward the mayor with her glass.

  “I won’t let anything happen to her,” he said solemnly, directly to Mellie.

  “See that you don’t,” Mellie replied, uncharacteristically fierce.

  John nodded, uninsulted.

  Urse turned to Peter, wanting to change the subject. “So, Peter, you don’t seem too upset by the whole strega thing. What gives?”

  Peter shrugged. “I’m Russian. Things are different in the old country. The countries that have been around more than a piddling two hundred years have seen magic before. My own babushka used to seek out the ved’ma in the small village near where we lived when she needed potions and advice on magical issues.” Peter seemed to think back, clearly touched by thoughts of his past. “My babushka—you know this word, right? It means grandmother. She was the best.”

  “To grandmothers,” Mellie said, raising her glass, proposing a toast. “What would we have become without them?”

  Peter smiled and they drank the toast. “I shudder to think what would have become of me without my babushka.”

  “Is she still around?” Mellie asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Peter replied with a wide smile. “In fact, she is coming to visit. If she likes the town, she may stay. There is little keeping her in Russia now, and I would like to have her closer, but I gave up the motherland and will not go back for many years, if ever.”

  Urse sensed a story there, but it was clear Peter didn’t want to go into detail.

  “I wonder what your babushka will make of all us American bears?” John said, grinning.

  “That, we will have to see for ourselves, but I think she’s going to enjoy this place and its people. She’s a very forward-thinking woman and still in good health, despite her age,” Peter said with obvious joy.

  “You shifters live a lot longer than regular folk, don’t you?” Urse asked.

  “Most of us get a few centuries if we’re lucky,” John confirmed. “How old is your granny, Pete? Two-fifty? Two-sixty?”

  “About that, but she won’t tell us the exact date.” Peter laughed. “She only admits to being born during the reign of Peter the Great. He reigned from 1672 to 1725.”

  Urse was stunned, though the two shifters seemed to take it in stride.

  “Then she was around during the Russian revolution?” Urse said, a bit of awe creeping into her tone.

  “Oh, yes. But she was not a big fan of the Soviets. Neither was I, in fact, though I started my career as a soldier under the old system. Over time, as communism fell, things changed, and I had to keep moving to outrun the records that would have betrayed my true age to the wrong people in the government. Eventually, I ended up under John’s command, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “I get the feeling this town is out of the norm,” Mellie put in, taking the conversation in a different direction. “Don’t bears usually like to roam alone?”

  “It’s all a big social experiment,” Peter agreed, nodding to John. “We follow the Alpha, though we’re not as fanatical about it as some other species. Wolves, for example, will do just about anything the top dog tells them with blind faith. Bears are a little more discerning.” Both John and Peter chuckled.

  “Which is why you have a town council,” Urse realized aloud. “You’re the Alpha bear, but you listen to your people more, right?”

  “That’s about the size of it,” John admitted freely. “I may be the most Alpha of the guys, but I’m not a tyrant.”

  “To the benevolent despot.” Peter raised his glass, smiling broadly. They all chuckled, but drank to the toast.

  The men took their leave not long after, Peter heading out first, waving goodbye casually, though his gaze seemed to linger just a bit on Mellie. Or maybe that was just Urse’s imagination.

  After Peter was gone, Mellie began cleaning up, leaving Urse to see John out. She walked with him to the door, but he paused, speaking to her in a low, almost intimate tone.

  “I’ll be by to get you an hour before dawn. Will that give you enough time to set up?” he asked.

  “That’s enough,” she said, swallowing hard, feeling a few nerves starting to jangle as time counted down to when she would need to act.

  “Don’t go outside without me,” he cautioned. “Wait for me to come. I promise I’ll be here. You have my cell number, right?”

  She nodded. “You gave it to me when we first arrived. It’s programmed into my phone, though I didn’t think I’d ever really need it.”

  “You feel free to use it any time, day or night. I mean that, Ursula, okay?”

  Again, she nodded. “Thanks.” Nerves were starting to get to her a bit now. His serious tone made it hard to forget that, in just a few hours, she would be facing off against that awful creature again.

  But this time, she knew what she was up against. Mostly. She wasn’t sure how strong it was, or how it would test her, but at least she knew of its existence now and was prepared to fight back. That was something, right?

  “Hey…” John took both of her hands in his, and it was then she realized her hands were trembling, just the tiniest bit. “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll be right there with you. I won’t let anything bad happen. I promise.”

  “How can you promise something like that? Did you see the size of that thing?” She remembered her headlong flight earlier that afternoon and looking back to see the gigantic scale of the creature that literally made the earth shake with its anger.

  “Aw, hell. Come here.”

  He pulled her into his arms, and she went gladly, the fear taking over for just a few short moments. She needed to get over this. She needed to be strong. Later. She had a few precious hours before she had to be strong and face that freaking monster again.

  “Ssh,” he soothed her, rubbing one hand over the back of her head, stroking her hair and then down her back, only to start over again. The repetitive motion went a long way toward calming her. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

  “How can you say that, John?” She pulled back slightly to look at him. “We’re going up against something not even of this realm. I’ve never done anything like this before. I have no idea if I’m even ready to wield that kind of magic.”

  “Your grandmother thinks you’re ready,” he reminded her. “That’s got to count for something, right? I get the impression she wouldn’t send you against this thing, if she didn’t think you could handle it. Wouldn’t she be calling for the cavalry right about now?”

  Urse thought about that. “You know…” She smiled up at him. “I never thought of that. You’re right.”

  And just like that, her panic attack was no more. Damn. The Alpha bear was magic. The past few minutes proved that to her beyond the shadow of a doubt.

  His arms were still around her, but she didn’t really want him to let her go. No, it was incredibly comfortable where she was, and oddly enough, she felt safe with him, in ways she had never really felt before. Something about this big, strong Alpha bear made her want to snuggle up against him and just…stay there a while. A good long while.

  And more. Though she didn’t think she was ready to examine those somewhat scandalous feelings just yet.

  But apparently he was.

  Urse saw his kiss coming a mile away, but she didn’t move. She didn’t dare breathe. She suddenly wanted his lips on hers more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

  He’d broadcast his in
tentions, and she’d all but given him the green light. In fact, the light was blinking green in Morse code saying, take me now, big guy.

  And then, he did.

  His lips touched hers, and everything changed. Time slowed. The earth seemed to stop altogether, for just that moment. His lips were warm and tender, then harder, more demanding. Asking her to comply instead of ordering her compliance. She liked that. She liked everything she had learned about him. About the way he ruled his men and this town, and now, about the way he kissed.

  Like a dream. That’s what it was. He kissed like the best dream she’d ever had.

  It was all over far too quickly. His lips lifted away, but his gaze tracked hers, his mouth smiling as she felt the lethargy of passion lifting away like fog burning off in the morning.

  Damn. He was potent. She felt drugged. And all that from just a kiss.

  “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said, his voice rumbling low now, making her belly clench.

  Would he talk that way in the bedroom after they’d made love? Wouldn’t she like to know?

  Chapter Five

  As promised, John was back in the hour before dawn. He was showered, his golden brown hair still glistening wet in the sexiest way, and he looked good enough to eat. But that was a thought Urse kept carefully to herself.

  They went out into the darkness with great caution. Armed men were all around, forming a cordon as she started casting the circle. It would have to be a big circle to do the trick. She started at one side and worked her way around. She’d have to be careful when they neared the beach. She’d do that bit, closest to the water, as fast as possible. Just in case.

  “It would be best to keep your men outside the circle, and away from the water,” she said to John in a low voice as she worked.

  He was right next to her, helping her. This first part of the process was mostly mechanical. She’d said a blessing over the big bag of rock salt they’d procured for her and began to lay the thin line of salt that would form the circle. The men were cognizant enough to keep clear of the line, once she’d laid it.

  It was slow work because this circle was going to be the biggest she’d ever cast. But once it was complete, it would—hopefully—shield her from whatever the leviathan was going to throw at her. The men outside though… She had to impress upon them just how dangerous this could be.

  “The guys and I discussed this, but we don’t really know what to expect, right?” John said. He was holding the fifty-pound sack of salt for her as they made their way around the perimeter, laying out the circle a few feet at a time.

  “The minute this circle closes, expect all hell to break loose,” she told him, speaking loud enough for the men around them to hear. “You men should stay behind the circle. Theoretically, anything inside—meaning me—should be okay.”

  “And me,” John put in, his voice a deep rumble next to her. “I’m staying in here with you, if that won’t put you in more danger.”

  She shook her head, totally surprised by his intention to stay with her.

  “Once the circle is closed, it should be self-sustaining unless someone or something breaks it. You can stay with me, but John…” She paused a moment to touch his arm. “You really shouldn’t. This will be the focal point for the beast’s wrath. I’ll be protected from its magical attacks—in theory—inside the circle, but I’ll also be launching magic of my own outward. That’s the nature of the circle I’m casting here. It keeps magical things out but allows my magic to cross the barrier. There may be a bit of a buildup in here before I launch. It could get uncomfortable.”

  “I have quite a bit of magic of my own, Ursula. Bears are among the most magical of all werecreatures. I’ll help you if I can. It’s my home. The whole town was my idea. I should bear some of the burden of protecting it. This shouldn’t be all on you.”

  Once again surprised by his gentle tone and deep thoughts, she thought about how she could make this work. And then, the men on the outside of the line she’d been drawing with salt had their spokesman come over.

  “We’ve been listening in,” Sheriff Brody said in that urgent soldier voice of his. “We can do our part outside too, ma’am.”

  “What?” She honestly hadn’t expected this. Since last night, she’d been so worried that she’d be all on her own, but here were allies. Strong allies, if she wasn’t much mistaken.

  “None of us are proper mages, but we’re experienced with the use of magical barriers and fortifications. We’ve used them in the field a few times, when no humans were around to see what we were doing.” Brody winked at her while he and John chuckled.

  Why were they laughing? Didn’t they know they were about to face down a giant fucking sea serpent?

  “Who are you people?” She heard the words come out of her mouth, too late to stop them.

  Now they were all laughing.

  “Oh, honey,” John said between chuckles. “You knew a lot of us were soldiers, right? I guess you didn’t realize that up ‘til very recently we were all part of one of Uncle Sam’s elite Special Forces teams. We’re used to this kind of thing.”

  “Well…” Brody put in from the other side of the salt line. “Maybe not this exact sort of thing, but we’re used to danger and stopping bad guys. It’s actually kind of nice to be back in the real world again, doing stuff that matters.”

  She couldn’t really argue with that. This mattered. This was a battle for their hometown. What could be more important than the fight of good against evil?

  “I didn’t realize…” she whispered, trying to think how best to use their abilities. “This isn’t a traditional fight. You can’t beat this thing. It can’t be killed in this realm.”

  “Yeah, John told us,” Brody said. “We’ve got specialized help coming—eventually—but until they can get here, we’re it, so we’d better make this good.”

  Until a few minutes ago, she’d thought she was it, as the sheriff had put it. But this could work. In fact, this could really work.

  “I didn’t realize I was going to have help,” she told them honestly as she resumed pouring the salt line. They had to get the circle cast before dawn, or this would all be for naught. “Do you guys want to come inside the circle with me?”

  “Better not,” Brody said after looking at John for a moment. “We’re better if we’re mobile. The Alpha will watch your back from inside. We’ll back you up from outside.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want any of you down by the water. You need to stay out of physical reach of the creature, and those tentacles are freaking long.” She shuddered as she remembered the day before. “Don’t go any closer than halfway down the circle. And whatever you do, do not touch the salt. If the circle breaks, I’m toast.”

  “So we guard the perimeter,” Brody agreed, nodding. “We can also distract the creature with our magic while you work yours.”

  “I’ll be channeling the energy of the sunrise and the blessings of the Goddess to protect this section of the cove. If you can distract the leviathan without putting yourselves in too much danger, it would be a big help. You’ll probably be able to see the Light of dawn gather inside the circle before I release it. The leviathan shouldn’t be able to see it until the last moment, but since you’re the good guys, you might be able to see the glow of it. That’s the critical point. I’ll need time to gather it and release it at its zenith, when the dawn breaks.”

  “Roger that,” Brody said. “I’ll brief the team. Lady be with you both.”

  “You too, sheriff,” she said as she realized they were nearing the tricky part of the beach.

  “Keep watch now,” John directed Brody. “We’re going to go fast over this section, and when we hit the point where we started, I expect things will start happening fast, right?”

  “Exactly right,” she confirmed. “It’s almost show time, but if it’s close, it could strike any time before I get the circle closed. Everybody stay sharp.”

  Brody nodded and walked carefully off,
already talking into the tiny radio clipped to his ear. His eyes scanned the pre-dawn darkness of the cove, and everyone seemed to come to an alert posture.

  She turned to John. “I’m going to move fast now. I’m going right in front of that big rock there. I think that’ll get me close enough to do the job. Are you ready?”

  John touched her shoulder, placing a surprising kiss on her forehead that felt like both a benediction and a caress.

  “I’m with you. Let’s do this.”

  Urse moved as fast as she could past the shoreline, casting the salt as neatly and quickly as she could to form the circle. When she reached the point where she had started, she took a deep breath, spoke a word of high magic, and laid the final grains.

  With a whoosh of power audible only to those who could actually hear magic, the protection slammed into place. And then, as predicted, all hell broke loose.

  The water churned. Tentacles appearing at random points all over the cove.

  Sweet Mother of All! The leviathan was even bigger than she’d imagined. For a breathless moment, Urse stood motionless, taking it all in. And for just that moment, she almost lost her nerve.

  “Take it easy,” John said, his deep voice rumbling near her ear. “We’ve got this.”

  Shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath to center herself, Urse silently thanked the Lady that John had decided to put himself on the line, to be by her side. His strength, and the conviction that came through his words, renewed her courage.

  She reached for his hand, squeezing it in thanks even as a gentle calm came over her. That was John’s magic, brushing against hers.

  Trapped inside the protection of her circle, she could feel the gentle thrum of his power—vast, timeless and so very Alpha. How had she missed it before?

  But that was a thought for later. Right now, she had a sea monster to fight.