by Bianca D’Arc
No way was he going to let her flop hard onto the unforgiving deck. He’d catch her in his arms and minimize the potential damage to her lovely, pearly skin.
The plan was half-formed in his mind when she burst through the surface of the water and jumped higher than even he could, aiming right for him. Her eyes widened as he held his arms out, reaching for her. Apparently, she hadn’t been expecting him to be waiting.
But it was all happening too fast for her to change course. He plucked her out of the air, wrapping his hands around her waist and letting her fall against him. He slowed her momentum and took the brunt of her fall against his own body.
She seemed stunned for a moment after she’d come to an abrupt stop, held against his chest. He’d managed to keep them both upright, and his hands were still on her waist. He could feel for himself the slickness of her scales against his fingers and the rapid beat of her heart against his chest.
She was completely nude, but her scales covered her—just like his fur covered him when he was in his beast form. He was supporting her so her tail was kept from harm.
“You can put me down now, Andrew.” Her voice washed over him, and he had to really reach to get his brain restarted. It had shorted out at the feel of her against him.
“Oh. Sorry.” He lifted her in his arms and placed her gently on the deck chair. She had grabbed the robe before he deposited her and spent time wrapping it around her shoulders. He sensed her fussing with the robe was a way of hiding her embarrassment, and he tried to make it better. “I didn’t want you to get hurt landing on the hard deck. You’re okay, right?”
That shocked her eyes up to his. “I’m fine.” She seemed to be looking for something in his gaze, but he didn’t know what. “It was very thoughtful of you to catch me, but I jump up onto rocks much rougher than your smooth fiberglass deck all the time, so I would’ve been okay.” She looked down again, busying herself with the robe, wrestling with it until she was covered completely.
Drew shrugged. “I didn’t think of that,” he allowed. Still, he knew he’d done the right thing. He couldn’t have stood by while she flopped on the deck like a tuna. That wouldn’t have been right. “Uh… Do you want privacy to shift? I can go into the wheelhouse, if you want.”
Even as he asked the question he saw the scales recede from her face, replaced by pale human skin. He looked downward and realized her tail was gone. Two petite feet peeped out from under the hem of the robe now. She had already shifted to her human form.
“No need. As you can see, it’s already done.” She smiled at him, and even as he watched, her teeth went from pointy fish teeth to flat, human.
“That was fast,” he commented. “Neat trick. My own shift is a lot more involved.”
“You’re a bear, right?”
He nodded. “Grizzly. Though my mother always claimed there was some mixed blood back a ways. Either polar bear or tiger, she figured, since I love the water so much.” And why was he telling her so much? Not even his teammates knew that bit about his ancestry.
“Sure it wasn’t mer?” Her tone was teasing, but there was genuine interest in her eyes.
“Could’ve been,” he allowed. “I haven’t seen my mother in a while. Things have been…difficult…recently between her and me.”
Jetty was quiet for a moment, then she reached out to touch the back of his hand. “I’m sorry.”
The genuine concern in her voice floored him. They’d only just met, but he felt a connection with this mermaid like he’d never felt before.
He turned his hand over and clasped hers for a moment, squeezing lightly. “Thanks.”
He hoped she understood the wealth of meaning in his words. He couldn’t—shouldn’t—speak of sensitive matters on first meeting a woman. He lived in hope that this first meeting with the mysterious mermaid wouldn’t be the last.
She let go of his hand. She smiled, and the mood lightened. “What about that sandwich you promised me?”
“Coming right up.” He moved to the built-in cooler that was stowed under one of the side benches and lifted the lid.
Drew dug around in the ice chest for a few seconds, coming up with the big plastic bag that held the sandwiches in one hand, and two beers in the other. He lifted the beer toward her, an inquiring look on his face. She reached forward and took one of the bottles out of his hand, twisting off the cap and taking a sip while he sat down nearby and sorted through the bag.
“Ham and cheese on rye,” he said, offering the wrapped sandwich with a flourish. She smiled, taking it from him. She opened it as he watched, working on his own sandwich more slowly.
It was clear she was eager to taste it. and she didn’t waste any time taking a huge bite. The sensual groan that followed nearly made him hard. He watched her chew, her concentration fully on the sandwich, his own meal forgotten.
“Oh.” She semi-groaned again, making him feel even warmer. “I’d almost forgotten how good land food tastes. This bread is fantastic. You said there was a bakery in town?”
He had to mentally slap himself to get his mind back on the conversation. She’d asked him about town. The bakery. That was it.
“Yeah, three human sisters run the bakery, and they’re really talented with breads and pastries. They serve meals now, too. Just about everyone in town goes there a couple times a week. Even the recluses, like me.” He had to smile at the stark truth in his casual words.
“Mmm. I can see why. This is delicious.” She seemed to sober up a bit and looked over at him. “Thanks for sharing. I get a little tired of sushi after a few months.”
He chuckled. “I bet.” He busied himself unwrapping his own sandwich so he wouldn’t blurt out something stupid, like a dinner invitation. Too soon, Drew. Way too soon.
“So tell me about Grace. I’ve been worried about her, and we’ve all been on the lookout, but it’s rough times in the sea these days.”
“Yeah.” He frowned. “The leviathan gave us hell a while back, but a new member of our community managed to push it back, away from the actual cove. Before I forget, the Alpha wanted me to tell you that your people are welcome to take shelter in the cove, if you wish. Any creature who serves the Light is welcome during this crisis.”
Jetty sat up straighter, her head tilting as if considering his words, surprise on her face.
“That’s… More than I expected, actually. And mighty neighborly of him. I’ll pass on the news to the others. I’m not sure if any of them will want to interact with you land dwellers though. Most of us are out here for a reason. And most of those reasons originated on land.”
Drew held up one hand, palm outward. “That’s okay. John was very clear that there were no strings attached to his invitation. The town council talked about this at length. We can’t, in all good conscience, leave you out here to be slaughtered by the leviathan that was drawn here because of us.”
“What do you mean?” She was intrigued, clearly, and the little furrow in her brow made him want to lean over and kiss it. Down, boy.
“The going theory is that by concentrating so many of our people in one spot, we unknowingly gathered a very tantalizing amount of magical energy here. Which is probably why the leviathan and its friends came to call. It wants to feed on us. And on any other magical creature it finds in its path. You are in grave danger, and we’re somewhat responsible, so we decided to grant safe harbor to those who wish it, now that the cove is protected.”
“You’re that sure of your protections? If we swam into the cove and it turned out not to be safe, we’d be trapped.” Her tone was almost accusatory, but he understood.
“A lot has been going on in town. We allowed a few humans to settle among us. One of those turned out to be a powerful witch. Luckily, her special talent is to cast permanent wards. That’s what she did around the cove. It’s as safe as we can make it. And if, somehow, the protections did fail, you would have refuge on land, with us. We’re not your enemy.” Drew tried to sound both confident and friendly.
“At times like this, all those who serve the Light need to stick together.”
“Times like this?” She looked adorably confused. “You mean the monster you call the leviathan?”
“That, and the Venifucus. They’re back in a big way, in case you didn’t know. They’ve been targeting shifters and Others for years now, and actively trying to breach the barriers between this realm and the one where their leader is imprisoned. Some say, they might have already succeeded, though we’re not sure about that. We only know it was probably a Venifucus cell that freed the leviathan and brought it back to this realm.”
“Why in the world would anyone unleash that monster on us?” She sounded truly dismayed.
“To screw with us, mostly,” Drew answered truthfully. “While we’re preoccupied dealing with this situation, who knows what they’re up to?”
“Bait and switch?” she asked, both intrigued and horrified if her expression was anything to go by.
Drew nodded. “You got that right.”
Chapter Two
The bear was incredibly good looking up close, just as Jetty had dreamed he’d be. But his words were giving her pause. He had lured her onto his little boat, but rather than the seduction scene she’d almost wished he’d carry out, he was giving her news that freaked her the freak out!
She had to stay calm, though. She was a rational being. She needed to tell her hunting party about this as soon as possible, but first, she had to know everything the handsome bear was willing to tell her.
The safe harbor offer was welcome news, and judging by his words and actions to this point, she felt she could trust him. The information about the Venifucus was appalling and downright scary. But she still needed to know exactly what had happened to Grace. The others would want to know.
“About Grace…” she prompted him, hoping he’d tell her what she wanted to know.
“She’s good now, though it was a close thing. She encountered the leviathan and ended up beaching—which probably saved her life in the long run. She was hurt real bad, but Jack found her and patched her up. They mated soon after and are very happy. It was Grace who told me your name. Jetty, right?”
She realized she’d been rude. She still hadn’t confirmed her identity, though he’d been very forthcoming with his information—and his lunch.
“Yes, sorry.” She extended her hand for him to shake. “Jetty Silver. And you’re Andrew…”
“Andrew Legine.”
They shook hands, and damned if she didn’t feel a spark of awareness sizzle right up her arm and into her heart. Was this it, then? Was the attraction mutual? She didn’t really want to know for sure, because then, she’d feel obligated to act on it. Better not to know. Better to stay safe. At least for now.
She pulled her hand back.
“Um…why hasn’t Grace been out to see us?” Surely, they weren’t holding her prisoner?
Andrew chuckled. “They’re newly mated.”
“Yeah, so?” She didn’t understand what he was getting at.
“They’re still in their honeymoon phase. Probably will be for a while. From what I’ve observed, the urge to…uh…be together, among the newly mated, is something you don’t ever want to mess with. Plus, Jack is super protective of her. He’d flip out if she went into the ocean by herself with the leviathan out there. And though I’m sure she doesn’t want to admit it, I personally think her previous run-in with the creature was enough to scare her off. She almost died, Jetty. I don’t think she wants to give that creature a second chance at her. Even after she’d recovered, she was still being lured by it.” He let out a gusty sigh and ran one hand through his sexy long-ish hair. “Our shaman had to do some serious magic to break the creature’s spell over her. It was a close thing, from all accounts.”
“Really?” Jetty hadn’t thought this through.
Newlyweds would want to stay close. The mating urge, it was said, was very strong. To the point where they wouldn’t let each other out of sight for long. There were jokes among the mer about that sort of thing. Apparently, it was the same for other shifters.
And if a shaman had been called on to perform magic to break the creature’s hold over Grace, Jetty could understand why her friend wouldn’t want to chance another encounter in the open sea. She’d been lucky to escape with her life once. Going back would be tempting fate a bit too far.
“Grace told me to look for you. She told me your name and that you often saw me while I was out fishing.”
Jetty felt a blush rushing toward her cheeks and decided a quick change of subject was in order.
“Why do you do it? Why do you still come out here when it’s so dangerous?” She thought about it for a moment. “And why has the creature left you alone?” Suspicion reared its ugly head, but she didn’t want to believe he was a bad guy.
He sighed heavily, dropping his head as if in defeat. “I can shield,” he said softly, then raised his head to meet her gaze. “This isn’t something everyone knows, so I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself.” She nodded, and he went on. “I can shield my magic from detection, and I can sense what’s around me. I know generally where the creatures are, and I go the other direction. I can avoid them for the most part, and shield myself so they don’t find me.”
“Can you shield others, too?” She’d heard of such magics, but they were rare, indeed.
He nodded. “If they’re near enough, yes. Right now, you’re under my shield, so you’re as safe as I am. But if you swam away, at some point, you’ll be out from under my protection and vulnerable again.”
“Wow,” she said, letting her feelings reign, sensing he needed to hear how impressed she was with what he’d just revealed. “That’s pretty amazing.” She got the impression he hadn’t opened up about the extent of his abilities to anyone before, which made her feel special that he’d done so with her.
He shrugged off her praise. “Bears have a lot of magic, generally. This is just something I can do that’s a little different from my friends.”
She thought it was probably a lot more than that, but she let it go. He was obviously uncomfortable talking about it, and she found she didn’t want to distress him. She was actually coming to like the big bear shifter.
She had been intrigued by him from the first moment she saw him, dangling his fishing lines in the water from his little boat. He hadn’t really seemed to care if he caught fish or not, and she had been perplexed enough by his behavior to stop and take a look. And a second look. And a third.
Before she knew what was happening, she was stalking the lazy fisherman, trying to figure out what made him tick. Why did he return to the sea, day after day, not really seeming to care if he caught fish or not?
He did catch a few, of course. More than a few, actually. He seemed to have the gift. The fattest fish continually sought to drown themselves on his hooks, and he took them aboard his boat, taking them back to town at the end of each day. Although, sometimes… Sometimes, he stayed out on the water for days. Living on his boat. Bathing in the sea in human and bear form.
The first time she’d seen him shift, her heart had raced. He was magnificent, both in bear form and in the human shape he had bared to take his beast visage. Tall, sleek and built for speed, he was well-muscled, in the way of Olympic swimmers. His hips were narrow, his butt firm, and his manly parts much more than adequate. She had blushed, even in her mer form, when she’d seen him naked for the first time…and every time since.
Truth be told, that was why she kept watching him. She’d been hoping to catch another glimpse of his perfect bod. And somehow…she just couldn’t stay away. She had felt drawn to him for some reason. She didn’t pretend to understand it, but she had been living on instinct ever since she entered the ocean, and so far, it hadn’t steered her wrong yet. Some primal intuition pushed her to seek out the bear fisherman, and so she did.
And now this.
He’d just given her the most amazing news. Not only was the bear Alpha offering
safe harbor to her people, but Grace—if Andrew was to be believed—was happily mated. A true cause for celebration. There were so few mer in the vast ocean. It was a definite reason to party on those rare occasions when one found their true mate.
Jetty would have to verify all this independently, of course, but she thought she was a pretty good judge of character. He seemed on the level to her, and she suspected he hadn’t said anything today that she’d discover later was false. Still, it was good to be cautious.
She’d long since finished her sandwich and the beer. Both had been a treat after all the months at sea. She missed the land sometimes, but she’d run to the sea to escape for a bit—as most of her people often did—and it had helped. She was almost ready to face land life again. But it would be on her terms this time. Nobody was going to dictate how she lived ever again.
She stood and loosened the tie on the robe, but didn’t take it off. Since she was in her human form, she had a bit more modesty than when she wore her scales.
“I’d better go and tell the others what you’ve said.” She walked toward the stern of the boat slowly.
“Is it safe to swim after a meal like that? I mean, most humans have to wait a bit before they go swimming after eating. How does that work for you?” He looked adorably confused and genuinely curious, so she humored his question.
“Once I shift, the mer characteristics win out, so it won’t be a problem.” She sent him a smile as she walked farther away.
It was hard to leave him, which surprised her, but she couldn’t stay. She had responsibilities to her people, much as she would have loved to spend the rest of the day with the sexy bear shifter. He followed her, and they both stood at the stern of the boat, his hooks picking up nothing during their meal and continuing to just drift with no action.
“If you go a little northwest, you’ll find some big sturgeon and halibut. The fishing is much better in that direction right now,” she offered, hoping to help in some small way. “I might as well give you a solid tip on where to find dinner since you fed me part of your lunch.” She turned to him, laughing lightly.