by Bianca D’Arc
“Hopefully nothing,” he replied, turning the ship’s wheel to take them toward the area she’d indicated. “But my spidey sense is telling me we’re heading for trouble.” He looked at the sonar screen and then back at the chart before meeting her gaze again. “Remember when I told you I could sense where the creatures were congregating and steer clear?”
A chill ran down her spine. “You mean…?”
“They’re right about where you pointed, Jetty.” He didn’t try to sugar-coat his words, but told her outright, which she appreciated. “If your people are there, they might be in trouble.”
“They’re there. That’s our primary fishing ground, and we go there most days at about this time. We’ve never had a problem before.”
“Well, today, they’re going to find more than just fish waiting for them, unless I’m totally wrong… But I have to warn you, I’m never wrong about this kind of thing.” His expression darkened and he poured on the speed.
The boat cut through the dark water, now tinged with the red of the sunrise peeking through a small band of open sky behind them. The rest of the heavens were covered in gray, the horizon still dark and forbidding.
Jetty held on as the boat leapt to life. A sense of urgency came over her, impressing her from Andrew’s serious demeanor.
“What can I do to help?” she asked, worrying, scanning the horizon as they got closer. She thought she saw a disturbance on the surface up ahead, but they were still too far out.
“I’m extending my shields, but be ready to help anyone who needs it out of the water and onto the boat. I can shield them better if they’re closer to me.” He began hitting different controls, slowing and turning slightly. She trusted that he knew what he was doing. “I can see the big guy. He’s moving this way.”
He pointed to the chart again, and she realized the leviathan was heading directly toward their fishing grounds—and probably smack-dab into the middle of her hunting party. Andrew’s eyesight must be a lot better than hers. Then again, he was a land shifter. Vision was more important on land than underwater.
“Can we get to them before it does?” she whispered, fearing for her friends.
“Just about. I think.” He adjusted course and Jetty knew they were almost there. “Thing is, I can hide the magic, but I can’t hide our physical presence. If it can see us, it might be interested enough to attack, even if it doesn’t sense magic. We’ll have to take our chances if your people are there.”
“What about the smaller ones? The minions?”
“They seem to scout ahead for the big guy,” he said, his frown deepening. “They might already be there, engaged with your people.”
“Sweet Mother of All,” she swore, praying silently that her friends would be all right.
“Almost there. If there’s any way you can get your friends’ attention, go for it. Warn them.”
Jetty nodded and ran to the bow of the ship, leaning out over the water, looking for signs of her hunting party. They were so close now. She should be able to see something as Andrew slowed the boat, allowing it to drift to a standstill. They were there.
She shucked her clothes and dove head first into the water. Her shift came almost instantaneously, as did her awareness of trouble in the water. Signals were flying between the mer. They were under attack!
Jetty began broadcasting her own signals—squeals and clicks that were mostly too high frequency for human hearing that formed the mer language. She shouted above the din for her hunting party to rally to her. She had a boat. She had a way to protect them from the even bigger evil that was already approaching.
She could see them now. All four members of her party were fighting with one of the smaller creatures. Sirena got up close to it, blinding the hideous thing with her spear, but suffering the crushing grip of the creature’s tentacles. The other three slashed at the many arms of the creature, blood flowing freely from both the creature and Sirena before they finally freed her, just as Jetty caught up to them.
She motioned for them to follow her, and thankfully, they didn’t argue. Beth supported Sirena, who was in bad shape, while Janice and Marla swam guard. The blinded creature didn’t follow, but the blood was attracting too many predators. It was time to leave.
Jetty led them to the stern of Andrew’s boat, peeking her head above water to find that he was waiting for her, the back hatch open. She bounded out of the water, unable to guard without a weapon and needing to lead the way for the others. They didn’t know him. They wouldn’t come aboard his ship unless she was there to guide them.
She shifted quickly, standing by the hatch to show the others the way. The other three helped lift Sirena. It was obvious she was in great pain. Bones were broken, and she was bleeding all over the deck.
Andrew helped lift her as gently as he could, placing her on a collection of seat cushions he’d arranged on the deck for her as the others bounded aboard the way Jetty had. Their weapons made a clatter on the deck, and they all regarded him with suspicion, but thankfully, they seemed to look to Jetty for leadership, now that Sirena was incapacitated.
As was only right. Jetty was second-in-command of the hunting party. If Sirena was hurt, it was up to Jetty to lead.
“Everybody, this is Andrew. He’s a bear shifter, and he can shield our magic from the leviathan, which is…” She looked around, her jaw dropping open when she saw the enormous tentacles of the creature just breaking the surface behind them. The big guy, as Andrew called it, had just discovered its injured minion.
A sound unlike any Jetty had ever heard bellowed from the creature, hurting her with the sheer volume and intensity of the frequencies it screamed. All the mer covered their ears, though it did little to help. She looked at Andrew, tears in her eyes from the pain of that sound, and he sprang into action.
“Time to go,” he muttered, his deep tones comforting as her senses were bombarded by frequencies he couldn’t hear. He was back in the wheelhouse, the boat underway in less than ten seconds, heading back toward Grizzly Cove.
But their passage didn’t go unnoticed. The giant leviathan was in pursuit.
Jetty made sure her friends were secure. The three able-bodied mer were watching over Sirena, trying to stop the bleeding and holding her steady as the boat rocked wildly. Jetty then headed for the wheelhouse to see if there was anything she could do to help. The giant leviathan was right behind them.
Halfway to the wheelhouse, Andrew suddenly dropped anchor and turned the rudder, causing the boat to list hard to port, swinging around, out of the path of the monster. The acrobatic move also nearly swept Jetty off her feet. Sonova…
“Will you warn me next time you plan to do something dangerous?” she screeched at him, regaining her footing.
She marched right up to him in the open hatch to the wheelhouse, and stood her ground, while the leviathan sailed right on past them. With any luck, that maneuver had done the trick.
Drew couldn’t help himself. Despite the frantic situation, he cupped her neck and drew her in for a smacking kiss. They didn’t have time for it, but he needed to feel her lips against his.
“I promise,” he said, grinning as he released her. “See to your friends. I’ll get us the hell out of here.”
He turned back to the controls, but he hadn’t even touched them when he heard a horrendous snap that reverberated through the length of the boat. Everything shuddered for a moment, and he had to think hard about what might’ve happened below decks. None of the alarms were going off, so they weren’t taking on water…yet. Something else must’ve… Leaning out over the side of the vessel, he realized what had happened.
Worse news, the leviathan had turned and was coming toward them again. Drew’s dangerous pivot hadn’t worked.
“That fucking beast just snapped my anchor chain,” he growled, already forming a plan in his mind as he went for the bow, where the remainder of the chain dangled off the side of the boat. “Jetty! Get everyone down flat on the deck. I’m going to do som
ething dangerous.”
Damned if Jetty didn’t grin at him. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Hey, I promised, didn’t I?” He sent her a wink, loving that she was as adventurous as him.
Calling on all the strength of his bear, he heaved the remnant of the massive anchor chain around his shoulders, having released it from its tether to the boat completely. Now he had a heavy length of chain he could use to keep the leviathan busy while they beat a retreat—if he could find the strength to wield it as he planned.
Drew chanted a prayer for strength, digging deep into the things his mother had tried to teach him about his innate magic and the power of the Goddess. He knew the Mother of All would be his ally against the forces of evil, and the creature waving its tentacles around wildly above the surface of the water as it searched for the injured mer was definitely evil.
He chanted as he began to slowly swing the chain, letting out slack as the massive links whistled through the air. He’d climbed to the top of the wheelhouse to get the maximum clearance. He’d have one shot at this—if that. A million things could go wrong with this plan, but he only needed to buy time for their escape.
He prayed as he’d never prayed before and waited for his moment, swinging the huge chain with greater and greater velocity. His concentration was total. He had to tie up as many tentacles as possible with his one and only throw. The longer the monster had to mess with the chain, the longer they’d have to make their escape.
Time slowed. All sound paused. The golden moment came, and Drew knew the exact moment to release the chain. It spun out from his hands, twisting and turning as it flew to its target.
Only when it hit, wrapping around every tentacle that showed above water—which were too numerous to count—did time start up again. There was no time for triumph. Drew had to get his precious cargo out of there with all possible haste.
He jumped off the roof of the wheelhouse, thanking the Goddess as he went, for Her aid. He’d felt Her with him, guiding him, lending him Her magnificent strength. He’d had a spiritual moment up there, on top of his boat, but he didn’t have time to savor it. Later, he promised himself. Later, he’d examine what had happened. Maybe talk it over with his mom. Try to figure out what it meant.
Right now, he had to get them the hell out of Dodge.
He somersaulted into the wheelhouse, finding Jetty already there. She gunned the throttle when he gave the nod, and together, they steered them away from the leviathan, heading straight for the safety of the wards surrounding Grizzly Cove.
Chapter Seven
Jetty moved back and turned over the running of the boat to its master. She only knew the basics. Andrew was the expert here, and she deferred to his skill.
He’d been absolutely amazing to this point. She doubted anyone else could have gotten them out of such a tight spot. She kept glancing out the window, watching the leviathan grow smaller as it remained stationary, struggling with the massive anchor chain that Andrew had somehow managed to toss as if it were made of plastic.
She knew shifters were strong. Bears were probably among the most powerful of the land-based shifters, but this was something even she hadn’t expected. She’d have to ask him how he managed it, but she sensed the answer was going to be something rather esoteric. Just for a moment there, while she’d watched him swing that incredibly heavy chain, she saw a magical glow about his person. A sacred glow.
She knew his mother was a priestess. Maybe a little of that had rubbed off on her son? Stranger things had happened. She’d just witnessed some of the strangest events of her life, in fact. At this point, she’d be seeing unicorns and dragons next.
“How are you holding up?” she asked him quietly, knowing he was expending a lot of magical energy in keeping his shield up after the physical—and probably magical—exertion of throwing that chain.
“I’m fine,” he answered, though she could see the tight set to his lips that meant he was either in pain, concentrating hard, or both. Probably both, she decided. “You could call ahead. Maybe get the doc to be ready for us.”
“On the radio?” She gestured toward the marine radio that was standard equipment in every boat.
“Nah. Don’t want every mariner that might be in range listening in. Use my phone.” He unclipped a somewhat bulky phone from his belt and flipped it open, hitting a speed dial number before handing it to her. “That’s the town doctor. Just tell him who you are and what happened. I can’t talk to him and keep all this going.”
All this, meaning the shield and the escape, she figured. He had to be under quite the magical strain, and she didn’t want to add to his burden. Plus, she was happy to be part of the rescue in even just this small way.
When a male voice answered the ringing on the other end of the line, she did as Andrew had asked, explaining the situation. Andrew confirmed when asked that he’d aim for the bait shop dock, which was closer to town—and the doctor’s office—than his private dock.
The doctor said he’d be waiting, with help. Jetty thanked him and hung up, returning what she now realized was a satellite phone to Andrew. He took it without comment and replaced it on his hip, his concentration on the path in front of them.
“How far to the ward?” she asked quietly.
“Not too far now.”
“I don’t see any sign of pursuit. The creature seemed good and stuck in that chain. I watched it as long as I could, and I didn’t see it moving except to struggle against the binding,” she told him.
“That’s good,” was his only comment.
“Good?” She couldn’t help the incredulous tone in her voice. “That’s freaking awesome!” She’d tried to contain her enthusiasm until they were completely out of danger, but had to say something. What he’d done… It was straight up amazing. “You saved us.”
“Not yet,” he argued, keeping his eyes on the path ahead, his concentration near total. “But I’m about to. We’re almost to the wards. If we’re going to face opposition, it’ll be right about here.”
She held her breath, but they sailed through with no problem. She knew they were safe the moment the tension in his shoulders eased just the tiniest bit. The strain on him to keep up the shield was easier now. The wards would protect them, even if his shield slipped somehow.
She saw the entrance to the cove and felt a tear trickle down her face. She’d never been so happy to see land.
“Go tell your friends they’re safe,” he told her gently. “It won’t be long now to the dock, and we can get help for their injuries.”
She nodded, unable to speak through the emotion clogging her throat. She turned to the deck where her hunting party was laid out like the catch of the day, some bleeding, some still in mer form, some shifted to human, wearing whatever cloth came to hand as they tended the others injuries. She dug right in and helped, finding every last stitch of clothing Andrew had on board and distributing it to those who could use it. She also found items that could be used for first aid and did her best to help where needed.
Before she knew it, they were docking, and there were a host of bear shifters waiting to aid them. Thank the Goddess.
The scene on the dock was a little chaotic, but they managed to get the injured mer woman off the boat without causing her further difficulties. Her three friends went with her, insisting on watching over the one they called Sirena while the town doctor had a look at her injuries. Drew was just as glad to see the others go. As long as Jetty stayed with him, he was content.
When the injured woman had been removed to the doc’s capable hands, John came out onto the dock to have a few words. He was frowning, but Drew had seen that expression before. It wasn’t the angry frown—which was more like a scowl. This was the concerned frown of a leader who hated to see his people, or those they were trying to protect, in harm’s way.
Drew walked over to John, Jetty at his side. John held out his hand for a quick shake and nodded to Jetty in a polite, if distracted, way.
�
�What happened out there, Drew?” John asked without preamble. Drew knew it was time for the debrief—even though they were still standing on the dock.
“I was attempting to drop Jetty off when I sensed the leviathan approaching the area where her people were fishing. One of the smaller ones attacked first. The ladies managed to fight free before the big one showed up.” Drew said succinctly. “If you want to hear the whole sordid tale, come aboard. I can offer you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pop.” Drew smiled, knowing how far from his normal diet of cold cuts and beer that sounded.
Even John was surprised into a laugh, though he shook his head. “Your boat will be okay here for a while, right?” The Alpha didn’t wait for an answer. “How about I buy you two breakfast over at the bakery?”
What followed was an impromptu meeting of the inner circle of their old unit. Sheriff Brody was there, as was his deputy, Zak. The town lawyer, Tom, showed up too. All three were mated—one to each of the sisters who owned the bakery.
John’s new mate, Ursula, was waiting for them when they arrived at the bakery, having already commandeered the largest of the tables. She was sitting there, already drinking coffee while the other women set out a large breakfast.
“I guess you had already planned on breakfast for the mated couples this morning,” Drew observed.
“It’s something the ladies like to do every week or two.” John shrugged as he answered. “But it’ll serve our purposes. We need to know the details of what happened, so we can better assess the threat and prepare our defenses.”
“I know the drill,” Drew replied, being sure to keep Jetty at his side. She’d met most of these people at various times yesterday, but being the focus of questioning by such a gathering had to be a little intimidating. “Are you up to this?” Drew asked her, pulling her aside as the others added two chairs to the big table, making room for the newcomers.
“Of course,” Jetty surprised him by saying. He looked deep into her eyes, and what he found there gave him a boost of energy. His woman was strong. He shouldn’t have doubted her. “They need to know, and there’s nothing I can do for Sirena that the others aren’t already doing. I do want to go sit with her, though, when this is over. Is that okay?”