by Haley Jacobs
True love is its own reward.
--Your Friend, Emilia
Julia folded the note and slid it into her back pocket.
The sun was back out, and the smell of the rainstorm left an irresistible sweetness in the air. After Jake refueled the ultralight, they pulled it out to the small runway. Jake performed a preflight check, and they strapped in again.
“How are we going to find this bear?” asked Julia, “We haven’t heard anything from the tracker.”
Jake thought for a moment.
“How much should I tell her? Jake asked his bear.
“You should tell her everything.”
“I’m not sure she’s ready to hear it.”
“I’ve been dealing with bears for a lot of years,” said Jake. “The tracker is really only confirmation for me. I have ways of tracking bears that are…uh…a little unorthodox.”
“You’re such a pussy,” said Jake’s bear.
“Knock it off!” said Jake.
“What do you mean, unorthodox?” asked Julia.
“It’s hard to explain. I was born with…some unique abilities.”
Julia wrinkled her brow. “You mean psychic?”
“Kind of,” said Jake. “But not exactly. You’ll see what I mean.”
Barbara had said that Jake was a “shifter.” Julia assumed that was what he was referring to, but she didn’t have the courage at that moment to bring it up.
“Give me a moment,” said Jake. He sat quietly and got that faraway look that she had seen at the bear platform at Downey Falls. Jake’s bear took over and sniffed the air.
“That way,” said Jake’s bear. “Just over the ridge.”
Jake snapped out of his trance. “She’s not far.”
Jake started the engine, and they roared down the runway. The ultralight lifted off, and Jake banked the plane back the way they had come. The leveled out. Jake pulled back the stick and the ultralight soared over a high ridge. Julia gasped as the forest dropped sharply away to a sheer cliff. A large meadow was below them, and there was a dry, smooth patch of earth. Jake circled the patch and brought the ultralight down gracefully on the level patch. The plane rolled to a halt and Jake switched off the engine.
“Stay here,” he said.
He took off his helmet and unstrapped his seatbelt. A creek flowed next to where they sat, and Jake walked slowly to its bank. That was when she saw it. At the edge of the creek was a huge, golden bear. It was wearing a radio collar. The bear looked up and snarled at Jake. Julia felt fear rise and catch in her throat.
“JAKE!” she shouted. The bear startled and roared. It began running toward Julia, but Jake stood in its way, his hands calmly in front of him. Julia shut her eyes. She was shaking violently, frozen with fear.
All was quiet.
Julia opened her eyes, slowly, carefully and was amazed at what she saw. Jake was still standing there, arms at his sides. The bear was sitting down looking at him. It was almost like they were having some elaborate conversation. She had been impressed with Jake before, but now she was really impressed!
Jake so badly wanted to shift and his bear was getting increasingly restless, especially with such a wide-open meadow. Still, Jake had to keep him under wraps for the time being. His bear was none too happy about it, but as far as he was concerned, finding Julia was worth it.
Jake had the unusual ability among shifters to let his bear take the lead while keeping his human form. That had been key to him landing a university position. While there had been rumors that Jake was a shifter, he was able to keep them as just that—rumors.
“Friend,” said Jake’s bear. The female bear sniffed the air cautiously. Having a male who was not her mate in her territory meant trouble. A man stood there. She was confused, then, as it dawned on her, she growled menacingly.
“Shifter. Humans send part-bears to do their bidding. Humans ended my life by taking me away from my mate.” She sniffed the air again toward Julia.
“Your mate. She’s not marked. Why?”
“Do you taunt me?” said Jake’s bear. “She is not marked. But you are. Your mate is looking for you.”
The female bear let out a mournful cry that split the afternoon air like a thunderclap.
“My mate! My mate is dead! I will never feel him mount me again. I will never feel his muzzle in my side. I will never feel cubs kicking in my womb again. Humans ended my life! I will never feel his love again!”
“He is not dead, but he mourns for you. The humans here protect bears, they love bears, but they make mistakes. I am here to help you. I am here to guide you to your mate. Do you know the place where the trout jump? Where many bears gather to eat and to play and to love?”
The female bear eyed Jake warily.
“I do.”
“Be there when the sun crests the hill. Your mate will be there also.”
“You are a shifter. Shifters tell the truth, but they are tricksters. I can trust your bear side, but can I trust your human side?”
“You will have to. There is no other choice.”
The female chuffed in agreement. The bear came close to Jake. Julia let out a fearful cry. The bear looked at Julia and walked toward the ultralight. Jake followed the bear calmly. Julia was frozen with fear. She could smell the bear’s acrid musk.
“It’s all right, Julia,” said Jake, “Just stay calm.”
The bear sniffed and looked at Julia. The bear turned back to Jake.
“Your mate,” said the female bear. “Her magic is strong, but her magic is sleeping.”
The female bear turned back to Julia. Julia’s eyes were wide with fear. Her heart was in her throat, when suddenly a wave of calm power swept over her. The bear was staring into her with liquid brown soulful eyes. The fear drained out of Julia, and was replaced by a lightness she had never felt before.
The bear turned to Jake. “Your mate hungers for you as you hunger for her. Help her find her magic.”
The bear nodded to Jake and headed back to the creek.
Julia was still buzzing from the energy she felt from the bear. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Jake walked over to Julia’s side of the ultralight and held her.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded silently. “I am. I really am. For what I’ve just been through, I feel weirdly calm.”
“Welcome to Bear Magic,” he said.
“So…what just happened? I thought I was just about to watch you get torn apart in front of my eyes.”
“Like I said,” said Jake, “I have a way with bears.
He hopped in and started the ultralight.
“Where to now?” Julia shouted over the noise of the propeller.
“Downey Falls,” Jake shouted back. “We have to find that grumpy old male.”
The ultralight landed on a stretch of road just outside the deserted parking area. Because of Jake and Julia’s encounter with the rogue male bear, Barbara had ordered the area closed. They walked back to the platform. Jake kept a sharp lookout for the male bear, but didn’t see him. The bears looked up, warily.
Jake got that far-away look in his eye, and she wondered if he was really communicating with the bears.
“Friends!” said Jake’s bear, “I seek the one who lost his mate.”
A large female ambled up to Jake, standing only a few feet from him. Julia stood behind Jake.
“We banished him,” said the bear. “There was anger in his heart.”
The bear looked at Julia. “Is this your mate?”
“It is,” said Jake’s bear.
“Fate has chosen well.” She turned back to Jake. “What do you want with the banished?”
“He has threatened my mate, said Jake’s bear. “But I do not seek revenge. I seek peace. We have found his mate. She will be here when the sun next crests the mountain.”
“If we can, we will find him and tell him.”
“Thank you,” said Jake’s bear.
The bear turned toward Julia.
“You have not marked your mate. Mark her, and mark her soon.”
“So…”said Julia, still hiding behind him. “Where’s that bear?”
“He’s been banished for threatening the cubs.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“That seems kind of harsh, doesn’t it?”
“There’s something you need to understand,” said Jake, “bears are fiercely protective of their mates and their cubs.”
She smiled coyly. “So does that mean you’d be fiercely protective of me?”
Jake wasn’t smiling. “I will protect you now and forever. I mean it.”
Jake and Julia arrived back at the Lone Pine Lodge late in the afternoon. After such a long and eventful day, Julia was desperate for a hot shower and a change of clothes. Jake had been very reluctant to let her go on her own, but she promised to meet him at the Redwood Grill for dinner at 6:00 PM.
As she started up the stairs, she heard Ryan calling her.
“Ms. Pratchett!”
“Hi Ryan!” Julia walked up to the front desk. He was smiling a knowing smile.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve spoken with Emilia, and she won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“That’s fine,” said Julia.“But I still want to know how she managed to slip this note into my purse.” She showed the note to Ryan, who looked distinctly amused.
“You haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” said Ryan.
“Figured out what?”
“Emilia is our resident ghost. She’s totally harmless, and is actually quite friendly. Well, mostly friendly.” Ryan smiled. “Anyway, she’s taken quite a liking to you.”
Julia got to her room and closed the door. Good God, what a day! She shed her jeans and t-shirt, then took of her bra and panties. She climbed into bed. She set an alarm on her phone for one hour, and fell asleep instantly.
She dreamed again that she was lying naked in the meadow, feeling the warm sun on her bare skin. She could feel the soft grass on her back and buttocks. As before, a light, gentle breeze flowed deliciously over her body. In her dream, she heard a snuffling coming from the tall grass. She startled and stood up quickly. She tried covering herself, but her clothes were nowhere to be found and there was no blanket. The grass parted, and there was a magnificent grizzly bear. She felt fear as the bear walked slowly up to her. She reached out her hand and hesitatingly touched the top of its head. The bear nuzzled her hand, then sat, its feet out and its paws dangling. It was the same female bear she had encountered with Jake.
“The shifter you call ‘Jake’ is your mate.” The voice was female. “You must go to him.”
“I don’t understand. What is happening?”
“You can hear me because you have magic in you. That is rare and precious. You are rare and precious. You may be asleep, but your magic is awake.”
This was too much for Julia. “What did you mean that I am Jake’s mate?”
“When shifters are born, they are split in two. The halves must find each other. You are Jake’s other half. You are fated to be together forever. Search inside your heart. You know it to be true.”
A knowing shiver went down Julia’s spine. This was beyond crazy, but she had been trying to deny a deep attachment to Jake from the moment he sat down next to her on the airplane.
“What do you mean by ‘shifter?’” Julia asked.
“A shifter is sent to Earth to balance the light and the dark, to connect the animal world to the human world.”
“So is Jake a person or a bear?”
“He is both.”
“Am I a shifter?”
“No,” replied the female bear. “You are something else, but I do not know what. That is your path to discover.”
The alarm went off. Julia got to her feet and shook off the heavy layers of sleep. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the hot water of the shower. That was just what she needed. The hot water felt so good against her tired muscles. She washed her hair and was just rinsing off, thinking about her dinner with Jake. She was nervous, feeling like a teenager on a first date. She thought of Jake when the memory of the dream came back to her in a gush. What a strange dream! Mates? Shifters?
She dried and brushed out her hair. Because Julia had packed for this trip before Kevin broke up with her, she had sexier clothes than she normally would have brought for a trip like this. She had gone shopping for lingerie with Molly, and Molly had of course, insisted on something lacy and skimpy. She put on the matching black bra and panties. It was not what she usually wore, but it made her feel attractive. She had packed a new curve-hugging dress and heels for Kevin, that she had thought was going to go to waste on this trip. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror, and loved what she saw.
“I don’t know about this whole ‘mate’ business,” she said to herself. “But the least I can do is to set that professor on fire.”
8
Jake was sitting at the bar of Redwood Grill waiting for Julia. The bar was small and cozy, paneled in dark wood. Couples came and went as the waited for their tables, some chatting animatedly, some glaring at each other, others nuzzling in corner booths. Jake wondered which couple he and Julia would turn out to be.
Jake was nervous. Between the rogue male bear and Julia, there was a lot to be nervous about. She was leaving tomorrow afternoon. Not only did he have to make sure she agreed to be his mate by then, but he also had to make sure she didn’t get torn apart by that horny old grizzly.
To make matters worse, the last thing he thought would happen was a hot date with the woman of his dreams. Which was why he had only packed cargo pants and flannel shirts. And the polo and khakis he wore on the airplane the day before. Since the polo and khakis was the nicest he had, that’s what he wore. He just had time to take them to the hotel’s coin operated laundry, and they were wrinkled. Badly.
Shit.
Julia sauntered down the Lone Pine Lodge’s grand staircase. She looked good and she knew it. Normally the leering stares of men in the lobby would make her self-conscious, but today she welcomed it. She strutted past Ryan at the front desk and headed into the bar of the Redwood Grill.
“Wow…” said Ryan.
Jake took a sip of his drink—bourbon, neat—and felt the liquid burn deliciously down his throat. That was when he saw her. The late afternoon light created an amber glow around Julia’s stunning red dress. Her hair formed a golden halo around her head, and Jake gasped at the sight of her form silhouetted against the late afternoon sun. Jake grinned. His bear grinned.
“Julia,” said Jake. “You look…stunning!”
“Hello, Professor,” she said.
She smiled at him. He felt a tingle spread from his heart down to his toes and up to his brow. He stood and put his hands on her waist and kissed her gently. To his surprise, she threw her arms around him and held him tightly. He inhaled her fragrance. Her essence was heady, and reminded him of honey and wildflowers. It was something he had never experienced before, and it made his heart hammer against his chest. He kissed her again.
Jake’s kiss generated heat deep within her. She smelled his earthy, musky fragrance and sighed softly. They were still clinging onto each other, reluctant to let go. She broke the kiss and stared deeply into Jake’s eyes.
She sat down next to Jake at the bar. Julia sized Jake up, noticing that he was wearing the same polo shirt and khakis he wore on the plane. Most men couldn’t make that outfit look anywhere near as good as Jake did. Then again, Jake wasn’t like most men.
“What would you like?” asked Jake.
“Gin and tonic,” Julia said. Jake looked surprised. He realized just how little he knew about his mate. He called the bartender over and placed her order.
“Really?” said Jake. “I hadn’t pegged you as a gin and tonic kind of girl.”
“You were expecting maybe a cosmopolitan? Daiquiri? Shirley Temple?”
“No,” said Jake, “It’s just kind o
f…”
“Old fashioned?”
“I was going to say ‘classic.’” Jake smiled and took her hands in his, and brought them to his lips. The kiss made Julia shiver.
“You know, even though we were…um…intimate this afternoon,” said Julia, “I really don’t know the first thing about you.”
“So what do you want to know?”
“Like…do you have any brothers or sisters? Where did you grow up?”
“Let’s see,” said Jake. “My folks live in a small town near Alberta, Canada…”
“You’re Canadian? That explains your politeness.”
“Yes I am Canadian, and thank you! And my family gets along great.”
“Brother? Sisters?”
“I have a big sister who lives near my folks in Alberta with her husband and three…” Jake hesitated. He almost said cubs. “Kids.”
Jake paused. “And I have a twin brother in Nashville who’s kind of a mess.”
Wait,” said Julia, “you have a twin?! Does he look like you?”
“He looks exactly like me,” said Jake. “Except that I’m the scientist and he’s the musician.”
“And he’s not married?”
“He has a mate, if that’s what you mean,” said Jake. “But they’ve never been able to work things out.”
“And you?” asked Julia, “You’ve never been married?”
“No,” said Jake smiling. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Julia could feel the blush coming on. She was sure her face matched her red dress.
“So how about you?” asked Jake. “Do you get along with your parents? Do you have brothers or sisters?”
“My folks are divorced,” said Julia. “My dad lives in Saratoga and my mom lives in Detroit. I grew up in a little town in Upstate New York called Canandaigua.”
“I know it! Lots of black bears there. Pretty friendly, too.”
Julia didn’t know what to make of that one.
“Siblings?” asked Jake.