A Werebear Scare

by Nova Nelson

  Taurus paused just feet from the foot of the bed, his stature even more imposing now than it had been in the woods.

  “Hold your position,” she called to Clifford, sensing his anticipation mingling with her own.

  She needed the newcomer to be so locked in that he would be caught off guard when she put the next part of the plan into action, but she dared not wait too long and risk him attacking his final target. Not that his final target was at all defenseless herself…

  Before he moved closer, though, his hands raised toward his head, and he grabbed both sides, just under the horns.

  The bull’s head slipped right off, and he cradled it under one armpit as he stared down at the bed.

  And the last piece of her theory clicked into place.

  Swamy Stormstruck wasn’t dead. He wasn’t even missing.

  He was Taurus.

  And when the realization struck Zax, who gasped, things had to happen very quickly after that.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ruby cursed just as Swamy’s head whirled around to face the closet where Zax had just given away their position.

  She shut her eyes tightly and psychically inhaled. Though her eyes remained shut, she knew from experience that the room would be pitch black. It had taken years of practice, but now she could Quench even moonlight in a small enough space.

  This blackness wasn’t darkness. It was heavy like a lead blanket. No light could penetrate it, and only two types of beings could see through it: the Fifth Wind who created it and the familiar who belonged to her.

  And that was all that she needed.

  Clifford sprang, tackling Swamy to the floor with a heavy thud.

  Ruby let go of her breath and the moonlight returned just long enough for her ward to jolt up in bed.

  Sheriff Gabby Bloom, no doubt refreshed from her long meditation, shot glowing golden ties from her hands. Her aim was true, but Ruby had never seen her miss her target.

  The golden restraints hobbled Swamy and pulled his hands together behind his back. One more flick of the angel’s wrist, and he was properly hogtied.

  Clifford stepped off cautiously, just enough to allow Bloom to get out of bed and grab his bindings. She slid the werebear belly-down across the wood floor and then heaved him up and onto the bed.

  Goddess, the woman’s strength was terrifying. Sure, she was fit and toned, but she was slim. Nothing about the circumference of her biceps spoke to that degree of strength.

  “Thanks for joining us, Mr. Stormstruck,” she said, grinning down at him where he lay on his side, struggling against his restraints. “Your appearance has made my day. I just solved a bunch of cases all at once.”

  Ruby cleared her throat from where she now stood just outside the confines of the closet.

  “Oh, right,” Bloom said. “We just solved a bunch of cases.”

  “Where’s Opal?” Swamy demanded.

  “Nowhere you can find her,” Bloom said. “We made sure of that.”

  “I just wanted to talk to her!”

  Clifford scented the air. “Does anyone else smell unicorn swirls? Just me?”

  Ruby chuckled then addressed Swamy. “If you just wanted to talk to her, you could have done that a long time ago. You know, when you two lived together. Before you decided to start going after every man she ever laid hands on.”

  “If I’d done that,” he said, his tone souring, “there’d hardly be a werebear on this mountain who wasn’t worse for the wear.”

  “That seems like an exaggeration,” Zax muttered.

  “Defensive, huh? What, you get with her, too?”

  Zax rolled his eyes. “If I had, there wouldn’t be a thing you could do about it. It’s my right as sleuth leader. But also, no thanks. She’s all yours. Well, yours and Cedric’s.”

  Swamy spat at him, and Zax stepped back just in time to avoid the splatter on his boot.

  “Virgil,” Ruby said, stepping forward. “You saw her and Virgil in the restaurant that night, didn’t you?”

  “You bet your hide, I did! She’d been working late so much, well past when anyone else worked. She’d come home after midnight, sneak in, clean up, and sleep on the couch. She thought I didn’t hear her come in, but I did. And I saw what time it was. I knew something was up.”

  “So you finally decided to drop into her work to check it out?”

  He scowled. “And I’m glad I did. I saw her with that Pine jerk and knew immediately what I had to do. I couldn’t keep her from running around on me, that much was clear, but I could make her and every man who laid his filthy paws on her sorry for what he’d done.”

  “Why Taurus?” Ruby asked. She was already formulating a theory, but she wanted to hear it from his own lips.

  “It was too easy, wasn’t it? Everyone’s already heard the story, everyone has that deeply ingrained fear. And nothing is easier to feed than that. All I had to do was drop a few mentions here and there throughout the sleuth, and the story took on a life of its own. Sure, I took liberty with some of the descriptions, but I never pushed it too far. That idiot Virgil really believed it.” Swamy chuckled. “He agreed to help me search for Taurus in the woods. It was almost too easy.”

  Zax whistled low, looking at Ruby and Bloom. “Still waters run deep.”

  “Turns out there’s a whole whirlpool of crazy beneath the still surface,” Clifford added.

  “You can say that again.”

  Bloom took up the thread. “But Virgil got away. You didn’t kill him.”

  “Kill him? I didn’t want to kill him. I wanted him to live. To live in fear.”

  He’d really drunk his own potion, hadn’t he? Ruby couldn’t believe the mind on some people. “While I appreciate that you didn’t add any spirits to my workload,” she said, “I hardly think your lack of intention to kill your victims will lead to any sort of leniency when you face trial. After all, any of your inflicted injuries could have festered and took the victim’s life. You’re lucky that wasn’t the case. Especially with Virgil.”

  “I don’t regret it. Sure, it didn’t turn out that he was the one spending all that alone time with Opal, but he did kiss her. He’s guilty of that.”

  “When did you find out that it wasn’t him?” Bloom asked.

  “When I saw her and Cedric in the kitchen together. They were doing a lot more than kissing.”

  For a moment, Ruby did feel sorry for him. She, too, had been unfortunate enough to witness such a thing, and it was awful enough without either of the participants being someone she loved and thought she could trust.

  “All food safety violations aside,” Bloom said, “I think it’s about time you come with me.” She undid the tie securing his bound hands and hobbled ankles so he was able to straighten out.

  And then there was that terrifying show of strength again as she pulled him to sitting on the bed. “You try to hop off, and you won’t get far, understood?”

  He muttered a response Ruby couldn’t make out.

  They followed the sheriff to the door where she paused and addressed them. “As always, Ruby, thanks for your help. And you, too, Mr. Banderfield. I’ll touch base with you once I book this creep. In the meantime, be sure to give Clifford an extra sausage with his dinner.”

  Then a sly grin tugged at the corners of her lips as she looked from Ruby to Zax and back again. “And you two enjoy the rest of your night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Clifford maintained a courteous distance behind Ruby and Zax on their walk back to Ruby’s home. Despite her insistence that she would be safe traveling with her familiar at night, Zax wouldn’t take no for an answer. At least not when it came to that. He had yet to test her other boundaries.

  And she wasn’t sure if no was even in her vocabulary for such things. Not when it came to him. Not after so long without. And not when her heart was still racing from the confrontation.

  They reached the first step of her porch, and she half expected this to be where Zax stopped and
said goodnight.

  But it wasn’t. The werebear followed her up the stairs of her attached cottage to her doorstep.

  Was he expecting her to invite him in?

  Was she planning on inviting him in?

  If he asked, would she refuse?

  She straightened up as much as she could to lessen the height difference between them. “Thank you for chaperoning me.”

  “Thank you for tolerating it. I know it wasn’t your first choice, but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I wasn’t sure you’d made it home safely.”

  “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to sleep tonight regardless,” she replied.

  He took a step closer, leaving almost no room between them. “Want company?”

  Her stomach fluttered in a way she thought she’d long outgrown. “Yes, actually.” She paused, already lamenting this decision. “But I think it’s best if I have a little time to myself.”

  He nodded, a half-smile resting on his lips. “I had to try.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  They stood silent for a moment, gazes locked on to one another’s.

  “Well, good night, Ruby. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

  Pleasure and business, the two things she knew not to mix. The thought sobered her a split second before he inched closer.

  Oh goddess, was he going in for the kiss?

  Please, please, please…

  No! There are too many unknowns! Don’t be a fool!

  But while her head and heart were still locked in a heated debate, he wrapped his large arms around her and pulled her into his body.

  Siren’s song, did his warm and firm body feel pleasant! She didn’t want the hug to stop, but it did a moment after he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You take care of yourself.” He made for the steps.

  “Zax!”

  He paused and cast her a look over his bulky shoulder.

  Now what? His name had been out of her mouth before she’d known why. “If you ever find yourself in the presence of an unwanted spirit, you let me know.”

  “I don’t know if I could afford you.”

  “I bet we could come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”

  He chuckled lightly as he disappeared down the dark street.

  Ruby unlocked her front door and called for Clifford, who had been waiting patiently at the edge of the porch, to come inside.

  The spirit of Mirna floated in the middle of her parlor, bobbing slowly, her arms folded across her chest. She was in just the spot Ruby’d left her that morning with the promise of being home soon.

  As Mirna launched into it, Ruby sighed, “Not right now.”

  “You keep saying that! When will you actually follow through?” Mirna snapped.

  “The morning.”

  “But you said—”

  “And now I’m saying that if you even so much as think about haunting me in my dreams, I’ll banish you straight to misery.”

  The ghost grumbled and muttered under her breath before slipping out of visibility. It was only temporary, though. Manifesting required energy, and some spirits had more of it to spare. When they were out, they simply disappeared into a nebulous dimension until they could rally again.

  Yes, Ruby would definitely have to handle Mirna in the morning. She’d put it off long enough, running around with Bloom, and pretending things could be different for her…

  The stark contrast between the warmth of Zax’s embrace and the chill of the ghostly presence left Ruby unbelievably cranky and extremely exhausted. Maybe she would be able to sleep through the night. And maybe some sweet dreams would tide her over for another few years of solitude.

  As her head hit the pillow only minutes later, Clifford settled himself down onto his soft dog bed by the window.

  She closed her eyes and knew sleep was imminent. But before it could overtake her…

  “I think he might be one of the good ones.”

  Ruby sighed. “I guess we’ll never know.”

  “You confronted a maniac tonight without blinking an eye, and you’re scared to get close to a werebear who insists on walking you to your doorstep and doesn’t get mad when you send him on his way?”

  “I’m not scared of it.”

  “Then what were you thinking?”

  “You’re suddenly very interested in my love life, aren’t you?”

  “Not suddenly. I’ve been here for all of it, and as your best friend, I’m telling you that if you don’t go for it, you’ll just be miserable and make my life miserable.”

  “So this is about you, in the end.”

  “I guess so, and why shouldn’t it be? Someone’s gotta look out for my happiness.”

  Ruby grunted and flopped over to her other side, suddenly uncomfortable in her current position. “No one knows better than we do that romance only causes trouble. Nothing lasts. There are a limited number of ways it can play out, and none have happy endings. Either the romance ends, which is never easy, or it only ends for one person, who then seeks out greener pastures, like with Opal and Swamy. Or you die. Everything goes south in the end. I don’t see the point of getting involved in it.”

  “I think everything going south in the end is the best reason to get involved. Nothing lasts. Take advantage of it while you can.”

  Ruby didn’t have a response to that, so she remained silent, considering it. But Clifford’s soft snores interrupted her swirling thoughts before long, and, finally, she drifted off to sleep.

  Epilogue

  Ruby clutched her teacup perhaps a little too firmly as her eyes scanned the rest of A New Leaf. She’d come here early, partially because she could use an extra cup of tea to calm her nerves before her meeting, and partially because if she waited too long, she might have decided not to show up at all.

  But now, as the clock on the wall ticked closer to the meeting time, she began to have her doubts. Would he be a no-show?

  This was stupid. “I never should have let you talk me into it.”

  Clifford didn’t even raise his head from where he lay in his designated doggy bed. “I’m fairly shocked it worked. You never listen to my sage advice.”

  “I hope it pans out.”

  “You and me both.” He shut his eyes.

  Ruby’s breath caught her chest at the sound of the bell above the door. She turned to look and, sure enough, with three minutes to spare, there stood the breathtaking outline of Zax Banderfield.

  He waved to Harley Hardtimes before looking around and spotting Ruby. The gleam in his eyes made her swallow hard and berate herself for her involuntary school-girl reactions.

  “This seat taken?” he said, placing his hand on the back of it.

  “Yes, I’m waiting for a gentleman to join me. He’s tall, a member of the High Council, though I’m not sure what he actually does for that.”

  Zax chuckled and took his seat across the table from her. “I was glad to receive your invitation. But just so we’re clear, did you call me here on another business matter?”

  “Not this time. Although I will say that enjoying a bit of my time is considered serious business by most people around town.”

  “I’ll try not to squander it, then.” He winked and she sipped her tea to disguise her pleasure.

  Harley hurried over, grinning down at Ruby like a fool before taking Zax’s order. Once he nodded and left to get Zax a cup of coffee and a meat pie, the werebear leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply. “You heard anything from Bloom?”

  “I thought I made it clear this wasn’t about business.”

  “You did. But I don’t like to jump straight into pleasure.”

  “Making me wait?”

  “That implies you’ll say yes when it comes time.”

  “You don’t know that. I’m very mysterious.”

  He chuckled. “That you are.”

  Harley slipped the coffee and pie in front of Zax and promptly disappeared. Well, it was certainly nice to know someone e
lse had her back around town.

  “Swamy found Cedric’s letters to Opal a day before he attacked Virgil,” she said. “Bloom says that’s what initiated the attack. He’d been planning for something for a while, but that was what triggered it.”

  Zax poured a small bit of cream into his coffee, stirring it lazily. “Shouldn’t he have known they were from Cedric? Weren’t they signed?”

  “They were signed,” she said. “They were signed ‘pining for you.’ Not exactly sneaky. Of course, because of what Swamy had seen transpire between Virgil and Opal, he was already fixated on the wrong Pine. He filled in the blank incorrectly.”

  “And once he found that out, he went back for the letters to expose Opal and frame Cedric for his disappearance?”

  “Yes. Opal had stashed them in a small jewelry box, thinking Swamy would never find them there. But she says she’d found the box opened a couple of days before she noticed him missing. She wasn’t sure if he’d read them, but she moved them all, just in case. They were tucked behind the headboard when he found them.”

  Zax grunted like the wind had been knocked from him. “That’s cold. Hiding letters from your lover behind the headboard of the bed you share with your boyfriend?”

  “I agree. Not the most honorable decision. But neither is cheating.”

  “Fair enough. But either way, it looks like I’m going to have to lead a sleuth-wide heart-to-heart about integrity and loyalty sometime soon. At least the letters were never published.”

  “Yes,” Ruby agreed. “That’s one small victory. Not just for Cedric and Opal, but for the general population. From what Bloom described, the letters aren’t what anyone would call ‘family friendly’.”

  “And I assume the sheriff had something to do with keeping them from being published?”

  “She did. While she can’t outright forbid the Watch from publishing whatever it wants, all she had to do was suggest to Arthur Flufferbum that publishing materials supplied by a man who had attacked two people and was going after a third when he was caught might not reflect well on the reputation of the Eastwind Watch and their policy of anonymous sources.”