Lion in Waiting: Tales of the Were (Grizzly Cove Book 15)

by Bianca D’Arc

  “And, then, there was a bomb?” She was prying, but he didn’t mind.

  He’d take a swipe at anybody else who asked about that dark time in his life, but this woman had earned her curiosity the hard way. It didn’t feel wrong to tell her what had happened to him. She, of all people, would understand.

  “We were overseas in a place where roadside bombs are, unfortunately, very common,” he said simply. “The team that was transporting me wasn’t all shifter. I was in the care of human medics when we encountered the explosive device.”

  He wouldn’t say more than that. Not now. Probably not ever. He’d already told her more than he’d said to anyone else about his experiences.

  “Look, I know you want your space,” he said quietly, hoping to get things out in the open between them. “I understand, probably better than anybody else. You’ve done a good job taking care of yourself, but you have to realize there is safety in numbers. You have to sleep sometime, and when you do, you are vulnerable.” He saw her eyes narrow. She didn’t like being reminded of that little fact. “The safest thing would be to go home. Or, if not home, then to someplace safe, like Grizzly Cove. I know you’d be welcome there.”

  “I’m not ready,” she told him, and he heard the fear in her voice and saw it in the icy sheen that came over her sparkling topaz eyes. He didn’t like that. A fierce lioness should not be afraid of anything.

  “Okay.” He felt more than saw her relief at his acceptance. “Then, at least, let me watch your back. I won’t hover. I know how annoying that is.” He offered her a smile, and she eyed him a moment before tentatively returning it.

  “Did your family hover over you while you were recovering?” she asked.

  “I don’t have blood family anymore,” he admitted. “What I’ve got is a former military unit full of nosy bears. They’re my brothers—maybe not by blood—but we’ve become a sort of family over the years of serving together. When I wanted to give up, they wouldn’t let me. I’m only alive, now, because of their support, and I love them, but it does get a bit claustrophobic at times.”

  The sat phone, which was still in her hand, beeped, and she jumped. Looking down at the device, she touched the icon that would answer the call and held it up to her ear. Georgio had lowered the volume on his phone so that other shifters couldn’t overhear his conversations. Judging by the smile on her face and the way she turned away before she sniffled, Georgio knew the call was for her. Her little brother, probably.

  He got up and moved a respectful distance away, resuming his lean against the tree that gave him a good vantage point to keep an eye on the area. He watched her body language as she talked with her family. Her shoulders were way too tense, and he could see emotion was nearly overtaking her, though she fought valiantly to keep it together so she could talk to her little brother.

  There was joy in her posture, but also fear and anxiety. An anxious lioness. That wasn’t good, but he knew her problems wouldn’t be solved overnight.

  Speaking of which… She had spent a good portion of the daylight at the old human’s cabin, then she’d disappeared for a couple of hours while Georgio had prowled around looking for her trail. It would be getting dark soon, and he had to figure out what he was going to do for cover tonight.

  He wouldn’t leave her, no matter what she wanted. He already knew that. His SUV would be safe in the lot where he’d parked it. Hikers and campers often left vehicles in such places overnight.

  Tonight, though, he had some food in his pack that he would gladly share with Matilda, if she allowed him to stay. If she preferred he left, he’d still give her the food, but he wouldn’t actually leave. He’d pick out a spot from which he could guard her. He already had a couple of spots noted that he would check out later, if necessary.

  What he really hoped for was that she would ask him to stay. She had to have some sort of den with a hidden entrance. He’d like to know where that was so he could more effectively keep watch, but that would be up to her. She’d have to trust him.

  Reassured that Eamon was, indeed, all right and being well cared for by the Clan, Matilda did her best to convince the all-too-perceptive young man that she was okay. He cajoled and questioned her until he was satisfied that she was doing as well as could be expected after what they’d been through.

  “I know they hurt you bad, sis,” Eamon quietly insisted. “You took a lot of damage for me. I’ll never forget that. You shouldn’t have done it. You shouldn’t have baited them like that so they’d take you instead of me.”

  “I had to,” she told her brother quietly. “It would have killed me to see them hurt you.”

  “Then, you know how I felt.” She heard the edge of tears in his voice, but he didn’t give in to the emotion. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, Eamon, you have nothing to be sorry for. I knew what I was doing. I had to protect you. There was no other way.”

  “I know you believe that, but I still feel like I let you down. I should have shared the burden with you. Letting them hurt you…” His voice trailed off, trembling a bit.

  “You didn’t let them do anything. We had almost no control over the situation. I did what I had to do to make them choose me for their games instead of you. It worked. You were spared. I had to do it, and I’d do it, again.” She let the lioness’s growl come into her voice. Both halves of her spirit felt strongly about this particular subject.

  “But they hurt you. Bad,” Eamon insisted.

  “I’m healing,” she assured him. “Physically, I’m fine, now. I just can’t be around people too much, yet. My lion is still dealing with some anger issues.” She chuckled to lighten the mood. It worked…a bit.

  “Will we go home when you’re more stable?” he asked after a moment’s silence.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure we can go back to our place in California,” she thought aloud.

  “We can’t. Sam didn’t tell you, but when I got to the beach, there were people watching our house. I went up the street to Mervyn and Alyssa’s place, and they helped me out. They said the burglar alarm had gone off on our house the night before, and the cops came. Someone had broken in and ransacked the place. The cops had to board up the door.”

  “And that’s the reason why we don’t keep anything anyone could use to trace our family in our house,” Matilda said, feeling a pang for the cozy home she and Eamon had shared for the past two years.

  She’d really liked the sunny cottage near the beach, and a few of the neighbors had understood about magic and been allies, of sorts. Thank goodness Mervyn and Alyssa had been good guys and had helped Eamon when he went to them. Matilda would have to remember to thank them.

  “I get it, now,” Eamon said quietly.

  He’d questioned her fanatical demand for keeping their home free of personal information. He hadn’t liked using burn phones when all his friends had smartphones that recorded every last detail of their lives for them to share with the world. Computers, gaming systems, phones… Anything electronic or printed had to be generic and not contain any of their personal information. It was one of the many lessons Sam had insisted his people learn if they were going to live outside the Clan Home, in the human world.

  “Are we going to live with the Clan?” Eamon asked, still subdued.

  “I’m not sure. You know my lion doesn’t get along with that much surveillance and well-meaning, but annoying, commentary from others.” She laughed at her own words.

  Her lion was an independent sort of gal—an Alpha in her own right. She made living among other strong lions difficult, at times. Especially when the other lionesses wanted to be social and make comments about every little thing she and Eamon did. That’s why she’d moved them away in the first place. She didn’t want to fight with her family, but her lioness had been pushing her into an eventual confrontation that she didn’t want to happen. Retreat had been the better choice for both halves of her soul.

  “Sam said the bears might let us stay with them for a while,�
� Eamon offered. “Seamus—the koala we escaped with—ended up in Grizzly Cove and mated our cousin, Moira, when she was sent to investigate the town. They’re very happy, by all accounts. I’ve talked on the phone with Seamus once or twice. He’s a nice guy.”

  Huh. Matilda hadn’t expected that Eamon would have such a definite opinion about a place he’d never been, but she had to admit, the bear’s sanctuary town was intriguing. She wondered if they would really let her and Eamon visit—and possibly settle there for a while. It was an option worth considering if all bears were as easy to be around as Georgio. So far, he hadn’t set off her inner cat’s desire to fight for supremacy. Not much, anyway. Not since that initial confrontation.

  “Sam also said it was one of the bear shifters who found you,” Eamon went on when she didn’t respond, right away. “Is he nice?”

  “Too early to tell,” she told her little brother. “He seems okay. He didn’t fight back when I attacked him, which shows he has a great deal of control over his beast.” She had to be fair and give Georgio points for control. “He’s very calm but also very alert. Honestly, I’ve only been around him for a little while, so I don’t know much more than that.”

  “Ask him if he thinks they’ll let us visit their town,” Eamon said, a hint of eagerness in his voice.

  “He’s already mentioned it as an alternative to going home to the Clan,” she admitted to her brother. She could hear the excitement in his tone when he replied.

  “We should do that. I bet nobody and nothing could get past a town full of bear shifters. Sam said that town is almost as safe for shifters as our Clan Home, and you know he wouldn’t say that lightly. Plus, there’s the ocean. And the mer. Moira says there’s a whole pod of merpeople living in the cove.” Yeah, the kid was excited. He wanted to see the mermaids, and Matilda couldn’t blame him.

  “All right. Give me a few days to sort things out, and we’ll see,” she told him, not wanting to say no right out of the gate.

  But Eamon being Eamon, he gave a whoop of delight. Apparently, he took her words to mean that they were going to Grizzly Cove, for sure. She stifled a sigh. She’d done it, now, and she’d live up to her implied promise. They’d visit the town, but she wasn’t giving anyone any guarantees that they’d stay longer than it took to thank the koala shifter for helping them escape and say hello to Moira. After those two obligations were met, they could leave. They might not, but they could.

  Chapter Five

  Matilda stayed on the phone with her brother for a while, but Georgio didn’t mind. He understood her need to reconnect with family after her ordeal. Now, if he could just get her to trust him a little bit more, they might be able to come up with a plan on how to move forward.

  Being out here on her own just wasn’t safe. He would stay, regardless of her wishes. How he managed his presence would depend on how adamant she was about him leaving—if she asked him to leave. He was hoping she might possibly unbend enough to ask him to stay or, better yet, leave with him to go to Grizzly Cove. It’s what he’d be working toward.

  She ultimately needed to either go home to her Clan or seek shelter somewhere safer than out in the open. Grizzly Cove might have its problems with sea monsters and evil Venifucus agents prowling the perimeter, but the town itself was protected by more magic than just about any other place nearby. It would keep her safe, if she would only agree to go there.

  First, though, he had to get her to agree to let him stick around. If he could get her active assent to his presence, that would make his job a lot easier. He’d been scanning the area while she was on the phone and thinking through the natural defenses and those he could put in place. It wasn’t an ideal spot—and he still wasn’t precisely sure where she disappeared to when she went to ground—but it had enough natural features to allow for a decent defensive perimeter.

  For one thing, it was up against a steep slope with lots of razor-sharp edges, so it was unlikely anybody could easily sneak up on them from that direction. The area in front of them was heavily forested, except for the few yards in front of the cliff face, which was thickly overgrown with bushes and undergrowth. It was good cover for their beasts. Both bears and cats could climb, so the trees were good cover, too.

  There were only a few paths through the forest that were easily walked on two feet. Those could easily be rigged with dry branches, dead leaves, or other natural items that would make noise when people walked over them. Georgio was already planning what he would do first when Matilda ended the call and turned to face him. She was smiling for the first time since he’d cornered her. A real smile. A smile that spoke of relief and the very beginnings of relaxation.

  She’d been on her guard and on the run for way too long. She’d been living on a tightrope made of adrenaline and fear. Georgio understood. He’d been there, too.

  She walked over and held out his phone. “Call your Alpha. I’m staying here for now, but if you want to hang around, I won’t object.”

  As invitations went, it wasn’t a great one, but Georgio was thrilled, all the same. She wasn’t going to make this any more difficult than it already was. She wasn’t going to demand he leave her alone—something he could not do. Thanks be to the Mother of All.

  Georgio took the phone from her and made the call. He didn’t move away. He wanted her to hear his side of the conversation. He didn’t want there to be any secrets between them. He held her gaze as the call rang through. John picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, John. I found her. Already called Kinkaid, and she spoke to her Alpha and her little brother,” Georgio reported as soon as John answered.

  “Hot damn,” John replied, sounding both surprised and pleased. “Where are you?”

  “Near Panther Creek Falls,” Georgio reported. “Out in the woods, by a cliff. I can send GPS coordinates by text.”

  “Do that. We’re there if you need us. Do you want backup?” John was all business, now. Georgio respected that.

  John was the best strategist he’d ever known. Probably one of the best in the world. That’s why the guys followed him. He generally was ten or fifteen steps ahead of everyone else, and it paid to follow his lead.

  “Right now, I think we’re good. She doesn’t want to leave just yet, but she’s letting me stick around. I’ve already reconnoitered the area, and it’s undisturbed. She found a really good hiding place. I still haven’t found it, exactly. Just the general area. She’s really good at stealth and concealment.” Georgio smiled at her as she ducked her head, seeming uncomfortable with his praise of her hiding skills.

  Georgio talked more with John, and then, John asked to talk to Matilda. Georgio held the phone out to her, and she took it gingerly, a questioning look on her face.

  Georgio knew what John was going to say. He would introduce himself and declare his alliance with her Clan, hoping to set her at ease. Then, he’d probably make it perfectly clear that she was welcome in Grizzly Cove. Georgio could watch the progression of the conversation by the expressions crossing her lovely face. She went from confused to intrigued, to emotional tears shining in her eyes that she didn’t let fall. Yeah, John was doing his reassuring Alpha thing, and Georgio was glad of it. Big John was a big ol’ teddy bear when it came to reassuring females of any species, and he always had been.

  She handed back the phone, and Georgio signed off with a few final words to his friend and leader. Georgio promised to call in with regular reports on their progress and safety, and John reiterated his offer of assistance, should they need it.

  Georgio took a moment to text John his GPS coordinates then stowed the phone in his jacket pocket. There were tasks to complete before full darkness fell, but first, he had to find out where she’d been hiding all this time. He wondered if she’d tell him or leave him in the woods trying to guess where she’d gone.

  “Thanks for what you said.” Matilda surprised him by speaking first. Her words were low, almost shy. Her manner was at odds with the fierce lioness that lived inside he
r, but he suspected her human half was working on rebuilding its confidence. She would be a little shy until she figured out her place in the world again.

  “You mean about your stealth skills?” he asked, as if it were no big deal. “I wasn’t exaggerating. Where have you been hiding?” He tried to make it sound light, but he knew, if she showed him her hiding place, she was committing to trusting him with her safety. It was a big step.

  “Come on, I’ll show you,” she said, smiling just a bit. There it was. She was trusting him. Thank the stars.

  She turned and walked into the clearing, then up to what looked like a solid hedge of tall bushes. She ducked and went through a very small opening in the greenery, then scooted into an open area formed by the hedge on one side and a concave curve to the rock wall behind. It was a passageway, of sorts, that led to a dark opening that was clogged with a few boulders that had obviously filled in a much larger opening at some point in the distant past. It seemed stable enough as he worked his way into the narrow opening, only to discover a very large cave beyond.

  “What is this? An abandoned mine?” he asked, looking around, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. His shifter abilities helped him see in the dark better than any human.

  “Gold mine,” she said, nodding. “There are old rail cars farther down that way.” She pointed to a shaft running down into the earth to the left of the main opening at the back of the cave. “I scavenged a few things the miners left behind for my camp.”

  He looked to the right, noting the little campsite she’d set up immediately inside the cave opening. She had some old metal implements, including a grate and a pan. She’d made a bed out of pine boughs and a rough canvas cover. A thin gray blanket of newer vintage lay on top, along with the plastic bag he’d seen her bring with her from the mountain man’s cabin earlier that day.