Bearliest Catch (11 page)

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 something 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.

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?”

“Of course it is.” Drew brushed his lips
across hers, not caring that everyone was probably watching them.
He just had to kiss her. She was such an amazing person…and she was
all his. Whether she realized it yet or not.

This morning’s adventure had settled it. If
there had been any shadow of a doubt about it before, the matter
was closed now. She was perfect for him in every way. A woman of
sprit and courage. A woman of adventure and heart. His heart had
almost stopped when she dove into the ocean after her friends, but
he couldn’t have been prouder of her. She was his mate.

Drew noticed the raised eyebrows when they
joined the others around the big table, but he said nothing. He let
the fact that he was holding Jetty’s hand speak for itself. Let the
others figure it out on their own. He was staking his
claim—publicly.

Now, as to whether or not Jetty felt the
same…the jury was still out. He had high hopes that, with time and
exposure, she would come to love him as much as he already loved
her.

And, yes, he was in love with her. She was
his mate. Every new facet of her personality he discovered only
made him love her more. Telling her, though… That was going to be
the tricky part. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off by
going too fast.

He’d have to take his time. Get her used to
him. Do everything he could to make her want to be with him. And
then…he might be able to test the waters and see if she could
return his feelings. It was a scary thought, but then, he’d faced
down armies of enemy soldiers in his time. Hell, he’d even faced
the leviathan with nothing more than a broken anchor chain in his
hands. He would manage this. Somehow.

The meeting went on for more than an hour.
Jetty told her part of the story, explaining what had taken place
beneath the waves in detail to her rapt audience. Drew found he
couldn’t let go of her hand. He needed the reassurance of feeling
her skin against his, to know that she was with him and out of
danger.

What she described made him want to growl.
When she mentioned that she’d been unarmed—when apparently, she
usually
was
armed with a spear at the very least—he wanted
to roar. She’d been down there by herself, facing that thing
unarmed, while he sat powerless above the surface.

Just thinking of it now made his bear pace
inside his skull. The frustration and fear he’d felt at the time
had no doubt taken several years off his life.

But she’d made it back to him alive and well.
For that, he paused to send a silent prayer of thanks heavenward,
to the Mother of All, who must surely have been watching over them
all today.

And the day had really only just started.

Jetty was eager to get over to the doctor’s
office and see how Sirena was doing as the meeting with the bear
leadership wound down. Andrew hadn’t let go of her hand once
through the long meeting, which she appreciated. She was still
shaken up over what had happened out in the ocean.