CHAPTER FIVE
She didn’t say anything as they set off along the boundary. He could feel it pulsing with pure magic now, tingling against his fur. They stayed a safe distance from the edge of the barrier, swimming along and looking for potential problems. Beth led the way with her trident, and Trevor got to admire the way she moved, the weapon kept close by her side. He had no doubt she knew how to handle the spear with three blades on one end that had been custom made for her. Her skill spoke for itself with every move she made.
Trevor chastised himself for watching her when he should be making observations about the magical ward that kept the cove safe. He set to work, trying to take mental notes on everything he saw so he could report back to his superiors. This might be the only chance he got to swim this close to the ward, so he had to make the most of the opportunity.
Trevor kept his bear form all the way across the mouth of the cove. The ward bowed in a bit at the widest point and Beth was good about keeping them a standard distance from the edge of the ward. He noticed the smaller multi-tentacled creatures swimming parallel to their path on the other side, in the open ocean, and he did his best to take note of their dimensions and attributes.
Nobody had made detailed drawings yet of the creatures, and reports varied widely. One of the tasks Trevor had been assigned was to get more specific details about the leviathan and its army of smaller minions, if at all possible.
He wished he’d brought an underwater camera with him, but he hadn’t realized they’d be able to get close enough to really see the creatures. He might have to mount a second expedition in his human form so he could use whatever technology he could have flown in on short notice to make more accurate records of these creatures.
As it was, he was going to spend a few hours with pencils and paper, doing his best to draw what he’d just seen. He’d ask for Beth’s opinion before he sent his artwork off to his superiors. She and her fellow patrollers had probably seen more than they ever wanted of the creatures.
But even more than their physical characteristics, in his bear form, he was able to better assess their magical attributes. Trevor had trained to note subtle differences in magical energies, and he was concentrating hard on each of the malevolent creatures that watched them from just beyond the barrier of Urse’s magical ward.
He swam slowly as they neared the other side of the cove mouth, studying hard. He would do his best to return with high-tech equipment to get still and video images of the creatures, if at all possible, but the information he was gathering right now was critical. He was the man the Wraiths depended on to assess the magical threats they sometimes faced in the field. This was his true specialty, though he had many other equally important skills.
Trevor took his time, knowing what he reported would be taken with the utmost seriousness. He wanted it to be as complete and accurate as possible because lives could very well depend on what he said.
By the time he was satisfied with his own observations, he could tell Beth was getting impatient. He swam a bit faster in his human form, so he surfaced and shifted. She surprised him by asking if he wanted to take a short break on the beach before they headed back.
“There’s a good spot on the rocks where we can observe without being seen from the ocean,” she told him. “And sometimes, the creatures rise out of the water to look, or wave a threatening tentacle in our direction.”
Trevor was intrigued by the idea and wanted to witness the phenomenon himself, if he could. Plus, a break from the water would be good before they started back. His skin was getting pruney.
Sure, they probably could’ve arranged to take a vehicle of some kind to the mouth of the cove and just do the swim across, but Trevor had wanted to spend as much time with Beth as possible, to hopefully acclimate her to his animal side. He thought maybe the plan had worked, since she seemed less afraid of him than when he’d first broached the subject of going bear.
He had his shorts looped over one arm as they set out for shore. She’d just have to deal with the few moments when he’d be stark naked while he pulled the shorts back on. If she was going to live in Grizzly Cove for any length of time, she was going to have to get used to seeing shifters running around naked from time to time. Of course, she could always look away.
Some perverse part of his nature hoped she wouldn’t. He wanted to know if she was attracted to him, even though he thought the possibility was remote. If she looked, well, then, the chances were good that maybe—just maybe—she might be the tiniest bit interested.
She motioned for him to precede her out of the water, and he didn’t hesitate to stride up the beach, giving her a good view of his butt. He pulled on his shorts casually, not wanting to embarrass her if he caught her looking. Plus, he could hear the rustle of fabric behind him. Those modest mermaids had stashed a towel or something behind a rock.
He should have realized. Not one of those ladies seemed the type to lounge around naked where somebody might see them. They were even more cautious about their dual nature being discovered than land-based shifters were.
When the sound of fabric rustling died down behind him, he finally turned. He was just buttoning the top button on his shorts. He looked up…and she was looking at him. Not just looking. Staring. Almost leering, actually. In the nicest possible way. His ego inflated just a bit.
He’d be damned. She might just be a little attracted to him if the way she was staring at his bod was any indication. Well, hallelujah. He hadn’t completely lost his touch with the fair sex.
Though to be fair, it wasn’t just a dalliance he had in mind when he thought about Beth. There was something about her…
No time to daydream now. If he wasn’t mistaken, one of the creatures was checking them out from beyond the barrier.
Trevor set to work, observing and taking mental note of the creature’s behavior. He asked Beth some pertinent questions, and they spent a good half hour watching the various displays he supposed were meant to be threatening. He found it fascinating, though he realized somewhat belatedly that Beth seemed to jump at the especially energetic movements of the enemy.
Trevor put his arm around her shoulders after she yelped involuntarily when one of the larger minions slapped its tentacles down on the water only about twenty yards away from them. It was clearly angry. Or taunting. Maybe frustrated. It was hard to tell. Trevor would have to come back and study these creatures some more if he wanted to be able to interpret their movements more reliably.
“Can we go now?” Beth asked in a small voice, accepting his touch and almost clinging to his side.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Of course we can. Don’t worry. Ol’ ugly out there can’t get to us. That barrier is good and strong and unlike just about anything I’ve ever encountered before. It’ll hold.” He tried to reassure her, rubbing her arm in what he hoped was a soothing way. “Do you have to go back across? How long does your patrol duty last?”
“I made special arrangements to take you around this morning. There’s plenty of coverage. I can go back anytime,” she admitted. Trevor took that as another sign that she just might be interested in him. She’d thought ahead and set this up so they could spend time together. Nice.
“All right, then. Let’s go. By the way, lunch is on me if you care to join me. I was hoping to eat at the bakery after our swim.” Couldn’t hurt to ask, he figured. He really wanted her to say yes, but wasn’t sure she would spend more time with him today.
She moved away, out from under his arm, and seemed to consider his words. “Yes, okay,” she finally agreed in a breathy voice. “Thanks.”
The swim back was uneventful. Trevor stayed in his human form, and Beth felt safe enough with him now that she swam by his side. He had a much greater lung capacity than she’d expected and was very good in the water. If he had gills, he would fit right in with her pod, but that need to surface every now and then made her feel more like she was swimming with some of her playful dolphin friends, instead of a badass bear shifter.
The conversation over lunch was general and light—enjoyable in the extreme, actually. It was only after they’d finished eating and were lingering over coffee and dessert that things turned serious again with the arrival of Urse at the bakery. She came over to their table to say hello, and Trevor immediately started talking about his rather astute observations of the ward.
“I haven’t been out in the water to look at it the way you and my husband have,” Urse said. “But it’s really intriguing to hear the way my magic is manifesting below the surface. I’ve never really done a ward over a body of water before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but it seems to be working adequately enough. At least, John thinks so,” she added modestly.
“It’s more than just adequate, ma’am,” Trevor said respectfully. “It’s far superior to anything I’ve ever encountered before, and I’ve seen wards like yours a time or two around the globe. Ancient wards, mostly, that were put up by mages long gone. I think your wards will stand the tests of time like those. It’s rather humbling to see them so fresh and new, and powerful.”
Beth was floored to see Urse—mate of the Alpha bear, mighty strega in her own right—actually blush at Trevor’s praise.
“I’d like to discuss some of my notes with you before I file my report, if you’re willing,” Trevor went on.
“Well, I’m just here to pick up our lunch order, and then, I’m going to eat with my husband in his office while we talk over some plans for additional construction with Nansee. You’re welcome to come by after that. Maybe in an hour? I’m sure John would like to hear what you’ve discovered today.”
“And if Nansee’s free, would you ask her to stick around for a bit,?” Trevor asked, nodding in agreement with Urse’s plan. “I want to be certain the information I pass along to my CO and, ultimately, Kinkaid is as accurate as possible. And, of course, I’m happy to share all my findings with you and your people. I’m authorized to give all aid and full disclosure on this job, which makes my task a whole lot easier.”
They agreed on the time, and then, Urse left with a friendly round of goodbyes to everyone in the bakery. She was very popular, Beth saw, which boded well for the Alpha couple. If a leader was popular, the whole community usually thrived, as was the case with her adopted pod. Nansee was by far the favorite to lead the pod, and she did a great job of it, making decisions for all based on what was best for the community as a whole, not just her as an individual. That’s why their pod prospered while others—it was rumored—didn’t do quite as well.
Not that the really large pods saw much of one another. It was a really big ocean, after all, and there weren’t all that many mer in it. There was another pod down south, off the coast of Central America, but Beth’s pod claimed the territory from the Bering Sea up near Alaska, all the way down the Pacific coast of the United States and westward to about the middle of the Pacific Ocean, though they kept relatively close to land most of the year.
“I really want to thank you for taking me around this morning, Beth,” Trevor said as she refocused her attention on her coffee.
It was a mark of how comfortable she’d become with him that she’d allowed her attention to drift while in his presence. She didn’t feel the need to be perpetually on guard with him anymore. Not after meeting his bear side and swimming with him—in both forms—in the cove. Something important had changed this morning, and she wasn’t sure how far reaching the implications might yet go.
“I was happy to do it,” she replied politely. “You swim really well.” It was only the truth, even if it was also a compliment.
“I train hard in many different environments, but I’ve always loved swimming. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to use that skill both in military training and in the field, but today was exceptional in many ways. You’re amazing in the water, Beth. There’s no way I could keep up with you if you didn’t want me to. Thanks for making allowances and slowing your pace. Swimming with you today is an experience I will never forget.”
She was humbled by the true admiration she thought she heard in his voice.
“I’d like to ask one more favor of you, if I may,” he went on, sparing her the need to reply. “I’m going to draw up some of my impressions of the creatures we saw today. I’d like to run the art by you, just to make sure I’ve got it right, before I send my report. Will you have a few minutes later tonight? Maybe we could meet for dinner or after, if you have a few minutes to spare?”
Was he asking her out? Could she really spend a second meal with him in a single day?
Beth chastised herself inwardly. She shouldn’t get so excited. It was only work for him, after all. He wasn’t interested in her romantically. And even if he was—she couldn’t deal with that sort of complication. Not now. Maybe not ever. Not with all the baggage she carried from her early life. Simply put, she was scared of getting involved with any man, but particularly wary of a strong Alpha-type like Trevor. He was too…overpowering.
Too attractive, too. Too easy to fall in love with and be left either broken-hearted or crushed under his thumb. She frowned at the dark thought.
“Not dinner,” she blurted out before she realized how rude she sounded. She tried to soften her response. “Maybe we could meet back here for dessert around seven or eight? I can look at the drawings then, but I can only spare about a half hour.” She didn’t want him to think she was setting up some sort of rendezvous. She had to keep things strictly business between them.
Didn’t she?
Trevor figured he’d pushed Beth about as far as he could for one day. She’d seemed so at ease with him until just a few minutes ago. He’d said something wrong. Pushed too hard. Whatever it was, he thought a strategic retreat was in order for now. Plus, he had to do some sketches of those sea monsters. He’d start now and hopefully have something to show Nansee and the Alpha couple when he went to meet with them in an hour.
He’d get their input and then have something more polished to show Beth tonight. His preliminary report to his CO was due this evening, so he’d finalize things and send them off before he hit the hay tonight. That ought to keep his boss happy for a while.
Trevor took his leave of Beth and headed for his hotel room. He had to clean up and drag out the drawing supplies he always brought with him when he was on recon missions like this. He’d have just enough time to get a few sketches started before he’d have to leave again for his meeting at town hall. His so-called day off work was certainly filling up fast.
He arrived only a few minutes late. He’d started sketching, and before he knew it, he’d had to run to keep his appointment. Luckily, the distances along Main Street in Grizzly Cove weren’t far. The town just wasn’t that big yet, though there were signs of construction everywhere, and he had a feeling the town might just continue to grow, given its success so far.
Of course, their success had also drawn unwanted attention from the leviathan, but with any luck, they’d be able to sort out a permanent solution to that problem in short order. And they’d be doing the entire world a favor if they sent that evil thing and its friends back from whence they had come.