CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They were a tad late for dinner, but Trevor and Beth didn’t mention it. They were welcoming and gracious, and Thea loved it when Ezra growled at the single bear shifter males who dared give her the once-over in her little black dress. He’d almost objected when she’d come out of the bathroom with her hair piled up in a—hopefully—stylishly messy bun, the LBD outlining her curves and the single pair of heels she’d allowed herself to pack for her road trip.
He’d growled low in his throat in approval, which made her feel even sexier. She realized he was having a little trouble with possessiveness and perhaps a spark of jealousy, but he’d have to learn to deal with it. She wasn’t going to start walking around in sackcloth and ashes to please his possessive nature.
Then again, when some of the petite little mermaids started checking out her man as they walked through the busy restaurant, Thea got a little dose of what he must be feeling. Maybe they’d just stay in where nobody else could see them for a few years…until the jealous monster inside died down a little.
“You’re gorgeous, Thea,” Beth said, her bubbly greeting going a long way toward soothing Thea’s riled inner grizzly.
It was hard to be grouchy with Beth around. She seemed so intensely happy with her mate, and Trevor seemed like a steady, level-headed sort of bear. Thea liked them both very much, at least on first impressions. Then again, she’d probably been predisposed to like them after hearing about them both from Ezra. It was clear he was close friends with Trevor, and had been for a long time.
“I love your dress,” Thea returned Beth’s compliment. “And I wish I could learn how to do my hair like yours.”
Beth laughed. “When you live underwater and have long hair, you learn a lot about braiding. I’d be happy to show you sometime.”
“Thanks, I’d like that.”
Their pleasant exchange set the tone for the rest of the dinner. It wasn’t until after the sumptuous feast flavored with tangy Cajun spices that they got down to business.
“Thea, Ezra has told us a bit about your contribution to this last mission of his, and we want you to know how grateful we are to you for your input,” Trevor began, speaking for the couple. “If you two want to make a go of this partnership, Beth and I can make it official and add you to the employee roster.”
“You’re offering me a job?” Thea blurted out her thoughts, perhaps unwisely. Had she sounded ungrateful? She hadn’t meant it that way. “I mean… That’s very kind of you. I suppose my answer is going to depend on what Ezra wants to do.”
Beth looked at them both quizzically. Ezra cleared his throat as if he was suddenly uncomfortable.
“The thing is…” Ezra began in a subdued voice. “I hadn’t planned to do this here, but you need to know…” He cleared his throat again, surprisingly nervous-sounding before he finally spit out what he’d been trying to say. “Thea and I are mates.”
She loved it when he said that. The smiles that lit Trevor and Beth’s faces were joyful, and congratulations were given and received. Trevor called for champagne, and it wasn’t long before everyone in the room realized what they were celebrating. Ezra was a popular guy, and many of the men stood from their own tables and came over to slap him on the back and offer their congratulations to them both.
The simple dinner turned into an impromptu celebration as folks from every table in the place came over to offer their good wishes. Champagne flowed at Beth’s request, and everyone joined in a toast to the new couple. Ezra looked abashed but really proud, which made Thea love him all that much more, if such a thing were possible. She already loved him so much she wasn’t sure where her heart left off and his began. They were that in tune with each other.
Thea put away the fears that had been rattling around in her mind about the town and its people. If their honest happiness for the new couple in their midst was anything to go by, this town was one-of-a-kind in the best possible way. The people here didn’t even know her yet, but they were welcoming her and celebrating the most joyous occasion in her life. If that didn’t prove to her that she could be accepted in this town, nothing else could.
The only questions that remained were if Ezra truly wanted to settle down here and if the town council would be willing to grant them residency. She understood why the bears who ran the place wanted to keep it private, but she really hoped they’d allow two more to join them. Ezra was already friends with some of them, but they didn’t know her. Would they let her move here? She certainly hoped so. But she and Ezra still hadn’t really had a chance to talk over the specifics of their plans for the future.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” a strong male voice boomed from behind Thea, from the direction of the front door to the restaurant.
She turned her head to find an imposing bear shifter male with a human-looking woman at his side, though there seemed to be something…magical…about her. A witch? Here? Thea’s hackles rose as concern filled her. What was this? Hadn’t she had enough trouble with mages for one lifetime?
She looked to Ezra, but he was grinning. He stood to meet the other man and held out his hand for a firm grasp and a quick bro hug as they drew together. Then, he escorted the man and his witch companion to their table to meet Thea. She rose, wanting to be ready for anything, though she really didn’t understand what was going on here.
“Thea, my love, this is the Alpha bear of this town, John Marshall, and his mate, Urse. Folks, this is Thea Jackson, my mate.” Pride and love filled Ezra’s voice, and Thea tried not to worry. He was exuding confidence and friendship all over the place. He liked the couple—that was plain enough to see.
Maybe this witch was one of the good ones? Though, of course, Thea had never met one of those before. Still, if she could have dinner with a mermaid, then maybe white witches could exist, too.
Thea held out her hand to the other woman. When their fingers met, a tingle of magic passed along Thea’s hand, and the woman smiled.
“Sorry. Sometimes, my magic does that when I meet a new shifter. It was just checking you out,” Urse said with a friendly expression.
“Did I pass the test?” Thea half-joked back, not really sure what had just happened and feeling a bit unsteady in the strange situation.
She knew these two were the ruling couple of the town, but if Thea was going to be subjected to a mage of ill intent, she would think twice about wanting to live here.
“If you hadn’t, they’d be carrying you out of here right about now.” So. The human sorceress had claws, too.
“I’m not sure what you might have heard about me, but I’ve had a lot of trouble with mages in recent months. I’d really like to know what’s going on here.” Thea turned her concerned gaze to Ezra.
“It’s cool, honey,” he was quick to reassure her. “Urse is on our side. Beyond the shadow of a doubt.” Ezra put his arm around Thea’s shoulders, probably trying to calm her down. It worked. Her bear started to settle a bit from its ready stance, though it still watched the witch carefully.
“Miss Jackson.” The other male was speaking to her now, and his presence was soothing, despite the strange situation. “Forgive me. I’ve heard a bit about what you went through, and I want you to know you’re welcome in this town. We are open to any bear shifter who stands on the side of Light. And some Others, too. Like our mer friends and a few select magic users.” He wrapped one arm around his mate’s waist and pulled her into his side. It was clear from their body language that the two were deeply in love. “My mate is cautious,” he went on. “She tries to protect me, and I’m afraid she was assessing you as a potential threat.”
Thea shook her head. “I guess I’m flattered, then,” she said honestly.
“Tonight is for celebration,” John went on, doing a good job of smoothing over the little incident. “Congratulations on your mating, and please, don’t let us interrupt your evening, though I hope you’ll all come by the office tomorrow to give us a debrief on the situation in South Dakota. I’ll be interested to hear more details.”
“Sure thing, John,” Ezra said, as Trevor nodded. It appeared they all knew more about each other and the mission Ezra and Thea had just come from than she realized.
The Alpha couple went off to their own table, and Thea and Ezra sat back down with Trevor and Beth. A moment later, the lights in the restaurant dimmed, and the chef walked out with a giant cake in his hands, covered in lit candles. The cake had writing on it, and when it got closer, she could see it had their names and a big, “Congratulations!”
Thea and Ezra blew out the candles, and then, the cake was cut up into pieces and handed all around the restaurant so everybody could join in the celebration. Thea was back to being overwhelmed by the generous spirit of the town and its people. The shifters—bear and mer alike—were fantastic. It remained to be seen if Thea could get along with the magical contingent, but if Urse was the only one, then maybe Thea could just avoid her.
The cake was delicious, but eventually, the party came to an end, and they took their leave of Beth and Trevor. Ezra escorted Thea back to the hotel at the other end of town. They’d walked to dinner, and the stroll back was lovely with the slight wind coming off the cove and the moonlight glinting on the water. It was truly beautiful.
“What do you think of the place so far?” Ezra asked as they strolled along in the faint light of the moon.
“It’s very pretty. And the people seem really nice. I was a little surprised by the witch, though,” she admitted, wondering what he’d say.
“I’m sorry, honey. I honestly didn’t think anything about how you might react to her—or her to you. John must not have told her anything about you. I seriously doubt she’d have come on so strong if he had. Urse has a kind heart and a major protective streak where this town and her mate are concerned. I know she didn’t mean any harm, and I bet she’s going to feel really bad about challenging you that way once she knows more about your background. In her defense, she’s still trying to figure out her role as Alpha female. She doesn’t always understand shifter ways, but she tries hard, so the guys tend to cut her some slack. That, and everyone here owes her big for what she did for the town,” Ezra put in. To Thea, that sounded like there was a story attached.
“What did she do?” she asked, enjoying the feel of Ezra’s arm around her as they walked along.
He was very warm and comforting, even if she was struggling to understand his liking for a witch. Every contact Thea had ever had with a magic user had been bad. It would take her some time to see them in any other light.
“She and her sister are what is known as stregas. They’re hereditary witches descended from an Italian line of wise women. Their grandmother is one, as well. The thing with Urse and her sister, Mellie, is that they’re both immensely powerful, in their own ways. Urse does spells, and Mellie does potions. Both have put themselves on the line to protect the town.”
“You’ve hinted at that before. What’s going on here that the town needs so much protection?” Thea asked.
“They’ve got a little sea monster problem,” Ezra astounded her by saying. At first, she thought he was joking, but he kept going. “There’s a creature known as the leviathan. It’s not of this realm, and it’s pure evil. Damn thing was right up in the cove before Urse set wards against it. She had to do a series of powerful spells several days in a row, putting herself in range of the monster. She risked life and limb to create a safe zone in the cove for the mer and wards all around on land through which no evil can pass.”
“You’re serious.” Thea shook her head.
“It happened before I came to town, but I’ve heard the story a time or two. It seems Urse is one of the very rare, very powerful mages that can cast permanent wards. Those protections she put around the town on land and in the water will last long after we’re all gone. They’re permanent. Master works, according to some.” Ezra sounded admiring, and Thea tried to take in the implications of what he was saying. It seemed incredible.
“Then, her sister did a potion that pushed the creature far from the shore, not only of Grizzly Cove, but all up and down the coast and around the ring of fire,” he went on. “She isolated the creature and its minions to the deep ocean, protecting the innocent on shore for many, many hundreds of miles of shoreline.” Ezra shook his head. “It was pretty spectacular, from all accounts. Trust me when I say, those two strega sisters have done more to protect the people who live here than most of the bear shifters who came up with this cockamamie idea to form a town and disguise it as an artists’ colony.”
“So, that’s why there are so many art galleries,” Thea blurted out. At least one thing was making sense.
“Yeah. Everybody here is supposed to contribute some kind of art to the tourist trade that they expect to show up once the town is more established. The theory is to hide in plain sight. So far, it seems to be working like a charm, even if concentrating so many bears in one place brought about a bit of unexpected notice from things like the leviathan.” Ezra stroked her shoulder with one hand as he snuggled her to his side. “But they’re handling it. Every time something bad comes calling, the guys here face it together. It’s good to have backup, and these guys are a fine team to have at your back when trouble comes calling.”
“They seem very close knit,” Thea replied, thinking aloud.
“Yeah, they are. Thing is, we could live here. If you wanted.” He stopped walking and turned to face her, looking deep into her eyes. “I would build us a house, and you can design it any way you want. We could put down roots here, and if we’re blessed with cubs, they could grow up with friends of their own kind.”
“That really sounds wonderful,” she agreed. “But give me a little more time. I want to see more of the town, and I want to check out that so-called Alpha female for myself a little closer. I trust your judgment, but I need to know if I’m going to have trouble every time she and I cross paths. That’s something only I can evaluate.”
“Fair enough.” Ezra turned and started walking again, tucking her close to his side. He seemed disappointed, but she couldn’t commit until she knew more about Urse and her magic.