CHAPTER TWELVE
“It’s good to see you two working so nicely together,” Granny Ivana said with an undisguised twinkle in her eye.
Peter stopped whistling long enough to greet his grandmother and decline her offer of help with the meal preparations. Granny Ivana took a seat at the kitchen table and supervised instead.
“Did you have a nice walk?” Peter asked his babushka.
“I did. I went down to the beach and saw some of those mer people that live in the water. They seemed very welcoming,” she told them.
“They don’t just live in the water now,” Peter told her. “We’re expanding the accommodations in town every day so that more of them can either spend time, or live outright, on land. They’ve been setting up a branch office of their bank and helping us with some of their extensive business connections. In a few months, you won’t even recognize Main Street.”
“Is that good or bad?” Mellie wanted to know.
She liked the town the way it was, but she knew there had always been plans to improve the place and invite more industry. The town was just starting out. It couldn’t remain as small as it was now, forever.
“Overall, it’s a good thing,” Peter replied easily. “John has always had big plans. The mer are just helping us realize them sooner, and a lot easier. The whole concept of a bears-only town was novel. Adding mer into the mix was unexpected, but so far it seems to be a blessing.”
“There is a good energy about this place,” Granny Ivana added, nodding. “The blending of land and sea is unique, but good. It makes both camps stronger.”
Peter nodded as he went right on cooking their dinner. “That’s exactly what John and the rest of the City Council think. So far, we’re ahead of schedule with our plans for the town. By next year, we’ll probably have a lot more tourist traffic. Which is why we need to get the magical situation under control as quickly as we can.”
“Now, it is probably time for you to tell me about the new presence in your town. The magical currents changed last night, and I sense there is something you wish to tell me,” Granny Ivana said ominously.
“Is your grandmother clairvoyant, too?” Mellie asked, almost in awe.
“No. She just knows me better than anyone,” Peter admitted with a grin. “Yes, Babushka, there is much I need to say to you. I thought perhaps it would go better over a good meal.”
“Trying to soften me up for something?” Granny Ivana asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Not really,” Peter hedged, turning around to look at his grandmother. Mellie stood at the kitchen island, between them. “It’s been an eventful day. Mellie, would you do the honors and start the story at the beginning, while I finish up here at the stove?”
Surprised that he’d turned the task over to her, but nonetheless willing, Mellie nodded. As briefly as possible, she told Granny Ivana about the visit from the dragon shifter, Paul, and all that have happened earlier that morning. Granny Ivana sat silent through the tale, though her eyebrows rose at certain points. Peter helped, adding in details every once in a while from his station at the stove, until Granny Ivana had the basics of the dragon’s visit to Mellie’s domain.
Granny Ivana sat back and huffed. “Well. You two have had an adventure, it seems.”
That was totally not the response Mellie had expected, but it would do. At least the older woman wasn’t visibly upset or cursing in Russian.
“Will you meet with him?” Peter asked quietly.
“I think, yes. I should like to see this young dragon. Perhaps he is related to us through my grandfather, or perhaps not, but I would like to see him with my own eyes and get a feel for his energy. Tomorrow, when he comes back to see you, I will be there waiting with you, Mellie,” Granny Ivana pronounced, and there was no discussion of the finer points of timing.
If Granny Ivana said something, Mellie got the feeling there was little argument. She could understand why. Granny Ivana had a presence almost as big as the dragon’s.
Peter had served up the meal while Mellie had been talking and gathering dishes to set the table. Now, she passed around the plates and silverware as Peter put the finishing touches on the display of mostly meat with a few side dishes. Mellie recognized the potatoes she’d cut up into thin strips earlier. Peter had roasted them in the oven until they were golden brown and seasoned them with herbs. They smelled divine, as did everything he placed in the center of the table.
Once the glasses, plates and utensils had been distributed, and Peter had added a pitcher of iced water with a cut up lemon visible through the glass, they all sat down. Granny Ivana spoke quietly, asking a gentle blessing of the Goddess, and then, they began to eat. Conversation progressed in fits and starts as they consumed what proved to be a delicious meal.
Granny Ivana told them more about her memories of her grandfather, the dragon. She talked of her childhood and the immense power of the grandfather she had loved so much.
“When he left us, it wasn’t in the usual way, I recall,” Granny Ivana said, her words somewhat distant as if remembering something from the far past. “We didn’t have a normal death ceremony for him. I was still quite young and didn’t question things, but one day, he just stopped being there. It was as if he’d left on a trip and, then, just never came back,” she told them. “I wonder now what really happened to him. I assume he’s dead, after all this time, but I assumed that then, and I may very well have been wrong.”
“What makes you say that?” Mellie asked, curious.
“Well, he disappeared about a decade or so after his mate died. I remember my grandmother as a very old woman with all the signs of advanced age. She had lived a lot longer than almost any other bear, or so it was said at the time, and she probably would have kept going a bit longer, but there was an accident, and a big tree fell on her. I was a child, but I remember the adults being very upset. Grandpa was inconsolable. I remember my parents being very concerned that he would die soon too, without his mate, but he just got very quiet and distant from us all emotionally, for a long time. He was better with us kids, and I think he stayed as long as he did for us. But, when I was a teenager, he just disappeared and where he’d gone remained a mystery.”
“If they were true mates…” Peter offered in a sad voice.
“Yes, I know. It is hard for one of our kind to survive after losing a mate. He could have gone off somewhere to die alone. I’m not really sure what dragons do in such cases.” Granny Ivana shook her head, her expression solemn. “None of us were dragons. We didn’t share in his gift. We didn’t understand him as well as we could have because we didn’t understand his animal.”
They talked of her recollections of the dragon throughout the rest of the meal. When it came time to start clearing away the dishes, Granny Ivana stood and held up one hand to call for quiet. She then went to the cabinet over the refrigerator that was seldom used and pulled out something in a dish covered tightly with plastic wrap so that not even a hint of a scent could escape.
“Babushka,” Peter said with a big grin as his grandmother came closer, unwrapping the plastic as she walked. “You found my secret weapon.”
“Secret weapon?” Mellie repeated, curious about the contents of the bowl. Not being a shifter, her nose wasn’t as sensitive, and she didn’t know yet, without a visual cue, what was in the dish.
“My Peter has been holding out on us,” Granny Ivana said with a grin, coming closer to place a huge dish filled with ripe blackberries on the table. “He’s got a berry patch on his property that’s bigger than any I’ve ever seen before. Just look at these blackberries!”
“That patch on the side of the hill was one of the main reasons I settled on this particular piece of land,” Peter told them proudly. “There’s nothing quite like the flavor of blackberries growing wild in the acidic soil of the Pacific Northwest.” He reached into the bowl and grabbed a big, juicy berry between his thumb and forefinger and held it up like a connoisseur examining a rare gem.
“Oh, those look delicious,” Mellie said when Granny Ivana looked for her opinion. “I love blackberries.”
“Good.” Granny Ivana took the dish and spooned a big helping onto Mellie’s plate without further ado.
There were too many, really. Mellie could only handle a few, but she figured she’d discreetly dump the rest onto Peter’s plate at some point in the near future. She knew now that the man could put away food in mass quantities, just like her brother-in-law. These bears knew how to eat.
Granny Ivana sat back down after serving them all a big helping of berries, and there was silence for a few minutes while everyone appreciated the fine flavor of the ripe fruit. Peter smiled at Mellie when she pushed a few of her berries onto his plate. Then, he leaned over and gave her a smacking kiss on the lips from which she could taste the flavor of the berries in a way that nearly made her forget they had an audience.
Remembering Granny Ivana’s presence, Mellie looked over at the older woman, already blushing as she leaned away from Peter and back toward her own place at the table. Granny Ivana only winked, making Mellie’s blush deepen.
Peter cleared his throat and put down his spoon. “Thank you for gathering dessert, Babushka,” he told his grandmother formally. “Mellie and I reached an agreement earlier today,” he started, taking Mellie’s hand in his.
Was he really going to spill the beans like this? Mellie realized his grandmother was probably the first person they should tell about their change in status. She might only be visiting, but she was the elder of the families, in this case, and Mellie figured that would protect her from her sister’s wrath at being told later. Mellie had to smile at the idea of Urse’s reaction. No doubt, her sister would be happy for them both. Finding your life partner and agreeing to the match was a big deal in both the human and shifter worlds. It was also pretty monumental among strega, who tended to walk their paths alone a disproportionate percentage of the time.
“Congratulations,” Granny Ivana said even before Peter made the official announcement. “I’ve been hoping you would find a nice girl for a long time, Peter.” Granny Ivana’s tone was teasingly scolding. “Now, tell me, are you going to have a human-style wedding?”
Mellie looked blankly at Peter. “We hadn’t talked about that at all,” she said.
“If that is what you wish, we will do it,” Peter told her. “Anything you desire, we will do.”
“I haven’t told my sister yet,” Mellie blurted. “She needs to know before we can start planning anything. And, from what I understand, weddings take a while to plan and work out.”
“Then, I suppose I must stay in Grizzly Cove for a while,” Granny Invana said with a teasing sigh. “If you have a wedding, I want to be at it.”
*
After Babushka had given them both bear hugs and further congratulations, and all the dishes had been put in the washer, Peter took his new mate by the hand and led her outside. He wanted to show her his territory…and his bear. He only hoped she would like his furry side as much as she seemed to like his human half.
“Where are we going?” she asked, tugging on her jacket as they went out the door.
“I want to show you the berry patch,” he hedged.
“In the dark?” Her tone was incredulous, but she didn’t hesitate to follow where he led. Her trust humbled him, and made him that much more fiercely devoted to her safety.
“I promise, I won’t let you get tangled up in the thorns. I just want you to see the extent of my territory… Our territory, if you’ll consent to come live in my den.” They hadn’t gotten to the part yet where they discussed living arrangements, but his inner bear was pushing him to get more commitment from her.
She’d agreed to be his mate, but there was more to it than that. The bear wanted to be around her at all times, and all hours of the day and night. The man and bear both wanted to live with her. He’d prefer his den because it was big and comfortable—and most of all, secure. But he’d happily live with her above the bookstore, if that’s what she really wanted.
“I suppose we could rent out the apartment,” she said in a tentative tone. “I’d have to talk it over with Urse. The place is still half hers. But I know with the mer moving into the cove, available accommodations on land can’t quite keep up with the demand. We’d probably be able to get a tenant with no problem at all.”
“It’s a sound business decision,” Peter put in, trying not to crow with victory. “And it would bring in a little extra income for you both.”
“I don’t think we’d charge a whole lot, but yeah, it could work out really well for everyone,” Mellie said. “Urse and I were already discussing hiring someone to help out part-time in the store since she hooked up with John. Understandably, she wants to spend more time with him. If we could find a tenant who wanted to work in the shop with us, they could open, and we both could go in later in the day.”
They walked as they talked, the terrain changing only a little as they rose up the side of the hill into which Peter had built his home. He’d picked his spot carefully, choosing an easily defensible place that also had the creature comforts he wanted. His land boasted a small grove of giant sequoia that he was nurturing, as well as the berry patch and a small stream that eventually led down to the cove. On his land, though, the stream had found a small spot in which to pool.
The little watering hole attracted wildlife and was a great spot to picnic in human form. In bear form, it offered a place to cool off in the summer and a year-round place to get a bit of fresh water. His grandmother’s scent was all over the place. She’d investigated every inch of his land. He’d love to get her opinion of the place he’d chosen. He suspected she already approved, judging by her reaction to the blackberries.
But Mellie’s approval was the most important right now. It certainly sounded as if she would be willing to move to his den, which was a major victory, as far as he was concerned.
If she’d been a shifter, this would have been a lot easier, but with her being human—okay, she was a strega, but still basically human with a powerful magical talent—he knew he had to take things more slowly than he would with a shifter mate. He had to finesse her into each step forward. At least, that’s what he’d thought, but it was proving easier than he’d expected.
“I’d need a sacred space to do my work,” she told him suddenly, returning him to the conversation. “I have the spell room in the apartment, but I could move it here if you give me a spot I can use. Maybe we could dig a little farther into the hill? The constant temperature and lack of sunlight is good for storage of my herbs, but sometimes, I need the sun or starlight to brew by. Maybe we could set up an outdoor area—like a little sacred circle for use as necessary. It doesn’t have to be huge, and it can be hidden.”
“Would a naturally occurring circle work?” he asked, interested in her needs. He had something in mind, but he wasn’t sure what was required.
“Like a stone circle?” she asked. “I know there’s one up at the point, but that’s kind of far away for casual work, and besides, that’s really Gus’s place. I wouldn’t want to constantly intrude on his territory. I don’t need anything that grand.”
“What about a circle of trees? Would that work?” he asked.
She paused in her steps and turned to him. “That would be ideal, actually. Healthy trees have positive energy and can sometimes lend their strength to my brews, if they’re so inclined. It depends what type of tree, though. Something with a straight, nearly bare trunk makes the best circle, but I can work within a variety of species.”
“Do you see the towering giants over there?” Peter paused and pointed to their left. The stars gave him plenty of light to see by, but he supposed the trees were just distant shadows to Mellie. Her next words confirmed it.
“I can’t see in the dark like you, Peter,” she admitted quietly, as if it were something shameful.
He put his arms around her and held her close. “Never feel bad about being exactly who and what you are. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything negative. It was just a question. No judgment. I promise.”
She peeled back from him to look into his eyes. “I can see you, but mostly what I see of you is your magic. It almost lights you from within in this setting,” she admitted.
“I love the way you see me, zvyozdochka,” he whispered, before lowering his lips to hers.
The kiss was magic. The night breeze blew around them, encasing them in the stillness of the dark. The breathless hush of the forest.
An owl hooted, and Peter remembered why he’d brought her out here. He had two things to show her. Leaning away, he broke the kiss and took her hand in his as he let her out of his embrace. She seemed hesitant to leave his arms, which made him feel ten feet tall.
“Come. I have things to show you.” Holding her hand, he led her around the side of the hill behind the house.
They came out into a clear spot that was roughly above the inner rooms he had excavated behind the natural cave around which he’d built his home. There were no giant trees up here, only brambles and a huge berry thicket. The blackberries were ripe now, but at other times of the year, other berry varieties made their presence known up here in smaller quantities.
“Do you smell the berries?” he asked, breathing deep. The scent of ripe blueberries was nearly overwhelming to his senses, so even her duller nose would probably pick up something.
“I do. Is this where Granny Ivana got the blackberries?” she asked, moving a few steps into the pathway he’d begun to cultivate.
“It is. And there are other things growing up here, too. I thought maybe we could set aside some spots up here for any herbs you might want to cultivate. We could do natural-looking scatter plantings so nobody would realize this is your garden, since it’s the one spot on my property that’s this exposed from the air. Would that work for you?”
She turned to him, her eyes sparkling with joy in the starlight. “I would love that!” She put her arms around him this time, giving him her best approximation of a bear hug. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”
“Mind? Zvyozdochka, everything I do, from now on, I do for you. For us. I don’t mind one bit.”
Her breath caught at his words and she buried her head against his neck, hugging him close. “You’re an amazing man, Peter.”
“Ah, but that’s just it. I’m not just a man, Mellie. I want you to meet my bear. I want to know if you can accept the other side of me.”
“Here? Now?” Mellie’s first thought was that Peter had to be nuts. He’d picked a dark forest as the scene to introduce his scary bear form to her? What was he thinking?
Then again, it was Peter. He would never hurt her. She knew that down to the depths of her soul. It didn’t matter where they were or if the sun was shining or not. No matter what, he would never harm her.
“If you’d rather wait, I can, but this is something that’s been on my mind. Frankly, my bear is worried that you won’t like us in that shape.”
For the first time, she heard doubt in Peter’s voice. Her big, strong bear-man was worried. Damn. She couldn’t let that continue. It was in her power to end his anxiety and she damned well better do it.
“Let’s not wait. Go furry for me, Peter. I promise I won’t be scared.”
Okay, maybe she was stretching the truth a little bit. She wasn’t exactly sure if she could control the basic human instinct to be a little apprehensive when faced with a large predator with very sharp claws. But it was Peter. She had to keep reminding herself of that. She would do anything for him, and she was beginning to believe that he would do the same for her.
“All right,” Peter said, his hands already tugging off his clothing. “Here’s the plan. I’m going to shift. Then, I’ll just stand over here and give you a chance to get used to me in my other form. If you’re okay with that, then we can walk over to another spot I want to show you. If you wouldn’t mind bringing my clothes along, I’d appreciate it.” His rueful smile made her chuckle.
“So, that’s why you wanted me to come walking with you. I’m the pack mule.”
“Never that, zvyozdochka. I brought you out here because I wanted to spend time with you and show you my territory. The fact that you can carry stuff for me while I go bear is just a bonus.” He leaned in to give her a smacking kiss as he handed her the neat pile of his clothes. “Now, watch. I will go straight to my full bear, but you will see the battle form in the middle of the change where I’m about half and half. I only stay in that form when it’s truly necessary,” he told her.
Mellie knew from talking to Urse that the battle form was the most deadly. But it was also the hardest to maintain, and most shifters couldn’t manage to hold it for any length of time at all. The fact that Peter could, told her a lot about the strength of the man, and the bear. In any other animal species, he would have been an Alpha leading dozens of other shifters, but bears were a little different. They mostly roamed alone and this group had chosen John to be the Alpha because he was the best strategist of their old unit.
Several of the other guys—including Peter—could easily have been Alpha, but they’d all agreed to follow John’s vision. They weren’t blindly obedient, hence the town council that made a lot of significant decisions, but they were behind John’s vision pretty much one hundred percent.
As Mellie watched, Peter called upon his magic, and the shift began. He was surrounded by a nebulous cloud of his magic that she could see against the dark of the night. He went from big man to even bigger half-man-half-bear, and then, he dropped down onto all fours, fully bear. Enormous bear. Giant freaking scary bear.
Mellie did her best to regain her calm. Her breathing had sped up, and a bit of adrenaline had hit her system in the classic fight-or-flight response, but she knew in her heart that this was Peter. He wouldn’t hurt her.
As he remained still, simply standing about four feet away from her, she remembered what he had told her of his plan for how this encounter would go. So far, he was sticking to the plan, which was very reassuring.
Hesitantly, Mellie made herself take a step forward. This was Peter. She needed to be comfortable with every manifestation of him. Her heart wouldn’t allow her to hurt him in any way, and if she was afraid of his bear form, she knew he would be hurt.
He stayed still while she edged closer. Maybe talking to him would help.
“Peter? You’re kind of freaking huge, you know?” The bear made a snuffling sound that resembled quiet laughter. “Can I touch your fur?” she asked before reaching out. Maybe, if she felt the warm fur under her hands, she might calm a little more.
The bear raised and lowered his head in a nod. Mellie moved closer. He hadn’t made a single threatening move yet, and she was beginning to come to terms with the massive predator that was her boyfriend. She giggled as she touched her hand to his auburn fur. She could see little sparks of magic at the contact in the starlight.
“Man, you’re soft.” When he moved into her touch, her fingers sank deeper into the fluffy fur behind his ear. She was standing at his side, away from the very sharp teeth that gleamed in the darkness. “Your magic is much closer to the surface in this form, isn’t it?” she asked rhetorically. She could feel it buzzing against her fingers, a lovely tingle that made her feel truly alive.
It calmed her even more until all trace of the adrenaline rush was gone. It might come back if he did something scary, but for now, she was getting more comfortable with him in this form. She held his clothes over one arm and kept her other hand on his shoulder.
“So, what did you want to show me next?”
With an approving little growl, he began to walk, and she stayed at his side as they moved through the forest, away from the open spot where the berries grew and back into the trees. She kept in contact with him at all times, and she knew he was probably walking really slow to accommodate her much shorter legs and stride size.
Before long, though, they came to an area where the tree trunks were absolutely huge. Entranced by the feeling of the place, Mellie let her hand drift away from Peter’s side as she moved closer to the dark sentinels she sensed rather than actually saw in the darkness.
“Are these giant sequoia?” She knew her whispered words were filled with the awe she was feeling. The giant trees were some of the most ancient and magical life forms left on the planet. “Sweet Mother of All,” she whispered as she moved into the space between two massive trunks. She felt the bear following her, watching intently.
There were four giant trees altogether. Spaced far enough apart that they each had room to grow, but the impossible thing was that—if she wasn’t very much mistaken—they were at the four cardinal points. One was due North. One was South. One East and one West. Impossible.
If it were almost any other tree, Mellie would assume someone had planted them in these specific spots, but these trees had to be ancient. She had no idea if there had even been people in this region at the time these forest giants began their lives in this spot.
“Magic?” she wondered aloud. Had someone or something caused this incredible space to be formed at the center of these giants? “Or the hand of the Goddess?” That seemed more likely to her at the moment, considering the recent appearance of a sacred circle of stones on the southern point of the cove, not for from here.
“Maybe this spot was designed just for you.” Peter’s voice came from behind, and she spun to face him.
He came to her, in the exact center of the clearing, and put his arms around her. He was naked. Warm. Still sparking magic from what must have been a quick shift from bear to human form.
“Look up,” he whispered.
She did as he instructed, and gasped. The towering trees formed a perfect circle with their branches high above. She could clearly see the stars, far, far away.
“This is amazing,” she whispered, reverent in this natural cathedral.
“It’s a sacred space,” he agreed. “One in our territory, just waiting for you, my mate. Think of all the good you can do with rituals and potions you brew here.”
She looked back down to Earth, catching Peter’s eye. He understood. She saw it in his gaze, in his caring expression.
“You get me,” she told him, emotion welling up in her chest. “All I’ve ever wanted to do with my magic was help people. It’s my raison d’etre, or so Nonna has always says. I’d like to set up here and do things in the sacred circle of these trees to help everyone in Grizzly Cove. Maybe even people beyond. With a place like this, I think I could do a lot of good.”
The wind picked up, and a sparkling song filtered through the branches of the giant sequoia. It almost sounded like approval.