Loaded for Bear (Grizzly Cove Book 10) Read online

  TALES OF THE WERE

  GRIZZLY COVE

  LOADED FOR BEAR

  BY

  BIANCA D’ARC

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2018 Bianca D’Arc

  Published by Hawk Publishing, LLC

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Tales of the Were – Grizzly Cove #10

  A woman with a legacy of magic…

  Mellie is trying her best to come up with a way to protect the waters around Grizzly Cove from the leviathan and its minions, but it’s not easy. The ancient grimoire she’s been given holds the recipe for a potion that just might work. The only problem is that one of the ingredients is dragon’s blood. Whether that’s a euphemism or there really were dragons living at the time the spell book was written, she’s not sure, but she’s tried everything and so far, no luck.

  A man willing to do anything for her…

  Peter wants to help Mellie, even if it means calling in favors from the lands of his ancestors. When he admits knowledge of dragon shifters—something his family has kept secret for generations—he agrees to help Mellie any way he can. Even if it requires him to work all night long to help her find an answer.

  A love they cannot deny…

  Peter and Mellie are drawn together in ways they cannot resist. She is fast becoming his everything, he just wonders if she can feel the same. But when push comes to shove and a dragon tries to catch her eye, Peter proves he is more than man enough to win the lady fair and keep her heart safe forevermore. If, that is, the leviathan doesn’t succeed in killing them both first.

  They will confront evil together, but only the Goddess knows if their love will see them through and allow them to survive to fight another day.

  DEDICATION

  To my family. I finished writing this book during a tough time emotionally for us—right around a very sad anniversary in our lives—the anniversary of the loss of my mother. You might say this book gave me something else to focus on that put me in a happier place while writing it. I hope that comes through and that you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I truly love Grizzly Cove and if it existed, I’d love to live there.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Excerpt from Bounty Hunter Bear

  About the Author

  Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

  CHAPTER ONE

  Amelia Ricoletti—Mellie, to her friends—ran down the hallway, holding her breath. Billows of smoke followed her, along with the blaring beep of the fire alarm.

  “Shit!” she whispered, angry at this latest fumble at potion-making. No way she could hide this failure. She could hear her sister’s feet pounding up the stairs from the bookstore to the apartment already.

  Sure enough, Urse burst in the door, worry on her face. She waved her hands and said a few words, and the smoke cleared, the siren stopped beeping on the smoke alarm, and Mellie could breathe fresh air again as the windows opened seemingly of their own accord. Urse might be frowning at her, but sometimes, it was good to have a spell-wielding witch around.

  Mellie leaned one hand against the back of a chair and sighed in defeat. She’d been so close this time. At least… She’d thought she’d been closer to the right combination of ingredients for the complex spell she wanted to cast through her potion-witchery. The fact that the mess had burst into flames meant she’d been utterly wrong.

  Urse came over and put her hand on Mellie’s shoulder. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Mellie looked up to meet her sister’s eyes, afraid there would be condemnation in her gaze.

  They’d both been tasked with making Grizzly Cove safer for the shifters and other magical folk who sought shelter here. So far, Urse had done a bang-up job casting wards that kept evil creatures of the deep away and protecting the waters of the cove itself. Her ward was both permanent and immensely powerful. Everyone agreed Urse had done an amazing thing, and she’d found true love at the same time.

  Her older sister was now mated to the Alpha bear, John Marshall, whom many people called simply Big John. Mellie liked her new brother-in-law a lot. He was a good man, and he’d made Urse happier than Mellie had ever seen her. Everything had turned around for Urse. Her life was really great.

  It was Mellie’s that sucked. She’d been given the simple task of creating a potion that she could put into the water that would hopefully drive the evil leviathan and its minions even farther away from the mouth of the cove. Simple, right?

  Yeah… Not so much.

  Mellie had been working on this for months now and failing every time. This latest batch had been a rather spectacular failure. It was broad daylight, and everybody had probably seen the billowing smoke coming out of the windows.

  Great. Just great. Mellie was quickly becoming the town joke.

  “Some all-powerful strega I turned out to be,” she mumbled.

  “Aw, honey…” Urse put her arm around her younger sister’s shoulders and squeezed. “It’ll work out. You’ll find the right recipe. I know it. You’re one of the most powerful strega in generations. We both are. I do spells and wards, but you, my dear sister, are a potion master. But let’s face it. You’ve taken on probably the hardest problem you’ll face in your lifetime. Roma wasn’t built in a day.”

  The sisters were of Italian descent and were hereditary witches steeped in the traditions of Italy. They were a special breed of witch, known as strega, as had been many generations of women in their family before them. Urse and Mellie had found their niche in Grizzly Cove, and a purpose for their magic-craft. Protecting the people who called this place home had become a mission both sisters shared.

  Urse had already done her part. She’d cast powerful, permanent wards around the town and the cove. Nothing of evil intent could cross over that boundary, and it would remain so forevermore. That was Urse’s special gift. Her superpower, as Mellie thought of it.

  Mellie’s own magic was much more prosaic. Kitchen magic, her nonna called it sometimes. Mellie instinctually knew which substances to brew together to create powerful potions. She was an herb witch, kitchen witch, or potion witch. There were many names for her rather unglamorous calling.

  Urse got to do the fancy chanting and light shows while Mellie got stuck in the kitchen, mixing up batches of noxious stuff. Okay. She wasn’t really being fair. The things she cooke
d up weren’t always noxious. In fact, most of the time they were really rather pleasant. Yummy, some of them, or just fragrant and luxurious.

  Mellie created all sorts of balms, salves, elixirs and tonics. She’d also learned how to create her own skincare lotions and treatments, which saved the girls a bundle on cosmetics, sunblock and moisturizers. It was only when her potions were brewed with specific intent—as in this case—that they sometimes tended toward the explosive.

  “At least the fire department didn’t show up this time,” Mellie mused, trying to raise her own spirits. She’d never get it right if she kept being so depressed about her failures.

  They both heard the heavy tread of feet up the stairs that led to the apartment above the bookshop. There were at least two of the big bear-men on their way up at a fast clip. That meant it wasn’t just John, coming to pick up Urse early.

  “Um…” Urse looked chagrinned as a loud knock sounded on the door, followed by a query.

  “Everything all right in there?”

  The voice didn’t belong to Urse’s mate, John. Nope. This particular bear shifter was easy to identify by his light Russian accent. Peter. Grizzly Cove’s newest deputy, owner of the butcher shop and part-time fireman. Mellie’s own personal nightmare because of the way she kept making a fool out of herself in front of the man.

  Mellie groaned and hid her head in her hands while Urse went to answer the door. She let them in. At least it wasn’t the full team this time. Just Peter and Sheriff Brody, who was hefting a large red fire extinguisher.

  “I know John installed a few of the smaller extinguishers up here, but I grabbed this out of the station when I saw the smoke coming out of your windows. Is the fire out?” Brody asked, moving into the apartment and heading down the hall toward the room Mellie had turned into her laboratory-slash-spell chamber.

  “Don’t cross the threshold!” Mellie shouted after him. “There wasn’t really that much fire. Just a bad reaction that produced a lot of smoke.” She caught up with him just outside the door and scooted in front of him. “It might not be safe for you in there,” she warned him as Brody scowled.

  “Why not?” Brody looked instantly suspicious. He was the town’s sheriff. She supposed he had a right—and a predisposition—to be wary.

  Mellie looked at Peter. Maybe he could help explain this in a way that wouldn’t get Brody mad at her.

  “I had him under magical sedation, but the smoke must’ve woke him up, and his tail twitched, stirring the contents of the cauldron before it was ready,” she explained to Peter, who was the only one aware of the lengths she’d gone to for her ingredients.

  Peter stepped forward. “Is he on the loose in there?”

  She cringed. “Maybe.”

  “Is what on the loose in there?” Brody nearly shouted.

  Mellie looked back at the sheriff. “A komodo dragon,” she admitted. “A big one.”

  “Mellie!” her sister chastised her, frowning.

  “The ancient potion grimoire Nonna sent said I needed dragon blood. I figured a komodo dragon was the best I could do under the circumstances, and believe me, that wasn’t easy to get. Peter had to source this guy from a private collection, and he’s only on loan. We have to get him back before the owner misses him.”

  “Is it dangerous?” Brody turned to Peter.

  “Not really.” Peter frowned and stepped forward. “Is the room otherwise safe?” he asked Mellie.

  “Yeah. The potion didn’t work. It fizzled and caused a lot of smoke, but the reaction is spent. The only thing dangerous in there now is the lizard,” she told him.

  “I’ll take care of the animal,” Peter told Brody, and the sheriff backed off, but only by a few feet. He put himself in front of Urse and looked like he wanted to protect Mellie, as well, but she refused to back down. This was her problem, after all. She’d created it. She’d damn well help resolve it.

  Peter opened the door slowly, and a little residual smoke puffed out around their feet. As the door swung wide, Peter launched himself, quick as a shot, into the room, moving almost too fast for Mellie to follow. He was on the floor, wrestling the giant lizard into its cage when she finally got a good look.

  “Why did you have to let it out of the cage?” Brody asked as he watched Peter work. He’d come closer, to stand at her side.

  “I needed its blood. I had to have access to get a needle into him. Plus, I had it under control magically until the bad reaction from the potion wrecked all the magic in the room. It was asleep. Docile.” She shrugged, watching as Peter won the battle to get the animal into its large cage.

  Peter stood and dusted himself off. “Do you still need blood from this creature or can I return him?”

  Mellie shook her head. “You can take him back. His blood didn’t work for this potion, and frankly, I’m at a loss to figure out what to do next. I either have to try something else or find an actual dragon.” She chuckled morosely. “So…something else, it is. Only, I’m not sure there is anything left to try. I’ve been working on this forever. I’ve tried everything I know, and nothing’s right.”

  Dammit. She was whining in public. She didn’t want the men to know how close to insanity this little project was driving her. She clamped her lips together and refused to say anything else. She’d said quite enough already, thank you very much.

  Urse came over and put an arm around her shoulders, walking her back down the hallway toward the living room. Urse understood. She’d been Mellie’s confidant all her life. Urse had been trying to help Mellie, but it was no good. This was Mellie’s task. She had to find the answer on her own…and she had to find it soon. She was letting everyone down each day she struggled to find the answer to the problem that had been set before her.

  Urse had already done her part and made the town and cove safe. Now, it was up to Mellie to move the leviathan and its minions farther away, if she could, so that the fishing boats could go outside the protected waters of the cove. So that the mer folk could once again hunt in the ocean. So that the magical folk living along the coast would be safe from the evil prowling along the shoreline just outside the mouth of the cove.

  Peter came down the hall, followed by Brody, who eyed the cage as if it might independently open and let loose a pissed off komodo dragon to rain terror down on Mellie’s apartment. It would be funny, if Mellie wasn’t feeling so morose. Of course, she noticed the way Peter’s muscles bulged as he carried the heavy animal crate like it weighed nothing at all. Bear shifters were strong, and Peter seemed stronger than most.

  Mellie might be feeling blue, but she’d have to be dead not to notice scrumptious Peter as he walked past, heading for the staircase. Brody was with him. He nodded at them before he followed Peter out of the apartment.

  “Well, there goes that attempt, complete with public humiliation. I’m really batting a thousand lately.” Mellie spoke her thoughts, no longer censoring herself. It was only her and Urse now, and her sister knew how difficult Mellie was finding this mission.

  “Not that public. I don’t think Brody would tell anyone other than John—and then, he’ll probably only mention the exotic lizard. You know John doesn’t spread tales. Your Peter won’t talk either.”

  “He’s not my Peter,” Mellie protested sulkily.

  “Are you sure he knows that?” Urse asked, arching one eyebrow.

  “Pfft.” Mellie made a shooing motion with her hands at her sister.

  While it was true she had been attracted to Peter from almost the first moment she’d seen him, he hadn’t really given her any indication that he felt the same. Much as she wanted to attract his attention, Mellie was also in the midst of what could be the most important spell work of her life—and failing miserably. This was no time to start dating a new guy.

  She had to keep her eye on the ball. No time for distractions. The entire town was counting on her, not to mention the colony of mer folk in the cove and all the innocent creatures out at sea just beyond the border created by Ur
se’s powerful ward.

  Urse had done her job. Easy peasy. She’d set tremendous permanent wards all around the town, protecting it from all sides, including the waters of the cove itself. An intense magical wall prevented anything with evil intent from swimming in past the mouth of the cove. It also prevented evil beings from entering the town, and much of its environs—including the forest all around them. Urse had done an incredible job.

  Mellie? Not so much. In fact, Mellie felt like a total failure in comparison to her older sister. Not only had Urse cast her wards with amazing impact, she’d also managed to capture the heart of the Alpha bear while she was at it. John Marshall—the mayor of the town and the Alpha of this group of bear shifters—was Urse’s true mate. Their happiness was beautiful to behold, but it also made Mellie feel a little jealous. Not in a bad way. Just wishing she could find that special something with a special someone, like her sister had.

  That Peter… Yeah, he was the kind of man fantasies were made of. He was a bear, but different from the others in town. For one thing, he was Russian, with a faint accent left from the land of his birth. It made him sound exotic to Mellie’s American ears. He was also built on the massive side—as were most of the men around town—but Peter was a bit of a giant, even among his friends.

  He’d always been a gentle giant with her, though. While Urse had been in danger and spell-crafting for all she was worth, Mellie had been basically under house arrest. The first couple of times Urse went out to cast her spells, she’d warded the apartment so Mellie couldn’t get out until Urse came back. The stinker.

  Then, when Urse had almost been lured away by the evil song of the leviathan and Mellie had been trapped in the apartment, John had sent Peter over to babysit. His job had been to make sure Mellie didn’t try to leave and go help her sister. According to their grandmother, who had a gift of clairvoyance, each of the girls had to do their tasks completely on their own. If one tried to help the other, it could all fail.