Night Shift (Grizzly Cove Book 3) Read online

  “I don’t think you’re that different, Hiram,” she said softly. “You can still be hurt, even with all your power. You still feel. You still have hopes and—like Zak and his restaurant—dreams. What I’ve seen since I learned shifters were real, and now knowing that your kind exists as well, tells me that we’re not all that different inside, where it counts.”

  “You are very wise for one so young,” Hiram said after a moment’s pause. “I look forward to seeing what you and Zak build together, and I wish you all the best.”

  “Thanks, Hiram. I’m sure Zak will want to thank you himself when he learns of my scheming, but I know he’s going to be so very grateful. He really is a genius in the kitchen, and I think he’s felt as if he hasn’t contributed any art to the whole artists’ colony concept here. If he has a kitchen of his own, there will be artistry, I can assure you. And the whole town will benefit. Thanks to you.”

  “Mostly to you, my dear,” he corrected her. “Without your generous heart, this project would never have been devised.”

  They hung up after a few more words, and Tina couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Zak was going to get his restaurant a lot sooner than he thought.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Zak couldn’t really believe how fast things started moving once Tina decided he should open his restaurant. Not only had she figured out a plan to make it happen, she’d cleared it with John and Master Hiram even before telling Zak about it.

  Nobody had ever gone so far out of their way for him before. He felt…loved.

  They hadn’t talked about their feelings since he’d dared to ask her to see him exclusively. He was trying to go slow, to win over her human sensibilities, but then she went and did something like this…

  He didn’t know what to think. He was touched. Humbled and touched so very deeply. He couldn’t voice his feelings. He only knew how to show her. And he did his best to show her each and every time they made love after that amazing night when she’d gone out of her way to help him make his business dreams come true.

  Zak spent every night in the apartment above the bakery with Tina and almost every moment off-duty with her. She was helping him plan the restaurant, and Big John had given him the empty lot next to the bakery to build it on. With Hiram’s money, they were able to fast-track the project, getting architectural plans prepared sooner than Zak would have believed.

  About a week after she’d surprised him with the business proposal for Hiram’s money, she was seated beside him as his building plans went up before the town council for consideration and approval.

  The process wasn’t overly complicated, but even though Brody and John had seen the plans, the rest of the top lieutenants would get a chance to comment and make suggestions before the project could get started. John ran the group that way. Always had. He was a lot more democratic than many shifter leaders. Then again, bears were a lot more independent than most other groups of shifters. And this group was made up of many different kinds of bears.

  John was the kind of leader who could hold such a diverse group together. Few others had the kind of charisma and patience it took to deal with this crazy band of shifters and the social experiment they were all engaging in by building this new community.

  “Up for consideration next is Zak and Tina’s new restaurant,” John said, catching Zak by surprise, finally turning the agenda to Zak’s big moment.

  Copies of the plans were spread out on the big table around which the town council was gathered. A few of the guys leaned in for a closer look at the blueprints, and Zak held his breath until he saw them nodding as they examined the plans.

  “Financing for this deal is something special,” John went on, regaining the attention of the rest of the group. “The lovely and talented Tina Baker has brokered a deal with Master Hiram of Seattle. He’s fronting the money to build the restaurant and will be a silent partner.”

  “Is that wise?” one of the men asked. “Do we want to be that deeply entwined with the vampire master?”

  John sighed deeply before answering. “I think we have no choice but to embrace a closer relationship with anyone who’s on the right side of things. Hiram is sworn to the Light. As are we. If that sea monster and its ugly friends are on the other side—which I tend to believe—we might need all the allies we can find. Plus, with what’s been going on in the wider world—all the strange and troubling events of the past few months I’ve been briefed on by the Lords—I like the idea of having an ancient and powerful vamp to call on if we need help out here.”

  “This arrangement also helps Master Hiram keep up his façade of mortality. We can all swear to seeing him eat, right? And he gets to be a restaurateur in a town that will back him up, no questions asked,” Tom added.

  “Hiram has good contacts too,” Tina put in, doing her best to help. “He’s arranging for the Maxwell Winery in Napa to provide some of their rarest and best vintages for the cellar. That might bring in more of Hiram’s people who want to spend an evening at the seaside, which means more revenue for the town. From what I understand, most of those vampires are loaded.”

  Zak had to chuckle at Tina’s enthusiasm. He put his hand over hers on the table, and she beamed over at him. With her on his side, he couldn’t help but come out on top, right?

  “What it boils down to is this…” John said, taking over the meeting once more. “We all know how good Zak is in the kitchen. Food prep is his art. It’s what he can contribute to the community, even more than being the deputy sheriff. Frankly, if we keep growing—and I think we’re on a good path for growth right now—we’re going to need to expand the police force anyway. More than that, we’re going to need more businesses for the townsfolk and all those tourists we hope to attract down the road. We have the bakery, but as hard as the sisters try, they can’t offer three meals a day for everyone in town, and a lot of us bachelors still don’t know how to cook much more than steaks on the grill. Am I right?” Nods all around greeted the Alpha’s rhetorical question. “Zak’s place will offer an alternative. Something a little heartier than the sandwiches and sweets at the bakery. Something we can enjoy for dinner that we don’t have to cook ourselves or hunt in our fur. What do you say?”

  A quick vote was taken, and the plan unanimously passed without much further ado. Tina laced her fingers with Zak’s, squeezing hard as her excitement bled through.

  They could’ve left then, but there was only one further item on the agenda, and Zak was interested to see how the vote was going to go. A proposal had been put forward by two human sisters who wanted to open a bookstore. The plan had made it through Tom and Ashley’s first look, and up to John’s level. Now it was going to be put before the council.

  “Last item for tonight,” Tom took over, opening his file. “Ursula and Amelia Ricoletti. Human sisters. They want to open a bookstore. We’ve checked them out, and they look like they would fit in well.”

  “What do we need a bookstore for?” Sig, the owner of the one and only fish market, asked.

  “Some of us like to read, Sig,” Tom replied with a chuckle.

  “Some of us know how to read,” Peter, the Russian, quipped, throwing a wadded up paper lightly in Sig’s direction.

  Sig laughed with them, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Keep your hair on.”

  “They’re female, Sig. Who cares what kind of store they open?” Drew, the other fisherman in the group, joked. “Look how well the last three worked out.” He sent Tina and Zak a knowing look. “It’d be nice to have more women around here. Maybe give the rest of us a chance to find a mate. Even a human mate is way better than no mate at all.”

  The vote was taken, and the decision made. The town was growing—slowly but growing. Things were changing in Grizzly Cove.

  Talk turned to the sea monster and what they’d been able to find out about it so far. Not much, as it turned out, though experts were still looking into it.

  The meeting broke up with the continuing admo
nition to stay away from the water for now, and to keep sharp eyes out for anything odd. Everyone was on watch.

  Tina and Zak walked back to the bakery arm in arm. They’d walked the short distance down Main Street to the meeting and paused on their way back in the lot next door to the bakery, looking at the site where, very shortly, construction would begin on Zak’s dream. Now it seemed to be Tina’s dream too—for him.

  Zak couldn’t really get over it. She’d gone behind his back to arrange things for him in an act of sacrifice and care that humbled him. She could have easily pocketed the very generous check Master Hiram had sent her, and Zak never would have thought twice about it. Instead, she’d refused to accept Hiram’s generosity on her own behalf and, instead, had talked the vampire into investing in him—in Zak.

  How had he gotten so lucky to find a woman like her? Zak felt truly blessed for the first time in his life. As if the Goddess Herself was looking down on him and smiling, giving him a chance to have things go right—really right—for the first time in his private life.

  He’d thought he felt the blessing of the Lady of Light a few times in his work. In the field, he’d gotten away with moves that should’ve seen him eating a bullet one too many times to doubt that the Goddess existed and gave the occasional helping hand to those who had sworn to serve Her.

  Zak’s faith was powerful but also very private. He knew humans believed differently, but he hoped Tina would agree to be his mate in the shifter way, with the blessing of a priestess. He’d have to figure out the best way to ask her, though. As it was, he hadn’t even been able to tell her how much he loved her yet.

  He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he wasn’t sure she fully understood shifter mating. Bears mated for life, and now that he’d found Tina, he knew there would never be another woman for him. Even if she refused his proposal, he would never be able to commit to another. She was it for him. His one chance at a life full of the love he’d always craved, and had never really believed he would find.

  He was truly blessed to have found her. Now he just had to figure out how to convince her to spend the rest of her life with him.

  “The kitchen will be about here, right?” she asked, having left his side to walk over the empty lot that would eventually become home to their new restaurant. Zak joined her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

  “Yep,” he whispered into the early evening darkness, illuminated faintly by the streetlights on Main Street, which were more for decoration and charm than security, and the brilliant moon above. “Kitchen will be back here. Stairs going up to the apartments above and a communicating door with the back of the bakery. We can meet in the hall for a little hanky panky when things are slow,” he teased.

  Her sister, Nell, was covering for her in the bakery tonight since she’d wanted to be with Zak at the meeting. It was a rare night off for them both, and although they probably should go back and relieve Nell, Zak couldn’t help but want to spend more time alone with his mate.

  “Or any old time,” she whispered back, looking up at him, her eyes glinting in the faint light.

  “Will you marry me?”

  Zak didn’t mean to blurt it out just like that, but the moment had overcome him. Her beautiful face, lit by moonlight. The hope of the place where they stood. He’d just been moved to ask.

  And now he was nervous as tears filled her eyes. She looked so startled. Like a deer in headlights that was going to cry, but whether in joy or heartbreak, he wasn’t sure. He had to say something to make it better. He’d been an ass to blurt it out like that. Dammit.

  “I mean…” He searched for words. “You’re my mate, Tina. My bear knew it from almost the first time we were together. It just took my human side a bit longer to catch up and gather the courage.”

  She remained silent, and he didn’t know what to do. Finally, he realized there was something missing. Something he’d never admitted to her out loud, though he’d done his best to show her every time they made love. But the time was now. He had to tell her.

  Zak drew a deep breath, then bared his soul. “I love you, Tina. I love you with everything I am, and I will love you for eternity. Please say you’ll be mine.”

  The tears fell then, and she lifted up on tiptoe, drawing closer to him.

  “I love you too,” she whispered into the magical dimness of the moonlit night. “I love you, Zak, and I want to be with you forever. For always.”

  “You’ll be my mate?” He gathered her trembling hands against his chest, not daring to believe she was agreeing.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you. Mate you. Whatever you want. I want us to be together.”

  He lifted her in his arms and spun her, his happiness overflowing his heart and lighting up the world. At least it felt that way.

  He kissed her, tasting the salty tears of joy mixing in. Hers. His. It didn’t matter. They were both feeling too much to contain. Too much joy. Too much happiness. But never too much love.

  Long minutes later—how long, he didn’t know—he let her down to stand on her own feet again, though he kept his arms around her. They were standing in the empty lot that represented so much hope for their future…together.

  Tina cupped his cheek in her hand, drawing his gaze to hers in the moonlight. She looked so serious all of a sudden, he frowned a little.

  “Are you disappointed I’m not a shifter?” Tina asked, fearing his answer. But she had to know the truth.

  “Never,” Zak answered immediately. “Never think that,” he whispered more tenderly.

  His eyes were shining as she knew hers were. The moment was emotional, and she liked that he didn’t hide his reaction from her. He was such a strong man he could never look weak to her. Even overcome with emotion, he only showed his confidence and strength of personality. He was such a great guy. She didn’t know what had made him fall in love with her, but she’d do all she could in the future to keep him as happy as they were at this moment.

  “The Goddess made you just for me,” Zak went on, surprising her. “You are perfect just the way you are.” He placed gentle kisses on her face that made her feel cherished in the most amazing way. No man had ever made her feel as special as Zak did.

  He surprised her by dropping to one knee, right there in the grass and wildflowers, taking her hand in his. He looked up at her, his face illuminated by the glimmering, romantic moon. He was so handsome it stole her breath.

  “Will you marry me in a ceremony the way humans do?” he asked, looking up at her so earnestly she could only nod as tears fell freely once more. “And will you also join with me under the blessings of a priestess of the Lady? The way shifters do? I want it to be official in every way possible, recognized by my people and yours, legally and spiritually, in front of your God and my Lady. What do you think?”

  He looked so nervous that she dropped to her knees right there in the empty lot and took both of his hands in hers. The moment was solemn in a way she’d never expected.

  “I’d be honored, Zak. And I’m incredibly touched that you’d ask.” Tears were rolling down her face, but she didn’t care. “I love you so much. I’ve loved you for a long time, but I never dared dream you’d feel the same. I want what you want, Zak. I want you to be happy and to have all your dreams come true.”

  “You’ve already shown me that,” he replied, laughing through the tears. “I can’t believe what you did with Master Hiram, and giving up all that money so I could build my dream business.”

  “Our dream business,” she corrected him. “When I heard how you felt about the restaurant, I decided then and there to figure out a way to make it happen. Hiram only accelerated my plans, which I think is a sign from above that we’re on the right track. We’re meant to be together.”

  “That we are,” he agreed, resting his forehead against hers. “The Goddess made you just for me, Tina, and She knew what She was doing when She brought us together.”

  He kissed her then, and it felt like the Goddess’s L
ight was sparkling down around them. When he cracked his eyes open a bit, he thought he saw the magic of Her divine touch, and he knew their future was blessed.

  EPILOGUE

  With Master Hiram’s money, Zak was able to get construction started, not only on the home he was building for his new mate, but also on the restaurant. In the meantime, they were living above the bakery, sharing every night together, making plans and dreaming dreams.

  The problem of the sea monster in the cove hadn’t been solved yet, and everyone was staying clear of the water as much as they could. In the meantime, experts were being consulted, and plans being made for how to deal with another incursion, should it occur.

  There were a few beings in the Spec Ops community who were uniquely skilled in the ocean and with its creatures, and they were being consulted as well, though they were tied up in other parts of the world at the moment. Still, the Morrow brothers and their Navy Admiral father were on the short list of people Big John would call in when and if things came to a head. Two of the brothers were Navy SEALs and not-quite-human. The other—a step-brother—was a badass Army Green Beret who had served with the oldest of the Redstone brothers from Las Vegas, and though he was one hundred percent human, he had earned quite a rep among shifter Spec Ops warriors.

  John had already talked to the Admiral. The old man had promised that as soon as his sons were done in the Middle East, they’d be heading out to the Pacific Northwest—or wherever the sea creatures showed up next. Though he couldn’t call his sons off their current assignment fighting terrorists, he’d send them one at a time, if he had to, as they came off their current duties. For now, they had commitments to the human government the Admiral had to allow them to fulfill before he could send them off on an assignment that wasn’t necessarily sanctioned officially by the U.S. government.