Bear Meets Girl Read online

  Grizzly Cove: Crossroads #3

  Bear Meets Girl

  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 © 2019 Bianca D’Arc

  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 #13 (Crossroads #3)

  She’s leaving her old life behind and hitting the road, but peril follows her path…

  Marilee has got to be the most timid werewolf King has ever met. She's also the most beautiful. There's something special about her pure white coat that speaks to his inner bear, but also protects her in ways he never expected.

  On the run, and headed for Grizzly Cove, King has to help her get there safely. They pick up a precious burden along the way, that might just get both of them killed...or worse.

  Can these two work together - with a lot of help from those around them - to keep everyone safe and out of the hands of evil? And, can they resist the unexpected attraction that threatens to burn them both to cinders?

  Find out what happens when Bear Meets Girl...

  Dedication

  To my family and friends. And to all those who take the time to find me on social media and brighten my day. You guys are the greatest!

  Special thanks to my friend, Peggy, for helping make this manuscript as error-free as possible. You’re a treasure!

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter Nineteen

  Excerpt from Spirit Bear

  About the Author

  Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

  Prologue

  White Oaks Wolf Pack Territory, Iowa

  King ended the call from his brother, Ace, and shook his head. He’d gone and done it. Ace, the eldest, had gone and found his mate. King was happy for him but worried about what the mating would mean for the brothers. Things were going to change, now.

  Of course, they’d always known they couldn’t go on as they had forever. They didn’t want to go on as bachelors for their entire existences. The whole point of going off and having adventures was to meet new people and, hopefully, find mates.

  King was happy for Ace. In fact, he was intrigued by the little Ace had told him about Grizzly Cove, the bear town John Marshall’s unit of crazies had founded for themselves. King’d had a good time hanging out in Iowa, but there were no mates in sight for him here.

  He knew that, for sure. He’d taken every eligible female in the territory on at least one date, and none of them had made his bear wake up and take notice. They were nice girls, but he figured his mate just wasn’t to be found among werewolves.

  Maybe there would be a cute lady bear shifter—or even a mermaid—in Washington state that would make his inner grizzly growl in appreciation. He figured he was just about done with roaming, for now. It hadn’t panned out for him, at all. Though, he’d solidified his contact with the Alpha werewolf here in Iowa. It was always handy to have friends in far off places that you could count on.

  King decided, there and then, to make his farewells as soon as possible and head west. He wanted to see Ace and meet his new sister-in-law. And he most definitely wanted to check out the town known as Grizzly Cove.

  Meanwhile, in Canada…

  Marilee was fed up with Tobias and his edicts. His indifference and shoddy leadership had cost her the best friend she’d ever had—Sabrina. She’d been the only truly nice part of this crappy town. Marilee wasn’t a dominant wolf. She would never stand up to Tobias in an overt way, but Sabrina had given her the perfect excuse to leave town, and she was going to take it.

  Tobias didn’t have to know she had no intention of returning. He’d figure it out soon enough when she didn’t come back. And, by then, hopefully, Marilee would have found herself a better place to live among people who were more accepting and friendly.

  That thought firmly in mind, Marilee put her efforts into packing up Sabrina’s stuff. She didn’t have much. Her apartment had come furnished, so the only things Marilee had to pack were personal items and clothing. It all fit in just part of the trunk of her car—leaving quite a bit of room for Marilee’s possessions.

  She packed quietly. Methodically. Taking only a few things a day out of her apartment—conveniently in the same house as Sabrina’s had been—and packing them away in her car. They were safe enough there until she made her great escape. One thing Tobias wouldn’t tolerate in his town was petty crime.

  When Sabrina called to let Marilee know she had landed on her feet in Grizzly Cove, of all places, Marilee knew it was time to go. She packed up her last few things and left town one morning as the sun rose over the mountains. It was a beautiful day, and she hoped for a much brighter future ahead.

  She’d left a note for her landlord, along with the keys and a little money she owed him. He’d find it that night when he got home from work and saw the envelope she’d left in his mailbox. By then, she’d be well on her way.

  She had one thought as she left the remote mountain town behind…

  “Grizzly Cove, here I come!”

  Chapter One

  When Marilee left Tobias’s territory, she hadn’t really expected pursuit, but sure enough, there was somebody following her. She didn’t dare stop the car, but she wasn’t really sure what to do. She had made it across the Canadian border cleanly, she had thought, but then, somewhere in the middle of Montana, she started feeling like prey.

  Not a good feeling for a wolf shifter. Especially, a wolf who was a bit more submissive than dominant. After her last rest stop, she had noticed a black car following hers in the distance. She’d gotten off the highway for a quick detour, as a sort of test. And, sure enough, the car had followed her. It had copied her, turn for turn, through a small town, in a big loop, then back onto the highway again. No doubt about it—she was definitely being tailed.

  Close to panic, Marilee called Sabrina, hoping she might have some suggestions. At the very least, her friend would know what happened to her, and roughly where she was, in case she suddenly disappeared. Sabrina was supportive, as always, and helped calm her down a bit. Then, Ace, Sabrina’s new mate, got on the phone and gave her steady advice. He also told her he was calling around to see if there was anyone he knew nearby enough to Marilee’s position, to come help her.

  She knew Ace. She’d met him briefly when he’d come to town to help Sabrina. They’d ended up leaving together and having quite an adventure, by all accounts, before finding their way to Grizzly Cove and a new life together. He was a good guy. A strong and fierce bear shifter. She’d seen him take on two evil magic users in the middle of the street, for heaven’s sake. If he sent somebody to help her, she knew he’d send real help.

  Ace gave the phone back to Sabrina, and Marilee could just hear him talking on his own phone in the background while Sabrina kept up the conversation. Marilee wanted to hug her friend for trying to help. Each word Sabrina spoke was like a calming stroke to Marilee’s inner wolf’s fur. She wasn’t alone. She had a good friend—make that, friends, plural. Ace was helping, too, and if those two resourceful people couldn’t come up with a way to get her out of this predicament, nobody could.

  When Ace took the phone back from Sabrina, he had good news.

  “Just stay on the highway,” he counseled. “As luck would have it, my brother, King, isn’t too far away from you. He’s going to break all the speed limits to catch up to you. I gave him a description of your vehicle and your license plate number. He’s on a Harley. Black with turquoise pinstripes along the fenders. We look a lot alike, people say, so you shouldn’t have any trouble recognizing him. When he gets to you, he’ll come alongside. Just follow his lead. He’ll assess the situation and see if there’s a way to shake the vehicle that’s following you, okay?”

  Marilee felt relief flood her system, but she knew she wasn’t out of this, yet. The brother had to get to her, and then, they still had to deal with whoever was following her. Then, Ace asked the question that was uppermost in her mind.

  “Do you know who they are? Is there any reason someone would be on your trail?”

  “Tobias? Maybe?” she offered. “Although, I left a note with my landlord and paid in full for this month’s rent. I don’t owe anybo
dy up there anything. The only thing I can think of is maybe Tobias is angry with me for leaving, but this seems a bit extreme.”

  Ace grunted agreement. “Is there anything else you can think of? It might help to know what King could run into.”

  She wracked her brain but drew a blank. “I really don’t know. I live a quiet life. I don’t owe anyone anything, and I don’t have any enemies that I know of. I keep wondering if it could be the same people who were after Sabrina, but I’m not like her. I don’t have any special powers. I’m just…you know…me.” A werewolf, but on the weaker side of Pack dynamics. She didn’t say it out loud, but Ace knew her. He’d figure it out. Or Sabrina would fill in the blanks for him.

  “All right. I’m going to hand the phone back to Sabrina. She’ll stay on with you, and I’ll get King back on my phone. We’ll stay with you both until he gets to you, okay? This way, you’ll be absolutely certain it’s him, and if he wants you to do any maneuvering, we can relay the message.”

  Marilee agreed, thankful they were going to stay on the phone with her. She felt incredibly vulnerable in her little SUV, crammed full of her meager belongings. All she had in the world was in this vehicle. Which was kind of sad, when she stopped to think about it.

  Sabrina came back on the line, thankfully, and distracted Marilee. The following car remained in the same spot in her rearview mirror, neither gaining nor losing ground. It just followed. Freaking her out.

  “It’s going to be all right,” Sabrina insisted. “Ace is incredibly resourceful. I have no doubt his brothers are the same.”

  “King is the middle one?” Marilee asked, just for something to say.

  “Yeah,” Sabrina confirmed. “The youngest is named Jack. Apparently, their parents worked as dealers in Tahoe or something.”

  “So, they named their boys after playing cards?” Marilee had to marvel at that, glad for the distraction from her current troubles.

  “I guess it could have been worse,” Sabrina added. “But, you know, they’re all big bears. You wouldn’t believe the magic.” She didn’t go into detail, but Marilee knew what she meant.

  “Oh, what I saw when your Ace was in town was pretty darned impressive,” Marilee reminded her friend. “I’m just hoping his brother is the same. And that he can handle whatever is going on here. I don’t really want to put anyone else in danger, but I really need help.”

  That her voice cracked on that last bit, neither of the women acknowledged. Marilee was kind of a wimp for a wolf. Always had been. She’d sooner tuck her tail and run away than face down a challenge. She’d bared her neck to Tobias and his lieutenants, time and time again. She’d never stood up to any of them. Not even when it mattered.

  “I’m really sorry, Sabrina. I should have stood up for you more. I’ve been wanting to say that to you ever since you left. I should have been a better friend.” Marilee felt good, baring her soul. She’d wanted to clear the air with Sabrina for a long time.

  “No, Mari. Don’t say that. You were the only friend I had in that town after my powers went crazy. You stood by me, no matter what you think. You are my truest friend, and you have nothing to be sorry about.”

  “You’re a sweetheart to say that, but I should’ve done more. You know I’m not an…aggressive kind of person.” That was a mild way of putting how submissive she could be, sometimes. “But I should’ve grown a pair and stood up for you. You didn’t deserve the treatment Tobias handed out. And then, he tattled to the Lords on you!”

  “I know,” Sabrina said gently, “but that actually turned out to be the best thing he could have done. I met Ace, after all. And, Marilee, he’s…my destiny. You know?”

  Marilee didn’t. She hadn’t found her mate, after all, but she understood. Mates were special. Hearing that goofy tone in Sabrina’s voice when she talked about Ace was really touching. That kind of love was something every shifter wanted to find for themselves. A true mate. Their destiny, as Sabrina had put it.

  “You know I’m truly thrilled for you and Ace. I just wish you could have met under calmer circumstances. You were in so much danger!” Marilee got upset just thinking about it.

  Sabrina had spent hours on the phone with Marilee since settling in Grizzly Cove. She knew what Sabrina had gone through, with evil Venifucus agents on her trail, trying to capture her at every turn. But Ace and the other bear shifters in Grizzly Cove had helped her sort out that problem. They’d sent the enemy scrambling and had captured quite a few of their operatives for debriefing—whatever that meant.

  Sabrina had also told her that many of the foot soldiers who had come against them were under some kind of magical compulsion. They’d been treated and released, with new wards against that sort of coercion. They’d been helpless pawns in a deadly game, and the shifters had dealt with them as squarely as they could. The rest—the real evil doers—had been sent to the Lords for deeper examination.

  There was a war going on, Marilee had been shocked to learn. The Venifucus—an ancient order of evil mages and humans that had battled the forces of good centuries ago—had not been completely eradicated, as everyone had thought. No, they’d just gone underground to rebuild their numbers. They’d come back with a vengeance recently, targeting innocent people like Sabrina, hoping to steal their power.

  All in service to their so-called Mater Priori. The mother of their order. A fey witch named Elspeth who had tried to take over the entire world many centuries ago, during the Dark Ages. That terrible time in human history was likely all down to the war among magical folk. Those who served the Light, trying to defeat the forces of darkness.

  In the end, Marilee had been taught, Elspeth had been banished to one of the farthest realms. She was fey, so therefore, pretty much immortal. Those who fought on the side of Light way back then hadn’t been able to kill her. They’d settled for banishing her to a place from which she never should have been able to return.

  Only… There were rumors that she was back.

  Tobias hadn’t told the Pack about any of that. Not that the Venifucus were back, nor that there were rumors about their leader. And, according to Sabrina, Tobias had known. All Pack leaders had been warned by the Lords and told to warn their people. Tobias hadn’t.

  Instead, he’d become increasingly paranoid about every visitor to their remote mountain town. Tobias, the great Alpha, had hidden like a submissive from danger. Marilee would laugh if she wasn’t so scared about who might be following her.

  “I guess it was dangerous,” Sabrina went on with their conversation, “but also, it was scary, at the time. It feels now, like I had to go through that in order to find out who I am. I mean, my abilities changed so much. So fast. I didn’t really know what I could do. It wasn’t until I got here and got some training—and had to use my new powers in real-life situations—that I started to understand. I always thought I was just a low-level weather witch. Nothing to write home about, you know? But, here, I’ve discovered so much more. And, really, the only way to know for sure, was to use my new abilities.”

  Marilee was happy for her friend. She truly sounded as if she’d figured a lot of things out. “I’m glad it worked for you,” Marilee told her. She would have said more, but just at that moment, she caught sight of a big motorcycle in her rearview mirror, gaining on her, fast. “Tell Ace I see a motorcycle,” she reported to Sabrina, her voice rising with excitement.

  Holy crap. It looked like the cavalry was just about to charge in. Thank the Goddess!

  “Ace says it’s King. He sees your SUV, and he sees the car following you. He’s going in for a closer look at the follower, first. Just hang tight,” Sabrina relayed. “You have help, now, Mari. You’re going to be all right.”

  Marilee wasn’t sure about that, but it was a huge relief to not be alone on the highway. She didn’t know King. Had never met him. But, he already felt like an angel, swooping down on his big black motorcycle, to protect her.