Black Magic Bear: Tales of the Were (Grizzly Cove Book 16) Page 20

  Jack’s hands covered hers gently, and she raised her gaze to meet his. “So, you’re saying, you don’t want me to kill Ben for being a nosy type who likes to watch?”

  “Kill…? No!” Kiki couldn’t believe what he was saying, but then the spark of laughter in his eyes caught her attention, and she swatted his shoulder. “Jack! Don’t even joke about killing people. That could get you in serious trouble with the law, and I refuse to visit my fiancé in prison.”

  Ben practically choked on his beer before starting to laugh, but the two werewolves manning the grill perked up.

  “So, you two?” Arch asked.

  “Mates,” Jack confirmed. “We haven’t told anyone yet, so I guess you guys are the first to know.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “That’s fantastic!” Jim said, clearly happy for them.

  Arch grinned. “Now we have even more reason to celebrate. Congratulations!”

  The dinner turned into a bit of a party. Either Arch or Jim was at the grill for most of the meal, taking turns, serving up fresh cuts of meat. They refused to let Jack or Kiki do any work, instead, waiting on them. Everyone universally praised the food from Kiki’s family’s farm, and she even got Jack to try some of her salad.

  Ben ran back and forth into the house to fetch the drinks, as needed. They all toasted the happy couple with wine—a fine vintage from the Maxwell Vineyards, Jack pointed out, thanking his friends for the thoughtful gifts they’d brought. Kiki sipped at her wine, having learned her lesson at that first dinner with Jack. The men switched to beer after a while, and Kiki went out into the garden once she realized they didn’t have enough for dessert. The bakery box the men had brought wouldn’t go far with three shifters who ate more than any beings she’d ever encountered.

  Thankfully, she’d noticed, while she’d been picking herbs in the morning, that the berry patch was starting to show some fruit. She went to it now, only to find the vines almost overflowing with juicy ripe fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and even a few strawberries were ready for picking. Kiki had brought a bowl with her, and when she returned to the patio, the bowl was chock full. The men stared at it, each with varying degrees of surprise on their faces.

  “I don’t think all of those should be ripe at the same time. Especially this early in the season.” Jim was the first to speak.

  “They’re not,” Arch seconded.

  “It’s this garden,” Jack said, his voice holding a tone of reverence in it. “I suspected it was a little fey the moment I saw it.”

  He swallowed and looked around the patio, out into the dark garden. They were using only the little lights over the patio to illuminate their impromptu party, but to Kiki’s vision, the garden glowed with an ethereal life.

  “Kiki picked the herbs that broke the black ward in this garden,” Jack went on.

  “I was wondering where she got something so powerful,” Jim whispered.

  “When I was out in the garden this morning, I noticed the berries starting to show,” Kiki told them. “But I was surprised when I went to the berry patch just now, at how much was ready for picking.”

  “I said it before, honey,” Jack said, smiling at her. “This house likes you. A lot.”

  “It’s got to be fey,” Jim said. “Or some kind of powerful human magic woven over centuries.”

  “Fey, I think,” Arch put in, his head tilted to one side as he considered the grounds. “It glows with life, even in the dark.”

  “You can see that, too?” Kiki asked. All the men looked at her in surprise.

  “I don’t see anything,” Ben told her. “But I feel it. I’m fully human, but I’m what they call a Sensitive. I can feel powerful magic, though I never knew what it was before I learned about all the Others in the world. What do you see, exactly?”

  “What Arch said,” Kiki answered hesitantly, trying to put it into words. “There’s a glow around the garden. It’s how I could see where I was going to pick stuff.

  “Well, whatever it is, it seems benevolent,” Jim said, reaching forward to grab a strawberry out of the bowl and toss it into his mouth. He chewed a bit then grinned as he swallowed. “And tasty.”

  Arch rolled his eyes at his nephew. “Boy, if there was a grenade made out of chocolate, you’d eat it.” The older man shook his head.

  “Well, I’m the youngest one here. I figured I’d be the official guinea pig,” Jim claimed.

  “Dumbass,” Arch said, though with little heat. “Kiki and Ben have already eaten salad out of this garden.”

  Jim grinned. “Well, they’re okay. So, it’s cool.” He looked at Ben expectantly. “How was the rabbit food?”

  Ben wiped his mouth with his napkin in a show of good manners and smiled. “Delicious.”

  “And let’s not forget, it was the herbs from this garden, picked by Kiki this morning, that nullified one of the strongest dark wards I’ve ever seen,” Jack reminded them all.

  “There is that,” Arch allowed.

  “Nothing bad comes out of this garden,” Kiki affirmed, doing what Jim had done and stealing a strawberry from the bowl.

  She didn’t mention she’d already eaten a few of the berries as she’d been picking them. She nibbled at the large berry and closed her eyes in bliss as the strong flavor burst over her tongue. Her eyes shot open when Jack covered her lips with his in a sweet kiss.

  He drew back and gazed into her eyes. “I can see I’m going to have to watch you. You’ve got a daredevil streak under that innocent exterior.”

  The backdoor banged, breaking them apart. Ben returned to the table, the tall jar of whipped cream in his hands. Kiki hadn’t even realized he’d left the table. Ben had apparently already taken a portion of the berries onto his plate and went on to scoop a generous dollop of cream on top before passing the bowl to Jim.

  “This is really good,” Ben commented after his first bite.

  “You’re renting this place, right?” Arch asked, his gaze quizzical.

  Kiki nodded. “I moved in the day before I started my new job at the plant, so I’ve only been here a few weeks.”

  “Where did you hear about this rental? Did you find it in the newspaper?” Arch persisted with his questions.

  “Oh, no. When I got the job and knew I’d need to find a place to live near the plant, my mother asked around through the extended family grapevine. This cottage belongs to a distant cousin.”

  All three men stopped eating and just looked at her. Kiki felt a bit conspicuous at the way they were staring.

  “What?” she asked, when the silence dragged on a bit too long.

  “You have any fey blood, Kiki?” Arch asked in the silence.

  “Fey? Like fairies?” She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

  “What’s your mother’s maiden name?” Ben posed the question, drawing her attention.

  “I don’t see why that’s important,” Kiki replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the scrutiny.

  Jack took her hand in his. “What is it, Kiki?” he asked.

  “Llewelyn. But I don’t see—”

  Her words were interrupted by Ben’s laughter. “Well, that solves that mystery,” he said after a long guffaw.

  “How are Llewelyns connected with the fey?” Arch looked at Ben expectantly.

  “Well, you probably all know that the Llewelyn family is famous for its mages going back more than a few centuries. What you may not know is that, according to recent reports that I intercepted and deleted from the AC files, one of their number married into a half-fey bloodline. I believe some of their offspring live just over the state border. I’m guessing that’s the extended family that owns this little oasis of fey magic.”

  “Why were there recent reports?” Jack wanted to know.

  “There was activity when one of the half-fey children mated with a wolf of Canadian origin. Lots of those wolves traveled south for the festivities, and that drew the attention of at least two AC agents in the areas they left and
the place they congregated,” Ben explained.

  “Our Pack gave the wolves safe passage across our lands,” Arch added, nodding. “We knew they were traveling for a mating celebration, but we didn’t know all the details. That Pack has always been on good terms with ours.” Jim nodded, agreeing with his uncle’s assessment.

  “A couple of my distant cousins have gotten married recently,” Kiki admitted.

  Ben gestured with his hand. “There you go, then. As I said, mystery solved.”

  They ate their berries in peace for a few minutes before Ben spoke again, this time on a different subject. He explained what he and the two werewolves had done at the plant, shutting it down until Monday.

  “That’s great,” Jack praised Ben’s solution. “That’ll give us time to do a full investigation and sweep the entire place clean in case Carol left any nasty surprises.”

  “You might want to consider getting in some magical help to set up wards against this sort of thing happening again,” Arch suggested. “Could be Kiki’s people might be willing to lend a hand.” He eyed her speculatively.

  “I rescued Jeff the janitor from the closet where we’d stashed him,” Ben went on, drawing the attention off Kiki, for which she was grateful. She couldn’t promise anything on behalf of her family. She wasn’t magical, and she couldn’t commit them to doing any kind of magical work for anyone.

  “Do we need to do anything with him?” Jack asked, referring to the janitor.

  “Actually, he seems to have no memory starting a few weeks ago. Very similar to the rest of the people we talked to after they woke up. One interesting thing is that Jeff doesn’t want to be in the Altor Custodis anymore. He said he didn’t realize his reporting job could actually be dangerous, and he’s upset, to put it mildly.” Ben rolled his eyes. “I’m going to talk to him tomorrow. Maybe we can utilize his talents on the right side of things.”

  “You know, Arch,” Jack said contemplatively, “I like your idea about enlisting some magical help in clearing the plant. Kiki…” Jack turned to her, “…if you’re uncomfortable asking your family, I may know some people we can call.”

  “Well, I can’t commit to anything for them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from my family is already on their way here. They have this way of knowing things…” She shrugged, knowing she was blushing a bit. She always got a little uncomfortable talking about her family’s magic when she had none.

  At that moment, Kiki heard a knock on the cottage’s front door. Everyone stilled as she rose to her feet. “And there they are, I have little doubt,” she muttered.

  Jack rose and walked with her into the house, heading for the front door. “You think this is one of your family?” he asked in a low, urgent tone.

  “Who else could come up to my door, through all the wards?” she asked. “It’s got to be one of them.”

  Jack stepped in front of her when Kiki would have thrown open the front door. “Please,” he said quietly. “Allow me.”

  Kiki stood back and let him do what he wanted. It was sweet that he was so protective of her, but he’d learn soon enough that her family was a force to be reckoned with. She felt a little wave of apprehension, hoping he would like them and, especially, that they would like him. They could make her life very difficult if they didn’t, but there was no way she was giving Jack up. Not for her family. Not for anyone.

  Jack opened the door, and Kiki breathed a sigh of relief. Of all the emissaries they could have sent, her sister, Helen, was the perfect candidate. Calm and capable. Powerful in a non-threatening way. Her healer sister was one of her favorite people in the universe.

  “Patches!” Helen cried out, seeing Kiki’s face.

  Kiki stepped forward and was enveloped in a hug. Other than that, Helen didn’t seem able to say anything. She just kept staring up at Jack. Kiki couldn’t help the amusement that bubbled up inside her at the expression on her sister’s face. Usually unflappable, Helen looked both shocked and impressed.

  “Jack, this is my sister, Helen,” Kiki made the introductions. “Helen, this is…um…Jack.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Jack said politely, opening the door wider.

  “Likewise,” Helen just about stammered as she stepped over the threshold, looking all around the cottage. “Patches, this house is…”

  “Yeah, I know. We’ve just arrived at the startling idea that some of our extended family is fey, or half-fey. It wasn’t exactly clear.” Kiki shook her head, smiling. “Whatever the case, this whole place is a little fey. Come out and see the rest of the garden and meet my guests.”

  “There are more of them?” Helen blurted out, clearly caught off-guard. Kiki had to laugh.

  “Friends and colleagues of Jack’s who helped us with a tricky problem earlier today,” Kiki explained without really saying much of anything. “We were just finishing up dessert.” She led the way into the little kitchen, surprised to find Ben brewing a pot of coffee.

  “Oh, Ben, this is my sister, Helen. Helen, this is Ben Steel.”

  “Would you like some coffee, Helen?” Ben asked politely. “Or I could put water on for tea, I suppose.”

  Kiki shook her head at how Ben had just made himself at home in her kitchen, but she really didn’t mind. Playing hostess tonight wasn’t her first priority. Not after the crazy day she’d had—that seemed to be still ongoing, though things had definitely taken a sharp turn for the better. She loved her sister and was glad to see her. She just hadn’t planned to host a party in her backyard after the scary adventure of the earlier part of the day.

  “Coffee is fine, thanks,” Helen replied, her gaze sparking as she looked from Ben to the sound of male voices on the patio. “Are you having a party, Patches?”

  “More of a debrief that turned into a celebration,” Jack replied while Ben got down an extra coffee mug from the cabinet. He shooed Kiki away when she offered to help, and she ended up leading the way out into the backyard.

  “Debrief? You sound like a military man, Jack,” Helen observed with an intrigued smile as Kiki rolled her eyes.

  She could just see it now. Helen was going to grill Jack and all his friends until she learned every last thing about them. She’d seen Helen in action before, and it always made Kiki uncomfortable.

  “Hel, leave Jack and his friends alone. Yes, they were all in the military. Yes, they came to my rescue today at work. Yes, we defeated a potion witch who had the entire plant under her control, and no, you do not get to give all my guests the third degree.” That last bit came out a bit angrier than Kiki wanted it to, and Helen was brought up short, her steps faltering as she exited the house.

  “Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” Helen was instantly mother-henning Kiki, as she had done all their lives when Kiki got in trouble or lamented the fact that she was the ugly duckling of the family with no real magic of her own.

  “Everything’s fine now,” Jack said, coming up beside Kiki and putting his arm around her shoulders.

  Now, he’d done it. There was no way Helen had missed the implications of that protective move.

  “Let’s start over,” Jack suggested. “I’m Jack Bishop,” he said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “Your sister saved my skin today with some herbs she picked this morning out of her fey garden.” Kiki liked the way Helen’s eyes widened at Jack’s claim that it had been Kiki that had saved the day—using magical herbs, at that. “Oh, yeah, and I’m a werebear. Do you know more about shifters than your sister did?” he asked, his tone polite, his head tilted to one side in inquiry. Kiki wanted to laugh, but she held it in as Helen just looked at him, blinking her eyes like an owl.

  “I’m sorry. Did you say you were a bear?” Helen asked for clarification.

  Jack nodded solemnly. “Yes, ma’am. Are you acquainted with any other shifters?”

  Slowly, Helen nodded, shocking Kiki. “Our cousins married into a wolf Pack recently,” she said, stunning Kiki further. “We’re all just learning a bit more about it. All we ha
d before were rumors and really old stories in the family archive.”

  “The Llewelyn Archive?” Arch asked, speaking from the other side of the table, drawing Helen’s attention for the first time. Helen nodded, clearly nonplussed at the stranger’s knowledge.

  “We were just piecing that all together when you arrived,” Jack clarified. “Kiki told us your mother’s maiden name, and Ben was connecting the dots for us.”

  “I know your cousins’ new Pack,” Arch said, respect in his voice. “Good group of wolves. Very tight knit. Had some trouble a few years back, but they seem to have it sorted, now.”

  “Helen, this is Arch and his nephew, Jim,” Kiki made the introductions belatedly.

  When Kiki looked at Jim as she spoke his name, she realized the younger man seemed a bit dazed as he stared at Helen. A shaft of moonlight cut through the night sky at that moment, pouring down on Jim and Helen, though neither seemed to notice. Kiki saw it, though, and she realized there might just be a connection there.

  Time would tell, of course, but Kiki thought she might just have seen a little glimpse of a possible future. Wouldn’t that be something? Her mother would be proud.

  Though, suddenly, she realized she didn’t really care if she ever developed a strong magical ability. She’d wanted it so badly all her life, but when it came down to it, she realized it didn’t really matter. She had all the magic she wanted, knowing that Jack was in her life and not likely to ever leave her. How had she been so blessed?

  The family runt had won the prize, after all. Somehow, she’d won the everlasting love of a wonderful man who was more magical than the rest of her family put together. She finally knew a secret the rest of them didn’t even suspect… That the real magic was love.