Loaded for Bear

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.

“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 woken 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.