Alpha Bear (28 page)

The kiss ended and Urse looked up at him, her
eyes crinkling at the corners as she studied him. The smile on her
face was peaceful. Content.

“Keep your secrets for now, my love. I trust
you.”

He gave her a light squeeze, hugging her.
“That means more to me than you will ever know,” he whispered near
her ear. “And I will never, ever betray your trust, my sweet
strega
.”

She pushed back so she could look into his
eyes. “I know that, silly bear.” Her teasing broke the serious
mood, as did the way she stroked her hands over his body, stopping
in some interesting—and exciting—places. “Now, how about we get
started on making at least one of those little cubs you were
talking about?”

He lifted her into his arms and strode toward
the bedroom.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Their laughter echoed through the house,
filling it with joy and hope for the future.

*

Thanks for reading
Alpha Bear
(Grizzly Cove #4)
. If you enjoyed this book, please consider
leaving a review.

The next
Grizzly Cove
story is
called
Saving Grace
. Scroll down for a sneak
peek…

A complete list of all of Bianca’s books, separated
by series, follows the excerpt. You can also check out Bianca’s
website at
WWW.BIANCADARC.COM
. Or you
can sign up for
Bianca’s Newsletter
to be
alerted when new books are released.

© 2016 Bianca
D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter One

Jack Chambers liked the solitude of being
outdoors, away from people, especially in the winter. Regardless,
he always made at least a few appearances each month at his
brother’s house, which was usually filled with his new
sister-in-law’s family and their mates. The ladies liked to
organize family meals every weekend, which was something Jack and
his brother, Brody, hadn’t experienced since before leaving
home.

Things in the cove had been simpler when it
had been just the guys from their old military unit. All single.
But now, four of Grizzly Cove’s residents were mated, including
Jack’s brother, Brody, and the Alpha, John.

Things had changed drastically in the cove,
and while it was a happy time for the newlyweds, the rest of them
were all on alert because of the threat still coming from the
water. The creature known as the leviathan was still out there, a
mostly unseen menace, watching and waiting to pounce, given the
slightest opening.

John’s new mate, Ursula, was a powerful
witch. She had nearly died placing magical wards to keep the
leviathan out of the cove itself and away from shore for the most
part, but there was still a problem. The evil creature was still
out there, waiting for any break in their defenses to feed upon the
power of anyone caught out, away from the safety of the wards.

The leviathan and its army of smaller minions
kept trying to break through the wards and encroach closer to the
cove, but so far, they’d been unsuccessful. Better safe than sorry,
though, so all the residents of the cove had decided to stay
vigilant.

Which was why Jack was out here, walking the
shoreline after dark, doing his job as Game Warden of Grizzly Cove.
The title was mere ceremony, as were most of the officious-sounding
job titles given to the former military members of the growing
community. Their real function was as guards, lookouts, spies and
peacekeepers. Goddess knew, they’d acted in all those capacities
during their time working for Uncle Sam. Now they were using those
hard-earned skills to protect and defend their new town.

There had been real trouble a few weeks back,
before the wards had been placed. Deputy Zak Flambeau’s new mate
had been attacked right on the beach by a tentacled creature trying
to drag her into the water. Only Zak’s ferocious claws had been
able to stop it. He’d shredded the tentacle, which was now resting
in a refrigerator in the back of the town hall, parts of it having
been taken by courier for further examination by specialists.

Nobody had known what the heck the animal
was, but it had reeked of magic. Black magic. Not friendly in the
least. After that, the water, and most of the beach, had been
declared off limits, but only the lone polar bear in town seemed to
mind. He actually liked swimming in temperatures that would freeze
the balls off any other
normal
bear, the crazy son of a
bitch.

Jack had gone all the way around the cove on
his rounds, checking the perimeter and making sure all was well in
the woods and beach that bordered their little town. He was up by
the southern tip of the cove, where the land met the sea, almost at
the end of his rounds. His house wasn’t too far away, which was why
he began and ended his scouting of the perimeter from this point
each evening. He liked the isolation of living on the edge of the
ocean. Something about the waves he could see from his hilltop home
called to him, though he didn’t really understand why.

Just a few more minutes and he’d be able to
go home and clean up in time to head over to his brother’s place.
Family dinners were sort of mandatory now that Brody had claimed a
mate. Jack didn’t begrudge him that. He really liked his new
sister-in-law. But Jack and Brody had never really been as close as
some of the other siblings in their group. They’d been born a
generation apart, and Jack was more of a loner, preferring to spend
time in the woods—either in his fur or out of it—more than with
other people.

Which was probably why they’d given him the
job of Game Warden when they were passing out titles and duties.
Their Alpha, John, knew each of the men too well to give them a job
for which they weren’t suited. Settling in Grizzly Cove was
supposed to be a reward, not a punishment, so John was sure to give
each of the guys a choice if they wanted to work in a job or not.
Most were content to serve the community they were all trying to
build, in one way or another.

Jack was happiest on his own, and observing
nature—and potential threats from humans, shifters, or Others—was
his specialty. So his job was a near-perfect fit.

Stepping over a rise in the dunes, well away
from the danger that might possibly be lurking in the water, Jack
looked out over the expanse of rocky sand toward the shoreline. His
night vision was excellent, but he had to squint to be sure he was
seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Sure enough, there was a crumpled shape lying
on the sand not far from the receding waterline. The tide was going
out, and it looked like something—or someone—had washed up on the
beach. Was it alive? Was it a trap to get him closer to the
water?

Only one way to find out.

Jack approached cautiously, but with some
speed. If it was a trap, he didn’t want to give the enemy time to
plan every move. It was better to rush the scene, Jack thought,
though others might’ve disagreed with his tactics. Of course, Jack
had always been a bit unconventional. For a bear, he was a bit of a
lone wolf at times.

As he drew closer, he could see pale skin
that had an almost luminous glow. And the red of blood. The coppery
scent hit him as the breeze shifted, and he knew that whatever it
was on the beach was gravely injured. Maybe even dead.

But no. He saw the faint rise and fall of
breathing as he got closer. It was alive. For now.

And…female, he saw, as he got closer. But she
was like no female he’d ever seen before. That glow was the fading
of what could only be described as scales. And as he watched, her
lower body dried and became two legs instead of a single, thick
tail.

Holy shit.

He’d found himself a mermaid.

To read more, get your copy of
Saving Grace
by Bianca D’Arc.

Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the
corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan,
studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a
whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed
writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still
lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive
garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing
her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached
through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or
through the various links on her website.

Welcome to The D’Arc Side…

WWW.BIANCADARC.COM

Paranormal Romance

Brotherhood of Blood

One & Only

Rare Vintage

Phantom Desires

Sweeter Than Wine

Forever Valentine

Wolf Hills*

Wolf Quest

Tales of the Were

Lords of the Were

Inferno

Tales of the Were ~ The Others

Rocky

Slade

Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan

The Purrfect Stranger

Grif

Red

Magnus

Bobcat

Matt

Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate

Cat’s Cradle

King’s Throne

Jacob’s Ladder

Her Warriors

Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove

All About the Bear

Mating Dance

Night Shift

Alpha Bear

Saving Grace

Guardians of the Dark

Half Past Dead

Once Bitten, Twice Dead

A Darker Shade of Dead

The Beast Within

Dead Alert

Gifts of the Ancients:
Warrior’s Heart

Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance

Dragon Knights

Maiden Flight*

The Dragon Healer

Border Lair

Master at Arms

The Ice Dragon**

Prince of Spies***

Wings of Change

FireDrake

Dragon Storm

Keeper of the Flame

Hidden Dragons

Sea Dragon

Science Fiction Romance

StarLords

Hidden Talent

Talent For Trouble

Shy Talent

Jit’Suku Chronicles
~
Arcana

King of Swords

King of Cups

King of Clubs

King of Stars

End of the Line

Jit’Suku Chronicles
~
Sons of Amber

Angel in the Badlands

Futuristic Erotic Romance

Resonance Mates

Hara’s Legacy**

Davin’s Quest

Jaci’s Experiment

Grady’s Awakening

Harry’s Sacrifice

* RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee

** EPPIE Award Winner

*** CAPA Award Winner