Bearliest Catch Read Online Free PDF Page B

life and beauty.
    She was a woman on a mission. She intended to
spy on the land dwellers of Grizzly Cove to see if she could
determine how truthful Andrew had been with her the day before.
Telling the rest of her hunting party everything he’d told her
about the ongoing battle with the evil creature in the sea that
they’d all been hiding from for the past several weeks didn’t take
long. Opinions were mixed on whether or not they could trust the
bear shifters and their offer of safe harbor. Which was why Jetty
had volunteered to swim into the cove and see what she could
discover.
    She had been told to use her best judgment on
whether or not to make further contact with the bear fisherman.
Since she was a proven scout, the elders left the decision up to
her. Jetty was honored by their trust in her abilities, which made
it all the more important to get this right.
    She spent the entire day spying on the
various residents on land, as best she could. She had better luck
when she hid beneath the pier behind the small bait shop and
listened in on the conversations between the proprietor and his
customers. They were all shifters, as far she could tell, and they
spoke freely among themselves about many topics.
    The most interesting to her, of course, were
the few mentions made about the new permanent wards and how much
safer it was in the cove since they had been cast. Jetty discovered
that the witch who had done the work was now mated to the Alpha
bear. Andrew hadn’t told her that—probably wanting to keep the
identity of such a powerful witch secret until he was sure of Jetty
and her people.
    She didn’t begrudge him that. They all had
secrets to keep and judgments to make. And they both had
responsibilities to their people, to keep them all safe.
    From the way the shifters talked, it was
clear the Alpha’s new mate had earned their respect. Jetty knew
that shifters and magic folk rarely worked together in this day and
age. That they had welcomed a witch into their town said something
about this group’s tolerance and willingness to work together to
defeat evil.
    If they had forged an alliance with two
powerful witches, then maybe they were serious about wanting to
offer safe haven to the mer. And perhaps, the mer could work with
these shifters to help fix the big problem in the ocean—what they
had named the leviathan.
    Jetty had kept an eye out all day for signs
of Grace, but her friend hadn’t come near the water. If she really
was newly mated, Jetty supposed Grace was probably spending a lot
of time with her mate, on land…most likely in a bed. Jetty almost
envied her old friend. Grace deserved a little joy in her life, and
if she really had found her mate, Jetty was happy for her.
    The jury was still out, though. Jetty would
have to see Grace first, to believe it. So far, she’d been able to
confirm a lot of what Andrew had told her. The town seemed exactly
as he had said it was, and she was almost ready to take her
reconnaissance to the next level. But first, she had to find
Andrew’s boat.
     
    Drew couldn’t sleep. Again. So what else was
new?
    He levered himself out of bed, knowing this
would be one of those days he spent out on the water, away from
everyone, seeking solace in the peace of the ocean. He didn’t know
why, but the water soothed him, even when the weather wasn’t ideal.
Which looked to be the case today. He could smell fog in the air
and moisture that meant rain later. Great.
    But it wouldn’t deter him from going out. On
days—scratch that—nights like these, he had to get out on the
water.
    He dressed haphazardly, grabbing a bag filled
with sandwiches out of the fridge on his way out the door. The gals
at the bakery kept him stocked. When he stopped in there each
night, he walked out with a bag of sandwiches for the next day. It
was just easier that way.
    Drew headed out the back door of his house.
It was a small place, close to the water. The best feature of the
land he’d chosen to