Heart Bear Read online

  Heart Bear

  Charmed Bear Series 1

  M.J. Waverly

  For my Jack!

  Chapter 1

  Artemis stared at the manila folders in front of her and exhaled in frustration. She hated paperwork.

  In the background of the Stag Head Bar, the fire crackled in the massive stone hearth. Odin (yes, that Odin, he owned the place) the bartender wiped a glass and leaned forward on the bar. "You want another mead, Artemis?"

  Minnie hooted from her shoulder.

  Artemis scratched the owl's neck. "Yes, and get my darling girl a frozen mouse.”

  “Will do for one of my favorite owls.” Odin chuckled.

  Minnie hooted. “You dear.” Artemis beamed at the owl, which had been a gift from Athena.

  The fire in the vast hearth crackled on the other side of the room.

  Odin poured another mead into Artemis’s clay mug and plunked in front of her. He reached underneath the bar, and a blast of cold Arctic air blasted out into the room. Odin removed one frozen mouse and placed it on a plate.

  Minnie flew down onto the bar counter and consumed the mouse. Odin gestured at the heavy wooden door. “Regurgitation outside.”

  Minnie blinked.

  “Good girl,” Odin chuckled. He nudged a thick folder overflowing with papers. ”What are you working on?

  Artemis sipped her honeyed mead. “Delicious.” She twisted the bear charm bracelet around her wrist. “I have several stubborn shapeshifter bears that are not honoring their mates’ call.

  Odin tossed a clean cloth over his shoulder. “Don’t envy you. Bears can be uncooperative.”

  She tapped the file folder and shook her head. "Yeah. These bears are more stubborn than what I have recently experienced. They're focused on the external goals of the world, rather than listening to their inner bear. It’s not good when a bear shifter doesn’t listen to the call of his mate. I

  Spreading his arms wide, Odin stepped back. “Maybe the bear shifters need space to run free, be wild. Works for me. Get back in touch with nature, and in turn, get back in touch with their inner bear.”

  Artemis stretched out her arms, the bear charms on her bracelet jingled. “Exactly, what I’ve been thinking.” She pulled out a map from inside the folder. It magically unfolded, revealing the state of Alaska.

  Odin chuckled. “I love Alaska, I try and visit every time I’m on Earth en route to Asgard.”

  “Give Freya my regards the next time you return home,” Artemis said

  “I will.” Odin motioned at the map of Alaska. “Is this where you plan on sending your rogue bears?”

  Minnie tapped her black beak onto a green section tucked away into a large bay.

  “Very good, my dear.” Artemis praised her beloved companion and scratched under her soft chin.

  “This is the town of Bear Bay near Mount Boreas. My other sanctuary for bear shifters has reached capacity. I have decided to create a new community for my bears, and this will be the perfect area for them to run free.

  Odin narrowed his eye and tapped the forest area around Bear Bay. "Well, you have the land, but how will you keep unwanted humans out of the area?”

  Artemis gave a sly smile. "It's protected by the Zeal.” The Zeal was a magical barrier that kept the bears in and humans out.

  Odin gave a low whistle. “I’m impressed.”

  “I have to keep my bears safe.

  Odin rose to his full height when two burly Vikings walked into the bar. "Got some customers." He tilted Minnie's beak, so she had to look up at him. "Remember to regurgitate the mouse outside."

  The owl softly hooted.

  “Good girl, Minnie.” Odin strolled down to the end of the bar and waited on two Viking warriors.

  The Snowy owl climbed up on Artemis's shoulder and then burped.

  “Really?” She shot daggers at her companion.

  The owl hooted softly and then settled in for a nap.

  Artemis patted the soft white feathers with dark markings. “Sleep well, my friend.”

  “Now what to do with my stubborn-assed bears.” She reached for her mug of mead, and the bear charms on her bracelet shimmered in the low light. She took another sip of mead, and studied the biographies of her difficult bears, and then flicked her gaze at her charms.

  A silver bear with a heart on its side twirled around. Enthralled, Artemis watched it as an idea suddenly came to her. She’d have each bear charm his mate. Each charm could represent a different aspect of each bear’s soul. “That’s it.” She slapped the palm of her hand onto the bar top.

  Odin and the Vikings, who had been deep in conversation, turned and stared.

  Artemis held up her mug in a toast. “Next beer is on me.”

  They nodded and muttered and went back to their brews and conversation.

  Minnie sank her claws into Artemis’s shoulder and then hooted her displeasure upon being awakened.

  “Sorry, dear, but I’ve had a brilliant idea.” Artemis opened the file folder. “Oh yes, one of my more stubborn bears.”

  She read the information on Jacques Baissier, the famous chef and restaurant owner of Le Coeur Baissier, the Heart of the Bear, located near Mont Blanc in France. The stubborn-assed bear kept ignoring his inner bear's need for his mate. Jacque focused entirely on the restaurant. The last time he transformed into a bear was three months ago, and it was only for a small run in the Alps.

  Artemis’s lips quirked upwards. She held up her wrist, and the bear charm with the heart on the side, dangled, and twinkling in the light of the fire from the hearth. If she enchanted this bear charm, and when the wayward bear shifter, Jacque accepted the charm, the magic would compel the bear shifter to find his mate. She thought about the other rogue bears, who hadn’t listened to their inner bear.

  She grinned as she planned for each bear to meet his mate. Her shifters didn't stand a chance when Artemis invoked her magic and charm.

  Chapter 2

  “I want to run in the mountains.” Jacque’s inner bear insisted.

  Jacque Baissier swirled the amber whiskey in his glass as he stared at the glowing fire, “Soon, soon. Rest for now.” Jacque answered dismissively.

  Outside snow cascaded down upon the mountain. Skiers caught the last run of the day. Tomorrow would be a good day on the slopes. At the front of the restaurant, Jean-Claude Marchand, food critique for Paris Today, slurped his bouillabaisse. Every ingredient was at the peak of freshness and perfection.

  If this review went well, it would put Le Coeur Baissier on the map. Beyond Paris. Beyond France. Beyond Europe.

  Artemis would have to be pleased with Jacque’s accomplishments in the world. At their last visit, she had voiced her disapproval of his opening the restaurant.

  He swirled the whiskey in his glass. Lulled into a hypnotic-like trance, Jacque envisioned the Food Network calling. He dreamed of having his own cooking show, and then his own line of cookware.

  His inner bear growled in frustration. “What about me? I want her. I want our mate. You’ve been ignoring me for far too long.”

  Jacque drank deep of the whiskey and lowered the glass onto the table. He summoned his composure. He had to soothe the bear if Jacque didn't, the bear would attempt to take over, and Jacque could find himself running through the woods.

  This evening was too important.

  He would tell the bear what it wanted to hear. “Do not worry. We will find her. I promise.”

  The bear returned in his mind, a big shaggy grizzly on his hind legs. He waved his paw, claws extended. "You always promise. You always for my pleas. The time is growing near. We must find her, or you will lose me forever."

  Jacque paled. This was the first time his bear had voiced the threat of leaving. His heart thudded, even ima
gining the loss. Something deep within erupted through his entire being. A deep pain, a deep sense of loss. A wave of grief washed over him, and Jacque clenched his fists. "Never."

  The next mental image revealed his inner bear, walking away, peering over his shoulder. His brown eyes moist and dark as if he’d been crying. “Do not take too long to find her. Or you will lose me. And her. And the days that follow will be sad and empty for you.”

  Jacque leaned back in his chair, processing what had just happened. One of the busboys careened past with a tray overloaded with dishes.

  The restaurant hostess, Charmaine, rushed forward, bouncing up and down on her toes and wringing her hands. "It's good news. The food critic from Alaska. She loves your food, and she wishes to speak with you."

  “Food critic from Alaska?” Jacque frowned. “What food critic from Alaska?”

  Charmaine waved her hand. “Come. Come. She is an impressive woman. She has reviewed restaurants in Paris and Alaska. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

  “What is she doing here in France?” Jacque rose from the chair and searched the restaurant for this mysterious food critic from Alaska. Jean-Claude Marchand continued to enjoy his bouillabaisse.

  “This woman is with the Alaska Food Critic Commission.” Charmaine’s eyes shone with enthusiasm.

  Jacque narrowed his eyes. “The Alaska Food Critic Commission? I have never heard of such a thing. But even Jacque didn’t want to be rude to a restaurant critic from Alaska. With the internet, a bad review could ruin him and the restaurant.”

  He buttoned his dinner jacket and smoothed back his hair. He reached inward to his bear. "All will be well, my friend. All will be well. We will soon find our mate."

  His bear remained silent.

  Jacque followed Charmaine, who led him to a tall woman, who sat alone at a table. The shadows in the dark corner of the restaurant hid her face, but from her profile, she seemed familiar. A warning sensation erupted through Jacque, and he tensed.

  Dressed in a white designer dress, the woman radiated an elegant facade, but this wasn't her true self. Something about this woman reminded him of Artemis.

  He stopped. The blood in his veins turned cold. It couldn’t be her. In his restaurant. Why?

  The woman turned her head. “Good afternoon, Jacque.”

  His heart stilled. It was her. Artemis. Why?

  He nodded his head. Momentarily speechless, he managed to mutter something which sounded unintelligent.

  The woman lifted her cup of coffee up to her lips and stared at him over the rim. "Jacque, can you not speak." A snowy owl flew into the restaurant and landed on the woman's shoulder. Minerva.

  He cut a sideways glance to see if any of the patrons noticed the owl.

  “Don’t worry.” The woman waved her hand dismissively, and several bear-shaped charms jingled like tinkling bells around her wrist. “Minnie is under an enchantment. No one can see her. Sit down.” She pointed at the chair opposite her.

  The owl hooted as if repeated her mistress’s order, and then blinked

  several times.

  Jacque cleared his throat as he sat down. “Good to see you, Artemis.”

  The nature goddess had selected his restaurant for dinner. This could be bad. Artemis never visited her bear shifters unless she deemed them fallen. She used creative methods when bear shifters lost their way. Jacque inhaled. He'd delayed his outings into the woods because of the restaurant. Still, surely this didn't constitute punishment from the goddess of wildlife.

  “Why are you here?” It was better to know why she was here rather than play games.

  She gave a slight smile. “I like that you want to get to the point.” She stared at him with a stern expression. “Your bear is most unhappy with you.”

  Jacque squirmed inwardly. He had met Artemis when he had first discovered he was a bear shifter during adolescence. She reassured him that what he was experiencing was normal for a bear shifter. She explained that she was a goddess of nature and that she was the guardian of all bear shifters. He learned he must spend time in nature, allowing the bear spirit within to be free. Balance between bear and human. ‘Always honor the bear,’ she warned him during those dark days.

  Truthfully, Jacque had ignored his bear.

  Heat crept up Jacque’s neck. “I have done well.” He motioned around the restaurant with its thick wood-paneled walls, the sound of fine crystal clinking as guests toasted one another. The crackling fire in the hearth radiating warmth into the restaurant as everyone consumed Jacque's creations.

  "Yes, your human side has done well." Artemis scanned the room, and then she gazed outside at the falling snow on the green evergreen trees and gestured to the woodlands beyond the ski slope. “I had high hopes for you when you open this restaurant would be a haven for other bear shifters traveling to the Alps.

  Jacque had discouraged other bear shifters from this area. He’d always been a loner. “We can make arrangements.” If this was what Artemis wanted, then Jacque would give his full cooperation.

  Minnie turned her head and then locked her large enormous round full-moon bright eyes onto him. The tinkling sound of Artemis's wrist charms chimed, his eye was drawn to the silver bears, and their hypnotic spinning on the chain.

  “I’d hope that you’d take your bear out into this beautiful forest more often, and let him run free. You have disappointed me,” Artemis said.

  Jacque shook his head and then bristled. "It is not my fault that the bears cannot run free in these mountain woodlands."

  Artemis lifted her coffee and sipped and then nodded. "True. It is the encroachment of men. We are running out of wild places."

  He couldn't stop staring at the silver bear-shaped charm with a heart carved on its side. Suddenly, he stared at the heart, and within his mind, he could see a real beating heart. Thumping in rhythm with his own. His bear heart.

  Another heartbeat far away. It beat in time with his bear's heart. With Jacque's human heart, but this other heart was so far. . .

  His bear roared in pain and agony. So much hurt. So deep. Jacque clutched his chest.

  The bear's heart withered, and only Jacque's heartbeat remained.

  "If you don't claim your life mate soon, another will and your bear spirit will die.” Artemis removed the bear charm with a heart on its side. She reached for Jacque’s hand and placed it in his palm. “Go find her. Go save your bear. Go save yourself.”

  Chapter 3

  Olivia Morgan finished washing the last of her dishes at her family restaurant, The Broken Toe Diner. Named after the prospector, Jess Hackerson, who'd broken his foot, and started making food for all of the other prospectors seeking their fortunes during the gold rush of the late 1890’s as they made their way past Mount Boreas.

  It hadn't been a busy day, which Olivia was thankful for. Bear Bay was a small town in the middle of nowhere, which was why her sister, Maggie had to take her son, Tyler, to the hospital in the larger city, Lamberton.

  Olivia released a deep breath. She’d call and check on Tyler later. She still had to wait for Hank and Homer, two residents of the local nursing home, who liked to escape to the Broken Foot for coffee and conversation.

  “Hey, Olivia, how about a refill?” Homer held up his ceramic mug.

  “Ain’t it time for you to go home?” Olivia grabbed the coffee pot. She poured the remaining liquid into Homer’s cup. She’d have to make another pot, soon.

  Hank scowled. “That place is not my home.” He sipped on his water.

  She patted Hank’s brown-spotted hand because she didn’t know what to say to comfort him.

  He smiled. “How’s Tyler doing?”

  “He’s still in remission, but he’s battling an infection. Can’t come home until they have that under control.”

  “We’ll keep him in our thoughts and prayers.” Homer lifted up his coffee cup.

  “Thank you.” Olivia reached for a towel and wiped the counter.

  “Have you found a
cook, yet?” Hank asked.

  “Not yet.” The last cook Maggie had hired had left in the middle of the night after his wife discovered him with the waitress from The Wild Critter Bar and Grill. In a small town, word spread faster than cold germs.

  Homer shook his head. “I hope you find one soon because we love the diner, we love you, but we don’t love your cooking.”

  Olivia pointed a warning finger at the two older men. "Ha. Ha. Ha. I won't feed you if you keep insulting my cooking." Olivia pointing a warning finger at the two men.

  However, it was true. She was the worst cook in Bear Bay, Alaska. She burnt everything, most folks had been ordering sandwiches and salads. She needed a cook like yesterday.

  She’d placed a Help Wanted sign in the window three days ago. She’d place ads on Gregslist, been to the county employment office, and put an ad in the Lamberton newspaper.

  "Don't you worry, Olivia, it's all going to work out. But I am hungry. I think. Can you make a hot dog?”

  Olivia tossed the rag over her shoulder. “Let me see what I can do.”

  "You're brave," Hank said to Homer.

  "You really are." Olivia went back to the kitchen, pulled out the hotdog package, and read the instructions. Running a restaurant was not Olivia's career goal actually, the diner was her sister's restaurant after their parents had retired.

  She prepared the hot dog in the microwave, and it split in two and bubbled up like it had warts. It would work. She placed it in a bun and squirted an abundance of ketchup and mustard, covering up the blistery bumps.

  She plunked the plate in front of Homer. "Hope you like it."

  She leaned against the counter and folded her arms.

  The bell chimed, and a middle-aged woman in jeans and a sweatshirt emblazoned with a snowy owl walked in.

  “Hey, come on in and make yourself at home,” Olivia waved.