Spirit Bear Read online

  Spirit Bear

  Charmed Bear Series 3

  M.J. Waverly

  Copyright © 2020 by M.J. Waverly

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  For my Jack!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by M.J. Waverly

  Chapter 1

  Courtland, Oregon

  While waiting for her meeting in an hour, the store's owner, Kimber Gold, studied the poster of snowboarder, Eli Whitlock, on the Mountain View Sporting Goods Store window. She tilted her head. The extreme snowboarder was so handsome with his rugged good looks. If only she could persuade him to represent their company, Khione Snowboards.

  Eli Whitlock had been critically injured a year ago and had fallen off the snowboard competition circuits. Rumors circulated he'd been training in Alaska and was ready to return. He would be an inspiration.

  She admired Eli's golden lion's mane hair, dark blue eyes, the color of a clear, crisp winter sky, and his lean, well-muscled body. Something about him was different. He lived in shadows and secrets. She knew and sensed things that ordinary people didn't because of her fairy blood flowing through her veins. She could understand animals along with other small magic, especially winter weather magic. She had a teensy-tiny bit of Elsa magic happening.

  She bit down on her lip, studying all the yumminess that was Eli Whitlock. She heard an owl hooting and then looked up into the tree in front of the store. Kimber bowed her head. "Hello, Mistress Owl. You're out at an unusual time."

  "Your name is Minerva. Named after the ancient goddess of wisdom. Very lovely." Kimber smiled.

  "You speak to animals." An elderly woman in a long dress blouse adjusted her lacy shawl around her shoulders.

  A strong aura radiated from the older woman. This sweet lady was either fae or something more powerful. It would be wise to take time and talk to her because if you didn't respect the crones in fairy tale stories, it didn't turn out well for the protagonist.

  Kimber gave a slight smile. "Yes, I can. Is she your companion?"

  "Yes." The woman held out her hand, and the owl landed on her arm.

  The owl hooted and lifted her wings.

  "I agree. How rude of me?" The woman smiled indulgently at the owl. "Would you like to select my wares?" She waved her hand over her silver jewelry laid out card table covered with purple velvet.

  Kimber knew this could be a test, and she had been raised by her pagan mother and fae-blooded father to honor her the old ways as her parents called the magical path. "Yes, I would like to see your wares." She walked over to the table, filled with bear-shaped charms.

  "Look at all the bears," Kimber exclaimed. They were all different shapes and sizes with different symbols engraved on their sides.

  "Which one are you drawn to?" The woman's soothing voice sounded tranquil and hypnotic-like water flowing in a stream.

  Drawn to bear with a snowflake symbol, Kimber picked up the bear charm.

  "Spirit Bear." The older woman's eyes glinted with a bright sparkle. "You will open his soul."

  "Really? Who?" Kimber held the charm, and something like bubbles zinged through her.

  The mysterious woman pointed down the street. "Here, he comes."

  "Here, who comes?" Kimber turned and didn't see anything but cars, but when she turned around, the woman, the owl, and her velvet-lined table filled with charms had disappeared.

  Still grasping the silver bear charm with the snowflake symbol, Kimber blinked. "She'd experienced an encounter with a magical being." She opened her hand.

  Talking on his cell phone, a handsome man with a mane of blonde hair and a concerned expression stood beside Kimber. "Dad, I'm fine. I have to go." He ended his call. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"

  "Yes. Yes. I am." She stared at the space where the woman had been, trying to process the experience and its meaning. "Did you see a woman selling charms?"

  He arched an eyebrow. "No. I didn't. You look as if you're in a daze. Should I call someone for you?"

  Shaking her head, Kimber looked up at the man's face, and she recognized him. "I know you. You're Eli Whitlock." She pointed up at the poster on the sporting goods store and then back at him. But, she saw the overlay of a bear's face looking back at her. Her mouth dropped open.

  A deep, growly voice echoed in her mind. "You belong to me."

  And then the bear image disappeared.

  Eli Whitlock backed away. "If you think you'll be okay, I have to go. I'm meeting someone, and I don't need to get involved with someone who could interfere with my training." He opened the door to the sporting goods store and then entered. The door closed.

  How rude! The bear charm burned Kimber's palm. She couldn't find her voice, but in her mind, she wanted to grab Eli Whitlock's hand and give her pitch. I need to speak to you about representing our snowboarding company. Her brother, Justin, would insist she make a pitch despite the athlete's rudeness. She believed in their snowboards.

  Immobilized by a mixture of fear and indignation, Kimber stared through the glass window and watched as Eli Whitlock wandered through the snowboards and bicycles and then climbed the stairs to an upper level. Should she go in and find him? She stared down at the bear charm in her hand. The snowflake pattern seemed to glow. Don't. If you don't get your emotions together, you'll make it snow.

  Should she follow Eli Whitlock?

  "Yes, follow him." A growly voice echoed in her mind. She blinked. She'd never had that think-thought voice before.

  She entered the store and tried to find Eli Whitlock. But he was nowhere to be seen. She checked in with Johnny Campanelli, the store owner's secretary. He was in a meeting, but he would see her as soon as it was over. Kimber had hoped to see Eli Whitlock one more time, at least, she could try and make a pitch. It was as if he'd disappeared when he entered the store. His words, 'I won't let anything interfere with my training,' played over and over in her mind.

  "Johnny can see you now." The secretary guided her to the sporting goods owner's office.

  Kimber sighed. She wished she could be braver when it came to pitching for the company. At least, she'd met the nice lady, who gave her the bear charm.

  An hour later.

  From the upstairs office, Eli Whitlock watched the pretty girl leave the store. Part of him wanted to stop her and take in her bright, crisp scent of freshly fallen snow on a mountain top. Talk to her. Get to know her.

  His bear howled in rage. "She is our lifemate. She belongs to us. We can't let her go."

  Eli closed his eyes and sent calming energy to his bear. "You're wrong. You know I listen to you in all matters, but this girl is not for us. I'm damaged goods.

  His bear raised his paw. "She is ours. She is mine, and she is magical."

  Eli had to admit he'd been attracted to her. With her curly blonde hair, cute button-nose, and brilliant green eyes, she was hard to resist, but she couldn't be his life mate. He wasn't ready for a life with someone. He relished his freedom, and he wouldn't give it up, especially since he'd healed from his devastating injuries. Shattered ankle and five broken ribs. Nothing must interfere with his training for the Spirit Competition. It'd taken him over a year to recover and six months to battle his
addiction to pain medication.

  No. Eli wouldn't give up his freedom. Or this chance to return to competition. For anyone.

  "Eli. Good to see stateside and off that mountain." Eli shook Johnny Campanili's hand.

  "I'm here to stock up on supplies and attend a round of meetings. I plan to train hard next month for the Spirit Games." Eli took a seat on the well-loved leather sofa.

  "Have you thought about sponsors to help with expenses?" Johnny asked.

  Eli shook his head. "No. I'm independent. Wild and free." He'd lost most of his sponsors when word of his addiction spread through the snowboarding community.

  Johnny sighed and held up his hands. "I know of an up and coming Snowboard Company started by a great family, who have the same values as you. True to nature. True to the sport. It's the only reason I'm asking."

  "Not interested. Let's talk about the competition. Do you think Stephen Johansen will be hard to defeat? I heard he's been training in Norway."

  Johnny and Eli discussed the various snowboard competitors. Eli made his purchases of base and mid-layers, socks, and a new pair of googles. At least, Dad hadn't called to check in on Eli. Usually, he stopped by the cabin once a day after Eli's morning snowboard run, and then called two times to make sure Eli was clean.

  As he walked up the street back to his van, he heard an owl hooting. His pulse quickened. Never a good thing to hear an owl hooting.

  He spun around and saw a woman with a card table filled with silver charms atop a purple velvet cloth.

  Something drew him to the table.

  An elderly woman smiled up at him. Always wanting to support artisans, Eli searched through her wares. The pretty girl who his bear claimed as their mate mentioned a woman with an elderly woman with a velvet-covered table.

  "Do you see something you like?" The nice lady swept her hand over her charms. She had purple dreadlocks and big hooped earrings.

  Something about the woman seemed familiar.

  He looked down, and immediately the silver bear with the snowflake carved on its side caught his attention. The pattern mesmerized him, and the image of the pretty woman with the gold curls appeared in his mind.

  His bear's voice broke through the trance. "Lifemate. Claim her."

  Eli looked up, and the purple-haired woman's eyes glinted with a faint hint of humor. An owl hooted, and she stretched out her wrist. The owl landed, and its gold eyes bored deep into his soul.

  "Artemis." Eli grounded out.

  "You found your lifemate, but you didn't claim her, despite your bear's pleas." She scowled. "You've remained a bear far too long in the lonely woods near Boreas Mountain. If you don't claim your lifemate, you could lose her to another bear shifter. And you could lose your humanity. I know why you stay in your bear form, but you have to move forward. Have faith."

  Eli's heart pounded hard against his ribcage, and he rubbed the ache. "Lose my humanity?" Eli had found it easier to remain a bear because he didn't hurt or ache from his injuries, and it reduced the temptation of taking a pain pill.

  "Each bear shifter must maintain a balance in heart, soul, and spirit. A lifemate helps him achieve the balance, but if not, the bear shifter will either lose his bear or his humanity." Artemis stroked the owl's soft head, who hooted softly.

  Eli straightened. "I'm not ready to have a wife or kids or settle down. I want to be wild and free." Artemis and his bear had helped Eli beat the addiction. He owed the goddess a lot, but he didn't want a family. What if he relapsed? He lived in fear he would.

  Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You can be wild and free, but you will have a companion who will help you. You're needed in the new sanctuary in Bear Bay, Alaska."

  "New bear sanctuary?" Eli tried to remove the charm from his palm, but he couldn't.

  "Yes. And your lifemate will be an integral part of setting it up. She has needed magic, which is important to all of the bear shifters and me."

  Eli snorted.

  "You don't believe me?" Artemis glared at him as a vein pulsed near her right eye.

  Eli wanted to take the charm, give it back to the goddess, and tell her what she could do with it.

  "Don't do it. She is the goddess of wildlife." His bear warned.

  "What do you want me to do?" Eli growled. He clasped his hand over the charm. He'd pretend to go along with the goddess, and then he'd find a way out of this situation that was being forced on him.

  The pulsing vein along the goddess's right eye eased, and she took a deep breath. "I'll call you. In the meantime, you need to practice for the Spirit Games."

  Eli would figure some way to get out of this. Somehow. Someway. Not even the goddess of wildlife would tell him how to live his life or who to love.

  He nodded and was about to walk away. "Eli, when you arrive in Bear Bay, go by the Broken Toe Cafe, and speak with the new chef, Jacque. He will tell you it's a bad idea to defy me."

  Eli spun around, but the table of wares and the goddess had vanished.

  His inner bear laughed.

  Chapter 2

  The next day, Kimber juggled two coffees and the keys to the office. This little building was the heart of Khione Snowboards. Her brother, Justin's dream. Mom and Dad had encouraged him to build the snowboard company based on his designs.

  She unlocked the door. Inside the workshop area, the buzzing sound of a saw permeated the office. The phone rang insistently in the office. Once her brother worked on a board, he was lost in his own world.

  Lowering the coffees onto the messy desk, she answered. "Hello." The person on the other end hung up.

  "Great. I didn't want to talk to you anyway." Kimber was in a bad mood. She hadn't slept well last night because she kept dreaming about Eli Whitlock and a bear calling to her. She'd made the bear charm into a pendant and wore it underneath her shirt. Why? She had no idea, but it seemed like it was what she supposed to do.

  She plunked down in the office chair and lowered her head onto the desk.

  The buzzing stopped in the workshop.

  "Hey, Sis. Are you okay?" Justin grabbed one of the coffees and sat down on the comfortable recliner in the corner. The thinking chair.

  Kimber lifted her head. "I'm fine. Just kept having weird dreams last night."

  "How did it go at the Mountain Peak Sporting Goods Store and Johnny? Justin removed the lid to his cup and blew on it.

  "Fine. I met with Johnny. He wants twenty more boards, and he suggests we do some advertising during the Spirit Mountain Snowboard competition."

  "Any luck contacting Eli Whitlock?" Justin's eyes beamed with hopefulness.

  Kimber didn't want to tell him. 'Oh yeah. I met Eli Whitlock, but I didn't ask him if he would be interested in representing our company.'

  "No." Kimber lied. She never lied.

  "Great. Speaking of spirit." Johnny gestured with his coffee cup at Kimber. "I talked to a woman who wants to invest in the company.

  She read your blog, and she said she liked your spirit."

  "My spirit?" Kimber narrowed her eyes and then touched the pendant. "Strange."

  "Yeah, said this nice investor lady liked your words and then researched our company. She wants to meet with you."

  "Sure. Where?"

  Justin removed a post-it note from his pocket. "Bear Bay, Alaska."

  "Bear Bay, Alaska?" Kimber's mouth dropped open.

  "Yeah. She sent the airline ticket information." Jason grinned. "I told her you would meet with her."

  Kimber groaned.

  "We need money. She's paying for your airline ticket and accommodations. What will it hurt?" Justin's voice quavered.

  Guilted by her brother's desperate plea, Kimber lifter her hands into surrender. "When does she want to meet?" If this woman wanted to invest in the company, then Kimber would meet with her, especially since they needed funds.

  This was why she felt so guilty, not approaching Eli Whitlock. His endorsement would've done wonders for the company. He'd recovered from such a devastating a
ccident. His strong spirit was an inspiration for everyone.

  Kimber Gold--world's worst businesswoman. It was just that she was an introvert, and it was hard for her to approach people. Her brain would freeze. She tripped over her tongue and couldn't form words.

  Just like yesterday when she met Eli Whitlock. She stood there like a dork. He'd been friendly, but there had been something distracting him.

  Well, she wouldn't miss this opportunity to meet with this woman. She turned to her brother. "What is this woman's name?"