Free Saving Grace by Bianca D'Arc

both enchanted
and set her at ease. Such was the way of the shaman, or so she’d
been told. His gray-blue eyes were spooky, almost see-through, and
it felt like they looked beyond the surface, right into her
soul.
    He’d come right out to Jack’s house after
he’d called for help, which meant Gus was a good friend to her
mate. She could feel the concern coming from Gus as Jack filled him
in on their problem. Gus asked a few questions, then sat back and
seemed to think the problem through. She liked that. He was very
deliberate and didn’t rush into things that could impact the rest
of their lives.
    “I can help you merge your magics,” Gus said
after a good long think. “You have to be certain though, because
once done, this cannot be undone. Are you both absolutely sure
you’re true mates?”
    Grace nodded and saw Jack do the same. She
knew he was her one and only. She would never love another the way
her heart yearned for him. It was common for her people to fall in
love quickly with their true mate. Such was the way of things in
her world. She was glad to learn it was the same for the land-based
shifters.
    After Jack had confirmed that little fact,
she hadn’t doubted his commitment. They were the same in so many
ways. And now, their hearts were aligned too. The ways they
differed didn’t matter so much in light of that. They’d figure it
out.
    That left only their magic…
    “Will it stop me from answering the call?”
She had to ask. “Or will it make us both susceptible? I don’t want
to put Jack in danger.”
    Jack covered her hand with his. They were
seated side by side on the couch while Gus sat in the easy chair
across from them.
    “If this goes as I think it will, it should
do both. Jack might feel the call to some extent, but with your
combined magic, you should both be strong enough to deny it. By
sharing in Jack’s magic, you’ll feel more connected to the land,
and he might be more attracted to the water because of you, but
you’ll both be stronger together than either of you are alone.” He
shrugged. “You would have discovered this truth on your own, given
enough time together. Mating is a merging, and it happens over
time. What I propose to do is speed up the process.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Jack said, squeezing her
hand reassuringly. “When can we do it?”
     
    *
     
    Gus took them up near his place to perform
the ceremony. He’d built his home on a rocky stretch of land near
the southern tip of the cove. He had a large spread that bordered
the shifter lands on the north and the Native reservation to the
south.
    There was a small stone circle up on a bluff
that faced the ocean, which was why the shaman had wanted this
particular piece of land. Such formations were sacred to the
Goddess, and Jack knew they were natural places of power. Jack
counted it as a blessing to know this place was here, so close to
their new town and his own property.
    “Has the energy settled down any more?” he
asked Gus as they approached the stone circle. It was a low-profile
formation, but it was definitely a power place. Jack could feel the
magic and the welcoming feeling of the energy.
    Gus shrugged as they kept walking. “Big John
told me all about how the altar came to be. I’m working with his
new mate to try to tame the power a bit more. It’s still pretty
wild, but when I get a better grip on it, and my role in our new
community, I hope to make this a gathering place for our people. A
ceremonial place. But I need a little time to figure it all out.
Right now, the power here is still somewhat untamed. It’s very new.
The magic is strong, and in its formative stages here. It’s like
starting from scratch.”
    “Are you sure it’s safe to do this here?”
Jack halted, forcing the other two to stop and look at him. Grace
was at his side, her hand in his. Gus was in front, turning back to
look at them both.
    “Yes,” he stated calmly. “I’m certain it’ll
be okay for this. There’s