Free Saving Grace by Bianca D'Arc Page B

respect. Gus was a special kind of bear. Rare and
revered in this part of the world. He’d been born and raised in
British Columbia, Jack knew, and he’d been eager to settle in the
Pacific Northwest when Big John had suggested it, even though most
of Gus’s immediate family was gone.
    “Are you both ready?” Gus was finished with
his prayers and had turned back to Jack and Grace.
    Jack looked at Grace, and she gazed back at
him.
    “What do you want us to do?” she asked,
keeping her attention focused on Jack and Jack alone. He liked
that. So did his inner bear. He stepped closer to her and took both
of her hands in his as they stood near the stone altar at the
center of the circle of stones.
    “That’s perfect, actually,” Gus said,
sounding bemused. “Just keep holding hands like that and don’t let
go. I’m going to coax your magics into the open. There’s a chance
you might feel the exchange. Ideally, they magic will meet, merge,
split and remerge, then return to each of you, two halves of one
whole. Sound good?”
    “Just get on with it, Gus. I want my mate
safe.”
    “Keep your shirt on, Jack. The Goddess
doesn’t appreciate your impatience, and neither do I.”
    Grace giggled. The exchange was typical of
the camaraderie between Jack and Gus, and the rest of the guys from
the old unit, for that matter. He was glad Grace seemed to
understand that without being told. She really was perfect for him
in every way.
    Gus began muttering again, speaking words in
a chanting tone, beseeching the Mother of All and the Great Spirit
among others. Jack knew the divine went by many names, and though
he called Her the Goddess, he didn’t object to other people’s
beliefs—as long as they were on the right side of things.
    Gus chanted a bit more, gesturing with his
hands now and then. It took a few moments, but then, all of a
sudden, Jack felt it. His spine went rigid as his inner bear roared
at the intrusion. It felt like his magic was being sucked out, none
too gently.
    Jack heard Grace gasp and felt her hands
tighten on his. The sensations weren’t comfortable. Not at all. But
it wasn’t exactly painful. Just really, really odd.
    And then, there was a cacophony of
indescribable sound and a glimmer of golden light mixing with
turquoise above their heads. He couldn’t look at it. It was too
bright. And besides, he wanted to keep his eyes on Grace. Whatever
he was feeling, so was she. He could see it in her eyes.
    If they just concentrated on each other, they
could get through anything. Including this majorly uncomfortable
sensation.
    The sucking feeling ended, and Jack’s inner
bear felt a strong sense of dismay. Jack felt empty. As if every
drop of magic in him had been wrung out. Which it probably had.
    Jack realized the golden magic was his,
mixing with the pure blue of Grace’s, somewhere above their heads,
inside the sacred circle. Jack hoped Gus would work fast. He’d
never been this uncomfortable in his life—including the time he’d
been captured by terrorists intent on torturing information out of
him. They hadn’t succeeded, but it had been a dicey few hours
before he’d been able to free himself.
    The gold and blue merged into a lovely
greenish hue around them, then it split again into gold and blue.
And then, it merged again, just like Gus had said. Green light
showered around them, bathing them in its glow as the magic began
to trickle back into them both.
    Was it his imagination, or had the intensity
and quantity of the light increased markedly?
    Jack started to believe he wasn’t dreaming
when the power began to come back into him. It started slow and
then became a steady stream, building as it returned home, into his
soul. It was stronger. There was definitely more of it. And it
was…different. It had a salty flavor, if he had to describe it. The
light was no longer the gold of the earth alone. Now it was mixed
with the blue of the ocean to form something new. A green that
tasted of both,