Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) (27 page)

“Harder, damn it.”

Ryan began moving with such force the couch began to slide across the carpet.

“Yesss.” She hissed, her head thrown back, her curls sliding around, tempting to him grab hold. Her nails bit into his sofa, morphing to claws, ripping the leather in her passion. “More. Fuck, more, Rye.”

So he gave her more, setting a bruising pace that would leave them both sore at the end.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck me, Rye.” She was moaning, taking what he gave her, lost in the pleasure of their coupling. He doubted she even realized when her head tilted, giving him access to her vulnerable neck.

Shuddering, Ryan took the invitation, sucking on her mating mark with all the hunger he’d felt when feasting on her.

Glory collapsed, crying out, so close even he could feel it. “Bite me!”

Ryan obeyed, sinking his fangs into his mate, marking her again.

Her whole body froze, her muscles locking around him in a vise grip that was so fucking tight, so good, Ryan followed her over the edge. The orgasm ripped through him, blinded him as he poured himself gladly into his mate.

“Shit.”

Glory’s gasped curse had him laughing weakly. “Tuckered you out, did I?”

She pushed a curl out of her face with a trembling hand. “The bed would be just right.”

Staggering, holding each other up, Ryan led his mate to the only place he really wanted to be.

Chapter Eighteen

“It’s simple. You’re going to try and find me, and I’m going to do my best not to be found.”

Glory shook her head. Barney sounded so sure of himself. The man had no idea how tenacious Ryan could be. He’d be found. She had no doubt of that. He couldn’t hide from someone like Ryan Williams, not for long.

“I’ll stay here and keep Glory safe.” Gabe, who’d come to Cynful with Barney, settled on the gray chaise. He pulled out a tablet PC, but instead of the video game she expected, he opened an e-book. “I swear I won’t go anywhere until you get back. Between Alex and me, Glory will be safe as a baby Grizzly in her den.”

“Thanks, man.” Ryan smiled, obviously relieved.

Glory should be used to Barney showing up in Ryan’s apartment unannounced, but today he’d startled them with the news that Ryan’s training would begin today. Nothing, not the threat to Glory or Ryan, Hope’s reappearance, or Ryan’s need to keep Glory in sight at all times, could persuade him that they needed to wait. As far as Barney was concerned, Ryan was already on a hunt, and that meant he needed training, badly. Glory had agreed, making it two against one. She wanted Ryan safe, and Barney could help him.

So despite Ryan’s reservations, Ryan and Barney would be leaving her alone for the day, relying on Gabe to make sure that the rogue Wolf did not get a hold of Glory.

“We’ve got it covered. Get on out of here, guys.” Bunny shooed both Barney and Ryan toward the door. “Go teach Ryan how not to get dead.”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny.” Ryan kissed the tip of Glory’s nose. “Do not leave the shop under any circumstances without Gabe or Bunny, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear.” Even with her new Bear abilities Glory didn’t feel safe. She was still more Goldilocks than anything else, and the thought of trying to face down the rogue Wolf made her want to hide under something, preferably Ryan. Tito Salazar would get what was coming to him, but not by Glory’s hand. Glory just hoped Salazar didn’t hurt anyone else before he was caught.

“Are you sure it’s safe for me to be here?”

Glory waved good-bye to Ryan before turning her attention to her twin. It had taken some persuasion, but Hope had agreed to come to Cynful with them that day. Glory had been ready to have Ryan just pick her up and put her in the car, but Gabe had stepped in and convinced Hope that it would be easier for him to keep track of the girls if they stayed together. Because the Hunter made Hope feel safe, she’d agreed. In fact, instead of staying with Max and Emma like they’d originally planned, Sarah had insisted that Hope stay with her and Gabe. The Omega wanted to be close to help Hope with the trauma she’d suffered, and Gabe had assigned sentries to keep watch over her and his house when he wasn’t there. While Glory couldn’t say Hope was thriving, she was at least beginning to put on some much-needed weight.
 

Hope had refused to leave the Anderson house for any reason, and Glory couldn’t blame her. But she wanted to spend a little time with her sister in an environment where they’d be fairly safe, and Hope had finally caved.

Hope had not agreed to let Faith and Temp know they had found her. Like Ryan, she wasn’t certain she trusted them anymore.

Her twin was still very skittish. Glory just hoped that, between Julian and Sarah, they’d be able to help her.

Glory finished buzzing down Hope’s hair, evening it out until it was a pink fuzz on top of her head. She wondered if she could convince her twin to dye it. A pretty sapphire blue would look stunning on her. “If Salazar shows up here he’s in for a surprise.” Glory hitched a thumb toward Alex. “He may look like a big old teddy bear, but he’ll rip the arms off of anyone who touches you.”

Hope didn’t look convinced, and Glory couldn’t blame her. Alex was busy chasing Tabby around the glass and wood counter, making kissy faces at his mate. He looked about as threatening as his nickname.

“Why does his cousin call him Bunny?”

“I can answer that.” Alex finally managed to catch Tabby and planted a wet kiss on her neck. “My cousins gave me that nickname because I hate fighting. After a while, they started calling me Bunny, and it stuck.”

“That’s not the whole story.” Tabby leaned back against Alex, who easily took her weight. “Alex has a cousin named Heather. She’s a Fox, and she works here now. When she was young, about twelve years old—”

“Ten. She was ten.” Alex looked extremely uncomfortable. The big Bear didn’t like being reminded of why he chose not to fight.

“She was a baby.” Tabby scowled, pissed on Heather’s behalf. “Anyway, about seven guys ganged up on her and tried to get her to change.”

“Shifters don’t change until puberty.” Gabe snarled, his book forgotten. He’d heard the story secondhand, and taken a liking to Heather when he finally met her. Even Sarah was careful around the shy little Fox, helping her come out of her shell.

“They were trying to force her into puberty.” And as someone who had almost been raped, Tabby was particularly upset on Heather’s behalf. “So Alex taught them the error of their ways.”

“I hurt them, maimed one of them permanently. I forced them to their knees and made them apologize.” Alex grimaced. “But instead of making Heather feel safer, she became afraid of me. She wouldn’t look at me, come near me or speak to me. She was terrified every time I was in the same room with her. I decided then and there that I didn’t want any of my family to be afraid of me ever again. I started to learn anger management techniques like yoga and meditation, and refused to fight at all unless it was absolutely necessary.”

“But that doesn’t mean that he can’t fight.” Tabby patted Hope’s hand. “If Salazar comes in here looking for you, he’s gonna face an overprotective Grizzly chock-full of pent-up aggression.”

“Can you take on a Hunter?” Hope still didn’t seem convinced that she was safe here, and Glory wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.

Alex nodded slowly, reluctantly. “I’ve never lost a fight, and I don’t plan on starting now.”

All of them turned as the bell over the door jangled, startling them. In sauntered the last person Glory expected to see, his hat pulled low over his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Barney winked at her and quietly made his way to the back room.

Glory blinked.
What the…?

She followed Barney into the back room, leaving Tabby to finish dusting the hair off of Hope. What the hell was the Hunter was up to? Wasn’t he supposed to be showing Ryan what to do? Shouldn’t he be out there, with Ryan, keeping her mate safe? How was Ryan supposed to learn what he needed to do if Barney was back here, stealing her cherry cola? “What do you think you’re doing?”

Barney opened her soda and chugged half of it before answering. “Didn’t you know? I’m a fugitive on the run. So where is the last place he would look for me?”

“Back at the beginning?” Glory smirked. “You really think this is gonna work?”

“Of course it will. It always works. Baby Hunters always think they know more than I do.” Barney leaned back against the mini fridge, practically sitting on it. “Gabe was one of the few who knew what I did. The bad guy almost always goes back to where he feels safe. He’ll run to his mama or his girlfriend and beg them to take him in, or give him money. The successful ones are the ones that cut off all ties with their past, creating new identities in different cities.”

“Like Salazar.”

Barney’s upper lip lifted in a silent snarl. “Salazar is an ex-Hunter. He knows better than anyone what to do and how to hide.” Barney huffed, the sound remarkably Bearish. “I should know. I didn’t want to tell your sister, but I trained the fucker.”

That explained why Barney was taking this so seriously. “Do you think he’s taken people other than Hope?” Just the thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

“No. I think he was obsessed with your sister. He had the one he wanted, but when Hope got away, he focused on her identical twin. I think if he was going to go after a type instead of a specific person he would’ve tried to snag someone closer to home.” Barney shook his head. “No, it’s definitely your sister that he wants, and he’ll use whatever means necessary to get her back, including you.” Barney grimaced. “I think he knew your likes and dislikes from Hope. He probably talked to her about you, or got her talking about you. Maybe at one time he thought to have you both. I’m not sure, but I’m inclined to think he was hoping taking you would make Hope come back to him.”

“That makes me feel so much better.” Glory rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Do you think—”

“Gotcha.”

Barney’s eyes went wide as he was yanked off of the mini fridge and thrown to the ground. His arms were pulled up behind his back as Ryan straddled him with a saucy grin.

“You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain stupid. Anything you say can and will be used to mercilessly taunt you. Do you understand your idiocy as I have described it to you?”

“Get off me, asshole.”

Ryan laughed and helped Barney to his feet.

“How did you find me so fast?” Barney wiggled his shoulders. He didn’t sound nearly as cocky as Ryan dusted him off.

Ryan shrugged. “I used to play hide and seek with my cousins. Some of us took the game pretty seriously.” He pounded Barney on the shoulder, ignoring the other man’s pained wince. “Besides, it wasn’t like you tried all that hard to hide.”

Barney mumbled something under his breath and finished the rest of the cherry cola. “The next test will be harder.”

“I’m sure it will be.”

Barney shot Ryan an evil look. Glory had the feeling that Ryan’s smugness had just earned him a test that was ten times harder than it was originally going to be.

Glory heard the muted sound of the bell out front. She didn’t think anything of it until Alex started growling. Dashing through the curtains, she was surprised to find Jim Woods standing there, staring at Alex with a frightened expression. “Look, I just want to talk to your cousin.”

“Don’t you think you’ve hurt her enough?”

Jim ignored Alex’s growl, returning Alex’s scowl with one of his own. “You don’t know everything that happened, and you have no idea what I’ve been through.”

“What
you’ve
been through? What about what my sister has been through?” Ryan stomped over to Alex and stood next to his cousin, shoulder to shoulder. “Where were you when she was in the hospital, crying for you?”

Jim sighed wearily, and ran his hand through his hair. He really did look tired, bags under his eyes and his shoulders slumped. “My mother is—”

“Shit.” Barney raced past and out the front door. “Ryan, Gabe, get your asses in gear. I smell Salazar.”

The two men quickly followed Barney out the door, their expressions grim.

“Go.”

Alex snarled, indecision on his face.

“Sugar.” Tabby cupped her mate’s face between her hands. “Go keep your cousin safe.”

“No.” But Alex was clearly torn, the need to protect Ryan almost as strong as his desire to keep Tabby safe.

“Trust me. I can take on one Wolf.” Tabby turned her mate toward the door. “Go on, now.”

“Tabby…”

“Alex.” They stared at one another, a titanic showdown that Alex lost the moment Tabby lifted one dark brow at him. “Trust me, sugar. Glory’s changed now, and Hope and I are both Wolves. If this guy comes after us, he’s supper.”

Alex’s shoulders sagged for just a moment before he pulled his mate into a quick, hard kiss. “Stay put, baby.”

Tabby nodded, her expression fierce, and Alex raced out the door after the Hunters. Barney and Ryan wouldn’t be thrilled that the Grizzly had followed them, but if it came down to a fight Alex would be one hell of an asset.

Jim Woods looked totally confused. They’d completely forgotten he was there in the chaos caused by Salazar’s scent. “What the hell is going on?”