Bear Naked

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Are we certain he’s watching Hope? He could be here for some other reason.” Ryan stared out into the darkness, trying to see if he could find the hidden Puma.

  “I don’t know for sure.” Gabe sighed. “But for some reason I don’t think he’s out here hunting bunny rabbits.”

  “That Spidey sense of yours is tingling?”

  “More like fizzing.” Gabe shook his head. “I have no idea what’s up with him, but we need to figure out what the hell is going on.”

  “We’ll watch for him, then.” Ryan clapped Gabe on the shoulder, hoping to offer some reassurance. If one of his relatives went bug-shit insane, he’d be weary too. “His scent wasn’t anywhere near Glory’s apartment.”

  “So maybe he’s not interested in Hope at all. Maybe it’s something else he’s come out here for.” Gabe put the shopping bags in the trunk. “Here’s hoping he’s just out here taking his aggression out on poor, defenseless Thumpers and Bambis.”

  Ryan nodded. The last thing they needed was Doctor Demento going after Glory’s sister. Hope had been through enough. She didn’t need to add a brand-spanking new stalker to her list of woes. “How do we deal with Hope? She’s been changed against her will. She may not want to be around other shifters.” A lone Wolf, one who wasn’t rogue, wasn’t unheard of. It was rare, but it did happen. Packs and Prides would view such a Wolf warily, but the shifters who formed family groups would be more open to them.

  “We let her decide.” Gabe shut the trunk. “If she chooses to stay in Halle, we talk to Max and Emma about bringing her into the Pride. If she needs other Wolves around her, we send her to Rick and Belle.”

  Ryan didn’t know Hope well enough to guess what she might choose, but he did know her sister. “Glory won’t be happy if Hope decides to go to the Poconos rather than stay here.”

  “It’s not about Glory. It’s about Hope, and what she needs in order to heal.” Gabe stared at the two women in the back seat of Ryan’s car. “If the closeness and security of a Pack are what she needs, that’s what she gets.”

  “And Glory will be torn between following her twin and staying in Halle with Cyn and Tabby.”

  “Maybe Temp and Faith will go with Hope. Rick Lowell isn’t nearly as backward as his grandfather was. He’s accepted humans into his Pack. Hell, his Omega just mated one. He’ll be fine with it.”

  “And if Faith becomes a Wolf as well, she’ll be better able to protect herself from her father if the good Reverend ever comes back for her.” He couldn’t see a man like Temperance Walsh bowing down to any Wolf, even Rick Lowell. They’d have to figure out something else to do with the man.

  Gabe nodded. “In the meantime, let’s get the girls back to Halle.” He glared around at the darkness. “Something doesn’t feel quite right.”

  “Do we need to check it out?” The Wolf who’d hunted his mate could be in the woods, watching them, but Ryan didn’t scent anything.

  “No, it’s not that. I think we’re being watched, though.”

  “I think you’re right.” Barney sauntered over to them, keeping the women in his sight at all times. “But whatever it is doesn’t feel hostile.”

  “I’m not an Omega. I couldn’t tell you whether or not it’s safe.” Gabe blew out a breath. “I’m going to follow you back, get Hope settled with Max and Emma. I called on the way over here, and they told me that if Hope really was here they’d take her in, no questions asked.”

  “Will she be all right with them?” Ryan’s mate was talking quietly to her sister, her voice a barely audible buzz against his senses, but her tone was easy to distinguish. She was keeping her twin calm, Hope leaning against Glory as if weary beyond endurance.

  “Max is pissed that this shit keeps happening in his town, and Emma has declared she’ll neuter anyone who goes after Hope. So yeah, I think they’ll be safe.” Emma Cannon was one hell of a scary woman, almost as frightening as the Poconos Pack Luna, Belle. “Besides, Adrian and I have some enforcers watching the Alpha’s house. They’ll keep watch for this asshole.”

  “Good.” Ryan headed for the passenger seat, yawning his head off. “Let’s go home.”

  “C’mon in, we’ve been expecting you.”

  The quiet sympathy on the face of the Puma Curana nearly had Glory in tears once more. “Thanks.”

  “Sheri is here. We were hoping, with what she’s been through, she might be a little bit of help.” Sheri Giordano was the mate of the Puma Marshal. She’d also been kidnapped, but Max Cannon had saved her life. He’d turned her into a Puma, and when she’d come back to Halle years later and met her mate, Adrian, he’d given her a new home. She was now a happy, important member of the Halle Puma Pride. If anyone could understand what Hope had gone through, it would be Sheri.

  Max Cannon, Emma’s mate, stood behind his spouse. The man was almost inhumanly beautiful, with golden-blond hair that brushed his shoulders and stunning blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he laughed. He had a small scar at the side of his nose, the only mark that marred the perfection of his face.

  If Thor and Black Widow had a baby, and that baby had a baby with Brad Pitt, he might turn out half as handsome as Dr. Max Cannon.

  “We called in Sarah too.” Emma yawned, her mobile mouth going wide. She was still in a pair of pink Hello Kitty sleep pants and a white tank top, a pair of fuzzy, bubblegum-pink slippers on her feet. She was much shorter than her tall mate, with deep brown hair in a sloppy bun and big brown eyes that watched the world around her with quiet intensity. She was like a chubby little bunny in a lion’s den, ready to be eaten—

  “Jesus fuck, I need coffee.”

  —until she opened her mouth. Glory chuckled, by now used to Emma Cannon’s unusual personality.

  “Who’s that?” Hope’s eyes were so wide in her face Glory was afraid they’d roll out of her head and go click-clack down the wooden floors like a pair of dice.

  “The Curana.”

  “The who?” But Hope followed her into Max and Emma’s Craftsman-style home without a protest. Glory pretended not to notice how badly her sister startled at every little sound, how she shook like a leaf or shied away from Barney as the man followed them in.

  “The Curana.” She helped her sister into the great room. The sage-green walls, cherry floors and white trim helped create a homey look in the Cannons’ home. A vaulted ceiling with skylights gave the room the feeling of being huge, while a large, reddish-brown leather sofa invited you to sink into it. It rested on a bold area rug done in a geometric pattern of reds, blacks and greens and faced a set of built-in cherry cabinets along one wall that doubled as the entertainment center. The fireplace, on the opposite wall, was decorated with the same fieldstone that was on the outside the house.

  Glory loved this place every time she came to visit. She soaked it in, dreaming of the day she’d own her home and the little changes she’d make to give it her personal stamp. The place wore its age well, and Max and Emma clearly loved it almost as much as they loved each other.

  “That’s better.” Emma sank into one of the leather armchairs, a mug cradled in her hands.

  “That had better be decaf.” Max stared at his mate, one brow cocked, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Sure it is.” Emma blinked innocently and took a sip. “Mmm. Coooffeeee.”

  Max shook his head. “I’m throwing the coffeemaker out.”

  Emma merely smiled, the expression secretive and terrifying. “You’re cute.”

  Max smiled back, but his was predatory. It was obvious who had his undivided attention. “Keep that up and I might just ask you to prom.”

  Emma snorted out a laugh.

  “Um. Excuse me.” Hope was staring at them like they were crazy. “Why am I here?”

  That quickly, Glory was brought back to her sister and Hope’s predicament. “The Puma Alpha and Curana are taking you in while the Hunters search for your kidnapper.”

  “Oh.” Hope collapsed onto the leather sofa. She took a de
ep, shuddering breath. “You meant it.”

  “Meant what?” Glory took the seat next to her twin and brushed that brutally short hair back. It felt like peach fuzz in spots, the locks uneven. It was like Hope had taken a lawn mower to her head and missed a few spots.

  “You’re really going to help me.”

  Glory wanted to scream. “Of course I am.”

  Hope curled up around her stomach. “No one looked for me.”

  “He lied to you.”

  Glory kept her gaze on her twin, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan kneel before Hope.

  He placed a hand on Hope’s knee, ignoring the way she flinched. “Whatever he told you about your sisters and brother, the fucker lied to you. Glory never stopped looking for you.”

  “The others?”

  Hope wouldn’t look at them, trembling slightly under Ryan’s hand as Glory wrapped her arm around her sister. “Temp stayed with Dad to protect Faith.”

  One sharp nod was all that said Hope even heard. “He…did things to me.” Hope stared past her toward someone else, and some of the trembling eased. “Tito. He raped me.”

  Glory turned to see what, or rather who, Hope was giving such rapt attention to. It was Sarah Anderson, the Omega of the Halle Pride. Glory didn’t know what the Omega was doing, but it flowed over her like gentle sunshine on her soul. “We know. We’re going to find him and Gabe is going to kill him for you.”

  “That’s right.” Gabe spoke softly from behind Glory and Hope. “We’ll get him.”

  “If I don’t find him first.” Ryan darted a glance at Glory, and she noticed his eyes were completely brown. “I’ll kill him for you. I swear it on my bond with your twin.”

  From Barney’s gasp, that was no small vow. “Or me. We’re going to get him, I swear it.” He glanced at Gabe. “I know Tito. I know how he thinks, what to look for. He fell off the grid when…” His gaze cut to Hope. “Yeah. I also know he wasn’t ever a member of Tabby’s old Pack, so the rogue Alpha had nothing to do with this.”

  “That’s something, at least.” Tabby’s mind would be eased. Her possible connection to the Wolf that had been hounding them didn’t exist.

  Hope shuddered, her eyes closing tight before she opened them again. This time, she looked, actually looked at Ryan. “Thank you.”

  Ryan smiled, a bit of fang showing, turning it feral.

  “When he comes for me, you have to let him…” Hope was shaking again, her gaze turning once more toward Sarah. “He says I’m his mate, that he’ll kill anyone who tries to take me away from him.”

  “Bullshit.”

  The abrupt curse came from Emma, whose power briefly rolled through the room like a fog, blanketing them all. Glory instinctively ducked her head, bowing before the force of the tiny brunette who now stood scowling at Hope. “He comes after you, and we’ll eat his balls with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, that’s what we’ll do.”

  Every man in the room choked, Gabe even going so far as to cover himself with his hands. “Emma!”

  Max laughed. “That’s usually my line.”

  “Hmph.” Emma plopped down next to Hope. “Is anyone hungry? I’m hungry.” The men shivered as she yawned again. “Hey, Lion-O. We still have the number for that all-night pizza place?”

  Max rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear.”

  “Extra mushrooms.”

  “Yes, dear.” Max was already on his way to the kitchen.

  “God, I love watching that man, coming or going.” Emma quivered, her expression wicked before she turned her attention back to Hope. “So. We have a turd that needs to be covered in kitty litter. Any idea where we can find him?”

  This was directed at Gabe, who shrugged. “We’ve found his scent around Hope’s hotel room and Glory’s apartment.”

  Hope whimpered.

  “We also scented Jamie Howard.”

  Emma flinched at Gabe’s soft warning. “Shit. Max?”

  “I heard.” He held up his finger as he placed an order for enough pizza to feed several Bears, a pregnant Puma and a traumatized, half-starved Wolf.

  Emma grumbled something under her breath. “Gabe. What’s he doing there?”

  “We have no idea.” Ryan answered Emma and ran a hand through his hair. “His brother Gray seemed to think he was staying holed up in his parents’ home.”

  “He hasn’t been to the mansion since Marie passed.” Emma sighed. “Sarah?”

  Sarah shook her head. “He’s still cold, but…” She continued to stare at Hope. “Something is different. He’s angry and…scared?”

  “Who is Jamie Howard?” Hope relaxed in Glory’s arms, her gaze still locked on the Omega. Whatever Sarah was doing, it was helping, because Hope’s trembling lessened. “Is he like Salazar?”

  “No. I don’t think he’s a threat to you—” Sarah nodded, confirming Glory’s guess, “—but he is dangerous. He survived losing his mate.”

  Hope stared around at them, obviously lost. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re not Salazar’s mate.” Barney’s tone was still strangely soft. “You would know if you were, and the thought of losing him would be unbearable for you.”

  “When a mate dies, especially as suddenly as Marie did, the mate almost always follows.” Emma smiled softly over at Max, who blew her a kiss. “I wouldn’t want to go on without Max.”

  “So was Marie really his mate?”

  When everyone turned to Hope, shocked, Glory tightened her grip. “It’s a valid question.”

  “Yes, Marie was Jamie’s mate. Julian saved his life, but in losing Marie, something inside Jamie broke. He’s closed himself off, turned cold.” Gabe took hold of his mate’s hand. “Sarah says, and I agree, that he’s not at the point of going rogue, but he’s come close to it.”

  Hope nodded. “Then keep him away from me. I’ve had enough of crazy shifters to last me a lifetime.”

  “He’s not crazy. He’s hurting, desperately missing something he’ll likely never have again. He’s a junkie whose fix is permanently out of his reach, and the pain can be unbelievable.” Sarah snuggled closer to Gabe, who put his arm around her tightly. Sarah didn’t seem to mind. “I wish there was something I could do for him, but he’s doing everything he can to shut me out. I can’t help someone who doesn’t want it.”

  “I know what it’s like to lose everything that matters.” Hope’s expression was somber. “You say he’s dangerous, but in the next breath you say he’s in mourning.”

  “He’s both. We don’t know how he’ll react at any given time.” Max picked Emma up, over her protests, and settled back down on the sofa with his mate firmly ensconced in his lap. “He’s not the man who danced at my wedding.”

  “But he’s no monster, either.”

  It sounded like a familiar argument between the Omega and her Alpha, one that had probably been going on ever since Jamie woke from his coma a changed man. Glory hadn’t known Jamie and Marie Howard all that well, but Ryan had, and he’d liked them both.

  “Can I ask you something?” Gabe kept his tone easy. “How did you manage to get away from Salazar?”

  Hope shrugged, but she didn’t fool Glory. Her twin’s face had gone so pale Glory was surprised she hadn’t passed out. “He didn’t latch the shackle the right way.”

  “Shackle?” Glory looked down to where Hope pulled up her pant leg and cursed. There was a huge mark on her ankle, the skin rough and red and bruised.

  “Yeah. When he finally fell asleep, I got up, stole the car keys and ran for it. I ditched the car somewhere in Louisiana and began going cross-country in my Wolf form. He almost caught me a couple of times, but I’d learned some things after being with him for so long. It took me a couple of months to make my way here, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t far behind.”

  “He’s not. We’re pretty sure he bit me outside the tattoo parlor I own with Cyn and our friend Tabby.” Hope swayed in her arms. “We’ll keep you safe. You aren’t alone anymore. You foun
d me, okay?”

  For the first time that night Hope smiled. “I knew where you were.”

  “And I knew you were still alive.” Glory hugged Hope, trying to convey how much she’d wished to see her sister again. “I never stopped believing you’d come home, I swear.”

  Hope sniffled. “Thanks.”

  The knock on the door startled them all. Gabe and Barney made their way to the front door, both wary, while Ryan placed himself between the door and everyone else.

  But Sarah smiled. “Ease up, guys. It’s Julian.”

  “You called him?” At Sarah’s nod, Gabe grinned. “Smart girl.”

  “Your girl.”

  Gabe winked at his mate as Barney opened the front door. “Hey, look. Snow White and his dwarf are here.”

  Cyn pushed past Barney with a snarl, cursing him out roundly in Spanish.

  Barney’s eyebrows disappeared under his hat, clearly understanding whatever it was Cyn had said to him. “And my little dog too?”

  Julian laughed as he sailed into the room behind his mate. “Hello, Hope.”

  Hope stared up at Julian with fear. “How do you know who I am?”

  Cyn snorted. “You think Glory could find her twin and Super Bear wouldn’t find out about it?”

  Julian just gave them that mysterious smile that drove Cyn insane. “Let’s take a look at you, sweetie.” He ignored Hope’s quiet protest and knelt at her feet. The silver streak that indicated the Kermode was using his powers slid down his hair, marking him as a Spirit Bear. His dark eyes glittered with silver specks as they focused on Hope. “Hmm. You’ve been sick? We need to get some nutrients in you.” He shuddered hard, gasping as his hair suddenly blazed snowy white. His eyes turned completely silver. “One becomes three.”

  “What?” Glory stared at Julian, who’d slumped over Hope’s lap. “What does that mean?”

  “The prophecy, the one Bear delivered to Julian.” Ryan’s tone was filled with wonder.

  “The same one Fox gave Chloe.” Gabe and Sarah exchanged a quick glance.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Hope shoved Julian off of her. “What…prophecy?” She laughed, the sound bitter, unnerving. “Oh, God. I’ve gone from one crazy shifter to a fucking town full of them.”