In the middle of the third week, however, Hannah got her wish. James finally recovered enough to shift back to human form.
“Hannah,” he croaked out. “We thought you had died.”
“James! It’s so good to see you. What happened to you? Where is everyone else?”
“We found the entrance to the Black Ice Caverns while we were out looking for you and the other lost bears. We had been searching for months, and could hardly believe our luck at finally finding them. We attacked, trying to get to you guys. But the Blizzards were too strong. They killed everyone, Hannah. Even chased us down after we started retreating and killed all the women and children.” James voice caught in his throat as he spoke, and it didn’t take long for the tears to start spilling down Hannah’s face as well.
“Those bastards!” she said. “So everyone is gone?”
James nodded. “Seth and I were the last two. They left us for dead, I guess. We took down dozens of their bears, but we weren’t strong enough to completely stop them.”
James looked over at Seth, who was sleeping at the moment.
“How is he?” James asked.
“Not good, honestly,” Hannah said. “I’m surprised he made it this long. But he’s a fighter. So are you. I thought for a while that we were going to lose you both.”
“Where am I?” James asked, looking around. “What is this place?”
“It’s a long story,” Hannah said. “I met a bear from the Northern Lights Clan in the Caverns, and we escaped together. We ended up becoming life mates, so I’m part of their clan, now. These cabins belong to them. Let me go get their alpha, Neal. He’ll want to meet you. He asked me to let him know the minute you woke up.”
James nodded wearily, and Hannah set off to find Neal.
Neal had been in town, working at his tattoo shop, so it took about an hour for Hannah to find him. When they finally got back to the cabins, Seth had woken up, too. The two bear shifters, now in human form, sat in the cabin looking exhausted. Hannah explained the story of how she and Alan met, and how they escaped the cave. Neal asked if the possibility remained that any more of the Frozen Claw Clan remained alive, and James and Seth sadly shook their heads.
“No,” Seth said, his voice breaking. “We made a big dent in the Blizzards’ defenses, but in the end we just weren’t strong enough. We watched every last one of them be killed before our eyes. The only reason James and I survived is that they left us for dead. Which, we would have been if your clan members hadn’t saved us.”
Tears rolled down Hannah’s face as Seth confirmed her worst fears. She had long suspected this, but having the near total loss of her clan confirmed tore her heart open anew.
James and Seth looked up at Neal, their young faces registering confusion and fear.
“What happens to us now?” Seth asked. “We have nowhere to go. We have no clan members left, except Hannah.”
“Stay with us,” Neal said, putting his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Join our clan, and we will shelter you and be your new family. I know it can never replace the clan members you lost. Trust me, I know that all too well. But just because you lost the most precious people in your life doesn’t mean you’re destined to be alone. Life will be different, but it can go on.”
James and Seth nodded gratefully, and Hannah’s tears started anew at the happy realization that her last surviving clan members would be joining her new clan.
Neal stood to leave, and gave James and Seth each a meaningful look. “And trust me, we will have our revenge on the Blizzards. I was wondering why they hadn’t tried to attack our new cubs yet. Now I know. They were too weak after your clan fought them. We will finish the job. We’re going to figure out a way to go on the offensive and end this threat once and for all, so that the Northern Arctic clans can finally live in peace again. And when we attack them, you can be there with us, avenging your lost clan members. For now, just rest up. You’re going to need your strength.”
Neal gave James and Seth each a curt nod, then turned to leave. After making sure the young men were comfortable and had everything they needed, Hannah decided to go spend some time with Alan. She hadn’t seen him much in the last few weeks, since she had been so busy taking care of James and Seth. Now that they both seemed to be on the road to recovery, Hannah went to snatch up some much needed time with her life mate. She could hardly wait to tell him that Neal had offered James and Seth refuge with the Northern Lights Clan. It gave her peace to know that at least her remaining clan members could stay together.
Life hadn’t been easy lately, but it had its brief moments of redemption.
Chapter Fourteen
Hannah found Alan huddled over the small desk in their bedroom, furiously typing away on his laptop. He was so focused that he didn’t hear her walking into the room, and jumped when she said his name.
“Alan? What are you doing?”
“Hannah! Hey, it’s so good to see your beautiful face. You startled me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were so busy. What are you doing?”
Alan looked over at her and gave her a triumphant smile. “I’m writing.”
“Really? Babe, that’s great!”
The Northern Lights bears always teased Alan about his lack of progress on his writing. Alan said he was working on a novel, but in reality he hadn’t written anything since the poisoning tragedy. He told Hannah that he had tried several times to start a new story, but he could never seem to find his creative muse after all that grief.
“Yes, really,” Alan said, drawing Hannah into his arms. “Ever since we became life mates, I feel like the spark has returned to my life. I feel alive again, and I feel like I can do the work I love again. You saved me, Hannah. You really did.”
Alan kissed Hannah, and Hannah sighed happily as she leaned her head against his chest and returned his hug. She spent a moment just enjoying the warmth of his arms around her. The Northern Alaska winters were frigid, but the shelter of his arms always melted away the chill.
“I’m so happy to see you writing again,” Hannah said, giving him a gentle squeeze.
“How are your clan members doing?” Alan asked, his voice muffled since his face was against Hannah’s hair.
Hannah pulled back to look at Alan and grinned. “That’s what I came to tell you. They both woke up. They still have a long way to go, but they’re resting and they’re going to be just fine. And, Neal invited them to join the clan.”
“Babe, that’s such good news,” Alan said, drawing her back in for a hug.”
“I know. I’m so happy,” Hannah said, and then her voice turned somber. “But they also told us that the rest of my clan didn’t make it. They were injured during a huge attack on the Blizzards. It sounds like the Blizzards lost a lot of bears, too, and are off licking their wounds. But no one else from my clan survived. James and Seth were the only ones.”
“Wow,” Alan said, and kissed the top of Hannah’s head. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I know we suspected your clan was gone, but hearing it for certain is rough.”
Hannah nodded, and fought to keep the tears from starting up again. “Well, the one good thing about all of this is that the Blizzards haven’t been able to try to attack Hope and Calum. They’re too busy recovering from their own wounds to worry about coming after the Northern Lights cubs.”
“Yeah, but they will be back eventually. Those stubborn bears never give up. They’re going to regroup and try again, I guarantee it.”
“I know. But Neal wants to plan an offensive. He said he’s tired of waiting around in fear of a Blizzard attack on the cubs. He wants to rid the Arctic of the Blizzard scourge once and for all.”
“Good!” Alan said, his voice growing stronger. “It’s about time we stopped tiptoeing around and just faced them head on. And I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t want to be worrying about a Blizzard attack when we have a cub of our own. I want our cub to be able to grow up in peace.”
“You want a cub?” H
annah asked, looking up at Alan with barely contained excitement. Alan had never mentioned a desire for a cub with her before, and Hannah hadn’t wanted to broach the subject. She didn’t want to tear open old wounds over the unborn cub he had lost.
“I want nothing more than to raise a cub or two with you, and then grow old in peace,” Alan said, tilting his head down to kiss Hannah’s forehead. “Does that sound like an okay plan, Mrs. Jensen?”
Hannah grinned up at him. “It certainly does, Mr. Jensen,” she said. “It certainly does.”
Hannah snuggled into Alan’s embrace, happy to see him writing again and happy to hear him speaking of a cub in their future. Each day with him was a new adventure, and she looked forward to many happy tomorrows. She would forever be grateful for whatever forces of fate had been responsible for her ending up trapped in Black Ice Caverns with him. The journey had been challenging, but the destination had been worth it.
Thank You For Reading!
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About the Author
There are bears walking among us. Sloane Meyers is devoted to telling their stories.
Sloane thinks we could all use a little escape in our lives. And what better way to shake up the ordinary than to transport yourself to the mysterious world of those who have an animal within them, roaring to be let out. Sloane promises hot shifter males, and spunky, spirited heroines—with NO cliffhangers! Each book can be read as a standalone.
When she’s not busy crafting bear tales, Sloane enjoys a good glass of wine, preferably shared with good friends. She loves reading, baking, and pretending that she’s actually a music buff. On weekends, she spends a lot of time in the great outdoors, hiking with her own sexy alpha and adorable little cub.
Visit her at www.sloanemeyers.com
Bearing the Black Ice (Ice Bear Shifters Book 4) Page 8