Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) (21 page)

She just stared at them for a moment, and Ryan felt his heart sink. “Okay.”

“Shit.” Barney pushed away from the wall. “You’re going to follow us.”

“Nope.” She curled up against Ryan’s headboard, the sheet clutched tightly against her chest. The puppy eyes she gave them were almost as good as Tabby’s. “I’m gonna stay right here,
all alone
, where a stalker could get to me at any time.” She sighed deeply. “Too bad I haven’t changed yet. Then I might stand a chance of defending myself against a shifter if I was attacked.” Big eyes blinked up at them. “Not that the stalker will know you left me all alone or anything.”

Ryan was already tossing a pair of his mate’s jeans and one of her gauzy tops onto the bed. “Hurry up, sweetheart.”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be in the way.” Her tone was sugary sweet.

“This is why Hunters shouldn’t mate.” Barney stormed out of the bedroom. “You have five seconds.”

As soon as he was out the door Glory was scrambling into her clothes. “Thanks.”

“You stay near either me or Barney. We could be leading the Wolf right to your sister, you realize that?”

She made a rude noise. “And you know I’m right. He’s after me, and if you leave me alone he’ll get me.” Her voice was muffled as she pulled her top over her head. “By the time you call the clan and get me a babysitter Hope could be gone.”

“If a fight breaks out—”

“I’m not stupid, Rye. If a fight breaks out, I run. I’ll grab Hope and get my ass out of there, I swear it.” She pulled her braid out from under the top and buttoned her jeans. After slipping her feet into a pair of ballet flats, she grabbed hold of his arm. “Ready.”

“We could drop you off with Bunny and Tabby.” Ryan trusted his cousin before all others to keep Glory safe. Bunny would kill anyone who threatened their women.

“Nope.” She tugged him into the living room and snagged her purse, ignoring Barney’s snort of disgust. “You don’t have time. Besides, I’ll know if it really is Hope you’ve found.” She tapped her forehead. “My twin senses will tingle.”

“Uh, I think I can figure that out on my own, Super Grover.” Barney titled his hat down over his eyes. “I’ve been doing this for a while now, ya know.”

“And you’re not Hope’s twin, so shove it up your trunk, Snuffleupagus.”

Ryan allowed his mate to drag him out of the apartment. “Snuffleupagus?”

“He appears and disappears when you least expect it, but at least everyone knows he exists now.”

“Okay.” He wasn’t going to question it.

He.

Wasn’t.

There were just some places in his mate’s mind Ryan did not want to go, and this was one of them. “Get in the car, SG, and let’s go see if this really is your sister Snuffy found for us.”

She got quickly into the back seat of the car, yawning and curling up against the door when he shut it. Her eyes were drifting shut as he slid into the passenger seat. “Wake me when we get there.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart.”

Barney slid behind the wheel. “Are you sure about this, Ryan? She could be a liability.”

Barney’s hat flew off his head as Glory’s hand whipped out and smacked him one.

“All right then.” Barney picked up his hat, placed it back on his head and began driving. “Here’s how this is going to work. Glory will stay in the car while Ryan and I verify that Hope is still in her hotel room. Ryan, you’ll scout around and make sure we don’t have the Wolf sniffing around either the hotel or the car. Once we’re sure we’re clear, we’ll have Glory knock on Hope’s door. That will either prove it really is Hope or not. Once we verify whether or not it is Hope, we get her out of there and someplace safe.”

“Should we call in Gabe?” The other Hunter would come in handy.

“He’s already on the scene, watching the hotel.”

Ryan blinked. “Oh.”

Barney chuckled. “Don’t feel hurt, cub. Gabe is fully trained, and you’re not. You’ve got a ways to go before I pull you fully into a hunt.”

“Thanks.” Ryan’s gaze was drawn to the rearview mirror. Glory was asleep, her blue curls framing her face, her braid hanging over one shoulder. She looked like a powder-blue Rapunzel, and he’d get smacked faster than Barney had if he dared say it out loud.

“You love her, don’t you?”

He turned back around and faced the road. “Yeah.”

Barney drove out of town, his expression solemn. “Then the sooner you get trained the better.” He grimaced. “You might want to invest in getting her some hand-to-hand training as well.”

“Why?”

“Because the mate of a Hunter is his or her weakest point. Attack the mate, take out the Hunter.” Barney turned down a quiet, tree-lined street, not a single lamppost in sight. “It’s happened before, and it’s one of the reasons Hunters shouldn’t mate, at least until they’re trained.”

“Too late. We’ve marked each other.” And Ryan, training or no, wouldn’t give that up.

“I’m aware of that. I just…” Barney frowned. “I don’t want to lose another Hunter.”

“Another one?”

“When I first found Gabe, we’d lost one of our Hunters in this area. One I’d trained.” Barney shook his head. “It’s always difficult when one of us gets taken down, but Daniel was a friend. He’d been a Hunter for five years before a rogue took him out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“He’d been hunting a serial killer.” Barney pulled up outside a dilapidated roadside motel. “The guy got to him first, and used his mate against him. Neither one survived.”

“I get that, I really do.” Ryan blew out a breath. “And I’ll make sure all the girls at Cynful take some self-defense classes.”

“It may not be enough. It took three of us to take the killer down. The Atlantic City Hunter had been a good friend of Daniel’s and his mate’s, and insisted on helping.” Barney seemed haunted by the memory of the Hunter he’d lost. “Look. I’m not telling you this to be a Debbie Downer. You need to know the life you’ve been born into. It’s going to be rough, and if you’re not careful your mate could become a liability.”

“You’re wrong.” The soft voice of his mate filled the car. “Ryan’s the reason I would keep fighting.”

Ryan nodded. “You’re not mated yet, so you don’t understand.” He almost felt sorry for Barney. He had no idea what he was trying to deny himself, and Ryan hoped like hell that he’d find out one day soon just what that wonderful something was. “Glory is my strength, not my weakness.”

“If you say so. Your cousin…” Barney grimaced, his expression clear as he glanced in the rearview mirror. “She’s small, Ryan, and so god-damn young. Until I know she can protect herself I won’t mate her.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” Ryan could already tell Barney was going to have a hard time with that. Every time he said Heather’s name he got this wistful expression before he covered it up with banter or determination. “The pull is going to be too strong to resist. You’ll claim her because you won’t have any other choice.”

The stubborn set of Barney’s jaw said otherwise. “I’m doing what’s right for her.”

“I’d ask Heather what she thinks is the right thing to do. You might be surprised at what she has to say.” Glory sat up and put her hand on Barney’s shoulder. “Now, go get my sister.”

Ryan nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

“Ryan, damn it.”

But he ignored the Hunter and got out of the car, taking a deep whiff. If Gabe was in the area, odds were good it was safe enough.

And he was proven right when Gabe strolled out of the woods. It was strange to see the sheriff in casual clothes, the dark jeans and jacket causing him to blend into the night. Even his face had patches of darkness on them, and Ryan realized he’d put on camouflage. “All clear, Ryan. Let’s go get Hope.”

With one last glance at the car, Ryan followed Gabe to the motel, and Glory’s past.

Glory waited as long as she could, which was about two seconds longer than she’d thought she’d be able to. Ryan and Gabe were standing in front of a motel door, quietly talking, neither one making a move toward knocking on said door.

“Glory, I know what you’re thinking, but you need to stay put until they call for you.”

She glared at Barney, who’d wound up staying behind by default. “Yeah, let’s keep the liability in the car.”

His jaw tightened. “I’m not going to apologize. If it saves Ryan’s life, then I’ll call you whatever the hell I want, whether you like it or not.”

As much as she wanted to argue with him, he was right, damn it. “Fine. But you’re not invited to the family barbecue.”

“Story of my life, and one I can live with.” Barney climbed out of the car and took up a sentry-like pose outside. He leaned against the driver’s side door, his gaze glued to Ryan and Gabe, but Glory was willing to bet his attention was focused more on the surrounding woods. It was there the Wolf who’d been stalking her and her sister would be waiting for them, if he was even in the area.

At a gesture from Gabe, Glory got out of the car. She was shaking like a leaf. The knowledge that she might finally have found her twin rushed through her like a tsunami.

Hope was here. Glory was certain of it. That twin sense that told her that Hope was alive was tingling now, driving her toward Ryan and the door that separated her from her long-lost sister.

Ryan took a couple of steps forward and took her hand. “You ready for this?”

She nodded, barely able to speak. “She’s here.”

Ryan smiled. “Good. Then we’ll have her home with us, safe and sound.”

“We’ll put her in a safe place, guarded by Pumas. We won’t let anyone lay a hand on her, I swear.” Gabe gave her a brief hug. “Knock on the door, Glory.”

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Butterflies danced the jitterbug through her veins. “Here goes.”

The sound of her knuckles rapping on the metal-clad door was loud in the quiet, but Glory could still hear the sound of someone breathing behind it. Her senses had sharpened considerably since Ryan marked her.

Going with her gut instinct, Glory called out to her sister. “Hope? It’s me.” The door remained shut, but Glory could no longer hear breathing. “It’s safe, Hope, I swear. Open the door, please?”

The door remained stubbornly shut.

“Temp and Faith are back. They’ve been looking for us.” She shared a glance with Ryan, who shrugged. “The man who took you? I’ve got friends here. Strong ones. We’re going to stop him.”

The door flew open, and Glory found herself staring into a face she’d never thought to truly see again. For all they were identical, there had always been minute differences between them. Glory was a quarter inch shorter than her twin, and Hope’s blue eyes had been a touch darker than Glory’s baby blue. It had somehow made Hope’s disappearance even harder on her.

Cyn thought it was the reason Glory dyed her hair wild colors and pierced her skin. So she wouldn’t see that not-quite-right face in the mirror every day. But Glory knew better. It was about being Glory, not Hope. She wanted people to see
her
, not her missing twin, and it had worked.

But the differences between the Hope of her childhood and the worn, battle-scarred woman before her were night and day. Hope’s blonde hair was chopped off, cut so short it was almost a buzz cut. Even Chloe had more hair than Hope did. A vicious scar ran down one cheek, a cheek so thin Glory immediately had the urge to buy a couple of pizzas to fatten her up with.

Worst of all was the sheer terror Glory saw as her twin took in Ryan and Gabe.

Glory held out her hand, taking hold of Ryan. “This is my fiancé, Ryan, and Gabe is a police officer. They’re both friends of mine, and they’re here to help you.” Better than saying they were both Hunters.

“Hi, Hope.” Ryan held out his hand to her twin, trying to appear non-threatening.

Hope didn’t take his hand. “I…Hello.”

Ryan lowered his hand. He didn’t seem at all phased by the fact that Hope had essentially refused to touch him. “The local Wolf Pack will want to meet you.”

Hope sucked in a breath. “What are you?”

“Bear.”

A big hand reached over Glory’s head and pushed open the door. “Hi. My name’s Barney.” Barney very gently pushed past Glory and into Hope’s hotel room. “I’m here to help you too.”

Hope’s eyes grew wide with fear before her expression turned bitter. “No one can help me.”

“I can.” Barney crouched down, putting his head below Hope’s. Glory knew a submissive gesture when she saw one, and Barney was going all kinds of shades of gray on her shaking sister. It was a shock to see the strong, in-your-face Hunter be so gentle with Hope. “I’m what’s called a Hunter. I’m a cop for the shifter world, and I’m here to take in the man who abducted and changed you against your will. He did, right? Change you against your will?”

Hope nodded.

“If you come with me, I can protect you from him, even introduce you to a Wolf Pack that will welcome you with open arms and protect you.” He held up his hand, patiently waiting for Hope to place hers in it.

“I know what a Hunter is.” Hope took a step back. “
He
told me all about them.”