Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) by Dana Marie Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

truly comprehend. He could take someone on the brink of death and drag them back to life, but the cost to him was horrific. He’d nearly died twice, once when saving Jamie Howard when Jamie’s mate was killed, and again when saving Cyn after she’d been shot by Tabby’s ex-Alpha. If anyone could help Tabby with her morning sickness and her aversion to coffee, it would be him.
    But Bunny shook his head. “Nah. Her OB/GYN said this was normal. It’ll pass once the baby’s born, if not sooner.” With Jamie Howard no longer practicing medicine, Tabby had been forced to go to a human gynecologist. Luckily, shifter pregnancies followed human ones. A baby would pop out, not a cub, so they were safe there. Still, just to be safe, Julian was monitoring her pregnancy almost as closely as Bunny was.
    “If you’re sure.” Julian tugged on his own coat.
    Ryan headed for the front door, donut and coffee in hand. “If you value your lives you’ll bring those donuts.”
    Laughing as the two Bears scrambled for the donuts, Ryan headed out to his car, eager to see his mate.
    “Rye?”
    “Hmm?”
    Bunny frowned. “If we stay in Halle…?”
    Ryan nodded. “I’ll work with you.”
    Bunny relaxed, his natural, easy-going smile gracing his face. “Good.”
    “You were seriously worried about that?” Ryan shook his head. “Chloe’s out here, Glory’s out here. You’re out here. Of course I’m staying. Asshole.”
    “Thanks. Buttmunch.”
    Julian walked past them snickering. “I do not want to know if you’re kissing cousins.”
    Rolling his eyes, Ryan slipped into his car. “Meet you at Cynful.”
    “Will do. And Ryan?” Bunny squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “It’s going to be all right, no matter what we find.”
    “I know. Because I’ll be there for her, no matter what.”
    “Exactly.”
     
     
    When Ryan said he was going to do something, he sure as hell did it. Glory watched as Gabriel Anderson, the Halle sheriff and one of the local Pumas, stepped into Cynful Tattoos with a file folder in his hand and a determined air. The man filled out a uniform like no one else, his broad shoulders and piercing blue eyes giving her more than one wet dream before Ryan came to town.
    But the sheriff was utterly devoted to his wife, Sarah, a sweet woman who worked in the local high school, and Ryan…
    Well, Ryan had given her more than wet dreams.
    He was standing there, arms crossed, blue eyes sharp, his dark hair tousled like he hadn’t gotten the chance to brush it before leaving his apartment that morning. His breath had smelled suspiciously like orange breath mints when his lips had grazed hers.
    “Hey, Glory. I hear you want to talk to me.” The sheriff held out his hand, looking surprised when she hugged him. He’d helped save Cyn, and been instrumental in giving Tabby a home. As far as Glory was concerned, he was family.
    “Gabe.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek, enjoying the blush that highlighted his face. The man was adorable, and Sarah was a lucky woman. “Did Ryan fill you in?”
    “Ah. Yes.” He fumbled the papers he’d been holding in his hands. “You want me to reopen the case into your missing twin.” And that quickly, the blushing man turned into the no-nonsense sheriff. “It won’t be easy. It seems like the investigator seriously dropped the ball on this one.” He shook his head. “I have to contact the old sheriff and see what he knows about it.”
    “Was he…?” Glory held up her hands, making claws of her fingers, and snarled, pulling her upper lip back from her teeth.
    “You’re cute.” Gabe grinned and patted her on the head. “Yes, Sheriff Giordano was a shifter.”
    Why did that last name sound familiar?
    Gabe must have understood her confused expression. “The old sheriff was the father of Dr. Adrian Giordano.”
    She’d been around the Pumas enough now to know that Adrian Giordano was one of the rulers of the Pride. The Alpha and Curana led the pride, with their