Bearing the Black Ice (Ice Bear Shifters Book 4) (9 page)

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?” Hannah 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.

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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