Read Online Bearing the Black Ice (Ice Bear Shifters Book 4) by Sloane Meyers - Free Book Online Page A

Blizzards had trailed them back to the cabins, Alan and Hannah shifted back into human form, then went into Neal’s cabin where they both got new clothes and a huge plate of homemade chili leftovers. Alan briefly introduced Hannah, then scarfed down two huge bowlfuls of food. After nearly starving, and then subsisting on raw vegetables, the reheated chili tasted like a slice of heaven.
    Alan quickly learned that Kenzie had gone into labor several hours before they arrived, which would explain why her life mate, Ryker, hadn’t also been outside to help fight off any Blizzards. He was staying with Kenzie, both for moral support and to protect her. Eric had gone back over already to help guard the cabin. Eric’s life mate, Delaney, and Tyler’s life mate, Kat, were both with Kenzie as well, assisting with the labor and providing moral support. Alan hadn’t seen Neal with such a genuine smile on his face since most of the clan had been lost to poisoning.
    “This night is incredible,” Neal said. “A new cub is being born into the clan for the first time since the poisoning. Not only that, but we thought by now that you were dead. Yet here you are, alive and well. What happened to you? Kat came back to get help, but when we headed back we couldn’t find the entrance to the hole where you fell in. At first, we thought she must have just miscalculated where she left you. But we searched high and low across the tundra and couldn’t find anything.”
    “It’s a long story,” Alan said. “But I’m sure you’re going to want to hear about this.”
    Alan proceeded to tell Neal about falling into the cave, then seeing Hannah get thrown in, after which the entrance was closed off and hidden. He talked about wandering the cave and almost dying, finding the underground greenhouse, and finally escaping right through the stunned group of Blizzards.
    Neal shook his head in amazement throughout the story. “No wonder we’ve seen so many Blizzards around lately. They’ve been hiding right under our noses. I’m worried about what their plans are once Kenzie’s cub is born. They’ve been suspiciously quiet in the last week or so. We’ve been taking turns guarding Ryker’s cabin, and we’ve all been staying close, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. God help me if one of those Blizzards lays a hand on that new cub. I will personally tear out every last one of their hearts and feed them to the wolves.”
    Neal slammed the table for emphasis, his eyes turning dark. For several long moments, no one spoke. The joy of the soon-to-come new cub was tempered by the knowledge that the Blizzards were hell-bent on harming him or her.
    “Anyways,” Neal said, standing and grabbing the empty bowls on the table. “I know you two must be exhausted. Why don’t you go back to your cabin, Alan, and get some rest. I’m so thrilled that you’re back. And Hannah, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want. We’ll provide you with shelter and protection. Any enemy of the Blizzards is a friend of mine.”
    Hannah, who had barely said a word that evening, merely nodded.
    Alan said goodnight to Tyler, who was getting ready to go take a turn guarding Ryker’s cabin. Then he and Hannah made their way over to his cabin. When he walked in and turned on the lights, he could have cried. The sight of his familiar kitchen table, and the familiar old couch and TV in the living room, overwhelmed him. He had tried to be brave during the whole ordeal, but seeing the home he had thought he might never see again filled him with a flood of emotions.
    “Come here, you,” he said to Hannah, and pulled her close to him. She had been silent all night, holding back the emotions as well. But, here, in the warm solitude of Alan’s cabin, she finally let the tears come. She leaned against him, sobbing into his chest. The relief consumed them both.
    “Shhh…” Alan said, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head. “Shhh. Everything is okay.