Bear The Fire (Firebear Brides 4) (9 page)

It had felt like making those kinds of decisions would make it so… final. This felt better, singing from the heart and picking what seemed to suit the situation the best.

She settled on a song she wrote after Ragnar’s call, when she was going back and forth about whether or not she should come to Shifter Grove and put herself through the heartache of loving Rhodes again. It had turned out to be the best decision she’d ever made.

Her voice was clear and strong as she fell into the notes, and she closed her eyes as her hands played the chords she knew by heart. Every Hamilton was in that bar that night, and most of the rest of the town as well. Kali knew that if she’d open her eyes, she’d see Rose’s sweet face lit up with a smile, rooting for her, and Abigail grinning as she sat on Redmond’s knee.

And of course Rhodes, giving her that cocky smirk of his that she knew hid a wonderful, big-hearted man who beat himself up far too much for the good and the bad things he did. She loved him, and he loved her. And that was exactly how it was supposed to be. Every word she sang felt like another shackle being released from around her.

All the indecision, worry, and fear that she’d suffered through, unsure of where she was coming from and where she was going during those years she’d tried to make sense of her life were now floating away, releasing her to be the woman she knew she could be. Someone who would stand up for herself. Someone who wouldn’t let happiness pass her by without her grabbing hold of it.

“The howl of wind,

The spark of fire,

It took you from me,

And it brought us back together,” she sung, opening her eyes and looking at Rhodes.

He grinned back at her and for the first time in years, Kali could be sure that everything was going to be all right. There were going to be problems, yes. While it had been little more than a fling that grew over both their heads when they were younger, Kali knew that what she and Rhodes had now was true love. She was his mate; he’d told her as much, though deep in her heart she’d always known. They didn’t know everything about each other, far from it, but she was excited to learn everything she could.

A deep, all-encompassing warmth spread in her, locking gazes with the man of her dreams. He’d saved her and she had saved him. They were even now. It was a clean slate to start off with and Kali knew they were going to enjoy every damn moment of it.

When the song ended, the gathered crowd erupted in applause and Kali grinned ear to ear, soaking up the cheers. God, it felt good to let her voice out again, her
real
voice, not the one she’d thought people wanted to hear. It was another new beginning and she had Rhodes to thank for that.

There was going to be no more fear from now on. A whole new Kali in a whole new world.
 

EPILOGUE

Rhodes

“You’re being ridiculous,” Redmond huffed, trying to tie the bow tie around Rhodes’s neck again as he dodged and ducked like a fighter in a boxing ring.

“
You’re
the one who’s being ridiculous. Do I look like the kind of guy who wears a goddamn bowtie?!” Rhodes growled, sharing a scowling look with his brother.

“You’re both being ridiculous. This whole thing’s ridiculous. Leave the damn bowtie, Redmond,” Royce said with a sigh, rubbing his temples.

Ragnar, the bastard, was standing with his arms crossed over his chest,
wearing a bowtie
, smirking like this was the funniest thing he’d seen all year.

“All right, but don’t blame me if your wife’s going to be pointing at the wedding pictures twenty years from now, bemoaning how you looked like a thug,” Redmond said, stuffing the tie in the pocket of his black dress pants.

“I am a thug. I don’t think Kali’s going to be surprised by that,” Rhodes huffed back, but they shared a grin with Redmond.

They were all nervous as hell and it was showing. It was the biggest wedding in Shifter Grove history, and that was saying something, considering the place seemed to be a one stop shop for everything bridal and matrimonial over the last few years. Every few months, someone was getting married and popping out a cub or a pup or a damn litter. Rhodes couldn’t wait to join that particular lineup of Shifter Grove locals.

“I think it’s time,” Royce said, taking over because, well, someone had to.

They marched behind him in a line through the long row of seats, every person in Shifter Grove having shown up it seemed. The fires had touched everyone, one way or another. Most of the men had been part of the relief effort and a great many women too. The brides of Shifter Grove being some of the toughest, most driven women Rhodes had ever had the pleasure of meeting. And they were all here to wish the Hamilton clan the best of luck.

It was late in the summer now and the rains had returned, thank the spirits above. The scorched, dying earth had been revitalized by long rainfalls, bringing everything back to life again. In the meadow on the Hamilton grounds, right where the forest had once been, everything was coming up lush and green.

Rhodes walked last in line, his head held high. He let his gaze sweep over the guests, smiling and nodding to a few. It felt surreal being there with no intention of packing up his bags in a few months and getting out. He was settling down and it felt
so
right. A lot of it had to do with Kali, of course, but being back home played a major role as well.

Because that was what Hamilton House, and Shifter Grove were. Home. Where his forefathers had lived, loved, and died and where the Hamilton clan had risen and fallen and then risen again. It was the only place he could truly be at peace, and he cursed himself for taking so long to see it. But it was the end result that mattered.

In the very back, he could spy the sunken blue eyes of Sear Hassleback. He stood away from the others, dressed in a neat black suit, his arms folded behind his back. His jaw was set hard and the circles under his eyes told Rhodes that he had not been sleeping much. Rhodes wasn’t surprised. He couldn’t imagine what Sear was going through. Still, the faint nod and the inkling of a smile Sear gave him as Rhodes passed by made him hope that maybe he’d be okay.

After the fire, it wasn’t hard to trace most of them back to Slade and only Slade. Sear had done everything he could to aid the investigation, though anyone with two eyes could see that it was killing him to admit that his brother had been an arsonist and come very close to murdering people more than once.

Though Kali had witnessed the whole thing, and Diesel, the town sheriff, was no fool, they hadn’t pressed charges against Sear. He did what had to be done. Not unlike Rhodes had all those years ago.

The issues with Hamilton House weren’t entirely set in stone yet, but they were well on their way. With Tiana’s pregnancy, already showing as it was, and their nuptials, they would only have one missing piece of the puzzle. Looking at the, ahem, virile bunch of bears carrying the Hamilton name, Rhodes seriously doubted they’d break the two cubs rule. Hamilton House was as good as theirs.

The troubled thoughts were brushed away easily as the Hamilton brothers took their places and turned their expectant gazes behind them. The music started—Battle having revealed a surprising affinity for the guitar and agreeing to play—and the Hamilton brides came into view.

Rhodes gasped right along with everyone else. Tiana walked down first, her chocolate skin absolutely gorgeous against the ivory tones of her dress, a big number that billowed out in lush waves from her hips. She looked like the most delicious cupcake, and somehow Royce thought this was intentional.

“You’ll be all right, Rhodes. You caught a good one,” she whispered as she stopped in front of him for a moment, giving him a kiss on the cheek before moving on down the row of grooms until reaching Royce.

The look on Royce’s face was equal parts mystification and adoration. Rhodes smirked, shaking his head. Who would have thought that the four estranged brothers would come together like this, watched from up above by Uncle Herbert Hamilton himself, and their parents, getting married in Shifter Grove. It boggled his mind, but in a good way.

Rose was next. Elegant as ever, she had a form-fitting long white dress with a modest train, slinking around her lush curves in brilliant white, making her long blonde locks look all the more radiant. There was a smile so wide on her face that she seemed to put everyone else to shame. Rhodes wiped away something in his eye that could have been a tear as she literally skipped into Redmond’s arms, both of them giddy with excitement.

Then there was Abigail, the woman he’d only seen in jeans and overalls, covered head to toe in grease and oil and loving every second of it. Her dress was off the shoulder, sweeping around her body in tight folds until it blew out in a mermaid tail marked with little beads that glittered in the sunlight. She had a long veil and white flowers in her dark, unruly curls of hair. Ragnar wasn’t the only one doing a double take. The town mechanic cleaned up
nice
.

And then, the moment that made Rhodes’s stomach churn. His very own princess. She wore a classical wedding dress with a touch of vintage charm to it, creamy white with a lace bodice and a sweetheart neckline. It flowed out over her hips and she wore gloves. Kali’s hair was put up in a modest but classy bun, pearls shimmering in it. And she wore the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen.

His knees buckled and it took honest effort to keep himself from running down the aisle, picking her up, and just carrying her off somewhere to have her all for himself. His throat went dry and every step she took, her mesmerizing green eyes on him, felt like another step toward happiness. He was the happiest man there. Just like every other Hamilton bear standing beside him.

Kali slipped the bouquet of wildflowers into her other hand as she came up to Rhodes and he took her delicate hand in his, his heart beating so loudly he was surprised anyone could hear anything but that.

“You’re beautiful,” he rasped, clearing his voice. Dammit, she’d taken his heart and now she took his voice too. Fine, she could have it. She could have all of him.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Kali grinned, winking at him.

“So, you want to make a run for it?” he asked in a low whisper as they took their places and Warren started conducting the ceremony—something he had gotten quite adept at lately.

“I don’t think I’m in any condition to run, baby,” she said with a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Rhodes asked, frowning.

“I hear pregnant women aren’t supposed to overexert themselves. I’ll drag you out of another fire if you need me to, but no running!”

The grin she wore was so damn mischievous. With a growl in his throat, Rhodes leaned into her and kissed her hard on the mouth, drawing a round of laughter.

“Rhodes, wait your damn turn,” Ragnar laughed.

“You better move this along real fast, Warren. I won’t be held accountable for what I do,” Rhodes said, no malice in his voice as he let Kali go, smiling at her like the biggest fool in the world.

New beginnings, all right. Rhodes had a feeling that things would be more than just all right for him and the rest of the Hamilton clan from now on.

Looking to read up on the Shifter Grove natives mentioned in this book? Check out the Shifter Grove series on Amazon!

Sassy Shifter Brides

Shifter Grove Brides

Join Anya’s newsletter to be the first one to hear about new releases, catch sneak peeks and receive advanced reader’s copies if you want to read the books before anyone else does!

Newsletter Signup Form
 

WANT MORE?

Montana Wild Bears: Books 1-4 Bundle

Want to read more about Ryder and his struggle as an Alpha?

Strong, scorching-hot werebear Alphas and their sassy, curvy mates - could it get any steamier?! 
 

The Montana Wild Bears series follows two werebear clans during the most difficult conflict of their lives, sparing nothing and no one in it's path. How can these determined, powerful Alphas keep their clans safe while also finding their fated mates? And will their mates allow them into their hearts, even when all odds stand against them? 
 

Find out in these hot stand-alone books, each following one Alpha couple through the war between the clans. Expect some twists and turns and plenty of steam! 
If you want your shifters hard, loving and dripping with testosterone and your heroines capable, smart and saucy, this might be just the boxed set for you! 
 

The anthology includes the following books: 
Find Her Bear - Book 1
 
Wanting Her Bear - Book 2
 
Saving Her Bear - Book 3
 
Needing Her Bear - Book 4