Bear The Blaze (Firebear Brides 3) by Anya Nowlan

attitude that Ragnar remembered.
    Putting aside any awkwardness, Ragnar pulled Rhodes into a tight bear hug, holding on for a while. He’d always been closest to Rhodes, and for good reason. They both had that darkness in them that Redmond and Royce didn’t. They were younger, yes, but Ragnar always felt like he aged far faster than his older brothers. He knew it was even worse with Rhodes, the adrenaline junkie who never stayed in one place too long.
    “Good to see you, Rhodes,” he said softly, moments before Royce and Redmond nearly tackled the both of them.
    “How the hell did you know to come? I’ve been searching for you everywhere!” Royce said, smiling broadly when they untangled themselves from the pile of limbs and grins.
    “Ragnar’s little lady got to me. I heard you nitwits can’t handle a little bit of wildfire between the three of you,” Rhodes said, the smile barely reaching his eyes.
    Ragnar noticed it immediately. There was something going on with the youngest Hamilton, even more than usual. He’d have to figure out what, but for now, he was glad that the troublemaker of the family was back in the fold. Where he should be.
    “I wouldn’t say can’t handle,” Redmond started, pulling Rhodes into a conversation. “Perhaps we used it as an excuse to smoke you out, huh?”
    Ragnar turned his attention to Abigail, who’d been watching the exchange with a smile on her lips. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, crushing her against his body. Every time he had her in his arms, he had to fight tooth and nail to keep from ripping her clothes off right then and there.
    “How’d you find him?” he asked, his voice tinged with awe. “He disappeared two years ago and for the life of me, I couldn’t track him down.”
    “I called in a couple of favors,” Abigail said, resting her hands on his chest. “I knew how important it was for you guys to see him. And considering he’s sort of the spitting image of Redmond, it was really easy finding the guy. He was working under a false name in Hawaii. He was a smokejumper there,” she explained, beaming proudly.
    “That sounds like him,” Ragnar agreed, sneaking a glance at Rhodes, who was surrounded by Royce and Redmond.
    It had been far too many years since all four of them were together in the same place. Ragnar could feel his bear’s contentment. The power of a werebear was always strongest around his clan and for once, the Hamiltons stood unified, feeding off of each other’s presence. It felt otherworldly. Or maybe that was just the feeling of having Abigail in his arms.
    “You’re turning into an indispensable asset,” he said with a grin, placing a kiss on her forehead.
    “An asset?” she snorted, punching him lightly in the ribs. “Is that what you call your mate ?”
    “Hmm, we’re in one of those moods, huh? Well then,” Ragnar said, grinning. “I can play that game.”
    “What gam—” Abigail started, but her remark was lost as Ragnar picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, smacking her ass with one hand.
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Ragnar?!” Abigail laughed, clinging to his shoulders.
    “I’m carrying my mate into our home so I can fuck her senseless. Why?” he asked dryly, grinning to himself.
    “Oh, just curious,” Abigail said, putting her elbows on his back and letting him carry her without further objections.
    It wasn’t lost on Ragnar that their life was all sorts of crazy. There was an arsonist on the loose and Uncle Herbert’s will demanded four weddings and two babies. On top of it all, Ragnar’s youngest brother had shown up with clearly more baggage than could be handled with a quick chat, and Ragnar himself had recently admitted to a past that most of his family hadn’t even known about. There was a lot to untangle, but with Abigail in his arms, Ragnar was ready for anything.
    Nothing would stand in the way of their happiness. He’d guarantee