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  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Ryzard)

  Hope Valley Dating App Romances Book 9

  Ariana Hawkes

  Contents

  Note from the author

  Also by Ariana Hawkes

  Get your free book!

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Ryzard)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes

  Also by Ariana Hawkes

  Bonus story: Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Your free book is waiting!

  About the Author

  Copyright ©2016 by Ariana Hawkes

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events and businesses is purely coincidental.

  This is a standalone, 34,000-word HEA romance, perfect for a lunch break, bath time, or a little dose of me-time, wherever you are!

  Created with Vellum

  Note from the author

  Hi there! The long awaited standalone release of Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Ryzard) is here!

  This story is inspired by the short story which was featured in the Shifters In The Spring boxed set in early 2016 - but this book is a new, much lengthened version of it, and is only loosely based on the boxed set story. It is 34,000 words - twice the length of the short story.

  I’ve also included a free bonus book for you. It’s Bare Knuckle Bear, the second instalment in my Broken Hill Bears series.

  Please note: The main story finishes at about 60% because a free bonus story follows. So don’t be confused - the main book is a novella of 34,000 words.

  Yours,

  Ariana

  ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES

  Shiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard)

  Broken Hill Bears

  Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)

  Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)

  Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears Book 3)

  Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack

  Get your free book!

  A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.

  The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…

  “This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”

  Get your free book now!

  (If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Ryzard)

  1

  “And then there were five,” Niall said, looking at each of the other four unmated bears in the Hope Valley clan in turn. Dalton, Frankie, Olsen and Ryzard were sitting in his backyard having a single guys’ barbecue. They’d just heard that their clan mate, Timo, had found his mate during the charity strip-show tour that they’d all participated in, and despite all the beer and the delicious meat they’d eaten, their spirits were low.

  “Here’s to Timo,” Dalton said, holding his beer up, and the other bears listlessly clinked their bottles against his.

  “Timo. The lucky bastard who got mated, even though all the rest of us got our dicks out on stage night after night,” Olsen said loudly. He was already past tipsy and well on the road to getting drunk.

  “Come on,” Dalton said calmly. “No-one deserves to find a mate more than Timo. He’s been looking for so long, and he was starting to think that it was never going to happen. Raven’s an amazing woman too.” Olsen snorted.

  “Whatever. I wish him happiness. But you know what this means for us?”

  “It means that us single bears are no longer a majority,” Ryzard said.

  “Right. And Connor’s going to be on our asses to get mated.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Niall said.

  “A bear’s got the right to stay single if he wants. He shouldn’t be pressured to get mated just because everybody else is doing it,” Ryzard cut in.

  “Everyone wants a mate,” Dalton said. “It’s the most natural thing for a shifter to do – get a mate, have cubs, live a happy family life.”

  “Not this one,” Ryzard snarled.

  “Why not? When you see the other guys with their mates and cubs, doesn’t it make you yearn for that for yourself?”

  “The only thing I yearn for is beer, meat and sleep,” Ryzard said.

  “I know that’s not true. You used to love hooking up with women a couple of years back.”

  “Yeah, past tense.”

  “So what changed?” Niall said. Ryzard glared at him. He was looking at him curiously, like a shrink observing a patient or something. He couldn’t stand it.

  “Nothing changed!” he roared.

  “C’mon, Ryzard. One day you can’t keep it in your pants, and the next, you’re living like a monk. What is it?”

  Ryzard leapt to his feet, and his body hunched and expanded, his muscles bulging. He was on the point of an uncontrolled shift and would soon bust right out of his new jeans.

  “I said nothing changed! Stick your nose out of where it don’t belong!”

  A weaker bear would’ve backed down, but Niall’s calm demeanor often concealed an indomitable spirit. He leapt to his feet too and glared back at Ryzard, whose eyes were bulging in their sockets with the effort of restraining his bear.

  “I’m trying to help you, you moron! Are you really challenging me?” he bellowed. In answer, Ryzard ripped his shirt off and yanked down the zipper of his jeans. Just as they hit the floor, his bear b
urst out of him, huge, fierce, and spoiling for a fight. With a grunt of dismay, Niall followed him, stripping adeptly and letting his bear take over his body more gracefully.

  When Niall stood before him, Ryzard quaked. He’d never fought Niall before, and he’d forgotten how big and intimidating he could be. He wanted to tell him it was okay, he’d been rash and dumb. He knew Niall was trying to help him. But it was too late, a cuff from Niall’s huge paw sent him sprawling to the ground. Blood rushed in his ears, and his bear took charge, springing to his feet and launching himself at Niall.

  They rolled over and over as claws tore at flesh and teeth nipped at folds of skin. Ryzard wasn’t fighting Niall. He was fighting his own stupidity and stubbornness and the ugly legacy his father had given him. So he fought hard, forgetting that it was his friend he was injuring.

  At first, Niall held back, didn’t give him his full might. But as Ryzard became more and more vicious, he responded in kind, and soon their blood flowed, and the sweet, metallic stench of it was thick in the air.

  As hard as Ryzard tried, Niall was just that bit stronger than him and put his patient nature to good effect, waiting until there was a good opportunity to attack, instead of going in wildly, claws flying. Soon, Ryzard was breathless, and drops of blood fell in his eyes, stinging and blinding him. Niall swiped him hard with his claw, knocking him onto his back. Ryzard shook his head violently, trying to clear his vision, but as his head twisted to the side, Niall was on his neck, seizing it between his jaws. Ryzard felt teeth breaking through his flesh and closing on his windpipe. He scrabbled, trying to rake his claws down Niall’s sides hard enough to force him to let go. But his airway was restricted, and his vision started to go black. He panicked and at last he went limp, signifying his defeat to the other bear.

  Niall released him and they pulled apart, breathing hard. Waves of shame washed over Ryzard as they both shifted and stood stock still, looking down at themselves, surveying the damage. They were both bleeding from a couple of dozen gashes, and their torsos and thighs were streaked with blood. Ryzard glanced at his discarded clothes. He was too bloodied to think of putting them on. The blood would cake and they’d cling to him. Niall shrugged and took his seat again, picking up a fresh beer. Ryzard sheepishly took his seat as well.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Dalton snapped.

  “I didn’t mean to be so aggressive,” Ryzard mumbled. “You all just pushed my buttons.”

  “And what buttons are these?” Niall said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Nothing in particular.”

  “Come on. You’re always beating yourself up,” Dalton said. “You used to hook up with a ton of humans. And then you stopped. What happened?”

  “Nothing happened. I just lost the appetite for it.”

  “You can tell us, we’re your clan.” Ryzard shook his head. He absolutely couldn’t tell them. Because if he told them, his life would be over. He’d get kicked out of the clan – or worse. According to shifter law, any shifter had the right – no, the duty – to put him down if they discovered what he’d done. And as close and supportive as his clan was, he didn’t doubt that at least one of his clan mates would take that task very seriously. Goose flesh prickled on his forearms at the thought. He could hardly stand to think of that terrible night when everything had changed for him. Because the ugly truth was that he’d once been so drunk when he’d hooked up with a girl that he’d passed out, woken up a little later, and completely forgotten that she was there on the bed next to him. He couldn’t sleep, so he decided to go for a run in the woods. But he shifted right in front of her and she saw him. She completely freaked out. So did he. He told her that he was capable of sniffing out every single member of her family and hunting them down if she ever mentioned it to anyone. She promised to keep it a secret, and looked terrified enough that he believed she would.

  And then he gave up his womanizing ways. He didn’t drink scotch any more. And when he was away on long lonely trips, as a long-distance timber trucker, he didn’t go to bars and pick up women. He slept in his cabin, alone.

  He wasn’t mate material; he knew it. He was just like his dad, who hadn’t been around much when he was a kid. Too busy getting drunk to take care of his family. And when he was around, he beat on him, leaving him with scars that had never healed.

  No, instead, he was going to live a celibate life of eating, sleeping and helping the clan out. He was smart enough to know that he was lucky to have the clan he did. That was, if he didn’t ruin it through aggressive outbursts.

  “Ryzard? Are you on another planet?” Dalton was saying from far away.

  “Huh?” Ryzard snapped out of his ruminations.

  “I was just figuring out that you’re the only one who isn’t on Shiftr.”

  “Yeah. It’s not for me,” Ryzard said immediately, repeating a sentence he’d said many times before.

  “Connor wants us all to make an effort to find our mate. He doesn’t ask us for much, and he carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Can you not do this one thing to show you’re making an effort?” Niall demanded, fixing him with a hard stare. Ryzard flinched under his scrutiny, very aware of the blood drying all over his body, and the gashes he’d inflicted on Niall’s torso. Why am I such an asshole sometimes? he thought.

  “Okay. Sure. I’ll sign up to the app. I guess it’s not going to kill me,” he said. He stared at the ground. He’d play along, if that’s what they wanted. Make out he was trying, until they’d gotten tired of seeing him fail, and let him alone again. Because he knew that even if he made an effort, it was pointless. There was no woman out there for him. He was too screwed up. His genes were bad. There was no way he’d find those 80, 90, 100% matches that the other guys had been getting. He’d be lucky if he even found a woman who was half compatible with him.

  “Now!” Niall bellowed. Ryzard jumped.

  “Okay. I’m doing it!” he shouted back, and got to his feet to retrieve his phone from the back pocket of his jeans. “Show me how this damn thing works,” he said gruffly, thrusting it at Dalton.

  “With some fucking manners!”

  “Sorry. Please, Dalton, if you have a moment or two, could you install this fine app for me on my phone, and show me how I add my profile?”

  “You’re on thin ice, buddy,” Dalton said, glugging a swig of his beer before snatching the phone and tapping away at the screen.

  He handed it back a few moments later.

  “Here you go. You need to add some photos now.” Ryzard grunted and began snapping selfies. The other bears watched him with amusement, and when they saw the results, they roared with laughter.

  “I guess some girls will go for the moody look,” Olsen said, cackling. “But, bro, seriously. Number one, you’re covered in dried blood. And number two, you’re not exactly leaving anything to the imagination, are you?” Ryzard scowled.

  “What’s the issue with me being naked? If a woman’s got a problem with seeing everything I’ve got, she’s not the one I’m looking for.”

  “It’s one thing not being a prude, and another looking like you’re the centerfold for a porno mag. A porno mag that features dudes who have just had the crap kicked out of them.” Ryzard’s bear roared and he bristled.

  “There’s nothing in that photo that suggests I came off worse,” he hissed.

  “Ryzard, go and have a shower and wash that blood off. And put your pants on,” Dalton said. Ryzard pushed on the arms of his chair and sulkily got to his feet.

  “In there.” Niall jerked his thumb towards his cabin.

  “Yeah,” Ryzard mumbled and stalked inside.

  “He’s out of control,” Niall muttered when he was out of earshot.

  “He’s got some issues, that’s for sure,” Dalton said. “Issues which, ironically enough, might be solved by having a mate.”

  “Pass me his phone,” Frankie said, emerging from a long silence. He hated conflict, and had stayed out of the conversation
so far.

  “What for?” Niall said, handing it to him.

  “I’m going to fill out the personality section for him. He’ll stuff it up if he does it himself.” He started to tap away, then looked up, feeling the weight of Niall’s gaze on him. “Come on, the sooner he’s mated, the happier everyone’s going to be.” Niall sighed.

  “I know. You’ve got a point. I just want to see some effort from him. Connor would flip out if he knew what’s been going on today. Being in the clan isn’t a right. It’s a privilege, and Ryzard needs to remember that.”

  “I think he’ll settle when he feels more grounded, you know?” Frankie said and went back to typing.

  “So, I’ll tell you what I’m writing. Let me know if you disagree with any of it. Interests: food and drink, watching sports. Wood carving. Looking for –” Frankie paused and looked up at the sky for inspiration. “What is Ryzard looking for?”

  “Someone very tolerant,” Niall said.

  “No, I think he needs someone who can kick his ass,” Dalton said. Frankie laughed.

  “How do I even put that into words?”

  At last, Ryzard returned, dripping wet and leaving a trail of water behind him. His gashes were already closing up, healing fast, as shifter injuries always did.

  “I’ll drip dry before I get my clothes on again,” he said, settling back into his recliner.

  “Why didn’t you use a towel?” Niall demanded.

  “I didn’t want to take one without permission,” he replied. Niall shook his head. Ryzard had some pretty curious ideas about right and wrong.

  “Take a look at this,” Frankie said, handing him his phone once he’d pulled his pants back on. The bears held their breath while Ryzard scanned his profile, wondering if there was going to be another outburst. At last, he shook his head slowly from side to side.