The Horse Shifter's Mate: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 2)

by Harmony Raines

  “We’re lucky women. We have met a couple of keepers. Which is a good thing, since we have to keep you.” She slowed down and stopped outside a dark driveway that led to a house half-hidden by overhanging trees. “This is it?”

  “It sure is.” Logan looked around. “There’s nowhere to leave the car out here. Let’s drive to the house and see what happens.”

  “See what happens?” Helena looked concerned. “Under normal circumstances, I would not have a problem with that. But here in Wishing Moon Bay, it kind of scares me.”

  “Don’t worry, if Detective Renshaw was in the police force, whatever might happen won’t be permanent.” Dario chuckled as Helena’s horror grew. “I’m joking. He’s not going to turn us into anything unnatural.”

  She slapped his arm lightly. “Well, don’t joke. Not about something like that.”

  Penny sighed and drove the car along the darkened driveway, the last remaining sunlight obscured by the overhanging trees. “He’s not a vampire, is he?”

  “I doubt it, investigating crime would be difficult if you could only go out at night.” Logan put his hand on the door, ready to open it as the car came to a halt.

  “I was joking,” Penny said. “But now you have me worried.”

  “Sorry, I was never very good at reading people’s sense of humor.” He popped the door open and got out. No sooner had Dario and Helena gotten out of the car when the front door of the stone-built house opened.

  “What do you want?” The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway, his back straight as he called out to them.

  “I’m Dario, and this is Logan, we’re Valerie’s children, from the hotel.” That sounded ridiculous since they were no longer children. “We’re here with Penny and Helena, Oscar and Amanda Olsen’s daughters. We wondered if you could spare us a few minutes of your time. We wanted to talk to you about Oscar’s murder. Penny and Helena are trying to find out all they can about their father’s murder. I understand...”

  “Is this a joke?” came back the reply.

  “No. It’s not a joke.” Helena stepped forward. “We had no idea who our father was until yesterday. Penny found a photograph of our mom and dad together. And I met with a man who told me his father had been murdered by the same man who murdered our father.”

  “What?” The silhouette sagged forward. “Who told you that?”

  “We were hoping you might be able to tell us more.” Penny came around the car and went to join her sister. “Please.”

  “You’d better come in.” He beckoned to them and they looked at each other, a silent agreement before they headed toward the house.

  “Thank you.” Helena was the first to step inside, followed by Penny. Detective Renshaw stood back, looking at them each in turn as he held the door for them. Dario entered last, aware of Detective Renshaw checking outside before he closed the door and locked it behind them.

  “I don’t know what help I will be,” Detective Renshaw confessed. “I never found out who killed your father.” He directed them into a living room. “Please, sit down, I’ll get some coffee.” He stared at Penny and Helena. “Although I might need something a little stronger.”

  “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” Dario noted the man’s pale complexion and the way he kept looking at the two women.

  “In a way, it feels as if I have. Two ghosts. I never expected you to be here in Wishing Moon Bay.” He backed out of the room, but Helena followed.

  “Why do you say that?” She stood in the kitchen waiting for his answer as he put a fresh pot of coffee on.

  “When your mother left town, she said she would never bring you back here. She didn’t want you to know what happened to your father. She didn’t want you coming back here and digging up the past.” He came back to the living room, his face ashen. “Is she here, too?”

  “Mom died a few years back. She never did tell us anything about living here, or our father. Until Penny saw the photo of them together, we didn’t know who he was and that we had a connection to the town.”

  “But the town wants us to know.” Penny came to Helena’s side. “I was driving past when my car broke down. There was a wrench in my engine that shouldn’t have been there. If the wrench hadn’t made my engine stall, I would never have found the town or met Logan.”

  “Logan is your mate. The town does like to connect two people. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe not. We’ll never know.” Detective Renshaw glanced at Helena. “And you followed your sister here?”

  “Yes. Because a man came into my life.”

  “Your mate.” He pointed at Dario. “That’s some coincidence in itself. Two sisters finding love with two adopted brothers.”

  “Dario is not the reason I am here.” Helena paused. “Well, he sort of is. He did rear up in front of my car and that’s when the road to town appeared. But the real reason I was coming here is because a man bumped into me in the street. This is the man who swears the same man murdered my father, and his father. Do you have any idea if that’s true?”

  “There was no other murder connected with your father’s. I’m sorry, I don’t know who this man is, but I believe he’s lying to you.” Detective Renshaw’s pity was evident, along with his sincerity.

  “Did you have any suspects for my father’s murder?” Penny asked. “We might find a link.”

  “You don’t think I have spent my career trying to piece the clues together? Even when the case was officially closed, I worked on it in my own time.” His eyes misted with tears. “I knew your parents, they were good people.” He chuckled. “His sweets and candies always made people laugh. They were delicious, too. The flavors were so good.”

  “Why don’t we remember?” Helena asked. “And why don’t people remember us? We were here at the time of the murders, weren’t we? We were living in Wishing Moon Bay. Or did our mom change the dates and years of our births?”

  “You were here at the time,” Detective Renshaw confirmed.

  “Then why?” Penny threaded her fingers through her sister’s. They looked young and vulnerable as they stood side by side waiting to hear what the old man had to say.

  “Because it was the only way to keep you both safe. Even though your mom was in terrible shock, she knew she had to keep you out of danger. It’s what your father would have wanted.”

  “You think our father would want us to forget him?” Helena shook her head, her brows knitted together. “Why would a father want his daughters to forget he even existed?”

  “Because it would be easier...” Detective Renshaw scratched his forehead. “I don’t know how to tell you... How to explain to you...”

  “Did a vampire do this?” Dario couldn’t bear to see his mate in such pain. The truth might hurt but it had to be better than living with the unknown.

  “A vampire killed our father?” The blood drained from Helena’s face. “Was Dad drained of blood by a vampire?”

  “No!” Detective Renshaw held up his hand to calm the situation. “A vampire was not responsible for your father’s death. But yes, your mom did ask a vampire to glamor you both.”

  “Glamor us both?” Penny’s eyes widened. “A vampire messed with our heads.” Her hands clenched into fists. “Well, he can just unmess with them.”

  “Do you have the name of the vampire who did this?” Logan asked gruffly.

  “You need to give this some serious thought before making a decision. Your mom wanted you to forget for a reason.” Detective Renshaw’s pained expression was a warning but not one Penny and Helena were ready to head.

  “Our whole lives have been built on lies. On a cover-up.” Helena grasped Penny’s hand tightly. “It’s time we knew the truth.”

  “You might not like what you find,” Detective Renshaw warned but his shoulders rolled forward, he knew he was beaten.

  “I want to know who my dad was. The man that made sweets and candies that made people laugh. I deserve to remember his face. He deserves to be remembered.” Helena’s brea
th shuddered through her. “Will you please tell us who took our memories?”

  “Your memories were never taken. They were simply covered up as if a door was shut on them.” Detective Renshaw went to the kitchen and poured five cups of coffee, while they waited in the living room.

  When Helena went to follow him, Dario caught hold of her arm and shook his head. “Give him space.”

  She nodded, her lips pressed together as he turned from him.

  I only hope that when Helena and Penny do get their memories back, there won’t be a part of them that’s missing. Some things might be best left forgotten. His horse hung his head in sorrow.

  We need to be strong. We need to be there for Penny and Helena. Together, we can come through this and move on.

  They had to. Anything less was unthinkable.

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Helena

  “Do you know where he’s taking us?” Helena asked Dario as Penny followed the headlights of Detective Renshaw’s car.

  “No.” Dario’s jaw tensed. “There are a few vampires who live in Wishing Moon Bay, but there’s a settlement a couple of miles along the coast where most of the vampires who come here settle.”

  “It’s not just Wishing Moon Bay? I mean there’s more than the town here. I know you said the dragons lived across the ocean, but I didn’t realize there was more.” She swallowed down her nerves. Were they making the right decision? Until Detective Renshaw agreed to take them to see the vampire who had taken their memories, it had seemed like the only decision. She wanted to remember her father. She wanted to recall hugging him and talking to him and playing with him.

  Yet there was a sense of dread building inside of her. Detective Renshaw was adamant her mother had made the decision to protect them. Was this the ultimate betrayal? After a lifetime of blaming their mom for not being there for them, for not being the mother she wanted or needed, Helena was about to undo the one thing their mom wanted left alone.

  Their mom might not have been there for them when they thought they needed her, but it seems she had been there when they had needed her the most. Helena was beginning to believe that their mom had sacrificed her own happiness, her own future, for her daughters.

  “Penny, are we sure?” Helena asked the question burning a hole in her head.

  “Sure about going to see a vampire?” Penny glanced at her sister in the rearview mirror.

  “About going to see a vampire who can unlock our memories.” Helena held Penny’s glance before she switched her eyes back to the road ahead and the car they were following.

  “We need to know,” Penny said firmly. “It’s the only way we can ever know we’re safe.”

  “I agree.” Logan half turned in his seat. “If you can recall what happened, if you can remember the events around the time of your father’s death then you might be able to shed light on what happened. As a child, you might both have been questioned by the police. But you didn’t have the knowledge you do now to put things together.” He linked his fingers together. “As an adult, you would see how things were linked, a conversation here, a meeting there. You might have seen your father’s killer before that day and with your memories restored and the information Detective Renshaw has on the case, it might be possible to bring your father’s killer to justice.”

  “Or the memories might be so painful it would be better if they were left in the past, if they remained forgotten.” Dario sighed and reached for Helena’s hand. “There is no right or wrong action here. Whichever fork in the road you take leads you down a different path. Your choice is one you have to live with. But Logan and I will live with it, too, and help you in whatever way we can.”

  “I want to know who I am,” Helena finally answered. “Growing up, it was as if there was a part of me missing. Now I know it’s true.”

  “I agree.” Penny steered the car off the road and followed the detective down a long driveway with tall trees standing sentry on either side.

  “So this is the vampire who took your memories,” Logan breathed out the words in a hushed, revered tone.

  “He didn’t take them, remember.” Helena figured it was a good thing to keep reminding themselves that this vampire was not their enemy.

  “You’re right, he simply buried them deep down, so far down we can’t access them,” Penny said curtly.

  “Because Mom asked him to.”

  “Or paid him a lot of money.” Penny ducked her head and looked out of the front windshield. “Because looking at this house, the vampire who lives here must have a lot of money. And where better to earn it than preying on widows who want to protect their children.”

  “I think we should keep our thoughts on vampire morals to ourselves,” Dario suggested. “If you want this guy to reverse what he did then we’re going to need him to take pity on you.”

  “You want us to play up being sad orphans?” Helena asked.

  “I think that’s going to get the best reaction from him.” Dario opened the car door and got out as Penny pulled up next to Detective Renshaw’s car. He was immediately on alert, his nostrils flared.

  “Maybe you are the one who needs to relax,” she told her mate. “You’re all prickly.”

  “Sorry.” Dario rubbed the back of his neck and breathed out a long slow breath. “Vampires give me the shivers.”

  “Really? I thought nothing frightened you.” Logan got out of the car and stood looking up at the large house. It was like a mansion out of gothic horror.

  “I didn’t say I was afraid,” Dario replied defensively. “But if there was anything I was afraid of, it would be a vampire. They’re not as easy to fight as another shifter. There’s no talisman or ward you can wear to keep them away. The only defense against them is not inviting them into your house. But in this case, it’s us making the house call.”

  “Relax,” Detective Renshaw said as he slammed his car door shut and came to join them. “Silas Langdon is a good man.”

  “Okay, first, he’s not a man, he’s a vampire,” Dario pointed out.

  “He’s different, yes. But only in the same way that you are different. You might be a shifter, but are you not still a man?” Detective Renshaw’s eyes flashed in the moonlight.

  “I’m alive, it’s different.” Dario shook his head. “We’re not here to argue about the small stuff. Helena and Penny want answers and you brought us here, so let’s have them.”

  “It might not be that easy.” Detective Renshaw didn’t elaborate as he walked toward the stone steps leading to an ornate front door. Grasping the large brass door knocker in his fist, he banged on the door.

  “Enough to wake the dead,” Logan muttered.

  “He’s awake at this time of night anyway.” Detective Renshaw glanced over his shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Absolutely,” Helena said with more conviction than she felt.

  “Then get ready to bargain,” Detective Renshaw warned. “Silas did this for your mother and gave his word that he would never break his promise to her. His word is his bond. Silas does not make promises lightly and he never breaks them.”

  “Great. So this is pointless.” Helena clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. The urge to turn around and run back to the car and drive far away was almost too much. But she stood her ground along with her sister, Logan, and Dario. This was the right thing to do, she knew it in her gut.

  “There has to be something we can give him to make him unglamor us.” Penny’s face looked pale as she stared at the door.

  “Maybe he’s not at home.” Logan sounded hopeful, but then he stiffened. “Someone is coming.”

  “I always thought if I had shifter senses, my job would have been a whole lot easier,” Detective Renshaw said as he stared at the front door.

  The door opened a crack and a sliver of light spilled out onto the stone steps. “Can I help you?”

  “Colton. It’s me, Detective Renshaw.”

  “Detective, it’s been a while. A lon
g while. I take it this is not a social call.” The door opened wider, a man in a suit with gray hair slicked back on his head stood in the light from inside the house, his features hidden in shadow. “You are not alone.” Suspicion entered his voice, and he closed the door an inch.

  “Would you please ask Silas if he’d see us?” Detective Renshaw’s voice wavered. “Tell him that the Olsen sisters would like to speak to him.”

  The old man with gray hair stared at Helena and Penny without a hint of emotion. “My master doesn’t like uninvited guests.”

  “My guess is he’ll want to see Penny and Helena. If not, we’ll just leave.” Detective Renshaw leaned closer. “I don’t think it’s your decision to make, do you, old friend?”

  “No, it’s not. But it’s me who will have to put up with his bad mood.” With that, the guy closed the door and left them standing outside in the cold.

  “Is that it?” Penny asked.

  “No, Colton has gone to ask Silas if he wants to see us. To see you.” Detective Renshaw turned to face them. “If he says no, we leave. No questions, no arguments.”

  “Just like that, you expect us to walk away with no answers?” Helena asked. Now that they were standing on the threshold of having their memories restored, the thought of walking away was almost unthinkable.

  “Yes. I do. Silas is not a man you mess with.”

  “Not a man,” Logan reminded them.

  “Don’t start that again,” Detective Renshaw rebuked.

  “Sorry.” Logan paced around in a small circle. “Vampires have always made me nervous.”

  “Don’t vampires and wolves have some kind of history?” Penny asked. “In movies and TV shows, werewolves and vampires are often mortal enemies. Not that I’m calling you a werewolf or anything.”

  “Vampires and most other creatures, supernatural and otherwise, have a history.” Dario rolled his shoulders and stared at the front door as if ready for any sudden movement. “They’re dead, after all. While the rest of the world is alive.”

  “He’s coming back.” Logan sniffed the air and strode toward Penny, positioning himself by her side, ready to defend his mate.