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

by Harmony Raines

  She nodded. “I want to remember, but not the...details. Can you do that?”

  Silas chuckled. “I have the hands of a brain surgeon. I can cut out just the right parts. And it won’t hurt a bit.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – Helena

  “What did I miss?” Detective Renshaw ran into the alleyway and slid to a halt as Rufus walked past him. His eyes widened and he stared at the man before looking up at Silas for confirmation.

  Silas inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. “That is Rufus Mumford.”

  “Rufus,” Detective Renshaw ground out.

  “Oscar, why don’t you follow Rufus home? I’d like to know where he lives so we can find him again if we need to. I’ll catch you up.”

  Helena put her hand to her temple. “Is that it? Is it done?”

  “It is.” Silas brushed the tips of his cold fingers over her temples. “Don’t try to force your way in there. Normally I would take away any knowledge of the event that’s locked away. With you, I have left as much intact as I can.” He smiled sadly and curled a tendril of her hair around his finger. “You look so much like your mom.”

  Helena reached up and held his hand, it was so cold, but she didn’t share Dario’s fear of vampires. Even though she probably should. “Thank you. For everything. I know when my mom came to you, she was hurt, and you did what you thought was right.”

  His strange eyes narrowed as he stared into her face. “It was right, Helena. You and Penny grew up in safety. You grew up without the nightmares that would have haunted you every night. A child should never see their parent murdered before their eyes.”

  “In a way, my mom sacrificed her own sanity for mine, didn’t she?” A tear trickled down her cheek and he brushed it away.

  “She loved you both so very much. You were a happy family, never forget that.”

  “It makes what came after much harder.” She inhaled deeply and straightened her shoulders.

  “You have her strength.” He stepped away from her. “I look forward to seeing you in Wishing Moon Bay. You and Penny. I’d very much like to get to know Milo. You are staying, aren’t you?”

  “We are, we talked it over last night, we are thinking of opening a candy store, just like the one Mom and Dad owned.” Her nose wrinkled. “Or do you think that’s a terrible idea?”

  Silas shook his head. “No, I think that is the best idea. It will help you heal.” He glanced toward Dario who had stood back from them. “It’s good to meet you, Dario. I have been watching you and your brothers grow into men.”

  “Really?” Dario asked.

  “When a dragon lives so close, it would be foolish not to.” He smiled a secret smile and then walked away, fading into the shadows as if he’d never been there.

  “Maybe I should have asked him since he’s so interested in us and he loved your parents if he would cancel his fee.” Dario slipped his arms around her shoulders.

  “It would have been rude to ask since he’s done so much for us. And a promise is a promise.”

  “That’s what worries me.” Dario guided them back toward the road.

  She rested her head on his shoulder, she was so tired, even though it was barely six o’clock. “You are so warm.”

  “You’re shivering.” His arm tightened around her. “How do you feel, after...you know?”

  “I feel okay. It’s strange, like when you walk into a room and can’t remember what you were looking for. It’s there but I can’t reach it.” She pushed her awareness into another part of her brain, the part that loved the touch of her mate. Silas’s advice not to push against the barrier keeping her memory sealed echoed through her head.

  “It’s best out of reach, don’t you think?” Dario asked as they reached the road. “Which way? I’m lost in this town of yours.”

  “Not as lost as I am in yours.”

  “Wishing Moon Bay is not my town, Helena. It’s our town. You belong there just as much as I do.”

  “I suppose I do.” She held out her cold hands, the chilly night air creeping into her bones. “But there’s no magic in me. Or Penny. I don’t think our parents had any magic at all.”

  “Not everyone in Wishing Moon Bay does. But your parents belonged there.” He squeezed her and chuckled. “And from what people say, I think your parents did have magic. They made people happy, they made people laugh. And that’s the greatest magic of all.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” She lifted her hand and hailed a cab. “Let’s get back to my apartment.” She looked around. “Do you think Silas and Detective Renshaw will go straight home?”

  “I expect so.” Dario looked up at the sky. “If they travel at night, Silas won’t have to sleep in the trunk.”

  “True.” She slid into the back seat of the cab and leaned back. It was over. Barry, or Rufus, was no longer a threat. She was free to live her life with Dario.

  As the taxi took them back to her apartment, she watched the old familiar places pass by. After living in the same town for years, she no longer felt connected to it. It was as if getting her memories back had severed her ties with the world outside Wishing Moon Bay.

  “Come on, sleepy.” Dario shook her gently awake.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize I’d dozed off.” She scrambled out of the cab and leaned against him as she paid the driver. “Come on, let’s grab the stuff from my car and get inside. I am freezing.”

  Dario helped her to the car and grabbed their luggage from the trunk. Carrying their bags in one hand, he wrapped his right arm around her and helped her into the building. Her legs were leaden as she walked to the elevator. All she wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

  The last couple of days had zapped her energy, her legs ached from the long ride across country and she felt emotionally drained from the new memories she was processing. It all caught up with her as she stumbled into her familiar apartment.

  “Okay, I’ve got you.” Dario dropped the bags on the floor and scooped her up in his arms.

  “I feel like such a fool,” she told him as she buried her head in his neck.

  “There is nothing foolish about admitting you are done in. It’s like that door in your head, if you fight it, it’s just going to hurt more. You’re safe here, I’ll make you something to eat and get you some tea while you rest.” He kissed the top of her head as he settled her down on the bed.

  “Thank you.” She kicked off her shoes and took off her coat before pulling the covers over her. “My mom used to take care of me when I was sick.” She smiled. “I used to like being ill because she would sit by the side of my bed and watch over me. She always looked so peaceful. So serene.”

  “She loved you. You know that.” The bed dipped as Dario sat on the mattress.

  “I do. I always did.” She brushed a tear from her cheek. “I wonder if somewhere in my subconscious I recalled what she was like before we left Wishing Moon Bay, before Dad... I wonder if somewhere deep down I knew she’d changed and just wanted her back as she was before.”

  “Honey, let it go.” He leaned forward and cupped her chin in his hand. “I spent so much time going around and around in circles in my head over what-ifs. Don’t torture yourself over it. What happened, happened. Your mom did her best and so did you. It’s the past, let it go.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her lips. Helena slipped her hands around his neck and pulled him down onto the bed beside her.

  “I can let the past go, but I can’t let you go. Not ever.”

  Dario lifted his legs off the floor and kicked off his shoes before sliding beneath the covers. “I’m here for you for eternity. You won my heart and soul.”

  “Unless a certain vampire wants them as his own.” She pushed his jacket off his shoulders.

  “Not even a vampire could steal them away from you.” He sat up and peeled his sweater and shirt off, casting them aside.

  “All of a sudden I am too hot.” She placed her hand on the mattress and levered herself to a sitting position.
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  “I can help you with that.” He tugged at the hem of her thick sweater and pulled it over her head. Then he nimbly unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. Bowing his head, he pressed his lips to the swell of her breasts. She shivered with desire, curling her fingers in his hair as he unclasped her bra.

  With a sigh, she closed her eyes as he claimed her nipple with his mouth. Rolling his tongue around and around, he teased her, chasing away the remnants of cold in her bones. He was warm, he was life. He was hers.

  Reaching for his belt buckle, she undid it and pushed his jeans down over his hips. He kicked them off and angled his body so he could undo her pants.

  Naked beneath him, she stroked his back, her lips leaving a trail of featherlight kisses along his shoulder as he entered her. He thrust forward, slowly, so slowly, until he had completely penetrated her. Her fingers dug into his flesh as she urged him on. Urged him to make new memories with her, to create a future with her.

  She wanted his children more than anything. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she recalled the moment she made her wish on the beach. As she kissed the golden stone, she wished with all her heart that she would raise a family with Dario, the man who owned her heart.

  Dario pulled out of her and then lunged forward, impaling her on his hard length. Resting his weight on his right elbow, he cupped her left breast in his hand, his thumb brushing the taut bud while he claimed her lips with his.

  Her mate consumed her with his touch. Each new sensation was sweeter than the last as he pushed her to new heights.

  With a groan, he came, his seed pulsing into her. Helena arched her back as her climax hit her and they raced together like two wild horses across a mountain plain.

  “I’ll go make something to eat.” His lips brushed hers and he went to get out of bed, but she pulled him back toward her.

  “Not yet, I like you being next to me.” She snuggled closer. “I’m scared if I close my eyes, when I open them again this will all have been a dream and I’ll be in my lonely apartment with no mate.”

  “I’m not a dream. I’m very real.” He stroked her upper arm with the tips of his fingers. “Our love is very real.” He lowered his head and kissed the top of her left breast. “You can feel me in your heart. Just like I can feel you.”

  “You say the sweetest things.” She stroked his cheek as he raised his head and looked into her eyes. “I love you.”

  “I love you, Helena.” He smiled down at her, his eyes roaming her face as if he were trying to memorize every line, every curve.

  “Let’s eat and sleep, and then tomorrow I’ll pack up some of my stuff and we can go home.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” He slid out of bed and grabbed his clothes. She watched him while he dressed, her eyes growing heavy.

  She placed her hand over her heart. Dario was right, he was in there. He was real. And he was all hers.

  Chapter Thirty – Dario

  “Wait, before you unpack, there’s something we want you to see.” Penny clapped her hands excitedly as Logan came out of the hotel with Milo in his arms.

  “We don’t even get a cup of coffee?” Helena groaned as they were ushered into Penny’s car.

  “You have to see the surprise first,” Milo told her as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward Penny’s car.

  “This had better be good. We’ve spent the morning packing up my apartment and loading the car and then I’ve driven all the way here.” Helena grinned as Milo shook his head at her. “Okay, we give in.”

  “It’s great,” her nephew assured her.

  “Come on, Dario.” Logan beckoned to his brother.

  Logan isn’t one for getting excited about many things. So if he’s excited, it must be good, his horse told him.

  You might be right. Dario stretched his arms above his head. But the thought of getting back into a car isn’t a good one. Not when I was looking forward to something to eat from Ivan’s kitchen.

  Some things are more important than your stomach, his horse reminded him.

  Don’t I know it. His eyes lingered on the excited face of his mate, who had caught Milo’s infectious enthusiasm and was climbing into the back seat of the car next to the child.

  “So, what’s the big surprise?” Dario asked Milo as he climbed into the back of the car.

  “It’s a secret surprise,” Milo told him seriously. “You have to wait until we get there.”

  “And where is there?” Dario asked.

  “Don’t try to trick my son into telling you where we’re going,” Penny warned.

  “I wasn’t,” Dario replied innocently.

  “You were never good at keeping secrets.” Logan chuckled as his mate started the car and drove away from the hotel.

  “That’s because not all secrets are good secrets,” Dario replied. “Just like not all surprises are good surprises.”

  “This is a good one,” Milo said firmly.

  “And I believe you.” Helena put her arm around the boy. “How do you like it here, Milo?”

  “In Wishing Moon Bay?” His eyes lit up, reminding Dario of his brothers when they were that age. Particularly the twins. The two bear shifters, Aiden and Caleb, had come from a cramped apartment in the city. Valerie was told that the person caring for them was not a family member but knew they were bear shifters and planned to sell them to a collector.

  Dario’s horse shuddered. Who would do such a thing? They were just children.

  People can be cruel when there is money involved and I suspect the twins would have fetched a high price. At least they were spared that.

  As far as they were aware, no one knew who their parents were or how they ended up in the apartment. When they were taken away, there were no arrests, the apartment had been empty, aside from the twins, and despite a police stakeout, no one returned to the scene. The police suspected someone tipped off the person holding them captive.

  “That’s terrible. I had no idea.” Penny glanced at Milo in the rearview mirror.

  “So, I like surprises,” Helena said. “And I think I’m going to like this one.”

  “Life certainly has had plenty of surprises in the last few days.” Logan placed his hand briefly on Penny’s thigh. “Most of them good.”

  Penny covered her mouth briefly with her hand and nodded. “Most of them good.”

  “Are you all right, Mom?” Milo leaned forward, his expression full of concern.

  “I’m fine. I’m just really happy we’re all here together.” She turned onto a street with small stores on either side of the road. This was the main shopping area in the town. Grocery stores stood next to stores selling potions and spells. Some clothing stores catered for modern dress, like jeans and work boots, while others sold long flowing robes and cloaks. There was no discrimination between the magical world and the mundane world.

  I have an idea of where we are going, his horse said.

  I think I have some idea, too. A thrill of excitement mingled with apprehension. Would this crack open the door behind which Silas had hidden Helena’s memory of her father’s murder?

  “This is it.” Penny parked the car on the street outside a store with two large display windows that were currently empty.

  “It’s the candy store. I remember it.” Helena got out of the car and stared at the building. “Has it been empty all this time?”

  “Silas bought the building after...it happened. No one else wanted it, and he hated to see it fall into disrepair, so he bought it. He’s kept it in good condition, heated in the winter, and air conditioned in the summer.” Logan put his hands on his hips and looked up at the store. “I also wonder if he put a glamor on the whole town because I don’t recall ever taking any notice of this place.”

  “Me neither,” Dario agreed. “And I must have walked along this street a thousand times or more over the years.”

  “Thank you for bringing me here. I should thank Silas, too.” Helena choked back tears. “It brings back so many mem
ories.”

  “Shall we go inside?” Penny took Helena’s hand. “If you want to.”

  “Are we allowed?” Helena asked.

  Penny dangled the key in front of her. “Silas dropped this off at the hotel last night. He said he never knew what to do with the building until now.”

  Helena’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

  “If we want it, Silas will gift us the building. He said it belongs to us more than him.” Penny smiled weakly, unsure of Helena’s reaction. “He said you mentioned opening a candy store just like Mom and Dad. And he thought it would honor their memory if we reopened this candy store. I think he said the witches who used to help with the sweets and candies would be willing to help us.”

  “I don’t know.” Helena put her hands to her face. “I’m not sure.”

  “Shall we take a look inside and then decide?” Dario took her hand and Helena nodded.

  “I suppose a look won’t hurt.” She smiled weakly.

  I hope she’s right and a look doesn’t hurt, his horse said.

  We’ll be there for her. If there’s any sign this is undoing what Silas did then we’ll get her out of there. Dario followed Penny and Helena to the front of the store while Logan came behind holding Milo’s hand.

  “I love it!” Milo skipped a step. “And I’d really love to own a candy store.” He licked his lips in anticipation.

  “What do you think?” Penny stepped into the store and looked around, her face bright with excitement. “Do you remember any of it?”

  “Yes. I remember Dad standing behind the counter, with all the sweet treats behind him. The special ones, at least, the everyday candy was on this counter.” Helena went to the old-fashioned wooden counter and ran her fingers along it. “It’s been dusted recently.”

  “Silas did say he’d kept the place in good repair. He’s done a good job.” Penny held out her hand to Milo. “What do you think?”

  “I love it.” He held out his arms and she lifted him up.