Table of Contents
Copyright
The Bond of Brothers
Foreword
Chapter One – Elise
Chapter Two – Caleb
Chapter Three – Elise
Chapter Four – Caleb
Chapter Five – Elise
Chapter Six – Caleb
Chapter Seven – Elise
Chapter Eight – Caleb
Chapter Nine – Elise
Chapter Ten – Caleb
Chapter Eleven – Elise
Chapter Twelve – Caleb
Chapter Thirteen – Elise
Chapter Fourteen – Caleb
Chapter Fifteen – Elise
Chapter Sixteen – Caleb
Chapter Seventeen – Elise
Chapter Eighteen – Caleb
Chapter Nineteen – Elise
Chapter Twenty – Caleb
Chapter Twenty-One – Elise
Chapter Twenty-Two – Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Three – Elise
Chapter Twenty-Four – Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Five – Elise
Chapter Twenty-Six – Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Elise
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Elise
Chapter Thirty – Caleb
Chapter Thirty-One – Elise
Epilogue
Also By Harmony Raines
Get In Touch
Fae-ted to the Bear
The Bond of Brothers
Book Four
***
All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.
This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.
© 2021 Harmony Raines
The Bond of Brothers
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Individual Books
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay
The Bond of Brothers Book One
The Horse Shifter’s Mate
The Bond of Brothers Book Two
Her Fae-vorite Bear
The Bond of Brothers Book Three
Fae-ted to the Bear
The Bond of Brothers Book Four
Fae-ted to the Bear
The Bond of Brothers
Book Four
A silverback shifter romance
Caleb’s mate came to Wishing Moon Bay to kickstart her career after giving up on the idea of settling down and raising a family.
Can he rekindle her desire for a family of her own? Can he help her see she can have it all? With him by her side.
Elise has worked hard in her pursuit to become a chef. Seizing the chance to work with Caleb’s brother Ivan in his acclaimed restaurant, she is willing to make sacrifices to prove she has potential.
She knows she’s going to have to work hard to win Ivan over since he’s a dragon shifter and she’s a fae. Not a good mix.
However, she has one thing going for her. Caleb. Elise soon learns these brothers are willing to do anything for each other.
As she falls for the handsome growly bear shifter, Elise realizes she will do anything for Caleb, too. Especially when his sister is threatened.
Even if that means giving up her hopes and dreams.
Chapter One – Elise
Elise’s stomach bubbled with nerves as she stood in the reception area of the Wishing Moon Bay Hotel.
After her brother, Karros, came home last night and announced that he’d freed Flora from their arranged marriage so that she could marry her shifter mate and avoid being banished from the fae realm, Elise had decided to make her own bid for freedom.
As the milestone age of forty approached with no sign of her ever finding a man to settle down with, one of her grandmothers had become very vocal on the need for Elise’s parents to step in and find a suitable husband for their daughter.
They’d been in contact with a dating agency that specialized in matching single fae men and women. Despite Elise’s objections, they had filled out various questionnaires on Elise’s behalf and arranged to meet with someone from the dating agency.
Emboldened by her brother’s actions toward Flora, Elise had grasped the opportunity to tell them she would find her own husband or else remain single.
Her parents hadn’t been impressed and an argument had ensued. Unable to get her parents to understand she didn’t want to marry for the sake of marrying, Karros had eventually taken her outside for some air while everyone cooled down.
She loved her brother. Karros was loyal and true and always fought in her corner.
So when he told her Flora’s mate was related to Ivan Kelts, the head chef at the Wishing Moon Bay Hotel, he’d agreed to come with her to ask for a large favor. Elise, who had always worked to fulfill her dream of owning her own restaurant, wanted to train as a chef under Ivan.
And now, here they were, against their parents’ wishes, in the Wishing Moon Bay Hotel reception area.
Her heart ached for her brother, who could barely make eye contact with Flora or Aiden. However, that didn’t stop him from asking them to help Elise. Perhaps he thought that getting them to help Elise fulfill her dream was the least they could do since he’d given up on his own happiness for their sake.
“Do you think there’s a chance Ivan will say yes and let me learn from him?” Elise asked.
“I don’t know, Elise.” Flora glanced awkwardly at Aiden. “You’re a fae.”
“And so are you.” Elise lowered her head, not really understanding Flora’s meaning.
Aiden stared over her shoulder at something. However, before she turned around to see what had captured his attention, the bear shifter beckoned to Elise and Karros. “Shall we go somewhere private and discuss this?”
“Sure.” Elise bobbed her head. Discussing it meant they thought there might be a chance. Didn’t it? “Karros.”
“Coming.” Her brother hesitated for a moment, his eyes lingering on Flora for a moment longer than necessary.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as they followed Aiden and Flora through a door toward the kitchen. Not that she knew the layout of the hotel, but the smell of aromatic food wafting over them gave it away.
“For what?” Karros asked.
“I shouldn’t have let you come with me. I know how you feel about Flora. Seeing her with another man must break your heart.” She slipped her hand into his.
“I wanted to come.” He smiled down at her, his eyes filled with barely contained sadness. “When I see Flora so happy with Aiden, it just reinforces the knowledge that I did the right thing.”
“In letting her go?” Elise slowed and stood on tiptoes, kissing her brother’s cheek. “She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
He smiled sadly. “On the contrary, she does.”
“You’re going to have to let her go.” Elise sighed. “Now that you’ve seen Flora, why don’t you go home?”
“Not yet.” He shook his head. “I expect Mom and Dad are already trying to marry me off to someone else. I’m going to stay here for a while. I’ll treat it like a vacation.”
“You never k
now, you might find yourself a shifter mate all of your own.” She arched an eyebrow. “Can you imagine how Mom and Dad would react?”
“Not well.” He glanced at Flora and Aiden who were waiting for them at the end of a corridor. “But when I see how happy Flora is with her shifter mate, I’m not saying it would be a bad thing. Can you imagine having a mate? You don’t have to worry if you’re compatible, you just know.”
“I’m not exactly looking for a husband or a mate.” She patted him on the shoulder. “But I do wish you would find a mate, so I know you are going to be happy. You want a wife and children and all that goes with it.”
“I would be lying if I said I don’t.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he glanced sideways at Flora. “Instead, I just get to see what I’m missing.”
“I can do this on my own from here.” Elise let go of his hand. “Why don’t you go get something to eat in the restaurant. Once you taste the food, you’ll know why I wanted to come here.”
“Your food is good already, Elise. You have a natural flair for flavors.” He glanced over his shoulder.
“Flavors, yes. But I need to learn the skills that go along with it and I won’t do that in the fae realm.” She took a couple of steps away from him. “Go and eat.”
“I suppose you should go meet Ivan without your big brother breathing down your neck. Or his neck.” Karros half-smiled. “I wanted to be there in case he said no. I was going to be very persuasive.”
“I want to do this based on my own skill. I don’t think threats are going to get me very far.” She grinned. “But I appreciate the thought.”
Karros turned around and walked away. For a moment, she stared after him then she turned and hurried toward Flora and Aiden. She’d kept them waiting long enough.
“Elise, are you sure about this?” Flora asked.
“Yes.” She nodded and rolled her shoulders back. “I’ve wanted to train under a chef for years and I admire Ivan. I ate here a few months back, just to see what all the fuss was about. I want to show my parents that I can succeed. This might be my only chance to prove to them I don’t need a husband.”
“What’s wrong with a husband?” Aiden asked sharply.
Flora eyed him warily. “There’s nothing wrong with a husband, but Elise is right, no woman needs a husband.”
“But you do need a mate.” Elise arched an eyebrow at Flora.
“Okay, this is not the time to get into this.” Flora’s eyes fixed on Karros’s retreating back. “How is he?”
“You broke his heart,” Elise answered bluntly. “But he’ll get over it. Honestly, he’s happy you are happy. He always knew he wasn’t the love of your life. But he thought he could make you happy, give you a good life.”
“I know,” Flora answered softly and squeezed Aiden’s hand. “When fate steps in, there’s nothing you can do.”
Aiden inhaled deeply, his gaze resting on Elise for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Fate has a mind of its own.”
“Like Elise.” Flora nodded toward the double doors leading into what looked like a kitchen beyond. “Do you think Ivan will let Elise be his student?”
“We should go ask him.” Aiden spun around to look at the door to the kitchen.
He just kind of stared at it as if he could see through the door to the room beyond.
Maybe he could connect telepathically with Ivan. She’d heard that shifters had super senses. No, that was crazy.
“Okay.” Elise nodded and inhaled deeply, trying to suppress her nerves. Fae were normally good at appearing aloof and hiding their emotions. Elise was the opposite, she struggled to keep her emotions in check. Why shouldn’t she be open with how she felt?
Aiden turned around to face her. “Okay.” He swallowed nervously, and then glanced at Flora, who cocked her head to one side while staring at him.
Shifters were kind of weird. Aiden looked as if he had a guilty secret he wanted to hide.
But a shifter wasn’t supposed to hide anything from their mate.
“Shall we go in?” Elise shuffled her feet but didn’t move, maybe there was something she was missing. Perhaps there was a shifter tradition she was unaware of. She glanced at Flora, looking for help, but Flora just shrugged.
“Yes. Let’s go in.” Aiden pushed the door open and went in first, before turning around and holding it open for the two fae.
“Wait. You look...” She stared at the man who stood in the kitchen, his expression matching her confusion.
“Caleb.” Flora greeted the man who looked identical to Aiden. Almost identical. There was something different about him, not so much in his looks but in the way he felt.
If she held out her hands, she’d be able to feel a certain vibe coming off him, as if he were set to a different frequency to Aiden. Elise curled her hands into balls and dug her nails into her palms, resisting the temptation to try out her theory.
“I...” Caleb opened and closed his mouth as he looked at her.
“Is everything all right?” Flora asked. “We were just coming into the restaurant to join you and Valerie when we met Elise and Karros in the reception area.”
“Elise.” Caleb stared at her with a small smile on his lips.
“Yes.” Elise stepped forward and held out her hand, partly because people in Wishing Moon Bay and the world beyond greeted each other this way, and partly because she really wanted to touch him. “Good to meet you. I didn’t realize Aiden had a twin.”
“Elise.” Caleb slipped his hand into hers and warmth spread across her skin and up her arm. He certainly did resonate at a different frequency.
She leaned forward and stared into his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” He blinked rapidly as his fingers closed around hers, holding her as if he were never going to let her go.
“Oh!” Flora’s shock registered in Elise’s brain even through the fog that filled it.
“Oh, what?” Elise half-turned to look at her friend.
“You and Caleb are mates.” Flora stated it as fact, but how could she know when Elise had only just met Caleb?
It was a redundant question. Elise knew the truth. She suspected Aiden had known even before they entered the kitchen, that would explain the faraway look on his face.
“I don’t want a mate,” Elise answered. “I’ve come here to learn to be a chef. I don’t want to be the mate of a shifter.” She let go of Caleb’s hand, noting her own reluctance to break the connection between them. “No offense, and I’m sure you are a perfectly nice shifter, but getting married and having kids is not my thing.”
“What are you all doing in my kitchen?” A tall, dark-haired man with gray flecks at his temples and eyes that bore into her entered the kitchen carrying a box of fresh vegetables.
“This is Elise,” Aiden introduced her. “She wants you to teach her your ways.”
“My ways.” Ivan’s expression darkened. “You mean train her?” His nostrils flared. “She’s a fae.”
“She is,” Elise answered.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Ivan replied.
“You don’t want me to work for you because I’m a fae?” Elise forgot all about the shifter who was her mate. Even though he didn’t take his eyes off her. She could feel the caress of his gaze as if he were actually stroking her skin. She shivered and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
“Yes. I don’t think we’d be a good mix.” Ivan placed the box of vegetables on the countertop and removed the contents, examining them closely before lining them up.
“Because shifters and fae don’t get along?” she asked.
“That would be the start of it,” Ivan confirmed.
“I am very open-minded about shifters,” Elise replied. “When Karros told me that he’d ended the arrangement with Flora’s family so that she wouldn’t get banished from the fae realm, I was very supportive.”
“Good for you.” Ivan didn’t look at her, he just continued emptying the box.
“I am good. At cooking.”
“Then you don’t need me,” Ivan retorted.
“I’m good, but you are so much better. I don’t think I have ever tasted a hollandaise sauce like yours. And your desserts are so creative,” she gushed but Ivan was unmoved.
“There are plenty of other chefs you could train with.” He turned to face her, his eyes flashed bright, and she gasped. “Yes, now you’re getting the point.”
“You’re a dragon shifter?” Her eyes widened, she’d never seen a dragon shifter outside of the dragon isle.
“Exactly. Fae and dragons are like oil and water. We do not mix well, so I certainly don’t think it would be a good idea for you and me to work together in my kitchen.”
“Please, give me a chance.” She didn’t care what he was, to her he was a man who knew how to turn quality ingredients into something incredible.
“I don’t think so...” Ivan suddenly noticed Caleb’s expression. “Are you all right?”
“Will you reconsider?” Caleb asked. “For me?”
“For you? Why would I?” Ivan moved closer to his brother and stared into his eyes before swinging around to look at Elise. “No!”
“Yes,” Aiden answered. “And I think it’s your brotherly duty to help Caleb’s mate.”
Ivan’s jaw tensed and he shook his head before burying his face in his hands and groaning. “I know I’m going to regret this, but what choice do I have?”
“None,” Aiden answered.
“You’ll teach me?” Elise answered.
“Yes, because you are my brother’s mate. But don’t expect me to go easy on you.” Ivan went back to examining his vegetables.
“Welcome to the family,” Aiden said drily and then slapped his brother on the arm. “Snap out of it, Caleb.”
“Sorry.” Caleb shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s a shock.”
“It sure is.” Elise’s excitement at Ivan accepting her was tempered by the knowledge that if she wanted to stay here and train at the hotel, she’d have to give Caleb a chance.
Fae-ted to the Bear: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 4) Page 1