Fae-ted to the Bear: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 4)

by Harmony Raines

  “I’d like to meet her. But if she lives on the edge of the wildwood, unless she visits Wishing Moon Bay, it’s impossible.” Ivan backed away from Elise.

  “You could visit her.” She put the cooked pancake on a plate, adjusted the temperature of the griddle, and then began batch cooking the pancakes.

  “I can’t risk it. If your people found out I was there...”

  “I can help you. There are ways of disguising a person’s true identity that most fae would never see through.” She smiled a secret smile. “My grandma is a wise woman and she’s taught me a thing or two. Or three.”

  “Don’t let the pancakes burn,” Ivan warned as he turned away, leaving her unsure if she’d offended him.

  As the kitchen got busy, she forgot about their conversation as she focused on keeping up with the cooking of pancakes, which Ivan mixed the batter for. She was also expected to scramble the eggs and watch the bacon.

  Not exactly a test for her culinary skills, but certainly for her time management and ability to multitask.

  At the end of breakfast, her cheeks were flaming hot, and her stomach grumbled with the need for food.

  “Someone has been working hard.” Caleb stood in the doorway as Elise washed up the pots and pans. Not Ivan’s special pans, they were stacked on the counter and she had strict instructions not to wash them.

  “It’s been busy. I don’t think I’ve ever worked in such a busy kitchen.” She rubbed her forehead with her elbow.

  “It’s not just guests who come in for breakfast,” Ivan told her as he entered the kitchen from the restaurant. “Plenty of people from town come here.”

  “Ivan’s food is addictive.” He made a sprinkling action with his thumb and fingers. “He puts something irresistible into each of his dishes.”

  Ivan wagged his finger at his brother. “Don’t go giving anyone ideas. That’s the kind of rumor that spreads.”

  “I was joking, everyone knows the only added ingredient that goes into your food is love and care. And dragon breath.” Caleb winked at Elise who smothered a smile.

  “You’re so funny.” Ivan went to the counter and indicated a picnic basket. “I suppose that means you don’t want this.”

  Caleb inhaled deeply, his eyes widening as he crossed the kitchen. “What is that? It smells delicious.”

  “If you can guess, you can have it. I thought you and Elise might like to go have breakfast on the beach since it’s a nice day.”

  “How did you even know I’d be coming?” Caleb asked.

  “Are you joking? You have come to check up on me.” Ivan placed his hand on the basket handle. “Just to make sure that I haven’t made your mate cry.”

  “He does do that,” Caleb told Elise.

  “Not to me. At least not today.” She finished washing the pans and dried her hands on a towel. “Are you going to guess?”

  “Oh. Right.” He inched closer to the basket and leaned down, inhaling deeply. “Pancakes with maple syrup. And eggs. Some fruit. And bacon.”

  “Not exactly difficult.” Ivan lifted the basket and handed it to his brother. “Go. Enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Thanks, Ivan.” Caleb swung the basket in his hand. “Are you ready to leave? I have about half an hour before I have to get back to work. Aiden has gone to pick up some lumber.”

  “I have Karros’s car. Shall I meet you at the beach?” She hurried to the locker room and grabbed her purse.

  “Sure. We can go in separate cars.” Caleb sounded a little disappointed.

  “He wants to sit close to you,” Ivan teased and pretended to shuffle closer to Caleb and make kissing sounds.

  “Forgive my immature brother.” Caleb shook his head but grinned as he went to the back door with the basket in his hand. “It’s a good thing he makes such good food.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” Ivan followed them to the doorway. “I have some homework for you, Elise.”

  “Homework?” Her heart hammered in her chest. She always hated homework when she was at school. But this wasn’t school. Ivan wasn’t going to test her knowledge of algebra. “Okay.”

  “It’s simple. I want you to cook me something.” Ivan held out his hands. “Pick a favorite dish of yours, preferably one that isn’t copied from a recipe book.”

  “Okay.” She swallowed hard as her mind emptied of everything she’d ever cooked, all the recipes she’d ever experimented with, and all the flavors she’d tested.

  “I just want to get an idea of what level you’re working at.”

  “So you want me to cook something difficult?” Her stomach churned, not from hunger but nerves.

  “No. Some of the best recipes are simple. It’s all about the flavors.” He chuckled. “You’ve gone pale.”

  “I have?” She put her hands to her cheeks which only moments ago were flaming hot from the kitchen.

  “You have,” Caleb whispered in her ear.

  “I’m just nervous. I never was good at exams.”

  “This isn’t an exam, it’s not even a test. Just imagine you are cooking something for Caleb,” Ivan advised.

  “You were going to cook for me this evening,” he told her.

  “I suppose.” She nodded and backed away.

  “Come on.” Caleb hooked his hand under her elbow. “You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten something.”

  “No, I won’t,” she replied miserably. “After I’ve tasted Ivan’s wonderful pancakes, I won’t ever cook again.”

  “Yes. You will.” Caleb patted his toned stomach. “This bear loves to eat.”

  “Oh, so that’s your idea? You think I’m just here to cook for you!”

  “Well, if you’re not going to work in the restaurant, it would be a pity to put your hard work to waste. You can cook for me and our kids,” he replied. “We’ll appreciate you.”

  “Oh, no!” She waved her finger at him.

  “That sounds like fighting talk.” He opened the truck door and placed the picnic basket on the front passenger seat.

  Her eyes narrowed as she unlocked the car. “You’re teasing me.”

  “I’m trying to make you see that you can do this. You just need to dig deep and have confidence in yourself. The same confidence I have in you.” He slammed the truck door shut and sauntered toward her.

  “I do have confidence in myself,” she replied. “I just...lose sight of it sometimes.”

  “And that’s why I’m here, to remind you of it.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

  Elise reached out and grabbed hold of his shirt as her knees threatened to give way under her.

  She blamed her need for food, but her heart told her it was her need for her mate that made her want to collapse into his strong arms.

  Chapter Twelve – Caleb

  “This is the life.” Caleb leaned back and tilted his face to the sun. His stomach was full, and his mate was by his side. What could be better?

  “I could stay here all day.” Elise leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed against the glare of the sun.

  “Which reminds me...” Caleb glanced at his watch. “I have to go. Aiden will be waiting for me.”

  “How is he?” Elise asked as she moved away from him and began packing away their breakfast picnic.

  “You mean how are he and Flora?” Caleb asked.

  “Yes, have they settled into Logan’s cabin?” She placed everything back inside the basket. Everything that was left, which wasn’t a lot.

  “I think so. Aiden said they’re going to invite us to dinner in the next couple of days. Once they have the place cleaned up. Logan hasn’t used it for a while, and it got messed up pretty bad when a witch attacked Penny and Milo.”

  “A witch attacked them?” Elise’s eyes went wide.

  “Don’t worry, that kind of thing doesn’t happen around here very often,” he assured her.

  “Do you think I’d leave town if it did?” Elise sat back on her haunches and placed her hands on her thighs.r />
  “You might not, but Karros would probably bundle you back in the car and drive you straight back to the fae realm.” He inhaled deeply. “And if he does that, I will have to follow.”

  “You’d follow me?” she asked sweetly.

  “To the end of the world.” He leaned down and kissed her lips.

  Elise grabbed hold of his arms and yanked them until he overbalanced and sat down heavily by her side. “Better.” She curled her arms around him and kissed his lips.

  Caleb cupped her face in his right hand, his left hand wrapped around her waist, holding her close, never wanting to let her go. As his lips moved against hers, heat stirred within him, and tendrils of desire unfurled. He wanted her, he needed to claim her.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket and they both jumped as it started to ring.

  “Hey, Zara.” He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “It’s my sister.”

  “You have a sister?” Elise asked.

  Caleb nodded and continued to help clear the food away while he spoke to Zara. “How are you?”

  Elise closed the basket and stooped down to pick up the blanket.

  “I’m good,” Zara replied. “I miss you. I was thinking of coming to visit Wishing Moon Bay this weekend if that’s okay.”

  “Sure it is.”

  “Are you sure?” Zara asked. “You don’t sound it, is everything all right?”

  “Yes.” Caleb glanced at Elise. “I met my mate.”

  “You what?” Zara asked.

  We should have told her, his bear said.

  “Yesterday. I met her yesterday. I was going to call you later to tell you. Things have been hectic.” He winced as he realized he’d completely forgotten he had a sister who should be kept in the loop where family stuff was concerned.

  “Oh, I know you must be busy.” Zara couldn’t hide her disappointment, which made him feel ten times worse.

  “It all happened so fast. Elise came to town with her brother, Karros...”

  “Oh, the fae who was engaged to Flora?” Zara asked.

  “That’s the one. Karros came to ask Flora if she would help his sister, Elise, get a job with Ivan.”

  “Who is the chef. I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

  “You are. Ivan is the chef and it turned out Karros’s sister is my mate.”

  “Oh. Wow, that’s quite a coincidence. Just think, if Karros hadn’t been so great over the whole arranged marriage thing, you and your mate wouldn’t have met.” Zara laughed, she’d forgiven Caleb for not calling.

  “So, anyway, we spent all day yesterday trying to find somewhere for them to live. Then we had to sort out furniture and all that stuff,” Caleb explained away.

  “I’d love to meet her,” Zara said.

  “You will when you come visit this weekend. In fact, I have room in my apartment for you to stay.”

  “Where is Aiden?” Zara asked as if this was something else she hadn’t been told.

  “He’s staying in Logan’s cabin for now. We can go visit him.” He glanced at his watch. “Oh, damn, I have to go. I took time off work to have breakfast with Elise. I am supposed to be back at the job by now.”

  “Oh, you go, I should have called this evening instead. Sorry.”

  “Never be sorry you called,” Caleb replied frankly. “I always love hearing from you. We’re family.”

  “I’ll give you a call in a couple of days when I know when I’ll be arriving. I’m thinking Friday evening, but I have a floor to lay that day and I can’t leave until it’s finished.”

  “Let me know. It’s good to hear your voice. I hope Aunt Harriet and Uncle Peter are okay.”

  “They are. I wanted to talk to you about them actually.”

  “Are they okay?” Thoughts of being late back to work vanished.

  “Yes, they are. They want us to all get together. Once they can figure out a date and time when all my cousins...our cousins can make it back home.” She gave a short laugh. “We can talk about it on the weekend. There’s someone at the door. I have to go. Congratulations, Caleb.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Zara.” Caleb ended the call and shook his head as he put his phone in his pocket.

  “Is everything okay?” Elise carried the basket as they walked along the sand to the steps leading from the beach.

  “I should have called her and told her that I met you.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder. “We only found out we had a sister a couple of days ago. Aiden and I kind of forgot.”

  “You forgot you had a sister?” Elise’s forehead wrinkled. “How could you forget?”

  “Our parents died when we were young,” he explained. “My aunt and uncle tried to care for the three of us, but they have four children of their own. Eventually, they were persuaded we would be better off in foster care. Aiden and I were taken from our foster parents. The police found us a few days later.”

  “I had no idea.” Elise covered her mouth with her hands, her face pale.

  “Whatever happened…” He shrugged. “We don’t remember any of it. Which is probably a good thing.”

  “I’m so sorry. But you found your sister now.” She placed her hand on his upper arm, wanting to comfort him. She couldn’t imagine not knowing Karros, or her parents.

  “Yes, when we helped Flora find Imelda. We met someone who found our file, which led us to Zara.”

  “You had no idea she existed?” Elise’s eyes shone bright with tears.

  “None. And with everything that’s happened, it’s like it slipped my mind again.” He took the basket from her as he walked her to her car.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself.” She took hold of his hand as she swung around to face him. “You’ve had a lot on your mind.” Elise stroked his temples with her fingertips.

  “When I’m around you, everything else melts away.” He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

  “Just like everything I ever learned left my head when Ivan asked me to cook something for him.”

  “I see, we’re sharing an intimate moment and you are thinking of my brother.” He pecked her lips. “It’s a good thing I am confident in myself and our relationship.”

  “I’m very confident in you, too.” Elise pulled his head toward her as she kissed him again. “I’m looking forward to us spending some time together this evening and I promise I’ll give you my full attention.”

  “No, you won’t.” He held her in his arms. “You’ll be trying to figure out how to impress Ivan. And I’m okay with that. This is important to you so it’s important to me.”

  “Thanks.” She pushed away from him. “Now, you should go, or I’ll be in trouble with Aiden for keeping you too long.”

  “He understands.” Caleb glanced at his watch. “We’ve both gone through so much together. It’s surreal that we met our mates at almost the exact same time so we can empathize with each other.”

  “Sympathize with each other?” Elise asked in shock. “Because you both have fae mates.”

  “You know I said empathize, don’t twist my words.” He laughed as she backed away from him.

  “Ah, I’m going to tell Flora what you said. I expect you and Aiden have been complaining all morning about how unlucky you are to have fae as mates.” She giggled as he rushed toward her and picked her up in his arms, tickling her until she laughed and begged for mercy.

  “I love that we can laugh together,” Caleb told her.

  “I love that, too.” She caught her breath after laughing so hard. As their eyes locked together, something passed between them. Something unsaid. Laughing wasn’t the only thing they shared a love of.

  We love each other, his bear announced. We know it and she knows it but who will be brave enough to say it first?

  I don’t want to frighten her away, Caleb replied. She has so much on her mind right now, and I know she’s worried about impressing Ivan. If I say the words now, I might freak her out.

  “I’ll see you later.” He lifted his hand and waved at
her, not taking his eyes off his mate as she got into the car and drove away.

  Only when she was gone from his sight did he get in his truck with the remains of the breakfast picnic. If Aiden had been waiting around for Caleb to get back, he’d smooth things over by offering him some food.

  No better way to a bear’s heart, his bear chuckled.

  Especially our brother’s heart. He sure does like his food. Caleb drove away from the beach, resisting the temptation to follow his mate home.

  The need to be around her was still incredibly strong, if he could stay by her side every minute of every day, he would.

  I’m certain Ivan would have something to say about that, his bear replied.

  I’m sure he’d understand. Caleb turned into the driveway of the house they were working on. The roof had leaked, and the two brothers were replacing some rotted-out lumber.

  He’d understand more if he had a mate of his own. His bear wished they could find a mate for both Ivan and Rift.

  “I thought you’d abandoned me.” Aiden came around the side of his truck and pulled out a long length of lumber from the back of it. Hoisting it onto his shoulder, he strode back toward the house.

  “Never.” Caleb hopped out of the truck and went to help Aiden. “Ivan gave us some food, so I took Elise down to the beach. It was nice to have some time alone with her.”

  “It’s been a hectic couple of days for sure.” Aiden headed back to the truck after setting the lumber down next to the other items he’d gotten for the job. “How did she get along this morning with Ivan?”

  “Good, I think. Ivan asked her to make something special for him to try. You know, her favorite dish, something that highlights her culinary skills.” Caleb carried a beam on his shoulder as Aiden grabbed the last of the lumber from the truck.

  “And she’s nervous about it?” Aiden could always pick up on Caleb’s thoughts.

  “Yeah, she’s worried she’s going to screw it up.” He dropped the beam on the ground. “It’s tough not being able to help.” He shrugged. “I know good food when I taste it, but I am not good at cooking.”

  “You’re supposed to be there for moral support, that’s all. Elise needs to do this herself.” Aiden thumbed toward the truck. “You’re making me hungry with all this talk of food.”