Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,17

right now, but you’re going to have to be fast if you do decide to rent this apartment, it won’t be available for long.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to say yes now?” Karros asked.

“No.” Elise shook her head. “Well, yes. But you know me, I’m impatient and it would be better to at least look at another property, so we have something to compare it to. The rooms were a little small.”

“But the view is magnificent,” Karros added.

“Come on, the house has a good view, too,” Caleb herded them toward the truck. “Not of the ocean, but the mountains. The rooms are also bigger and once the yard has been landscaped, you’ll have outdoor space, too.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” Elise sighed and took one last look at the view as Karros opened the truck door and waited for her to get in.

“We have to go back across town.” Caleb started the engine. “It’ll give you a chance to get a good look at the place and I’ll point out anything I think might be useful.”

“Our very own tour guide.” Elise grinned.

“I’m trying to make myself useful.” Caleb drove along the coast road with the window rolled down.

“You’ve already done that.” Elise glanced at her mate. Caleb must feel like the odd one out since Elise and Karros were the ones searching for a home and were so used to being around each other, it was as if they knew what the other was thinking.

“Yes, you have, Caleb.” Karros chuckled. “So far, you have excelled in proving what a good mate and husband you would be for Elise.”

“Karros.” She dug her elbow in his ribs as Caleb shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

“That isn’t why I’m doing this,” Caleb said. “I would help you even if Elise and I weren’t mates.”

“A good Samaritan.” Karros nodded. “I believe you.”

“What are your other brothers like?” Elise figured this was a good time to get an idea of Caleb’s family and what she could expect from them.

“My brothers.” Caleb rubbed his chin. “Aiden is a lot like me.”

“Do you have a connection? Do you know what the other is thinking?” Elise asked.

“Some of the time. We’ve spent so long together, living together, working together, it’s hard to know if it’s a twin thing or just because we’re so close.” He gnawed on his bottom lip.

“You’re worried that’s going to change now that he has a mate.”

“And I have a mate.” He glanced sideways at Elise.

“Of course. I should have said now that you both have mates.” She looked down at her hands clasped in her lap.

“Things change. Life changes.” Karros stared out of the window at the road ahead.

“It does.” Elise nodded. “Whether we want it to or not.”

“But surely you want things to change,” Karros said. “As a shifter, you want to find your mate. And you must wish for your brother to be happy, which means you wanted him to find his mate.”

“Of course,” Caleb quickly agreed.

“I wanted to come and work in the hotel and learn from Ivan. But it’s still scary,” Elise said. “So, I can understand what you mean.”

“But you’re both up for the challenges that lie ahead,” Karros replied. “Especially since you have each other.”

“And we have you, big brother,” Elise said. “And Caleb’s brothers, of course.”

“You’re not alone.” Karros’s expression faltered. Was he scared of being alone? With their relationship with their parents fractured, and his sister mated to a shifter, he must be scared he’d end up alone.

“Neither are you,” Elise reminded him. “We are family and that will never change, in the same way that Caleb will always have his family.”

“Elise is right. When a shifter meets their mate, their family simply gets bigger,” Caleb replied.

“Oh, no.” Karros waved his hand at Caleb.

“What’s wrong with that?” Elise asked.

“That’s like saying that we will now be related to Flora’s parents.” He chuckled. “Hey, you should lead with that fact when you tell Mom and Dad that you are mated to a shifter.”

Elise laughed. “Oh, they will forgive you for ruining their plans to be socially mobile. I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to tell their friends that they are related by marriage to the Lord of the Starlight Realm after all.”

“Yeah, it won’t matter that it’s not directly through marriage.” Karros leaned back in his seat and chuckled. “You’ve saved us, Caleb.”

“You’re welcome.” Caleb chuckled and shook his head as if he thought they were crazy, which they probably were.

“We’re on the other side of town