Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,27

your stuff. I could drive my truck, and while we are there, I could say hello to your family.” He couldn’t help it. Even though Elise wanted to put off introducing him to her family, he didn’t.

Elise is unhappy about her family situation, his bear said.

I know. I thought that if they met us, though, if I could win them over, it would be one less thing on her mind. Caleb’s only desire was to help his mate.

Give Elise some time and space. We could also talk to Karros about it. He might be able to give us some more insight into our mate. His bear liked Karros and Caleb had to admit, for a fae, he was okay.

“Let me think about it.” Elise handed him a sheet. “What happened to focus on the present and don’t dwell on the future?”

“Ah, but this is a future we could change. If you agreed, we could go meet them in the next couple of days.” Caleb threw the sheet toward her while hanging onto the corners.

“I need to focus on Ivan.” She spread the sheet over the bed.

“Under normal circumstances, I’d be concerned that you want to focus on one of my brothers. But since it’s Ivan, I’ll let it go.” He tucked the sheet under the mattress. “Honestly, he’s a good guy. He loves his cooking pans a little too much. But aside from that, he’s always patient and courteous with those he works with.”

“So, avoid touching his pans?” She blew a strand of hair out of her face as she grabbed the bedspread and threw it over the bed. “Could you grab those pillows, please?”

“Yes. Don’t touch his pots and pans. You’ll know which ones I mean since he guards them like a dragon guards his treasure.” Caleb’s eyes opened wide. “So that’s why he’s so attached to them. He doesn’t have any real dragon treasure and so he has to make do with his pots and pans.”

“He doesn’t have any treasure?” Elise plumped up the pillow he passed her and placed it down on the bed.

“Should he have?” Caleb asked. “As far as I’m aware, he never had any treasure when he came to live with Valerie. And he’s over forty, so it’s not as if he’s waiting to come of age, is it?”

“Most dragons have treasure. All the ones I’ve heard of anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “My father knows all about dragons. Partly because the fae are notoriously afraid of them and also because he’d love to find some treasure. It would solve all of our issues.”

“Wait, back up a little. Your people are afraid of dragons?”

This is news, his bear sat up on his haunches and listened intently.

“Yes.” She wagged her finger at Caleb. “Although you never heard it from me.”

“I always thought they just didn’t like them. In the same way they don’t like any shifters.” Caleb handed over the second pillow to Elise, unaware he’d been screwing the corners up in his hands.

“Okay.” She plopped down on the bed and patted the mattress next to her. “Since we’re mates, and you’re going to promise not to repeat this to anyone...” She opened her eyes wide and inclined her head toward him. “Aren’t you?”

“Oh.” He nodded. “I promise. Although, I usually tell Aiden everything.”

“This is between you and me.” She pointed at him and then at herself.

“Okay.” It felt weird promising to keep a secret to himself and not tell Aiden. But he wanted to know the fae secret since it concerned Ivan.

And possibly Ivan’s treasure, his bear reminded him.

“So, my people dislike shifters because they are a little jealous of them.” She held up her thumb and forefinger.

“Jealous?”

“You are part man, part bear. Two halves of a whole.” She threaded her fingers together and made a fist. “The fae feel their connections to the land, to the forest, and all that dwell there. It’s why the wildwood is so sacred to us.”

“I get that. Flora was always going on about how the wildwood was her most favorite place in the world.”

“In any world.” Elise put her hands on her knees and inhaled deeply. “Fae see themselves as having that connection and yet it is the shifters who have a real connection to...” She held out her hands. “Everything.”

“I don’t understand,” Caleb said. “You have magic.”

“We do. We have learned to tap into magic and to forage in the wildwood for fruits and plants that amplify that magic. But shifters... You have enhanced senses. You