Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,61

you a chance to reset your thoughts and emotions.”

“That sounds as if you want to get rid of me,” he replied.

“Not get rid of.” She linked arms with him. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Zara.” Caleb raised his hand as a pretty woman, a few years younger than the twins but with similar facial features, opened the door of the nearby house. “Are you okay?”

Elise pulled Karros forward as they hurried toward the young woman who was clinging to the doorframe. Were they too late? Had someone attacked her?

There was no sign of blood and with some effort, Zara pushed herself back to a standing position. “Sorry, I don’t know what happened.” She threaded her hand through her hair. “I felt faint. I don’t know why.”

“Shall we go inside and sit down?” Caleb asked as he put his arm around her.

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I want to go inside. I think I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” Her eyes were unfocused as she looked toward Karros.

“Oh.” Flora put her hands over her mouth, her cheeks flushed pink as she looked from Zara and then to Karros.

“Oh, what?” Aiden asked as he followed her gaze. “Oh.”

“Well, that both simplifies things and makes them a whole lot harder,” Caleb said.

“What are you talking about?” Elise asked.

“Zara just met her mate.” Aiden’s jaw tightened.

“It looks as if we’re going to be family in a weird way after all.” Flora cracked a smile.

“Oh.” Elise shook her head as she looked at Zara, who was now intently focused on Karros as if nothing else in the world existed. “Oh.”

“Exactly,” Flora said.

“What have I missed?” Karros asked as everyone stared at him.

“Karros, this is our sister, Zara.” Caleb put his arm around Zara. “And if I’m not mistaken, you are her mate.”

“Mate?” Karros shook his head as his eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No, why would it be a joke?” Aiden’s voice hardened.

“Because the easiest way to stop me from loving Flora and wanting her as my wife would be for you to find me someone else. A shifter who says she’s my mate and we’re supposed to be together forever.” Karros didn’t sound happy at all.

“That’s exactly what we are,” Zara told him as the color came back to her cheeks.

“This is just...” Karros looked to Elise for help.

“Fate,” she told him. “This is just fate.”

“You’re telling me that fate decided to make me the mate of your mate’s sister?” he asked hotly.

“Yes,” Zara told him.

“It’s too convenient,” Karros insisted but he didn’t back away from Zara. It was as if his feet were glued to the spot.

“Can’t you feel it?” Elise put her hand on his stomach. “Can’t you feel it here? There’s a connection between you. An unbreakable bond. You must feel it.”

Karros looked at his sister for a long moment. Perhaps he didn’t feel it. Maybe not every shifter mate did. She hadn’t thought about that. Elise had assumed that the connection was strong between all mates.

“Don’t you feel it?” Zara stepped forward and placed her hand on Karros’s.

It was as if he’d been hit by a bolt of lightning, his body jerked and his skin paled as he stared at Zara. As his eyes widened, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he felt it. That his life and love were now bound to Zara.

Elise glanced at Flora. How would she react to losing the man who had loved her for all her life? The smile on her friend’s face said it all. She was smiling ecstatically, her hands clasped together as she watched.

“I can feel it.” Karros’s voice trembled as he stared at her. “I don’t understand it, but I can feel it.”

“You’re not supposed to try to understand it,” Zara told him. “All you have to do is accept it.”

“Accept it.” Karros glanced at Flora for a moment. Then he took a big breath and let it out slowly as if he were finally letting go of the woman he had loved. And so graciously lost.

“Yes. You just have to accept what is in your heart,” Elise told him. She reached for his hand. “And you have the biggest heart out of everyone I know.”

Karros hugged her, his face buried in her shoulder. He might be her older brother but right now, he was vulnerable and exposed, his emotions raw.

“Shall we go inside?” Caleb put his arm around his sister and guided her into the house. “If someone is watching