teeth and claws.”
“Great.” Caleb straightened his back and followed his mate into the house. If they were going to face the two fae grandmothers, then he wanted to be by her side.
And keep quiet, his bear reminded him. We should be very careful what we say.
I agree, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let them treat Elise, or any of us, badly. We have done nothing wrong.
Aiden was responsible for Karros breaking off his engagement with Flora. He did ruin their plans.
They can’t blame Aiden, that was due to fate, Caleb answered.
Do the fae believe in fate? His bear frowned. I mean it’s kind of in their name.
Caleb shook his head. One letter missing can make all the difference.
Well, if they don’t believe in fate yet, by the time we leave, we’ll make sure they do and that they accept the decisions of both their grandchildren.
Caleb nodded and accepted the challenge. If they were going to find true happiness, Elise’s family had to accept that two shifters were about to join their family.
“Elise is here,” her grandma said.
“Elise?” another older woman answered. “I thought she’d gone to Wishing Moon Bay.”
“I did, Grandma Sylvie.” Elise glanced over her shoulder as the others entered the living area. “But I need Grandma Hannah’s help.”
“Oh, you need Grandma Hannah’s help.” There was a hint of disapproval in her tone as she got up from the sofa where she’d been drinking coffee and eating cake. Caleb’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. After leaving Zara’s house, they had stopped briefly for fuel and grabbed some sandwiches from the local grocery store in Bear Creek. Then they had driven straight here without stopping.
It was way past dinnertime and Caleb’s empty stomach didn’t help his mood. He certainly didn’t want to waste time listening to an argument as to who was the better grandma.
That’s not a good start, Caleb’s bear agreed.
I suppose rivalries between grandmas are as much a thing as rivalries between brothers. Caleb moved in front of his brother and Flora, moving to stand beside Elise.
“Oh, and Elise has brought some friends.” Grandma Hannah’s tone was lighter, laced with amusement.
Perhaps we have at least one grandma on our side already, Caleb said hopefully.
Or maybe she’s just interested to see how this is going to play out. She can probably afford to sit back and watch Grandma Sylvie savage us with her tongue. His bear ground his teeth together.
“Shifters.” Grandma Sylvie moved around the side of the sofa and saw Caleb and Aiden for the first time. “And Flora.”
“This is Caleb.” Elise ignored her grandma’s hostile expression. “And this is Aiden.”
“Twins. Identical twins.” Grandma Hannah came closer and stared at them. “Very identical. Extraordinary.”
“So this is the man you left Karros for?” Grandma Sylvie didn’t seem in the least interested in them being identical twins.
“I didn’t leave Karros for Aiden. I am Aiden’s mate and Karros realized that my heart would never belong to him,” Flora said firmly. “He did the right thing for the right reasons.”
“Ah, and now you think Hannah will do the right thing for the right reasons.” Sylvie nodded. “What happened, did your bear lose his chew toy?”
“Sylvie.” Hannah’s warning tone pierced Sylvie’s hostile teasing. “Why don’t we give the young people a chance to talk? I think we both know they would not be here, given the current circumstances, if this wasn’t important.”
“We were also having an important discussion,” Sylvie insisted. “Remember?”
“I recall our discussion,” Hannah answered.
“We were trying to decide on who Karros should marry,” Sylvie said. “Since he’s in the market for a new wife. I came to tell Hannah that I have been in discussion with a very prominent family.” She fixed Flora with a hard stare.
Does she think she’ll make Flora jealous? His bear shook his head. She doesn’t get the whole shifter mate thing, does she?
I don’t think she truly understands it. No. Caleb groaned inwardly. She’s going to be really pissed when she finds out that Karros is not interested in marrying anyone other than Zara.
“I think you should let Karros decide who he’s going to marry,” Elise said firmly.
“How is he supposed to do that when he’s still in love with Flora?” Sylvie kept her eyes fixed on Flora. “By the time he gets over his broken heart, he’ll be too old to settle down and have children.”
“He isn’t in love with me anymore,” Flora stated.
“I expect that’s what he says to make you feel better. He always did care more for