The Horse Shifter's Mate: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  The Bond of Brothers

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Helena

  Chapter Two – Dario

  Chapter Three – Helena

  Chapter Four – Dario

  Chapter Five – Helena

  Chapter Six – Dario

  Chapter Seven – Helena

  Chapter Eight – Dario

  Chapter Nine – Helena

  Chapter Ten – Dario

  Chapter Eleven – Helena

  Chapter Twelve – Dario

  Chapter Thirteen – Helena

  Chapter Fourteen – Dario

  Chapter Fifteen – Helena

  Chapter Sixteen – Dario

  Chapter Seventeen – Helena

  Chapter Eighteen – Dario

  Chapter Nineteen – Helena

  Chapter Twenty – Dario

  Chapter Twenty-One – Helena

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Dario

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Helena

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Dario

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Helena

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Dario

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Helena

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – Dario

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – Helena

  Chapter Thirty – Dario

  Epilogue

  Also By Harmony Raines

  Get In Touch

  The Horse Shifter’s Mate

  The Bond of Brothers

  Book Two

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2021 Harmony Raines

  The Bond of Brothers

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  Series Page on Amazon

  Individual Books

  The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay

  The Bond of Brothers Book One

  The Horse Shifter’s Mate

  The Bond of Brothers Book Two

  Her Fae-vorite Bear

  The Bond of Brothers Book Three

  The Horse Shifter’s Mate

  The Bond of Brothers

  Book Two

  A seasoned shifter romance

  Horse shifter, Dario, returns to Wishing Moon Bay after learning his brother has met his mate. His returns sets in motion a surprising chain of events.

  Helena arrives in Wishing Moon Bay. But what exactly is she running from? And whatever it is, can she escape it?

  Chapter One – Helena

  “A horse?” Penny studied her sister as she ate a delicious pastry in the restaurant at the Wishing Moon Hotel. Outside, the ground was covered in a two-inch layer of snow. If more snow fell today or overnight, Helena might be stranded in the small town of Wishing Moon Bay.

  “A horse. Yes. It just appeared like that.” She clicked her fingers and Milo, Penny’s son, jumped and fixed his attention on his aunt.

  “And that’s how you found the road leading to town.” They had gone over this a couple of times already since Helena had arrived, but Penny kept asking for more details, even though there were none.

  “Yes. I told you, I followed the directions you gave me. I drove back and forth along that one stretch of road but couldn’t see you or a sign for Wishing Moon Bay. I was just about to give up since you weren’t answering your calls or your texts...” Helena’s jaw tightened as she fixed her sister with an accusing stare.

  “Sorry, we had a long day yesterday and Milo was so tired I didn’t want him woken up by my phone. Then I forgot I’d set it to silent.” Penny’s excuse sounded plausible, but Helena was suspicious she was holding something back.

  “Well, I guess it all worked out all right.” She took a bite of the croissant she’d carefully cut into pieces. The buttery flakes of pastry melted in her mouth. “These are the best croissants I’ve ever tasted.”

  “Ivan baked them. He’s the chef here. All his food is incredible.” Penny took a bite of her blueberry muffin.

  “Is he single?” Helena asked.

  “Ivan?” Penny coughed and took a sip of her coffee.

  “Yes, I could marry a man who bakes this well and forgive him a lot of faults.” She grinned at Penny’s shocked face. “I’m joking.”

  “Sorry.” Penny cleared her throat and frowned. “So the horse...”

  “He appeared from nowhere, I turned down the road leading to Wishing Moon Bay and when I stopped the car and got out to check if he was all right, he was gone. Not a sign that he was ever there.” She rubbed the crumbs off her fingertips. “Maybe he wasn’t there at all. Maybe he was a figment of my imagination.” Helena rested her chin on her palm and stared out of the window, lost in her own thoughts. Perhaps there was something wrong with her.

  “Helena.” Penny reached out and clasped her sister’s hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She smiled brightly and picked up another piece of her pastry. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

  “I know you, that look doesn’t say you’re just tired.” Penny let go of her sister’s hand and glanced at Milo. “Perhaps I can ask Logan or Rift to take Milo for a couple of hours and we can go for a walk on the beach.”

  “The beach!” Milo, whose attention had been firmly fixed on what was on the other side of the restaurant window until now, turned around to look at his mom. “I’d like to come to the beach. Maybe Logan can come, too.”

  “I’d like some time alone with Helena,” Penny explained. “We need to talk. You know, catch up on what’s been happening in our lives.”

  “Oh!” Milo’s eyes widened and he looked from his mom to Helena. “Are you going to tell Aunt Helena about Logan?”

  “What about Logan?” Helena tilted her head to one side as her sister’s cheeks flamed red. “Oh, now I’m interested.”

  “Logan is the sweetest, most incredible man I’ve ever met, that’s all.” Her breasts rose and fell as she inhaled deeply. “I think I’m in love with him.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I know I’m in love with him.”

  “Love? Isn’t that fast? I mean, I know people say love at first sight is real. But it’s also possible to get caught up in a dream, a romantic dream, that won’t last long.” She pressed her lips together as she looked at her sister, who had been hurt so badly by Milo’s father. “I don’t want to shoot down those dreams, but I also have to protect you. You and Milo.”

  “We don’t need protecting from Logan. I promise.” Penny was so certain. Her sister had loved her first husband, Milo’s father. But this was different. Helena longed to have the same certainty about a man even if it was for a fleeting moment. Surely it was better to experience love, heady, giddy love, for a short time and have your heart broken than to never experience it.

  Helena had never felt that kind of love. Not ever. The sad truth, that she’d never admitted to anyone, not even Penny, was that she had never been in love. Lust, yes. And sure, she’d convinced herself she was in love a couple of times just so she didn’t feel like she was a freak of nature. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what love w
as. She loved her dead mom, she loved Penny and Milo. But real, earth-shattering, I’d-die-without-you love, that had evaded Helena her whole life.

  “I’d like to get to know him while I’m in town.” Helena finished her muffin and eyed up a buttery pastry.

  “How long are you staying?” Penny’s eyes darted toward the door leading from the restaurant to the kitchen. The same door Logan had used when he left them alone. Could she sense him out there?

  Helena tensed. Was he out there listening to their conversation? What if he wasn’t who he said he was? What if this was one big conspiracy? She swallowed hard and grabbed her coffee cup, taking a long drink. When she met Penny’s gaze, it was filled with concern.

  “Sorry.”

  “You seem a little jumpy.” Penny’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can go take a nap in our hotel room if you need to.”

  “No, I’m fine. And in answer to your question, I’m staying as long as it takes.” She looked down at her empty plate. Would it be greedy to have another one? Or perhaps she could wrap one in a napkin and slip it into her purse to eat later.

  “As long as it takes to what?” Penny’s suspicions were raised.

  “As long as it takes to make sure that what you have with Logan is real and you are doing the right thing.” She leveled her gaze at Penny.

  “Helena...” Penny leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “You had me for a moment there.”

  Helena chuckled. “I thought you might throw the rest of those delicious pastries at me.”

  “The thought did cross my mind, but that would be an insult to Ivan’s baking skills, and I do not want to upset my future brother-in-law.” Penny waited for Helena’s reaction.

  Helena wasn’t sure how to react. “You aren’t joking, are you?”

  Penny shook her head. “He’s the one, Helena. The man of my dreams and he’ll be there for me no matter what. Unlike a certain other person.”

  “And Ivan is Logan’s brother?” Maybe Helena could seek Ivan out and while congratulating him on his amazing culinary skills, find out about the real Logan. If the man had stolen Penny’s heart in a matter of days, then she wanted to find out all his secrets and any skeletons he might be hiding in his closet.

  “Yes. Adopted brother. There are six brothers all together. Logan, Ivan, Rift, Caleb, and Aiden. Plus, Dario, who I haven’t met yet. Valerie, who owns the hotel, adopted them all when they were young.”

  “Six boys, she must either be crazy or superwoman.” Helena could understand the need to adopt a child, her biological clock wasn’t just ticking, it was starting to wind down. If she didn’t meet the right man and settle down in the next couple of years, she would never fulfill her dream of being a mother. Penny might have been emotionally scarred by her jerk of a husband but at least they had a child together. Milo was an incredible boy. Who deserved an incredible father.

  “She’s quite a woman,” Penny agreed. “They all love her very much.”

  “And what about Milo?” Helena switched her attention to her nephew. “Do you like Logan and all the people here?”

  “Logan is fun. Not as fun as Rift, but fun.”

  “Maybe Logan doesn’t need to hear that,” Penny told Milo quietly.

  “He knows, Rift told him.” Milo slipped off his seat and ran up and down the window, staring at the snow outside.

  “Of course he did,” Penny rolled her eyes.

  “Do the brothers get along?” Helena asked.

  “Yes, they love each other and are there for each other whatever they need.” Penny reached across the table and took Helena’s hand. “Like us.”

  Helena’s tight smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Penny. You and Milo.”

  “But…” Penny didn’t let go of Helena’s hand as she studied her closely. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Helena slipped her hand toward her, but Penny didn’t let go.

  “You’ve been acting weird since you arrived. And I don’t think it has anything to do with being tired.” She studied her sister closely and Helena’s cheeks flushed pink under her scrutiny. “You didn’t come here to check up on us, did you?”

  Helena’s gaze slid sideways, and she watched Milo as he ran in and out of the tables, so carefree. “Do you ever wish we could turn back the clock and go back to being Milo’s age?”

  “You are skirting around the question. I know that’s part of your job, but not when you are talking to me.” Penny squeezed Helena’s hand tighter. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I think I’m going crazy.” Helena kept her eyes fixed on the plate of pastries in front of them.

  “Going crazy?” Penny asked. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because...” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it’s stupid.”

  “No, it’s not stupid. Whatever you think is obviously bothering you. So tell me. You know there’s nothing you can’t tell me.” Penny’s soft tone of encouragement was the reason Helena had traveled here to Wishing Moon Bay.

  “You always were the best listener.” A tear rolled down Helena’s cheek and she dashed it away.

  “You’re not so bad yourself. I don’t know how I would have coped if you weren’t at the end of the phone every time I called and needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to me rant about...” She glanced at Milo and stopped talking.

  “That’s what sisters are for.”

  “Then tell me, this is my turn to listen. My turn to repay the favor.” She nodded as she squeezed Helena’s hand again. “Come on.”

  “It’s probably nothing...”

  “You don’t think it’s nothing.”

  “I met someone.”

  Penny rolled her shoulders back, her eyes darting to the door leading to the kitchen once more. “You met someone. Is it serious? Did you come here to tell me you are getting married or something?” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Are you pregnant?”

  “No!” Helena shook her head. “None of the above.”

  “Then what?”

  “I met this guy. We bumped into each other outside work. I mean actually bumped into each other. I dropped the stack of files I was carrying on the ground and he helped me pick them up. Our eyes met...” She gave a lopsided smile. “No, I didn’t think it was love at first sight. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t attracted to him. I’m a single middle-aged woman and he was cute, dimples, nice smile.”

  “That’s a healthy response.” Penny nodded. “What happened?”

  “He called and asked me to dinner the next day.” She looked down at her hands. “I thought it was romantic that he went to the trouble of tracking my number down.”

  “Romantic would be one word to describe it. But I’m guessing that’s not how it turned out?”

  “At first I’d call it romantic. We dated for a couple of weeks. I liked him a lot.”

  “You never told me you’d met someone.”

  “You were in the middle of your divorce. It felt wrong to tell you I was happy when you were in such a dark place.” Helena shook her head. “I know what you’re going to say. I know that you would have been happy for me, I really do. But it was a call I made. I figured that if the relationship lasted, I’d tell you about it when things settled down for you, if not then it made no difference.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was a very sweet guy. He treated me nice. With respect. He never pushed himself on me, if you know what I mean.” She sighed, recalling their dinner dates, of dancing in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as he held her close. “I really thought I’d found a good guy. Someone with whom I could make a future. He had a good job in a similar field to me. We were a good fit.”

  “Okay, so that’s the good, what’s the bad?” Penny asked.

  “He wore this expensive cologne.” She inhaled and closed her eyes. “A mixture of exotic spice and musk. Very distinctive.”

  “What happened?”

  “The day you
were due to arrive...” She put her hand over her mouth, her face pale. “After you called, I went home...”

  “Honey, what did he do?”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head. “Not to me.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I think he’d been in my apartment.”

  “You think he had.”

  “I could smell him. His cologne.” She shook her head. “I’d never invited him back to my place. We never got that intimate.”

  “Do you think he let himself into your apartment?”

  “Or maybe I just imagined it, in the same way I imagined that horse today.” She took a shuddering breath. “What if I’m going crazy? What if I’m losing my mind like Mom did?”

  “Oh, wait, no. The horse, I’m almost certain you saw.” She glanced over her shoulder to check on Milo. “As for the guy, is there anything else about him that makes you think he would go into your apartment like that? Was there anything missing?”

  “Not that I know of.” She shook her head. “I could have just imagined it. But the smell, it seemed so real.”

  “Okay, well, you’re here now, you’re safe here in Wishing Moon Bay.” Penny nodded. “And when you go home, I’m coming with you.”

  “No, you’ve already said you want to stay here. I don’t want to get in the middle of what you have with Logan. A real chance at happiness.”

  “And that happiness will still be here waiting for me when I get back. Although, I suspect that Logan will want to come with us.” Penny got up and came around the table to hug Helena. “You’re not in this alone, I promise.”

  “Thanks, Penny. I don’t know who else to turn to. I couldn’t call the police, they’d laugh at me if I said I can smell an intruder in my apartment.” Helena leaned on her sister. “I’m just scared I’m going crazy like...”

  “Like Mom. I understand. But I don’t think Mom was crazy. Not really.”

  “She used to believe in monsters in the closet and all that crap.”

  “I think she just saw things differently.” Penny sighed heavily. “But that doesn’t mean what she saw wasn’t true.”