Riley's Downfall [Brac Pack 30] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  Sterling nodded so hard that his bangs flopped against his forehead. “He said I could pick any one that I wanted.”

  “Does Pa know about this?”

  “Riley said he would tell Pa.”

  “Uh-huh.” A smile curved up the corners of Olsen’s mouth. “He is kind of cute.”

  “He’s adorable. Riley said so.” Sterling’s smile grew so wide his face hurt. “I’m going to call him Bacon.”

  Olsen made a small noise like he was being strangled and then started coughing. Sterling looked at him in concern. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”

  “No.” Olsen’s smile grew until both sides of his mouth curved up. “No, I’m fine. But Bacon might need a little something. He’s kind of young to be away from his mama. Maybe you should take him back.”

  “No.” Sterling shook his head emphatically. “Riley said I can keep him.”

  “I think he meant you could keep him in the barn, Sterling.”

  Sterling’s mouth dropped. “He’s just a baby. He can’t live out in the barn. He’ll freeze to death.”

  Olsen looked like he wanted to argue. He even opened his mouth, but then he shook his head, a small chuckle coming from his lips. “Okay, Sterling, but if you’re going to take on the responsibility of having a piggy, you need to know how to take care of him. Pa has a book in his study you can read. It should tell you everything you need to know.”

  “That would be great,” Sterling said as he followed Olsen into Pa’s study. He crooned and stroked his piglet while Olsen searched around for whatever book he was looking for. It was actually smaller than he had thought it would be when Olsen handed it to him.

  “Read this, Sterling. It should tell you most everything you need to know about raising piglets. If you have any questions, I’m sure Riley can answer them for you.”

  Olsen looked pleased as punch, and Sterling knew there was more to his offer of help than just being friendly. He suspected that it had something to do with Riley. He just couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

  “Thanks, Olsen. If anyone comes looking for me, I’ll be upstairs reading this and giving Bacon a bath.” Sterling wrinkled his nose. “He’s kind of stinky.”

  Whatever he said sent Olsen into peals of laughter. Sterling didn’t know why. The piglet had been living in a barn with nine brothers and sisters. He smelled like, well, he lived in a barn.

  Sterling took the book upstairs to his bedroom, careful not to jostle the pig too much. It was a baby after all. He laid Bacon on the bed, piling pillows all around the piglet, and then rested his back against the headboard as he turned to page one.

  “Okay, Bacon, let’s see what needs to be done to take real good care of you.”

  “Where’s your help?” Pa called out as he climbed out of the truck. He closed the door and headed toward Riley. “You better not have snapped at him again, Riley.”

  Riley sat in the saddle, glancing down at his pa and wondering if he even wanted to tell the man where his mate was. He knew he was going to catch some shit over this. No one in the house was going to let him live this down.

  He just knew it.

  “I didn’t snap at him, Pa,” Riley said as he swung his leg over the saddle and dismounted. “Sterling is in the house with his pig.” The words were spoken so low that Riley prayed his pa didn’t hear him.

  His pa stopped dead in his tracks, cocking his head as he studied Riley intently. Yep, the man had heard him. Damn shifter hearing. “Did you hit your head, boy?”

  And it began.

  “No,” he grumbled. “Sterling found the sow and her piglets.”

  Pa’s eyes lit up and a grin formed on his face, spreading until the smile reached from ear to ear. He gave a deep chuckle as he shook his head. “You have one interesting mate, Riley. Strange, but interesting.”

  “Who said he was my mate?” Riley winced. He wasn’t trying to deny Sterling. Even saying the words tasted bitter in his mouth. He just wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the man. Sterling was a walking, talking paradox to Riley. The man baffled Riley from head to toe, and everywhere in between. But he knew that Sterling was beginning to make a chink in Riley’s armor. All he had thought about in the barn was making the man smile.

  “Son,” Pa began and then sighed, looking as if he was letting whatever argument he was gearing up for fade away. “Very well. We have other matters to discuss right now anyway.”

  Riley didn’t like the solemn look on his pa’s face. That look never boded well for any of them. He’d grown up at the man’s side, and Riley had gotten pretty damn good at reading his pa. He didn’t like where this story was going.

  “Let’s talk inside,” his pa said and then climbed the front steps, leaving Riley standing there for a moment wondering if he wanted to follow. Sighing deeply, Riley trotted up the front steps and walked inside. He found his pa in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee. He looked tired, weary, and Riley wasn’t sure what to think.

  His father had always been strong, a force to be reckoned with. But today, Malcolm Lakeland looked his age. Riley took a seat at the table, glancing at his pa as the man made two cups of coffee and set one down in front of Riley.

  The man was starting to worry Riley.

  “Is everything okay?” Riley asked as he picked the mug up, taking a small sip.

  “You know, son. There are some days when I wonder why I even get out of bed,” Pa said as he took a seat at the table.

  That sentence scared him. Riley wasn’t used his pa talking like this. It just wasn’t him. The man was an unyielding force that Riley relied on for guidance and reassurance. Riley was a grown man, but even grown men needed a shoulder to lean on once in a while. And his pa was that shoulder.

  “What happened at Maverick’s?”

  His pa stared into his cup for so long that Riley didn’t think the man was going to answer him. He had a faraway look, like something was troubling him. Whatever it was, Riley wanted to find out so he could dismantle it and take that look off of his pa’s face.

  “Maverick asked me to do something today that I’m not sure I want to do.”

  “Then I’ll do it for you,” Riley instantly said. “Just tell me.”

  Malcolm’s eyes rose slowly, the steel grey looking more like soft wisps of cloud. The fire wasn’t in his pa’s eyes, and Riley wanted to kill whatever was upsetting his pa.

  “The wood elves don’t have a leader. Not since Luke killed Shanta. Maverick needs someone to bring back order to their tribe until Ahm can find them someone suitable for the position.”

  “And he wants you to be their temporary leader?” Riley was shocked. The man had a ranch to run, people who relied on him. His pa had decided to open his ranch to those in need, and he wouldn’t be able to do that from the wood elf tribe. Maverick was nuts. What had he been thinking?

  And Riley couldn’t imagine a day of working without his pa somewhere close by. He was his pa’s right-hand man, his best friend. “Why would he do that?”

  Malcolm shook his head, the worry in his eyes deepening. “No, son. Maverick wants you to be their temporary leader.”

  Riley sat there stunned.

  “He wants you to settle them down and let them know that they haven’t been abandoned. It was my mate who took their leader away, no matter how much Shanta deserved to die. So if you don’t want to do this, I understand.” Pa reached over, laying his heavy hand on Riley’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “I created this mess, so I should be the one to clean it up.”

  Riley couldn’t let his pa shoulder such a big responsibility. The man had already raised seven sons, on his own no less. And now he had a mate, and a new son, who wasn’t even a year old yet. He knew that if his pa went to the village, so would Luke and Cole, and that would defeat the purpose of Luke running from them in the first place. Shanta may be dead, but Riley was quite sure there was more than one fey harboring ill feelings toward the elf.

  “No,” Riley shook his head, ba
lling his fists up in his lap. “I’ll go.”

  “What about Sterling? He has never lived in a tribe, Riley. He wouldn’t know how to live without modern conveniences.”

  “My mate is stronger than he looks.” Although Riley wasn’t sure he wanted to take Sterling. It was hostile territory over at the wood elf tribe. He didn’t know one person over there and wasn’t sure he could keep his mate safe. Sterling was safest here where Riley’s family could watch over him.

  Pa grinned. “So you finally admit he’s your mate.”

  Riley blew out a long breath, running a hand over his head. “Yeah, I just don’t know what to do with him, Pa. He’s the opposite of everything that I am.”

  Malcolm stood, patting Riley on the shoulder. “You just have to love him, son. Everything else will fall into place.”

  It couldn’t be that easy. Riley had seen how his brothers were total goobers around their mates, and he wasn’t going to fawn after Sterling. Just because Riley had found his mate, it didn’t mean instant love or instant trust.

  And it especially did not mean instant dick-whipped.

  His pa leaned his hip into the counter, taking a drink from his coffee before speaking. “And if you don’t let Sterling in, Riley, you are going to lose the best part of your life. Trust me, I know.”

  Riley didn’t know about that, but he had to admit, he had been a little standoffish with the man. Maybe he should get to know the peculiar human. There had to be something they had in common.

  Riley left his pa in the kitchen, going in search of his mate. He still felt like he was too old for the guy, but Riley wasn’t stupid. Stubborn, but not stupid. He didn’t want to lose his mate.

  He just had to figure out what to do with the man.

  Riley knocked on Sterling’s bedroom door. He heard his mate talking quietly, so he opened the door and stuck his head inside. To his amazement, and utter disbelief, his mate was reading to the damn pig. And it honest to god looked like the pig was listening. Its little head was tilted up toward Sterling as his mate read.

  Riley listened for a moment and realized that Sterling was reading a book about how to care for pigs.

  He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching his mate. A slow, warm tingling sensation started in his gut and reached up, the feeling wrapping itself around Riley’s heart. He felt a small smile tugging at his lips as he listened to his mate read.

  His mate had changed shirts, and was wearing one without sleeves. Riley had never noticed how tanned Sterling’s skin was before, or how well-defined his upper body looked. He didn’t have huge muscles like Riley, but he wasn’t a runt either. The man had a gorgeous six-pack from what he could see behind the tight ribbed tank top.

  Sterling may only be twenty-one, but as Riley watched his mate, he saw years of weariness in the man’s light-grey eyes. He wondered what exactly Sterling had been through in such a short time.

  Sterling’s brother Darcy had claimed that Sterling was immature and never took anything seriously, but Riley was starting to wonder if that wasn’t a façade. He hoped not. As quirky as his mate was, Riley didn’t want the man to change.

  “Is there something you need?” Sterling asked as he looked up at Riley.

  You.

  “I needed to talk to you.” He waved toward the pig. “If this isn’t a bad time.” He couldn’t believe he was asking for time from the pig. He really was losing his mind.

  “Come on in.” Sterling smiled at him, and Riley had to look away. The trust in that smile was more than he could handle at the moment. He was already whirling with everything that was on his plate.

  And he was not going to turn into a goober.

  “I was just reading up on pig care. If you don’t mind, can you give me a ride into town tomorrow? I need to pick up some basic needs for Bacon.”

  Riley’s brows shot to his hairline. “You named your pig Bacon?”

  Sterling shrugged as he moved over, telling Riley without words that he wanted him to sit on the bed. “He seems to like it.” Sterling frowned. “Why, shouldn’t I have named him Bacon?”

  Gods, Sterling confused the shit out of Riley. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh, hug the man for his naïve ways, or tell the man that it was the most inappropriate name he could have given the piglet.

  He settled on a smile as he sat down, staring down at the comfortable-looking pig. “You know, most folks don’t keep a pig in the house.”

  “But he’s my pet, Riley. Where else would I keep him?”

  Riley could see that Sterling truly believed that. The man was convinced that the piglet was like a damn kitten or a puppy, an animal that belonged in the house. He wasn’t sure what to say. He knew the only thing that would do was the truth.

  “He’s a farm animal, Sterling. He belongs outside on the farm.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” Sterling stated as if Riley were the one being unreasonable. Riley decided to let it go. If keeping a pig in his room made Sterling happy, Riley could concede to such a small thing. Besides, he needed to talk to Sterling about something more important than a baby pig snuggled in the man’s bed like he owned the joint.

  “I have been asked to be the temporary leader for the wood elves.”

  “When do we leave?” Sterling asked as he set the book down. “It won’t take me long to pack. I don’t have much.”

  Riley shook his head, dreading the next words. He didn’t want to see the look he was about to place on his mate’s face. “It would be better if you stayed here. I don’t know anyone there, Sterling. It isn’t safe. Pa’s mate killed the leader when Shanta tried to kidnap Cole, and I’m not too sure how receptive they are going to be having me guide them.”

  Sterling stilled. A shadow fell over his light-grey eyes, and for the first time ever, the man remained quiet. He just sat there, staring down at his pig, but said nothing.

  “They live very modestly, Sterling. They have no electricity, no running water, nothing. But I’ll still have my cell phone with me, and I can charge it in my truck.”

  Sterling gave a slight nod.

  “Call me if you need anything, understood?” Why did Riley feel like shit? Sterling’s face was unreadable, but Riley could feel the hurt coming off of the man in waves. It was better this way. He needed to go into the tribe and establish himself. He couldn’t do that and keep an eye on Sterling as well.

  “I need to go pack. Pa and my brothers will make sure you stay safe, Sterling. They won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Sterling gave a slight nod.

  It was the hardest thing for Riley to do, but he knew he had to. Sterling wasn’t safe with the wood elves, and as much as it pained Riley to see that look on his mate’s face, he wasn’t taking any chances with Sterling’s safety. He wasn’t going to be gone long. Just as soon as Ahm found a replacement, Riley would be back and Sterling would be bugging him again.

  Riley realized that he had never met Ahm. Not in all the time the elves had been in this territory. Well, he guessed he would be meeting the man soon since it was Ahm who would relieve him of this responsibility.

  Riley didn’t want to go, but he wasn’t going to allow his pa to take his place. His pa had other obligations, and Riley had one, Sterling. But he knew Sterling would be safe here. His brothers may clown around a lot, and they may slack off on work, but they would protect Sterling with their very lives. Of this, he had absolutely no doubt.

  He gave one last long look at Sterling before Riley headed for the bedroom door.

  “Why are we heading to a tribe of elves again?” Max asked as he sat next to his mates Chey and Eagle as Eagle drove down the long stretch of road on Route 14. He couldn’t believe that the alpha had pulled Max away from Pride Pack Valley General to go visit some elves. He had scheduled surgeries and patient appointments that he had to hand off just to go frolicking in the woods. And he was still a bit confused about why.

  “Because,” Eagle said as he turned his blinker on and then made a left turn, “the
wood elves’ healer has disappeared and Alpha Maverick wanted us to check the wood elves out, make sure they were healthy, and possibly help the tribe until a replacement is found.”

  “What the hell do we know about finding a replacement? I didn’t even know there was a whole tribe of them to begin with until the alpha ordered us to go. And from what Zeus tells me, they don’t even have modern conveniences. I’m not pampered, Eagle, but hell if I’m forgoing my morning cup of coffee.”

  Eagle chuckled, which only ticked Max off. “Relax, Max. It’s only temporary. Some shadow elf named Ahm is on the hunt for a new healer. We’re only staying long enough for him to find one.”

  “I think it’s kind of cool,” Chey said from between the two. “It’ll be like camping. No electricity, no running water. Just us and nature.” Chey let out a long sigh as if he were looking forward to living off of the land.

  Max was not.

  “No running water?” Max felt like Eagle was driving them back into the Stone Age. Okay, maybe he was a little attached to his creature comforts because Max started to envision cooking out on the open fire, having to wash all of his clothes by hand, and shitting in the woods with nothing but a leaf… “Did anyone pack toilet paper?”

  “You are so damn pampered,” Eagle teased. “You’re a shifter, Max. Being in the great outdoors should be second nature to you.”

  It wasn’t. Max shifted into his lion form and ran with his mates, but he didn’t live in the damn woods. He and his wolf mates shared a large California sleigh bed, and he liked the Tempur-Pedic mattress that they slept on. It conformed to his body and made sleeping with two grown men who hogged the bed worth it. For some odd damn reason, Chey turned in his sleep like a damn hand on a clock, knocking Max to the edge every single night. He was seriously considering tying Chey down when they went to bed. But then of course, he really wouldn’t get any sleep seeing Chey tied up.

  But what in the hell was he going to sleep on in a tribe of throwback elves?

  Chey laughed as he smacked Max on his knee. “We have a princess among us, Eagle.”

  “Am not!” Max defended. “I’m a fierce lion shifter.”