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

by Lynn Hagen

  Riley had been so damn terrified when he saw the man shift into a dog. If the hound scared him that badly, a bear shifter, Sterling didn’t stand a chance. Riley shuddered to think of anything bad happening to Sterling. The man was innocent, naïve, and wouldn’t know how to handle a large dog. Granted, his mate was great with animals, but Riley knew for a fact that this was one beast Sterling couldn’t tame.

  “What about the burning bodies?” Riley asked as he glanced back in the direction they had just come from. Smoke was still billowing up from the freshly burned bodies.

  Eagle shook his head. “There is no need to worry about them. Once they are done burning, there won’t be a trace of them anywhere.”

  Huh.

  As they neared the village, Riley noticed that there were onlookers standing outside their huts. Their eyes were locked onto the body in Eagle’s arms, their eyes narrowed.

  “Whose child is this?” he shouted as he slowed his pace and then stopped, pointing at the child in Eagle’s arms.

  No one responded.

  Riley felt his anger hit an all-time high as he glared at the elves. “He belongs to no one?”

  One lone man stepped forward, his face a mask of disgust and hatred. “He belongs to Ishka and Erowyn. You had no right to interfere!”

  “Interfere in what?” Riley asked as his entire body chilled. What in the hell was going on around here? What were these people into? His took a few steps forward until he was standing in the middle of everyone, watching most of them glare back at him, while a handful looked terrified.

  The man speaking to Riley pointed at the limp man in Eagle’s arms, snarling his words as he spoke. “He was a sacrifice, and you interfered. Now the hounds will descend upon us and kill every last man, woman, and child in our tribe, shifter. I hope you have a better plan.”

  Riley ran his hand over his head, staring at the people he was supposed to temporarily lead, and knew he had to get the hell out of here before he himself killed every last bastard that had sacrificed this boy to those creatures.

  Riley exploded with anger as Eagle carried the young man to his hut. He spun around, glancing at the hostile faces all around him, and then he threw his head back, his voice so loud it felt raw as he shouted. “Ahm!”

  Chapter Eight

  Sterling sat on the floor next to the bed the young man was lying on. Riley stood to his right, talking heatedly with some scary-looking white elven man. Chey had told him the man’s name was Ahm, but knowing the man’s name didn’t comfort Sterling.

  The fey still looked like he could kill someone with just one glare.

  “Why didn’t you tell me they were sacrificing their own fucking people to the hellhounds!” Riley’s face was a mask of fury. Sterling had never seen the bear so mad before. Riley’s grey eyes were like stone as his jaw clenched tightly.

  “I had no idea,” Ahm answered calmly. Sterling didn’t trust that calmness. Somehow he knew it belied a storm inside the man. He just looked like the type who would kill someone with a calm smile on his face.

  “You told me they needed help, yet you don’t even know what’s going on around here?” Riley asked, the incredulity clear in his voice.

  Ahm narrowed his eyes. “I am not their leader. The wood elves and shadow elves were at war not too long ago. A war they started, mind you. I don’t have to do anything for them. It was one of their very own people who raped and killed my sister, and you question me? I am not responsible for them. The only reason I went to Maverick was because I was tired of them showing up in my lands, looking for refuge!”

  Wow. Sterling was looking at the man in a whole new light. Even after the wood elves had done something so heinous, the leader of the shadow elves was still willing to help. He had a newfound respect for the man.

  But he was still creepy.

  And if the creepy man yelled at Riley again, Sterling was going to kick the man’s ass. No one yelled at his bear. Well, maybe Pa, but that was about it. He stood, ready to go over to Ahm and give the man a piece of his mind when Chey grabbed Sterling’s arm, giving him a thin-lipped expression as he shook his head.

  Sterling snatched his arm away. He wasn’t afraid of Ahm…much. But he would brave the likely anger to defend his mate. “Don’t yell at my mate!”

  The room grew deathly quiet as all eyes turned to Sterling. He swallowed and felt a slight shake begin, but he stood his ground. Riley was his, and he was going to stand up for his mate.

  “Sterling,” Riley began, the warning clear in his voice.

  “No, Riley,” Sterling began. “I am truly sorry for your tragedy, Ahm. But Riley had nothing to do with it. He was asked to come here as a favor to you. And when things get funky around here, you want to yell at him? You better be damn lucky he doesn’t pack his things and go home. He is the one that doesn’t have to do anything for them. But my bear is nice. He wants to help. So stop yelling at him…please.”

  Riley’s brows shot to his hairline as Ahm stood there motionless, his expression stoic. Oh, hell, Sterling prayed the man didn’t open a can of whoop ass on him. No, he didn’t care. He was standing by his mate, even if it meant getting his ass handed to him by the creepy fey.

  “Anything else, human?” Ahm asked, his voice unreadable.

  “Yes,” Sterling said as he jutted out his chin and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell Iam to stop trying to eat my pig.”

  “I—” Ahm blinked and then looked at Sterling once more. “I’ll do that.”

  “Thank you very much,” Sterling replied politely.

  “There are serious problems here,” Riley said to Ahm, but kept glancing over at Sterling as if he couldn’t believe Sterling had stood up for him. Sterling gave his mate two thumbs up and a wide grin and then sat back down by the sick young man.

  “I had no idea it was this serious, shifter. But I’m at a loss of what to do about it. I will not bring them to my lands. The wood elves have grown selfish and unreasonable. They think of nothing but their own hides. I can’t have that around my people. We are a proud race, but we live as peacefully as we can. The wood elves would destroy that.”

  Riley turned to Eagle, a defeated look marring his handsome face. “Bring Iam in.”

  Eagle gave a firm nod and exited the hut.

  “Despite what they have done, we can’t leave them defenseless,” Riley said, sounding so damn tired that Sterling had an urge to run to his mate and hug him. “I’ll never understand how they sacrificed their own people, but I acknowledge why they did it.”

  “They are leaderless and live in fear.” Ahm nodded. “But they could have found a better way. They could have gone to Maverick, or Zeus, or even told me about the vicious hounds. But they tried to handle it on their own and made matters worse.”

  Sterling crossed his legs, feeling the tears gather in his eyes as he stared at the young boy. He looked so peaceful lying there. He couldn’t imagine being handed over to such hateful beings by his own parents.

  What was this young man going to think when he woke up? Sterling wasn’t sure “I’m sorry” was going to cut it. This guy’s parents were supposed to protect him from the monsters, not hand him over to them. Sterling hadn’t known his father. The man died when he was two years old. But he was pretty sure his dad would have fought tooth and nail to keep him safe.

  “Why am I being brought in here?” Iam asked as he shrugged Eagle’s arm off of him. Eagle didn’t look too happy, but released the man and took a stance by the door. Didn’t the guy know elves could pop in and out of places?

  “Because we want an explanation,” Riley growled as he pointed toward the bed. “Why in the hell would you people hand over a child to those monsters?”

  Sterling’s thoughts exactly.

  Iam sputtered for a moment as if offended by the question, and then he sighed and his shoulders slumped. In that moment, he looked twenty years older. The lines around his face deepened, and Sterling noticed dark circles under the man’s eyes that he had never
noticed before. “I tried to stop them.”

  “Not hard enough,” Sterling growled.

  “I am just one man,” Iam argued. “I can’t rein in an entire village. I told them not to make a deal with those hounds. I argued that they couldn’t be trusted. The tribe threatened to disown me if I didn’t comply.”

  “So you just kowtowed to them?” Riley asked in disgust. “You just let them hand over your children?”

  Iam shook his head. “No. The healer took most of the children and went into hiding. But some refused to leave their parents. I tried to reason with the young ones, but they wouldn’t listen. They insisted that their families would never allow any harm to come to them.”

  “Why didn’t we know children were missing?” Max asked from the corner of the room where he had been standing quietly.

  “I let it slip to Ahm that the healer was missing. I caused trouble with Ahm so he would interfere. They were feeble attempts for help so my tribe wouldn’t know I was actually seeking assistance.”

  “What was the deal they made?” Riley asked.

  “The deal was if the hounds stopped the vampires from attacking us, then we would provide them with one fey a month for their personal use. I don’t think the people in the village realized the trickery. I saw it for what it was. They weren’t going to stop the vampire attacks. Even the words ‘personal use’ should have been enough for them to fight the hounds, but they cowered in front of those vile creatures and agreed.”

  “Why children?” Ahm asked.

  This time Iam’s face clouded with anger. His dark-blue eyes turned into two pits of fire. “That was something that happened behind my back. As soon as I realized what was happening, I had the healer smuggle them out. The elven excuse was that the young ones were easy prey. They didn’t fight and…” Iam turned away, but not before Sterling saw the tears in the man’s eyes.

  He wanted to go out there and pound the snot out of each and every person in the village. Sterling had never hated anyone in his life. But at that moment, he hated every damn person in the village who had given their child away to those things.

  “What should we do to them?” Ahm asked.

  Iam turned around, shock written all over his face. “Why are you asking me?”

  “Because I think you would make a good leader,” Riley replied. “You just need to learn how to rule your tribe.”

  Iam backed away, shaking his head. “I can’t lead them. They don’t even listen to me.”

  “Then I will teach you how to make them not only listen, but obey your every command,” Ahm said adamantly. “Now, tell me which adults gave their children away.”

  “There have only been two sacrifices involving the young ones, and Terrik is the second.” Iam pointed over toward the bed. “I can show you which adults are guilty.”

  “And you will make an example out of them,” Ahm replied heatedly.

  Ahm turned toward Riley, and something passed between the two that Sterling couldn’t decipher. But both men’s jaws tightened, and their lips turned down as if they were contemplating something really bad. Sterling didn’t like it, but he was finding that he didn’t like several things that had happened tonight.

  “I had no idea it was this bad here,” Ahm said as he turned to look around the room. “I will send some of my shadow warriors to guard the village while Iam is taught how to lead his tribe. The healer will bring back the children.”

  “I guess that’s my cue to pack my bags?” Riley asked.

  A microscopic twinge tugged at the corner of Ahm’s mouth as he gave one regal bow of his head. “It is.”

  “Thank fuck,” Max blurted out and then quickly turned away.

  “Excuse my mate. He is a pampered lion,” Chey said with a grin.

  “So,” Eagle began, “does this mean I don’t have to teach the elves how to fight?” Sterling could see the disappointment in the grey wolf’s face. He must have been really looking forward to the lessons.

  “No, stay. Teach them how to fight and defend their village,” Ahm said. “They could use all of the help they can get.”

  “Oh, hell,” Max mumbled.

  Riley reached for Sterling, grabbing his hand and heading for the door at a fast pace. “Are we leaving?” Sterling asked as he jogged behind his mate to keep up.

  “Not until we know the young man is out of the woods. But once we know he is all right, we’re going home.”

  Home! Sterling wanted to do a happy dance. He didn’t mind roughing it for a while here, but there was nothing like cable television and a flushing toilet. He was never going to take those things for granted again.

  Riley sighed happily as Sterling’s tongue licked leisurely up the side of his neck and then back down the other side until he reached Riley’s throat. The tip of his tongue lingered around Riley’s Adam’s apple, teasing it gently with his teeth as his mate moaned. Sterling was draped over him, his cock digging into Riley’s stomach, and the moisture leaking onto his abdomen only reminding Riley that he had one sexy-ass man lying above him. He had his hands tucked behind his head, his legs spread, and Sterling lapping at his skin.

  His mate’s hands were causing havoc with every inch of skin that they reached and stroked. The man seemed to know just where to touch Riley in order to drive him out of his mind. Sterling’s fingers lingered on the body hair Riley had an ample amount of, tugging at it gently as he made his way around to Riley’s ear, nibbling on the lobe. Riley gave a little growl at the sensations rushing through him. The pleasure felt like soft currents lapping through his body.

  Sterling kissed Riley’s jaw and then licked his way around to the other side, doing to the same to the opposite ear. He was taking his sweet time and driving Riley nuts. He shivered when Sterling leaned to his side and began to kiss and lick one thick bicep. The man seemed to be enthralled with Riley’s large muscles, as if he couldn’t get enough of them.

  His mate’s hands were caressing his pecs, his fingers pinching and pulling at Riley’s nipples. Riley groaned, turning his head so he could watch his mate lick his damn muscles like a seducer. The man knew what he was doing and was doing it very well.

  The moves were slow, lazy even, but Riley could see Sterling closing his eyes as if he were enjoying every second of what he was doing. Riley sure as hell was.

  Riley had worried that things between them would be strained when they returned to the ranch. He worried that he wouldn’t feel as comfortable being affectionate with his mate as he had at the village. He had feared that once they came back to his bedroom, things would be awkward between the two of them.

  He was so fucking wrong.

  They had barely gotten in the door before Riley was pulling Sterling up the stairs to claim him again, and Sterling had seemed just as anxious to be back in Riley’s arms. All Riley could think about was how proud he was to be Sterling’s mate, and how special he had felt when his little mate stood up to a man who scared even Riley, just to defend him.

  Had anyone ever had a more wonderful mate?

  He had wanted to toss Sterling to the dirt floor in the hut everyone had been standing in, not caring who was watching as he claimed his sexy, braver-than-he-truly-was mate. It had made his cock hard hearing Sterling tell Ahm off. It had been even sexier when Sterling had proclaimed that Riley was his bear in front of everyone.

  Sterling was perfect.

  Riley almost laughed at how hard he had fought his mating with the human. He had been so stupid to deny Sterling. He finally understood why all of his brothers, and his father, too, turned into such saps when it came to their mates.

  They couldn’t help it.

  And now Riley could see why. Sterling had become the best part of his life. Riley didn’t want the man to leave his side—which was one big-ass contradiction to how he had been acting just a few short days ago.

  How the mighty have fallen.

  Although he would never speak it out loud to a single member of his family, he felt that he had gotten the
best mate out of all of them. Sterling might drive him to distraction with his peculiar ways, but Riley was pretty sure he would die if anything ever happened to the man. He just wouldn’t want to live without his little blond-haired mate who drove him crazy and made him love every inch of the man at the same time.

  “Sit on my cock, baby,” Riley said as he gripped his mate’s sides and lifted Sterling’s hips up into the air. “Ride me.”

  Sterling’s light-grey eyes sparkled like twin diamonds as he sat up, his hands resting on Riley’s chest. Riley knew this was something Sterling had fantasied about, and he had plans to fulfill each and every one of Sterling’s fantasies.

  Scratch that.

  He had every intention of fulfilling each and every one of Sterling’s fantasies that was humanly, or bear-ly possible, to fulfill. With Sterling, one never knew. But if it was within Riley’s power to do it, he would.

  “You are so fucking sexy, mate,” Riley whispered as he watched Sterling slowly lower himself down onto Riley’s cock. He watched where their bodies met, his breathing growing more rapid with each passing second. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Watching Sterling sink down onto his cock was erotic as hell. “Just look at you,” he murmured. “Your ass was made for my cock.”

  “Yesss,” Sterling hissed as his head fell back on his shoulders.

  Riley’s eyes slowly moved up Sterling’s body, past the man’s flat abdomen to his well-defined stomach and then his lightly muscled chest. He gloried at the way Sterling was built. The man wasn’t a skinny guy with a narrow body and no definition. No, his mate was cut, chiseled, and was erotic as hell to look at. The man was well tanned all over, and Riley’s favorite spot on his mate’s body, aside from his ass, was the well-defined V that started on either side of the man’s stomach and ran down between his legs.

  And it didn’t hurt that the man was hairless at his groin. Quite the opposite of Riley’s hairy body, but sexy as sin to look at. It gave him an unobstructed view of Sterling’s thick and long cock.

  Riley’s eyes ran back up Sterling’s body to the brown-hued nipples on each side of Sterling’s chest and knew they were a work of art.