by Lynn Hagen
“I need time.”
Bryce gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve had plenty of time. You’ve made me wait for years, Ahm. I’m not waiting any longer. If you don’t choose to be my mate, then I want you to release all claim to me and leave me the hell alone. No more showing up at the club and pulling another man off of me. You won’t have a say in who I sleep with.”
The anger flared in Ahm’s eyes. Even though Bryce was inwardly amused at the idea of Ahm getting pissed when Bryce mentioned another man, he wanted it all. He wanted the whole package or he wanted nothing.
Bryce stood there, holding his breath as he waited. His very future rode on Ahm’s response. Never before had an answer meant so much to him, and Bryce prayed to fate that Ahm chose him.
Ahm looked Bryce directly in his eyes…and then slowly shimmered away.
A fissure split inside Bryce as he watched his mate leave him standing there, taking his world, his happiness, and his love with him.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, but Bryce moved away, mounted his horse, and took off. He didn’t want anyone around when he fell apart. There should be no one there when Bryce released the rage gripping him like an iron fist.
Bryce was so far from gone in his head that he feared going rogue. He pushed Hell Raiser, outrunning Ahm’s decision, the look of regret in the elf’s eyes, and the loneliness pulling him under.
This couldn’t be real. Bryce didn’t want to be without his mate. He didn’t want to feel the suffocation in his heart as it slowly encased itself in a protective layer of ice.
“Bryce!”
He ignored Chauncey as he raced to nowhere, raced from the fact that his mate had released his claim on Bryce.
“Bryce!”
Chauncey cut him off, making Hell Raiser slow, and then his brother tackled Bryce from his saddle. They landed on the ground, Bryce fighting to get free as the pain tore him apart and made him bleed.
Strong hands held him down as Bryce shifted, fighting Chauncey, determined to get free.
“I got you, bro.” Chauncey grabbed Bryce around his neck. “We’ll get through this, I promise.”
Bryce knew there was no getting through this. Having Ahm avoid him was one thing. His mate had finally made a concrete decision about them, and Bryce had lost. He didn’t want to be in another man’s arms. He didn’t want go on without Ahm.
And Bryce didn’t want the emptiness that was consuming him and bleeding away his humanity.
* * * *
When Bryce grew still, Chauncey pulled his phone free. He walked away from his brother as he dialed his pa. He just couldn’t believe the fairy bastard had chosen to release Bryce from his claim. He just knew Ahm would pick his brother.
“Lakelands.”
“Pa, it’s Chauncey. I need you out here in the far west southern pasture.” Chauncey wanted to kill the fey for hurting Bryce like this. He just prayed Bryce recovered from the rejection.
“What’s wrong, son?” Concern filled Pa’s voice.
“Ahm didn’t choose Bryce.”
“I’m on my way.”
Chauncey slid his phone back into its case and then took a seat on the ground next to his brother. It was almost as if Bryce was in a catatonic state. He didn’t move. The bear didn’t make a sound. Bryce just stared off into the distance, his eyes unfocused, like he was lost inside himself.
As soon as Bryce was back home, Chauncey was going to gather his brothers and find that piece of shit and kill his ass. Nobody messed with a Lakeland.
Not even Bryce’s mate.
He heard a truck approaching and knew it was his pa. He stayed by Bryce’s side, running his hands through Bryce’s soft fur as he waited for the truck to come to a stop. He hated seeing his normally laughing brother in such a deep depression. If it was the last thing he did, Chauncey was going to make Ahm pay for this.
He knew the man was nothing but trouble ever since meeting the leader of the Shadow elves.
His pa strode over and stopped by the two. “What happened?”
Chauncey clenched his jaw. “Bryce told him to either claim him or never show his face again. Ahm shimmered away.”
Pa squatted down beside them and ran his hand over Bryce’s head. “We’ll take good care of you, son. I won’t pretend this will be easy, but your family is here for you.”
The two stood and grabbed Bryce’s large bear form, taking him to the truck where his pa let the tailgate down. There were blankets in the back. Chauncey and his pa eased Bryce down and then Chauncey shut the tailgate, giving his pa a hard glare. “I’m not going to let Ahm get away with this.”
“Didn’t think you would, but just remember, this is a matter of the heart. Killing his mate won’t solve his problems.”
“He looked Bryce in his fucking eyes and then left him. What coldhearted bastard does something like that?”
His pa shook his head. “You don’t know the whole story, Chauncey. I have a feeling Ahm is not denying Bryce by choice.”
“Bullshit!” Chauncey shouted and then turned away, remembering that his pa wasn’t the one who tore Bryce’s heart out. He took in a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. “People have choices. There is nothing on earth that would make me choose anyone other than Curtis. I defied his pas in order to have him.”
“Did Ahm say anything?” Pa asked.
“He said ruling a tribe wasn’t easy, especially when his people refuse to let outsiders in. He asked Bryce for time.”
“And Bryce forced Ahm’s hand.”
Chauncey turned and stared at the man in disbelief. “He had years, Pa. How much more time does he need? I mean, Curtis needed time, and I gave it to him, but there is no way in hell I would have waited years.”
“I don’t pretend to understand Ahm’s motives, son. Right now we need to think about Bryce. Let’s get him home first.”
Chauncey walked over to the horses as his pa got into the truck and drove away. He mounted his horse, and then pulled Hell Raiser’s reins behind him. No matter what logic his pa was trying to talk, Chauncey was not about to let Ahm get away with throwing Bryce away.
Chapter Five
Bryce had given Ahm a choice and he was choosing Bryce. Ahm picked up the phone and dialed Rakeym, his second-in-command, telling the fey to meet him in his office. If he was going to turn his back on his tribe, Ahm at least wanted to put a strong leader in his place. Rakeym had ruled by his side for three centuries and knew how to lead a tribe. He felt confident his second would have no problems taking on this task.
Just because he was leaving didn’t mean he had forgotten about his people’s plight. He was still going to try and solve the inbreeding problem. Ahm just wished the Shadow elves would wake up and realize that their pride was killing their lineage.
He glanced up when his office door was opened. But instead of Rakeym walking in, it was Nara and Darla.
“I have put Rakeym in charge. I expect you to obey him.”
Nara looked stunned, and downright pissed. “Why, where are you going?”
Ahm was tired of denying his mate. He was sick of keeping Bryce in the dark. He knew his people would never forgive him, but Ahm wasn’t going to continue to live without his second half. “To my mate.”
There was a quick inhale of breath from Darla, and then Nara narrowed her eyes. “Since when do you have a mate, Ahm?”
“Watch who you are speaking to in that tone or I’ll cut your tongue out.” He pulled the statistic files from his desk and then headed toward the door to go pack his bags. “I am still the leader until I leave these lands, Nara.”
His cousin didn’t look pleased.
“Who is she?” Darla asked. Ahm knew the woman had planned on mating with him. He also knew her father was as greedy as they came. The two, as well as Nara, would stop at nothing to acquire both lands. There were only two bloodlines left from all the inbreeding, and the last two were so closely related that they shouldn't even be considered separate. But they were, each wi
th their own lands, and Ahm knew Darla wanted to mate him only for his.
But that wasn’t his problem any longer.
Although he would have to warn Rakeym about these two plotting bitches. The only person who had ever brought Ahm happiness was his sister. But she had been murdered and taken away from him. Nara was a poor substitution. “That would be he, Darla, and he is a shifter.”
The two gasped, their twin expressions holding disdain.
To hell with this. He had a mate to claim.
Ahm spun when he felt something slide over his wrist. Glancing down, he saw one of the bracelets his people had invented to stop a fey from shimmering. “What the hell is this?” he asked, holding up his hand. “Do you think you two can overtake me?”
Setting the files on top of a shelf, Ahm advanced on the two.
“No, dear cousin,” Nara said with a sardonic grin. “But they can.”
Ahm spun to see four Shadow elves advancing toward him. “You should have sent more than four,” he said as he readied for battle. “But as soon as I take them down, you are going to die for betraying your leader.”
“That will never come to pass,” Nara sneered at him. “You just said you were handing the tribe over to Rakeym. You are no longer our leader. What Shadow elf would convict me when they find out that you have not only mated outside your race, but with a male?” A cold, hard glint appeared in Nara’s eyes. “As a matter of fact, I think you should be tried for betraying your race.”
Ahm swung around, connecting his foot with one of the Shadow elf’s knees. He heard a loud crack and knew he had done some damage. The elf went down, howling in pain, but the other three kept advancing.
The bracelet put Ahm at a disadvantage, but he wasn’t going down. If he did, he knew Nara and Darla would kill him so Nara could take over the tribe. His cousin would probably marry Darla’s father so the two lands could join.
Ahm wasn’t going to let that happen.
One of the guards shimmered in behind Ahm, but he was all too familiar with that move. Ahm ducked down as the guard tried to grab him and swept his leg out, unbalancing the man.
“Get him!” Nara shouted. “He has betrayed our race by mating a male shifter.”
Ahm saw one of the guards hesitate. That was all he needed. Grabbing a heavy figurine from the shelf by the door, Ahm crashed it against the man’s skull. No one was going to kill him.
“What the hell?” Rakeym shouted when he entered the office. One of the guards grabbed Ahm around his waist, running forward and forcing them both to crash into his desk.
“Enough!” Rakeym shouted. “That is your leader you are fighting. You will be tried and hanged for this.”
“He mated a male shifter,” Nara said, apparently wanting everyone to know. “He is the one who should be tried and hanged.”
Ahm knew Rakeym couldn’t help him lest he be labeled a traitor himself. He was in a fucked-up situation. Using brute force, Ahm shoved the Shadow elf off of him and dove through the office window, landing hard on the moss-covered ground. He rolled to his feet and took off running through the marshlands.
But Ahm knew he was stuck. There was no way in or out of his land without shimmering, and he currently sported a bracelet. The only thing he could do was hide and try to get help.
Reaching inside his boot, Ahm pulled his cell phone out and called the one man he knew would send him help.
“Christian.”
“I am being hunted down.”
“By whom?” Christian asked.
“My people have found out that I have a male shifter as a mate. They are out for blood.”
“I’ll have help sent to you right away. Stay hidden, Ahm.”
“Christian?” Ahm licked his dry lips, unsure if he should continue.
“Yes?”
He paused, took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. “If I don’t make it out of this, can you tell Bryce that I wasn’t refusing him? I was only coming back here to settle my affairs before going to him.”
“You’ll make it out.” Stone-cold exactness. Christian’s words were confident.
Ahm slid the phone back into his boot and glanced around, walking further into the woods. He hated the fact that he had left his belongings behind. In his bedroom, there was a key that would remove the bracelet, but Ahm knew it would be impossible to get inside. He could hear the men of his tribe shouting to find him.
It hurt his heart to see them turn on him for simply having a shifter as a mate. That was the very reason his race was dying out. He felt as though a knife blade had sliced through his chest at their betrayal. Did he mean nothing to his tribe that they could turn their backs on him so easily?
Foolish prejudice.
That prejudice was going to kill his entire race.
Slipping into the darkness, Ahm made sure he was well hidden until Christian sent his men to fetch him.
He hated this hiding shit.
But once the bracelet was removed, Ahm was going to kill Nara. He may never be able to return to his homelands again, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with what she had done. His hatred of her went deeper than just her desire to become wealthy.
The creation of their discord originated over two hundred years ago and had been brewing and building since.
* * * *
“Lakeland residence,” Pa said as he answered the phone. He paused for a moment and then a grin spread across his face. “What can I do for you, Prince?”
Bryce glanced up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, a coffee mug tucked firmly in his hands. His pa had made him sit here and drink hot tea. He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to do, but he really didn’t want to be here right now.
Bryce didn’t want to be anywhere.
The pain inside his chest felt like an open wound and he wanted to fall into the chasm it was creating. Nothing was ever going to be right again. Bryce knew he would move on, live his life, but he also knew it would never feel complete with Ahm’s rejection.
Bryce glanced up when his pa stiffened.
“How long ago did he call you?” The man’s tone was quiet, edgy.
Bryce was focusing on the conversation now. He knew that tone. His pa only used it when something was wrong. Bryce prayed nothing was wrong. He couldn’t handle any more bad news right now.
“I’ll have my mate take us there.” Pa hung up and turned toward Bryce, his light-grey eyes piercing.
Bryce gripped the mug tightly. “What?”
“It seems your mate is being hunted down by his own people. They found out he is destined to be mated to a male shifter and they want blood.”
His gut tightened and his heart clenched, but Bryce didn’t move. “He’s not my mate, Pa. He rejected me, remember?” And by the way, thank you very much for reminding me of the bastard.
Pa leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his massive chest. He eyed Bryce for a long second, making him feel like he was five years old again and about to be scolded for something stupid he had done. “He also told Christian that if he didn’t make it out, to tell you he wasn’t refusing you. He was only going back to settle his affairs.”
Bryce should be happy as hell to hear those words, but he wasn’t. Ahm had hidden who he was to Bryce for years. He had also shimmered away without a word.
For all Bryce knew, the man was just saying that so someone would come rescue his sorry ass. “Sucks to be him.” He took a sip of his tea, moved away from the table, and set the mug in the sink. “Hope he has medical, or at the very least, life insurance.”
Striding to the kitchen door, Bryce steeled his nerves. He wasn’t going to allow his emotions to get the better of him. Ahm had done this to himself. He had proven to Bryce that he didn’t want a mate.
At least not a shifter mate.
Fuck the blue-turned-white asshole.
“I never thought I would see the day when one of my boys turned as cold as the arctic winds.”
Bryce spun on hi
s heel, feeling the pain and rejection well up inside of him. He stabbed a finger in the air toward his pa. “It wasn’t your mate who hid his scent so I wouldn’t know who he was. It wasn’t Luke who shimmered away without a word after you asked him to make a choice. It isn’t your heart being shredded from the inside out! Fuck him!”
Bryce was shaking he was so mad. He normally didn’t speak to his pa that way. He had the utmost respect for the man. But when it came to Ahm, he wasn’t going to listen to anyone defending the bastard.
“Suit yourself. Your bothers and I are going to get him out of there.” Pa walked past him, his face stern. Bryce wanted to demand his family stay out of this, that they leave the man to his own fate, but he knew he would be wasting his breath.
Bryce wanted to scream.
“Just don’t bring him here!” he shouted up the stairs where his pa had disappeared.
Bryce slammed his hand into the screen door, walking out onto the front porch. He wasn’t going to deny he was torn. His bear was growling for him to go save Ahm. But the human part of him wasn’t going to let the man continue to hurt him.
He thought about all the times he had encountered Ahm over the years, never knowing he was staring at his mate. But Ahm knew, and the man hadn’t said a fucking word.
Bryce wanted to punch something.
Too bad Ahm wasn’t standing in front of him.
“You okay?” Steven asked from the porch swing.
Running his hands over his hair, Bryce shook his head. “No.”
Steven grew quiet, using his foot to sway the swing back and forth. Bryce was so damn confused inside he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Working wasn’t an option right now. Driving anywhere didn’t interest him. Hell, at this point, breathing was optional.
His heart hurt.
Steven pushed from the swing, walking toward Bryce, and laid a hand on Bryce’s arm. “If you need to talk, I’m a real good listener.”