by Lynn Hagen
Luke waved a hand at Malcolm. “Well, he can’t just sit here with a freaking knife in his shoulder!”
Malcolm grabbed his mate, pulling Luke down onto his lap. “Calm down. I swear to you, I’m fine.” Just in a shitload of pain.
Luke didn’t look the least bit happy, but stopped the hysterics. Malcolm sat there, watching as Dr. Sheehan worked on Ahm’s inner thigh, praying his son-in-law made it.
* * * *
Bryce watched his mate sleep. Once the doctor was done mending him, Ahm had been brought upstairs to Bryce’s bedroom where he was now sleeping comfortably. There was nothing like watching a person’s mate slip between life and death to put things in perspective. Bryce was going to try his best to put the betrayal behind him and give Ahm a chance.
“Am I dead?” Ahm asked as he stirred, his eyes slowly opening to show Bryce the beautiful blue irises he loved looking at. Now that Ahm was awake, Bryce wasn’t sure what to say to the man. He had been mad at the guy for so long that being anything else was confusing.
“Dr. Sheehan repaired the artery. You’ll live.”
Ahm turned his head, glancing up at Bryce. “Don’t sound so disappointed. I’m pretty sure my tribe will try again.”
After everything that had just happened, Bryce didn’t want to fight with Ahm. “Then they’ll be met by one angry bear.” He leaned his shoulder on the wall by the window, glancing at the yard below.
“Bryce—”
Bryce held his hand up. “I’m going to do us both a favor and give this mating thing another try.” He turned, pinning Ahm with a narrow-eyed glare. “Don’t screw this up again. I am not a man with infinite forgiveness.”
Ahm closed his eyes, but not before Bryce saw the relief in them. “How does your leg feel?”
“Like someone stabbed me in it.” Ahm opened his eyes and Bryce could see the amusement dancing around the blue orbs.
Despite the bleak situation, Ahm’s response and expression made Bryce want to smile. “Remember this feeling, because if you screw me over again, I’ll stab you in your other thigh.”
Ahm gave a slow blink and then nodded. “I have some files and personal items I need to get from the marshland.”
Change of subject.
“It isn’t safe,” Bryce said. “Your tribe already tried to carve you open. If you go back there, they’ll finish the job.”
Ahm tried to sit up, but he was struggling. Bryce immediately closed the distance and placed a hand on Ahm’s back, helping him. “Take it easy before you bust your stitches. Dr. Sheehan isn’t too happy with the work we’ve already given him today. He’ll kick my ass if he has to come back here.” As soon as Bryce’s hands touched Ahm’s bare flesh, he felt his cock reacting. It became full and heavy as Ahm leaned against the pillows behind him. Bryce let his hand linger as he stared down at the man’s sharp features. How had fate created something so damn beautiful?
“That bad?” Ahm asked, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face.
Bryce wasn’t going to put undue stress on Ahm and tell him about his pa being attacked. It still boiled his blood that anyone hurt his father. “Bad enough.”
Bryce’s hand slid down Ahm’s shoulder, his fingers lingering on Ahm’s bicep. It was well formed, not as big as Bryce’s, but still nice to touch.
And so was the long, silky white hair. Bryce ran the strands between his fingers, amazed that it felt like spun silk. He could play in the thick mass for hours. Bryce let his hand drop as he moved away from Ahm.
Ahm grabbed Bryce’s hand and pulled until Bryce was sitting on the side of the bed. “You don’t understand. Those files are very important. I need them.”
Bryce heard Ahm talking, but his body was too busy reacting to his mate being so close. He could smell the wildness surrounding the fey. It was like being in the woods, running with the wind caressing his fur.
His cock grew impossibly harder.
Ahm cocked his head. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah, important files.” Bryce’s heart went wild, and blood rushed hot through his veins. Ahm’s hand was on Bryce’s arm, his fingers feeling as if they were singeing his flesh. He sure as hell hoped Ahm didn’t want to keep talking because Bryce was losing the capacity to listen. All his blood was leaving his body and pooling at his groin.
He knew Ahm was wounded, but his body didn’t seem to notice a damn thing except the man’s gorgeous looks and exhilarating scent. His bear wanted to bathe in that scent and leave his own on Ahm.
“Are you all right?” Ahm asked, his brows furrowed.
If wanting the man despite his injuries was all right, then Bryce was doing mighty fine. No, that wasn’t right. Bryce’s cock was starting to think for him. “Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about fucking your brains out.”
Ahm gaped at him as a blush stole over his cheeks. Bryce was floored that the strong leader of the Shadow elves even knew how to become embarrassed. It seemed so out of character for him. It also made the man seem reachable.
Bryce brushed the hair away from Ahm’s shoulder and then lowered his head, taking possession of Ahm’s lips. He tasted just as wild and masculine as the first time they kissed. Bryce was careful of his mate’s injury as he leaned closer, placing his hand on the other side of Ahm’s hip. There was an explosion of heat from Ahm’s mouth to his, and Bryce nearly lost his mind.
His tongue traced the soft fullness of Ahm’s lips, feeling the long-denied hunger begin to build inside of him. Bryce forced Ahm’s lips to part, thrusting his tongue inside the moist cavern, devouring the taste of his mate. The kiss sent the pit of Bryce’s stomach into a wild swirl, making him move closer as he wound his hand in Ahm’s long hair.
Finally—because neither Bryce nor Ahm could live without air—they parted. But his mate didn’t pull away. Instead, Bryce felt warm, moist lips ghosting along the curve of his neck. They brushed the line of his jaw, sending arousing waves of need through Bryce.
“If you don’t stop, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to you,” Bryce said, but didn’t move. He desperately wanted to give himself freely to the passion of Ahm’s tender lips, but knew the man was injured. As badly as he wanted the guy, Bryce forced himself to back away.
“And what do you think you would do to me?” Ahm asked, a twinkle of challenge in his blue eyes.
“Let you heal.” Bryce stood, heading toward the bedroom door. The only thing his bear wanted to do was go back to their mate, but Bryce knew Ahm had suffered a near-fatal injury. He wasn’t going to let his libido hurt the man.
“Running?” The question was filled with a tone Bryce couldn’t mistake for anything but lust. He swallowed hard.
“No, stopping both of us from having to call the doctor back here once I put a damn crook in your back.”
Ahm’s nostrils flared as Bryce gave a low laugh and left the room. He closed the door and then leaned against the wall, fighting not to go back in there and show the man exactly how fucking horny he truly was.
The guy had no idea just what he was doing to Bryce. Or did he? Either way, Bryce pushed from the wall and went downstairs. Distance was what they both needed.
And lots of air.
“How’s he doing?” Pa asked as Bryce entered the kitchen.
“Much better.” And driving Bryce to the brink of insanity.
“Good. I called Maverick and told him about the attacks. He’s sending some men over here to help keep an eye on things until Ahm is healed.” His pa grabbed the mug from the counter and took a seat at the table. “We also need to get our work finished. The fences need mending and cattle need to be turned loose. I have Riley separating the mature ones that need to be driven to the market.” His pa leaned back in his chair. “I hired extra help this year. We need all the hands we can get for the cattle drive.”
Bryce grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself some juice. “Who do you have coming?”
“Maverick gave a few recommendations. There are some townsfolk wh
o could use the work.”
“I’ll see who I can hire to help with planting the crops. Since Chauncey can’t drive the tractor anymore, I’ll need someone to work the field.” Bryce took a sip of his juice. He was talking ranch business with his pa, but his mind was on Ahm. His bear was trying to convince him to go back upstairs and claim the man.
He may be giving Ahm another chance, but Bryce wasn’t going to claim him until he knew Ahm was serious about them. Bryce took mating to heart, and he wasn’t about to get played again.
“I’ll have the mates keep an eye on Ahm.” Pa got up and set his cup in the sink. “You go on into town and hire the men I need.” Bryce was handed a list with names on them. “I want them here first thing in the morning.”
Bryce grabbed the list and shoved it into his pocket. He knew his mind wasn’t going to be on work today, but his pa was right. They had a ranch to run. There wasn’t much Bryce could do at the moment. Ahm was not only injured, but things were still uncertain between them. He wasn’t going to open his arms wide for the man. Ahm had to earn Bryce’s trust this time around.
Heading outside, Bryce slipped into his truck and drove down the driveway, steering toward town.
Leaving his mate at home was hard, but so was trusting the man not to break his heart and leave Bryce a shattered mess again.
Chapter Eight
Ahm sat on the window seat, watching as Bryce pulled from the driveway. He rubbed his wrist, hating the fact that he was still wearing the cursed bracelet. What he wouldn’t give right now to go back home and teach his tribe a lesson.
What really had him angry as hell was the fact that they had come to the Lakeland home to attack him. Regardless of how Ahm had felt about his mating to Bryce, he liked the Lakelands. They were a nice and decent family.
But thinking about one bear in particular getting hurt made Ahm want to kill everyone in his tribe. Bryce was not at fault in this.
Ahm was. He had denied his mate and kept his scent hidden, just so the Shadow elves wouldn’t come after the bear. But it seemed he had done all of this in vain. True, he had grown up with lessons in not mating outside his own race, and Ahm had held to those beliefs almost his entire life.
But as soon as he discovered who Bryce was to him, his views had begun to slowly change. Fate wouldn’t give him a male shape shifter if they weren’t meant to be together, and thankfully he realized this before he had lost Bryce forever.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” Steven said as he entered the room with a tray of food. This household would never cease to amaze him. Even after he had put this family at risk, they were still charitable.
“I’m feeling much better,” he said as he glanced back out of the window. Ahm wasn’t sure what he was going to do now. He couldn’t go home. He had no tribe to lead.
He had nothing.
“In that case, you can eat this soup. It’s homemade, so don’t let it go to waste.” Steven set the tray on a small table by the door. “I worked really hard at opening those cans and heating it up for sixty seconds in the microwave.”
Ahm turned, a smirk twitching at his lips. “I thought you said it was homemade.”
Steven waved a hand at the tray. “The can said home style.”
This time Ahm laughed. It wasn’t a full laugh, but even the small chuckle was something he hadn’t done in a very long time.
“Hey, Steven.” Abe walked into the bedroom, his eyes instantly landing on Ahm. “Pa wants you.”
Ahm thought the small Wood elf would bolt from the room. Instead, he stood there smiling. What the hell was up with that? Most people didn’t smile at him. Ahm had been told he looked like he would kill someone without remorse.
But the fey just kept right on smiling. If Ahm wasn’t mistaken—and he hoped like hell he was—the man had a spark of flirtation in his eyes.
Steven pushed Abe toward the bedroom door. “Come on before Bryce kills you.”
Abe glanced over his shoulder and winked at Ahm. What a strange little man. “Wait,” Ahm called out. When Abe turned, Ahm shooed him away. “Not you.”
The guy’s lower lip slid out, but he walked away. Thank goodness. “Where can I find a phone? I lost mine in the fight.”
Steven chucked a thumb over his shoulder. “Downstairs in the kitchen.”
Ahm nodded his thanks as Steven took off. He needed to get a hold of Rakeym. Maybe he could have the Shadow elf bring him the files and items he needed. It would make it a lot easier than Ahm trying to go back to his home and office.
The tray of food was on the table. Ahm took one look at it and decided he didn’t want the soup to go to waste. He polished the soup off and drank the tea, feeling a little better with something in his stomach.
Now he needed to get to the kitchen. After carefully traversing the steps, Ahm stood at the bottom, feeling his thigh pulse with pain. He wasn’t used to feeling pain. Ahm was a damn good fighter and usually deflected any weapons wielded his way. But with the bracelet on and already being wounded, the elf who stabbed him had gotten the upper hand.
He hobbled to the kitchen, resting against the counter as sweat coated his skin. How in the hell did anyone deal with such pain? He was ready to rip his damn leg off just to gain some semblance of relief.
Spotting the phone on the wall, Ahm grabbed it and dialed Rakeym’s cell phone number. He grabbed a chair and placed it by the wall, taking a seat and getting the pressure off of his wounded leg.
“Rakeym.”
“It’s Ahm.” He rested the back of his head against the wall. So much had happened in such a short period. He hadn’t even had the time to absorb it all yet. “Have the people of the village calmed down yet?”
“I’m afraid not, friend. The tribe is livid you have a male shifter mate. They are demanding your life.”
If the Shadow elves left the confrontation just in the marshlands, Ahm could deal with that. He knew there was no going home again. But they were bringing the fight to him. To the Lakelands. It saddened him to think of killing any one of his people, but the bears had done nothing wrong. Ahm would defend them and his very own life from attack.
“I need you to meet me and bring some things with you.”
“That is not possible right now,” Rakeym replied in an apologetic voice. “They are watching me, knowing I am your second and now temporary leader. The people think that I will help you. I don’t want to bring them to your front doorstep.”
Too late for that. Ahm understood Rakeym’s hesitation. He couldn’t effectively run the tribe if they deemed him a traitor as well for helping Ahm. He was just going to have to return to the marshlands and get the files himself.
Ahm spotted Abe glancing into the kitchen. The small fey glanced his way and then averted his eyes. What was wrong with the man? He was acting like a puppy needing attention.
Ahm ignored him. “Very well. I’ll handle this on my own.”
“Do you plan on returning here?” Rakeym asked. “It wouldn’t be wise. The sentinels have doubled their guard duty to ensure you do not step foot on our land.”
Abe came striding into the kitchen this time, taking a seat at the table. The man clasped his hands in front of him and beamed up at Ahm.
Ahm gave Abe an irritated expression and turned in his chair, giving the man his back. “I’ll call you when I know for certain what my plans are. Right now I just need to heal.”
“How are your injuries?” Rakeym asked in concern.
“I would have healed by now, but one of the tribesmen decided to bring the fight to me. He injured my leg, but nothing I won’t heal from.” Ahm could feel Abe watching him. Didn’t the man have some sort of work to do?
“Was it a sentinel who attacked you?”
“No,” Ahm answered. “We both know that if it had been a sentinel, my injuries would have been far worse.” Ahm himself had trained the sentinels of the Shadow elf tribe. They were a fierce group of warriors who could not be so easily defeated. If his attacker had been one h
e trained, Ahm would have been battling to the death.
But the attacker stabbed him twice and fled when one of the bears came after him. No, it wasn’t one of his guards.
“I agree. I will do what I can on my end to defuse the situation. Just try to lay low until I can think of a way to get you out of this.”
“Thank you, Rakeym.” Ahm hung up the phone. As much as he appreciated his second’s efforts, there would be no solution. His people were sunk too deep in tradition and preserving their way of life.
He had to find a way to convince them to allow new blood into their ranks. From what they had just shown him, it wasn’t going to be easy. As a matter of fact, Ahm knew it was going to be downright impossible.
“Do you need any help doing anything?”
Ahm glanced behind him. How had he forgotten Abe was in the room with him? “No.”
“Are you sure I can’t do anything for you?” Syrupy sweet.
Ahm’s brow slowly lifted. “No.”
“No, you aren’t sure, or no, you don’t need anything?” Abe sat there with that smile on his face that was starting to really get to Ahm. He knew flirting when he saw it. He wasn’t blind.
“I’m sure I don’t need anything.” Ahm eased out of the chair he was sitting in, his leg instantly throbbing. He winced. That was all it took. One wince and Abe was at his side, grabbing Ahm’s arm to place around his shoulder.
Ahm snatched his arm away. “I am very capable of walking without assistance.”
“But you look like you’re about to fall over,” Abe protested. “Why struggle when I can help you?”
“Because I am a very capable male. I don’t need anyone’s help.” His tone was chilled, letting the smaller fey know he was stepping over a boundary that Ahm was drawing.
Abe blinked up at him. “Everyone needs help once in a while.”
“Abe, go help Chauncey and Olsen out back.” Malcolm walked into the kitchen, giving Abe a look that said he didn’t want the fey to argue with him. Abe immediately hurried out the back door.