by Lynn Hagen
Riley loved his mate to death, but he wasn’t sure Sterling was the right man for the job. The guy was good with animals, but they were taking the cattle in to be sold off. He wondered if Sterling knew this bit of information. He didn’t have it in his heart to tell the guy.
“I thought Pa was extracting Hell Raiser’s sperm,” Riley asked.
Sterling crinkled his nose. “That sounds so gross. He’s finished, anyway.”
Riley chuckled as he steered his horse south and began the drive. About an hour into his day, he spotted Olaf riding hard toward them. He was amazed the man had the nerve to show up.
“You gonna fire him?” Sterling asked as he rode next to Riley. “I don’t really like him. He’s mean looking.”
“Yep,” Riley answered as he listened to the creak of his saddle and enjoyed the fresh air all around. It was days like this that he was glad they had bought a ranch all those years ago. Riley loved the outdoors and working in the wide-open space. He couldn’t imagine himself with a nine-to-five job. It would drive him crazy. “If a man can’t take his responsibilities seriously, then I don’t need him working on the ranch.” Since mating Sterling, Riley had learned to let loose and not be so serious about life. But he still was a hard-nosed man when it came to running his beloved ranch.
“Did I ever tell you that you’re hot as hell when you are being the boss?” Sterling asked with a come-hither bat of his eyes before guiding his horse toward Charlie.
Riley turned, looking at his mate in wonder before turning back around, chuckling to himself. The guy never ceased to amaze him. His lips immediately tilted down when Olaf rode up next to him.
“Sorry I’m late. I overslept.”
Riley clenched his jaw. It was the only way to stop himself from yelling. “The others didn’t seem to have a problem getting here on time.”
“It won’t happen again, boss.” Olaf steered his horse toward the middle of the herd.
For a moment, Riley was too stunned to say a word. Had the man just gotten flippant with Riley? He felt his blood begin to boil as he pulled Warrior to the side, waiting for Olaf to ride by him. His hands clenched the reins, stopping them from reaching out and strangling the man. When Olaf passed, Riley spoke loud enough to make sure the dim-witted human heard him. “Your services are no longer needed.”
Olaf’s eyes turned to smoldering anger as his lips thinned. “You’re firing me for being late?”
“What did I tell you the first day you showed up here?” Riley reminded Olaf.
“It was only an hour,” Olaf protested. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Get the fuck off of my land before I physically remove you!” Riley took a deep breath in, forcing his bear to back down. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. He was five seconds away from teaching the bastard some manners. “You’ll get your pay in the mail.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Winter!” Riley called out to the Siberian tiger shifter. “Can you escort Olaf off of my land?” He would do it himself, but Riley had work to get done. The cattle weren’t going to get to the market by themselves.
“Don’t bother,” Olaf snapped. He turned, racing his horse toward the ranch. Riley didn’t trust the guy. He pulled out his cell phone and called his pa, telling him what had just happened.
“I’ll keep an eye out for him. If he causes any problems, I’ll handle him.” His pa hung up.
Riley felt for Olaf if he caused a fuss back at the house. Malcolm Lakeland was not a man to tussle with.
“We good?” Winter asked.
“Yeah,” Riley answered, wondering if he had seen the last of Olaf Keansburg.
* * * *
Dr. Nicholas Sheehan sat in his office, scanning over the results of Ahm’s blood test. He then picked up Gabby’s and compared the two once again.
He had run the tests twice, but each time the same results were returned.
Ahm was definitely related to Christian. He wasn’t sure how, but the blood work didn’t lie. Somewhere in Ahm’s family tree, a distant relative had mated with one of Christian’s children.
And that thought brought another.
Could Ahm become pregnant? He wasn’t sure what to think, so the only solution was to pay the prince a visit and talk his findings over with the vampire. He wasn’t sure if he should warn the mated pair first, though.
But what if he warned them of the possibility of conception, and it wasn’t true? Nicholas wasn’t sure how Bryce and Ahm felt about children, but if they yearned for any, giving them false hope was not something he cared to do.
“You look tired,” Jason said as he walked into Nicholas’s office, bringing him a cup of tea. “You should take a break.”
Nicholas sighed. If only he could. “I have to talk with Christian. I wish this could wait, but it can’t.” Nicholas stood, tucking the file under his arm as he accepted the tea, giving his mate a quick kiss for his thoughtfulness. “Have I told you lately how much I love and appreciate you?”
“I’ll drive.” Jason blushed as he nodded and then headed out of the office, Nicholas following close behind, tea and file in hand.
Chapter Thirteen
“Make this quick,” Luke said as he glanced around the office. “I hate being here.”
Ahm went straight to his desk, pulling the drawer open that held a key to the bracelet. He damn near cried with joy when he spotted the tiny key still sitting where Ahm always kept it. Reaching in, he grabbed it and unlocked the bracelet from his wrist. “You can go home, Luke. Thank you for bringing us here.”
Bryce cut his eyes to Ahm’s arm, and Ahm knew what the man was thinking. He dropped the bracelet on the desk and walked over to his mate, talking low enough for Bryce’s ears only. “Just because I am rid of the contraption does not mean I’ll leave you.”
Bryce’s light-grey eyes held doubt, but he gave a nod that said he was going to trust Ahm at his word.
“Are you sure?” Luke asked. “I don’t like it here, but if you need me, I’ll stay.”
“Go on home,” Chauncey said. “If anything happens to you, Pa will kill all of us. You’re a fine father, Luke, but I’m not willing to be skinned over you.”
Luke grinned and then shimmered out.
“Where’s this file?” Bryce asked.
Ahm walked to the shelf he had laid it on before he was attacked only to see it wasn’t there. He pointed to the empty spot. “I laid it right here.”
“Looks like it won’t be an easy in-and-out job,” Chance said. “Let’s get to searching.”
Ahm combed through his office, checking anywhere the file might have been placed. As he searched through his desk, he stilled when he found an envelope sitting just under the desk calendar. It had Nara’s name on it. Picking it up, Ahm opened it.
It was the deed to the land and Ahm’s forged signature. The document stated that once Nara had mated Darla’s father, their lands would fall under dual ownership. They would combine bloodlines and put their plan of ruling the throne together.
Over my dead body.
Ahm shoved the papers back into the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket. The conniving elves were not going to get his land. Ahm planned on drawing up the paperwork to leave the land to Rakeym. His second was best suited to rule the marshlands. Blythe could deal with Darla and her father. Ahm didn’t give a rat’s ass about them. It seemed his family was far different from Bryce’s. He couldn’t see one of the bears trying to stab one of their brothers, or even their father, in the back. They were a tight-knit family, and that was something Ahm envied. He just wanted to tightly knit a noose around his family’s neck and hang the traitors.
He had to find a way to stop Nara from her attempts at stealing his land. If anything happened to Ahm, then the land would fall to her father. Ahm was going to do everything in his power to make sure she didn’t succeed in having him killed.
“That didn’t look like a file,” Bryce commented as he stood in front of Ahm’s desk. “Som
ething I need to know about?”
The other two bears were still searching, but Ahm knew their ears were perking at the conversation in the room. Did he care if his in-laws knew that his cousin wanted him killed? Did he want them to know how truly dysfunctional his family was? They probably knew nothing about a family member betraying them. “I have a difficult cousin who believes she should rule my land.”
“Family.” Chauncey snorted. “Gotta love them.”
“Not really,” Ahm admitted. “Have you ever had a familial knife stabbed into your back?” He asked the question with acidic accuracy, only he wasn’t prepared for the honest answer the twin gave him.
“Hell yeah. My cousin Dommy tried to kill Steven. He was hopped up on Liquid Wrath and working for some shady-ass shifter that used to abuse Steven.”
Ahm was stunned to his core. He had met Steven. The human was a very sweet man. He couldn’t imagine anyone trying to hurt the guy. “What happened?”
“We killed Dommy,” Bryce answered. “It wasn’t something we were happy to do, but when it came down to Dommy or Steven, Roman’s mate won hands down.”
“My cousin is trying to mate the elven leader from another territory. She thinks killing me will make my land default to her father. She’s a greedy bitch who I wish was never born.”
Chance gave a low whistle. “What do you plan to do about her?”
“I’m drawing up the paperwork to leave the land to my second-in-command, Rakeym. He has fought and lived by my side for centuries. He’s best suited to take over.”
Bryce walked around the desk and cupped Ahm’s face. “Are you sure about this? You are devoted to your people. Can you just hand over your leadership and walk away?”
“They walked away from me first.” Ahm gave Bryce a harsh reminder. “I’ll help solve the infant mortality rate, but as far as stepping back into my role as their leader”—Ahm stiffened his back, resolution hard in his tone—“that will never happen.”
“How can your species be dying out if there are other tribes?” Chauncey asked.
Ahm knew that not all saw the Shadow elves’ way of life as acceptable. “We are all related in one way or another.”
“That’s just—” Chance shuddered. “Okay, I’m not going to judge, but if any of my brothers came near me, I’d kick their balls into their throat.”
Ahm ran into that opinion anytime a person discovered how the Shadow elves lived. It had been their way of life since before Ahm was born. It wasn’t odd to him, but from an outsider’s point of view…
“Well,” Chauncey said as he clapped Ahm on the back. “You lucked out. Bryce isn’t related to you…I think. After all, you do have vampire in your blood.”
“He what!”
Ahm turned to see Nara standing in the doorway, her face mottled with murderous intent. Behind her stood Rakeym, a stunned expression on his face. The bears moved to stand in front of Ahm, but he did not need anyone defending him. Rakeym would not fight him, and he could wipe the floor with Nara.
Pushing past the bears, Ahm stood tall and proud. “I have mixed blood.” He could almost touch the pride coming off of Bryce.
“First you mate a male. Then you make sure he isn’t even a Shadow elf. Now you have the nerve to show up here stating proudly that you are a mutt?” Nara scoffed. “The tribe is going to glory in your death.”
“The hell they are!” Chance shouted before Ahm had a chance to address her accusations. “Touch one hair on Ahm’s head and I’ll call the Santiago brothers. They love burning shit to the ground.”
“You wouldn’t,” Nara said as she narrowed her eyes. “The Ultionem wouldn’t allow you to kill an entire species.”
“Okay,” Bryce said as he grabbed Ahm’s wrist and pulled him to his mate’s side. “We’ll just kill you instead.”
“This your cousin?” Chauncey asked as he chucked a thumb toward Nara.
Ahm nodded, pulling his wrist free as he advanced toward her. “You dare threaten me?”
Nara crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a defiant glare. “You are no longer our leader. You are no one. I can say and do as I please with no repercussions.”
“Nara,” Rakeym said in warning behind her. “Ahm left me in charge.”
Nara twirled around, shoving a finger at Rakeym. “He doesn’t have the authority to leave you in charge. He forfeited his rights when he betrayed us.”
“I still own this land that the tribe lives on,” Ahm reminded her. “Legally, you cannot take that from me.” He could see the calculating gleam in her eyes and knew she was thinking about the papers that were tucked in his pocket.
“Watch me.” Nara pushed past Rakeym as she stormed from the room.
“Nice gal,” Chance said. “Does her head turn three hundred and sixty degrees while she spits pea soup?”
Rakeym moved into the room, closing the door behind him. “You shouldn’t have come here, Ahm. It isn’t safe for you.”
“I need the file that was sitting on top of the shelf, Rakeym. Have you seen it?”
The man looked surprised. “You would still help a race that would rather see you dead?”
“They are still my people whether they like it or not. Not all are bad, Rakeym. You know this. The few bad apples make the rest look barbaric.”
Rakeym moved through the office until he stopped in front of the sideboard. He moved the tray aside, the file hidden underneath. “I knew you would be back for this. I didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands.” He handed the file to Ahm. His second clasped his shoulder. “I will do whatever it takes to lead them in the right direction. If you need any help, just call. But you should go. I have a feeling Nara is rallying the troops even as we speak.”
Ahm tucked the file under his arm. “My personal items?”
Rakeym took a step back, letting his hand fall to his side. “I’ll pack your things myself and deliver them to your mate’s home.”
“Thanks,” Bryce said. “We appreciate—”
“I am doing this for my longtime friend, shifter.”
Ahm grabbed Bryce’s arm. He knew Rakeym, but he also knew Bryce. The two would turn his office into splintered wood if he didn’t get them away from each other. The sad truth was, Rakeym’s reaction was how his entire tribe felt when it came to outsiders. Ahm knew he had a hard battle ahead of him. Rakeym was not a bad man, but when taught from the cradle to reject anything not of the Shadow elves’ way, it was a hard habit to break. Ahm knew that firsthand. He had almost lost Bryce because of the way he was brought up.
“He’s right. We should go.” Ahm pulled Bryce toward the twins, making sure they were all touching as he shimmered them from his office and into the living room on the ranch.
“God, he was such an ass,” Chance complained.
“Rakeym is a good man. He has just been polluted with the teachings all of us have grown up with. He knows no other way.”
“He’s still an ass,” Chance grumbled as he walked from the living room.
“Okay, my job here is done. I basically went along for the ride since nothing happened, so peace out.” Chauncey headed outside.
“You fellas done kidnapping my help?” Pa asked as he stepped into the living room. “It’s not like I have a ranch to run or anything.”
“They were assisting me…Pa,” Ahm said. Bryce’s eyes widened at Ahm as his pa grinned from ear to ear. “I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.”
“Well, in that case, let me know if you need any more help.”
Okay, now his mouth was hitting the floor. Pa walked from the living room, his chest stuck out in pride.
“Ass kisser,” Bryce said.
“You are not the only one who knows how to sweet-talk someone.”
Bryce grabbed Ahm, pulling the man hard against his chest. “There will be no sweet-talking to anyone but me.”
Ahm grabbed Bryce’s arms, using just as much force. He may have let Bryce fuck him, but there was no way his mate wasn�
�t going to be claimed as well. “Get upstairs, sugar pie. It’s my turn to rock my cock inside of you.”
Bryce licked his lips, his light-grey eyes shimmering with desire. He took a step back and then headed up the stairs. Ahm smiled to himself as he followed. He was still reeling from the way the bears had tried to box him in and defend him. Ahm had never had anyone do that before. Rakeym was a good man, but he knew better than to try and fight Ahm’s battles for him.
It was a strange feeling knowing he had an entire family who wouldn’t stab him in the back or betray him. He was considered one of theirs now, and it was the strangest feeling in the world.
Ahm had never really belonged anywhere or to anyone. It was a possessive feeling as he thought about Bryce and his siblings, even his two fathers. This house was warm, inviting, and made Ahm feel like he really could make a home here.
He didn’t have to keep up pretenses or always stay on the defense. Ahm was a strong and capable warrior, but even warriors needed to shed their skin and be themselves every once in a while.
But who was he? Ahm had always worn the mantle of leadership. Now that he no longer led the Shadow elves, he wasn’t sure what his purpose in life was—aside from figuring out the growing problem within his race. What could he do to become a productive member of this family?
“What’s taking you so long?” Bryce asked from the top of the stairs. “I would think you would be racing up here and beating me into the bedroom.”
Ahm tilted his head back, staring up at his mate. From the top of the stairs, Bryce looked ten times more imposing, impressive, commanding. “What am I going to do around here?”
“What do you mean?” Bryce asked as he began to descend.
“I mean, now that I am a permanent resident here, where do I fit in?” Ahm felt vulnerable in ways he never experienced before, and he didn’t like feeling that way. He didn’t like seeming weak or being seen as useless.
“I could talk to Riley. He always has a full plate. Maybe you two can work side by side.” Bryce reached the bottom of the steps and placed a hand on the banister. “I can’t see you hanging out with Sterling or Abe. Gavin and Olsen tend to the crops and the daily lives of the animals. Riley and the twins take care of roping and all the other strenuous work. I’m pretty sure Riley would love having a right-hand man.”