“Is there enough work for all of us?” Charlie asked. “I’m just trying to figure out how long I’ll be working.”
Riley liked the guy. “There’s always things around here that need to be done. Keep your head down, your mouth shut, and work hard.”
Charlie grinned. “I can do that.”
Winter didn’t say a word. Riley eyed him and then waved for the two men to follow him. He sure as hell hoped this worked out. They’d never hired so many hands before. Riley knew some were going to get cut once the work was done, but his pa had talked about keeping a few on.
Glancing back at the barn, Riley knew Olaf wasn’t going to be one of the men to stick around.
* * * *
Bryce scratched his chin. “Come again?”
Ahm gave a low growl and attempted to get out of bed. Bryce already had to hide the man’s clothes so he wouldn’t leave the room. He was currently lying in bed buck naked—making it hard for Bryce to concentrate—with only a sheet covering his body. “It wasn’t that complicated, Bryce.”
He was five seconds away from putting Ahm on his ass. The man had been testy all morning. Dr. Sheehan was supposed to come by to check on Ahm and possibly clear him from bed rest. Ahm was not a happy man when he was forced to stay put.
The good old doctor was also bringing some clothes from the Den for Ahm. His pants had a large gaping hole in them and had been tossed out. “For someone who wants my help, you sure know how to go about getting it.”
As Bryce stared at his mate, he realized in that moment that Ahm’s sour disposition was his defense mechanism. People normally weren’t this pissy. If they were, it was because they were throwing up a wall around them and keeping everyone out for a reason. He had a feeling it was from more than just being tired of his leadership.
He could feel the turmoil and confusion in Ahm, and his bear didn’t like it. But that didn’t mean Bryce was going to let the man talk to him any old kind of way. He had a feeling that if he gave Ahm an inch, the man would run with it. It seemed the guy’s natural disposition to argue with everything Bryce said.
Besides, he didn’t want to argue with Ahm. He wanted another mind-blowing orgasm from the guy.
“Okay,” Ahm finally said. “I’ll explain things again.”
Ahm was irritated. It was in his tone. “Should I run and grab Oscar’s crayons so I can keep up with you?”
A smile tugged at the edges of Ahm’s lips, and if Bryce didn’t miss his guess, his mate’s eyes softened slightly. “No.”
“Maybe his LEGOs?”
“I’ll fully explain myself this time.” Ahm smoothed the blanket with his hands. “There is a file in my office that I need to retrieve. It is the statistical data on the mortality rate of our young. Basically, our women are refusing to become impregnated because centuries of inbreeding have caused the infant mortality rate to skyrocket.”
Bryce took a seat on the bed, hearing the pain and hopelessness in Ahm’s voice. “They refuse to allow any new blood into our ranks. My tribe is buried so far in tradition that they are blind to what is truly happening to our race.” Ahm glanced up at Bryce, and nothing but misery was etched around his eyes. “My race is dying, Bryce. They are afraid that the pureblood line will die out, but in not letting new blood into our tribe, they’re killing our race.”
“A catch-22,” Bryce muttered.
“Exactly,” Ahm replied. “I’ve gone to Christian hoping he had an answer since his male lineage is able to become impregnated.”
From his mate’s expression, Bryce could tell Ahm’s meeting with Christian hadn’t gone as planned. “No dice?”
Ahm shook his head. “He said at one time, the Shadow elves were asexual. Due to overpopulation, the elders of my tribe devised a plan to put an end to that. It worked a little too well. The prince thinks too much time has passed and reversing what the elders have done is improbable.”
Bryce was stunned. He’d heard about the men at the Den becoming pregnant, along with a few at the coven, but he’d never seen one while he was swollen with child. “Asexual?”
Ahm gave a bitter laugh. “I wasn’t even aware we used to be asexual. But my people used to number in the tens of thousands.”
“And now?”
“Less than one thousand.”
Bryce felt for his mate. He had been carrying a heavy burden with him, still was. “And there is nothing anyone can do?”
“Unless I can get the Shadow elves past their stubborn pride, no.”
The man sounded so damn downtrodden that Bryce gathered Ahm in his arms and held him close. “We’ll figure this out, Ahm. I’m pretty sure the Ultionem won’t let your race die out.”