“Exactly,” Bryce replied. “Now stop acting like a moron before I kick your ass.”
Ahm bent his head close, his eyes like shards of glass. “You could try, my little psychedelic rainbow.”
A burst of laughter erupted from Bryce’s chest as he hauled Ahm close, enveloping the man in his arms. “You are getting the hang of it.” And even though the things Ahm called him were off the wall, Bryce loved it. Ahm was trying. That was all he could ask for.
Grabbing his mate’s hand, Bryce led him over to where everyone was standing. The firemen managed to put the fire out, and now Bryce was looking at a smoky building that had its ass end burned to hell. He was grateful the whole damn thing hadn’t burned to the ground. But there was no telling if the structure was safe or if they would have to tear the whole thing down and start fresh.
* * * *
Ahm sat at the desk in Bryce’s bedroom, drawing up the paperwork to hand the land over to Rakeym. This was something he never thought he would do in his lifetime, but Ahm knew he had to get this done before Nara implemented her evil plans. The bitch would notice the envelope gone, and then there was no telling what she would do. His conniving cousin was capable of just about anything.
“Nice room.”
In the blink of an eye, Ahm was away from the desk, crouched and ready for battle. Rakeym just stood there with one eyebrow quirked high.
Ahm straightened, noticing a few boxes and suitcases on the floor next to Rakeym. Seeing his belongings fit inside a few containers made Ahm feel a bit disheartened. This was it. There was no going back to the land of his people. Ahm was officially a resident of the Lakeland ranch.
Rakeym stood there silently as Ahm gazed at his belongings. Although he was a fierce warrior, able to lead a tribe of strong and capable men, Ahm did not like change. Not anything this drastic. Losing his home was about as drastic as things could get.
“I can’t believe you are really stepping down.” Rakeym finally broke the silence.
“And I thank you for stepping up.” Ahm walked over to the desk and signed the document. “I’ve drawn up the paperwork to hand the land over to you. Just as soon as I have it notarized, I’ll make sure you get a copy.”
“You know I don’t want the land, Ahm. I think what the tribe is doing is barbaric.”
“Yet when a shifter spoke to you, Rakeym the Great talked to him as if he were scum under your shoe.” Chance was irritating as hell, but Ahm was not going to allow his new family to be disrespected.
The man looked embarrassed. “That wasn’t intended.”
Sighing, Ahm gave a nod. “It’s a hard habit to break. I almost lost Bryce because of our traditions and prejudices. You have to change their minds, Rakeym. If our people continue to shut the world out, we’ll become extinct.”
“I’m trying, Ahm. But Nara is poisoning everyone’s mind. She is blowing your mating way out of proportion.” Rakeym cleared his throat. “Do you really have vampire in you?”
Ahm’s lips thinned. “I’m not sure. The doctor thinks I have the same markers as a half-breed vampire he knows. At this point, I’m not really sure what is going on.” Ahm smiled. “But I haven’t bitten anyone, if that’s what you are wondering.”
Rakeym gave a deep laugh. “I think I would have noticed if you were craving blood. Well, aside from wanting to kill someone.”
Ahm sobered. “Don’t be a stranger, friend. You are always welcome here.”
“Just as long as I don’t run into that rude bear.”
Crossing the room, Ahm reached out to give Rakeym a clasp on the back when the elf reached up and brushed Ahm’s hair from his shoulder. Ahm stood there frozen. What was Rakeym doing? They had known each other for a very long time, but they had never laughed together or shared any kind of a moment. He had never done anything to lead Rakeym to believe there could ever be something between them.
“Your neck,” Rakeym said softly as Ahm took a step back.
“What about it?”
“You carry the mark.” Rakeym’s eyes flickered from Ahm’s neck down to his stomach. “The mark the women carry when they are with child.”
Ahm hurried over to the mirror on the dresser, pulling his thick mane of hair back to see the strawberry patch all Shadow elven women developed when they conceived. But it couldn’t be that. Hadn’t Christian said that Ahm’s people used to be asexual, but the elders had reversed their DNA?
Flashes of Christian’s smaller mate with a distended belly entered Ahm’s mind. Tilting his head to side, Ahm’s eyes raked over the mark. He would have seen this before had he been born with it. He knew every inch of his body.