Olsen nodded and then was off.
“You helping me?” Bryce asked.
“We take care of our own. Ahm belongs to the Lakelands, and no one is hurting a hair on his head.”
Bryce nearly laughed. Ahm was not someone who needed protection. When Bryce thought of his mate, he thought of a strong, fearless leader. But he had also seen the softer side of Ahm, the side that was vulnerable and just wanted to be himself. He would need protection, whether the man ever admitted it or not. He had a village after him. Even the strongest man couldn’t defeat an entire tribe of people who wanted him dead.
Chapter Fifteen
Ahm shimmered into his office and then he walked into his living room. The place was dark, but he could feel someone watching him. “Show yourself.”
Nara slid from the shadows, her hands behind her back as she raked him with a contemptuous sneer. “The mutt has returned.”
Ahm moved closer to the couch, watching her cautiously. He didn’t trust her. Nara had always been jealous of him. She wanted what she couldn’t have, and that made her one nasty being to deal with. “Why can’t you let things go, Nara? Are you that deep in tradition? I am no longer there, yet you feel compelled to hunt me down and try to ruin the Lakelands?”
The more he spoke, the more livid he became. If anyone had been hurt, he wouldn’t be trying to reason with her right now. He’d be choking the life out of her with his bare hands. He wasn’t even sure why he was trying to reason with her. It could be the fact he didn’t want to get into a fight with her. Not when he knew he was carrying Bryce’s child.
That still was fucking with his head, but right now was not the time to ponder the thought. Right now he needed to cage this bitch.
“I could care less about tradition, dear cousin. I know it was you who took that envelope. As long as you live, I can’t take over this land. You are worth more to me dead than alive.”
Ahm’s fingers curled into the couch cushions, dumbfounded at what she was saying. “You think this land judges my worth? Since mating Bryce, I’ve learned what is really important to me and what I’m worth. He doesn’t care that I own land, or that I’m the leader of an entire tribe. Bryce could give a shit less that I’m a mutt. You could take a page from his book.”
Throwing her head back, Nara gave him a haughty laugh. “Fuck your worth as a man. I only care about combining two great nations.”
Her hand slid from behind her back and Ahm was not surprised to see her holding a gun. She would kill him and hide his body someplace remote where he would never be discovered. Nara would play the part of a grieving cousin and then demand she be given her rights as his successor.
He had to think of a way out of this. Even if he shimmered behind her to take the gun, she could get away. Ahm had to stop her once and for all. “I’ve already drawn up the legal papers to give this land to Rakeym.”
Her eyes narrowed as her lips twisted into a snarl. “That fool? He has no idea what to do with it. Rakeym doesn’t have visions of what the future could hold if the tribes become one.” Her voice was growing into a high pitch, and Ahm knew he didn’t have much time before she aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. “It looks like I have someone else to get out of the way.”
Ahm blinked when Luke, Malcolm, and a very, very large bear shimmered in behind Nara. She spun, pulling the trigger as the bear attacked her. Ahm quickly raced toward the fight, but there was nothing he could do. Bryce had killed Nara. She lay on the ground, her throat ripped out.
“Was anyone shot?” Ahm asked as he looked all three over.
Malcolm ran his hand over his jaw, glancing down at Nara’s still form. “No, but that wasn’t exactly how I thought things would play out. Bryce shifted right before Luke shimmered us here.”
Although Nara was dead, Ahm kicked the gun out of her hand. “I’ll let Rakeym know what’s happened. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how someone could be pure evil.”
“It takes all kinds, son. Just be glad she didn’t cause irreversible damage. The barn will be restored, and I’m pretty damn sure the horses have all been rounded up.” Malcolm slid his arm around Luke’s shoulder. “We need to get going.”
Ahm fisted Bryce’s fur as they shimmered back to the ranch. Ahm knew he couldn’t solve the Shadow elves’ problem overnight. It was going to take time to find a solution to their growing problem. But he wasn’t going to give up.
As far as being hunted, Ahm was going to make sure Rakeym took care of any protestors. He knew it had been Nara fanning the flames of hatred among his tribe. With her out of the way, things should settle down—although it would be a very long time before he could step foot back on the land of his people.