Riley’s Downfall(35)

Riley ran his hand over his head, staring at the people he was supposed to temporarily lead, and knew he had to get the hell out of here before he himself killed every last bastard that had sacrificed this boy to those creatures.

Riley exploded with anger as Eagle carried the young man to his hut. He spun around, glancing at the hostile faces all around him, and then he threw his head back, his voice so loud it felt raw as he shouted. “Ahm!”





Chapter Eight




Sterling sat on the floor next to the bed the young man was lying on. Riley stood to his right, talking heatedly with some scary-looking white elven man. Chey had told him the man’s name was Ahm, but knowing the man’s name didn’t comfort Sterling.

The fey still looked like he could kill someone with just one glare.

“Why didn’t you tell me they were sacrificing their own fucking people to the hellhounds!” Riley’s face was a mask of fury. Sterling had never seen the bear so mad before. Riley’s grey eyes were like stone as his jaw clenched tightly.

“I had no idea,” Ahm answered calmly. Sterling didn’t trust that calmness. Somehow he knew it belied a storm inside the man. He just looked like the type who would kill someone with a calm smile on his face.

“You told me they needed help, yet you don’t even know what’s going on around here?” Riley asked, the incredulity clear in his voice.

Ahm narrowed his eyes. “I am not their leader. The wood elves and shadow elves were at war not too long ago. A war they started, mind you. I don’t have to do anything for them. It was one of their very own people who raped and killed my sister, and you question me? I am not responsible for them. The only reason I went to Maverick was because I was tired of them showing up in my lands, looking for refuge!”

Wow. Sterling was looking at the man in a whole new light. Even after the wood elves had done something so heinous, the leader of the shadow elves was still willing to help. He had a newfound respect for the man.

But he was still creepy.

And if the creepy man yelled at Riley again, Sterling was going to kick the man’s ass. No one yelled at his bear. Well, maybe Pa, but that was about it. He stood, ready to go over to Ahm and give the man a piece of his mind when Chey grabbed Sterling’s arm, giving him a thin-lipped expression as he shook his head.

Sterling snatched his arm away. He wasn’t afraid of Ahm…much. But he would brave the likely anger to defend his mate. “Don’t yell at my mate!”

The room grew deathly quiet as all eyes turned to Sterling. He swallowed and felt a slight shake begin, but he stood his ground. Riley was his, and he was going to stand up for his mate.

“Sterling,” Riley began, the warning clear in his voice.

“No, Riley,” Sterling began. “I am truly sorry for your tragedy, Ahm. But Riley had nothing to do with it. He was asked to come here as a favor to you. And when things get funky around here, you want to yell at him? You better be damn lucky he doesn’t pack his things and go home. He is the one that doesn’t have to do anything for them. But my bear is nice. He wants to help. So stop yelling at him…please.”

Riley’s brows shot to his hairline as Ahm stood there motionless, his expression stoic. Oh, hell, Sterling prayed the man didn’t open a can of whoop ass on him. No, he didn’t care. He was standing by his mate, even if it meant getting his ass handed to him by the creepy fey.

“Anything else, human?” Ahm asked, his voice unreadable.

“Yes,” Sterling said as he jutted out his chin and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell Iam to stop trying to eat my pig.”

“I—” Ahm blinked and then looked at Sterling once more. “I’ll do that.”

“Thank you very much,” Sterling replied politely.

“There are serious problems here,” Riley said to Ahm, but kept glancing over at Sterling as if he couldn’t believe Sterling had stood up for him. Sterling gave his mate two thumbs up and a wide grin and then sat back down by the sick young man.

“I had no idea it was this serious, shifter. But I’m at a loss of what to do about it. I will not bring them to my lands. The wood elves have grown selfish and unreasonable. They think of nothing but their own hides. I can’t have that around my people. We are a proud race, but we live as peacefully as we can. The wood elves would destroy that.”

Riley turned to Eagle, a defeated look marring his handsome face. “Bring Iam in.”

Eagle gave a firm nod and exited the hut.

“Despite what they have done, we can’t leave them defenseless,” Riley said, sounding so damn tired that Sterling had an urge to run to his mate and hug him. “I’ll never understand how they sacrificed their own people, but I acknowledge why they did it.”