Riley's Downfall [Brac Pack 29] (4 page)

“ I needed to talk to you.” He waved toward the pig. “If this isn’t a bad time.” He couldn’t believe he was asking for time from the pig. He really was losing his mind.

“ Come on in.” Sterling smiled at him, and Riley had to look away. The trust in that smile was more than he could handle at the moment. He was already whirling with everything that was on his plate.

And he was
not
going to turn into a goober.
“I was just reading up on pig care. If you don’t mind, can you give me a ride into town tomorrow? I need to pick up some basic needs for Bacon.”
Riley’s brows shot to his hairline. “You named your pig Bacon?”
Sterling shrugged as he moved over, telling Riley without words that he wanted him to sit on the bed. “He seems to like it.” Sterling frowned. “Why, shouldn’t I have named him Bacon?”
Gods, Sterling confused the shit out of Riley. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh, hug the man for his naïve ways, or tell the man that it was the most inappropriate name he could have given the piglet.
He settled on a smile as he sat down, staring down at the comfortable-looking pig.“You know, most folks don’t keep a pig in the house.”
“But he’s my pet, Riley. Where else would I keep him?”
Riley could see that Sterling truly believed that. The man was convinced that the piglet was like a damn kitten or a puppy, an animal that belonged in the house. He wasn’t sure what to say. He knew the only thing that would do was the truth.
“He’s a farm animal, Sterling. He belongs outside on the farm.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Sterling stated as if Riley were the one being unreasonable. Riley decided to let it go. If keeping a pig in his room made Sterling happy, Riley could concede to such a small thing. Besides, he needed to talk to Sterling about something more important than a baby pig snuggled in the man’s bed like he owned the joint.
“I have been asked to be the temporary leader for the wood elves.”
“When do we leave?” Sterling asked as he set the book down. “It won’t take me long to pack. I don’t have much.”
Riley shook his head, dreading the next words. He didn’t want to see the look he was about to place on his mate’s face.“It would be better if you stayed here. I don’t know anyone there, Sterling. It isn’t safe. Pa’s mate killed the leader when Shanta tried to kidnap Cole, and I’m not too sure how receptive they are going to be having me guide them.”
Sterling stilled. A shadow fell over his light-grey eyes, and for the first time ever, the man remained quiet. He just sat there, staring down at his pig, but said nothing.
“They live very modestly, Sterling. They have no electricity, no running water, nothing. But I’ll still have my cell phone with me, and I can charge it in my truck.”
Sterling gave a slight nod.
“Call me if you need
anything
, understood?” Why did Riley feel like shit? Sterling’s face was unreadable, but Riley could feel the hurt coming off of the man in waves. It was better this way. He needed to go into the tribe and establish himself. He couldn’t do that and keep an eye on Sterling as well.
“I need to go pack. Pa and my brothers will make sure you stay safe, Sterling. They won’t let anything happen to you.”
Sterling gave a slight nod.
It was the hardest thing for Riley to do, but he knew he had to. Sterling wasn’t safe with the wood elves, and as much as it pained Riley to see that look on his mate’s face, he wasn’t taking any chances with Sterling’s safety. He wasn’t going to be gone long. Just as soon as Ahm found a replacement, Riley would be back and Sterling would be bugging him again.
Riley realized that he had never met Ahm. Not in all the time the elves had been in this territory. Well, he guessed he would be meeting the man soon since it was Ahm who would relieve him of this responsibility.
Riley didn’t want to go, but he wasn’t going to allow his pa to take his place. His pa had other obligations, and Riley had one, Sterling. But he knew Sterling would be safe here. His brothers may clown around a lot, and they may slack off on work, but they would protect Sterling with their very lives. Of this, he had absolutely no doubt.
He gave one last long look at Sterling before Riley headed for the bedroom door.

“ Why are we heading to a tribe of elves again?” Max asked as he sat next to his mates Chey and Eagle as Eagle drove down the long stretch of road on Route 14. He couldn’t believe that the alpha had pulled Max away from Pride Pack Valley General to go visit some elves. He had scheduled surgeries and patient appointments that he had to hand off just to go frolicking in the woods. And he was still a bit confused about why.

“ Because,” Eagle said as he turned his blinker on and then made a left turn, “the wood elves’ healer has disappeared and Alpha Maverick wanted us to check the wood elves out, make sure they were healthy, and possibly help the tribe until a replacement is found.”

“ What the hell do we know about finding a replacement? I didn’t even know there was a whole tribe of them to begin with until the alpha ordered us to go. And from what Zeus tells me, they don’t even have modern conveniences. I’m not pampered, Eagle, but hell if I’m forgoing my morning cup of coffee.”

Eagle chuckled, which only ticked Max off. “Relax, Max. It’s only temporary. Some shadow elf named Ahm is on the hunt for a new healer. We’re only staying long enough for him to find one.”

“ I think it’s kind of cool,” Chey said from between the two. “It’ll be like camping. No electricity, no running water. Just us and nature.” Chey let out a long sigh as if he were looking forward to living off of the land.

Max was not.
“No running water?” Max felt like Eagle was driving them back into the Stone Age. Okay, maybe he was a little attached to his creature comforts because Max started to envision cooking out on the open fire, having to wash all of his clothes by hand, and shitting in the woods with nothing but a leaf… “Did anyone pack toilet paper?”
“You are so damn pampered,” Eagle teased. “You’re a shifter, Max. Being in the great outdoors should be second nature to you.”
It wasn’t. Max shifted into his lion form and ran with his mates, but he didn’t live in the damn woods. He and his wolf mates shared a large California sleigh bed, and he liked the Tempur-Pedic mattress that they slept on. It conformed to his body and made sleeping with two grown men who hogged the bed worth it. For some odd damn reason, Chey turned in his sleep like a damn hand on a clock, knocking Max to the edge every single night. He was seriously considering tying Chey down when they went to bed. But then of course, he really wouldn’t get any sleep seeing Chey tied up.
But what in the hell was he going to sleep on in a tribe of throwback elves?
Chey laughed as he smacked Max on his knee. “We have a princess among us, Eagle.”
“Am not!” Max defended. “I’m a fierce lion shifter.”
“Who is crying about having to use an outhouse?” Eagle interjected.
“An outhouse?” Max was horrified. The damn things were germ factories. “They use outhouses?”
“Don’t worry, Max,” Eagle said as he reached across Chey to rub a knuckle on the side of Max’s face. “I’ll protect you from any snakes that try to bite your sexy little ass.”
Max swallowed hard, wondering if maybe he shouldn’t have stayed with the eastern pack while his mates helped out with the fey. “There are snakes in the outhouse?”
“Oh, my god,” Chey said as he chuckled. “You are going to be so easy to mess with.”
“One of the Lakeland bears has been asked to be the leader until a new one is found. He will probably bring comfort amenities with him,” Eagle said and Max knew his mate was trying to ease his mind. He was glad Eagle was doing much better since being healed from his past, but Max could do without the razzing.
He wasn’t an outdoor wuss. He really wasn’t. But damn, an outhouse? What happened when the thing got full? Max wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“I’ll keep your mind occupied,” Chey said as he leaned up toward Max and began to nibble on his ear. “I’ll make you forget all about bugs and straw beds.”
Oh, god. Straw beds.
Max was going to kill Zeus when they got back to the eastern pack of grey wolves. Although Chey promising to keep him occupied was sounding real good to Max. He loved having the small omega under him, begging to get fucked or to suck his or Eagle’s cock.
Maybe the great outdoors wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

Riley pulled into the small village, wondering how in the hell he was going to pull this tribe together. From what Maverick had told him over the phone before he left the ranch, the wood elves were causing nothing but mayhem and chaos with the shadow elves and any other paranormal creature that came their way.

He wasn ’t sure how receptive they were going to be with a bear shifter coming to pull them together. And the more he thought about what possibly might happen, the more he was glad he had left Sterling in the care of his family. Just the thought of anyone trying to harm his mate made Riley’s bear want to tear someone’s throat out.

He put the truck in park, missing Sterling already. This wasn ’t home, and Riley would do the best job that he could, but he missed the exuberant man. He never thought he would see the day he yearned for a guy who talked his ear off, patted his ass, and snapped his fingers, making Riley jump.

Gods, he really was becoming dick-whipped, and he hadn ’t even slept with the guy.
Riley climbed from his truck, stuffing the keys in his pocket, and then walked around back to the horse trailer, opening the gate and backing Warrior out. There was no way he was living here without a horse to ride.
He saw some of the wood elves coming out of their huts, staring at him curiously. Riley watched as one of them approached him, the guy’s hands tucked behind his back. He instantly went on alert.
“Let me see your hands, elf.” It wasn’t a request, and Riley growled the words out menacingly. He had to establish from the beginning who was in charge here.
The man splayed his hands in front of his body, but glared at Riley. “Elven, not elf. Do I look three feet tall to you? An elf is a short little creature, which I most certainly am not. You may refer to us as fey if you wish. We are both, but not
elf
!”
This man was asking to get knocked on his ass and Riley hadn’t even been there five damn minutes. The hostility coming off of the guy could have been cut with a knife as Riley walked Warrior over to the closest tree and tied him off.
“Who is in charge here?” He wanted to know who
thought
they were in charge. He was given a job to do, and Riley was going to try his damnedest to get it done. He just prayed like hell that Ahm found a replacement soon. He could tell this wasn’t going to be a picnic.
“I am.” The man sneered the words. “Who are you, and why are you unloading in my village?”
His village?
“Ahm sent me.”
The little shit grew quiet, his eyes raking over Riley like he was the scum on the bottom of the man’s bare foot. “He’s not one of our elders. He doesn’t have a right to ask you to come here. He isn’t even a wood elven. He’s shadow.”
And the politics begin.
Riley opened his mouth to give the elven man a piece of his mind when he heard small squeals coming from the back of his truck. Walking away from the elven, Riley stopped when he reached the tailgate and listened closely.
“Hush, Bacon, before you get us caught.”
Riley grabbed the edge of the tarp and pulled it up, groaning when he saw Sterling lying between his luggage bags, Bacon tucked tightly in his arms. “What are you doing here, Sterling?”
Sterling gasped and looked around the bed of the truck. “This isn’t my bed.”
“No shit,” Riley snapped as he released the tarp and slapped his hands on his hips. It kept him from trying to strangle Sterling. “I told you to stay with my family, Sterling. I have no idea how these elves are going to act.”
“Elven,” the elven man standing close by corrected Riley.“And why would we harm a human? He hasn’t done anything to offend us. It was your father’s mate who killed our leader. How dare Ahm send the killer’s family to guide us!”
Riley moved closer to Sterling, ready to protect his mate if this guy tried anything. He was pretty sure he could take the man down, but he was one bear, and there were plenty of elves.
“If you harm my mate, you won’t live long enough to regret it,” Riley threatened.
“Whoa,” Sterling said as he pushed from the bed of the truck, holding Bacon close. “I’m your mate, and you didn’t tell me?”
Sterling sounded pissed off, and Riley was not in the mood to deal with an irate elven and a pissed-off mate at the same time. “We’ll discuss this later, Sterling.”
“Oh, buddy, you better believe we will.” Sterling turned toward the elven, the angry lines on his face softening.“I’m Sterling. Who are you?”
“I am called Iam.”
“You are…what?” Sterling asked, looking confused as hell.
“No, I-A-M.”
“Oh.” Sterling blinked a few times at the man, and Riley knew his mate still didn’t understand. The look was adorable, even though Riley was pissed at his mate. The man just couldn’t seem to stop putting himself in harm’s way. The idea of tying Sterling up came to mind, but Riley had a feeling the man would somehow find a way out of his bindings.
The dark-blond human was going to be Riley’s downfall.
“Do you have a bathroom?” Sterling asked as he quickly glanced around. “That was a long trip.”
“Over there.” Iam pointed to an outhouse.
Sterling shoved Bacon into Riley’s arms and then took off across the village. Riley growled and went after his mate. He didn’t like Sterling so far away from him when he didn’t know if these men were hostile or not. And from the way Iam was acting, he was beginning to think he would have to shove Sterling in his front pocket to keep the man safe.
Sterling was holding a small bottle of blue stuff between his lips and rubbing his hands together furiously as he stepped out of the outhouse. Riley arched an eyebrow at the guy. Sterling rolled his eyes, finished rubbing his hands together, and then shoved the little bottle into his pants.
“There’s no sink to wash your hands,” Sterling whispered. “Do you know how unsanitary that is? I’m not sure I would shake anyone’s hand if I were you. They could be filled with germs and then if you rub your hand on your face…” Sterling shivered. “People aren’t aware of how often they actually touch their faces. Just don’t touch anyone.”
Riley gave his head a quick shake as his mate complained about unsanitary conditions but took the piglet back into his arms. Sterling even started crooning to the damn thing, kissed it on the head, and then started back toward the truck.
And he thought the bathroom was unsanitary?
“I would be happy to take the piglet to the cooking dwelling if you so wish,” Iam said.
Riley froze for a moment when he heard those words and then took off running after Sterling. He could just see where this conversation was going, and this time he was afraid for the wood elf.
“Really?” Sterling said as he started to hand the pig over, Iam extending his arms, reaching for Bacon. “That would be so nice. He needs some milk.”
“Milk?” Iam asked slowly, looking a bit shocked as his hands slowly lowered.
“Yes,” Sterling said with a nod and a smile. “He has to eat every few hours. He’s just a baby.”
Riley skidded to a stop and tucked his lips in when Iam sent him a confused look. Don’t say it, don’t say it, he prayed, hoping Iam would keep his mouth shut. Sterling would go ballistic.
“I am confused,” Iam said.
He was gonna say it.
“If he is to be prepared for dinner, why would we feed him milk?”
Damn! He said it.
Sterling inhaled sharply and tucked Bacon against his chest, looking at Iam as if he was the devil himself. “I would never eat Bacon. He’s just a baby. You are barbaric. Why would you eat a baby? You should be locked up!”
Riley’s mouth dropped as Sterling kicked Iam right in the shin and then spun around and stalked off. Yep, Sterling had gone ballistic. He was just surprised that Iam was still standing, even if he was hopping around, rubbing his shin.
“He is insane.”
Riley narrowed his eyes at the man. He might think Sterling was a little strange, but no one had the right to call his mate names. “His name is Sterling, and he is not insane.” Riley couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth, but he was helpless to stop them. “He loves Bacon, and the first person that even thinks about cooking that little pig will have to answer to me.”
“Just who the hell are you anyway?” Iam snapped as he lowered his leg to the ground. “We do not need outsiders here. You should leave.”
“Yeah, not an option, elf boy.” Wow, he wasn’t going to win friends that way. “Maverick sent me to bring your backwoods asses into the current century. He would like it if it was done without bloodshed. I’m not so picky.”
* * * *