Fighting Temptation [Brac Village 11] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (2 page)

“My entire tribe.” Turi looked near tears. “I can’t let them find me. You have to let me go so I can run back to the Lakelands.”

Carmine knew the Lakelands. He just wasn’t sure how they were involved in all of this. Maybe he should take a drive out to their ranch. He was pretty sure he would get some answers from them quicker than he would get them from Turi.

“Come on.” Carmine opened the passenger door. “I’ll take you to them.”

Turi gave him a sideways glance. “You’re not tricking me, are you?”

“Yeah, I’m actually taking you to my secret lab where I plan on experimenting on you.” Before his mate could protest, Carmine closed the car door. What a fucked-up morning!

Turi knocked on the closed window. Carmine glanced down.

“If you try anything, I’ll kick you in the nuts,” he said through the glass, waving his whistle at Carmine.

Carmine rolled his eyes as he walked around the driver’s side of his car. The man was off his flipping rocker. They were mates, yet Turi was threatening bodily harm if Carmine touched the guy. Not that he planned on touching Turi. Carmine hadn’t been looking for a mate and a relationship was the last thing he wanted.

Slipping into the driver’s side, Carmine wondered if this was all worth the headache that was starting to throb in his head.

Turi sighed as he turned toward Carmine. “Look, I know you are my mate. But my life is just a little too complicated right now. I don’t need to drag you into the sordid mess.”

Carmine began to drive, mulling over the man’s words. He settled in his seat, relaxing. He was glad they were on the same page. Carmine didn’t need the complication either. “I can help you, Turi.” He reached over to pat the man on the leg—nothing more than a friendly gesture—when he heard a small
toot
coming from the guy’s whistle. He glanced over to see the red thing hanging from the man’s lips.

“Stay on your side,” Turi warned as he pulled his leg away from Carmine. “I told you, I don’t need the complications.”

Pulling his arm back, Carmine knew he couldn’t get to the Lakelands fast enough. The guy was fucking nuts. He wanted to take the damn whistle and throw it out the window. Carmine didn’t have a stick up his ass, but he took things more seriously than this man seemed to. He wasn’t sure if this was Turi’s true personality or if the man was playing him for a fool.

Either way, Carmine wasn’t so sure finding his mate was such a good thing. Of course he knew how important this was, but not all shifters let the fireworks free when they found their other half.

Carmine was quite content with his life. Just like Turi, he didn’t need the complication of a mate. He would help Turi, but as far as claiming the man, that wasn’t going to happen. The only thing he wanted to do right now was get Turi to the ranch, find out who was after him, and settle what was going on. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Are you sure you’re taking me to the Lakelands?”

Rubbing his temple, Carmine nodded. He led a very quiet and uneventful life. He had worked very hard to make it that way. Why fate had given him a chatterbox nut job was beyond him. He sat there silently cursing fate for even giving him a mate. Carmine pushed away images he didn’t want to deal with right now. But those little glimpses that had gotten through only reminded him of why he had a wall around him.

He glanced up when he heard another small
toot
.

“Your hand moved too close,” Turi said as he nodded toward Carmine’s right hand that was resting on the console between the seats.

“Are you serious?” He really had to get this guy out of his car. He hoped like hell that Turi actually did know the Lakelands. It would be just his luck to pull up to the ranch only for the shifters to tell him they had no clue who Turi was.

“Thank you for the ride,” Turi said and then added, “If you really are taking me to the Lakelands. If you’re not, then I take my thank you back.”

“Look, can you just be quiet for the rest of the ride?” Carmine was already trying to forget he had met his mate. He didn’t need Turi to keep confusing him. Carmine didn’t want to keep hearing the man’s light tone. It would be best if the guy didn’t talk. That would make it easier when it was time to forget.

They finally made it to the ranch, and thankfully, Turi hadn’t made one peep or toot. Carmine was unsure which Lakeland it was that had come out onto the porch, but the guy stood there, watching them. He hoped he didn’t need to do much explaining, especially since he didn’t know a damn thing about what was going on. He was going to have to find out if he was to help Turi, but distance was what he needed right now.

Getting out of his car, Carmine gave a friendly nod. “Morning.”

“Morning,” the man answered as he climbed down the steps. Carmine pointed toward Turi. “Do you know him?”

Please let the man say yes.

The man eyed Turi and Carmine thought the guy was going to say no. Carmine wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Turi had made up the fact that he knew the Lakelands. Instead, the guy inclined his head. “Yeah, but I didn’t think he would be back so soon.”

What did that mean? Had Turi caused trouble here? Carmine hoped he wasn’t bringing his mate to a place where they didn’t want him. He would take the guy to the station and work out what was going on, but Turi was adamant about not going anywhere with Carmine.

He was fine with that.

Turi shoved his arm high into the air. “They slapped a bracelet on me, Riley.”

“I see you still have that whistle.” Riley eyed Turi’s wrist. It seemed Carmine wasn’t the only one who had the whistle blown on him.

“He says he’s running from his tribe.” Carmine crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into his car, keeping his eyes averted from the squirrelly man. “What can you tell me about that?”

Riley turned to Carmine. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

Carmine straightened and held out his hand. “Detective Carmine Bianchi.”

“Riley Lakeland,” Riley said as he shook Carmine’s hand. “How did you come across Turi?”

“I nearly hit him a few miles back.” Carmine leaned against the car once more. “He ran right out in front of me.” He wanted to know how the Lakelands knew Turi. Carmine might be struggling with how he should handle the whole situation with his mate, but his black bear was being very protective. “What’s his story?”

“Um, you could ask me,” Turi said, seeming a bit put out. “I am standing right here.”

Carmine reluctantly glanced at the guy. “I have asked you, but you refuse to tell me anything I can work with.”

“That’s because you’re trying to mate me.”

Riley’s eyes widened slightly as he looked between Carmine and Turi. He hadn’t been trying to mate Turi. Where in the hell had the guy gotten that idea? Riley scratched at his chin and then shook his head. “Turi is your mate?”

Carmine and Turi glared at each other. “Yes,” they both said at the same time.

“Not that I’m interested,” Turi said as he started toward the house. “I have enough problems dealing with my deranged uncle and conniving father.”

The screen door slammed behind Turi. Carmine looked at Riley as he raised a brow. “I tried to find out what was going on. That guy is nuttier than a fruitcake.”

“His father is trying to mate Turi to his uncle,” Riley said a little too defensively. “I would be pissed off as well. You can’t blame the guy for being a little off.”

Carmine shuddered at the idea of mating his uncle. Not that he didn’t like Uncle Mike, but the guy was not his ideal mate—because he was family. “I never heard of anyone trying to mate relatives.”

“He’s fey. It’s a common practice among the Wood elves and Shadow elves. Just because you don’t understand their ways doesn’t mean you have to look down on their customs.”

Whoa. Why was Riley defending Turi and his people so obstinately? “I wasn’t judging. All I’m saying is that Turi seems pretty set against it.”

“He’s just entered adulthood,” Riley said. “And sometimes juveniles don’t know what’s best for them. But in my opinion, if Turi doesn’t want to mate his uncle, then he shouldn’t have to.”

Now wasn’t Riley Lakeland one big contradiction? He defended the elves’ custom, yet he was all for protecting Turi.

“He said they were after him.” Carmine glanced toward the house, wondering what Turi’s full story was. His mind began to work in the way that made him a pretty damn good detective. Had his uncle been making advances toward Turi before he had entered adulthood? What was his father trying to gain by having his son mate a relative? Those were questions he needed answered if he was going to help the guy.

Riley nodded. “He came to us for help before, but the Wood elves found him and took him back. The
Ultionem
was supposed to be investigating what was going on. I guess Turi wasn’t waiting for that decision.”

And Carmine wasn’t either. Turi shouldn’t be forced to mate someone he didn’t want to be with. But then there was the biggest factor of all.

Turi belonged to Carmine. Well, he did, only Carmine wasn’t going to claim Turi. But he wasn’t going to let anyone else touch the guy. Carmine inwardly groaned.

Now who was the walking contradiction?

Turi stood on the side of the window, watching as Riley and Carmine talked with each other. He wanted to bang his head into the wall for the way he had acted. But in his defense, Turi had always short-circuited when confronted with stressful situations.

He had been hesitant to get into Carmine’s car after what had happened to him when he was younger. A human had kidnapped Turi and almost raped him. His cousin had given him the whistle for safety. His hesitance was very understandable. Turi just wasn’t going to tell everyone why he was reluctant to go anywhere with a stranger.

That was his business.

“I’m guessing by the bracelet on your wrist that you weren’t granted immunity.”

Turning, Turi felt his heart beating faster when he saw Malcolm standing there with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He was afraid to say anything. What if Malcolm found out that he had run away from the tribe and made him return?

There was no way he was going back. “I’m just visiting?”

Turi had never wandered outside of his tribe—aside from when he was kidnapped when he was younger. He had spent his whole life living with the elves. The first time he had run from the tribe to find Abe. The modern world had been a big culture shock to him. He was still being amazed by the modern world.

“Try again,” Malcolm said as he moved further into the living room. “I just got a call from Maverick. Your father is demanding your return.”

“Please don’t make me go back,” Turi whispered as he felt the tears clogging his throat. He didn’t want to be mated to his uncle. He never agreed with their customs of inbreeding. Even though Turi couldn’t carry a child because he was a man, he truly believed that any species should be able to choose who they wanted to be with.

Although he had acted like he didn’t want Carmine, that was the furthest thing from the truth. But what was he supposed to do? His mate had made it very evident that he didn’t want Turi. A blind man could have seen the way Carmine had kept his distance, physically and emotionally.

“Son, I’m not going to force you to do anything.” Malcolm took a seat in the recliner. “As I told you before, you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

Turi glanced back out of the window, his eyes soaking in his mate. He wanted desperately to run back out there and beg Carmine to keep him. But the fear of rejection had a tight grip around Turi. The bear shifter was large, handsome, with dark looks that appealed to Turi in every single way.

He especially loved those café-brown eyes. They called to Turi in ways he didn’t understand. And he probably never would. Detective Carmine Bianchi didn’t want him. Oh, he wanted to help, but that was all.

“You have a very helpful mate,” Malcolm said from the recliner. “Not everyone would stick their neck out to help a stranger.”

Turi’s fingers lingered on the drapes as he watched Riley say something to Carmine and then Carmine threw his head back and laughed. He knew he had acted a little offbeat, but not enough for his mate to want to wash his hands of Turi.

“I guess,” Turi finally replied. There was no way he was going back home, but it hurt to see the black bear shifter standing out there being friendly with Riley while Turi silently fell apart inside—literally and figuratively.

“How did they get the bracelet around your wrist?” Malcolm asked, his deep voice pulling Turi from his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder, feeling a strange comfort settle inside of him when he laid eyes on the eldest of the bear clan.

Even though Egon and his father were fierce and feared men, there was a quiet strength to Malcolm. Turi could tell that this man didn’t have to bluster and peacock. No, Malcolm wore his strength like a familiar blanket and the man was comfortable in it.

“When they got me back to the tribe, my father forced it on my wrist.” Turi turned away from the window and sat down on the couch, clasping his hands between his knees. Why couldn’t Malcolm have been his father? There was no way this man would force him to do anything. He was a kind and gentle father, who put his foot down when necessary, but wouldn’t dream of making any of his sons do something against their will.