Havenfall Harbor Book Two: Paranormal Ménage Romance MFM

by Albany Walker

  “He did it?” I scrunch up my nose.

  “You seem surprised.” Griffin takes my hand and helps me rise from the bed.

  “Well…I kind of am. It’s hard to imagine him doing that,” I admit.

  “So you thought it was me?” He pulls his hand up to his chest. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s a little affronted.

  “You are so much more…moody,” I reason.

  “I think you meant to say passionate.” Griffin dips his face close to mine but keeps just out of kissing range.

  “Did I?” I tap my finger against my lip, and his eyes are drawn to the movement.

  His tongue peeks out from behind his full lips. “How are you feeling this morning?” His tone has shifted. The hint of teasing is gone, and it’s been replaced with something so much darker. It makes me think about the way his lips felt on my neck last night, the way his teeth felt against my throat.

  “Good, how about you?” I almost ask if he’s hungry, but we don’t have time for that right now. I promised Evan we would help look for the kids.

  Griffin steps in a little closer so there’s barely any space between us. I feel his fingers under my chin as he tips my head back. His eyes roam over my face as if he’s searching for something. “Thank you,” he murmurs softly.

  “For what?” I press, my voice sounding breathy.

  He brushes his cheek against mine as he moves his lips closer to my ear. “For letting me taste you.” His words are almost a groan. I nod and try to speak, but my tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth, which is probably a good thing because I want to tell him anytime.

  “I bet the only thing sweeter will be your pussy.” I inhale sharply. “I can’t wait to taste you again, and again, and again.” As if to prove his point, he licks the side of my neck. I feel a slight pulse when he grazes over the same spot he drank from last night. I have to fist my hand so I don’t reach up and touch it to see if I can recreate the feeling, I don’t want to take the chance I might dislodge him.

  Griffin pulls back and looks down at my face. His eyes are lidded, and he looks so fucking sexy, especially knowing what’s under that suit. I want to say something back, to tell him just how much I like the idea of him tasting me, but my experience with dirty talk is pretty limited. I don’t want to come off sounding like an idiot.

  Gathering courage, I grab the lapels of his jacket and say, “I’ll settle for a kiss until you can make good on that promise.”

  It must have been okay, because his lips are on mine before I have a chance to take another breath. He’s not as gentle as he was last night, but he’s still careful. His hands are cupping my face, controlling how I move and pinning me in place. His tongue pushes into my mouth in a way that makes me think of him sliding in and out of me. I shift my hands from his jacket to his chest, my fingers slip around his back, and he leans over me, making my spine arch to keep my lips on his.

  I feel off-kilter, like I could fall at any minute and Griffin is the only thing holding me up. I relax, allowing his body to mold to mine, knowing he wouldn’t let me fall. Feeling my surrender, Griffin shifts his hold to grab my ass with one hand and palm the back of my head with the other. I’m still trapped against him, with him controlling my movements, but it’s a completely freeing experience. He trails kisses from my lips over to my jaw, continuing to my ear. I can feel his erection against my belly. It’s thrilling knowing how badly he wants me.

  Griffin pulls away and snarls, “Fuck off!” loudly.

  I blink several times, not sure what the heck just happened, but then he’s kissing me again. “Do you have multiple personalities?” I ask past a grin while he’s kissing me.

  Griffin grunts and nips my bottom lip as the sweetest of punishments. “There’s someone near the door.” Then he adds, “Looking for death,” much louder.

  I rub my hand over his back and start to push him away. He scowls down at me, causing me to snicker. “Don’t pout.”

  “I’m gonna fucking pout. Do you know how many people have knocked on my door in the past decade?”

  “Lots?” I shrug.

  Griffin holds up four fingers. “Four. That security chick twice.” He’s talking about Letty. I like that he didn’t say her name. “This morning, and now.”

  “They didn’t knock,” I taunt. That makes him narrow his eyes.

  “Might as well have,” he grumbles.

  “We should probably get going anyway.” I wipe my finger under each eye to catch any stray mascara that might be left over from yesterday and smooth my hand over my ponytail. Without the aid of the bathroom mirror, I have no idea if I’m a mess, not that it matters. I’m helping search for kids on a Saturday morning, not going to a fashion show.

  I slip my feet into my Converse and tug the back up over my heel. I take another look at Griffin, we’re definitely a mismatched pair. My mother would love him at first sight. He’s all refined elegance and cultured grace. The moment you allow yourself to see past the exterior, though, you can perceive what’s truly lurking beneath. Not that he hides it, but he makes such an arresting picture, it’s hard to take everything in at once.

  Griffin tilts his head to the side. “What are you thinking?”

  I don’t blush because I got caught staring, but it does make me feel shy about answering. “You look very dapper,” I tell him.

  Griffin runs his hand over his newly buttoned jacket. “Why do I feel like you’re making fun of me?”

  “I’m not, not at all,” I say earnestly. He watches me a bit longer as if he doesn’t believe me. “Ready?” I prompt.

  “For a great many things, Ms. Shaw.”

  “I just bet you are, Headmaster Stone,” I tease with pouty lips and a little shimmy before pulling open the door.

  Chapter 8

  Griffin

  We move through the main building easily but draw lots of attention. There isn’t one adult shifter or blooded vampire who wouldn’t be able to sense the change in Quinn. Evan’s scent is strongly mingled with hers now, more than if they would have just fucked.

  Then there’s my bite on the side of her neck for everyone to see. Quinn pulled her hair back this morning as if she was putting the mark on display. If I didn’t know for certain she has no idea what she’s doing, I would assume she was making sure everyone sees it. Evan breaking the mirror might have worked in my favor. As mad as I was at him for claiming her without her permission, he’s not the only one to blame. She never agreed to wear my mark. While my transgression may be on a different scale than his, I still took her choice away. I spend way too much time thinking about what she’ll do when she finds out. Most of my thoughts end with her on top of me, taking out her aggression in a very healthy manner.

  She squeezes my fingers, drawing my focus. “Where should we go?” She looks around the lobby, avoiding everyone’s gazes.

  “Evan will most likely be in the briefing room.”

  “I don’t know where that is,” she admits.

  “Come.” Quinn doesn’t seem to mind my brash order as she lets me guide her to the small west ballroom. I’ve never liked this room, nor the blood sports my father performed in it. The double doors are already open as we approach. Evan is at the back of the room, his arms crossed over his chest, looking very much like a surly bear.

  The change in his demeanor is apparent to everyone. I can hear the way their pulses flutter erratically, adding to the heavy sense of unease in the room.

  Quinn’s sneakers make a squeaking sound on the polished wood floor when she stops mid-step just as we enter. I watch her wince, then she scrunches up her nose in embarrassment.

  Evan gives me a chin jerk, asking us to join him. It says a lot about our friendship that he wants me anywhere near him when he knows I’m pissed. I see a few elbow jabs and some brow raising as Quinn and I make our way over to him. A fierce sense of possession fills me. While I could kill everyone in here, they are some of the most powerful supernaturals at Havenfall, and having them all so close to
her sets my teeth on edge.

  Quinn gives Evan a reassuring smile and asks softly, “Any news?”

  “Not yet,” he tells her, then addresses those gathered. “Joe set up teams to search the property, but we still need to do a thorough exploration of the manor. Teams of at least two. Some start on the lower levels, others at the top. I want every inch of this building scoured.”

  A man near the front lets out a huff. “Not the staff wing, right?”

  “Every fucking inch, until these kids are found,” Evan states through clenched teeth.

  “You think someone is hiding them?” the same man questions, sounding incredulous.

  “I think when you signed up to work here, you understood perfectly fucking well that I run this team.” Evan glares at everyone. “You have a problem doing your job, or how I tell you to do it, find a new one elsewhere.”

  No one else speaks up. A few look away from him and shuffle their feet. It’s not often Evan goes alpha bear, but when he does, it’s hard to ignore, especially for other shifters. The dominance hierarchy doesn’t allow it. The vampires in the room recognize the threat as well, most of them having gone unnaturally still. It marks every single one of them as the prey they are.

  After a long pause, Evan begins assigning teams of two or three to work together. I notice none of the groups that are standing or sitting together stay together. It’s obvious he’s separating them, smart move.

  When that’s done, he allocates the locations they’re to search. “I want you checking in after every room is cleared. No chatter, just what room and the status. If you find something, you call it in. Get to work.”

  Quinn

  The security officers filter out quickly after Evan is done barking orders. It’s easy to forget just how intimidating he is. I have to admit, I’ve started thinking of him as more of a giant teddy bear than what he truly is.

  I watch as his entire demeanor shifts once it’s just the three of us left in the room. It’s subtle but unmistakable. The hard line of his jaw softens, and even his stance relaxes.

  “What can I do?”

  “I’m going to check out the clinic and some of the surrounding rooms, will you come with me?” Evan inquires.

  “Sure, you too, right?” I glance up to include Griffin.

  “Absolutely,” he tells me then looks over at Evan. “Good opportunity to see what’s been going on in the blood bank.”

  “I thought so,” Evan agrees.

  “Don’t you go there all the time?” I ask Griffin.

  “No, I have a standing order. They deliver.”

  “Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Talking about Griffin and blood makes me think about him drinking from me. Which really isn’t where my mind should be right now.

  We all just stand there for a few moments. The tension between us is new, unwelcome, and awkward. “Shall we?” My words seem to finally spur Evan into action. He lifts his hand and gestures for me to go ahead. Griffin still has my hand in his, so I let him lead the way.

  I’m a little surprised when he starts up the staircase in the central building. “It’s not on the staff side?” I question as we make our way up to the second floor.

  “No, the kids are much more likely to need the clinic, so it made sense to have everything together,” Griffin replies before opening a nondescript door on the left side of the hallway.

  The lobby is on the smaller side, reminding me of the office at my middle school. There’s a long receptionist’s window against the back wall, like a doctor’s office, with a desk behind the glass and a door just to the left. A woman looks up as I enter. Her brows dip, but she stands quickly. I glance around at the two empty chairs in the waiting area as Griffin and Evan file in behind me.

  “Headmaster, can I help you? Is there an issue with your delivery?” she queries hurriedly, then starts scooting papers around on the desk. I can tell she’s nervous, I just don’t know why. It could be Griffin’s presence. He tends to make a lot of people nervous.

  “Do you have any patients?” Evan asks, ignoring her question to Griffin.

  “No, should I?”

  “We need to have a look around. I’m sure you’ve heard a few kids have gone missing.” Evan walks over to the door, and it opens freely in his hand. The woman hustles around to a space where I can’t see, then becomes visible when he opens the door fully.

  “Shouldn’t this be locked?” Evan asks, his tone soft.

  “Usually, I must have forgotten.” She steps back quickly as Evan enters the back area. Griffin holds the door for me to enter. There’s a short hallway to the left, and I can see into a door just down the hall. There are two beds set up next to each other with the heads elevated, just like you would find at any Red Cross blood donation center. My college had a fairly large supernatural population, and I tried to donate a few times a year when they had blood drives, so I’m pretty confident that’s the donor room.

  The woman moves down the hall ahead of Evan. “You’re welcome to check of course, but there’s no one here but me.”

  “Did anyone come in today? Were there any issues?”

  She shakes her head quickly. “I’ve only been here a half hour myself. Mark hasn’t even stopped by yet to check for deliveries.” When they reach the corner, Evan looks to the left and peers into a room. Seeming satisfied, he continues down the hall to the right.

  “Have there been any more incidents of missing blood?” Evan questions casually.

  “No, sir,” she replies immediately. “Not since the last incident.” Her eyes dart to me, then return to Evan. “We did another inventory just a few days ago.”

  “How many days ago?” Evan tries the knob of a door, and it turns. He pushes it open and flicks on the light. I can’t see into the room well because he’s blocking the door, but he flips the light off a second later, leaving the door slightly ajar as he continues. The woman stops in front of the last door on the right as if she’s trying to prevent Evan from entering or from viewing it altogether.

  “Three?” She sounds unsure.

  I glance over my shoulder to see if Griffin thinks she’s acting strangely. His eyes are on the woman, and he looks as unassuming as possible—for him. His hands are tucked neatly into his pockets, and he’s standing pretty far back, but he’s still intimidating.

  Evan checks the last couple of rooms rather quickly and seems satisfied. The woman starts to wring her hands together as he grows closer to her. “That’s the bank,” he states with a nod behind her.

  “Yes,” she replies almost hesitantly.

  “Do you have the keycard?” He tips his head to the side.

  The woman swallows thickly. “I’ll have to grab it. We keep it in the desk.”

  “I’ll wait,” Evan tells her. She scoots past us. When I turn to watch her retreat, I expect Griffin to be right behind me, but he’s farther down the hall near the front where he can keep an eye on her.

  When the woman returns, her face is a little flushed. Before she can reach the door, Evan tries the knob but finds it locked.

  The woman’s steps falter, like she’s surprised he tried the knob, but she continues to walk closer and taps the small white keycard against the black card reader near the door.

  Evan pushes the door open. The light is already on, so he steps inside. Once he’s out of the way, I see two large, commercial-looking refrigerators with glass front doors. The glass is too cloudy to look inside, so I just scan over them. There’s a small desk with a chair set up to the left with a computer much like mine. The glow of the monitor reflects in the glass of the fridges.

  Evan turns on his heel and faces the woman. “I’m going to need to take a look at the logs and the inventory you mentioned.”

  “I can get those together. Do you want me to have them delivered to your office?” She’s clutching the card tightly in her hand, but the rest of her seems a smidgen more relaxed.

  “I can wait while you make copies,” he replies. She opens her mouth as if to say
something, but she snaps it closed and just nods her head instead.

  The woman hustles out of the room and Evan follows her. When I turn to go with them, Griffin grabs my arm, stopping me. “I want to look around,” he murmurs softly, keeping his voice low.

  “Was it me, or was she acting weird?” I trail behind Griffin, making sure I whisper.

  “Her heart was beating like a scared rabbit’s,” he says, sliding open one of the doors of the refrigerators. There are rows and rows of milky white bags, each labeled with a barcode.

  I peer over at Griffin, wondering if this makes him hungry. He lets the door slide closed and opens the next. It looks the same. “What are we looking for, or are you just trying to find your favorite barcode?”

  Griffin turns his head slowly and gives me a droll look. “My favorite doesn’t come with a barcode.”

  “I bet you have a special section all to yourself. It’s probably in its own little fridge with warning labels. ‘Headmaster Stone’s personal supply, touch at your own peril.’” I pretend to sound ominous.

  Griffin reaches out quickly, snags my waist, and then pulls me firmly against his body so he’s behind me. “I have recently acquired a personal supply. If one were to threaten that source, they would definitely earn themselves an enemy.” His words are a mere whisper against my neck, spoken softly, despite the dire warning he’s delivering.

  “Oh you have, have you?” I try to sound unaffected but fail miserably.

  He makes a humming sound as his lips skim the side of my throat. “Though she’s not like a fridge, she’s much warmer.”

  I swallow and rest my head against his chest. In the back of my mind, I know we shouldn’t be doing this, not right now, but I can’t seem to pull away from him either.

  “She’s addicting and intoxicating, and I can’t wait to be back inside her in so many ways.” My knees actually get a little weak. Damnit, Griffin could talk my clothes off. I knew he’d be dangerous.