Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure

by Gabrielle Evans

  Stavion lingered for only a moment, groaning at the rich exotic flavor of the crimson bathing his tongue, before extracting his fangs and licking the wound closed.

  Lightning raced up his spine, his belly cramped, and his balls drew tight to his body, heralding his impending climax. Palming the back of Jory’s head, he lifted his mate closer as he tilted his head to the side to bare his throat. “Your turn, baby.” Jory didn’t hesitate. The minute his canines pushed through Stavion’s flesh, a blinding orgasm slammed into him, robbing the breath from his lungs and causing his world to blur around the edges.

  Stavion roared loudly, the sound coming straight from his soul as he pumped through his climax. Reams of heated semen erupted from his pulsating cock, filling Jory’s depths and claiming him further.

  The muffled groan that vibrated against his neck was the only warning Stavion had before Jory’s cock discharged, spraying his sticky release between them to paint their chests and abs. His inner walls convulsed in waves, clamping down around Stavion’s dick and wringing the last of his seed from him.

  Without pulling out of Jory’s ass, Stavion lifted the man into his arms and slumped back to his desk chair. They sat that way for a long time, sweaty and panting, just clinging to each other as they tried to tame their runaway pulses.

  “You’re the first thing I’ve ever had to call my own,” Jory whispered a while later. “Thank you.” Stavion couldn’t even choke out words through the lump in his throat. So, he settled for holding Jory tighter and stroking his hair. He could still see the look on Jory’s face as the man fell over the edge with him. His little mate was breathtaking. There was a light inside Jory that was warm and pure.

  Stavion hoped it never faded. For the first time in his long, shadowed life, he had seen the sun, and he yearned to see it again and again in the years to come.

  Elder Winters was right. No one had a more vested interest in Jory’s well-being than he did. It would be hard. There would be times when he struggled with his leadership role, but there were people counting on him—people who needed the kind of care and understanding only his coven could offer them.

  Most importantly, Jory needed him, and Stavion needed to have final say when it came to his mate’s safety.

  He had a phone call to make. The elder was sure to be pleased.

  Chapter Nine

  “Boss, we’ve got a problem,” Demos practically yelled as he barged into Stavion’s office two nights later. “Flynn’s missing.”

  Stavion flew out of his chair and hurried around his desk. “What the fuck do you mean? Where did he go?” Demos crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow.

  “If I knew that, he wouldn’t be missing.”

  “Okay, okay, start from the beginning. What do we know?” A small hand slipped into his and squeezed gently. Stavion wrapped an arm around Jory’s shoulders, tucking the man against his side. If they couldn’t find Flynn and get him back to Malakai before the five days were up, there was a very real chance that Stavion could lose Jory forever. He refused to let that happen.

  “He arrived on his flight as planned. Raven and Varik took him to the hotel, briefed him on the information they’ve gathered, and were set to go in tonight. When Raven woke up, Flynn was just gone.”

  “Fuck!” Stavion released his hold on Jory, shoved both hands through his hair, and began pacing the room. “I knew this was a bad idea. There’s too much bad blood there.”

  “Oh, hardy har,” Demos said with a derisive snort.

  Stavion waved it away. “I didn’t mean it like that. Now, shut up. I’m trying to think. I think we can be confident in assuming Flynn went in on his own as soon as the sun came up.”

  “That’s what Raven thinks. If he’s not back and there’s been no word from him, I think we can also assume that he’s been captured.”

  That was exactly where Stavion’s train of thought was pulling into the station. The stupid shifter was going to get himself killed. “Tell me Raven has a plan.”

  Demos smirked. “Raven has a plan. We’ll get him back, Stavion.”

  Yes, they would, but would it be in time? “I’m going to Georgia. This isn’t a conversation that I want to have with Malakai over the phone.”

  “He’s going to hand you your ass.” Demos shook his head, but he seemed almost giddy at the prospect. “I’ll get the pilot to the airstrip.”

  “What’s going on, Stavion?” Jory asked as soon as Demos exited the room. “Why are you going to Georgia? Why is Flynn missing? What does this have to do with Malakai?”

  Swallowing back his groan, Stavion turned to face his mate.

  Malakai wasn’t the only one who was going to give him a tongue lashing over the predicament he’d gotten them into. “I told you that Flynn is an Enforcer, and that he accepted an assignment in Montana?” Jory nodded mutely. “He’s missing.”

  “Oh, no!” Jory’s hand went to his mouth, and his eyes rounded. “That’s terrible. You’re going to get him back, right?”

  “Yes, baby. We’ll get him back.” Stavion took a deep, unsteady breath. “I got another letter from Leader McCarthy a couple of nights ago. I have two days to deliver Malakai to him, or he’s going to The Council.”

  “But, Malakai is mated.” Jory tilted his head to the side and his brow furrowed in confusion. “He doesn’t have to go with this guy, does he? Isn’t that what you told me?”

  “Boston and Flynn haven’t claimed him. Until he has the mating mark of his mates, he’s still eligible for the contract.”

  “And you still haven’t told him?” Jory’s eyes narrowed in accusation. “Don’t you think he has the right to know? Not to mention Boston and Flynn. You’ve known about this for over a month, Stavion.”

  “I’m going to handle it,” Stavion answered curtly. Yes, he should have told his best friend. Yes, he should have informed Boston and Flynn. It was too late for coulda, shoulda, woulda, though.

  “What happens if Boston and Flynn don’t claim him and he has to go live with this vampire dude? Because you know that’s a possibility. What were you going to do, Stavion? Just show up on his doorstep and drag him out kicking and screaming?”

  “Jory, I’m trying!”

  “No!” Jory shouted right back. “You need to learn that this isn’t all about you. I know you want to be a good leader, but keeping shit like this from people is going to come back to bite you in the ass.” If the situation wasn’t so serious, Stavion would have laughed.

  Jory was a fierce little warrior when it came to people he cared for and things he felt passionately about. It was refreshing to see him standing up for himself.

  “I’m going to tell him now,” Stavion mumbled, as if that made everything okay.

  “Too little too late,” Jory shot back. “If you don’t get Flynn back, Malakai is going to be ripped away from his mates and sent to live as some virtual slave.” He rolled his eyes when Stavion whipped around to look at him in shock. “Yes, Stavion, I know a few things about these mating contracts. Believe it or not, I do listen when you talk. What I’m trying to say is that a lot of people are going to get hurt because of this.”

  “No one is going anywhere, and no one is going to get hurt! I’ll take care of it.”

  “You sound like a two-year-old.” Jory sighed and threw his hands in the air. “If you refuse the damn contract, then it’s your ass in the frying pan with The Council. Where the fuck does that leave me?” Jory was screaming by the time he finished. His face had mottled an angry red, his thin chest heaved, and his hands were clenched into fists at his side. “I’m not normally so selfish, but I’m not going to give you up because you can’t pull your head out of your ass. You promised that you wouldn’t leave, so you better find a way to make this right.”

  Stavion wanted to pull Jory into his arms, but he didn’t think his touch would be welcomed just then. So he settled for pacing some more. “Everything is going to be fine.” It had to be. He didn’t have a choice.

 
“Yeah, okay.” Jory walked to the door and opened it. “Let me know when you believe that.” Then he left. Nothing else was said.

  There was no backward glance. He just fucking left.

  Stavion supposed he deserved it, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. It didn’t stop him from getting pissed off, either.

  Marching to the door, he wrenched it open, preparing to shout Jory’s name down the hallway.

  He came up short when he found Jory standing just to the side of the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “I had a feeling that you’d have to have the last word.”

  “Look, Jory, I’m doing the best I can. I never asked to be leader of my own coven. I don’t want all this responsibility, and I definitely don’t want people I care about getting hurt. Maybe I didn’t do such a great job with this, but maybe you could give me a little fucking credit for trying.”

  Though Jory’s eyes were wide and his body was shaking, he held his ground. “Trying doesn’t really count when it’s people’s lives you’re talking about—when it’s my life. I’m not an Arsidian Demon. I don’t get to pick and choose as many mates as I want. Aímas get one, Stavion, just one.” He leaned against the wall and dropped his head. “I can’t believe that you’d claim me knowing that I might never see you again.”

  Stavion felt about two inches tall as he deflated and his anger melted away. “Baby, I promise everything is going to be okay. We’re going to get Flynn back. He and Boston are going to claim Malakai. Then everyone’s happy and McCarthy can go fuck himself.” Jory stared at him, and Stavion resisted the urge to fidget nervously. He’d messed up, but it wasn’t that bad, right? It wasn’t like Jory was going to leave him.

  “Then I’m coming with you.”

  Stavion immediately shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. You need to stay here where it’s safe.”

  “So, which is it? Are you going to fix this and everything will be fine? Or is it too dangerous for me to leave this mausoleum you call a house?”

  “It is dangerous, but not because of the situation with Malakai. Cyrus Redway and his sons are in custody, but we haven’t been able to track down everyone that was involved with his and Alpha Cunningham’s twisted scheme. I don’t know what all you lived through, but I don’t want to ever see it repeated.”

  “You want to know what happened to me?” Jory pushed away from the wall and stepped forward with determination blazing in his eyes. “Azeal and Remy used me as their punching bag. They’d have little parties and invite their friends over to punch, kick, bite, stab, whip, and burn me. There were times when I thought I wouldn’t live through the night, but I did.”

  Stavion’s insides boiled at the cruelty his mate had been forced to endure. He didn’t want to hear anymore, but Jory wasn’t ready to drop it.

  “You know what I got for my eighteenth birthday?” Jory didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “I got held down and my back used as an ashtray.”

  Stavion remembered the dime-sized scars on Jory’s back. It made his stomach cramp violently and rage bubble just beneath the surface.

  Since purging himself—and the added infusion of Stavion’s blood—the scars littering Jory’s body had disappeared. His emotional scars might never heal, though.

  “Then they took us and threw us through a trapdoor beneath that cabin. There were so many of us, we barely had room to move. I lived in the cold and filth, eating rats, bugs, and the occasional opossum or squirrel when it wondered into that crawlspace. I hated it, but it was a lot better than living in constant fear of Azeal and Remy.”

  “Jory, stop,” Stavion begged. He didn’t know how much more he could endure before he fell apart. He was only hearing it secondhand, and he wanted to curl into a ball and die. Jory had lived it—survived it. There was no question of who the stronger person in their relationship was.

  Jory wouldn’t stop, though. “Now I have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and all the comforts of a home. I have a kind and generous mate, even if he can be a bit thick sometimes.” He paused and smirked up at Stavion. “I have a real life where I call the shots and no one hurts me. I never thought that happy endings were for people like me. That changed when I came here, and I want it with every breath I take. Mate or not, I’m not going to let you take that away from me. I have a vested interest in seeing you come home safely, and I’m going with you.”

  His heart still ached for the abuse Jory had suffered. Fury simmered in his gut at the people who’d made his mate’s life a living hell. But it was all pushed to the side as Jory ran down from his little tirade. Pride swelled his chest, and Stavion thought he’d burst from it.

  Jory was asserting himself, staking his claim, and willing to do whatever it took to secure his future at Stavion’s side. “Yes.”

  “Yes?” Jory frowned and tilted his head to the side.

  “Yes, you’re going with me.” There didn’t seem to be anything left to say.

  Jory let out a long, shaky breath and nodded curtly. “So, when do we leave?”

  “As soon as you’re packed. I hope you don’t mind flying.” Jory shrugged. “I’ve never been on a plane before, so I couldn’t say. I guess we’ll find out soon enough, though.”

  “You really are ador—”

  “Don’t say it,” Jory warned.

  “I was just going to say that I think you’re cu—”

  “Stavion.” Jory crossed his arms and growled.

  “Okay.” Stavion chuckled as he held his hands up in surrender. “I give.” He waited for Jory to turn and walk away before speaking again. “You’re cute as hell when you’re pissed.”

  Jory threw his hands up in the air and grumbled under his breath, but didn’t turn around. “Always Mr. Last Word.”

  * * * *

  It was official. Jory hated flying. Every bump and shimmy sent his pulse pounding and his stomach rolling. “How much farther?”

  Stavion lifted the armrest separating the space between them and pulled Jory to his side. “We’ll be landing in about forty-five minutes.

  We need to talk about a few things first.” Jory didn’t like the sound of that. “What now?”

  “I want you stay on the plane when we get there.”

  “What? No!” What was the point of him enduring this awful flight if he wasn’t even going to be allowed off the damn plane when it landed?

  “Jory, listen to me. I don’t know Flynn or Boston that well. I want to trust them because I trust Malakai. I don’t know a lot about shifters, but I do know a thing or two about being mated.” He kissed the top of Jory’s head and squeezed him gently. “I would do anything to keep you safe—anything. I have to believe that Boston and Flynn would be no different with Malakai.”

  “What does that have to do with me staying on this plane?” Stavion always talked in circles. Most of the time it didn’t bother him, but Jory wished he would just get to the point this time.

  “Baby, I don’t want them to use you against me.”

  “Stavion.” Jory sighed and sat up straight, shifting in his seat so that he could look at his mate head on. “That doesn’t make a lick of sense. How could they use me against you?”

  “Do you really need me to answer that? I’d do anything, refuse the contract, and accept any punishment handed down to me to keep you from being hurt. You think they don’t know that?”

  “That’s crazy. Boston and Flynn wouldn’t do that.” Jory tried to speak with conviction, but he’d never even met the men. He liked Malakai, though. Malakai wouldn’t let his mates do something stupid.

  “I want to believe that, too, but I can’t risk it. I’ve only met Boston twice. I know of Flynn, but the first time I met him was at the wedding. This is important, Jory. I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours, and I need you to stay here where it’s safe.”

  “It doesn’t seem very safe for me to be here alone. I have no illusions that I’m able to fight against…well, anyone really.” Stavion chuckled and kissed the tip of his n
ose. Jory melted, just as he always did when Stavion did something so simple, yet so sweet.

  It really wasn’t fair. All the big vampire had to do was bat his long lashes, flash that mega-watt smile, and Jory was putty in his hands.

  “Cassius is flying. He’ll stay here with you.”

  “Wow,” Jory breathed. He didn’t know why it shocked him so much that the Enforcer could do something as magnificent as flying a private jet. It was kind of cool, though. Another thought occurred to him, and he tilted his head to the side as he spoke. “You said Flynn and Boston. So, does that mean they’ve found Flynn?”

  “They know where he is. Raven’s going in after him. Unfortunately, he’s not going to make it back in the allotted timeframe. I’m going to have to figure out a way to buy us some more time.”

  Jory felt nauseous just thinking about it. They were hanging all their hopes on a missing shifter and his willingness to claim Malakai.

  It just didn’t seem like good odds to him that everything was going to turn out all peachy keen like Stavion kept telling him.

  What could he do about it, though? He could sit there and make himself sick, or he could trust his mate to take care of them. But was it fair to put that kind of pressure on Stavion? Then again, it wasn’t like the man ever asked for help.

  God, he was so confused that he didn’t know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt. This wasn’t even his problem. It had nothing to do with him—yet, it had everything in the world to do with his future.

  If all the help he could offer his mate was to sit in the plane and stay out of the way like a good little demon, he guessed he could do that much.

  “Go save the world. I’ll stay here and miss you.” Stavion chuckled as he dragged Jory into his lap. Then he planted a searing kiss on his mouth that left him panting and his head spinning. “I don’t know about saving the world. How about I just save the day?”

  Jory shook his head solemnly. “From the moment you claimed me, you became my world. Keeping your ass safe is all I care about. It may not be everyone’s world, but it’s mine, and I expect you to save it.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled crookedly. “No pressure or anything.”