Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure (13 page)

Cassius pressed his lips together and glared. “What do we do?”

“Raven is bringing food. We’re going to eat. Then I’m going to deal with Jory. After that, we’ll fly home and get ready for a Council meeting where I may or may not end up in a jail cell, and Malakai might be forced to move to Washington.” Stavion clenched his hands into fists and growled under his breath. “Have the werewolves made any threatening moves? How many are there?” Cassius shook his head. “There are six of them—two females and four males. They just prowl the boundary lines around the property.”

“So, they haven’t actually come onto our lands?” Cassius shook his head again.

“Then keep an eye on the situation for now. We really need to get more guards. We can’t do our jobs and worry about werewolves at the same time.”

“What werewolves?”

Stavion swallowed back his groan and turned to face Jory. “It’s nothing.”

“Just like the reason you didn’t come back last night is
nothing.
” Jory crossed his arms over his thin chest and growled. “You said mates tell each other everything, but does that not apply to you? Or maybe you think I’m too stupid to understand what’s going on?” He said it with a sneer, but Stavion could hear the hurt in his voice.

“Baby, it’s not like that.” Fuck, he so didn’t need this shit right now. “I just don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m going to see if Raven is back.” Then Cassius hurried off the plane.
Coward.

“Well, I’m already worried. Is this going to be a habit of yours? If it is, I’d like to know now.”

“There have been some werewolves prowling the outside of the grounds. We don’t know why they’re there, but they don’t seem aggressive.”

Jory deflated and his shoulders began to shake. “I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass. I’m just scared. For the first time in my life, I’m happy. I don’t want that taken away. When you keep things from me, I…I don’t know. It makes me feel like things aren’t as okay as you say they are.”

Crossing the distance between them, Stavion lifted Jory into his arms and carried him to the back of the plane and into the small bedroom. He laid his mate gently in the center of the mattress and hovered over him, just staring into Jory’s green eyes. “Things are a little crazy right now, but they’ll settle down. You don’t have to ever be scared, Jory. You’re the most important thing to me, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe.” A single tear escaped the corner of Jory’s eye and slid down his temple. “It’s not just about me. I need you to be safe, too. It’s scary having something to lose.”

Stavion knew the feeling all too well. The idea of anything happening to Jory made his throat burn and his stomach cramp. “No more talking,” he whispered before dropping his mouth to Jory’s and kissing him with everything he felt and couldn’t say.

Arching into him and moaning quietly, Jory opened to his questing tongue as his arms and legs went around Stavion. It was one of those all-consuming kisses, the kind that seemed to go on forever, blotting out everything in the world but the two of them. Each lazy glide of their tongues, every gentle caress of their hands, and each sweet whimper or moan from Jory’s mouth pushed Stavion’s desire to the edge of madness.

He’d never felt so much from just a kiss before. No one had ever had him on the edge of orgasm by simply brushing his hair back from his face. Everything felt different with Jory, though. It was like having a live wire wiggling beneath him, making every feeling, urge, and need more intense.

Jory stiffened and a strangled groan fell from his lips as he dropped his head back to the pillow. The look of bliss on his face, the realization that he’d come from just a kiss, pushed Stavion over the edge. He dropped his forehead to Jory’s, just staring into his mate’s eyes as he coated the front of his boxers with his release. He should probably have been embarrassed by his lack of control, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“I could sleep.” Jory punctuated the statement with a huge yawn.

Stavion stole another kiss and pushed up from the bed to find something to clean them with. A nap sounded great. A nap with his mate curled in his arms sounded like heaven. The idea of pushing away all of his problems and just enjoying being with Jory sounded like a miracle.

He could definitely use a few more of those.

Elder Macintosh, the shifter representative of The Council, stared down his crooked nose at them and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I have no choice but to rule in favor of Nicholas McCarthy and grant approval for his contract.”

The room erupted into shouting, snarling, and growling. Blaise began screaming things at the elders. Malakai struggled against the guard holding him, kicking and flailing as he tried to free himself and get to his mates. Boston and Flynn were going crazy as they fought against a dozen Council Guards.

Stavion struggled as well, but it was more out of instinct than anything. His heart sank as he watched McCarthy carry Malakai out of the room through a door just to the side of the dais where the elders sat. It was over, and they’d lost.

Before Stavion could figure out how to get loose of the guards holding him, the doors at the back of the room banged open. Xander and his pack hurried into the room, followed by Blaise’s mates, Willow and Cole. They all looked excited, with big smiles on their faces. Stavion prayed Cole had finally found something that would get them out of this mess.

“Wait!” Xander yelled, his voice ringing around the room.

Everyone stopped immediately. Hell, even Stavion paused in his struggles. Not only was the alpha massive in body-size, but the air of authority surrounding him commanded respect.

Raven, Varik, Demos, and Cassius entered through a door near the front of the room, and Stavion watched as his friends moved to stand with Xander. The door McCarthy had just left through opened again, and five men Stavion had never seen filed in, one of them pushing McCarthy ahead of him.

“What is the meaning of this?” Elder Macintosh shouted.

Yeah, that was what Stavion wanted to know. Who the hell were those guys with McCarthy? Looking around the room, Stavion tried to gauge if their entrance was as shocking to anyone else besides him.

Blaise and Flynn were beaming like mad. Boston, however, looked just as confused as Stavion.

“Blaise?”

The alpha looked over his shoulder and winked at Stavion. “Just hold that thought.”

Stavion decided he didn’t really have a choice, so he returned his attention to McCarthy. He was privileged to look up just in time to see Talon punch the vampire leader in the face, grab Malakai from him, and carry him over to Boston. Stavion knew he liked that guy from the moment he’d met the leopard shifter.

“Flynn, ya be owin’ us for this. How is it ya always be gettin’ into the most trouble?” one of the newcomers spoke in his charming Irish brogue.

Stavion’s eyes flitted to Flynn, and he finally realized why the men looked familiar. They all looked like different versions of Flynn Murphy. “Brothers?” he asked out of the side of his mouth. Blaise grinned and nodded.

“I’ve been missin’ ya, too, Devlin, and a sight for sore eyes ya are,” Flynn called back.

“And what are ya havin’ to say to the rest of us?” Another of the Flynn look-alikes kicked his foot out to the side as he spoke, connecting with one of the fallen guards. Stavion bit his tongue to keep from laughing. “I’m thinkin’ I’ll be likin’ America just fine.” Stavion lost track of the conversation for a minute as he once again tried to find his mate in the all the chaos. He wasn’t going to panic. Everything was fine. It was all going to be okay. Fuck, where was Jory?

Okay, Stavion was panicking. His eyes darted around frantically, landing briefly on each face in the room before passing on to the next.

Jory wasn’t there. He was supposed to be there. “Oh, baby, where are you?” he whispered to himself.

“Right here,” Jory answered quietly, slipping his hand into Stavion’s.

Stavion whipped around, almost passing out in relief at the sight of his mate standing next to him. He pulled Jory closer, crushing him in his arms, and rained kisses all over the top of his head and down the side of his face. His hands skirted over Jory’s body, checking him for any sign of injury.

Jory just giggled. “Stavion, relax. I’m fine.” His arms went around Stavion’s waist, and he squeezed gently. “Breathe, big guy.”

“Breathe. Right.” Stavion sucked in a big lungful of air and let it out slowly as he tucked Jory into his side and kept a firm hold on him.

“Don’t move.”

Jory snorted and rolled his eyes but didn’t comment.

Now that Jory was with him, and Stavion knew his little man was safe, he turned his attention back to the chaos surrounding them.

It felt a little like overkill to Stavion, but he wouldn’t turn away willing allies. Still, it wasn’t like they were going to win The Council over with brute force. So, what exactly did Blaise have up his sleeve?

Stavion had no doubt that this whole little episode was Blaise’s doing.

It had the alpha’s fingerprints all over it.

“Excuse me!” Elder Macintosh screamed. Apparently, he was tired of being ignored in his own courtroom.
Oops.
“Who are these people? What are they doing here?”

“Nicholas McCarthy has no claim to Malakai,” Cole, Blaise’s mate, answered as he stepped forward. Stavion nodded to Raven and Varik, and they moved in to take up a defensive stance behind Cole.

Cole and his other mate, Willow, went on to explain that since Malakai had yet to disassociate from the Snake River Coven and swear fealty to Stavion, the contract was not binding as the contract had to be presented to Malakai’s coven leader. Stavion couldn’t help but be impressed as they outlined loopholes and the technical working of vampire law. He also thought he’d drop to his knees with relief when he realized what they were saying was true.

When they’d finish speaking, Elder Macintosh stood and scrubbed at his face as if he found them all very tiring. “If no one has anything further to add, then I hereby declare the contract null and void. Malakai is to stay with his mates.”

There was probably more said after that, but Stavion didn’t stick around to hear it. He dipped past the guards and hurried out of the room, still holding Jory to his chest.

“That’s it? It’s over?”

Stavion twisted around just outside the double doors and pinned Jory to the wall, anchoring him there with his much larger body.

“That’s it, baby. Malakai gets to stay with his mates, and I get to stay with you.”

“Yes!” Jory shouted, smiling brightly and full of joy.

“Mmm,” Stavion purred. “You look good enough to eat.” He tried to capture Jory’s lips, but the man squeaked and jerked his head to the side, dodging his advances.

“Stavion, we can’t do that right here!”

“Who says?” Stavion asked distractedly, still trying to get at Jory’s mouth.

Jory pushed at his shoulders, his wide eyes looking up and down the deserted corridor. “Someone could see us.”

“So?”

“So? Stavion, they have public decency laws, you know.” Since Stavion couldn’t get Jory’s lips to be still long enough to kiss them, he went for the sweet-smelling skin along his mate’s throat instead. “Be quiet.”

Jory continued to squirm, but he stopped pushing at Stavion and dropped his head back against wall, arching his neck and giving Stavion more room to play. “This is a bad idea.”

“I think it’s a great idea.” In fact, it was the best idea he’d had in a very long time. Pulling Jory’s shirttail free of his slacks, he caressed the soft skin of his mate’s abdomen, loving the way the muscles jumped and clenched for him. He continued kissing and nipping his way up Jory’s neck, then along his jawline, and was finally able to claim the prize he sought.

Their lips met in a heated kiss, and Jory opened right up for him, all signs of resistance gone. He moaned and growled, tightened his arms to drag Stavion closer, and attacked his mouth like a starving man.

Jerking his mouth away and panting for breath, Jory looked into Stavion’s eyes and grinned wickedly. “I have a surprise for you.”

* * * *

“Does this surprise involve my cock in your ass?”

Jory chuckled breathlessly as Stavion continued tormenting his senses. “It just so happens that’s exactly what it involves.”

Stavion didn’t say a word as he set Jory on his feet and started tearing his clothing off of him. Jory was still nervous about someone coming down their little strip of hallway and seeing them, but he couldn’t deny his body’s reaction to his mate. Stavion’s eagerness, the hunger in his eyes, set Jory’s body on fire and made his cock throb.

Small tremors rocked his frame, making him shiver right down to his toes as he spun around, pressed his palms against the wall and showed off his surprise. It had technically been Willow’s idea, but Jory thought it was a damn good one.

Stavion’s sharp intake of breath and the groan that followed made Jory feel like a god. His mate’s big hands roamed his back, smoothed over his hips, and gripped his ass in a firm hold. “I knew you were only playing hard to get.” Jory could hear the smirk in Stavion’s voice as the man tapped the base of the butt plug.

Jory shook his head quickly then stopped and nodded. He stopped and shook his head again. “Yes, I wanted to surprise you, but I didn’t mean for it to happen right fucking here.”

“Fucking here is exactly what I want to do.” Jory rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t wipe the goofy smile off his face. Sex with Stavion was fun. That didn’t make it any less mind-blowing, but Jory loved the playful side of his usually serious mate.

When the silicone plug began to move, pumping in and out of his twitching hole in tiny increments, Jory thought he’d lose his mind.

With every inward push, the tip of the toy bumped against his prostate, making his cock jerk and his heart hammer. A strange groan fell from his lips, and Jory dropped his forehead to the wall in front of him. “More.”

The rasp of a zipper made his ass clench greedily. Stavion gave a few more pumps and a couple twists of the butt plug before easing it from Jory’s slick hole and dropping it to the floor. Jory whimpered at the feeling of emptiness. “Please!”