Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure (2 page)

Ah, so there was a reason behind all this madness. They were still looking for the missing preternaturals, and Cole seemed to believe his mother knew where to find at least some of them. They already searched the silos on the back of Redway estate for Willow’s missing friends. They’d come up empty-handed, though. It had been a hard blow, and Stavion was still frustrated over their lack of progress.

The white wolf padded closer to the woman, bumping into her legs and nudging her sideways. Glenna yelped, almost jumping out of her skin as she scrambled away from the touch. “The Redway Clan,” she blurted as her entire body began to tremble.

“Did you check the silos?” Blaise asked.

“Yeah,” Raven answered before Stavion could open his mouth to respond. “Nothing, man.”

“Where are they?” Cole repeated his question in a hard, cold tone, and Jackson butted his head against their mother’s thigh.

“There’s a little cabin on the edge of the property. Please, that’s all I know.”

“Fuck,” Cassius breathed.

Stavion shared the sentiment. He’d seen the cabin of course, but he’d never entered it, never thought to search it. “We’ll check it out,” he assured the alpha. “What do you want us to do with these three?” He pointed between Glenna and her two sons.

“Take them to the ICPJ.” Blaise’s tone held steel without even a trace of sympathy.

“What? No!” Glenna dropped her hands from her face and blinked her eyes several times before adopting a look of sheer indignation.

“You can’t arrest me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Maybe not,” Cole muttered. “But you did nothing to stop it either.”

“This sucks.” Stavion glanced over his shoulder to see Varik kick the concrete floor with the toe of his boot like a disappointed little boy. “We get here late. Miss all of the fun stuff. Now we have to take some crazy bitch to those old fools at the International Council for Preternatural Justice.”

Stavion grimaced. He wasn’t looking forward to it, either, but it was their job. With a heavy sigh, he jerked his head toward Glenna.

“We don’t have much time. Raven and Cassius, you two head back and check out that cabin on the edge of the property. Call me if you find anything. The rest of you…Let’s take out the garbage.”

* * * *

His cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket as he stepped out of the meeting hall after delivering his prisoners to The Council. Pulling it out hurriedly, Stavion’s hands shook a little as he stared at Raven’s name on the display screen. Had they found the missing captives? Or was it just another wild-goose chase that ended in disappointment?

“Give me good news, man.”

“We found them.”

Stavion was struck speechless. While he’d hoped they would, he’d never expected to find the missing men hidden right under their noses.

“Stavion, you still there?”

“Uh, yeah.” Stavion coughed to clear the gravel from his voice.

“How many did you find?”

“Thirty-five total.” Raven sounded like he was going to throw up.

“They were hidden under the cabin in a small crawl space. We walked right over them a dozen times and almost left. One of them finally got the balls to call out to us. I thought we were going to have to rip up the damn floor until we found a trapdoor in the kitchen pantry.”

Stavion rubbed a hand over his face wearily. “How bad is it?”

“Bad,” Raven growled. “They’re nothing but skin and bones. They’re scared, tired, hungry, cold—you name it.” His voice dropped lower, and there was a little catch in it when he spoke again. “They’ve been eating bugs and rats, Stavion. This is seriously fucked-up.”

“Just get them to the estate and do the best you can. Ask Malakai for help. He’s small and less intimidating. They might respond to him. I’m on my way.”

Before he headed off for the Redway estate, he turned and strolled back in through the double doors, his heart sinking when he found the room empty. He led his Enforcers, but he didn’t want to be in charge of an entire coven. With so few members left of the Redway Clan, perhaps he could petition the elders to let them join the Snake River Coven.

“Ah, Leader Shogard, can I help you with something?” Elder Winters entered from the far side of the room with a bright smile. “You look troubled.”

“I want to petition The Council to have the Redway Clan join the Snake River Coven.” There was no sense in beating around the bush.

Besides, he didn’t have a lot of time to spare. The sun would be up soon, and there were still things he needed to do before he retired for the day.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” The elder linked his hands together in front of him and tilted his head to the side. “You’re a great leader, Stavion. I think your people will need you now more than ever. Can you honestly say that your old coven leader has a vested interest in these men’s welfare?”

Stavion blinked several times. “You heard?”

Elder Winters just smirked. “There is not much that I miss.” He regarded Stavion seriously for several seconds and dipped his head. “I will speak with the other elders and have an answer for you shortly. I do hope you reconsider, though.”

Stavion dipped his head respectfully. “Thank you, Elder. Anything you can do would be appreciated.”

The elf waved away his gratitude with a genial smile. “Don’t thank me yet. I’m still hoping that you come to your senses. I understand the amount of responsibility that your position affords, but there are also benefits. You can do a lot of good as a leader. More so than you could as merely an Enforcer. Think it over, Stavion. I’ll be in touch.”

Stavion nodded again and hurried out of the meeting hall. Nothing on earth could make him change his mind. Until he was free of the burden, the elder was correct, though. He had responsibilities that needed his attention, and the sooner the better.

Huddling on the bed, Jory drew his knees up to his chest and pressed as far into the headboard as he could go. No one had tried to hurt him or force him to do anything he didn’t want to do, but they were just so damn big! He’d never seen men so big before.

He was free of his dark, cold, and terrifying prison. He’d been given his own room with a comfortable bed and real food to eat.

They’d even allowed him to bathe and given him clean clothes to wear.

He was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

While he hadn’t had the greatest life growing up, he’d always thought his parents loved him. And maybe they did. Apparently, they loved money more, though. He hadn’t always been a slave, forced to do the bidding of his “masters” or risk severe punishment. His parents had sold him when he was fourteen—
on
his birthday. He dared anyone to name a shittier birthday gift.

His bedroom door creaked open, and a big man he hadn’t seen before stepped into his room. Jory’s entire body shook violently, and he tightened his arms around his knees. This was it. This was where they forced him into the basement or chained him up outside like a dog.

“Hello, little one.” The man’s voice was deep, rich, and silky smooth. He spoke softly, gently, and didn’t move any farther into the room. “I’m Stavion, leader here for all intents and purposes.”

Jory couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. His heart hammered loudly, and the air caught in his constricted airway. Moving his mouth, he tried to force sound through his lips, knowing the consequences for disobedience and rudeness.

Stavion took a step toward the bed, and Jory finally made a sound.

He whimpered. Panic clawed at his insides, but fear paralyzed him.

He didn’t like this. How was he supposed to keep himself out of trouble if they didn’t tell him what they expected from him? Why were they pretending to be so nice to him?

“Do you have a name?” Stavion still spoke quietly, his voice steady and even.

“J–Jory, sir.”

“You can call me Stavion, not sir. You are free now, Jory. You have no master and can do as you like. Do you have family? I could call them for you.”

Stavion took another step forward, slow and deliberate in his movement, but it didn’t scare Jory quite so much this time. “No. My family doesn’t want me.”

A look passed over the big vampire’s face that Jory couldn’t name, and he was terrified that he’d said something wrong. Lifting his head, staring into Stavion’s eyes, he opened his mouth to plead for mercy when the most intoxicating scent hit him like a Mack truck.

His stomach tightened, his cock swelled, and his head swam from the warm, welcoming smell. Sniffing at the air, he leaned toward Stavion slightly without realizing he was doing it.

A deep rumble echoed around the room, emanating from Stavion’s curled lips. “Mine,” he growled, taking another jerky step forward.

The growl, the snarl on his lips broke the trance, and Jory yelped, scrambling backward until he felt nothing but air and somersaulted head over ass off the side of the mattress.

“Jory!” Stavion rushed around the bed, dropping to his knees and reaching out to touch him.

Crying out, Jory rolled away from the descending hand until he was scrunched beneath the high bed. Stavion didn’t yell or try to reach for him like Jory expected him to do. He just sat there, his face hidden from view for a long time. Then, very slowly, he rose to his feet and shuffled across the room.

“I would never hurt you, Jory,” Stavion said softly. “The sun is almost up, but I will come see you tonight. Please try to eat something and get some rest.”

Jory watched Stavion’s boots travel the rest of the way toward the door and disappear out of it before he finally released the breath he’d been holding. Curling up on his side, he closed his eyes and furrowed his brow as he thought over what had just happened.

One thing was for certain. Stavion was his mate. Jory just didn’t know how he felt about that. The big vampire was certainly gorgeous with his pale skin and inky black hair. He hadn’t tried to hurt Jory and had even seemed concerned for Jory’s safety.

He was freaking massive, though! And Jory had been told one too many lies in his life for him to just fall into the man’s arms because they were mates. Though, if Stavion decided to claim him, there wasn’t much he could do about it. Naturally small, the starvation he’d endured had only left him weaker. In top shape, he wouldn’t be able to fight off Stavion. In his current condition, he wouldn’t even be able to run away.

There was a lot to think about. He wished he could see his friends.

Even if they didn’t know what to do to help him, at least he wouldn’t be alone. If Stavion had truly meant what he said and Jory was free now, then maybe he could ask.

It had been a long time since he’d been allowed to ask for anything, and the mere thought made his stomach churn painfully.

Damn it! He hated being weak. He detested being afraid of everything and everyone. Still, he couldn’t stop the trembling of his muscles as he cowered beneath the bed.

Sucking his bottom lip between his teeth to stop it from wobbling as well, he hugged his arms around his midsection and let his head rest on the carpeted floor. He had a lot to think about, but he was so damn tired. While part of him feared what would happen if he drifted off to sleep, his mind and body could no longer handle the strain of constant fear, and he was out within seconds.

* * * *

Stavion was up and pacing around his room before the sun had even set for the day. Not that he could see the ball of fire since the steel plates that protected them from the harmful rays were still in place over the windows. He hated the house, but the window coverings were a nice touch. Better still, they were set to automatic timers, so even if he forgot, the computer system wouldn’t. They even had not one but two backup generators in the basement in case of a power failure.

His entire life was a fucking mess. He had a coven he didn’t want.

Malakai could barely function through his depression. Thirty-five starved, beaten, and terrified men now looked to him for help and answers. Then, to put a nice juicy cherry on top of everything, he’d found his mate.
And hadn’t that gone well.

He couldn’t blame Jory for being frightened, but it hurt when his mate shrank away from him or whimpered in fear when Stavion came too close. The protruding bones, the sunken eyes, and the hollow cheeks broke his heart. Cyrus Redway didn’t deserve the quick death he’d received. No, they should have tortured him slowly before killing him.

The effects of the life Jory had been forced to lead were obvious.

His hair was dull and limp, his eyes held no kind of light, and his skin seemed almost gray in his pallor. Not a bit of it detracted from his beauty.

The sweetest smell he’d ever scented had drawn him to Jory’s room the previous evening. As if in a trance, he’d walked right into that room and had nearly fallen to his knees when he saw the angel sitting on the bed, trembling from the top of his blond head to the tips of his tiny feet. Jory was stunning. Once he was back in good health, Stavion imagined he’d be so beautiful it would almost hurt to look at him.

“Health.” Stavion snapped his fingers, and a wide grin stretched across his face. They needed to get a doctor. Not only did he want Jory examined from top to bottom, he should probably have the doc see to the other men as well.

He felt a little better now that he had a plan, however vague it was. Then another thought occurred to him, and he paused in his pacing and frowned. Would they need a different doctor for different preternaturals? Would one doctor be able to treat all of them? And what kind of doctor would he need for Jory? Ah, hell, he didn’t even know if his new mate was vampire, shifter, hybrid, or human. Surely Jory wasn’t human, but Stavion was beginning to realize that he shouldn’t rule out anything when it came to the entire clusterfuck of a situation.

There was a soft beeping then a metallic grinding as the steel plates slid away from the windows. The moonlight filtered into the room, ghosting over Stavion’s pale skin, giving it an almost glowing quality.

Excited to have a course of action, he dressed quickly and hurried out of his room in search of his Enforcers. Every part of him wanted to sprint down the corridors and straight to Jory’s room, but there were matters that he needed to attend to before he could go to his mate.