Haven 4: Back Roads (4 page)

It didn’t matter, though. Even if Galen wanted to help, he was staying his ass in Haven where he’d be protected. No way in hell was Bannon going to let his small mate go traipsing across the country looking for witches. So what if they’d be together the entire time? So many things could go wrong. Bannon had seen it time and time again.

Neither elder flinched or batted a lash at Bannon’s violent reaction. “What if I allowed you to choose a guard for him? You’ll need assistance anyway. Pick four Enforcers to travel with you and help protect Galen.”

“No,” Bannon growled, still struggling against Raven’s hold.

“Bannon, we don’t have time for this. Galen can help. In fact, he’ll be crucial to finding Camdin. You’re the best Tracker we have, but your abilities will only take you so far. He’s not a child. If he chooses to go, you can’t stop him.”

“Ya just watch me.”

“I can place a protection spell on him. Would that change your mind?”

“No.”

Torren threw his hands in the air and growled. “You are the most stubborn son of a bitch I’ve ever met. We need to find these men, and we need to do it in a big goddamn hurry! He’s going. If I have to, I’ll send him alone!”

Bannon stopped struggling and glared at Torren murderously.

They had him by the balls, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had no doubt that they’d smuggle Galen away and send him off to who knew where on his own, or most likely with some other Tracker not nearly as skilled as Bannon.

Shrugging off Raven’s hold, Bannon jerked his head in grudging acceptance. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he gave the elders one last withering look before turning and stomping out of the office.

Elder or not, Torren Braddock would soon realize that being on a Murphy’s shit list was the last place he wanted to find himself.

“Are you sure Stavion is okay with this?”

“Who cares?” Jory and Malakai answered in unison before falling together in fits of laughter. “Seriously,” Jory continued, “you worry too much. Just grab some floor and watch the movie.” He covered his mouth to muffle his giggles as he bumped his shoulder against Malakai’s. “It’s a gay vampire movie about finding eternal mates.”

“Is there sex?”

“Well, I sure hope so!”

“Is it porn?” Aslan asked in a stage whisper.

Jory snorted and rolled his eyes before crawling across the floor to put the DVD into the player. “No, perv, it’s not porn.” Aslan shrugged unconcernedly. “I’ve seen the kind of movies you like. Low-budget porn would probably be better.” Unfortunately, Galen had to agree. Jory was into indie films, which was all well and good, except the ones he liked were suckage like no other. He’d forced them to watch one that vaguely resembled a high school play shot by an overexcited mother’s handheld camcorder.
Vaguely
resembled, because Galen was pretty sure that high school plays had much better acting.

“You’ll like this one,” Jory announced as he snuggled under a blanket and curled up on the pile of pillows in the middle of the floor.

“He says that every time,” Kendall scoffed. “Have any of you yet to like something that Jory found entertaining?” All eyes turned to Malakai, who blushed crimson all the way to the tips of his ears. “Hey, some of them weren’t that bad.”

“By some, he means all, because he’s as bad as Jory.” Aslan stuck his tongue out when Jory flipped him the bird. “Whatever. Just don’t wake me up if I fall asleep during the opening credits.”

“I’m not sure this has opening credits,” Jory said distractedly as the movie began.

Galen glanced at the television and groaned. A cheesy chase sequence in black and white. Oh yeah, this one was going to be a winner.

Surprisingly, as the movie continued, he found himself riveted.

The lines were still corny and repetitive, and the deliveries of those lines groan-worthy. There were plot holes, additions of characters that made absolutely no sense, and one scene almost too embarrassing to watch because of its lameness.

The romance between the two lead characters was what held his attention. The vampire searching for his destined mate finally finds
the one
, only to have everyone and everything stand between them.

Even the love interest was standing in the way of their happiness.

Was that what Galen was doing with Bannon? He’d practically had a lifetime of happiness tied up in a bow and hand delivered.

They’d only know one another for a few months, hadn’t moved past the friendship stage, and yet Galen couldn’t imagine anyone on earth he’d rather have as a mate.

Only, he didn’t have a mate. He was human for all intents and purposes. Sure, he had a special gift that kind of loopholed him into the paranormal world, but it was nothing to write home about.

Bannon said they were mates, though. Why would he lie about something like that? He’d purposely sought out Galen, befriended him, and then set forth to more or less court him. Now, he wanted something more. Galen wanted more, too, but he’d been down that road before, and to say that it hadn’t ended well would be a gross understatement.

“Galen?” A hand landed on his shoulder and shook him lightly.

Jerking out of his inner wonderings, he blinked up at Jory and tried to smile. “Is the movie over? I guess I kind of zoned out for a bit.”

“No problem. Kendall’s getting the next movie started. I was asking if you wanted anything from the kitchen.”

“Nah, I’m good.” His stomach felt like it was in knots, and the mere thought of food made it twist painfully. “Maybe some ginger ale if they have it, though.”

Jory’s eyebrows drew together in concern. “Are you feeling okay?”

Before Galen could answer, though, the door to the suite pushed open and Boston and Flynn strolled in, dressed in nothing but sleep pants. He should have felt ashamed for ogling his friend’s mates, but damn, those were some fine-looking men. Not nearly as gorgeous as Bannon as far as he was concerned, but still, nothing to sneeze at.

“I’m tired,” Boston said, apropos of nothing.

Malakai tilted his head a little and grinned. “Then go to bed.”

“Not funny,
a ghrá
.” Flynn crossed his arms over his chest and mirrored Malakai’s head tilt. “Dawn is comin’.”

“Not for another two hours, it isn’t. Besides, there are shutters in here the same as the rest of the place.”

“Please?” Boston gave his mate a look that Galen assumed was supposed to be puppy dog eyes, though it just looked absurd on the huge shifter.

“Oh, I love when you beg. Do it again.” Malakai was having way too much fun teasing his mates. It was fine by Galen since he found it immensely comical. Flynn growled and tried to cross the room but ended up getting tangled in the blankets and pillows covering the space between him and Malakai and landed on his ass like a ton of bricks. The room exploded into laughter, and Galen was sure he’d ruptured something from laughing so hard.

“A fine mess you’ve gotten me into, Malakai Bruins.” Flynn struggled to free himself and stand. “If you’re not movin’ in two seconds, I’ll be carryin’ ya out by your toes.”

“Oh, begging and punishment,” Malakai purred. “How can I possibly say no to that?” Though he said it in a teasing manner, Galen saw the fire in his eyes as he stared up at his big shifters. Did he have a similar expression when he looked at Bannon?

“Thanks for inviting me, guys, but I’ve got to run.” Malakai blew them all air kisses before jumping into Flynn’s arms and rubbing against him as they left the room with Boston following close behind.

“That was sweet,” Kendall said with a goofy smile on his face.

Poor Aslan was out cold and never even twitched throughout the entire scene.

The words were barely out of Kendall’s mouth before the door opened again and Cassius strolled into the room with a hot, hungry look in his eyes. “I have a babysitter.” Apparently, those four little words were laced with magic because Kendall jumped up from the floor, sprinted across the room, and launched himself into his mate’s arms. His legs went around Cassius’s waist, and he attacked the vampire’s mouth with enough energy and enthusiasm to light a city block.

When the two disappeared, Galen just kept staring at the door, waiting for Stavion to burst into the room at any second, snatch up Jory, and end their little slumber party. A hazy fantasy of Bannon coming for him teetered at the edges of his mind, but of course, that would never happen. He’d done everything in his power to make sure of that.

“I didn’t think they’d ever get here,” Jory mumbled as he switched off the television and moved to kneel in front of Galen. “I have something to tell you. First, I want you to know that you don’t have to do it. No one will think any less of you, but it’s important, and if you can help—”

“Jory, just spit it out.”

“Torren and Layke want you to help Bannon find a faerie and a couple of witches. I don’t know all the details, but the witches are Torren’s brothers, the faerie is important, and it’s all centered around some spell book that’s going to wipe us off the face of the planet like the dinosaurs.”

“Bannon is the best Tracker around. Why do they need me?”

“I don’t really know that, either. I do know that bad shit might happen on Halloween if you can’t find them, and you and Bannon working together is likely to move things along faster.” Galen couldn’t argue with that. He wasn’t opposed to helping at all. It was spending every waking moment with Bannon for the next couple of weeks that scared the hell out of him. How was he supposed to resist the guy while being in such close proximity?

Maybe you don’t have to
, a little voice whispered in the back of his mind. “I’ll do it.”

Jory stared at him silently for a moment before he sighed.

“Bannon isn’t going to like this. He’s going to want you to stay here where it’s safe.”

“Of course he will,” Galen answered with a smile. “He’s just like every other alpha male on the planet and thinks just because we’re small that we can’t take care of ourselves.” Jory smiled, but he didn’t look very happy. “No, dummy, it’s because he loves you.”

“No.” Galen shook his head quickly and firmly. They were not going to discuss the
L
word. “Let’s just stick with the macho alpha thing, okay? That makes me a lot less nervous.”

“Why are you so nervous?” Jory inched closer and reached out for Galen’s hand. “You two are so perfect for each other. He’s good to you and obviously cares about you. Why don’t you want to be with him?”

“It’s not that.” He squeezed Jory’s hand and closed his eyes. “I’m scared,” he whispered. “I’ve been down this road before, and I can’t do it again. Trust me when I say that I know how the story ends, and it’s not happily ever after.”

“What happened?” Jory asked just as quietly. “Who hurt you, Galen?”

“Just someone I knew once.” To his intense relief, the front door of the suite opened again, and muffled footsteps sounded across the carpet. Blinking open his eyes, Galen’s mouth fell open and his body began to tremble.

He’d expected to see Stavion, coming for Jory with that same heat in his eyes as the previous three visitors. Proving that sometimes fantasies do come to life, though, Bannon stood just inside the doorway, staring down at him with a mixture of need and something that could only be described as desperation.

“Come with me.” His tone was hard and commanding, unlike anything Galen had ever heard from the man before, and he found himself moving instantly. Something was very wrong with the big shifter. He looked like he’d fall apart from the slightest touch, and that just simply wasn’t Bannon.

“What happened?”

“Just…” Bannon trailed off, pressed his lips together, and shook his head. After a couple of deep breaths, he held his hand out to Galen and waited for him to take it before pulling him out of the room.

“Mine or yours?”

Galen could only assume that Bannon was asking which room they should go to. Since his was closer, and he didn’t think Bannon was going to last much longer before he either exploded or imploded, he changed direction and led the shifter toward his room. Neither of them said a word as they made their way down the corridor.

Once inside, conversation was further put on hold by Bannon’s tongue down his throat and his hard body pressing him into the wall.

So stunned by the abrupt and aggressive act, Galen froze, unsure of how to react. It lasted for only seconds before instinct took over, and he threw his arms around Bannon’s neck, diving into the kiss.

A soft, needy moan escaped him as months of sexual tension finally exploded between them, washing over him in a maelstrom of desire. Bannon’s soft slippery tongue dueled with his own, dominating the kiss as he plundered the warm depths of Galen’s mouth.

Bannon’s low, possessive growl sent a shiver up his spine while all the blood in his body headed south to pool in his groin and swell his cock so that it strained against the cotton of his pajamas, valiantly trying to break free of the confinement.

He’d spent so long fighting the attraction he felt for the shifter.

Now that the dam was broken, every steamy fantasy he’d ever had of Bannon rushed to the forefront, fueling his passion until he was little more than a whimpering, lust-filled pile of goo.

His hips rocked without his permission, humping his aching cock against the hard muscles of Bannon’s thigh. The friction and pressure was nice, but Galen needed more. “Please, Bannon,” he gasped when he jerked out of the kiss. “Please.”

The desperate, pleading quality of his voice surprised him, snapping him out of his wanton behavior. His cheeks heated and his mouth went desert dry as he stared into Bannon’s jade-green eyes.

What did he do now?

The obvious answer was to run and hide, but with Bannon’s arms caging him against the wall, escape was not an option. So, he just stood there, his mouth flopping open, and waited for the object of his desire to make the next move.

As if in slow motion, Bannon lifted one hand from the wall and brought it up to cradle the side of Galen’s face, tenderly caressing his cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I couldn’t help myself.”