Haven 4: Back Roads

by Gabrielle Evans

“Wait, he mated a woman?”

  “Yep. I expected him to just kick me out or whatever, ya know?” Galen chuckled darkly. “But, no. He sold me to a coven here in Wyoming that made my mother look like Betty-fucking-Crocker. I bounced around for a couple of years until I ended up in that basement with Jory and the others. I think I was there for a year before some asshole with more muscles than brains shoved us all under that cabin.”

  Bannon swallowed past the lump in his throat as he fought to keep his emotions at bay. Galen was twenty-four, which meant he’d spent at least five years being used and abused before his rescue. And it was all because of a man he trusted and had most likely loved—a man who’d professed to be his mate without offering any proof, and then suddenly changed his mind.

  “So, you see why I was less than enthusiastic when you told me I was your mate.”

  “Aye, I understand. I’ll not be pressurin’ ya, Galen. We’ll go as slow as ya want or not at all.” It killed him to say it, but what kind of mate—what kind of person would he be if he tried to force Galen into something that he didn’t want just because he was too selfish to give the man up?

  After being kicked around by every person who was supposed to protect and care for him, why the hell should he trust anyone? Bannon doubted he’d have even let Galen get this close had their positions been reversed when they’d met.

  “Why does Torren want you to claim me?” Galen asked after a few minutes of mutual silence.

  “We’ll not worry about that right now. All that’s important is if, when, and why you want it. I don’t care about Torren Braddock.”

  “I’m sure that makes him giddy with joy, too.”

  “Smart-ass.”

  “You love my ass.”

  Bannon chuckled. “Cheeky little brat, aren’t ya?” Galen just sighed and kissed the underside of his jaw. “It’s more fun. I’m tired of worrying about everything. I just want to be happy, Bannon.”

  “I want the same for ya, mo chroí.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “My heart,” Bannon whispered into his mate’s soft curls. “It’s what ya are to me.”

  “Please, let me go with you.”

  If Bannon had been paying more attention rather than being fixated by the feel of the smaller man in his arms, he would have seen this coming. It was a battle he was sure to lose, but he still had to fight it. “No.”

  “I can help.”

  “No.” Well, this was getting them nowhere in a hurry. Maybe if he kept at it, Galen would eventually give up. He could hope anyway.

  “Bannon Murphy, stop being a dick. I can do this. Please, trust me.”

  “Now, that’s not bloody fair at all.” Bannon wanted to whimper at the complete injustice of how easily Galen was able to manipulate him. “Sleep, and then we’ll talk.”

  “Will you stay with me?”

  Bannon couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be—ever.

  “I’ll be right here when ya wake up.” He nuzzled the top of his mate’s head again and kissed his temple. “You’re still not goin’.”

  “Fine, then you can stay here, too. If it’s too dangerous for me, then it’s too dangerous for you.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “So, you’re saying I’m weak?”

  “No.” Bannon’s brow furrowed and his lips turned down at the corners. “That’s not what I’m sayin’.”

  “Well, it’s the only way I can interpret it. Either that, or you don’t want to be stuck with me for all that time.”

  “Wait. What?”

  “So, which is it? Do you think I’m weak? Or are you trying to get away from me?”

  “I…uh…you…what?” At this point, Bannon realized that whatever answer he gave would be the wrong thing to say. He’d talked himself into the doghouse with no recollection of how it had happened. Fuck, he didn’t even know why he was in trouble.

  “You agree that I’m not weak or helpless?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And you definitely like being close to me, right?” Galen rocked his hips forward to emphasize his point.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Good, then it’s settled. When do we leave?” Bannon closed his eyes, dropped his head back to the pillow, and began muttering under his breath, sending up a prayer for patience so that he didn’t strangle his tricky little mate. “I’m thinkin’ ya need a good smack to your backside.”

  “Right, but when are we leaving?”

  “Why is this so important to ya?”

  Galen sighed and began drawing little circles on Bannon’s chest with his index finger. “This ability that I have—it’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at. If I can use it to help keep the people I care about safe, I have to try. I need to do this, Bannon. You’ll be right beside me the entire time. What’s the worst that could happen?” More than you know, sweetheart. “Sleep now. We’ll talk more when you’re rested.”

  While Galen was softly snoring within minutes, it would be a long time before sleep finally came for Bannon.

  Chapter Five

  The rhythmic beeping and the sound of metallic grinding as the steel shutters rose for the night woke Galen from probably the best sleep he’d ever experienced. After reliving the most painful parts of his past, he’d felt completely drained. With the warmth of Bannon’s body curled around him protectively and the man’s delicious scent filling his nose, he’d drifted off quickly.

  If he was being honest, he half expected Bannon to be gone when he woke up. Not only was the shifter still in bed with him, but still wrapped around Galen like a living blanket. It didn’t appear to be the most comfortable position, especially the angle at which his neck was currently arched. Without concern for his own comfort, he’d given Galen exactly what he needed without even being asked for it.

  How could anyone not adore a man like that? Bannon had already proven himself to be everything that Dallas hadn’t been. Honestly, he’d proven himself to be unlike anyone Galen had ever met. Surely Bannon had a flaw somewhere, but he’d yet to find it. Everything the man did, he did for others—especially Galen.

  “Good morning, Bannon.” He squirmed a little until he could press his nose into the warm crook of Bannon’s neck and nuzzle it.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  Bannon just grunted as his arms tightened around Galen and one massive thigh was slung over his hips. By this point, the man was practically lying on top of him, and Galen was having trouble breathing.

  “Bannon, get up.” He tried to push the shifter’s leg off of him, but it wouldn’t budge. So, he tried to wiggle out of Bannon’s arms, but they simply tightened around him like steel bands. “Bannon!” The man groaned and rolled again, his chest pressing against Galen’s cheek and making it nearly impossible to suck in air to his lungs. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about deciding if he should let Bannon claim him or not because he was going to end up suffocated in his own bed.

  “Bannon Murphy!” Bending his arm at a less than pleasant angle, Galen managed to get a hand on Bannon’s chest and went straight for one of his dark nipples. Getting the little nub between his finger and thumb, he pinched hard and tugged as much as he could.

  Instead of jerking away like he expected him to, Bannon moaned and rocked his hips, grinding his morning erection against Galen’s stomach. Well, great. He didn’t know why the hell Bannon was so worried about him coming along to find Torren’s brothers. It was obviously more dangerous to sleep next to the man than go marching through a haunted cemetery on a full moon.

  The entire room shook as someone began pounding on his bedroom door. Under other circumstances, he would be pissed at the rudeness, but just then, he welcomed any help he could get. “Come in!”

  Though he tried to shout the words, they came out a little breathless. To his relief, he must have been loud enough, because the door swung open, and Raven stepped inside. He made it no more than two steps before his eyebrows disappeared into
his hairline when he got a good look at what was going on.

  “Maybe I should come back.”

  “No!” Galen wiggled and squirmed, still trying to get Bannon off him without any success. “Help me.”

  Not bothering to hide his amusement, Raven rounded the bed to stand next to the mattress on Bannon’s side. “I had a feeling he’d be here. Can you breathe at all?”

  “Barely,” Galen grunted. “Can you just get him off of me?” Raven grabbed Bannon by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

  “Dude, wake up!”

  Bannon grumbled a little, curled farther around Galen, and went still again.

  “Hmm.” Raven cocked his head to the side and studied them for a few seconds before a huge grin spread over his face. “Hang on, Galen.”

  He didn’t know what that meant, or what the hell he was supposed to hang on to, but he dipped his head and waited. Raven bent close to Bannon’s ear, curled his top lip, and snarled so viciously it sent a chill up Galen’s spine.

  Bannon bolted upright like he’d been shot from a rocket launcher, whirled around on the bed, and positioned himself between Galen and Raven. Loud, feral growls spilled from his open mouth, and his fingers curled into claws.

  Not sure of what was about to happen, Galen tried to scramble off the bed to get as far away from the action as possible, but Bannon’s arm darted out behind him, looped around Galen’s shoulders, and pulled him flush with Bannon’s back.

  While Raven should have been cowering in a corner like Galen wanted to do, the vampire just threw his head back and laughed like an idiot. “Stop growling at me, dumbass.” Though he couldn’t see Bannon’s face, he knew the exact moment when Bannon began to calm. His hold on Galen loosed, his muscles relaxed, and his dark hair swished against his shoulders as he shook his head as though casting off the remnants of a bad dream.

  “And a fine hello to you,” he said after a tense moment—well, tense for Galen anyway. “Do ya not know better than to wake a man in such a way?”

  “You were crushing the hell out of your mate, man.” Galen opened his mouth to deny that he was Bannon’s mate but snapped it closed just as quickly. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate time to make that announcement. Plus, doubts niggled at the back of his mind as to the truth of his denial. All the signs pointed in the opposite direction, especially after the scene he’d just witnessed.

  It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Bannon had been protecting him, putting Galen’s safety above his own. His defensive posture, the way he’d positioned himself in front of the danger, and even the way he’d kept a tight hold around Galen, all spoke volumes of what was most important to him.

  Bannon had promised not to pressure him into anything he wasn’t ready to commit to, but Galen was beginning to think that it wouldn’t be an issue for much longer. While he’d been trying to hide from everyone else, all he’d really been doing was fooling himself. If he didn’t trust the man with every part of him, then how was it that he’d slept so soundly for the first time in longer than he could remember?

  “Galen? Are ya with me, darlin’?”

  Coming out of his inner wonderings, Galen blinked and looked up to find Bannon smiling at him over his shoulder. Returning the smile, he leaned into his… mate’s back and sighed. “I’m definitely with you.”

  Giving in felt amazing. Letting go of his worry, his doubts, his insecurities and just accepting what Bannon offered was like a rush of cold air on a winter’s day. Or jumping from the high dive at the community pool like he’d done as a kid. It was a bit scary at first, the way it always took his breath away, but afterward, it was only pure exhilaration.

  That wasn’t to say he was ready to be claimed or declare his undying love. He was simply ready to give Bannon a chance to prove to him why he should look forward to those things.

  “Is there a reason Raven is still here?”

  “Hey! I just saved your life, punk. Show a little respect.” Raven looped his thumbs in his belt buckles and puffed his chest out, sending Galen into a fit of laughter.

  “Point taken, but really, you can leave now.” Raven looked between Galen and Bannon before rolling his eyes.

  “I don’t know what you did to him, but he’s a mouthy little thing now. You’ll want to nip that in the bud before it gets out of hand.”

  “Excuse me?” Galen’s mouth dropped open, and his eyebrows arched in disbelief. Surely he’d heard that wrong. Not even Raven was dumb enough to say something like that out loud.

  “See, the thing with mates is this.” Raven completely ignored his indignation as he began pacing the room and waving his hands around idiotically. To be fair, everything the man said or did at that point, Galen found it stupid as hell. “You have to let them know who’s in charge. If you don’t establish yourself as the alpha early on, then they’ll just walk all over you.”

  Galen glanced up to see what Bannon thought of the sewage spewing from Raven’s mouth. While he didn’t think Bannon agreed with all that bullshit, he was a little surprised to find the man had turned a brilliant shade of red, and he was biting his lip so hard to keep from laughing, Galen was afraid it would start bleeding at any moment.

  Personally, he didn’t see a damn thing funny about the situation.

  “You give them an inch, and they’ll take over the world,” Raven continued. “So, you have to assert yourself. Feisty is all well and good when you’ve got your cock inside something warm, but not where other people can actually see it. They’ll think you can’t handle your mate, and that looks bad on you, see?”

  “That’s it.” Before Bannon could stop him, Galen jumped to his feet, bent his knees, and launched himself off the bed to land on Raven’s back. “I’ll show you feisty, you overgrown, pig-for-brains, egotistical asshole!” Both hands fisted in Raven’s hair, trying to rip it out by the roots.

  “Galen!” Bannon jumped off the bed and began jerking on Galen, trying to pull him off Raven’s back.

  Galen refused to give up his hold, though. He might not be big, and he might not have an important job around the coven, but he was a hell of a lot more than Bannon Murphy’s mate. He was gaining a little too much pleasure in Raven’s shouts of pain, but whatever. The vampire totally deserved it. “Who’s in charge now, Raven? Huh?” Bannon was still trying halfheartedly to pry Galen off, but it wasn’t going well since he had to continuously stop and catch his breath from laughing so hard.

  “Dude, I was just playing around. You’re ripping my fucking hair out.”

  “Who’s in charge, Raven?”

  “You, okay? You can be whatever you want to be if you’ll just get the hell off of me.”

  It wasn’t exactly what Galen wanted to hear, but he doubted he’d get any more. Untangling his fingers from Raven’s hair, he slid down the Enforcer’s back and stood calmly beside Bannon as Raven spun around to face him.

  “Dude, I was just having some fun. I don’t really believe any of that shit.” Raven rubbed at the back of his head and winced. “You’re scrappy, and you’ve got balls the size of Canada. I’ll definitely give you that much.”

  Galen gave him a winsome smile as he slipped his hand into Bannon’s. “Thanks. It was kind of fun.”

  “Aye, ya are a fierce warrior.” Bannon’s arms came around him and lifted him off his feet so that he had to scramble for purchase on the man’s broad shoulders.

  Laughing like a loon, Galen could barely believe the drastic upward spiral his mood and outlook had taken in a mere twenty-four hours. And it was all because of the man in his arms—because Bannon had never given up on him. “Thank you,” he whispered, rubbing their noses together.

  “You’re welcome, of course, but what am I bein’ thanked for, if I might ask?”

  “For being so good to me.” Galen pecked at Bannon’s lips.

  “Because you let me fight my own battles, but you still want to take care of me.” He kissed him again. “And because you’re going to let me come along to find Tor
ren’s brothers.” His tongue darted out, tickling the seam of Bannon’s lips, and they both groaned when the shifter opened to allow him entrance.

  Before he could get too into it, though, Raven cleared his throat to interrupt them. Groaning for an entirely different reason, Galen eased away from Bannon’s mouth and turned his head to glare at Raven.

  “What?”

  “There is a reason I came in here, and it wasn’t to have a psychotic chipmunk jump on my back and try to scalp me.” Galen smirked with satisfaction. “See, you experienced something new. You’re welcome.”

  Raven snorted, and Bannon chuckled as he set Galen on his feet.

  “Okay, so then why are ya here?”

  “Torren called. He wants us on a plane yesterday. Seriously, man, he’s freakin’ frothing at the mouth.”

  “And Galen?”

  Galen didn’t appreciate being talked about like he wasn’t there, but he wanted information too much to call Bannon on his rudeness.

  Raven nodded slowly. “Yeah, they want him to go. If you won’t agree to take him, they have three other Enforcers lined up to accompany him.”

  “What?” Galen gripped Bannon’s hand and looked up at him pleadingly. “Please, Bannon. I don’t want to go with someone I don’t know. I can help. Just take me!”

  “Even Layke thinks it’s a good idea, man. We can trust him. He wouldn’t put Galen in danger unless he had a damn good reason for doing it.” Raven huffed and shoved a hand through his blond hair.

  “We all think you should claim Galen as well, myself included.”

  “No,” Bannon said flatly as his face mottled in anger.

  Seeing his opportunity to find out why everyone was so gung ho about Bannon claiming him, Galen shifted his attention to Raven and smiled innocently. “Why do you think it’s a good idea? Why is it so important, Raven?”

  “Both of your powers will be stronger. You’ll be able to communicate telepathically, and not just in dreams. I get the feeling there’s something Torren still isn’t telling us, and I think we can use all the advantage we can get. This would help.” Galen stared down at his bare feet while he thought it over. If something were to happen, and they became separated, he’d still have a link to Bannon. That could definitely come in handy. Going on this assignment was probably one of the stupidest things he’d ever do. He might as well go big or stay home.