Haven 4: Back Roads

by Gabrielle Evans

  He just wished they were a little more communicative. They rarely talked except to grunt out orders. They probably had names, but he’d yet to learn them.

  They stopped five times a day to eat, wash up, and refuel. That was it. Apparently, their reluctant drivers were every bit as ready to get the task over with and get home as he was.

  Galen was beginning to go stir-crazy trapped inside their rolling hotel. To make matters worse, Bannon slept most of the time. Other than the one special dream date he’d created, Bannon refused to allow Galen into his dreamscape because it was too dangerous. Galen understood, but it still sucked, and he was lonely.

  When Bannon wasn’t sleeping, they talked. Galen wanted the man to fuck his brains out, but instead, they talked. He’d have even settled for a pity fuck inside one of Bannon’s dreams, but the man refused, saying Galen deserved better than that. While he appreciated the sentiment, it did little for his overactive libido.

  Bannon asked the strangest questions about everything from Galen’s favorite cartoon character to when he’d had his last medical exam. Had he had his wisdom teeth removed? What was his favorite color? Did he prefer sliced or blocked cheese? On and on it went like some strange episode of Family Feud. Survey says…Bannon has lost his mind!

  Two nights of amazing sex wasn’t nearly enough to quell the fire that burned inside him for his mate, though. In fact, it only pushed his desire to new levels that he wasn’t sure he’d ever recover from if something didn’t happen between them soon. And yes, sometime during the course of the week as he watched Bannon sleep, curled up in his lap, or answered a string of inquiries, he’d come to the conclusion that the man was definitely his mate.

  More importantly, he’d finally accepted that somewhere in his family tree lurked a shifter who’d somehow passed his genes on to Galen. No one could want someone as much as he wanted Bannon without the help of animal magnetism. Other than his burning desire, there was something calming and peaceful about being close to his lover.

  During the long hours when the road seemed to be never ending, and the only sound was the thrum of tires against the asphalt, Galen swore if he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could hear Bannon’s heart beating in sync with his. Bannon no longer allowed Galen into his dreamscape, but that didn’t stop Galen from dreaming about his gorgeous lover.

  Twice he’d woken up with cum-soaked boxers. Though all of his dreams had been erotic in nature, the chance that he’d wake up with sticky shorts seemed to have a direct correlation to dreams that involved Bannon biting and claiming him. If that didn’t answer the question of their mate status, he didn’t know what would.

  “I want ya to come with me tonight,” Bannon said out of the blue as they sped along some godforsaken back road in Pennsylvania, traveling north now, though farther inland.

  “In your dream?” Galen bounced a little in his seat. While he appreciated Bannon’s desire to protect him, he was bored out of his ever-loving mind and could definitely use the distraction. Besides, he was supposed to be helping—something Bannon had allowed him to do very seldom since their trip began.

  “Aye, but I’m wantin’ your promise that you’ll do exactly as I say.”

  “You know I will. Let me help, Bannon. You’re exhausted, and you look like shit. You need me.” He probably could have worded that a little more delicately, but it was the truth. Bannon looked like death sautéed over medium heat.

  Bannon sighed and leaned across the seat to kiss Galen on the lips.

  “That I do. I miss ya, Galen Charles. I’m sittin’ right beside ya every day, but I need to feel ya in my arms without all these bothersome clothes.”

  Galen snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’re just horny.”

  “That, too.” Bannon grinned boyishly and shrugged. “Can ya blame me?”

  Groaning as his cock began to swell between his thighs, Galen rubbed the hard mound with the heel of his palm and shook his head.

  “I know the feeling well.”

  “Then let’s get this over so I can pay proper attention to my mate.”

  “I don’t know if I can wait that long,” Galen mumbled, earning him a derisive snort from the wolf-shifter behind the wheel. The passenger glanced over the seatback, but didn’t comment on Galen’s predicament. Smart of him.

  As with all new relationships, the physical attraction was intense, and the need to lick, bite, suck, and fuck was overwhelming. If he wasn’t thinking about the fifteen different ways Bannon could screw him into the next week, then he was salivating to get his lips wrapped around his mate’s enormous cock.

  On the bright side, he could now confidently tell Willow that, yes, Bannon was definitely hung like a horse.

  “Are ya needin’, my darlin’?” Bannon grabbed ahold of his hips and hauled Galen into his lap so that he straddled the man’s muscular thighs. “We can’t be havin’ that, can we?” Galen glanced over his shoulder and right into the amber stare of the shifter perched in the passenger seat. “He’s watching me, Bannon.”

  Long fingers gripped his chin, coaxing his eyes back to his lover.

  “Right here, Galen. Look right at me. It’s just us, no one else.” His hand moved around to cup the back of Galen’s head and pull him down into a searing kiss.

  His other hand fumbled at the button on Galen’s jeans, and before he could even think to stop it, Galen felt his cock pop free of its confinement and the cool air brush over the straining length. He shivered involuntarily, but made no move to pull away from Bannon’s mouth. When that strong hand wrapped around his erection and began stroking him to the rhythm of Bannon’s tongue, Galen was in heaven.

  Moaning into his lover’s mouth, Galen rocked his hips, thrusting his rigid shaft through Bannon’s tight grip as the world around them melted away. Damn, he needed this. Not just the orgasm that was barreling toward him, but he needed to feel the connection with his mate. Just more proof that they were meant to be together. He literally hurt from being denied Bannon’s touch for so long.

  Releasing his mouth and trailing his lips up to Galen’s ear, Bannon quickened his strokes as he raggedly whispered deliciously naughty words. “I know what ya want, Galen. Ya want my fat cock up your ass, stretchin’ and fillin’ ya. That’s what my baby wants, isn’t it?”

  “Yesss,” Galen hissed, dragging the word out as his head fell back on his shoulders.

  “Soon, sweetheart. This is just to take the edge off. Ya need me, though, don’t ya?”

  “Yes. I need you, Bannon. Please.” Galen was growing louder with every word, but he didn’t care. If the two men up front insisted on keeping them locked up in the stupid car for days at a time, then they could very well just get the fuck over it if they didn’t like it.

  “I’m right here. Not gonna let ya fall, now am I? Come for me, baby. Let go of everything else, and come for me.” That was exactly what Galen did. Pushing everything else out of his mind, he focused on the intense pleasure Bannon was giving him and gritted his teeth together as his climax ripped through him. Semen shot up his shaft and through the slit to cover Bannon’s shirt in his spunk.

  Shivering through the aftershocks, Galen finally opened his eyelids and smiled into Bannon’s eyes. “Thank you.” Bannon returned the smile and pecked at Galen’s lips. “Mmm, my pleasure. Do ya think ya can sleep now?” Galen was pretty sure he could sleep through a tsunami at that point. “You are very tricksy, sir.”

  Shrugging unrepentantly, Bannon tucked Galen back into his jeans and winked. “I don’t hear ya complainin’.”

  “Can we stop so I can get cleaned up and changed?”

  “We’ll stop in a couple of hours to get fuel,” the driver more or less grunted at him. Apparently, he still didn’t like his job very much.

  “Where are you from? I mean, what pack do you belong to?”

  “Cloud Peak,” the passenger also grunted.

  Galen arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Bannon, can I see your phone, please?”

  Bannon
didn’t even question the reason as he lifted Galen off his lap and dug into his pocket for his phone. He passed it over, shrugging when Galen gaped at the cracked screen and chipped off pieces of plastic. “It had a little accident.”

  “Does it still work?”

  “Of course.”

  Rolling his eyes, Galen powered on the display screen and scrolled through the contacts until he found the number he was looking for. Then he pressed the phone to his ear and waited as it rang.

  “Bannon?”

  “Hey, Blaise,” Galen answered, grinning innocently when both shifters shot him a startled look. “It’s Galen. Are you the one who sent these idiots to drive us around? Because, I gotta say, you suck.” Blaise groaned over the line, and there was a long pause before he spoke again. “I take it that they’re being less than cordial.”

  “That’s an understatement. I just want to stop, take a shower, and eat a real meal that doesn’t involve using my fingers as utensils. Is that really too much to ask?”

  Blaise grumbled but didn’t give any further response.

  “We stop to get gas, relieve our bladders, and swing by some gross fast food chain, but only on their schedule. I don’t mind helping, but I’m exhausted, I smell, and I’m starting to get migraines from all the craptastic food they keep shoving in my face.” Bannon frowned, obviously unhappy that Galen had kept the news from him. Smiling apologetically, Galen pushed up in his seat and kissed Bannon’s cheek. “I’ll be fine,” he mouthed to his lover.

  “They’re not the friendliest guys in the world, and they’re used to doing things their way. Plus, I kind of bribed them into taking the job.

  They’re the best, though, and that’s what Torren asked of me.” Blaise was being oddly vague, which seemed to be a reoccurring theme with everyone related to The Council.

  “Dude, I’m not whining or trying to tattle. I just want a damn shower and possibly a salad without Commando Joe Bob growling like I morally offended his mother. I’m not asking you to send them to their rooms, either. I just want to know why we’re being treated like prisoners.”

  Blaise sighed audibly, and Galen could just picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. “Their orders were to keep moving and not let anyone near you or Bannon. Again, that’s what Torren requested.” From the tone of his voice, he was less than thrilled with the new elder. “That’s all I can tell you. So, if you want a shower, I suggest you find the faerie quick.”

  “What about Raith Braddock?”

  “They still haven’t found him or the little boy you mentioned. I’m checking the database, but there are three werewolf packs and two shifter packs in and around that area. It’s going to take some time. Me and Willow are on our way to the airport, so I’m going to have to let you go. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

  “Why are you going to the airport?” Galen realized he was being nosey, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

  “While the Murphys haven’t found Raith yet, they did stumble across a small pack of Moonlighters. I’ll let Willow give you the details later, but the long story short is that they’re in bad shape. Even Haven wouldn’t be a good place for them.”

  “That’s horrible, but it doesn’t explain why you’re getting on a plane.”

  “Stavion just purchased the land next to Haven so he can expand.

  The place is getting too crowded, and there are more and more people coming in every day.”

  “Yeah, Jory told me.” It was a good thing, though. The paranormals Haven took in were good people with nowhere else to go. He loved the fact that he could be a part of something like that.

  “Anyway,” Blaise continued, “since I have familial links with the pack in Georgia, I get the honor of going to convince their very stubborn alpha to pack up, move all of them to Wyoming, and take in these Moonlighters. I know you haven’t met Xander, but believe me when I say that I’d rather be in your position right now.” Galen would rather be in any position than the one he was in, so he took that to mean that it could possibly take an act of congress to convince this alpha to move his pack. “Good luck, Blaise, and I mean that. Tell Willow to call me when you land.” They said their good-byes, and Galen disconnected before passing the phone over to Bannon and filling him in on any parts of the conversation he may have missed. “I really, and I mean, really want a shower, so let’s find that little bastard faerie.” Bannon chuckled, pulling a glass vial of clear liquid out of the pocket of the seat in front of him. He twisted the cap off and drank down the sleep medicine. “I’ll be able to tell when ya doze off, and I’ll pull ya into the dream then.”

  “No.” Galen reached over and dug out another vial. “I’ll just take less of it this time.” He opened the cap and took a careful sip, estimating it to be about a third of the glass tube. “Let’s see if this does the trick.”

  Bannon didn’t look very happy, but it was too late to take it back now. So, Galen just smiled and settled back in his seat. He’d been damn serious about that shower.

  Chapter Eleven

  The first night was a complete bust. Over and over they pulled every kind paranormal imaginable, and some Galen couldn’t identify, into Bannon’s dream. Still, they couldn’t find the damn faerie, or Lynk Braddock.

  “I’m bored. My butt hurts. I smell like old cheese that’s been sitting in the sun, and if I have to eat one more burger I’m going to start sprouting sesame seeds out of my ears.”

  “Is there anything else you’d like to complain about, princess?” the driver asked him.

  Bannon growled and shifted in his seat, but Galen patted his mate’s leg and shook his head. “He’s right. Everyone is just as miserable as I am.”

  “I don’t like it,” Bannon responded, glaring daggers at the back of the shifter’s head.

  Rolling his eyes, Galen slid across the seat and tucked himself under Bannon’s arm. “The growling is sexy, but not particularly helpful. How about we get to work? We need to find Camdin before we all end up killing each other.”

  Galen loved that Bannon felt protective of him and was willing to go to bat for him against whatever perceived injustice. The guy also had a possessive streak a mile wide, which Galen found endearing. It was kind of nice to belong to someone without feeling like he was a piece of property.

  They were past the week mark of all being cramped up together inside the vehicle, and tensions were running high. Bannon and the two wolf-shifters had been growling at each other since the crack of dawn. It was sweet of Bannon to jump to his defense, but Galen didn’t know how much more his frayed nerves could handle.

  “Maybe the little guy wants to put on another show for us,” the passenger said with a cocky grin as he turned in his seat to look Galen up and down.

  Bannon was out of his seat and crawling over the console between the front seats to plow his fist into the guy’s face before Galen even registered the insult.

  The car swerved as the driver fought to pull the two of them apart and push Bannon into the backseat. He wasn’t having much success in his endeavors, though, and Galen just knew they were going to end up in a ditch.

  “Never talk about him like that,” Bannon snarled before landing another blow to the shifter’s jaw.

  The noise level in the car rose to deafening volumes, and Galen had the urge to press his palms over his ears. Instead, he wrapped both arms around Bannon’s waist and pulled with everything he had.

  “Bannon, that’s enough!”

  It was like flipping a switch. Bannon calmed instantly, released his hold on the other man’s collar, and flopped back into his seat. His strong fingers looped around Galen’s upper arms, pulled him into his lap, and held him there in an iron grip while he continue to growl and snarl at the two wolves in the front seat.

  “Apologize.”

  The passenger rubbed at his already-swelling jaw and glared, but he did dip his head and offer a mumbled apology to Galen.

  Galen dipped his head in return and curled himself against Banno
n’s chest. Part of him wanted to chastise his lover for acting like a child, but he couldn’t do it. No one had ever been on his side.

  No one ever stood up for him without thought as to whether he was right or wrong. Not even his friends back in Haven had ever fought so vehemently for him.

  “Thank you,” he whispered against the bristly skin of Bannon’s jaw. “I’m sorry I caused problems.”

  If possible, Bannon’s arms tightened even more around him, and he rubbed his cheek over the top of Galen’s head. “Ya did nothin’ wrong, darlin’. No one has the right to be treatin’ ya that way. Even when I’m not around, don’t ya ever settle for less than what ya deserve.”

  Closing his eyes and sighing in contentment, Galen felt himself fall just a little more for the big Irishman with brilliant green eyes.

  “Let’s get to work and find that faerie.”

  * * * *

  “Where the hell are we anyway?”

  “My dream.” Bannon wound his arms around his mate and pulled him back against his chest. They weren’t in any danger—yet—but he just liked holding Galen.

  Galen snorted as he leaned back into Bannon comfortably. “I know that. I meant where is the car?”

  “Ah, I think we’re still in Pennsylvania.”

  “Can all of your brothers do this? Everyone says you’re an amazing Tracker, so I have to assume that they can’t.” Bannon’s chest swelled with pride, and his lips stretched into a wide grin. “No, they can’t. They’re good Trackers in their own right, but only one Murphy per generation is born with the ability to dream walk.”

  “Aren’t all your brothers gay?”

  “Aye, that they are.” Bannon’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why do ya ask?”

  “It’s going to be kind of hard for you to pass on this little gift if none of you are banging women.”

  “Well, now, Cassius wasn’t bangin’ a woman, was he? Besides, we have cousins. It’s not like we’re pissin’ on the family tree.”

  “Witch,” Galen blurted. “Witch, witch, witch—I think there’s eleven—no, twelve of them.”