Stavion looked down at his chest, then back up to Jory, and smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Do you think I could get some clothes like that?” Jory bit his lips and shifted nervously from foot to foot. The Enforcers had already done so much for him that it seemed selfish and ungrateful to ask for more.
They’d bought him clothes, but they were all things like jeans, T-shirts, track pants, and gym shorts. He wanted something he could wear if Stavion ever took him somewhere away from the estate. The clothes he had were comfortable and practical, but they were nothing like Stavion’s. He didn’t want to embarrass his mate. He wanted to be someone—even on the outside—that Stavion would be proud to be seen with.
“I don’t have any money, but I could do something else to pay you back,” he hurried to add. “I could help in the kitchen, or whatever you like. Maybe I could get a job that pays real money and pay you back that way. Or if I had a real job, I guess I could just buy my own clothes. Then again, I would probably need something to wear to work until I made some money. I don’t really have any skills, so I don’t know what kind of job I could get. And we live pretty far out here, so I’d have to worry about getting there. I don’t mind walking. That would be okay. I just have to know how to get there.”
Jory sucked in a great lungful of air and chewed on his bottom lip when Stavion started laughing. Yeah, he knew they were unrealistic dreams, but he just wanted to be normal. Normal people had jobs, made money, bought their own things, and took care of themselves.
“Jory, come here, baby.” Stavion held his arms open wide, and Jory dropped his head and moved to stand between his mate’s knees.
Stavion gathered him in his lap and tipped his chin up to place a quick kiss on his lips. “I wasn’t laughing at you, okay?” He waited for Jory to nod. “I love your enthusiasm, and I think that was probably the most you’ve ever said to me at one time.” He chuckled under his breath. “Besides, it was kind of cute. I laughed because I was happy. That’s all.”
How was Jory supposed to stay strong against something like that? He couldn’t and he knew it, so he didn’t even try. He didn’t even fight the goofy smile that spread over his face as he curled into his mate’s chest and skimmed his nose along the fragrant skin of Stavion’s throat. Maybe things were going to be just fine. Maybe he’d finally found a place to belong where he wouldn’t have to constantly be watching over his shoulder.
Maybe, but only time would tell. And since they were both immortal, he had nothing but time.
Chapter Seven
Stavion watched Jory devour his waffles and hotdogs. “So, you like them?”
“They’re awesome!”
Elation welled up inside of him, pushing away his anger at the life Jory had been forced to lead until he’d come to live with Stavion. The little man was the epitome of everything that was good and right in the world. Thinking of the hell Jory had lived through made Stavion’s stomach burn. Who reached the age of nineteen without having ever eaten a waffle?
“Can I ask you something?”
Stavion studied his mate for a moment and nodded.
“How come you were gone for so long?” Jory bit his lip and looked down at his plate as his cheeks blazed scarlet.
“Did you miss me?” Stavion didn’t want the guy to be embarrassed. He wasn’t teasing, either. He was very curious about whether or not Jory had thought of him while he was away.
“Yes,” Jory whispered after a significant pause. “I kind of got used to you coming to visit me every night.”
Instead of jumping up from the small table and dancing around the room like a jackass, Stavion settled for a beaming smile. “I missed you, too, Jory. I had some business to take care of before I could come home.”
When he looked up, Jory’s eyebrows were drawn together, and he seemed to be debating something. Stavion waited, giving his mate the chance to work through what he wanted to ask. Finally, Jory shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask this, but what kind of business was it?”
“We’re mates, which means you can ask me anything.” Stavion reached across the table and held his hand palm up, thrilled when Jory immediately took it and gave it a little squeeze. “I have no secrets from you,” Stavion continued. “I received a mating contract from a coven leader in Washington for Malakai.”
Jory’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “Someone bought him like they bought me?”
Stavion winced, but he supposed that was mostly true. The laws of his kind had been in place for hundreds of years, and some of them—like the mating contracts—were beyond outdated. “I guess you’re right. Malakai stayed behind in Georgia with his mates. Normally, a mating bond will overrule an offered contract.”
“Okay, I still don’t understand why you didn’t come home right after the wedding.”
“I had to meet with The Council about an assignment. Though I’m leader of this coven, I still command the other Enforcers. They’ve located a vampire coven in Montana that needs to be brought before the elders.”
Jory actually growled at him, and Stavion’s cock perked up to take notice of the sexy sound. “Stavion, you’re not making any sense. How are the two related?”
“Malakai must be claimed by both of his mates or the contract will be honored. The Council offered the assignment of bringing in this coven leader to Flynn Murphy, one of Malakai’s mates. I was trying to persuade them to choose someone else.”
“Because Flynn can’t claim Malakai if he’s not there.”
“Exactly.” Stavion could feel his frustration rising at the predicament he found himself in. “I received another letter from Leader McCarthy this morning, asking about the status of his contract. I can’t put him off for much longer.”
“Maybe you need to just tell Malakai,” Jory offered. “He’s a grown man, and he’s really smart. Maybe he can help. I know he’s your friend, but he needs to know. I wouldn’t like people keeping secrets from me, especially if they’re about me.”
Again, his mate was absolutely right. With everything happening with Boston and Flynn, Stavion didn’t think Malakai needed something else to worry about, though. “I do need to tell him, but not now.”
“The longer you put it off, the worse it will be for everyone.” Sometimes when Jory spoke like that, Stavion forgot just how young his mate was. The man had a keen intuition and was very perceptive. It also had a way of simplifying things and breaking them down to their most basic form. He imagined he could learn a lot from Jory.
“Flynn accepted the assignment. I understand why he did it, but after informing me, Blaise, and his mates that he wouldn’t take another one, it’s going to cause problems. Not to mention, it will be dangerous. Malakai doesn’t need any more to worry about right now.”
“You’re scared,” Jory responded quietly.
Was he? “I’m worried. There are so many things that could go wrong, and a lot of people are going to get hurt if they do.”
“It’s hard being in charge and making the decisions. Maybe you don’t have to do it all by yourself, though.”
Stavion pushed his chair back from the table and motioned for Jory to come to him. His little man jumped up and hurried around the table—a testament to the progress they were making in their relationship.
Once he had Jory secured on his lap, he rubbed his cheek across the top of the man’s head and sighed. “I will send the best Enforcers I have with Flynn. Once he’s back safely in Georgia, I’ll tell Malakai. I think taking this one step at a time would be best.”
“You’re the boss,” Jory mumbled. “I just hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”
Stavion hoped it didn’t either. He was reluctant to tell Jory what would happen if he denied the mating contract without just cause, but he remembered Jory’s words of moments before about how he didn’t like secrets. Since this would affect his mate as well, Stavion knew Jory needed to know.
“I can refuse the contract.”
<
br /> “No, you can’t,” Jory said immediately. “I don’t know why, but I can hear it in your voice.”
“If I refuse without a good reason, McCarthy could file a sanction against me. It would be the same as if I had interfered with a real mating.”
Jory shot up in his lap and shook his head. “You can’t do that. I know he’s your friend, but I’m your mate. You can’t leave me!” He started breathing quickly, his small chest rising and falling as he struggled to pull in air to his lungs. “Please, Stavion. You promised. You said you wouldn’t give up on me. I’m getting better, right? You wouldn’t really leave me, would you?”
Stavion pulled his mate to his chest and held him tightly, stroking his hair and trying to calm him. Before he’d met Jory, there would have been no question as to whether or not he’d go to bat for Malakai—and take the fall for him if necessary. But, he had met Jory, and the man needed him. Jory was his mate, his first priority, and the most important thing to him.
“We’ll figure it out, little one. I’m not going to leave you.” It was only choosing between his mate and a man who was essentially his brother. Either way, he was going to lose someone he cared about. No big deal, right?
It was times like this, when the pressure became so huge, that Stavion wished he could just purge the stress from his body like Jory did. He had never asked for any of this. He didn’t want to be a leader and make these kinds of decisions.
The coven was still resistant to his rule. There were a lot of changes that needed to be made around the estate. They still had more than half of the captives in their care after returning the others to their families. Now he had Malakai to worry about as well as Jory.
It felt like being pulled in a dozen different directions, and there just wasn’t enough of him to go around.
“We’ll figure it out,” he repeated. He had to, because there really wasn’t any other option.
* * * *
“You said you wanted to take it slow,” Kendall reminded him.
Jory exploded. “Yes! I wanted to take it slow, not live like a goddamn monk!” It had been almost a week, and Stavion barely even held his hand anymore. They cuddled when they slept, but Stavion insisted on wearing pajama pants to bed. Instead of the passionate kisses they’d shared before, he now got pecks on the forehead.
Had he done something wrong? Maybe Stavion had decided that he really didn’t want him.
“I’m sure he’s just been distracted with everything that is going on,” Kendall tried to reassure him.
“I don’t think that’s it.” Cassius strolled into Jory’s room, his eyes going straight to Kendall. He looked Jory’s friend up and down for a full minute before he continued his train of thought.
There was something going on there, but Jory had his own issues to deal with.
“He has been busy, and under a lot of stress,” Cassius said. “I can see it in your eyes that you’re worried that he doesn’t want you. I think it’s just the opposite. He’s trying to respect your wishes, but he’s burning alive with wanting you.”
Cassius spoke as though he knew from experience, and he kept casting glances at Kendall from the corner of his eye. Kendall had blushed such a deep scarlet, Jory was surprised the guy didn’t ignite into flames. Oh, yeah, there was definitely a story there. As soon as he figured out what to do with his mate, he’d hold Kendall down and pry it out of him.
Looking back to Cassius, Jory threw his arms out wide. “So, what the hell do I do?” While his love life might not be all volcanoes and fireworks, he truly enjoyed the time he spent with Stavion. There didn’t seem to be much of it lately, because Stavion was always busy with his duties as a coven leader. But when they managed to find time, that time belonged to Jory. He had his mate’s undivided attention, and he loved it.
It didn’t matter what he rambled on about, or how nonsensical it was. Stavion always listened with rapt attention as though Jory was blabbering on about quantum physics. Stavion didn’t treat him like a stupid kid. He listened, really listened, and gave merit to Jory’s thoughts and ideas. He’d even sought Jory’s advice and valued his opinions.
It made him feel like…an equal.
“Well, I guess that depends on what you want to happen.” Cassius rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed. “All you’ve told Stavion is to take it slow. You need to figure out what you’re comfortable with, and where you draw the line. That’s a good place to start at least.”
“He’s right,” Kendall piped up. “If you want him to fuck your brains out, then you need to be fierce and seductive.” He wiggled his eyebrows and gave Jory a wicked grin. “If you just want kisses and cuddles for now, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Find your comfort zone and work from there,” Cassius continued. “Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.”
“And don’t be afraid to say no when things get to be too much,” Kendall added.
Jory’s head was beginning to spin. He got the gist of what they were trying to tell him, but they were going way too fast, and throwing entirely too much toward him at once. So, was he supposed to seduce Stavion or draw an invisible line in the proverbial sand?
He looked down his puny body and shook his head. What the hell was Kendall even talking about by being “fierce”? Jory didn’t know the first damn thing about being sexy or seducing someone. He’d spent the majority of his life hiding in the shadows and trying not to be noticed. What if he made a fool out of himself?
“You won’t,” Cassius assured him.
“What? So you can read my mind now?” Jory crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. That’s just what he needed.
Cassius chuckled, and Kendall giggled. “You’ve been talking out loud, honey.” Kendall hurried over and threw his arms around Jory’s neck. The action elicited a soft growl from the big vampire in the room, but Cassius quickly cut it off and darted from the room before Jory could question it.
“What is going on with you two?”
Kendall rolled his eyes and squeezed Jory before releasing him.
“We’re talking about you right now. Don’t change the subject.”
Jory wanted to argue, but he wanted to know what to do about Stavion more. “Okay, so what do I do?”
“Honestly? I think you should talk to Stavion about all of this. Tell him what you want and what your worries are. Then maybe he can help you figure out what your comfort zone is.”
Jory kissed his friends cheek and smiled. “I think that’s a great idea. What would I do without you?”
Kendall blushed and shook his head. “I’m just glad I could help.”
“So, what should I wear to go seduce my mate in a way that he can’t possibly resist?”
Kendall’s eyes danced with mischief as he looked Jory up and down. “Nothing.”
* * * *
“You’ll meet him at the airport in Billings tomorrow evening. Watch each other’s backs and keep an eye on Flynn. Malakai isn’t going to be happy if something happens to him.”
Varik and Raven nodded curtly then rose from their seats and moved toward the door without a word. They’d meet Flynn in Montana, along with Enforcers from three different covens. Stavion had chosen the best of the best. He only hoped it was enough to keep everyone safe.
The inner circle of the coven they were going in to apprehend was large, one of the largest of the country, and they wouldn’t go peaceably. Raven assured him that they’d done their recon and had a plan. Hopefully, it would be a simple in and out job.
Of course, nothing was ever simple these days. “Raven, Varik.” Both men stopped and poked their heads back into his office. “Don’t fuck this up, and bring your asses back in one piece.”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused. Raven winked at him, proud and cocky, and they disappeared down the hallway.
They’d been gone for only a few minutes before Demos came rushing into the room with a large brown envelope. “It’s from McCarthy,” he growled, tossing the package onto t
he desk in front Stavion.
“Shit!” Stavion snatched the envelope up and ripped it open. He extracted the paper inside, snarling as he scanned the letter. “I have five days to answer his request, or he’s going to The Council.”
“And Malakai is still unclaimed,” Demos deduced.
Stavion nodded. “Flynn leaves out tomorrow afternoon. If everything goes like it should, he should be back in Georgia inside of three days. That’s cutting it close, but it should work.”
“When are you going to tell Malakai?” There was an accusation in Demos’s voice that Stavion didn’t like. He didn’t comment on it, though, because he knew the Enforcer was right to be upset with him.
“This isn’t a conversation I want to have over the phone. I need to explain everything to Jory, but it looks like I’m headed back to Georgia.”
“Should I call The Council and have them prepare a plane?”
“Not yet. I’ll make the calls when I have everything in order.”
“Let me know if you need me to do anything.” Demos looked anxious to be on his way. He wasn’t the only one of Stavion’s Enforcers who’d been acting strange lately. As long as it didn’t become an issue with their duties, Stavion decided not to worry about it. He’d find out eventually.
Demos had barely left his office when another person strolled in.
Stavion kept his head bent, still studying the letter, and tried not to groan. Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone? All he wanted was five minutes to just fucking breathe!
“Is this a bad time?” Jory’s soft, musical voice asked.
Stavion snapped his head up and growled when he found his mate standing in front of his desk, naked as a jaybird. “Jory!” Jory jumped, his eyes went wide, and he started shaking. “Uh, I guess it is.”
Trying to control his jealousy, Stavion took several keep breaths and motioned for his man to come to him. Jory hesitated for longer than Stavion was comfortable with. They’d been making so much progress. Had he just destroyed all of that?
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