The more he thought about it, the more excited he became until his enthusiasm overrode good sense, and he grabbed Jory’s face and planted an eager kiss on his lips.
The moment their lips met, Stavion froze. Very slowly, he eased away and looked into Jory’s wide, shining eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He wasn’t sorry he’d kissed his mate. He could still taste Jory on his lips, and he wanted more. He was just sorry that he’d done it without Jory’s permission.
Jory shook his head back and forth mutely. He looked a little dazed, and he reached up to run his fingers over his lips. Stavion held his breath, waiting to see what Jory’s ultimate reaction would be.
When a small, sweet smile spread over Jory’s mouth, he almost passed out in relief.
“I like you, Stavion. You startled me a little, but it was nice.” He bit his lip and looked down at his lap. “Can we try again sometime when I know it’s coming?”
Slipping his fingers under Jory’s chin, Stavion urged his face up and kissed the tip of his nose. “You can have as many as you want. How about I let you make the first move next time?”
“Thank you. I’m really glad I met you.”
“And I’m glad I met you, sweetheart.”
“So, you’re the boss around here, right?” Stavion nodded, but he felt his brow wrinkle in confusion at the change of topic. Was that going to be a deal breaker? It didn’t surprise him that Jory would have issues with people in power. He just hoped he could prove that he wasn’t like those other assholes.
“You make decisions and decide who needs to go on what assignments, right?”
“The Council will sometimes specifically request one of the Enforcers, but mostly that’s right.”
“And you don’t have to go with them?” Jory started fidgeting in his seat, wringing his hands together. He hadn’t done that in several days. His nervousness made Stavion anxious.
“No, I don’t have to go with them, but I often do. Sitting around and going through paperwork just isn’t for me.”
“Can you not go?”
The smile started slow, but spread until Stavion thought it would split his face in two. Jory was worried for his safety. It was a good step in the right direction. “What if I only go when The Council orders it?”
Jory’s head tilted to the side, and he looked to be thinking it over.
“I feel funny when you’re not here,” he said after a while. “My stomach gets all twisted when I think about you getting hurt. I understand that you have to go when and where the elders tell you to go. Will you please be careful?”
Stavion didn’t know if he wanted to laugh with joy, pass out in relief, or sing with hope. So, he settled on a bob of his head and a crooked smile. “Whatever you want, sweetheart. Have you thought more about coming to Georgia with me?”
“Umm, I’m not sure yet.”
Some of Stavion’s happiness deflated, but he tried not to take it personally. “That’s okay. It’s not until next week, so you have plenty of time to decide. If you don’t want to go, I won’t be upset, Jory. It’s completely up to you.”
“Do you know how to fish?”
And they were back to talking of non-consequential subjects.
* * * *
“Have you seen Stavion?” Jory had been searching for his mate since he woke up. He wasn’t in his office, his room, or the kitchen.
Jory was reluctant to go outside to search the grounds, but he had peeked out the window.
“He left with the other Enforcers as soon as the sun went down,” Kendall answered around the thumbnail he was chewing on. “Cassius said they’d be back before the morning.”
“What?” Jory’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, and his palms started to sweat. “Where did they go?”
“I don’t know
where
exactly, but I think they found more prisoners. It has to be close if they’re going to be back by sunrise, right?”
Kendall was scared, and it only served to make Jory scared.
Stavion had told him a little about the various groups of preters that lived around the state. The closest friendly pack to them was the Cloud Peak Pack where Willow lived with his mates. Then there was the Snake River Coven, the vampire coven Stavion had been part of before taking leadership of the estate. The closest pack that could possibly pose a threat to them was a werewolf pack right there in Cheyenne. The thought made Jory sick at his stomach.
Though he wanted to voice his concerns, Kendall looked like he was already about to fall apart. “Where are Aslan and Galen?”
“Down in the kitchen learning how to cook.” Kendall looked thankful for the change of topic. “They’re really happy here, Jory.”
“Are you happy?”
“Yes,” Kendall whispered and a dreamy smile spread over his face. “I like it here. I like the people here. Did you ever think that life could be like this?”
No, he hadn’t. Jory had never dared to hope that his life could be anything other than the nightmare it had been. Stavion was slowly changing his way of thinking, though. The big vampire made it so easy to just let go and relax around him. If Jory didn’t watch himself, he was going to fall hard and fast for Stavion.
“Let’s do something fun.” He needed to keep his mind off of the dangers Stavion was facing, and it appeared Kendall needed his spirits lifted as well. Jory didn’t know exactly what was going on with his friend, or why he was so worried, but they both could use a distraction.
“What can we do?”
Well, that stumped him. What was there to do around the place?
He’d yet to explore the entirety of the sprawling mansion. Surely there had to be
something
, though. “Let’s explore.” Walking along the corridors, looking at the ugly paintings and strange sculptures ate up more time than Jory realized. The place was just so massive. They actually got lost twice. Still, it was an adventure, and some of the stuff in the house was rather fascinating.
Jory wanted to crawl inside one of the suits of armor, but he figured that would be frowned upon.
Then they made their way to the kitchen and joined in Galen’s and Aslan’s cooking lesson. It was kind of fun, and Jory forgot to worry about Stavion for a little while. They baked cakes, cookies, and brownies. Apparently, the Enforcers had quite the sweet tooth. The sweet, little vampire lady who did all of the cooking for the coven showed them how to make a lasagna, homemade breadsticks, and the proper way to shuck and grill corn. Who knew you could grill corn?
“Well, look at you,” came an amused voice from the other side of the kitchen.
Jory spun around and his heart climbed up into his throat. Stavion had a cut running down the side of his face, his shirt was ripped and covered in blood, and his left eye was bruised and swollen. He had the biggest smile on his face, though.
Bounding across the room, Jory didn’t know if he wanted to hug his mate or blacken his other eye. “You promised that you’d be careful,” he accused.
“I’m still in one piece, aren’t I?” The smile fell off his face, and Stavion’s words were laced with steel. “This is what I do, Jory. This is my job.”
“It’s your job to get your ass kicked?” Jory knew he needed to shut up, but he couldn’t stop. He might pay for it, but he’d been going out of his mind with worry only to have his mate waltz into the kitchen and confirm his fears.
“I didn’t get my ass kicked.”
Now, Jory had piqued the man’s pride.
Fabulous.
“You’re a ruler, a leader. You should be here leading stuff.”
You should be here with
me and not out risking your life.
“I should be where I’m needed most. My men needed me, so that’s where I went. At least they seem to like having me around!”
Jory jerked back like Stavion had slapped him. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what he was apologizing for, but he’d do it over and over if it took that look of Stavion’s face. He knew that particular look well—maybe not from Stavion, but others—and it always ended with him getting hurt.
The vampire’s shoulders sagged, and he closed his eyes on a sigh.
When he opened them again, the anger had vanished, and he just looked tired. “Come here, Jory.”
Jory moved hesitantly, stepping closer to his mate. He bit the inside of his cheek and willed himself not to flinch when Stavion reached out for him. Instead of a slap to the face, his mate’s big hand palmed his cheek gently. “I’m sorry I worried you, and I’m sorry that I yelled. Forgive me?”
Stavion was asking for
his
forgiveness? Jory didn’t know what to do with that. No one ever gave a shit what he thought or if they upset him. He was a just a convenient target for irate, muscle-bound assholes.
His mate had the muscles, and he’d been pissed, but he wasn’t an asshole. He was the kindest person Jory had ever met. He needed to get that through his head and stop comparing Stavion to those fuckers who’d made it their mission in life to cause him as much suffering as possible. It wasn’t fair to Stavion. Hadn’t he proved himself a man of worth time and time again?
Nuzzling the side of his face into Stavion’s palm, Jory gave him a shy smile. “I’m sorry, too.”
“Stop. You have nothing to apologize for.” Stavion took a deep breath, and he seemed to be steeling himself for what he was about to say. “I have to go back, baby. We helped some of the alpha’s pack escape. They weren’t bought slaves, but they weren’t treated much better. That was the easy part, though. The alpha and his inner circle are going to have to be brought before the elders to face charges for the things he’s done. We also have reason to believe that his brother is holding slaves in his pack in Kansas.”
“Can’t the others do that?” Jory didn’t want to sound whiney and unappreciative of how hard Stavion worked to keep them all safe. He just wanted the man out of harm’s way.
“We have time to talk about it,” Stavion said evenly. “We need to obtain more evidence before we go after either of them.”
“Do you think they’ll come after you?”
“I…” Stavion trailed off and his eyebrows drew together in concentration. “I didn’t think about that, but I can’t rule it out. We’re going to have to be more careful.”
“Can you ask The Council for more Enforcers?” Stavion smiled again and caressed Jory’s cheek. “You’re so smart, sweetheart. Unfortunately, we’re stretched pretty thin as it is. I’m not sure there are any Enforcers that can be spared to help guard us.”
“If we—you are going to turn this place into a refuge, you’re going to need more security. Otherwise, it’s just rounding up the beaten, broken, and abused in one place so that they’re easier to get to.” God, Jory really needed to shut his trap. He was making it sound as though Stavion wasn’t doing his job, but that wasn’t the case at all.
He just wanted to make things a little easier for his mate.
“You’re absolutely right,” Stavion answered to Jory’s shock. “You have valid and intelligent concerns, Jory. It’s just going to take a miracle to get what we need right now.”
Jory had wanted to help, but all he’d done was create more stress for his already overworked mate. Maybe he should just go back to not talking.
Jory paced his room. It seemed he did a lot of that lately. He felt like a caged animal, prowling across the carpet, restless and frustrated.
He missed his mate. His friends had done their best to cheer him up, but he was hopeless. The man had asked him repeatedly over the weeks to accompany him on his trip. Why couldn’t he have just opened his mouth and told Stavion that he wanted to go to Georgia with him?
And why did he have to be gone for so damn long? It had been three days since Stavion, Malakai, and the Enforcers had departed just after sunset. The wedding couldn’t have lasted for more than a few hours. What did he possibly have to do for longer than that?
An absurd jealousy bubbled up inside him, and Jory growled to the empty room. He was being unreasonable and just a little ridiculous. He knew it, but it did nothing to calm him. What if Stavion found someone else while he was away? What if he was tired of putting up with Jory and his inability to so much as look at the vampire?
“Fuck!” He screamed the word loud enough to shake the windows. Maybe he should just leave. He didn’t want to stick around and see Stavion with someone else. But what if Stavion didn’t return?
What would happen to him then? Would he still be allowed to stay?
With a defeated sigh, he flopped back on his bed and stared up at the white, textured ceiling. “What am I going to do?”
“Well, you could eat, for starters,” Kendall said as he waltzed into the room carrying a tray laden with food. “Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and warm chocolate pudding. All of your favorites.”
Jory pushed himself up on his elbows and gaped at his friend.
“How did you know that?”
Kendall stuck his tongue out and placed the tray on the bed beside him, then folded himself onto the floor beside the bed with his legs crossed in front of him. “Believe it or not, I actually listen when you talk.”
Guilt swamped him, and Jory pushed up to a sitting position, careful to not upset his tray. “I didn’t mean it like that. Thank you, Kendall.”
“So, do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“How about you tell me anyway? You’ve been avoiding everyone, and you stay cooped up in this room. Have you even showered since he left?”
Jory pulled his tray to his lap and picked up half the sandwich. He took a bite and chewed slowly as he thought over what to tell his friend. “I miss him. And yes, I’ve showered, smart-ass.” He looked down into his soup and sighed. “I don’t know how to be with him. I don’t know what to say, and I’m afraid I’ll screw up and get sent away.”
“You’re afraid of him,” Kendall said simply.
“Yes and no. I mean, he’s so big, and we don’t exactly have great experiences with men his size. I don’t think he’d really hurt me, though. I guess I’m more scared that he won’t want me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Kendall shook his head, his blond curls bouncing around his face. “You’re scared that he wants you but scared that he doesn’t want you? I think he’s a nice guy.”
Setting his tray aside, Jory rose from the bed and began pacing the room again. “He is a nice guy—almost too nice. That’s what worries me. It’s like he’s too good to be true. No one is ever nice to us unless they want something.”