Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure Read Online Free PDF Page A

gorgeous man that fate had picked just for him. It would never come to fruition if Stavion found out the truth, though. He’d kick Jory out on his ass so fast it would make his head spin. The best part? Jory wouldn’t blame him one bit for it. No one wanted a mate who was tainted as used goods.
    “Jory?”
    Kendall’s quiet voice penetrated the fog of self-loathing, and Jory blinked his eyes, focusing on his friend. “Sorry, honey. I was just thinking.” It was selfish to let his fears and weakness overflow onto the others. “You’re right. We’ll be safe here.” He had to believe it, because it was the only thing left to believe in.
    “Jory? Jory where are you?” Stavion’s voice filtered through the door connecting Jory’s and Kendall’s rooms. He spoke quietly, but he sounded concerned.
    Kendall, Galen, and Aslan all circled him, grinning like loons.
    “Go get him, Jory,” Galen whispered. “He’s really hot.”
    Jory growled at his friend. “He’s mine!”
    Galen batted his lashes playfully and made kissy faces. “Well, you haven’t done anything about it. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”
    Jory rolled his eyes and stomped toward the door. He would not be baited. Yeah, he wanted Stavion, but he wanted to protect himself as well. Stavion still scared the hell out of him. Not only because he was enormous, and Jory didn’t know him from Santa Claus, but because he made Jory feel things that he wasn’t sure he was supposed to feel. Stavion made him want things he couldn’t have.

    And just who the hell said he couldn’t have them? His parents?
    Mistress Glenna? Master Redway or his idiot sons?
    Straightening his spine and squaring his shoulders, Jory marched through the door and into his room. The minute Stavion turned to look at him, his courage died a painful death. His shoulders sagged, his eyes turned down to look at his feet, and he curled in on himself.
    “Jory, there you are.” Stavion was always so careful with him. He never spoke loudly, never called Jory names or belittled him. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
    Jory swallowed hard, and his heart beat up inside his throat. This was it. This was where Stavion told him he was too much trouble and needed to leave.
    “I have to go out of town for a few days at the end of the month. Some friends of mine are getting married, and they’ve asked me to attend the ceremony in Georgia.”
    Jory’s brow wrinkled, but he didn’t take his eyes off his shoelaces.
    Why was Stavion telling him this?
    “I was wondering if you’d like to join me. You don’t have to, of course, but I wanted to ask.” Stavion sounded nervous, which was a strange emotion for such a big man. If Jory was that size, he’d never be afraid of anything. No one would ever mess with him.
    He didn’t say anything. Was it a trick? Was Stavion going to take him to Georgia and leave him there? Maybe he’d just kick him right out of the airplane. Okay, now he was just being stupid, but really.
    Why would Stavion ask him to go?
    A deep sigh drifted to his ears. “I’ll let you think about it. Just tell me what you decide. Or you can tell Malakai if you’re more comfortable speaking with him.”
    Jory liked Malakai. He was a lot less intimidating, and he also happened to not be Jory’s mate, which made it easier to talk to him.
    Before he could figure out what answer Stavion wanted to hear, the man had left the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet snick .

    “Way to go, spaz,” Jory mumbled to himself. He didn’t want to keep messing things up. Unfortunately, that seemed to be his permanent state of being.

    * * * *
    “I’m sorry,” Blaise said from his seat on the other side of the desk. “I didn’t think to warn Willow not to mention anything to Malakai. I never told him that Boston was Malakai’s mate. He didn’t know.”
    Stavion sighed and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “I know, Blaise. I’m not mad at Willow.”