Stevens-Journey [Brac Pack 20] (12 page)

“I’m Carter.” The elf stuck his hand out as he smiled at Steven.

Steven shoved his arm at the creature, praying he got it back in one piece. Roman said everyone here was nice. He had to keep that in mind or he was going to run screaming from the room.

“S–Steven.”

“You look like I’m about to feast on your entrails.” Carter laughed manically as he rubbed his hands together. Either this elf was joking, or Roman had a shitty ass way of getting rid of him.

Steven’s eyes darted around, seeing no one around who might help him. If anyone would. What the hell had his mate gotten him into?

“I’m fine,” he squeaked as he scooted a few inches away from the elf.

“Chill, I haven’t snacked on a human in a very long time.” Carter smacked his lips as he leaned in closer. Steven just knew he was going to faint. There was no two ways about it.

“Leave him alone.” Another man walked into the room, laughing as he situated himself between Steven and Carter. “I’m Josh.” Steven blinked up at the man with
fangs
.
Oh, shit.
This wasn’t happening. Where was Roman? This could
not
be happening. Where in the hell had Taylor brought him? What kind of town was this?

“Carter likes to mess with people,” Josh said as he leaned forward and grabbed the remote. Steven made sure he didn’t make any sudden
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moves. There was no way he was spooking an elf and a vampire. His heart beat a thousand miles a minute, and he prayed the vampire couldn’t scent the blood running through his veins. It was chicken blood because he was scared shitless, but it was blood nonetheless.

“We have video games, or we can shoot pool, or I can take you to go raid the fridge,” Josh offered. Steven was
not
going off anywhere with a vampire. He’d seen the movies, no fucking way.

“I think you’re scaring him.” Carter leaned around Josh and looked Steven up and down. “Yep, he’s paler than you.” Josh turned his head, his eyes raking over Steven. “Nah, I think he was already pale.”

Steven was going to faint. He could feel it. He swallowed, staring straight ahead and refusing to make eye contact. Couldn’t vampires hypnotize you if they looked into your eyes?

Just then, Curtis walked in. Steven remembered him from before.

Was he even human? He sat down on the other side of Steven, making him scoot closer to the vampire. This was
so
not good.

“I remember you, Steven, right?”

Steven nodded, wondering if he was ever going to get off of this ride. It was like being in a funhouse, but instead of ghouls and goblins, there were elves and vampires. He wanted out of this carnival.

“I think I need to go find Roman.” Steven jumped up, hurrying out of the den and through the mansion. He wasn’t sure where he was going. All he knew was that he had to put distance between him and those
men
.

“Are you lost?”

Steven spun around to see a man with blond curls to his shoulders.

Was he human? “I’m trying to find Roman.” His voice cracked, sounding desperate as hell.

“I don’t know who Roman is, but if you tell me, I can try to help.

I’m Johnny.” The man stuck his hand out.

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95

Steven eyed it for a moment before shaking hands. “Steven.

Roman is one of the men building the new cottages.”

“Oh, okay. Follow me.” Johnny led him down a hallway and then into a kitchen. He crossed the room and then opened the back door.

“He’s out there.”

Steven stepped through the door, relief flooding him as he spotted Roman. Instead of disturbing his mate while he worked, Steven opted to sit on one of the picnic tables. There was a flurry in the backyard as someone in a Bobcat cleared the areas where the cottages were going to be built. A truck pulled into the backyard with the words “lumber supply” on the side.

Steven watched in awe as supplies were delivered. He hadn’t noticed anyone sitting on the table next to him. He was too busy watching Roman’s muscles flex as his T-shirt became wet with perspiration. Damn was he hot. Figuratively speaking.

“I’m Heaven.” The man smiled at him.

“Steven.” He glanced up to see a very handsome and…
pregnant
man sitting next to him.
What the hell?
He couldn’t help it. Steven openly stared at the swollen belly. There was no way he was fat. The rest of his body was very slim. How can a man be pregnant? Steven felt the edges of his vision blur as he tried his best not to pass out.

“It’s a long story.” Heaven sighed as he watched the workers.

Steven nodded, not really sure he even wanted to know. Things were very strange around this place. He felt like he had swallowed the red pill and now he found he was in a strange world, maybe not the Matrix, but just as bizarre. Things were never what they seemed.

“One of those cottages is mine,” Heaven said as he leaned back and rubbed his hips. Steven watched the motion, praying that this
man
wasn’t going to give birth right here on the picnic table.

“Uh, are you okay?” He scooted over an inch.

Heaven laughed as he sat back. “I’m fine. I seem to be carrying this one in my hips. It hurts like hell.”
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Maybe he should just go home to the bears. That seemed the sanest place to be right now. Steven knew for a fact there were only bears at the Lakelands’. He wasn’t so sure about this place. Steven spotted Johnny following a few of the workers around, jabbering away. “Excuse me.” Steven quickly walked toward the one person who seemed to be human around this place.

“Hey, Johnny,” Steven called out.

Johnny glanced over at him and smiled. “What’s up, Steven?” Steven sidestepped a man carrying large bags in his hands before joining Johnny at his side. “Can anyone here give me a ride home?” He didn’t want to disturb Roman. He’d already pulled his mate away once today.

“Sure. Let me go find someone for you.” Johnny ran across the yard, disappearing into the house. Steven wanted to follow, but he didn’t want to run into any more bizarre people in there.

Steven noticed a few of the workers stealing glances at him. He shrugged it off. Most of his life men came onto him. David had told him on more than one occasion how gorgeous he was.

Steven never thought so, but the looks he had always gotten begged to differ. He wasn’t a shallow man and could care less what he looked like. It was how he was treated that mattered to him. Steven tucked some black strands of hair behind his ear as he waited for Johnny to return.

Roman must have hired some extra men because he didn’t recognize some of them from the crew his mate used on the bike shop and shelter. He jumped when a set of hands slid around his hips.

“Hey, tiger.” Roman nipped his ear.

“Hi.” He laid his hands on Roman’s chest as he looked around.

“I’ve never seen a house built from scratch before.”

“It takes a lot, but we should have the first one built in two weeks with all the help here.” Roman’s fingers twined with Steven’s.

“Bored?”

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“Actually, I asked Johnny to find me a ride home if you don’t mind. I’d rather be around your family. I met a vampire, someone who just appeared right in front of me, and a pregnant man. I’d rather go home where it’s a little saner.”

Roman grunted in his ear. “I’ll take you.” He released Steven as he pulled him toward the side of the house.

Steven pulled his hand away. “No. I’ve already made you leave once. I can manage. You have a job to run.” He noticed one of the workers watching them but averted his eyes when the worker saw Steven looking at him. “I think you should stay.” Just then Johnny walked through the backyard with a very large man. He smiled at Roman and Steven. “This is my mate, Hawk. He said he would take you home.”

Steven saw Roman assessing Hawk. They did the man-stare thing, and then Roman nodded. “He’s my mate.” Roman made it perfectly clear to Hawk.

“And Johnny is mine.” Hawk smiled at Steven and then headed for the parking lot.

“Are you sure he’s safe?” Steven whispered to Roman.

Both Johnny and Roman chuckled. “He’s mated,” Roman stated as he placed his hands on Steven’s hips. “He has no interest in anyone but Johnny.”

Steven felt much better when Johnny informed him that he would be riding with them. Roman walked them to Hawk’s truck. Steven glanced behind them as he walked, seeing the worker still staring at him. He quickly turned his head and looked at where he was going.

Roman pulled Steven close for a kiss before releasing him. Steven licked his bottom lip as Roman smiled down at him. “There’s more where that came from when I finish up here. See you at home.” Roman patted his ass before walking backwards. “See you at home, tiger,” Roman repeated as he winked at him and then turned around, walking away.

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“That was hot.” Johnny giggled as he waited for Steven to crawl into the backseat of the cab. He felt his face heat as he climbed in.

“Get in, pretty baby.” Hawk chuckled from the driver’s side. “I’ll show you what hot is as soon as we get back home.” Now it was Johnny’s turn to have his cheeks pinked. “Can you do that thing where you—”

“Johnny,” Hawk warned as he smiled. “No telling our business.” Steven sat in the back with a smile. It wasn’t too often he had seen partners this comfortable with each other. Where he was from, the couples he had been exposed to argued a lot, mostly over money or cheating. It was a real shit-glamour life. Even though these people weren’t human—he wasn’t sure about this particular couple—they seemed to have a sense of wanting things to work, not jumping down each other’s throat at the first sign of discord.

They seemed genuinely content with each other, like best friends.

Steven got out of the truck when they dropped him off, waving at the couple as he walked up to the house. Chauncey and Chance were hanging around the porch. “Do you guys ever work?” Every time he saw them, they were either watching television or getting into some kind of trouble.

“Working right now, pipsqueak,” Chauncey teased. “Working on doing not a damn thing.” He slapped his thigh as he laughed.

Steven shook his head as he sat on the swing. He liked the Lakelands. They were really nice people. He had witnessed so much acceptance and togetherness on the farm and in this community, that it made him question the people he had surrounded himself with back in the city.

It was like night and day.

“Seriously, though. Chauncey pissed Pa off, so he told us to get away from him before he was minus a son,” Chance answered from beside him.

“Then why did he make you leave?”

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Chance glared at Chauncey. “Because we’re twins. Every time he looked at me, he said I reminded him of shit-for-brains over there.” Chance pointed to his twin, who was perched on the rail. He was surprised it didn’t give under the large bear’s weight.

Again it amazed him how large the Lakeland men were. Their mother probably needed a set of tongs and a hammer to deliver them.

Steven laughed as he flopped down next to Chance. “There’s nothing to do. Roman doesn’t want me working with him because of Dommy. He’s afraid he won’t be able to keep a close eye on me, and they closed the resource center to do some final touches on it.” Steven tucked a few stray hairs behind his ear as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Any suggestions?”

“Wrong question,” Chance warned as Chauncey whooped.

“I wanted to go into town. Ya see, there’s this hot little number I’ve been after for a while. I was thinking you could lure him in and then—”

“Whoa.” Steven held his hands in front of him. “I’m not luring anybody—”

Chauncey threw his head back and laughed, slapping his knee. “I had you going, didn’t I?”

“I told you wrong question.” Chance chuckled. “Never give him enough rope. He’ll hang
you
with his crazy ideas.”

“Then you decide what we can do around here,” Steven said to the twin sitting on the swing with him. These two may be twins, but Chance was different. They both had a great sense of humor, but this twin was more subtle about it. He wasn’t loud and outgoing like Chauncey was, but still, he was always in league with his brother.

When you saw one, you saw his mirror image right behind him.

Steven wondered about their mate. Would they have the same one? Did twins share in that aspect? He hoped not. The poor guy would probably run away as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs if he had to deal with both of them as mates. It would be
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funny to see though. These two would probably fall all over themselves to please the guy. He could just tell.

“Pa wants us to take the truck in for service at Mark’s Garage,” Chance said as he stood and stretched. “Guess we could get that out of the way.”

Steven joined the two brothers on their ride into town. They dropped the truck off and then did a little shopping. They ordered feed at the local grocery store for the animals back on the farm. Steven walked between the two, looking at the town as they strolled along.

Steven suddenly found himself being lifted from the ground, someone grabbing him from behind. He squealed as he fought to get free. Why the hell were Chauncey and Chance just standing there?

His question was soon answered when he heard the familiar laughter in his ear. “Calm down, sweetheart.”

“Damn it, Roman. You almost gave me a heart attack.” Steven kicked his leg back, giving his mate a good swift one in his knee. The twins stood there roaring with laughter as Roman grunted and set Steven on his feet, rubbing his bruised skin.

Roman grabbed Steven’s hand and kissed the back of his knuckles. “What are you guys up to?”

“We’re just hanging out until Mark’s done with our truck,” Chance informed Roman as Steven pressed into his mate’s side.

Steven gloried in having his strong mate standing next to him. It seemed that every time he was in Roman’s presence, he felt at ease, safe.