Hunting Haven
Chapter Nine

Gabriel

I jolted upright in bed, heart slamming in my chest. The sound of my phone ringing had interrupted my attempt to fall asleep. It was damn near impossible to stifle the panic that began to build as the ring tone I’d set exclusively for Dane chimed through the room.

“What happened?” I asked, already out of bed and tugging a pair of jeans on before he could respond.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the screen to verify that the caller was indeed Dane. His name was reflected on the screen, but apparently my brain wasn’t alert enough to connect the dots. In no situation could I even begin to imagine why the hell he’d be calling me sweetheart.

“What the fu-” I began, but he cut me off.

“It’s Haven, right? Can I get another Miller Lite?”

That son of a bitch. “Don’t fucking tell me you’re inside Callahan’s! What the hell, man? You’re supposed to be watching the bar perimeter.”

“Oh hey, bro.” I could hear the smug smile in his voice. He was lucky that I couldn’t reach through the phone and hit him because every part of me wanted to bust his lip.

He was supposed to be watching her from a distance, making sure she was safe. Not fucking drinking and bothering her at work.

I knew damn well his sweetheart had been planned. He’d waited until I answered to call her the endearment. Dick.

Dane was antagonistic on the best of days, but he hit a whole new level with this one.

“I’m at Callahan’s. Come join me for a drink so I don’t have to keep harassing this beautiful bartender.”

My jaw audibly snapped together, my teeth clacking in anger. Was Haven beautiful? Absolutely. Did men and women hit on her at work daily? Definitely. But, just because those were facts didn’t mean I had to like that people—especially Dane—flirted with her constantly.

“I’ll be there in twenty,” I snapped before hanging up.

Leaving Haven alone with Dane pawing at her was definitely not an option. It was unfair that he’d so casually strolled in there while I’d spent the past few weeks avoiding her.

After she’d picked up her car from Tommy’s, I kept my distance, watching her from afar in the hopes of keeping her safe. Not wanting to ruin the friendship between us, even if I should have never let one form with a vampire’s target in the first place, I blamed the absence of my presence in her life on work.

It wasn’t hard to do. Not when her bloodsucking stalker had taken a step back from Haven, only to leave a string of drained victims that held eerily similar features. Not being able to replace the leech, to save her and the women who met their untimely ends just because they were dark-haired, brown-eyed beauties, made me feel like the ultimate failure. The thing clearly knew that we were protecting her, and it tried to divide our attention by leaving other victims.

Five women had lost their lives so far, and—predictably—there were no leads to be found. The vampire treated the dead women with care, a fact that made me wonder if he’d tried to somehow delude himself into believing they were truly Haven, if only for a little bit.

He’d drained them dry, but then healed the puncture wounds his fangs had left. The dried husks he’d left behind were arranged with care, a single rose held in their delicately folded hands as if he’d prepared them for his own twisted version of a memorial service.

Each body we found made me more desperate to replace and end him, but it would have been easier to catch the wind. Until he surfaced again, until he decided enough was enough and made his move for the real Haven instead of his unlucky stand-ins, I had no way to track him.

I tore my thoughts away from the tragedy that plagued our county as I pulled up to Callahan’s. Lamenting over my failure to save innocent humans while I struggled to keep Haven protected around the clock wouldn’t help me catch the leech any sooner. Instead, I turned my attention to the other predator that circled around her as I walked into the bar.

I’m not sure if he felt my glare or caught my scent first, but he faced me immediately. He waved, calling my name across the bar as if I wasn’t already beelining toward him. Dick. I’d intended to drag his ass out of the bar before Haven noticed I’d arrived, but his greeting had ruined all chances of that.

She turned around and hit me with that gorgeous smile of hers, and I was done for. No matter how hard I’d tried to avoid her, to resist her charms, it was like she was the sun and gravity pulled me towards her. Resistance was futile, but I still put in the effort.

Once the vampire was gone and she was safe, I’d move on. I’d been in Illinois too long. Long enough for Julie to replace me, and if she knew where I was, it was safe to bet the rest of the Hunter’s Association did as well.

There was no future for Haven and I. It was honestly the only reason I even tried to combat my growing feelings for her. She was a complex woman who deserved the world. Starting something with her only to disappear and never see her again wouldn’t be fair to either of us.

“Gabe!” She shouted my name, exiting the bar area to give me a hug. It wasn’t her normal greeting, but I wasn’t going to complain about her arms being around me.

I hugged her back, placing a hand on the small of her back. She looked up at me through those thick eyelashes of hers and I had to step back and release her. She was far too tempting for my own good.

“I thought you were working tonight.” Her eyes narrowed slightly in accusation.

“I got off at ten. It’s been a long couple of weeks, but my buddy called me up. Figured I’d kill two birds with one stone and come see you both.”

Her smile upped in wattage before it was dimmed by some drunk guy calling for another round. She rolled her eyes while facing me, almost conspiratorially, before turning around and making her way back behind the bar to give him another round.

I continued on the path to Dane that she’d interrupted. I opened my mouth to bitch him out as I slid onto the stool beside him, but he cut me off. “Awe, Gabe. I’m your buddy?”

I punched his ribs under the counter so no one noticed. A huff of air escaped him upon contact, but he laughed anyway.

“You were supposed to stay outside.”

“I feel like a creep watching someone I don’t even know. Besides, you’re the one who literally just had your hands on her. I just asked her for a couple beers.”

“It was a hug.”

“Uh-huh. So you’re not going to admit you want her then?”

“I don’t want her,” I insisted, my words coming out harsher than I’d intended.

“Oh, really? Well then, maybe I should give it a shot. She’d be much easier to protect if I was in bed already.”

“I suggest you shut the fuck up before I have a vet put you down.”

My quip made him laugh, but I was only partially kidding. Because if he actually pursued Haven? I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist ending his existence.

Just because I couldn’t have her didn’t mean I was okay with her being with a shifter. They were barely a step up from vampires. I really need to get lavender in her system somehow.

“What can I get you to drink? Dr. Pepper?” Haven offered as soon as she had a moment.

“A tall 312, actually.”

Her eyebrows knitted together as she pursed her lips. “I really didn’t think you drank at all, Deputy.”

“Yeah, well, it’s been a rough couple of weeks.”

She nodded, her eyes full of understanding and compassion. It still shocked me sometimes, the differences between the Haven I’d come to know and the feisty woman I’d first met.

She set the beer down in front of me and leaned against the bar top. I had to resist the urge to look down, knowing that her positioning paired with her signature fitted v-neck had her cleavage on display.

Dane had no such resolve. I kicked the leg of his chair in warning as she spoke.

“Do you have any days off coming up?”

“Aren’t you off tomorrow, Gabe?” the panther interjected before I had the opportunity to come up with a lie. Between the pair of them, it was impossible to resist her. Besides, the thought of Dane pursuing her combined with the fact that he’d yet to remove his gaze from her boobs made me confirm that I was indeed off the following day.

“Cool. You look like you could decompress some. Let’s hang out. I know just the place to help you relax.”

Her face was luminescent, hope visibly shining in her eyes, and I found that I had no choice but to say yes. Leaving her would be hard, but she was tough, and she’d survive. As long as we didn’t cross the line, we could be friends.

Yeah, I didn’t believe myself either.

“Sounds good. What time do you want me to pick you up?”

“Nope. You’re having a relaxing day tomorrow. I’ll pick you up. Besides, I have wheels again, remember?”

“I feel like I need to make a pit stop at the office and pull your driving record before I can consent to that. Didn’t you just have to have your car repaired twice within the last month?”

“Hey!” She swatted at my arm playfully. “I couldn’t help the break-in and it wasn’t my fault the transmission went.”

“Sure, blame it on the trans. I’m sure your driving had nothing to do with why it started switching gears in the first place.”

She playfully glared at me before turning her attention to Dane. The panther was draining his beer, watching her from the corner of his eye. “I changed my mind. I don’t want to go out with him anymore. He’s an ass. Are you free tomorrow?”

He snorted so hard he choked on his beer, laughing hysterically as I glared at him and thumped him on the back harder than necessary.

“Not funny,” I grumbled as she grinned at me.

“Awe. Are you jealous, Gabe? Maybe you should be nicer to me.”

I let out a long, suffering sigh. “Why do I put up with you again?”

“We ask ourselves that every day she works,” a red-headed bartender answered as she joined our little group.

The rest of the bar had died down since I’d entered, not that it’d been very busy when I’d arrived in the first place. 1:00 am on a Tuesday was apparently not a busy time for Callahan’s.

“Hi, I’m Jenna.” She turned toward Haven, her short bob bouncing around her face. “So are you done flirting with your man? We close in an hour and there’s still a mountain of glassware to wash.”

Haven hip bumped the other woman, shooting her a glare that I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to notice. “Not my man and not flirting. Maybe there wouldn’t be a pile of glassware if you washed it as you work like I do. Notice my half of the bar is sparkling.”

“Don’t be mean,” Jenna whined. “Help me wash them, please?” She dragged the word out for ten seconds too long.

I returned my attention to the beer I’d been nursing since I’d arrived, drinking it down while they playfully bickered.

Haven placed both hands on Jenna’s back, leading her towards the other half of the bar. She paused and looked at me over her shoulder when the redhead reluctantly began to wash dishes. “That one’s on the house. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be at your house at five,” I replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Make it three.”

“Can’t wait.” Unfortunately for the both of us, I meant it.