by Lynn Hagen
Poppy grinned. “And you stop throwing your meat at me.”
The little neon-haired imp squealed and ran deeper inside the house when Jet got up and chased after him.
Raven didn’t mind. In fact he laughed as he watched Jet run inside. His home no longer felt achingly lonely. He welcomed the shenanigans. It made his house feel more like a home with the sounds of Jet threatening his cousin.
With a sigh, Raven got up so he could rescue poor Poppy.
Chapter Six
Raven wasn’t sure what had woken him in the middle of the night. Jet was tucked against him, sound asleep. Easing from under his mate, Raven got up and slid his jeans on then pulled a T-shirt over his head. Normally he would’ve walked naked to the kitchen for something to drink, but Poppy was in the house, and while Raven didn’t think twice about his nudity, Jet wouldn’t be pleased about his meat being on display.
He walked quietly out of the bedroom, careful not to wake his mate. The house was pitch-black, but Raven saw just fine. Being a shifter allowed him that luxury. He couldn’t see as well as in the daytime but enough that he didn’t bump into any furniture.
He passed the couch and saw Poppy fast asleep. Poppy was a nice guy, but an ugly sleeper. His hair was spread out around his head like neon-green flames, and his mouth hung wide open as he lightly snored.
With a shake of his head, Raven headed into the kitchen. He grabbed a container from the fridge and poured himself a glass of ice-cold water.
Then he heard a noise. A metal clank. Raven used his foot to close the fridge while setting his glass and the plastic container on the table. He moved to the living room then stopped in the middle of the room and listened.
A low curse.
His hearing was exceptional. He knew the sound had come from outside the house. He’d never had any visitors other than people who came to his shop. Raven had never invited anyone over to where he lived.
He grabbed his boots by the front door and slid them on, taking his time to tie them. When he straightened, he went to his bedroom and eased his closet door open. On the shelf, in a metal box, was his .38. He used the key in his top dresser drawer to open the box and removed the revolver.
Raven slipped out the back door. He didn’t want to chance waking Poppy. The gentle September breeze rustled the leaves in the trees and fanned across the grass as Raven made his way around his house with quiet, sure steps.
He saw a flashlight beam in one of the windows of his shop. Had he forgotten to set the alarm when he’d shut down earlier? He couldn’t remember. Jet had come to the shop and enticed Raven away from his work with promises of sucking him off.
Raven had gone without coaxing, but he couldn’t recall setting the alarm. Shit.
He was hesitant to call the cops. Raven wasn’t sure if Sheriff Copache, Deputy Burrows, or Deputy Christopher were on duty. Copache was mated to Moose and knew about the preternatural word. Deputy Christopher was a coyote shifter, and Deputy Burrows was a lion shifter.
If the person breaking into his place of business wasn’t human, and those men weren’t on duty, then a human deputy would take the call, and Raven refused to put a human’s life in danger.
He briefly thought of his father’s threat, but if one of his father’s men had found him, they would’ve gone to the house. That was the same if one of Jet’s people had located his mate. They wouldn’t be snooping around the garage.
Raven dug into his pocket, thankful his work keys were still in there, and used the key to unlock the back door, his weapon at his side. He moved swiftly and silently as he entered the building, pinpointing where the noise was coming from.
The bay area.
He had thousands of dollars’ worth of tools in there. That would be pay dirt for a thief. And that was what Raven prayed the person was. A thief he could handle. Men who worked for his father, or for Arion, that would be a different set of problems he didn’t want to deal with right now.
Another low curse and something metal clanging to the floor. Raven scented the air. The intruder was human. He eased toward his office and opened the door, shutting himself in. There was a large glass window that overlooked the bays where Raven could keep an eye on the intruder as he called the cops. He made sure he saw the outline of the person but was out of sight in case the intruder looked his way.
“I need to report a break-in,” Raven said after the dispatcher answered. “Timely Auto Repairs. Someone is in here.”
Since Raven knew the person was human, he would treat this situation like humans would.
“I’ve dispatched a unit to your location, sir. Are you safe?”
Raven almost rolled his eyes. The day a human could overpower him was the day he hung up his claws. “Yeah, I’m safe, but the intruder won’t be if the cops don’t get here in time.”
He hung up, which he knew wasn’t protocol. He didn’t give a shit. Raven wanted to confront whoever it was and let the bastard know that robbing him had been a huge mistake.
Moving silently, he made his way back out of his office and headed for the bay area. He held his revolver in front of him as he rounded the corner. “Make one false fucking move and I’ll blow your goddamn brains out.”
The guy had his back to Raven. He slowly raised his arms into the air. At the stranger’s feet was a bag filled with some pretty expensive tools. One was a cordless crimping tool he’d paid five grand for, and it was still pretty fucking new. Another was a shaft alignment tool that had set him back ten grand.
The intruder spun, whipping a large metal ratchet at Raven’s head as he tried to escape. Raven ducked in time and cursed before he took off after the guy.
They made it to the parking lot before Raven dove for him and tackled the guy just as sirens filled the air. The stranger tried to slug Raven with his elbow, but Raven pressed the barrel of his gun against the back of the man’s head. “Don’t fucking move.”
The guy stilled as the cop car screeched to a halt in the parking lot. Raven snarled when he saw Deputy Joshua Hayley get out. He was the last person Raven wanted handling this case. The guy was a complete dick, and Raven had heard how the deputy had handled Emilio’s almost-rape.
The bastard had walked away and let someone else handle what had happened to Emilio.
“You got a permit for the weapon?” Deputy Hayley asked as he approached, his own gun drawn.
Raven eased off the intruder, set his gun on the ground, far enough away from everyone, and then nodded. “I have, and this guy just tried to rob me.”
Hayley moved closer, patted the guy down one-handed, then holstered his weapon before turning the stranger over.
Raven’s jaw dropped. “Woody?”
He’d been so busy making sure the intruder wouldn’t get away that he hadn’t paid attention to the scent.
“Do you know him?” Deputy Hayley pulled Woody from the ground and handcuffed him.
“He did work for me,” Raven snarled. “What the fuck, man? Why would you rob me?”
Even though the human hadn’t worked for him for long, Raven felt betrayed. He’d given the guy chance after chance, even when Woody had proven he sucked as a mechanic.
Another cop car pulled in, and Deputy Roy Benton got out. He looked from Raven, to Woody, to the gun on the ground.
“Is this armed robbery?” Roy asked.
Hayley shook his head. “The gun is registered to Mr. McCoy.”
Raven was shocked Hayley hadn’t made him pull out his permit. The prick had taken Raven at his word.
Hayley handed Woody off to Roy. “Put him in the back of your car while I go inside and see what he was trying to steal.”
Raven wasn’t sure what to think. Normally Hayley was a complete douche bag. He was acting way too professional for Raven’s comfort.
“Yeah…uh…this way.” Raven led the deputy inside. He turned on the bay lights, and brightness flooded the area. Raven and Joshua squinted until their eyes adjusted. Just because Raven had superior sight didn’t mea
n he adjusted smoothly. “He was filling that bag.” Raven pointed to the red-and-black duffel bag on the floor.
Hayley gave a low whistle. “You give me a list of how much you paid for the stuff, and I can add grand larceny to his breaking and entering. That looks like some pretty expensive stuff.”
“I’ll have a copy of the receipts brought to the station in the morning.” Raven was still thrown off by Hayley’s professionalism, but he wasn’t going to complain. He’d take that over the guy’s snarky and rude comments any day.
“I’ll make the report when I get back to the station,” Hayley said. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Raven stood there stunned as Hayley walked out of the garage. The deputy should’ve taken the bag with him as evidence, which would have hurt Raven’s business since he really needed the equipment for a car he was currently working on.
What the fuck just happened?
* * * *
Jet was excited to go into town, although his mate had had his reservations. It had actually been Poppy who had talked Raven into going, and for that, Jet was grateful to his cousin. He’d never imagined living in a small town, and as the sights passed by him from the passenger window of Raven’s car window, Jet had already fallen in love with the place.
This was different from when Raven had taken Jet from Moose’s house and brought him home. They hadn’t entered the downtown area.
It was Saturday morning, hardly any cars on the street as Raven pulled in front of the police station. It didn’t take long for Raven to complete the necessary paperwork from last night’s break-in before they were heading to the diner.
Jet still couldn’t believe all that had happened last night and he’d slept through it.
He smiled when Raven reached for his hand. Jet had never had anyone hold his hand before, and it felt wonderful.
“I wanna a guy to hold my hand,” Poppy complained.
Jet pointed to an elderly man crossing the street. “There you go, buddy.”
Raven chuckled.
Poppy grinned. “Just as long as he can still get it up.”
Jet gaped at his cousin. “Oh my god. You’re so nasty!”
The elderly man looked as if he could be in his nineties.
With a laugh, Poppy hurried ahead of them and waited at the diner door. Jet made sure his ears were covered before they walked in to the most delicious aromas he had ever smelled. A few people cast glances their way, eyebrows arched as the three of them took seats in a booth.
“Why’re people staring?” Jet whispered.
Raven tugged on strands of Jet’s hair. “I have no idea.”
Jet was shocked to see Moose working there. The giant walked toward them with sure footing, not lumbering considering his size, and graced them with a gorgeous smile.
“Hey, guys. Glad to see you in town.” Moose’s brows slightly furrowed as he looked around and lowered his voice. “Should you be out in public?”
“Why shouldn’t we?” Raven whispered back with a twinkle in his eyes. Jet was seated next to his mate, while Poppy had sat across from them.
Jet waved a hand at his cousin. “Moose, this is Poppy, my cousin.”
Poppy sat there staring wide-eyed at Moose.
The giant winked at Poppy. “Love your hair color.”
Poppy blushed and grinned. “Thanks. I love your towering size.”
With a chuckle, Moose asked, “What can I start you guys off with?”
Raven ordered coffee, and Jet and Poppy ordered orange juice.
“Coming right up.” Moose walked away.
“This town is so quaint,” Jet said as he looked around. Besides visiting his cousin once a month for a weekend, Jet had never been out of the dark realm. He wanted to explore the town and see what it had to offer. He might be fae and able to wield magic, but Maple Grove was what felt like magic to him.
They were still getting some strange looks, but all in all, Jet was thoroughly enjoying himself.
“After breakfast, I think I’m going to go exploring,” Poppy said. “No offense to your hospitality, but I don’t want to sit around all day.”
“Just be careful,” Raven said and then lowered his voice. “If you feel like you’re in danger, shimmer back to my place.”
Poppy nodded.
“He can’t just go wandering around,” Jet argued, although that was exactly what he himself planned on doing. “It’s not safe.”
“I highly doubt Alston and Sindri will snatch me off a public street,” Poppy said. “I’ll be fine.”
Jet forgot about his protest when Raven settled his hand on his thigh, brushing his thumb up and down and making Jet feel as though he was the luckiest man on the planet. He wasn’t used to this kind of affection, this kind of attention from anyone, let alone someone he was intimate with.
And Jet was eating it all up. He wasn’t invisible to Raven. His mate wanted to touch him, to look at him, and to kiss him. If he didn’t think it would be a spectacle, Jet would climb into Raven’s lap. But he remained seated at his mate’s side as Moose brought their drinks.
“We’ll have the blueberry waffles and some bacon,” Raven said.
“You got it.” Moose walked away again and headed to the order window.
Some guy came out of the kitchen and approached their table. He had hazel eyes and dark hair with highlights of brown mixed in. He also had a beard that was braided.
Raven half stood and shook the man’s hand before he sat back down. “Hey, Cyril, how’s it going?”
Cyril gave an easy smile as he looked between Jet and Poppy. “Saw some funky hair and had to see for myself,” he said. He winked at Jet. “Love the rainbow look.”
Jet felt himself blush. “Thanks.”
Raven waved at Jet and said in a low tone. “This is my mate, Jet.” He nodded at Poppy. “And that’s his cousin, Poppy.”
Poppy gave a wave as he smiled. “Are you the cook? The food smells delicious.”
“I am, and thank you,” Cyril said. “I just came by to say you guys have some cool hair and I’m digging it.”
Aside from Raven and now Cyril, no one had ever complimented Jet’s hair. His parents had hated it and had demanded he change the color. Jet had, but as soon as he wasn’t around them, he’d changed it back. He might not be that great at using magic, but he had the art of changing his hair color down pat.
Jet excused himself when he spotted a sign for the restrooms. He not only had to go but he wanted to make sure his pointy ears weren’t showing. They probably weren’t, but Jet felt self-conscious in front of the humans.
Thankful the two-stall bathroom was empty, Jet checked himself in the mirror and was satisfied his pointy ears were covered. He relieved himself and went back to the sink to wash his hands. As he rinsed the soap off, the hairs on his arm stood on end.
Jet stilled, looking around. He didn’t see anyone, but he felt someone. He backed away from the sink, grabbing paper towels to dry his hands. An electric charge filled the air seconds before Alston and Sindri shimmered in.
Jet opened his mouth to scream, but shut it when he remembered he was in a place filled with humans. If one of them rushed in to help, they might get hurt.
“By order of King Arion, we are to escort you back to the fae realm,” Sindri said. “Give us any trouble and we’ve been given permission to obtain you by any means necessary.”
While Sindri looked as if he wanted Jet to fight, Alston didn’t appear to be so inclined. He gave a slight shake to his head, as though telling Jet not to resist. Maybe he was being nice because he’d dated Poppy, but Jet didn’t give a flying fuck. There was no way he was going anywhere with these two.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to appear tough, though he was shaking like crazy on the inside. “Make trouble around these humans, expose us, and the Ultionem will bring wrath down on your heads.”
It was the only thing he could think to say, the only thing that would probably save him. He spun and raced from the bath
room, thankful they’d caught him by the door instead of in a stall where he would’ve been trapped with no way out.
When he reached his table, Raven smiled at him, but his smile slipped as he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Those two goons from Poppy’s house are in the bathroom. They ordered me to return with them, but I escaped.”
Raven moved toward the bathroom, but Jet grabbed his mate’s arm. “Don’t. They’re too powerful. You won’t stand a chance against them.”
Raven looked like he was fighting to keep his canines from lengthening. “I knew coming into town was a bad idea.”
Not only did Jet feel fear, but disappointment, too. He’d really wanted to have a nice day exploring Maple Grove. He wanted to go back into the bathroom and kicked Alston and Sindri in their balls for ruining his day.
“Problem?” Moose walked over to them.
Jet stiffened when a human male got up from his booth where he looked to be having breakfast with his family and headed toward the bathroom. He prayed to god Alston and Sindri were no longer in there.
No such luck. The two walked out of the bathroom and headed Jet’s way. It seemed his threat went unheeded. Sindri had determination written all over his face as he bore down on Jet.
“Plenty of problems,” Raven said.
Sindri curled his lip when he spotted Raven. Then his gaze shifted to Poppy.
This was bad.
Real bad.
Alston’s lips moved as he waved his hand. Every human in the diner froze in movement. Jet looked at the table next to theirs and saw a woman pouring syrup on her waffles. She might’ve frozen, but the syrup kept pouring.
“You lied to me,” Sindri snarled at Raven. “You knew who Poppy was, and you’re harboring two fugitives.”
Cyril came out of the kitchen, joining them. “What the fuck is going on here, and why are the humans frozen?”
Raven, Moose, and Cyril looked deadly, and Jet wished that was enough to scare the guards away. But he knew it wasn’t. These two always got their man, no matter the means.
Jet placed a hand on Raven’s arm. He knew the damage Alston and Sindri could cause, and he didn’t want any of the shifters in here to get hurt because of him.
