Catching Rainbows, page 1

Maple Grove 8
Catching Rainbows
[Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Alternative Contemporary Paranormal Romantic Suspense Romance, MM, shape-shifter, werewolves, HEA]
Raven McCoy is in hiding from his pack. He has no desire to take over the mantle of leadership when his father steps down. But Robert McCoy isn’t taking no for an answer. His father sends his best man to track Raven down and bring him home. But Raven isn’t going anywhere. Not when he’s just found his mate, and not when Jet has trouble on his heels.
Jet Atherton leaves the dark realm once a month to visit his cousin. But on his last visit, something went terribly wrong. Jet is missing two weeks of his life, and he has no memory of what happened to him. All he knows is that he showed up at a mechanic shop, and the owner saved his life. There’s just one problem. Raven is his mate and Jet has to get away from him before the wolf shifter discovers that Jet is Unseelie, the most hated fae in the preternatural world.
Lynn Hagen is a Siren-exclusive author.
Length: 31,800 words
CATCHING RAINBOWS
Maple Grove 8
Lynn Hagen

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
Catching Rainbows
Copyright © 2019 by Lynn Hagen
ISBN: 978-1-64243-978-6
First Publication: September 2019
Cover design by Emma Nicole
All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CATCHING RAINBOWS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
CATCHING RAINBOWS
Maple Grove 8
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2019
Chapter One
“Do you think I don’t have the power or the resources to find you?”
When Robert McCoy wanted something, he usually got it. But Raven was determined not to cave or feel intimidated by his father’s threat. It had been thirty years since he’d last heard his father’s voice, and damn it, he hated that his stomach shrank and a headache started at his temple.
Most people’s bark was worse than their bite, but not his father. Robert’s bite was lethal. And if that didn’t get the job done, Robert had men—Raven referred to them as henchmen—at his disposal that would carry out his orders without question.
Not only was his father alpha of their pack but he also ran McCoy Industries, a multi-million-dollar software company.
“I know you have the power and resources,” Raven said as he sat on a rickety chair in front of his mechanic shop. He used one hand to hold the cell phone to his ear, the other to press fingers against his eyelids in frustration. “I just don’t understand why you won’t let Michael take over. He’s wanted the position as alpha and president of your company since we were pups, and he’s perfect for both jobs.”
“Because your cousin isn’t my goddamn son,” Robert snarled. “We don’t play fast and loose with the mantle of leadership. It is your destiny and birthright, Raven. I can’t understand why you refuse to accept your responsibilities and live the life you were born to live.”
Raven remained quiet. No amount of arguing would sway his father. When Robert’s mind was made up, there was no changing it. Raven should know. He’d argued with his father about this for a decade before Raven had had enough and bailed. Raven wasn’t one to shuck his responsibilities, but he would be damned if he was forced into something he didn’t want to do.
“You will either come home where you belong, or I swear I’ll send every available man under my command to hunt you down and bring you back.”
Raven wasn’t even sure how his father had gotten his cell phone number, but as soon as they were done with the call, he was turning it off and throwing it away.
“Why are you doing this? You know this is what your mother wanted for you.”
“Don’t even try that guilt trip on me,” Raven bit out. “I’ve been telling you for years that I don’t want to lead our pack or run the company, but you never listen to me. My arguments fell on deaf ears, and they still do.”
“You are going to come home, find a good woman to settle down with, and fulfill your duties. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re gay. You can find a side piece for that. But you will bear an heir and stop acting as though your life as our future leader means nothing!”
Before his father could finish his tirade, Raven hung up, turned his phone off, and tossed it aside. It seemed three decades had done nothing to sway his father. Robert hadn’t said hello, hadn’t asked how his only son had been doing in all this time, nothing. He’d started in on Raven as soon as he’d answered his phone.
Fuck, he had a goddamn migraine now.
He looked up to see an old Pontiac pull into the lot, smoke billowing from under the hood.
Mrs. Krasnow opened the driver’s door and used her cane to get out. As soon as she spotted Raven, a scowl erupted over her deeply wrinkled face.
It seemed his day wasn’t going to improve.
“I thought you told me I was good to go?” She pointed her cane at Raven, and for a second, he thought she would assault him with it. “My car is still acting up, just like before you supposedly fixed it. Are you in the habit of swindling your customers?”
Raven pinched the bridge of his nose, telling himself not to lose his cool and kill his hired mechanic. This was the second car that had been returned to his shop with the owner telling him their vehicle still had a problem.
With a tight smile in place, he rose from his seat, reining in his anger and forcing it down. Just because he was livid with his father didn’t mean he would take it out on others.
Raven started to go inside to get Woody, but just then, the human walked from the bay, wiping his hands on a cloth as he looked between them. Raven wanted to choke the life out of him.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Krasnow,” Raven said as he kept his tight smile in place. “Your car will be ready for you first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Woody will give you a lift home.”
Woody looked wide-eyed at Raven. “But I replaced the bad hose,” he said.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Raven said between clenched teeth. “Just get Mrs. Krasnow home safe and sound.”
Raven didn’t seem to have any luck with employees, and he was getting sick of going behind Woody and fixing his errors. The guy was supposed to be a certified mechanic, but so far, he was just a certified screw-up.
Marshall, the guy before Woody, had been the same way. He hadn’t known a radiator hose from a tailpipe. And before him, Kenny. But to be fair, Kenny had never claimed he could work on cars. Raven had just been helping Kenny out and had hired the guy to clean up the garage.
And Kenny had bitched countless times about not making enough money. What was Raven supposed to have done, paid Kenny top-dollar mechanic wages for skills he didn’t have? Raven had thought minimum wage had been fair. He’d even let Kenny work long hours so he could make a decent living.
“Don’t take forever,” Raven warned as Woody stormed away.
If this kept up, Raven would have to fire Woody, and that would leave him in a bind…again. Raven was a damn good mechanic. He’d been working on cars for over fifty years, although he looked in his mid-thirties. He knew an engine inside and out and always staked his reputation on his work.
If only he could find someone who knew what they were fucking doing.
As soon as Woody drove away, another car pulled into the lot. Raven gave a low growl, wishing he could have five goddamn minutes to himself after the phone call from his father. If he didn’t have so many cars to work on, he would shut down for the day and go for a long ride on his motorcycle to clear his head.
Fat chance of that happening.
The minivan came to a stop, and the driver stumbled from the car. The stranger looked like death warmed over as he stared bleary-eyed at Rave
Cocking his head to the side, Raven looked the guy over. Had he been crying, or was he sick? “Can I help you?”
Please make this quick. I don’t have the patience to deal with anyone right now.
The rainbow-haired man swayed as he walked, and he was sweating profusely. Was he drunk?
“Do you need help?” Raven forgot about his shitty day as he moved forward. “Hey, can you answer me?”
The guy groaned, and Raven rushed forward, catching the man in time as he passed out in Raven’s arms. What the fuck? The human—he was definitely human. Raven could scent that under the odor of sweat—was burning up.
“Fuck.” Raven scooped the guy up and rushed him to his truck. He slid the stranger into the passenger side before he made quick work of locking up his shop. One might think him a dick for taking the time, but he had thousands of dollars’ worth of tools inside.
“Hang on. I’m taking you to the clinic,” Raven said when he jumped into the driver’s seat. He backed from the lot and sped down the street, barely making it through one intersection when he ran a red light.
It took him less than five minutes to reach the clinic. Raven pulled the guy out and carried him inside. The stranger had yet to open his eyes, and he felt even hotter as Raven yelled for the doctor.
He knew who Dr. Cormack was from the time he had to rush Kenny into the clinic when he’d sliced his hand open.
The doctor was standing by the reception desk, black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose as he looked over a file. When Raven rushed in, the doctor looked up with a surprised look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Mr. McCoy?”
“I don’t know,” Raven said. “This person pulled into my lot, got out of his car, then passed out.
Dr. Cormack looked at the receptionist. “Tell Nurse Betty to have a look at Timmy’s sore throat. I’ll be in exam room three.”
“Yes, Doctor,” the receptionist said as Dr. Cormack waved for Raven to follow him.
Raven should’ve dropped the guy on the bed and left. His good deed was done, but for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he stayed, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for the doctor to exam the guy.
“First things first.” Dr. Cormack checked the guy’s pockets and came away with a wallet. Why hadn’t Raven thought of that? Then again, he’d never had anyone pass out in his arms before. He wasn’t exactly thinking straight.
“His name is Jet Atherton.” The doctor set the wallet and ID aside. He looked at Raven. “Since you’re not a relative, I’m gonna have to ask you to wait in the waiting room.”
Raven’s wolf snarled, and he couldn’t seem to get his feet moving. He stared down at Jet, and before he knew what he was doing, he brushed aside the guy’s hair from his face.
Too late Raven realized his mistake. He shouldn’t have brought Jet to the clinic. He brushed Jet’s hair back in place and quickly walked from the room and closed the door behind him. Raven pulled out his phone and dialed Moose. He was the only guy Raven knew to call.
“What’s up?” Moose asked when he answered. The guy sounded as though he was eating.
“I got a major problem.” Raven kept his voice low so no one heard him.
“Personal or worldly?” Moose smacked his lips. “And can this wait until I’m finished with my dinner?”
He told Moose about Jet and what had just taken place. “The thing is, when I brushed his hair from his face, I saw the tips of his pointy ears,” he said with urgency. “The doctor is human. I have to get Jet out of here, but I don’t know how.”
“Pointy ears?”
Raven rolled his eyes as he growled. “Yes, as in a fairy or elf, moron. Who else has pointy ears?”
“First, you don’t have to call me names. I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes, especially on a full stomach. Second, I’m on my way. We’ll figure it out when I get there. Try and stall the doctor from drawing blood if you can.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that?” Raven asked. “I got kicked out of the room. What do you want me to do, shift and let my wolf run wild in the waiting room as a distraction?”
“That sounds like the perfect plan,” Moose said. “And while everyone is going crazy, I can slip Jet out of there.”
Raven frowned. “You can’t be serious.”
“You got any better ideas?”
As if fate was intervening, the town ambulance pulled up and a guy was wheeled in, all bloody and banged up. The receptionist flew down the hallway and opened the exam room the doctor was in. Dr. Cormack hurried to check on the guy who was strapped to the gurney.
“An opportunity just fell into my lap. I gotta go. I’ll be at your place in a bit.”
Raven slipped his phone into his pocket and went into Jet’s room, scooped the guy from the bed, and rushed out the back door. He felt like he was stealing a fucking body from the morgue or some shit. This wasn’t right on so many different levels.
He rounded the building and shoved Jet into the passenger seat. As soon as he was in his truck, Raven took off to Moose’s house, praying the bear shifter had a better solution than the last one.
It took him a good minute to get to Moose’s, and Raven prayed Jet didn’t die in that time. He wasn’t looking well. Then again, Raven hadn’t the first clue about fairy or elf anatomy. Was Jet supposed to be that pale? Maybe not, but he was sure the guy had done that to his own hair. No sickness would make someone’s hair the color of the rainbow.
Raven sighed in relief when he pulled into Moose’s driveway and saw his friend already outside. Moose walked to the truck and pulled Jet from the passenger seat.
A growl erupted in Raven’s chest. Moose arched a brow. Raven had no idea why he felt so protective of the short and slim man dangling in Moose’s huge arms.
“I called a friend in Brac Village. Mitch had Dr. Sheehan sent to us.”
Raven had no idea where Brac Village was and hoped the doctor made it there soon. “Is he our kind of doctor?”
Moose gave him a daft look. “No, he’s a vet,” he deadpanned as he carried Jet inside.
If the guy wasn’t a giant and helping Raven out, Raven would’ve kicked Moose in the ass for his sarcasm. But he had no one else to turn to. Raven knew a lot of people in town, and was friendly with them, but so far Moose was the only guy he called friend.
When Raven stepped inside, he recognized Grayson, the town sheriff. But there were two other guys in the living room Raven didn’t know.
“Is this the patient?” The one who stepped closer to Moose had hazel eyes and dirty-blond hair. He was also gorgeous as fuck.
“Yeah, and you are?” Raven was surprised by the snarl that accompanied his words. What the hell was wrong with him?
“I’m Dr. Nicolas Sheehan.” The doctor turned to Moose. “Just set him on the couch, unless we can use your bedroom.”
“We have a spare bedroom,” Grayson said. “Let me show you the way.”
Raven was left with the other stranger. The guy had green eyes and brown hair. He also looked bored as fuck. “Who’re you?” Raven asked.
“Ruttford,” the man said. “I’m transportation, so don’t feel the need to fill the silence if you don’t want to. I’d rather you didn’t.”
What a dick. Raven gave him a scathing look before he headed to the guest bedroom. He had no idea who Jet was or what had happened to him, but Raven couldn’t seem to stay away. It was as though an unseen hand… He stopped midstride.
No. No fucking way. Was Jet his mate? Could that be possible? Of course it could, you idiot. But was it true?
Raven pressed his back against the hallway wall and closed his eyes, praying it wasn’t true. Not with his father’s threat looming over his head. Not when Raven could be snatched off the streets at any second and whisked hundreds of miles away. This was not the time for Raven to find his mate. Then again, when would have been a good time?
After taking a deep breath and scrubbing his hand over his jaw, Raven walked into the room, and once again, he had to be near Jet. This time his wolf went apeshit, slamming into Raven’s ribs, trying to force Raven to get closer, to protect the little fairy or elf from the men in the room.
