Jericho's Way Read online

  

  Maple Grove 6

  Jericho’s Way

  When Jericho hears whispered voices behind the garage, he investigates, only to find out his uncle and Ivan plan on burying a body back there. But Ivan knows that Jericho heard their conversation, and is determined to bury Jericho’s body, too. His uncle is bad enough with his abuse, but having a polar bear shifter after him has Jericho on edge. Until Ben walks into the diner where Jericho is having breakfast and he discovers that the wolf shifter is his mate.

  On his way back from Florida, Ben stops in a small town for gas and some food. When he walks into The Diner Train, he knows something is off. His wolf leads him to a bunny shifter sitting all alone, and the guy is his mate. He is also sporting a black eye. Ben wants to get to the bottom of things, but Jericho isn’t being cooperative. He has to convince Jericho that he isn’t leaving town, that he is serious about their mating, and keep Jericho safe from two shifters out to end him.

  Genres: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 27,701

  JERICHO'S WAY

  Maple Grove 6

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Jericho's Way

  Copyright © 2019 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-966-3

  First Publication: August 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.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

  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

  JERICHO'S WAY

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  JERICHO'S WAY

  Maple Grove 6

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  “Are you seriously trying to walk past me like you don’t have a black eye?” Reese set aside his mixing bowl and pulled Jericho to a stop. “Who the hell did this to you?”

  “I whacked my face on the coffee table when I tripped.” Jericho pulled his arm free, upset that he hadn’t done a better job of concealing his shiner. He’d used foundation the exact color of his skin, but clearly he sucked at applying makeup.

  “You really want me to believe that?” Reese narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t the first time you’ve come to work with bruises.”

  “I’m late clocking in.” Jericho moved quickly to the office and used the computer to punch in. When he finished, he used the small mirror hanging on the wall to look at his eye. The makeup barely concealed his humiliation.

  His tips tonight would suck, and if Mike, the owner, found out, he’d have a fit that Jericho had worked with a shiner. But there was nothing Jericho could do. He was here, clocked in, and scheduled to work. It wasn’t as though he could call someone to fill in for him. Emilio was off on his honeymoon period with his mate, and Lacey didn’t know a thing about making drinks.

  Armand was scheduled to work with Jericho, but the human had as much empathy as a slug. He wouldn’t care if Jericho was in a body cast just as long as he could work.

  Turning away from the mirror, Jericho hurried to the interior of the bar. It was already packed considering it was Fish Fry Friday. He’d always hated that smell, though. Jericho was not a fish-eating person.

  “About fucking time you got here,” Armand said when Jericho hurried behind the bar. “Suck dick on your own time.”

  “That’s not what your daddy said.” Jericho hurried down the bar and began taking orders. More than once he got a strange look or someone asked if he was all right. Too bad he couldn’t wear sunglasses to cover his eye.

  One, he would look like a complete douche if he wore them inside. Two, Mike would have his ass for wearing them.

  But Jericho was fine. He was always fine after Uncle Landon had one of his fits. Life moved on, and Jericho survived. It wasn’t as though Landon had broken any bones. He simply became enraged when Jericho had forgotten to take the trash to the curb, so now, next week, the bins would be overflowing.

  “You got a gorgeous face stuck under that black eye,” one customer said. “It’s distorting the bruise.”

  The guy was trying to be charming, but Jericho glared at him. “And you got no game under that drunkenness.”

  Jericho didn’t appreciate being made fun of, even if it had been in an attempt to gain his attention. He was used to guys flirting with him. Most were wasted when they tried to get into his pants. Unlike Emilio, another bartender who worked there, Jericho never took anyone up on their offer.

  He didn’t do one-night stands. Jericho was looking for the one who would sweep him off his feet. The one who clicked. Though these days, he’d take someone who didn’t try to pick him up in a bar with some cheesy line.

  Too bad Moose hadn’t been available, because Jericho had fallen in lust with the giant when they’d first met. He spotted the guy at the middle table with his friends, chowing down on a plate of fried something. Jericho couldn’t tell what it was, and even if he saw whatever was on Moose’s plate, it wasn’t as though he would recognize the type of fish.

  “Hey, Jericho,” Raven said as he took a seat at the bar. A frown puckered between his dark brown eyes when he looked at Jericho’s face. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “I hit my face on the lawn mower when I was cutting grass.” He grabbed a beer from the cooler under the counter and handed it over to the wolf shifter after popping the cap. “No big deal. At least my lawn looks nice.”

  “If you’re afraid of someone, I can help you,” Raven offered. “You don’t have to be afraid of whoever is hurting you.”

  Jericho tossed the beer cap into the trash. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. It was an accident.”

  He really wished everyone would leave him alone. There wasn’t anything anyone could do about Uncle Landon. Jericho had made the mistake of reporting his uncle once, and the previous sheriff, Chuck Archer, had told him that, since he was living under his uncle’s roof, Landon had every right to discipline Jericho.

  There was no way he would go to the new sheriff about the abuse. Not when there was a chance Sheriff Copache would sweep things under the rug.

 
; He couldn’t take that chance. If Landon found out, he’d kick Jericho out. Since his uncle was the only family he had, that would make him homeless.

  When the night was finally over, Jericho was relieved. He’d been dodging Moose all night, praying the bear shifter didn’t see his shiner. Not that he thought Moose would come to his aid, but Jericho didn’t want to take any chances.

  He would just have to learn how to better apply makeup to hide his bruises.

  “Night, Reese,” Jericho said as he walked out the front door. The rhino waved but eyed Jericho in a strange way.

  “You take care of yourself,” Reese called out to him. “Watch out for those coffee tables.”

  With a deep sigh, Jericho headed home.

  * * * *

  The sun was just rising over the horizon when Ben made a motion with his hand, letting his best friend know they needed to take the upcoming exit. Not only did Ben have to piss like crazy, but his motorcycle needed gas.

  He roared down the exit ramp, Milo following, and read the sign that said a gas station was two miles down the road. Hopefully it had decent snacks because he was starving.

  Ben saw the station and pulled in next to a pump. His friend pulled in behind him and took off his helmet, running a hand through his short dark hair.

  “It feels good to stretch,” Milo said as he stretched and his joints cracked. “Next time don’t wait so long for a break.”

  Ben didn’t answer the jaguar shifter. He was too busy making his way toward the station to empty his bladder. When he was done, he grabbed a few beef sticks and a bottled water before heading toward the counter.

  Milo had been right. Ben had waited too long. His back had a kink in it, and he wouldn’t mind sitting down to a good meal. Ben’s stomach was growling for something more.

  He needed sustenance. A full breakfast sounded damn good right about now. His stomach rumbled in agreement. The beef sticks wouldn’t even put a dent in his appetite, but they would hold him over until he found some real food.

  When he made it back outside, he filled his tank and looked at Milo. “We need to find a diner around here.”

  Milo grinned. “You’re speaking my language.” He looked around. “Where exactly are we?”

  “The sign said Maple Grove,” Ben replied.

  “Never heard of it.” Milo replaced the nozzle and screwed the cap on his tank. “I’m gonna run inside and ask the clerk where a diner is.”

  He nodded before Milo walked away. Ben was dying to let his wolf out to run, but since he had no idea where to go around here, his beast would have to wait.

  He looked toward the back of the station and saw some woods, but Ben didn’t want to chance it. The sun was just rising, but the town seemed wide awake as cars and trucks pulled into the station, no doubt to get their first dose of caffeine.

  Milo returned and jerked his chin to the left. “Follow me.”

  What Ben really needed was a good eight hours of sleep. They’d been driving through the night to get back home after the funeral they’d attended for a longtime friend.

  Ben couldn’t wait to collapse in his bed, but they still had a few more hours of riding before then.

  The Diner Train looked like a fancy freight car, and Ben dug the look. The place was silver and sat back from the street. He and Milo headed inside and were told to seat themselves.

  “Fuck this place smells good,” Milo said as he pulled his leather jacket off and set it next to him.

  The savory aromas reminded Ben of when he was growing up and his mom cooked dinner every night. He missed her something fierce and wished his parents were still alive. He would’ve loved to go home for a visit.

  But he would never go home again. Their deaths still hurt even after all these years. They’d been his only family, and now it was just him. And Milo. His best friend. The man who understood him better than Ben understood himself.

  Too bad they’d made better friends than lovers. Milo just might have been the perfect fit. But he wasn’t Ben’s type, and Ben wasn’t Milo’s type, either.

  Ben slid into the other side of the booth and set his leather aside. His eyes widened when a big motherfucker walked their way. The guy was fucking huge.

  They overturned their mugs that were already on the table and the waiter poured them some coffee. This guy did not fit the image of someone who would be working in a diner. He looked more like he should be on a football team or out chopping down trees.

  Covertly, Ben inhaled and realized the guy was a bear shifter. The giant was just as wide as he was big, with muscles on top of muscles. Ben never wanted to meet this guy in a dark alley.

  “I’m Moose, and I’ll be helping you out this morning. You guys ready to order, or do you need more time?”

  Moose. How befitting. “We need a few more minutes,” Milo said.

  Ben was still staring at the guy, amazed at his sheer size.

  “Could you gape any wider?” Milo asked when Moose walked away.

  “Did you see the size of that fucker?” Ben asked.

  “Considering he was just standing next to me, yeah, I saw him.” Milo shrugged. “No big deal. Grab your menu or I’m gonna order without you.”

  Ben looked around. He liked to stay aware of his environment. This might be a small town, and it was probably boring as hell, but one never knew when trouble would strike, especially knowing shifters lived here.

  Behind the counter was an order window, and to the right was a menu board. To the left were signs displaying regular food they served with big colorful pictures.

  “I think I’m gonna get some blueberry waffles.” Milo flipped the plastic menu from front to back. “They smell fantastic.”

  Ben pulled his attention back to his best friend and grabbed the menu from where it was sitting. He looked it over, but Ben wasn’t sure why he had a weird feeling in his gut. The diner seemed normal enough. It was packed, and it surprised him that they’d found an empty booth.

  People at the other tables were talking or reading the paper, the smells from the kitchen permeated the air, and Ben watched as the waiter behind the counter moved up and down it to pour coffee and tend to the people sitting on stools.

  Some dark-haired man who wore a smile came out of the kitchen with a tub tucked under one arm. He was eating a candy bar as he cleared a table. It was a bit early for treats, but that was just Ben’s opinion.

  He looked at the last booth and saw a cop sitting there, reading the morning paper as he sipped from his mug. Now that he was paying better attention, he noticed a few more smells.

  A black panther and a cheetah.

  “What’s wrong?” Milo asked as he took a drink of his coffee.

  Ben slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I got this weird feeling.”

  His statement made Milo glance around.

  Ben looked over his shoulder to the booths behind him and spotted a slim man sitting by himself. Moose refilled the guy’s cup, and the small stranger smiled at the giant.

  Why the hell was the stranger wearing sunglasses inside? The sun had barely risen.

  “Is it something we need to worry about?” Milo asked.

  Ben wasn’t sure what was going on, but his instincts said his weird feeling had something to do with Shorty.

  “Order me whatever you’re having,” Ben said as he got up and walked toward the stranger’s table. The closer he got, the more he realized just how short the shit really was.

  The smell of honeysuckle filled Ben’s lungs as he stopped at the table. He slid in the opposite side without being asked and cocked his head to the side.

  Shorty pursed his lips. “Sure, help yourself to a seat. It wasn’t as though I was using it.”

  The guy was a bunny shifter. Fuck. Ben wanted to laugh at the realization. He’d met only one bunny before, but that had been eons ago. “I’m Benjamin Calloway. And you are?”

  His wolf howled and rammed at Ben’s ribs, growling to get free. Ben wasn’t sure what to make
of his dumb beast until he felt the powerful pull aching in his chest.

  “I’m Jericho James,” the guy said. He wiggled his nose seconds before his brows shot up past the rim of his dark sunglasses.

  Ben was looking at his mate.

  He wanted to pull those damn glasses off to get a better look at the guy, but since they’d just met, he kept his hands to himself. “Why are you wearing those inside?”

  “Bright lights hurt my eyes,” Jericho said. “I’m really not a morning person.”

  Ben propped his feet on either side of the bunny shifter, grinning as he folded his arms. “You do realize we’re mates?”

  Jericho seemed timid as he chewed on his bottom lip. Then he opened his mouth, and all the soft and fuzzy feelings Ben had felt toward Shorty flew out the window.

  “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t invite you to sit down at my table, so get lost.”

  Sitting forward and bracing his arms on the table, Ben scowled. “You’re full of shit, Jericho. You know damn well you feel the pull.”

  “What I feel is hungry,” the guy said. “Do I have to get Moose to remove you from my table?”

  “I’d like to see him try,” Ben snarled.

  What was with this bunny? Weren’t they supposed to be all cute and submissive? Jericho was a fluffy little creature, and Ben had claws and teeth. He wanted to dominate the short shit, but Jericho had a chip on his shoulder for some reason.