Mating Inferno Read online

  

  Maple Grove 14

  Mating Inferno

  [The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Contemporary, Alternative, Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Romantic Suspense, MM, HEA]

  Renny and his brother are on the run when they win at a backroom card game. Renny is stunned to learn one of the players is a demon and is accusing them of cheating. When Molimo threatens their lives, Renny and Roberto must flee. They find refuge at a fire station in Maple Grove, but Renny finds out some hard truths that rock his world, including the fact that Chief Sal Monroe isn’t even human, and claims that Renny is his mate.

  On a pizza run one night Sal is approached by two men who swear they’re hungry and need someplace to warm up. Not only is Sal trying to protect his mate from a crazed demon, but there is a serial arsonist running around town setting fires, and Sal is determined to find out who it is before a life is claimed. When Renny steals Sal’s truck to find his brother, it’s up to Sal to rescue them both before Molimo has his revenge.

  Length: 34,000 words

  MATING INFERNO

  Maple Grove 14

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Mating Inferno

  Copyright © 2019 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-050-4

  First Publication: December 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

  MATING INFERNO

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  MATING INFERNO

  Maple Grove 14

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  Funny how irrational fears made a person do the craziest things and had them making decisions they never would’ve made before. But what about rational fears? Legit ones? The kind that made Renny’s chest feel constricted and his heart to never slow down to a normal rhythm. Renny couldn’t recall the last time he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep.

  Not since he and his brother, Roberto, had been accused of double-crossing a demon and were now on the run from Molimo. In all fairness, Renny hadn’t even known the guy was a demon. Before that fateful night in the back room of a bar, Renny had been ignorant of the “other” world right under his nose.

  “I think we should split up.” Roberto gave Renny an uneasy smile. “It would be better that way and easier for us to blend in.”

  “Are you nuts?” Renny rubbed his hands up and down his arms as they stood in the alley behind the diner. “Have you never watched a single horror movie? We split up, we die. That’s like running through the woods and falling or asking who’s there when you hear a noise. We stick together until we can figure a way out of this. Besides, it’s after midnight. There aren’t any people around to blend in with.”

  Roberto huffed his disagreement, puffs of cold air escaping his mouth. “We’re far from home with nowhere to go. We’re broke, on the run, and now I’ll never be able to give Mom and Dad the Christmas presents I bought for them.”

  “Christmas is the least of our worries,” Renny reminded his brother. “If Molimo figures out where we are, we’re dead meat.”

  “Thanks for the unnecessary reminder.” Roberto scowled as he looked around, appearing just as cold as Renny felt. The tip of his nose was red, and his teeth were chattering.

  “I still can’t believe demons are real.” Renny’s mind had been blown wide open when Molimo’s eyes turned red and horns had appeared on top of his head. His brain still refused to process that.

  “Well, whatever we decide, we need to keep moving.” Roberto grabbed Renny’s hand and led him farther away from the alley. It was the dead of night, not a soul on the streets as they walked.

  What Renny wouldn’t give for a warm bed, some food, and some decent sleep. He was dead on his feet and so hungry he could eat just about anything right now.

  They slowed when a white SUV with a Maple Grove Fire Department insignia on the driver’s door pulled into the parking lot of the fire station. The person behind the wheel got out with three pizza boxes in his hand.

  Pizza. Although Renny wasn’t a big fan of pizza, he’d eat an entire box of pizza if he could. The smell of pepperoni wafted toward him, making Renny’s stomach loudly growl.

  “I got an idea.” Roberto pulled Renny toward the stranger. Good god. Renny wasn’t sure what was hotter, the pizza with its steam rising from the boxes or the guy holding them. The stranger had to be close to six and a half feet tall and muscled.

  Was Roberto planning on snatching the boxes and running? Renny didn’t want to tangle with the behemoth. “What’re you doing?” he hissed at Roberto.

  Although Renny was slim and agile, a good runner, he didn’t want to find out just what the guy would do to them if they tried to steal his food. From the stranger’s sheer size, it looked as though he could eat all three pizzas himself.

  “Excuse me,” Roberto said as they approached.

  The stranger turned and looked them over. “Can I help you?”

  “My friend and I were bamboozled,” Roberto said. “A guy named Chico sent us bus tickets to come to Maple Grove. But when we got here, Chico was nowhere around.”

  What on earth was Roberto talking about?

  “We were promised a place to stay, food, and jobs. Now we’re here and out in the cold, tired, hungry, and oh my god, those pizzas smell delicious.” Roberto added a nervous laugh. “We were just wondering if we could warm up inside and maybe share those pizzas with you. I promise we don’t eat much.”

  Renny had no clue where that lie had come from, but he looked hopefully at the stranger. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly again.

  “I’m never one to turn a hungry man away.” The guy smiled. “I’m Chief Sal Monroe.”

  “I’m Roberto, and this is my brother, Renny.”

  One of Sal’s brows arched, and Renny grimaced at the slip-up.

  “I thought he was your friend,” Sal said.

  “Isn’t your brother your friend?” Roberto quickly said.

  God, Roberto wa
s screwing this up and Renny would go hungry tonight. Maybe they would freeze to death and all their problems would be over. He wanted to kick Roberto in the nuts for his mistake.

  “Don’t have a brother, but you guys can come in,” Sal said.

  They followed him through a side door that led into a large bay with a fire truck sitting at the ready. Renny was too nervous to look around. He kept his head low and held on to the back of Roberto’s shirt as they walked inside the station.

  The interior warmth instantly hit Renny, but he was still shivering. He hoped they were allowed to stay long enough to warm their frigid bones.

  They stopped in what looked like a living room area. There were a few couches and recliners scattered about, a large-screen television playing a movie Renny didn’t recognize, and three guys sitting there talking.

  There was a fourth guy lightly snoring in a recliner.

  Off in one corner was a small decorated Christmas tree. There were even wrapped presents beneath it, reminding Renny that he wouldn’t be spending the holiday with his parents. A pang of guilt and sorrow hit him square in his chest at that thought.

  This was normally Renny’s favorite time of year. Whenever the holiday rolled around, he would get excited like a kid. Now he just wanted to stay alive long enough to enjoy his next birthday. Which was in August, by the way.

  “Hey, fellas,” Sal said. “We have dinner guests.” He set two of the three pizza boxes on the coffee table. “Say hi to Roberto and Renny.”

  The three men gave half-assed waves as they dove into their food. The fourth guy kept right on sleeping on the couch. They emptied the first box in seconds flat and had flipped the lid on the second.

  Renny’s mouth watered.

  “They’re not sharing,” Sal said. “You guys can join me in the kitchen.”

  Renny was fascinated with the chief—with his size, his handsomeness, and his big heart. And his ass. Definitely his nice ass. And those ripped arms, his bulging chest. Those nice, friendly blue eyes, too.

  “Have a seat, guys.”

  The kitchen was modern and nice. The tables looked more like picnic tables, but they were made of chrome. Probably easier to clean when so many guys worked there.

  The table and bench weren’t cold. The metal was warm as Renny sat. He noticed a large fridge made of the same chrome, only the door had frosted glass.

  The chief grabbed some paper plates, placed three slices on two of them, and then handed them over. He went into the fridge and took out what looked like health drinks and gave them to Renny and Roberto.

  Renny would’ve preferred something hot to drink so he could warm his insides faster, but he wasn’t going to complain.

  “So.” The chief leaned a hip against the counter. When he crossed his arms, the move made his biceps look bigger. “Where’re you guys from?”

  “Florida,” Roberto said.

  “Nevada,” Renny said at the same time. They’d gone on a family vacation there once, and it was the first thing that popped into his head. Roberto must’ve been thinking of their uncle who lived in the Sunshine State.

  “We’ve traveled a lot,” Roberto said before he shoved a slice of pizza into his contradictory mouth.

  Renny was sweating bullets as Sal stared at him. The guy was gonna kick them out into the cold for their obvious lies. Too bad he and Roberto hadn’t come up with a consistent cover story before Roberto had hauled him toward the station.

  The chief cocked his head to the side and covertly sniffed the air. Renny would’ve missed it if he hadn’t been watching the guy so closely. There was just something about Sal, something Renny couldn’t put his finger on, but he felt at ease around him.

  “Let’s just make sure you two have full bellies and a place to sleep for the night. The guys should be shoving off to bed soon. You two can have the couches in the living room.”

  Renny breathed a sigh of relief. Sal didn’t look like an idiot, but he was clearly ignoring the blatant inconsistencies in their story.

  “I have to take care of something in my office,” Sal said. “I’ll be right back, fellas.”

  When he walked out of the room, Renny felt panicked. “Do you think he’s going to call the cops on us?”

  “For what?” Roberto started on his second slice. “For lying to him?”

  “What if the cops run our names?”

  Roberto waved off Renny’s concern. “They’re not gonna find anything. We don’t have any warrants.”

  His brother wasn’t taking this seriously enough. Maybe Renny was overreacting, but who wouldn’t in this situation? He doubted an all-points bulletin would come back saying they had a vicious demon after them. That wouldn’t be in the system, but Renny didn’t like staying in one place for too long.

  With Molimo’s freaky powers, there was no telling what he was capable of. Right now he could be outside the fire station waiting for them to come out.

  Or contemplating setting the building on fire.

  No, no, no. Renny didn’t like this one bit. They needed to eat and then keep moving. A good night’s rest would’ve been fantastic, but it was wishful thinking and a luxury they couldn’t afford.

  “We should take off when we’re done eating.” Renny glanced toward the entrance to the kitchen. Any second he expected Molimo to show his face.

  Those eyes. Those red eyes scared the crap out of Renny. How the hell had they gotten into this situation in the first place? It had been a simple card game to win some extra money, to help pay off the bank foreclosure on their parents’ home. Roberto had won fair and square, but Molimo hadn’t seen it that way.

  He’d accused Roberto of cheating. He’d threatened to kill both of them. And that had been when he’d revealed what he was. If it hadn’t been for Roberto’s quick thinking and getting them out of there so fast, they’d both be dead.

  Or worse, whatever worse was when it came to a demon getting his hands on them. Renny didn’t want to think what that thing could do to them.

  They were in a very bad situation, yet all Renny could think about was the chief and how he wanted the guy to return.

  You’re in a dire situation, and all you can think about is getting to see Sal again? Really? Renny chewed his food and, for reasons he couldn’t fathom, felt guilty about lying to Sal.

  They needed to get out of there before Renny did something stupid, like confess everything to the gorgeous chief.

  * * * *

  “Who exactly are those hotties?” Scott Mulligan asked when he caught up to Sal in the hallway. “Since when did we start inviting random guys to dinner?”

  Sal was still in shock that Renny was his mate. He felt a bit lightheaded as he turned to face Scott. “And since when do we turn away anyone who’s hungry?”

  Not that he could recall anyone coming to the station needing food and a place to stay. They’d hosted a lot of events over the years to raise money for local charities that helped the homeless and other worthy causes.

  His favorite event was the annual chili cook-off, which Sal had yet to lose. In fact, the event was two weeks away, and already Sal had been testing his recipe at home. His dad had dropped by a few times to “taste test” what Sal had cooked.

  “No, no. I get it,” Scott said. “No one should go hungry, but it’s almost midnight. We don’t know anything about those men, and you invited them inside.”

  Sal grunted. “The day two puny humans can take us down is the day I not only quit but hand in my man card.”

  “Shifter card.” Scott grinned. “Fine. What’re they gonna do when they’re done eating?”

  “They’re taking the couches. Make sure you wake Connor. Tell him if he’s that tired to go to bed.”

  “You got it, boss.” Scott walked away.

  Sal let himself into his office. He needed time to himself to take in the fact that he’d found his mate. He also wanted to know what kind of trouble the brothers were in. Roberto kept contradicting himself, and that was a red flag in Sal’s
book.

  Sal would ask his friend, Deputy Malik Burrows, to do a background check on them, but for one, Sal didn’t know Renny and Roberto’s last name.

  Second, he didn’t want to learn about his mate from someone else. He wanted Renny to tell him what they were running from. For Sal, honesty was the best policy, although it would take time to earn Renny’s trust.

  He was willing to wait and to keep Renny safe until he found out. Sal looked up when a knock sounded on his open door. Renny stood there looking around, his gaze never landing on Sal. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure.” Sal waved Renny into his office. He stayed seated, unwilling to stand and intimidate his mate. Sal was pretty damn tall, and his mate couldn’t be more than five feet seven inches.

  “Nice office.” Renny took a seat on the leather couch on the right side of the room. He clasped his hands between his knees and stared at the floor.

  “Thanks. I try to keep it clean.” Sal sat back and studied his mate. He wanted to pull Renny into his lap and hold him, to tell the guy that he had nothing to fear. But Sal didn’t know the trouble he was in, so he couldn’t make that promise.

  “I…um…I know you know we’re lying.” Renny’s cheeks burned red. “I’m not usually that kind of guy.”

  “If I recall, it’s your brother who can’t fabricate a story.” Sal grinned when Renny looked at him. “He’s terrible at it.”

  Renny shrugged. “Roberto is a good guy. He’s not a liar, as you can tell.”

  Sal nodded. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and maybe I can help you guys.”

  Renny snorted as he looked back down. Sal gazed at his mate—the dark hair, pretty green eyes, slight stature, and the way he kept fidgeting. Fate had definitely been good to Sal to give him such a handsome mate.

  “Trust me, the less you know, the better.” Renny stood and headed for the door, but Sal didn’t want his mate to shut down. He needed to know what was going on.