Dark and Deadly Read online

  

  Maple Grove 24

  Dark and Deadly

  [Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, ManLove, Alternative, Menage, Paranormal, Werewolves, Vampires, MMM, HEA]

  When you dump a guy, he should stay dumped. That sounded good in theory, but Warren’s life was a complicated mess. Not only is Ryan obsessed with Warren, insert Ash, a hot bartender from the gay club in town, who takes a little too much interest in him. Warren is up to his eyeballs in frustration. When he grows ill, it’s Ryan and Ash who rush him to the clinic, and now Warren is shocked when he’s told he’s knocked up, and Ryan is the father. Yikes!

  Unfortunately, Warren keeps letting Ryan and Ash into his life, no matter how many times he says he’s not going to see them again. Two men with Spartan abs and killer looks. How is a guy supposed to resist that? Two men who want to make a Warren sandwich. Swoon. Until Warren finds out that Ryan is part vampire and Ash is a wolf shifter, and Ryan has a demon after him, hellbent on wiping Ryan from existence.

  Length: 30,000 words

  DARK AND DEADLY

  Maple Grove 24

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Dark and Deadly

  Copyright © 2020 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-188-4

  First Publication: June 2020

  Cover design by Emma Nicole

  All art and logo copyright © 2020 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

  DARK AND DEADLY

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  DARK AND DEADLY

  Maple Grove 24

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2020

  Chapter One

  The fact that Warren Prickett was trying to get lost in the crowd at the summer festival told him that his day wasn’t going to go as he’d planned. The fact that he wasn’t interested in any of the stalls he was passing, not in the delicious-smelling food, the arts and crafts, or the trinkets on display for sale told him that his taste in men sucked.

  Warren had told Ryan two days ago that it was over. He couldn’t handle Ryan’s obsessive ways, his domineering attitude, or the fact that he could tell Ryan was hiding something from him.

  Warren stopped at a stall selling wind chimes made of prism glass. The sun filtered through the kaleidoscope of colors, turning his shirt into a shadowy tie-dye. The gentle wind made them clink together as Warren looked to his left to see if Ryan had spotted him yet.

  “They’re beautiful, aren’t they? I can give you a deal if you want more than one.”

  Warren dragged his attention to the girl behind the stall. She was pretty young, in her teens, if Warren guessed correctly. She was slim, with long brown hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, bright blue eyes, and a pretty smile.

  “I’m just…” Hiding? He wasn’t going to tell this stranger his business, that he was running from his ex who had denied Warren breaking things off, telling him that he just needed some time to himself to realize how perfect they were together.

  That if Ryan knew Warren was there, his ex would stick to him for the rest of the day. That Ryan was involved in things that scared the crap out of Warren.

  But he did love wind chimes. One of them would look amazing hanging from his front porch and refracting the multitude of colors into his living room window on a sunny day.

  His cat, Pie, would roll around on the carpet for hours trying to trap the reflections under her paws. She was only a year old and full of energy, racing around the house and constantly knocking things over.

  Pie was also a cuddle bunny, and that was what Warren loved so much about her.

  He looked over the wind chimes above his head, nearly gasping at the price tags. True, they were all gorgeous, but he wasn't sure he wanted to pay forty bucks for one.

  The girl must have seen the hesitant expression, because she leaned forward and whispered, “I’ll give you one of the smaller ones for twenty bucks.”

  Now that was a deal Warren could live with. He plucked one with diamond-shaped tubes made of the colored glass and a pretty butterfly dangling from the center string.

  “I made that one just yesterday.” She smiled proudly, showing off a slight gap in her front teeth. It was an adorable gap that seemed to fit her face. “Great choice.” The girl grabbed a box from under her long plastic table and began boxing the chime for Warren as she flipped her hair from her shoulders to behind her back. “Thanks, mister.”

  Mister? Warren wasn’t that old. He was a ripe age of twenty-five.

  While little missy was boxing his chime, Warren scanned the crowd for Ryan. He wasn’t one hundred percent that he’d seen Ryan. It might’ve been someone who’d looked like him. Even so, he wasn’t letting his guard down.

  Warren was determined to enjoy the festival. He’d looked forward to it for months, and no one, not even his obsessed ex, was going to ruin it for him.

  “Here you go.” The teenager handed over the box, and Warren handed over the money. They thanked each other, and he merged into the crowd, his rectangular white box tucked under his arm.

  The smell of popcorn, pretzels, and sizzling meat had Warren’s stomach doing flips as the sun beat down on him. Thank fuck the heatwave had passed and the day was a pleasant seventy degrees.

  “Hey, Warren!”

  Warren froze. He slowly turned, and his shoulders relaxed at the sight of Cosmo. They weren’t exactly friends. The bartender had lived across the hall from Warren before Warren had bought his house, and they were pleasant to one another whenever they’d crossed paths.

  Cosmo was with some big, strapping guy with a Mohawk and dark sunglasses. The two were holding hands as Cosmo wedged his way toward Warren, stepping around a stroller and waiting for a couple to pass.

  “Hey, Cosmo.” Since Warren didn’t really know the guy, there was an awkward pause. In truth, he was shocked Cosmo even remembered him.

  “Just thought I’d say hi.” Cosmo held his hand above his eyes to shield the sun. “I never knew what happened to you after you moved out of the apartment building.”

  �
�Nothing, really.” Except Warren had started dating a psycho. “Bought a house in town. That’s about it. I still work at Antonio’s Pizza.”

  Well, Warren had inherited some money after his grandmother had passed. That was how he was able to buy his own home. But he didn’t want that money to dry up, so he’d kept his job.

  Cosmo grinned, and damn, the guy was gorgeous. Warren didn’t usually go for redheads, but Cosmo was stunning. So was his boyfriend. “I never knew you worked there.”

  They’d lived across from each other for five damn years. Then again, all Warren knew about Cosmo was that he was a bartender at the new gay club.

  Only because Warren had gone once and seen Cosmo behind the counter serving drinks. He’d decided that Pump wasn’t his cup of tea after some big hairy bear kept hitting on him all night.

  Warren might’ve been slim and on the shorter side, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be spanked by some stranger in leather.

  “Well, it was good seeing you,” he said to Cosmo. Warren was starving and wanted to grab a bite to eat. He also needed something cold to drink. After ducking and dodging around so many people, he’d worked up a thirst.

  He’d begun to turn when a tall, muscular, dark-haired man with eyes the color of dark chocolate stopped next to Cosmo. Good lord. The guy was amazingly handsome, making Warren’s heart skip a beat.

  “Who’s your friend?” the newcomer asked with a wiggle of his blunt brows. Warren rolled his eyes. He needed another guy in his life like he needed another hole in his head.

  “This is Warren.” Cosmo flipped a hand toward him. “We used to be neighbors before Warren moved out of my apartment building. He works over at the pizza joint.”

  Jeez, tell other people’s business much? Thank goodness that was all Cosmo knew about him.

  Cosmo flipped a hand toward Mr. Flirty. “This is Kane Ashton, but everyone calls him Ash. We’re coworkers.”

  Warren didn’t want to be rude, but he wasn’t in the mood to make new friends. He could tell Cosmo was trying to see if they hit it off, but Warren wasn’t interested. Maybe if he didn’t have a psycho ex-boyfriend he would’ve stuck around.

  “It was nice meeting you,” he said to Ash then faced Cosmo. “It was nice running into you.”

  Warren didn’t say anything to Cosmo’s boyfriend because they hadn’t been introduced.

  “Wait,” Cosmo said. “Maybe we could hang out for a bit.”

  That wasn’t going to happen. Warren wasn’t sticking around so Cosmo could play matchmaker, though he had to admit that Ash was nice looking, with dark, assessing eyes that raked over Warren with interest.

  “Sorry, have other plans.” Like keeping two steps ahead of Ryan, who may or may not even be there. The guy kept really strange hours, which Warren could never keep up with.

  Ryan seemed to be a night owl and always slept the day away. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come to the festival to track Warren down. Especially since Warren had just broken up with him.

  “Hey, wait.” Ash jogged to catch up to him. Warren kept walking. Whatever the guy had to say, he didn’t want to hear it. Warren was focused on the stand ahead of him that was selling hot dogs, while still staying on guard.

  “Did I really make that bad of a first impression?” Ash asked when he caught up. “Or do you find me that repulsive?” He sniffed under his arms. “Definitely not my odor.”

  That made Warren crack a small smile, but he refused to stop. It wasn’t Ash’s looks. The guy was gorgeous. That wasn’t even the problem with Ryan because he was also stunning. The problem was boundaries which Ryan had no concept of. “How can you make a bad first impression if all you did was ask who I was?”

  Damn it. Warren needed to stop encouraging Ash to have a conversation. He was trying to get away from the guy, but Ash seemed hellbent on talking to him.

  “That’s what I’m saying.” Ash easily kept pace with him. “You can’t spare two minutes of your time?”

  With a long-suffering sigh, Warren stopped and looked up at Ash. He had to shield his eyes because the sun was directly behind the guy. “Look, you seem like a real nice person, but I’m not interested.”

  The fact that Ash was being this persistent turned Warren off. Ryan was the same way, never leaving Warren alone when he asked. He didn’t need another guy in his life that couldn’t respect someone’s boundaries.

  Ash cocked his head and folded his arms. He looked less and less impressed with Warren. Good. “Are you always a prick?”

  “Are you always this desperate?” Aside from already having too much to deal with, Warren didn’t understand why Ash was this insistent with him. Guys who looked like Ash normally didn’t talk to men who looked like Warren.

  It just didn’t happen.

  “I’ve never been desperate.” Ash scowled. “Moody, happy, lazy, grouchy, but never desperate.”

  Warren really did feel like a prick for being so rude. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m normally not like this. I just have things I’m dealing with, and now isn’t a good time for me to make hot new friends.”

  That seemed to mollify Ash. His smile was breathtaking, like the sun rising on a gorgeous beach. Heart-stopping. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with difficult things. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  There was no way Warren was pulling Ash into his mess. “No, but thanks for offering.”

  Ash stuck out his hand. “We can still be friends, Warren. We can talk some other time.”

  Warren seriously doubted that but shook Ash’s hand. When they touched, it was electrifying. A strange, heavy feeling centered itself in Warren’s chest, and he didn’t want to let Ash’s hand go. Which made him yank his hand away.

  He didn’t need to be attracted to Ash. He still had Ryan to deal with. An ex who refused to be dumped. A guy who met with shady guys in the middle of the night, who always bit Warren during sex—that alone made Warren want to call things off because he wasn’t into biting—and who was the most possessive person Warren had ever met.

  And they’d been dating only two weeks.

  Another reason Warren needed to get away from Ash was because he’d had the same reaction when he’d meet Ryan. Sparks igniting and a crazy attraction. Warren’s taste in men truly did suck. He always seemed to pick the wrong guys to date.

  “I’ll see you around?” Ash asked. “Maybe have some coffee?”

  “Sure.” Warren didn’t plan on seeing Ash again. “Later.”

  He spun and walked in the opposite direction, though he felt Ash’s gaze drilling into his back.

  * * * *

  As soon as Warren got home, he hung his wind chime, smiling at how perfect it looked dangling from his porch. He went inside and fed Pie, patted her head and gave her a good scratch, then went to the kitchen to make something for dinner, since all he’d eaten at the festival was a hot dog.

  He’d thawed some chicken, but that wasn’t what Warren wanted to eat, and why hadn’t he stopped thinking about Ash since they’d parted ways?

  Warren was a hot freaking mess. Worse, there was a tiny part of him that missed Ryan, even though the guy was all wrong for him.

  “I’m flipping crazy, right?” he asked Pie as she ate from her bowl. “There’re a few screws loose in my head. Why should I miss Ryan when he’s a psycho?”

  As Warren sat at the table, Pie looked up at him, meowed, and then went back to eating. She was right. Warren needed to stick to his guns and leave Ryan alone. And he needed to stop thinking about Ash.

  Warren must’ve stood too fast, because a wave of dizziness had him reaching for the table. He needed to eat. Warren hadn’t had anything since that hotdog, and before that, he’d skipped breakfast.

  A spaghetti dinner from The Diner Train would hit the spot. Some garlic bread, meatballs, and a soda to wash it all down. That sounded freaking perfect.

  Warren was headed for the front door when someone knocked. He stilled, holding his breath as if the person on the other side would be a
ble to hear him breathing.

  The doorbell rang, and then the knocking started again. There was only one person who attacked his door like that.

  Ryan.

  “Warren, open up.”

  Wait, that wasn’t Ryan’s voice. Warren rolled his eyes at the sound of his uncle hollering through the door. Why on earth would Morgan show up at this hour?

  Warren pressed a hand over his stomach. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to get something to eat. With an aggravated sigh, he swung the door open and stepped out, stopping Morgan from coming in.

  “Why do you look so pale?” Morgan pressed the back of his hand against Warren’s forehead. “No fever.”

  Warren batted his hand away. “I’m just hungry and tired.” And a bit nauseous and still dizzy. He blamed his condition on not only neglecting his diet but being out in the sun all day.

  “I just dropped by because I haven’t heard from you in a few days. That’s not like you, boy.”

  Warren had been too busy dodging Ryan and had turned his phone off multiple times over the past three days. “Sorry about that. I’ve been real busy. In fact, I was on my way out. Can I call you later?”

  Just in case Morgan decided he wanted to stay and visit, Warren locked his front door, which he normally never did. Small towns. People left not only their houses unlocked but their vehicles, too. It was that safe feeling that only Maple Grove could instill in people. Nothing ever happened here.

  Not that Warren knew of. Then again, he’d only been a resident for a year. Before then, he’d lived in Falls Bend. He’d only moved because of a stalker ex.

  Wow. He really did have a deranged pattern going on in his life. He just hoped Ryan left him alone because Warren didn’t want to move again. Not after he’d bought a house and gotten to know a lot of the townsfolk.