Keller

  

  Fate & Felines 3

  Keller

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

  Kicked out when he was a teenager, Horace has proven that he’s a survivor. He’s strong-willed and doesn’t let anyone walk over him. That was mostly true. Sort of. Horace has a bad habit of not speaking up for himself, but not when it came to Keller O’Brien. The guy is a straight-up jerk, and Horace is done giving the guy chances to redeem himself. Until Keller bites him.

  Keller has just gotten out of a disastrous relationship and isn’t looking to jump into another one. He didn’t mean to act like a prick toward Horace and is trying to make up for his rudeness. Unfortunately Keller reacts before he knows what’s happening, and bites Horace, forcing the human to go through the change that will enable him to carry Keller’s child. But an ancient creature is after Keller, and he has to keep his mate and unborn child safe, at any cost.

  Length: 35,000 words

  KELLER

  Fate & Felines 3

  Lynn Hagen

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Keller

  Copyright © 2020 by Lynn Hagen

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-134-1

  First Publication: April 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 legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  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

  KELLER

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  KELLER

  Fate & Felines 3

  LYNN HAGEN

  Copyright © 2020

  Chapter One

  “You didn’t even clear it with me,” Dr. Marcus Taft snarled on the other end of the phone. “You can’t just run off whenever you want.”

  “I told you I was leaving, Marcus. My family needed me.” Keller clenched his teeth as he leaned against the counter in the kitchen. He’d just given Stevie and Quinn the news that they were pregnant, and Keller wanted to enjoy the moment.

  Not be reminded of how fucked up his relationship with Marcus had been. He’d broken things off with Marcus before he’d left, but Marcus hadn’t taken him seriously. Keller wished he could tell his ex-lover how he really felt, but he wasn’t willing to risk his job. Not because of some dumb affair that had gone on way past its expiration date. Marcus had enough clout at the hospital to make Keller’s life hell, and that was the last thing Keller wanted to happen.

  “And we need you here,” Marcus argued. “You can’t up and leave whenever you want, Keller. You have responsibilities that you conveniently forget about when the moment doesn’t suit you.”

  Didn’t suit him? Keller ground his teeth together so hard that they should’ve shattered. “Was it convenient that I found out you were cheating on me? Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “Be reasonable,” Marcus snapped. “I’d just pulled a forty-eight-hour shift and didn’t pay attention when I laid down. How was I supposed to know Donald was already in the rack? As soon as I realized my mistake, I got out of the bed.”

  Keller wasn’t going to do this. It was just another excuse in a long line of excuses of why Marcus couldn’t keep it in his pants. Keller had been an idiot for dealing with his bullshit for so long. Even so, his heart felt as if it were breaking as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “I gotta go.” Keller hung up before Marcus could demand that he return to California, and Dr. Marcus Taft had that power.

  “Hey.” Quinn entered the kitchen and gave Keller a big hug. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

  Keller shoved at Quinn. “Stop hugging me, and next time don’t be a moron and buy a discounted pregnancy test.”

  Quinn blushed, and Keller was starting to get the bigger picture. “You lied. It wasn’t a discount test.”

  “I got it at a dollar discount store,” Quinn confessed. “But they should all work the same!”

  “You cheap bastard.” Keller chuckled.

  They’d all inherited half a million dollars each from their Aunt Beatrice when she passed away. Keller hadn’t wanted to take the money, but he’d been forced to when he received the check in the mail. He’d put the money in the bank and had forgotten about it. He already made a nice living as an ER doctor and figured he would use the inheritance one day to buy a house and enjoy his retirement.

  Nash had used some of his money to open a pub. Keller wasn’t sure what Quinn and Hayward had done with their share. All he knew was that instead of selling Beatrice’s house, they’d decided to move in there and claim their childhood home as their own.

  It was the house they’d all grown up in, and every time he came back, it felt as if he were coming home.

  “But all is right with the world.” Quinn smiled. “Cliff and Lara Tucker didn’t get their hands on any of my money, and Stevie is safe.”

  Cliff and Lara Tucker were the parents of Quinn’s mate. They’d come up with a con to try and get fifty grand from Quinn, claiming Cliff owed the money to some bookie. They’d found Mr. Bodega, and the guy had no idea about any debt owed to him by Cliff.

  Keller wasn’t sure what had happened while he was gone, but the Tuckers were no longer an issue.

  “Now you can enjoy the morning sickness and crazy foods Stevie will want.” Keller winked, though he felt hollow inside. The chances of him becoming a father would never be. He’d been dating Marcus for two years, and if Marcus had been his mate, Keller would’ve known by now.

  “Actually, it hasn’t been that bad,” Quinn said. “Not like it was with Layne.”

  Layne was Nash’s mate, and the guy had gotten sick at every turn. He’d also delivered two weeks early. What shocked Keller was the fact that a person with the panthera mark didn’t give off pheromones until their twenty-fifth birthday, yet Stevie had given them off two weeks prior.

  A person, usually a human, who was born with the panthera mark was able to get pregnant by a panther. That didn’t always mean the panther was their mate, but if a panther’s canines punched through, descended of their own accord, then the panther knew the human was their mate.

  Keller’s canines had never
done that around Marcus. Not in the two years they’d been dating. Not with all the times he’d discovered how truly unfaithful Marcus had been.

  But Keller was done being an idiot. Besides, Marcus was thirty-five, and Keller had known the man’s body intimately. His lover didn’t have the panthera mark, which meant he would never be anyone’s mate.

  “Hey, where’d you go?” Quinn slapped Keller on the arm. “You kind of zoned out. Is everything okay with you?”

  Keller already felt like a jackass for staying with Marcus for so long. He wasn’t about to tell anyone what a fool he’d been. “No, everything is fine. I’m just tired.”

  Faint wrinkles formed between Quinn’s gray eyes. “I hadn’t even thought about that. Did you work and come right here? You must be exhausted.”

  Stevie came into the kitchen and looked between them. “I’m hungry. Can we order a pizza with spinach and pineapples?”

  Keller grimaced. That sounded completely disgusting. “I’m sure Quinn will get you whatever you want.”

  Quinn had his hand against his stomach, appearing a bit green. “Sure, I’ll order your nasty food, but you’re eating that crap all by yourself.”

  Keller left them in the kitchen to bicker while he went out to his SUV. He needed to return the rental. He wasn’t sure he would ever go back to California. But if he didn’t, then what? Was he ready to settle back down in Kendall, Georgia? Was he ready to go back to a slower pace of life?

  He stood outside, under the large cypress tree, and inhaled deep drafts of his hometown as he listened to the breeze rustle through the trees. When was the last time he’d stopped and done that? He wasn’t sure, but he had a decision to make. Not at the moment. He still had time to figure things out and hated the fact that he missed Marcus.

  Saying a curse under his breath, Keller went back inside and dropped onto the couch, telling himself he was the biggest fool alive. Why did he miss such an untrustworthy lover? Ex-lover.

  Keller looked toward the front door when it opened. Layne pushed the stroller inside, his friends coming in with him. Keller recalled them from the wake but couldn’t remember their names. His gaze landed on Connor, who was wide-awake and looking around.

  “Hey, guys,” Keller said as he scooped the baby from the stroller and cuddled his nephew against his chest. “Missed you, little fella.”

  He adored Connor, and his heart ached to have a family of his own, but Keller’s attention was pulled away when he heard yapping. One of the guys with Layne had a tiny dog tucked in his arm.

  “You remember Stanton and Horace?” Layne asked. “And that’s Buttercup.” He waved at the dog. “Horace just adopted him from the animal shelter.”

  Keller wasn’t fond of dogs. He’d been bitten two separate times when he was a kid. He guessed the dogs had smelled his cat. Buttercup was snarling at Keller, and he had an urge to make the ankle biter wait outside.

  “Quiet him down,” Layne said to Horace. “Nash is probably gonna make you take him outside, anyway. He is in a house full of panthers.”

  “That’s so weird,” Horace said. “It’s been months, and I still can’t get used to the fact they exist.”

  Layne jerked a finger at Keller, and Keller hid his grin. “One is standing right here. Don’t be rude.”

  “I wasn’t being rude,” Horace argued as he hugged Buttercup to him. “I was just stating a fact.”

  Keller watched as Horace walked to the hallway closet. The human returned with a cleaning cloth and some furniture polish. The guy started cleaning the surfaces in the living room while juggling the tiny dog in one arm.

  What an odd thing to do. Who came into someone else’s home and started to clean it? Layne and Stanton didn’t bat an eye, as if Horace did that all the time.

  Stevie came into the room and groaned. “Really, Horace? If you keep cleaning when you come over here I might start thinking you think my house is dirty.”

  “I can’t help it,” Horace argued. “I see dust, and I have to annihilate it.”

  “Where the hell did you get that dog?” Stevie asked. “And why does he keep growling?”

  The dog was looking directly at Keller. He probably wanted to take a bite out of Keller’s delicious face. But Buttercup wasn’t what was drawing his attention. Keller was watching the way Horace’s body kept wiggling as he ran the cloth over everything. His gaze locked onto the little human, hypnotized by the sway of his body, that perfectly round ass, and imagined Horace moving that way in bed.

  He ripped his gaze away, wondering why he felt so guilty about his thoughts toward Horace. Keller had broken things off with Marcus before he’d left California, although Marcus, as usual, had pretended not to hear him.

  Even so, Keller kept his eyes off Horace by leaving the room. He didn’t mind one-night stands. Keller had had his fair share, but right now, his heart wasn’t into anything, let alone indulging in some much-needed release.

  As soon as he reached his bedroom, Marcus called. With a groan, Keller closed his bedroom door.

  * * * *

  Horace’s head pounded as he watched kids run around the folding tables and laundry carts. Their mother sat at one of the tables, her nose in her phone, as her dryers spun. Twice already he’d politely asked the lady to make her kids settle down. A few customers had complained to Horace about them.

  What was he supposed to do, tie and gag them? He wished he could walk over there and snatch her phone away while demanding she get her kids under control. Too bad he didn’t have a backbone to do such a thing.

  He leaned over the counter to the small employee room and groaned, wishing his shift was over already. He wasn’t sure how much more of screaming kids he could take. Horace loved kids, but not when they were pumped up to one hundred. It was as if they had energy to burn while all Horace wanted was some peace and quiet.

  His head popped up when someone rapped their knuckles on the counter next to him.

  “Stanton.” Horace noticed the large bag in his best friend and roommate’s arms. “Did the washer break down again?”

  “No.” Stanton gave him a daft look. “I just like carrying a filled trash bag with me wherever I go. The weight helps keep me in shape.”

  That was the third time in a month the washer had acted up. Unfortunately, it was just Horace and Stanton in their rental house. Layne and Stevie used to live with them, but they’d moved into the O’Brien house after they’d mated their panthers and had gotten knocked up.

  Horace was in lust with Keller, but the family doctor didn’t seem to be interested in him. That was the story of Horace’s life. He always fell for a guy who acted like he didn’t exist. It was as if he had a broken radar in his head that pointed him to men who were too far out of his reach. But that didn’t stop Horace from trying…and failing…miserably.

  He handed Stanton a plastic card for the automated machines. Whenever Stanton had to do his laundry there, Horace always let his friend wash for free.

  “What the hell?” Stanton pulled back when the kids raced by him, nearly knocking the trash bag out of his arms, screaming their heads off as they chased each other.

  “I’ve been dealing with that for the past hour.” Horace glared at the mother who had yet to look up and check on her children. “You might want to do what the other customers are doing. Waiting in their car until their laundry is done.”

  “Seriously?” Stanton looked around. “Where’s their mother?”

  Horace pointed to where she sat, still on her phone. He bit his lip and watched as Stanton marched over there, set his bag down, and read the lady the riot act.

  That was something Horace couldn’t do, or he’d get fired. But another customer, well, that was a different story. He was also shocked that Stanton had done that. His best friend normally didn’t speak up for himself, let alone confront someone.

  Stanton had grown up in a house where his parents were never home, always leaving him with the help. Stanton had felt isolated until he’d met Horace, Stev
ie, and Layne. He’d clung to them after that, spending the night between their houses, never wanting to go home to an empty mansion.

  Horace’s brows shot up when the woman stood and yelled right back at Stanton. He needed to get his friend before Stanton really got worked up. Stanton was normally a quiet and reserved guy, but when he got pissed, his mouth shot off like a rocket.

  Hurrying through the employee door, Horace raced over to where Stanton towered over the woman. His friend was six feet one, but slim and, in Horace’s opinion, had delicate features. The woman was shorter and had more weight to her. She could probably knock Stanton on his bottom.

  “This isn’t McDonalds,” Stanton snapped. “And there isn’t a ball pit here. You should’ve brought something to entertain them, or for Christ sake, let them watch something on your phone. Stop letting them terrorize the laundromat.”

  “Keep your voice down.” Horace looked to where the kids stood, staring at their mother and Stanton. “You’re scaring them.”

  Honestly, it wasn’t their fault they were bored out of their minds, and Horace didn’t like the frightened look in their eyes. The youngest looked on the verge of crying, and Horace wanted to hug the kid and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He really hated to see girls cry. Horace had a soft spot for the fairer sex, especially kids.

  The woman backed down, taking a seat and calling her kids over to her. Stanton grabbed his bag and marched to the nearest washing machine. His friend might not have gone about things the right way, but the kiddos remained quiet for the rest of their time there.

  Horace needed Stanton to show up more often. He was also glad that Layne and Stanton were talking again. Months ago, the guy Stanton had been fooling around with had started stalking Layne. It had become a chaotic mess, and Stanton had held that against Layne, as if Layne had purposefully turned Hartley into a loon.