by Lynn Hagen

Maple Grove 16
Lion's Wrath
[Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection: Contemporary, ManLove, Alternative, Shape-shifters, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, MM, HEA]
After his kidnapping two weeks ago, Baxter hasn’t been the same. He’s dodging his best friend’s phone calls, living in what feels like a nightmare. When he wakes up in a stranger’s bed and stumbles home, he runs into Mr. Nosy. A firefighter and a volunteer at the newly built rec center. Scott rescues Baxter in more than one way, setting him on a different path. Too bad someone is out to kill him.
Scott Mulligan is stunned to discover the addict he’s rescued is his mate. Baxter is a hot mess, moody, and doesn’t trust Scott’s intentions. He walks through hell with Baxter, trying to get him clean. But someone has their sights set on Baxter. They want the human dead, and Scott is just as determined to keep his mate alive. When a failed attempt at kidnapping, a Molotov cocktail thrown through the bedroom window, and an explosion at the local tavern occur, Scott is on the warpath.
Length: 33,400 words
LION'S WRATH
Maple Grove 16
Lynn Hagen

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
Lion's Wrath
Copyright © 2020 by Lynn Hagen
ISBN: 978-1-64637-069-6
First Publication: January 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
LION'S WRATH
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
LION'S WRATH
Maple Grove 16
LYNN HAGEN
Copyright © 2020
Chapter One
“What the fuck am I doing?” Baxter sat on the side of the bed while scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Coming back to bed.” The guy—shit, Baxter couldn’t even remember his name—turned over and ran his hand over Baxter’s naked ass. “Why’re you leaving so soon? The sun isn’t even up yet.”
Because I don’t even know how I got here. Baxter moved off the bed and walked around the room, gathering his discarded clothes. He held them to his chest like a shield as he went into the bathroom and dressed.
You need help. You can’t let this keep happening. Since the night he’d been kidnapped and drugged by a member of some biker gang, Baxter’s life had been a hellish mess. To make matters worse, Baxter couldn’t even recall what had been done to him while he’d been held captive.
He curled his fingers around the edge of the sink and closed his eyes, praying his pounding headache would subside. The need was still there, eating at him, wrecking him.
The need to use again. The need to satisfy the craving his body was aching for. Just go home and get your life back together. You don’t have to keep going down this road.
After blowing out a series of short breaths, Baxter opened the door and looked around the bedroom. Mr. Stranger had fallen back to sleep. The guy must’ve still been sleepy when he’d said the sun hadn’t even risen yet. The room was brightly lit as Baxter’s gaze landed on the nightstand. He’d found what he was looking for.
He grabbed the tinfoil and syringe and hurried from the bedroom. By the front door were his shoes and his jacket. Baxter slid the jacket on and stuffed what he’d stolen into the pocket of his jacket. For just a moment lucidity kicked in and Baxter rested his hand on the knob, considering tossing the shit onto the floor.
Instead, he tucked his sneakers under his arm and eased out the front door. He was in an apartment building. Baxter had no idea where he was, but he moved quickly down the steps and out the front door.
He wasn’t even sure where his car was. His sedan wasn’t parked out front or anywhere on the street. He tapped his back pocket, thankful his phone was still there.
On his way home, Baxter passed the new rec center. From what he’d heard, there were counselors inside who offered a variety of services. Baxter kept walking, too ashamed to admit he had a drug problem—a problem that had started the night that fucking biker had shot him up.
This wasn’t him. Baxter didn’t chase his next high. He didn’t let his life get out of control. He never missed a day of work. Ever. But now he’d missed three evenings in a row and didn’t doubt that he was fired.
“I can stop,” he told himself, though his hand curled around the shit in his pocket. “Just one more time and I can stop.”
“That’s what they all say.”
Baxter slowed and turned to the sound of a deep voice. There was a guy leaning against a red Bronco, his arms crossed, his blue eyes studying Baxter.
“What did you say to me?” Baxter wasn’t even sure why he cared what this stranger had said to him. He needed to get home and figure out what he was going to do about his job, or lack thereof. His life was quickly spiraling, and…fuck, who was he kidding? Baxter’s fingers curled around the stuff in his pocket. He knew why he was in a rush to get home.
And it had nothing to do with looking in the want ads.
He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and out. This wasn’t the kind of person he wanted to become. Baxter missed his best friend, Jayce, and was desperate to call him, but one, Baxter was ashamed, and two, he feared Jayce would see the guilt written all over his face.
Jayce had been kidnapped, too, but he seemed to be getting on with his life, living with a really great guy. He had a support system, and Baxter had jack shit.
When he opened his eyes, the stranger had moved closer. The guy’s pale blue eyes held genuine concern as he gave Baxter a soft smile. “Why don’t you come inside so we can talk? My name is Scott Mulligan. I’m a firefighter but volunteer here in my free time.”
“I have nothing to talk about.” Baxter turned and tried to walk away, but Scott was persistent. He kept pace as Baxter hurried down the street.
“Where’re you headed?”
“A place called Mind Your Own Business.” Baxter glared at him. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“Lived there a time or two.” There was a soft edge to Scot
t’s voice. “It’s a really lonely place. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind some company.”
Baxter gritted his teeth. He stopped walking and huffed out his irritation. “You’re a very noble guy who’s probably doing a good thing at the center, or you think you’re doing a good thing with me, but I don’t need your help, so fuck off and stop following me.”
They hadn’t made it beyond the center. Baxter heard someone calling for Scott.
“Hey, Mr. Mulligan? Mr. Mason is looking for you.” The kid looked no more than thirteen or fourteen. He glanced between Baxter and Scott. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. Mr. Mason just asked me to find you.”
“It’s all right, kid,” Baxter said. “You’re not interrupting anything.” But Baxter had yet to look away from Scott’s pale blue eyes. “Maybe Mr. Mason has someone inside who actually needs your help.”
“Give me your name first.” One of Scott’s blond brows arched.
Baxter could tell the guy wasn’t going to leave him alone until he got what he wanted.
“Jayce Foyer.” The lie slipped easily from his lips. Not only had Baxter become an expert addict but he’d clearly become an expert liar, too. Wouldn’t Jayce be so proud of him?
Scott dipped his head, as though he was finally relenting, but those eyes… God, they were fucking intense as he stared at Baxter one more second before turning and jogging up the steps that led to the rec center.
Baxter simply stood there and watched Scott go. He should’ve just left, but…he wasn’t sure why he had to see the handsome man go inside.
Scott grabbed the door and allowed the kid to go in first, but before he disappeared inside, he looked back at Baxter. Some kind of connection clicked into place. Baxter couldn’t explain it, but he felt the sensation ripple through him just as Scott walked into the center.
* * * *
Baxter crawled out of bed and stumbled down the hallway. Either someone was knocking on his door or his headache was banging against his skull. Either way, he wanted the noise to stop. He braced his hand against the wall and made his way to the door.
It felt like his apartment was spinning as he grabbed the doorknob. His mouth was dry, and Baxter feared he would vomit at any second. He wasn’t even sure what day it was or how long he’d been out of it.
The knocking sounded again.
Baxter fumbled with the lock and finally got his door open after a couple of failed attempts. He wasn’t even seeing straight as he walked away, unsure who was on the other side.
He stumbled to the couch and fell forward but missed and hit the floor. Somewhere in his mind, Baxter heard the door close but couldn’t muster the energy to care who was in his apartment.
“What did you take?”
Baxter scratched at his eyebrow, but he couldn’t concentrate. He sighed and closed his eyes, needing more sleep.
“Tell me what you took.”
“Go away,” Baxter groaned. “I just wanna sleep.”
He was lifted from the floor and placed on the soft cushions of his couch. Someone was patting his face. “Come on, Baxter. Tell me what you took.”
Baxter heard footsteps receding. Thank fuck. He didn’t want to open his eyes, let alone fully wake up. The need to throw up became stronger. Baxter turned and then fell off the couch, slamming against the floor.
He whimpered and tried to push himself up but crashed back down. Seconds later, whatever he’d had on his stomach was making its way back up. Baxter choked and wretched, holding his gut with one hand as the pressure in his face mounted.
Someone was talking. Baxter couldn’t make out what was being said. An arm curled around him and lifted him off the floor. Baxter couldn’t focus, couldn’t clear his mind long enough to tell whoever it was to let him go.
“Help is on the way.”
“I don’t need any help.” Baxter fought to get free, but the arm tightened around him. “Get off me!”
Another knock at his door. Footsteps making his floor creak. Muffled words. Slow movement. Baxter flopped sideways and forced his eyes to crack open.
Mr. Nosy from the rec center was carrying Baxter, but Baxter didn’t know where they were going. The movement made his head spin. He closed his eyes and groaned.
Mr. Nosy began talking again, but Baxter had a feeling he was speaking to someone else. The cool air hit him. They were outside. Swirling lights made Baxter press his hands over his eyes.
A door slammed, and then sirens wailed.
Baxter fought to get up and threw his arms around as he screamed, “I don’t need a fucking hospital!”
“Get him on the gurney,” someone said.
Mr. Nosy lowered Baxter, his blue eyes filling Baxter’s line of sight. “You’re gonna be strapped down, but that’s only for your own protection.”
Panic settled in Baxter’s chest. Tears stung his eyes as his arms and legs were belted. “No!”
“It’s okay.” Mr. Nosy brushed his hand over Baxter’s hair. “I’m right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Fuck, what was the guy’s name again? For the life of him, Baxter couldn’t remember. “Just let me go home, please. I just…I just wanna go-go home.”
Baxter was poked and prodded as the ambulance rocketed down the road. There was nothing wrong with him. Baxter just needed to come down from his high and he would be okay. A hospital wasn’t necessary, and he was pissed that Mr. Nosy had called for help.
“Get your goddamn hands off me!” Baxter wrestled against his restraints, but they held. “I promise, I promise, I promise I won’t do it anymore. Please, please let me go.”
Pain seared Baxter’s chest. He let out a primal scream as he fought to get off the gurney and out of the ambulance. This couldn’t be happening to him. Not him. How the hell had he sunk so low?
The ambulance came to a stop. The back doors opened, and Baxter was wheeled out. He closed his eyes and tried to center his breathing, but the technique wasn’t working.
Okay, calm down. They’re not wheeling you away to a funny farm. The doctor is gonna check you over, let you sleep this off, and then send you home.
Baxter took a cleansing breath, in through the mouth and out through the nose. He did it a few more times and then passed out.
* * * *
Scott Mulligan looked up when his chief walked into the clinic. His brows were drawn as he approached. God, Scott felt like a wreck. He couldn’t believe he’d just gone through that, but then again, he’d known something was wrong when he’d met Baxter earlier that morning.
“How is he?” Sal took a seat next to him in the empty waiting area. Even the receptionist had gone for a break, leaving Scott alone until Sal had arrived to keep him company.
“Resting.” Scott gripped the paper cup tighter. The coffee had long ago grown cold. He just needed something to do with his hands. They’d been shaking so badly for the past few hours that Scott wasn’t sure how to make them stop.
He’d found his mate, and Baxter was a mess. He also knew that Jayce hadn’t been his real name since Scott was good friends with Deon Wilkerson and Jayce was Deon’s mate.
It wasn’t until Scott had made a call to Deon that he learned Baxter was Jayce’s best friend. He’d also learned some horrible things that had happened to Baxter a few weeks ago.
“Anything you need from me?”
Besides turning back the clock so Scott could save Baxter from ever getting kidnapped in the first place? So he could stop his mate from getting hooked on drugs? “Just need the company.”
Dr. Bjord had already reassured him that Baxter would be okay, that he’d taken measures to clean the drugs out of Baxter’s system. But that hadn’t stopped Scott from feeling all-consuming panic when he’d walked into his mate’s apartment.
“Lucky you were there for him,” Sal said. “What did the doctor say?”
“Once he’s rested, I can take him home.” Scott looked toward the hallway that led to the rooms in the back. He should be in
Baxter’s room, giving him comfort, but Scott had needed the air, the space.
Seeing Baxter in the state he’d been in had brought back too many memories. Scott squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear his mind.
“If anyone knows how to get him through this, it’s you,” Sal said.
Scott opened his eyes. “Me? How’s that?”
Sal gave him a knowing look. Scott snorted and got up, stretching his legs after sitting in the chair for so long. “That some kind of joke? I couldn’t even save—” He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest.
“That’s because your dad didn’t want to be saved, Scott. Baxter isn’t him. Don’t punish your mate for something that happened so long ago. Be there for him.”
Scott spread his arms wide. “I am here for him. I’m not gonna abandon Baxter. I just needed—” Scott ran his hand through his hair and then set his mug on a small table by the plethora of plants. “I just needed some time to think.”
Gavril, Dr. Bjord’s assistant and mate, came into the waiting area. He looked Sal over before walking over to where Scott stood. “He’s awake.”
“You want me to wait out here for you?” Sal joined Scott at his side, placing a beefy hand on his shoulder.
“Nah, but thanks for showing up. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, and you know Renny gets antsy when you’re not home on time.”
When Sal spoke next, his voice was so low that Scott barely heard him. “I heard that some of the Black Python members are looking for revenge. I’m not sure how true it is, but I just wanted to let you know.” Sal squeezed his shoulder before he let it go. “Let me know if you need anything. Since you’re newly mated, take two weeks off.”
Deon and a few deputies, as well as some others, had gone to Falls Bend to get Jayce and Baxter back. In the process, one member of the Black Python had been killed and another taken to the underworld. That was what Deon had told him on the phone earlier.