Catching Rainbows

by Lynn Hagen

  Dr. Sheehan was drawing blood. Grayson stood by the window with his arms crossed. Moose wasn’t in there. He must’ve gone to his own room.

  “Right before you got here, I got a call from Dr. Cormack,” Grayson said without turning around. Raven’s gaze was riveted to the fairy/elf as he listened. “He claimed you stole a patient out of his exam room.”

  That was fast. Raven didn’t think the doctor would notice for some time since a guy had been brought in by ambulance. “And what did you tell him?”

  Grayson turned and looked Raven over. “That you would never do anything like that. That the patient must have walked out on his own, even though the doctor insisted Jet was passed out and wouldn’t have been able to leave on his own accord.”

  Raven would play stupid where the doctor was concerned. When the guy on the gurney was wheeled in, Raven had walked out the front door. That would be the story he would stick to. “Thanks for trying to cover for me.”

  Grayson nodded and turned back around.

  “How is he?” Raven asked Dr. Sheehan.

  “I’ll have to run the blood work,” he said. “You have no idea how he got this way?”

  Raven shook his head and told Dr. Sheehan the same thing he’d told Moose and Dr. Cormack. He was tired of repeating the story and hoped he didn’t have to tell anyone else.

  “It could be a sickness, though I highly doubt that. It could also be a spell, poison, or any number of things. I won’t know until I run the tests on his blood.”

  “But if it’s poison,” Raven said as his heart thundered, “shouldn’t he be treated right away? What if he dies before your tests are done?”

  “I can’t counter the poison if I don’t know what it is he’s been given. The tests won’t take long,” Dr. Sheehan reassured him. “I’m also going to get a professional opinion just in case it’s a spell.”

  There was a white barrel chair in one corner. Raven grabbed it and set it next to the bed before he dropped into it. “If it’s all right with Grayson, I’ll sit right here until you get back.”

  Grayson furrowed his brows when he turned away from the window and looked at Raven. “Son, is there something you’re not telling us?”

  Raven looked down at Jet. Maybe it was because the guy was so small, or that he was helpless against whatever was wrong with him, but Jet seemed so fragile lying there. Raven brushed his fingers over Jet’s hot arm and prayed the man pulled through. “I think he’s my mate.”

  Chapter Two

  Jet was sitting on the side of the bed, unsure where he was or how he’d gotten there. He was in someone’s bedroom, the early morning light streaming in past lace curtains. The large bed he was on was comfortable, and the room smelled like clean linen, as though fresh-laundered clothes had recently hung in the room.

  He was guessing that clothes hadn’t been hung in there and that the fragrance was from an air freshener. There was also an undertone of citrus that Jet inhaled as he looked around.

  Everything in there was so freaking bright—from the white furnishings to the pale blue accents. But none of the things he was looking at told him where the hell he was.

  And why his head wouldn’t stop pounding.

  The door opened and in walked a man with hazel eyes and sandy-blond hair. He had a nice smile when he grinned at Jet.

  “You’re awake.”

  Jet had no flipping clue who this guy was. “And you are?”

  He scooted back when the man approached. Not knowing where he was and who this stranger could be, Jet was leery.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me.” The guy’s smile seemed to widen. “I’m Dr. Sheehan. You weren’t in the best shape when you arrived here yesterday evening.” He took a seat on a white barrel chair and clasped his hands together. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

  Jet searched his memory, but the last thing he recalled was visiting his cousin’s house. He’d helped Poppy in the garden, planting some vegetables and complaining about the hot sun. Jet remembered giving Poppy a hug before he’d left, but everything after that was blank.

  With a shaky hand, Jet pressed it against his chest. “Not a clue. Where am I?”

  “At the sheriff’s house,” Dr. Sheehan said. “You drove to the local mechanic shop and passed out in the owner’s arms. He brought you here.”

  Why did Jet have a feeling the doctor wasn’t telling him everything? He looked down at his lap and noticed a bandage on his arm. “Did you draw blood?”

  The doctor nodded, his smile fading as a sober expression took its place. “I ran some tests to try and figure out what caused all your symptoms.” He cleared his throat. “Do you remember being drugged?”

  “What!” The doctor had lost his ever-loving mind. Jet hadn’t been drugged. Who would do such a thing? When would they have done it? He was positive Poppy hadn’t slipped him anything. His cousin was too sweet and naïve to have done something so underhanded. Poppy wasn’t that type of person to do others harm, let alone his own cousin.

  “Do you know your name?” the doctor asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I know who I am?” Jet looked around, feeling unnerved and ready to get out of the sheriff’s house. What frightened him the most was the fact that he had no idea where he was. What town was he in? How had he gotten there?

  “I’m just asking standard questions to gauge your mental capacity and frame of mind. It’s no big deal.”

  It was a big deal to Jet. It was a huge deal to him. “I’m Jet Atherton.”

  The doctor smiled. “And what day is it, Jet?”

  “Tuesday, the third.” Jet had spent the weekend at Poppy’s. He always spent one weekend a month at his cousin’s house. It was the only time he left the Unseelie realm. Technically it was the only time he’d snuck out of the realm. The new king, Arion, had forbidden the dark fae from leaving the land. But Jet had family outside the realm, and he adored Poppy.

  He didn’t like how Dr. Sheehan’s eyebrows drew together. “What month is it?”

  “September.” Jet curled his fingers into the bedding. “That’s not right?” Had Jet been passed out longer? An intense feeling of unease settled in his gut.

  “No.” Dr. Sheehan shook his head. “Jet, it is Tuesday, and it is September, but it’s the seventeenth.”

  Jet jerked his head back as he gaped at the man. “That can’t be right. How the hell did I loose fourteen days?”

  Better question, what had happened in those two weeks? Oh fuck! By now King Arion would know Jet was missing and hell would be paid for disobeying his ruler. Jet had heard horror stories about what Arion did to those he punished, and he didn’t want to find out if those rumors were true.

  “I have to get out of here.” Jet slipped from the bed and stood. He became lightheaded, swayed, and then fell toward the floor. The doctor jumped up and caught him, coaxing Jet back onto the bed.

  “You’re not well enough to leave.” He helped Jet lie back on the pillow. “You need to regain your strength.”

  Jet felt hot tears sting his eyes. “What drug was I given?”

  The doctor gave Jet a warm smile as he shook his head. “We’re still trying to identify it. It’s nothing—”

  “We?” Who else knew about Jet’s condition? He didn’t need anyone finding out he was Unseelie. His kind was feared in the preternatural world. Also, Panahasi, the demon leader, had sealed the realm—or so he thought—and had forbidden any Unseelie to leave.

  That was two powerful men Jet had disobeyed. He was so fucked that his head spun. More so than it already did.

  “Just rest while the rest of the drug leaves your system.” Dr. Sheehan patted his arm. “I’ll be right down the hall if you need me.”

  Jet was too confused, too terrified to ask any more questions. He simply nodded as he stared at the wall with a wooden plaque that had an image of a beach. It dawned on him that that was the theme of this room.

  Costal cottage, though Jet doubted they were on any coastline.


  Before the doctor walked out the door, Jet asked, “Where exactly am I?”

  “In a small town called Maple Grove. Is there anything else you need?”

  Jet shook his head, and the doctor left the room. He’d never heard of Maple Grove and prayed neither Panahasi or King Arion came looking for him.

  He looked toward the window and wished he could open it. He wanted to smell the fresh air and feel the sun on his face, but he didn’t dare risk getting up again.

  The door opened, and Jet expected to see the doctor again. But it wasn’t the human. In the doorway stood a man with dark hair and dark brown eyes. His face was made up of hard lines and masculine angles and sucked the very breath from Jet’s lungs.

  Holy crap, he was gorgeous!

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “The mechanic who brought you here.” The guy walked into the room with confident steps before taking a seat in the chair the doctor had vacated just moments before. “Dr. Sheehan told me he explained who I was.”

  This was the guy who had helped Jet? He looked at the man’s arms and wished he was still in them. They were tanned and his T-shirt strained to contain the bulging muscles.

  The stranger also smelled like wolf.

  “But he didn’t tell me your name.”

  The guy smiled, and Jet felt lightheaded all over again. It was the kind of smile that probably stole a lot of hearts. It was definitely trying to steal his. “I’m Raven McCoy, and I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

  That statement made Jet frown. “The doctor didn’t give me all the details. Can you fill me in?” That wasn’t quite true, but Jet wanted to see if Raven could tell him the things the doctor had been clearly hiding.

  “You pulled into my station in a minivan.”

  “But I don’t own a car.” The more Jet found out, the more confused he became.

  Raven nodded. “I’ll have the sheriff run the plate to find out who it belongs to. The doctor told me you have some memory loss.”

  Some? That was putting it mildly.

  “You looked as though you had the flu when you got out. I kept asking you questions, but you wouldn’t respond. When you passed out, I took you to the local clinic, unaware at the time you were a fairy... or are you an elf?”

  “Fae,” Jet corrected. God, was he really freaking blushing? “Some people don’t mind being called a fairy, but I prefer the term fae.”

  “Duly noted.” Raven smiled again, and Jet wished he could bottle that gorgeous grin and sell it. “Once I realized you were fae, I scooped you up and stole you from the clinic.”

  Jet’s brows drew down. “Stole me?”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna catch hell from Dr. Cormack when I see him. But he’s human and doesn’t know about our world. When I discovered what you were, I had to get you out of there.”

  Jet tried to imagine being passed out and Raven sneaking him out of the clinic. Raven would never know just how grateful Jet was for his quick thinking and stealthy moves.

  But on the other side of the coin, had Raven discovered what kind of fae Jet was? Clearly he hadn’t because he was still seated in the room instead of trying to kill Jet.

  That seemed to be the normal reaction to the Unseelie. There were tons of preternatural who feared them because they worked dark magic. But not all of them. Jet didn’t. His parents had made sure Jet knew all the spells his people could conjure, but he’d yet to use any of them, and he had no inclination to do so.

  Maybe that was why he was drugged. Had someone realized what he was? Jet felt his headache get worse the more he struggled to remember.

  “Moose is a friend, so I brought you here,” Raven was saying when Jet tuned back into the conversation.

  “Moose?”

  Raven chuckled, and the sound sent shivers through Jet’s body. “He’s a black bear shifter. He’s mated to the sheriff. They called a doctor who specializes in our kind.”

  Jet nodded. “Dr. Sheehan.”

  “So, that’s about as much as I know.” Raven frowned, the skin forming faint wrinkles between his eyes. “You really lost two weeks?”

  “Apparently so.” Jet pulled the sheet over his shoulders and curled into a ball. He had no idea of what he would do or where he would go. Sneaking back into his realm was out of the question. Arion would find out how Jet had escaped and would have guards watching out for him.

  He wouldn’t dare go to Poppy’s. Jet wouldn’t bring that kind of trouble to his cousin’s doorstep. Poppy had escaped the realm about two years ago and had been in hiding since.

  Jet had other relatives outside the realm, but they were estranged, hiding from Arion, as well.

  What the hell was he going to do? Jet was broke, with nowhere to go. Talk about waking up to a nightmare.

  Raven moved his chair closer. His brown eyes were filled with sincerity. “The doctor doesn’t think they’ll be any lasting effects of the drug, though it may take a while for them to leave your system.”

  “How would he know that if he doesn’t even know what the drug was?” Jet asked. That wasn’t what had him worried, but he didn’t tell Raven that.

  “An educated guess?” Raven grinned again. Jet wished he would stop doing that. That smile was playing havoc with his body. But he also felt drawn to Raven.

  “Hey, hey.” Raven wiped at Jet’s face. Dang it, had he been crying? Seriously? “Everything is gonna be okay, Jet. I promise you.”

  Great, he’d turned into a big freaking baby. That was the last thing Jet needed to be in front of this strong, gorgeous man. And oh my god, his name on Raven’s lips sounded wonderful. “It’s the drugs. They’re making my eyes leak.”

  Raven’s eyes sparkled. “I’m sure that’s the cause.”

  A sharp knock sounded on the door before the largest man Jet had ever seen walked into the room. “Doc said to feed you.”

  “This is Moose,” Raven said.

  The guy was a freaking giant! Jet had an urge to hide himself under his sheet, but the smell of soup and grilled cheese made his stomach rumble.

  “I would’ve made more,” Moose said as he pulled the legs from under the tray and set it on the nightstand next to Jet. “But the doctor said to take it easy with your stomach for now.” Moose frowned, and Jet still couldn’t get over just how big the man was. “It seems like very little. Maybe I should make something else to go with this scrawny meal.”

  “No, this is fine,” Jet said. “Thank you.”

  Now that was the kind of man who Jet wouldn’t mind having on his side. Moose looked as though he could take down a platoon of men without breaking a sweat.

  “He looks intimidating, but he’s all soft and gooey on the inside.” Raven chuckled.

  “Stop telling my secrets,” Moose said. “I have an image to maintain.”

  “For who?” Raven asked. “Everyone in town knows you’re nothing more than a teddy bear.” Raven winked at Jet, making Jet’s heart beat faster.

  “Mah, total gossip. I’m a badass when I need to be.”

  Jet had no doubt about that.

  “I won’t deny that,” Raven said. “Thanks for making him something to eat.”

  Why was Raven being so nice where Jet was concerned? They didn’t even know each other. Shouldn’t Raven have left already knowing Jet would recover? Why was he sticking around?

  “No problem.” Moose grinned at Jet before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

  This whole situation was so flipping bizarre that Jet expected to wake up from a dream to find himself at home.

  Raven got up and moved to the other side of the bed. “Sit up and I’ll put the tray in front of you.” He stopped and looked at Jet. “Do you need help sitting up?”

  “Why are you still here?” Jet blurted out. His face was on fire, and he knew he was blushing. “I mean I’m grateful that you saved me, but I don’t understand why you’re sticking around.”

  Raven cocked his head to the side. “You’re telling me you don’t feel the con
nection between us?”

  Those words floored Jet. He’d been so discombobulated when he’d woken up, so worried about what was going on that he hadn’t… “Are we mates? I mean I don’t know. I’m not feeling myself, so I never…I mean it hadn’t dawned on me…”

  “Relax.” Raven brushed his hand over Jet’s long hair. “We’ll get you better first, and then we’ll move on to other things, Rainbow.”

  It took a second for Jet to catch on to what Raven was talking about. His hair. He touched the strands and shrugged. “I like standing out. Or I did.”

  Why had he said the last part? Jet didn’t want Raven to ask too many questions. He was still lying there stunned as hell that the wolf shifter was his mate.

  That meant Raven would eventually find out what Jet was. He couldn’t let that happen. Jet refused to be stuck with someone who hated him. And Raven would.

  “I like it.” Raven helped Jet sit up. “It suits you.” He placed the tray over Jet’s legs. “Now eat up. I heard your stomach growl.”

  As soon as Jet was better, and could stand on his own two feet without falling over, he was out of there. He refused to let Raven get stuck with an Unseelie.

  He also wanted to find out what in the heck had happened to him. Jet wanted answers, and he wouldn’t get them lying in this bed. He’d promised himself a long time ago that he would never use one of the dark spells.

  Ever.

  But maybe this one time he could use one to find out why he was missing two weeks of his memory. Jet would just need to collect the ingredients he would need.

  The bad part was some of those ingredients could be found only in the Unseelie realm.

  Which meant Jet would have to sneak back in and pray King Arion or his guards didn’t catch him.

  * * * *

  Jet came awake to the setting sun. Only this time the window was open and the lace curtains billowed gently in the soft breeze. Had he actually slept the day away?

  He looked around and found the room empty. No one was there with him, not even Raven. This was his chance to get out of here. He would hop through the window and be gone before anyone was the wiser.