She was a pretty lady, looked to be in her mid-twenties, and had bright blue eyes. She wore her blonde hair in a ponytail, making her look even younger.

  “I’ll have the blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon,” Raven said.

  She turned to Moose. This was the part Moose hated about eating out. He always got strange looks when he ordered. “I’ll have the blueberry pancakes, too, with a side of bacon and sausage.”

  “Got it,” she said. Her nametag said she was Heather.

  “I’m not done,” Moose said as he looked over the menu. “I’ll also have some home fries and eggs over medium, a bowl of grits, some wheat toast, and a big glass of orange juice.”

  Heather grinned. “Anything else, sweetie?”

  “That’s it, for now.” Moose gave her a nod as she spun and walked away.

  Raven chuckled. “I guess you really are still growing.”

  Moose looked out the window. Although the blind was pulled, he could still see outside through the slants. “Do you know anything about the vandal?”

  Grayson might have rejected him as a deputy, but Moose had training. He had taken time off, but he worked for Lacross Omega Security. Most of their contracts were top secret government shit, but on occasion, especially when work was slow, they delved into the private sector and took jobs from ordinary citizens.

  Moose knew how to do detective work, although that wasn’t where their specialties lay. Lacross Omega Security mostly went in, got the bad guy, and got out.

  His boss, Mitch Lacross, was currently taking it easy because a hellhound had fucked his arm up and he was getting used to life using only one.

  Two of his teammates had been killed—one at the hands of Mitch.

  Darren, Moose’s close friend, was in Maple Grove at his cabin, enjoying a well-deserved break with his mate after Lenox had been shot.

  And here Moose sat, too chicken to tell Grayson they were mates while sitting in a diner with a stranger eating breakfast.

  “Only what others have heard,” Raven said. “No one knows who the person is, only what he’s done.”

  Heather brought them their coffee then walked away.

  Raven leaned in closer. “But I can tell you this. This morning, when I passed the egged house, I smelled vampire.”

  One of Moose’s brows arched. “Why didn’t you tell the sheriff that?”

  Raven sat back. “One, Sheriff Archer is human. I can’t tell him I smelled the culprit. Two, although the sheriff had been nice, I think he liked wearing the badge more than doing his job. He was forced into retirement, and everyone knows he hated that fact. I think he would have worn that badge to the grave if he’d had a choice.”

  “Do you know the new sheriff?” Moose grabbed a few creamers and dumped them into his coffee.

  “Grayson Copache?” Raven smiled. “I don’t know him personally, but he seems like a really nice guy from the few times I’ve encountered him.” Raven winked. “He’s also gorgeous.”

  Moose stopped the growl from rumbling. Since Raven was a shifter, Moose said, “He’s also my mate, so don’t get any funny ideas about flirting with him.”

  Raven held up his hands. “No worries. I don’t poach.”

  With that settled, and their breakfast brought to them, Moose and Raven ate in silence.

  Chapter Three

  “That’s Chris Fisher.” Deputy Roy Benton scratched at his head as he turned a bit green.

  Grayson hoped like hell the newbie didn’t vomit on their victim.

  “Why don’t you go radio for the coroner?” Grayson said, helping Roy save face in front of the other cops.

  With a look of appreciation, Roy hurried away.

  “Gotta let the kid get used to this,” Deputy Joshua Hayley said.

  “Why?” Grayson asked. “Do we get a lot of murders in Maple Grove?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Then there isn’t anything to get used to,” Grayson said. “Go talk to the neighbors and see if they saw or heard anything.”

  With narrowed eyes, Deputy Hayley stormed away. Grayson could tell the guy had a serious attitude problem and wondered if Joshua would be a thorn in his side.

  Deputy Aaron Mills joined Grayson. “I taped off the alley when I found the body, sir. I made sure no one crossed the tape.”

  “You did good, son,” Grayson said. From the way the deputies were acting, this was their first murder. Except for Deputy Hayley. He seemed unfazed by the dead body.

  Grayson was, as well. With his military experience and covert missions, he’d seen way too many in his lifetime, but he hadn’t expected one in this sleepy little town.

  “When was the last time Maple Grove has seen a murder?” he asked Aaron.

  “As far as I know, never,” the deputy answered. He didn’t look as green as Roy had looked, but he wouldn’t look at the body, either.

  “Hey, Sheriff!” Roy called out. “You got a visitor trying to get past the line.”

  Grayson looked over his shoulder and saw Moose standing there, towering over the gathered crowd of onlookers. Why was he not surprised to see Moose there?

  “Let him pass,” Grayson called out. It was better to let Moose there than to argue with him about going back to the station. From what he’d learned, the big lug wouldn’t go, anyway.

  Moose joined him and looked at the dead body. He stared at Grayson before he looked around. Grayson watched Moose inhale deeply.

  Could he smell what had happened? Was that possible? Grayson was dying to ask but not with so many people around. He pulled Moose to the sidewalk and down a ways until they were out of earshot of everyone.

  “What were you doing back there?”

  Moose tapped his nose. “Shifters have superior hearing and sense of smell.”

  Okay, so Grayson would just go with it. For one, he didn’t have any leads as of yet, and supernatural help couldn’t hurt. Two, after what he’d been through, why not believe what Moose was saying?

  “What did you smell?” He looked around to make sure no one happened by. The last thing Grayson wanted was for someone to overhear them.

  “A vampire.”

  Grayson sure as hell hadn’t expected that answer. He wasn’t sure if Moose was fucking with him or being serious. Demons, shifters, and now vampires? Fuck, he needed a vacation from his first day on the job.

  “You’re telling me vampires are real?” He thought of pale skeletal figures with fangs and hissing when shown garlic. Grayson had an urge to cover his neck.

  “As real as demons, shifters, ghouls, and fairies, but if it makes you feel any better, the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot are fake.” Moose looked thoughtful for a moment. “As far as I know, at least.”

  “Just stop talking.” Now Grayson was the one who felt a bit green. He hadn’t been prepared to have his eyes opened wider than they already were. Now more than ever he wished he was still retired and sitting in his backyard.

  “I can help you catch him,” Moose offered. “Humans can’t smell preternatural creatures, but I can.”

  “Is this your way of getting on the force?” Grayson asked.

  Moose had been so adamant that he wondered if the shifter was making this up just so he could be hired. He really didn’t know Moose all that well. Could he be a liar?

  “I only wanted on the force to keep an eye on your stubborn ass,” Moose said. “Whether you hire me or not has nothing to do with what I smell.”

  Grayson wasn’t sure what to think or do. This was a situation he’d never dealt with before. Vampires? Seriously? He needed a goddamn drink.

  Deputy Hayley approached, eyeing Moose with a curled lip. What exactly was this guy’s problem? “What?”

  “I talked with the neighbors per your request,” he said with acid dripping from his words. “No one saw anything.”

  A low rumbling growl vibrated in Moose’s chest as he moved a step closer to Grayson, as if ready to attack if Joshua kept up with his attitude.

  And there went that strange fluttering in his stomach whenever he was near Moose. Grayson wanted to reach out and touch him, to smooth his hand down Moose’s arm and reassure the guy that he was okay.

  Instead, Grayson pointed at Deputy Hayley. “I want you to stay here and secure the scene until the coroner gets here. Have Deputy Mills look around for clues.” He turned to Moose. “I want you to meet me back at the station.”

  Deputy Hayley walked away.

  “Why do I have to leave?”

  “Because I have a list of people I want you to talk to. While you’re interviewing them, you can see if they’re human.” Grayson frowned. “You do know how to interview, don’t you?”

  Moose crossed his huge arms. “I can interview suspects in my sleep.”

  “I didn’t say they were suspects,” Grayson corrected. “Now get going.”

  Moose glared in the direction of Deputy Hayley before he turned and walked away. Grayson watched until Moose turned the corner and was out of sight.

  The coroner van—which was a gussied-up minivan that Marvin used as a furniture truck on the weekends—came around the corner. In the small town, everyone seemed to have two or three jobs. Marvin Cormack, the coroner, was also the family doctor in Maple Grove, as well as the furniture store owner.

  With a sigh, Grayson joined the other cops as they processed the crime scene.

  * * * *

  Moose waited in Grayson’s office but became bored and searched the desk drawers. Most had been cleared out by Chuck Archer, but Moose found a folded paper in the bottom left drawer. He opened and found it to be Chuck’s mandatory retirement document. It looked as if it had been crumpled a few times and then smoothed out and tucked away.

  Moose tapped on the keyboard, and the monitor came to life. Only he hadn’t the first clue what the username and password were.

  He looked up when the office door opened. His mate looked haggard, and it wasn’t even noon yet. Moose wasn’t sure this job would be right for his mate. Grayson was supposed to be enjoying retirement, not going back to work.

  His arm still wasn’t healed, and the cuts were still healing on his face, although the bruising had nearly vanished. If Moose could mate with him, Grayson’s healing would go faster, but Moose had yet to gather the courage to drop that bomb in Grayson’s sexy lap.

  Things hadn’t been going great, and he wasn’t sure how receptive Grayson would be to finding out they were mates.

  “How’d everything go?” he asked.

  Grayson waved Moose out of his chair and sat, tossing his keys onto his desk. “I’ve got men who don’t want me here, a first-ever murder in Maple Grove, and citizens that are somehow blind and deaf when it comes to someone being killed or a vandal wrecking property.”

  At least Grayson hadn’t mentioned Moose in all that.

  “I also have no leads, a vandal on the loose, who may or may not be the killer, and residents who want answers I don’t have.”

  Moose grabbed a wooden chair from the corner and sat, praying it held him. “Just give me the list of suspects…I mean the people you want me to interview, and I’ll handle that for you.”

  Moose was itching for something to do. His boss, Mitch, and been nice enough to give Moose all the time he needed when he told the guy he’d found his mate.

  But Moose hated sitting on his ass. He liked to stay busy, and helping his mate solve a murder was up his alley. He nearly smirked at the pun but decided that would be in bad taste.

  Grayson pulled out a pen from his shirt pocket and a notepad from the other one. He took several moments to jot things down, ripped the paper, and handed it over. “It’s all the people who were out front this morning,” he explained. “Find out about what the vandal did to them, in detail. I also included their addresses.”

  Moose pointed to the paper. “I can see that.”

  Grayson narrowed his eyes. God, he was sexy when he was grumpy. “I don’t need a smartass, Moose. I need this solved.” His features softened. “And I appreciate you helping me out.”

  Moose got up, bent over the desk, and kissed Grayson’s cheek. Even though his mate was in his forties, fuck, he was hot as hell, and Moose wanted to bend the guy over and have his way with him.

  “Will you stop doing that?” Grayson might have protested, but he blushed a mean shade of red.

  “Why?” Moose grinned. “I like kissing you. Your skin is so soft under my lips.”

  “Well…it’s not…you have to stop…” Grayson pulled opened the drawers. He was doing that to make himself busy.

  “Why do I have to stop?”

  Grayson looked up at him then down at his desk. “Because…”

  Moose waited for him to finish, but Grayson started tapping on the keyboard. If his mate was sexy when he was grumpy, he was downright adorable when he was flustered.

  Rounding the desk, Moose hauled Grayson from his seat and stole a deep, soul-stirring kiss. At first, Grayson tried to push him away, and then he went limp. He didn’t kiss back, but he didn’t stop Moose, either. Moose slid his tongue across Grayson’s bottom lip, breathing in the small puffs of air from his mate’s mouth.

  Moose was fighting his animal for control. His black bear wanted to consume Grayson, to pull the man under, claim him right here in the office. He knew he couldn’t do that. Grayson would probably try to kick his ass if Moose tried.

  When their lips parted, Grayson stared wide-eyed at him, his blush deepening. “What the…you can’t do…let me go.”

  But his protest lacked heat. Moose rubbed the pad of his thumb over Grayson’s bottom lip to remove the moisture. “I’m gonna steal a lot more kisses from you, because…damn.”

  With the paper in his hand, Moose left the office, smiling to himself that he’d left his mate stunned.

  * * * *

  Had Moose just…Grayson stared at the open door, baffled and turned on. The guy had just full-out kissed him.

  On the lips.

  In Grayson’s office.

  And the kiss had been hot as fuck. It was as though a part of him that Grayson hadn’t known was missing had finally been filled.

  Grayson wasn’t sure how to react. He scrubbed a hand over his hair and grinned while shaking his head. Moose just kept surprising him. But his mood was now lighter as he typed on his keyboard.

  Deputy Roy Benton knocked on Grayson’s open door. “Is that your boyfriend?” He whistled. “I bet the mold was broken when they made him.”

  “No, he’s not my boyfriend.”

  Roy blushed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…well, the way the guy looked at you at the crime scene, and then the huge smile on his face when he left, I just assumed…sorry.”

  Why had Grayson felt a touch of panic when Roy had called Moose his boyfriend? Grayson didn’t run around advertising that he liked men, but he wasn’t going to deny he was gay if asked.

  He didn’t think he would.

  Roy hadn’t technically asked him if he was gay, and Grayson was still getting used to being out of the closet, so he hadn’t confirmed or denied the fact.

  “Was there something you wanted?”

  Roy tripped over his own damn feet stumbling into Grayson’s office. He smoothed his hand down his shirt and handed Grayson a file.

  Grayson looked the file over. “What’s this?”

  “Papers you need to read,” Roy said, stating the obvious.

  Grayson didn’t bother to ask any more questions. He was pretty sure Roy would give him obvious answers, and since he had the file in his hand, he decided to read it himself.

  He looked up when Roy still stood in his office. “Was there something else you needed?”

  With a blush, Roy backed up, bumped into the wall, and then hurried from the office. Grayson half expected him to fall in the hallway before he made his getaway.

  He set the file aside and thought about that amazing kiss. His heart fluttered, and his stomach was doing flips. Grayson felt like a young boy who’d just gotten his first kiss.

  The feeling was crazy, and Grayson liked it, but at the same time, he felt foolish because he was too damn old to fall in lust. Still, his lips tingled in remembrance as he sat back in his chair and grinned like an old fool.

  Moose was gorgeous. Grayson could at least admit that. Maybe it was high time he lived his life on his own terms. He had already taken the first steps when he’d come out to his ex-wife and his family.

  So why was he so chicken to pursue men? Why was he afraid to explore his feelings for Moose?

  That kiss must have jump-started something in Grayson, because he decided right then that if Moose continued to flirt with him, Grayson would flirt right back.

  He wasn’t getting any younger, and he had to grab life by the balls and run with it. He only lived once, and he didn’t want to live with regrets.

  Grayson stood and went to the small break room to make himself a cup of coffee. He noticed Deputy Hayley in the hallway. When he passed the guy, Hayley gave him a hard look.

  Ignoring it, Grayson went into the room and found a box of unopened donuts by the coffee machine. It might be cliché, but he grabbed a powdered donut, made himself a cup of the steaming brew, and headed back to his office.

  Thankfully Hayley was nowhere in sight.

  Grayson had just sat behind his desk when his office phone rang. “Sheriff Copache.”

  That was the first time Grayson had officially used his title, and it sounded damn good.

  “Miss me?”

  “Hang on.” Grayson crossed the room and closed his office door. He took a few deep breaths, remembered his vow, and returned to talk to Moose. “You left like ten minutes ago.”

  “Feels like forever,” Moose said. “Every time I lick my lips, I taste you on them.”

  Grayson opened his mouth then closed it. He didn’t know what to say. His vow was slipping away, and the chicken he’d turned into returned.

  “How are the interviews going?” He took a bite of his donut before he sipped his coffee. Holy fuck. The muck tasted like crap. There was a coffee shop one street over. Grayson was gonna make the trip as soon as he got off the phone.