Page 53 of Purrfectly Mated

“Okay, I’ll try to after the holiday rush. You know all my clients need their hair done before they see family. Seriously though, are you alright? Like really alright?”

“Yes, I am. I know it seems crazy, but I’m happy. Now, promise me you will come for Thanksgiving, okay?”

“Lissa, I don’t know if I can afford it---”

“No worries. I’ll send a car to get you.”

“A car? Elissa, just who are you shacked up with? A prince or something?”

“Something like that,” she smiled.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

Still grinning, she dug through the cabinets for a nice wood tray. Elissa loaded it with fixings for coffee and several plates for the sliced pie.

It was all so homey. She loved it. Elissa was already settling in, and she could not be happier. She loved to cook for large groups. Homemade meals that regular folks were too busy with life to have the time to make. It was like her dream job.

And Hunter was her dream man. Butterflies knocked around inside her stomach while she carried the tray inside. She almost missed a step when she saw Brayden had gone and was replaced with someone she had not counted on seeing just then.

Blake.

Something inside of her hissed and spat at the man’s intrusion. She agreed with that new and rumbly voice inside her head. It wanted him gone, just as she did. With everything inside of her.

She’d deal with her sudden case of multiple personalities in a second, right then, she had to show strength for her mate. Straightening her spine, Elissa didn’t even flinch when Blake jumped up to take the tray from her.

The male’s claws were extended, and he managed to scratch her hand. What the heck? For some unfathomable reason, he’d had his Tiger’s claws unsheathed.

Even more outstanding, he hadn’t been able to cut through her skin. Looking down, she gasped in surprise, which was nothing compared to the shock in his angry glare.

“Baby, you alright?”

Hunter looked up from his plate of pasta, which she’d noted with some pride, was almost empty.

“I’m fine. Blake’s hands are just cold.”

“He shouldn’t have touched you,” Hunter snarled.

He turned on the weaker man and Blake immediately averted his gaze, bearing his throat. Something inside of her was immediately placated by the show of jealousy and temper.

“Apologies,Neta,” Blake mumbled.

Insincere apologies meant nothing to Elissa, and she knew he did not mean it. She glared as he turned and set the tray he’d taken from her down on the table.

His greasy smile made her want to dry heave, but she waited to see what the Beta would say by means of explanation. Going to Hunter’s side, she sat in the empty chair he pulled out for her while Blake searched for a suitable reason for touching her.

“I simply meant to assist you,Nari,” he said, lying easily.

She’d already asked the other males of the Pride to call her by her first name, but not him. Something about Blake made her skin crawl, and she did not want him calling her at all. It made her question if she was doing the right thing, jumping into a world she knew so little about. But however she felt about Blake, her love for Hunter was even more potent.

“Take care, Blake. Anyone who even appears to harm my Nari will have me to deal with,” Hunter’s warning was spoken in a low whisper not meant for her ears.

She realized this, and yet she had heard him.

Odd.

Odder still was the way he’d turned to her with a smile, as if she hadn’t just heard him threaten the man who was supposed to be his most trusted male. Maybe he didn’t know she’d heard him. So much to talk about but being near him made her keenly aware that she’d much rather be alone with him than here. They could talk later.

“Thank you for lunch and this unexpected treat. It looks wonderful, my love.”

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