Our first home!

It was night before they reached their next destination. Misty recognized the town they had come into, but instead of returning to Jay's parents' home, they stopped in front of a large building that looked like a store. Misty read the name, Malkin's. She looked over to see Jay and Kason shifting back to human form.

"Where is this?" Jay hauled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, drawing her to a ally next to the shop. Kason followed close behind. They eventually came to a blue door. Jay put his hand on the door, and it opened.

"This is our home." Jay smiled. They walked into the foyer where Jay lit a candle. Kason hesitated for a moment outside before Jay turned to him. "You are Misty's mate, too. You are welcome here." Kason came in and shut the door.

In the dim foyer, Misty couldn't help but sense the predatorial aura of the two beastmen. Jay took the candle and pulled Misty into the depths of the house. She could see the outlines of furniture, but it was too dark to see much. Soon, they came into the kitchen where Jay lit a few lanterns.

The kitchen was well stocked, and Misty could smell the aroma of bread and meat in the air. Her stomach growled. Misty was embarrassed until she heard Kason and Jay's bellies let out even bigger growls. Misty laughed in amusement while Jay grinned at her widely. Kason's smile was more hesitant as he was less sure of his place here.

"I guess we are all hungry." Jay opened a cabinet and pulled some bread out. He then when to a door in the wall and opened it to reveal a large walk-in cold space. Misty was pretty sure that it was like a fridge from her other world but wasn't too sure what it was called here in this one until her encyclopedia filled in the blank.

It was called a Mana Cold Crisper. Jay soon pulled out a ton of meat and even some milk and cookies. Kason went over to another cabinet and pulled open the door.

"I see that you haven't changed much since I've been gone." He pulled out some plates as Jay laid the food on the counter.

"Not really." Jay grabbed a knife and began slicing the meat while Kason laid out the bread on the plates.

"That's right, you told me you knew Jay from before you were captured." Kason nodded and pulled out some condiments to put on the sandwiches.

"Yep, Jay and I go way back."

"We didn't realize that you had been captured." Jay finished getting the food and put the leftovers away. "Our last reports had you disappearing close to one of the wild beast borders. When we went looking for you, the only thing we found was some blood-stained clothes."

"I made sure that you wouldn't find me. I found out what Cixin was doing and tried to throw off their scent, but it backfired." Jay handed Misty and Kason a plate.

"What were they doing?"

"At the time, they were just starting to steal kids to blackmail some of your portal supervisors."

"We got a tip back then for that and were able to get them to safety." Jay smiled with pride. "So that was you." Kason nodded and gestured to everyone to eat. Misty bit into the sandwich and was surprised at the taste. It was delicious for an impromptu midnight snack.

"Should we have told your mom's that we were safe?" Jay had just taken a large bite and struggled to chew before he answered.

"It is fine. They will probably visit tomorrow or the next day to make sure, but my father will let them know what happened." With her stomach full, Misty started to feel the stress of the day take effect. She struggled to keep her eyes open while Jay and Kason finished their food. Kason noticed and began grabbing the empty plates while Jay went over to Misty and lifted her in his arms. Misty was startled at first, but she was too tired to protest. She wrapped her arms around his neck so she could keep her balance. Kason grabbed the lantern and followed.

"Let's talk about this in the morning after we have rested." Kason followed Jay and Misty up to the second floor. Misty closed her eyes and leaned her head on Jay's shoulder. Jay whispered to when they came to a room and Kason nodded. Jay continued for a while longer before he reached another room. Kason hung one of the lanterns on a stand next to the door before slipping out of the room.

Misty opened her eyes . The room had a large bed off to the side and a seating area just inside the door. Jay took her over to the bed and laid her down. Misty wanted to look around some more, but she yawned violently. Jay chuckled and pulled the covers over her. Then he grabbed a pillow from the bed and made his way over to the couch a few feet away. He blew out the lantern and settled into his makeshift bed.

Jay wanted to take things further with Misty, but he felt that today wasn't a good day. He thought about his friend Kason. He still didn't like the idea of having to share Misty, but he grew up with Kason. He knew that he was a good man and would protect Misty. He thought about his mate and could feel the stirrings of animal desire which he promptly shoved down.

They had a lot to talk about in the morning. He could hear Misty's gentle breathing. He was terrified he would lose her today. He was relieved that she was powerful enough to protect herself, but his heart ached that she had to do that. He could hear Kason in the distance getting himself ready for bed as well. After a while, the deep breathing of the three was all that could be heard.