San and Josilyn

Misty shouldn't have worried too much about finding the dining room. The smell coming through the corridor reminded her that she hadn't eaten more than a bowl of soup in the last forty-eight hours. Her stomach clenched in hunger and let out a loud growl. Soon, Misty came to a large room with a long wooden table. People were rushing to get platters of food onto the table.

"I bet you're hungry." Misty spun around and almost fell over. The man behind her had leaned over her shoulder to speak into her ear, and she barely missed smacking her head on his.

He stood a whole head taller than her and had a brilliant mane of fiery red hair. Laughing green eyes made him look a bit mischievous. Misty felt he looked familiar.

"I bet you are also wondering who I am!" He chuckled and stepped back, giving a sweeping bow. "San, at your service!" He grabbed her hand and started pulling it in to give it a kiss but was interrupted by a heavily pregnant pouting woman and smacked his head before he could dare.

"And this is my lovely wife, Josilyn." He gave his wife a searing look. Josilyn elbowed his stomach, and he bent over in mock pain, grunting as if he lost his breath. Misty couldn't help but smile at their antics.

"Hi, I'm Josilyn. Your mate is my brother in law and this goofball is his brother." She smiled at Misty with genuine warmth, and Misty shook the hand she offered. Josilyn was a petite woman with lavender eyes and purple hair. Misty was struck by the intensity of her brilliant white smile against her dark skin. She could see the outline of baby feet kicking against her stomach. It wouldn't be too much longer before the baby was born. On her shoulder was her mate mark in the shape of a flaming sun.

Jay and Misty's mark was a dark blue in color, but Josilyn's was a pale cream. She looked over at San's shoulder and could see a similar Sun mark in red. The image of a lioness was at the center. It seemed as if not everyone had multiple mates. San and Josilyn were each other's only.

"Nice to meet you," Misty said with a smile. She looked around her to the dining room. One of the ends of the table was now covered in food. "Yes, I am very hungry. I'm surprised my stomach hasn't embarrassed me yet."

"Then let's go sit down." San said, pulling his wife into sit down.

"Don't worry, the rest of the family will be down soon." Josilyn said. She grabbed a platter and started loading food onto her plate.

"Shouldn't we wait for everyone?" San and Josilyn looked at each other and laughed.

"Maybe if this was a banquet, but we don't really stand on ceremony." San grabbed the plate in front of Misty and began to load it up.

"Jay is getting scolded by his mom, so it will be a minute before he gets down." He set the plate in front of her and started loading his own plate.

"Why is he in trouble?" San and Josilyn shared a look and turned to her.

"She is mad that he got hurt. And by a traya beast, no less!" Josilyn shivered.

"Traya's are the worst!" San said, hammering his fost on the table hard enough to rattle the dishes.

"That's the beast that got Jay, right?" Misty thought about the traya, and an image appeared in her mind. Misty grimaced in revulsion. The animal was 10 feet tall with a long snout covered in scales, its tongue forked like a snake. The body was covered in black and white fur, as if it were going gray. The traya was almost humanoid in stature, but with the long arms, it usually walked on all four. Its front limbs had three long claws instead of fingers, while its back legs had hooves.

The beast was venomous. Its bite could kill you in minutes. The claws still had venom. Though not as fast acting as a direct bite, you were likely to die unless treated within a few hours.

They were truly vicious creatures. Once they sighted you as prey, it was almost certain that you were dead unless you killed it. It would continue to hunt you to the ends of the earth, otherwise.

Misty wondered what happened to the beast. When she had found him, Jay was in no position to go anywhere. Did he kill it? Misty couldn't help but worry.

"Don't worry, we know how to take care of a stray traya." San said proudly.

"Does that mean that it is still alive?" Misty couldn't keep the worry from her voice.

"Are you worried about me?" Misty looked up at the doorway to see Jay. She blushed but didn't look away.

"A little. I hear that once a traya starts hunting you, they don't stop."

"You would be correct." Jay gave a sardonic grimace.

"How did you get away?" Jay walked over and took the seat next to Misty. She could smell his clean masculine scent engulf her. Misty was surprised at how his warmth made her feel safe and secure, even though she was worried.

"I jumped off of a waterfall. Traya's hate water. It was the only way to escape."

"You almost died." Misty tried to surpress the tears that threatened to fall. Jay stopped filling his plate and turned to her. He tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Almost. The gods must have been watching over me to send you to save me." Misty felt as if the world melted away at his gentle smile.

At that moment, her stomach took the opportunity to snarl and gurgle loud enough to echo off the walls. Misty blushed.

"We should eat." Jay laughed as he started adding more food to his plate. Misty bent over her plate in embarrassment and started eating.

The food looked as amazing as it smelled. She could identify a few of the roasted vegetables on her plate, and she really hoped that the meat was chicken. Jay reached over to get a roll from the center of the table and put it on her plate as other people started coming in and sitting down.