A Scolding

"I didn't realize Misty was still tired." Jay walked into the room. Kason sprang up from his chair, his heart pounding in his chest. He spun to look over at Jay. It was all he could do to reign in his wolf. He looked over to Misty, a storm of guilt falling like a shadow over him.

"Uh…" Jay looked at Kason sharply.

"What did you do?"

"We kind of…well." Kason mumbled something under his breath, but Jay could hear what he said anyway. Jay pounded over to Kason and grabbed at his neck, pulling him away from Misty and pulling him out of the room. Once they were in the hallway, he gave Kason a shake and let go.

"You were supposed to talk," Jay growled. "I didn't leave you guys alone to let you take advantage of her." Jay pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. He should have known when he left the dining room that Kason wouldn't be able to hold it in.

He looked back at Misty's door. Jay felt a twinge of disappointment. When Misty first met him, she had been shy and hesitant at taking their relationship to the next level. Part of him whispered that she must like Kason better because she went fast with him. Feeling the mark on his chest, he already knew that it wasn't like that, but doubt is a hard thing to cast aside. He looked up at his friend, seeing him hanging his head.

"Do you think Misty is alright?" Despite his frustration at his friend, he could see that Kason was worried he had hurt her.

"She wouldn't have let you do anything if she didn't want it." Jay let out a short huff. "Unless you think the temple was wrong, I don't think anyone could force Misty to do anything. She has the power of a small army."

"I should have waited." He shook his head. Kason thought back to Misty easily destroying the cell doors and mana inhibitors in the underground prison. "I was too eager. She may have a lot of power but using it can tire a person out." Jay shifted uncomfortably. He really couldn't scold Kason too much. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Jay was also doing naughty things with Misty. Where their mate was concerned, they both had a hard time holding back.

"Let her sleep, we have some things to take care of." Jay started down the stairs gesturing to Kason to follow.

"What do we need to do."

"To start, we need to hire estate staff."

"You haven't done that yet?"

"No.'

"What have you been doing since I've been gone."

"Searching for you." Kason stopped at the bottom of the stairs looking over to Jay in surprise. Their eyes met before Kason turned away to look out on the great hall. It was obvious from the dust and cloth-covered furniture that no one had been in the room in quite a while. Jay disappeared through a set of doors in the corner of the room. As tears sprang in his eyes, Kason wanted to blame the dust. But he knew that it was because of his friend's sincerity that he felt like this.

"Do you have to say something so corny?" Jay spun around about to argue but stopped when he saw Kason's face. Clearing his throat he decided to ignore the outburst.

"Just come on. Chez already has the plan; We just need to implement it."

"What comes after that?"

"We need a plan for dealing with the traya beast that is even now trying to track me down."

Kason thought back to the conversation between Misty and the priestess.

"Just after Misty and I broke out of the cells, the person responsible for us being there came to talk to her. She was a priestess at the temple. I've seen her before. From what she said, it sounded almost as if Cixin was responsible for putting the traya in your path."

Jay had just passed through the doors of the library but stilled at Kason's statement. If the Cixin Syndicate could control traya beasts, that made them even more dangerous. The scar on his side tingled and he felt an ache from the thought of the Traya ripping into his skin. He didn't realize that he had put his hand over the scar until Kason pulled it away.

"This is where you were slashed, right?" Jay nodded. Kason pulled the top of the kaunak aside to reveal the jagged edges. Kason whistled in disbelief.

"That would have killed anyone else."

"If it hadn't been for Misty, it would have.' Jay and Kason headed through the two-story library into the studies beyond. Closing the doors, Jay told Kason about his ordeal and how mating with Misty had been what saved him.

They continued for some time discussing the plan to deal with the traya and hiring staff before hearing a knock at the door. Chez opened the door and pushed a cart filled with food into the room.

"Jay, your mothers are here." Before Jay could move, Sheena, Haphor, and Qiya rushed in, grabbing at Jay, standing him up and spinning him around. Seeing Kason, they also inspected him. After some poking and prodding, they started looking around the room.

"Where is Misty?"

"She is resting upstairs." Jay glanced at Kason and decided not to mention part of the reason she was still not fully recovered. "She used a lot of mana and is still recovering." The women eyed the two men suspiciously before looking at each other. Jay couldn't help but feel as if they could guess what he and Kason had been up to.

They seemed to arrive at a mutual accord before the women nodded their heads, satisfied that Jay, Kason, and Misty were out of immediate danger. Sitting on the couches, Chez, Jay, and Kason started pouring drinks and handing out plates filled with snacks.

Once they had settled in, Chez left the room to check on Misty while Sheena began telling Jay and Kason about the outcome of the raid.

"Those poor people, most of them have nowhere to go now."