Caught Beast Mate(11)

Her eyes widened, and she gulped. “Sweet potato puree and—”

I lifted my hand, and she clamped her lips shut. What a dick. I wanted to slap myself. She ought to slap me. The old me, the male who didn’t exist anymore, would’ve thrown anything at his mate to make her want him. Sienna gulped and gulped as if something large had gotten stuck in her throat. “I apologize,” I said. “Among many things, I’ve also lost my mind.”

Again, she shrugged. “It happens. Stew?”

“Leave it here.”

“I’m supposed to feed you.”

“Hasel told you that?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re free to go. I still got my arms.”

She scrunched up her nose. “She won’t let me have supper if I don’t feed you.”

“I’ll tell you what. You can eat mine. I don’t want you doing anything you don’t want to do.”

Sienna shook her head. “Maybe I can stay while you eat.”

I nodded and got my spoon. No knives on the tray. Not even the blunt ones to spread butter over the bread. I’d live another day.





Chapter Five





Sienna



I’d hated the beasts. Now I hated them even more. Not only did they eat people, they ate domestic animals. I hadn’t known that before. This one asked for a pussy cat. Mentally, I placed him on my shit list. He ate pussy cats, and when I imagined him chasing after my cat, Bowser, it made me nauseous. Two cats lingered on the property. They’d never leave their home, and they came out after the community raid. Even though they weren’t mine, I fed them, and I wanted to clear something up for the new guy. “I don’t know what kind of pussy you ate before you came, but pussy is off-limits around here.”

His hand shook as he brought the food to his mouth, then he dropped the spoon. Puree splashed on his chest. I threw a napkin at him, and he cleaned himself, then looked up.

I squared my shoulders. “Why, yes, Mr. Badass, pussies are off-limits. If I see you hopping after them, I will…I will trip you.”

He blinked.

Well, never mind him. “I have two pussies. They are cute, they purr, and you can’t eat them.”

“This is interesting. I did not know there could be two.”

“We can have twenty if we want. There’re stray cats everywhere. We take them in, and boom. Twenty cats.”

The beast’s eyes lifted at the corners, and his masculine laughter filled the room.

I smiled too. “What?”

He chuckled and picked up the spoon again. “Sienna, I will not eat either of your pussies.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay, then give me the spoon. You’re making a mess. You may live to tell other beasts about my cats.”

Something passed over his eyes. Something dark and sad. “You think?”

“Think what?” I scooped out puree, then extended my hand with the hope he wouldn’t take a chunk out of it.

“You think I should live?”

I shrugged. “If you want. Hold on.” I tucked a pillow under his back and covered him with a sheet, glad Hasel had wrapped his middle in white cloth and he wasn’t stark naked.

The beast didn’t speak while I fed him. He ate everything, probably could’ve eaten more. Hasel had told me that if he refused food, she’d force-feed him. She’d said unpaired males in his situation often tried starving themselves and were less likely to make it through the depression caused by the severed limb. As far as she knew, this beast was unpaired. If he was paired, she’d said, he’d ask about his pair before doing anything else.

As I tidied up around him, I smelled sun and dirt, not body odor. I wasn’t sure if beasts had body odor. I should probably offer to help him bathe. I had bathed Zarik, so another beast shouldn’t be a big deal. Except, for some reason, something fluttered in my gut as I thought of seeing this beast naked. I dreaded bathing him. I’d leave him dirty. He didn’t seem to mind. I’d tell Hasel he’d refused.

“See ya later.” Ready to leave, I picked up the tray. The beast asked for tea and meds. From my pocket, I gave him the three small vials of liquid meds Hasel had given me, along with instructions on when to take them. Despite her instructions, he unplugged all three and drank them together, taking three times the amount Hasel had recommended. A moment later, he slumped, asleep. I didn’t give a shit. For all I cared, he could die. They all could.

I checked his dressing. Looked clean to me.

A whisper escaped his lips.

I sat down beside him so I could hear better.

The beast kept whispering. I leaned in closer, then put my hand on his chest so I wouldn’t fall on him as I put my ear to his mouth. Man, if he woke up like this, he could snap my head off with those big jaws. Except, those meds worked wonders. I’d taken one once and got knocked out for an entire day.