Deliciously Mated

Chapter One



Eagan Masters crossed his arms, rolled his head back on his shoulders, and said a prayer for patience all while managing not to roll his eyes.

Gold star for Eagan! Why don’t we get gold stars around this joint anyway?

He stared at the high ceiling of the kitchen, tracing one of the fan ducts across the room with his eyes. It was dusty up there. He should have Renner get someone in to clean it. If there was one thing he didn’t tolerate, it was a dirty kitchen.

“Are you fucking listening to me or what? You need me to yell louder?”

Eagan’s head came up. “No. No, I definitely don’t need that.”

So Magic was mad. That was clear. The leader of the Ouachita clan of big cats, was no gentle creature. As a general rule, he remained pissed at all times, and over the past couple years, he’d actually become pissy-er. Eagan had a feeling it was due to losing two of their people to matings.

Well, losing wasn’t the right word for it. They’d technically only lost Tana to a different clan—or pack, since she’d mated a wolf. She was still alive and kicking though. That was more than they could say for most female cats that mated. They were either alive or kicking. Never both. And miserable to boot.

But Renner, he’d mated and he was still around. No loss there.

Still. Magic didn’t like it. He tolerated Renner and his human mate, Bethy, because… because…

Well, who the hell knew why.

But today, Magic wasn’t just pissy. He was angry.

“Tell me what’s gone,” he barked, hands gripping the edge of the prep counter as if he was depending on the stainless steel to keep him from murdering Eagan.

“I already told you—”

“Tell me again.”

Eagan ground his jaws together. His jaguar didn’t like this. He wasn’t a beta. Or a submissive of any kind, but sometimes his clan seemed to mistake his kitchen duties as a symbol of weakness.

Fuck that.

Hadn’t they ever heard of Gordon Fucking Ramsay?

Eagan liked to cook and he was good at it. Sometimes they needed their little sexist asses whooped, that’s all. Designing meals for his clan took a lot of hard work, and he wouldn’t let any of them get away with talking him down.

Not even Magic.

“A sack of potatoes, damn it,” he snapped. “There were five. Now four. Add it to your fucking list and quit bitching at me.”

Magic’s nostrils flared as he pursed his lips.

Eagan gauged him. Maybe they were going to throw down. A regular ‘ol cat fight in the kitchen? Hell, he hadn’t been in a physical fight in months. No, make that years. And yeah, he needed to blow off steam in a major way.

He sure wasn’t blowing it off in the bedroom.

Other cats in their clan satisfied their physical needs by finding temporary lovers in the guests that frequented the lodge. One night stands only. No mating. It was clan law.

Unless you were Renner.

But Eagan had had enough one night stands to last him a lifetime. He wanted more. If he couldn’t have it, then yeah, bring on a fight.

“A sack of potatoes. That’s all you’re missing?” Magic growled.

“For fuck’s sake, yes.”

Magic blew out a furious breath, dragging a hand through his longish dark locks.

“And this is the first time you’ve noticed something missing?”

Eagan thought about it. It wasn’t exactly the first time. It was just the first time such a large item was taken. Little things went missing all the time. A block of cheese. Some caramels from the pantry. Cans of Pringles he hid on a shelf in the back. But he’d always assumed it was his clanmates.

Until today, when Magic went on his inventory rampage.

“Yes,” Eagan lied. “This is the first time.”

Magic narrowed his eyes. “You’re a horrible fucking liar.”

Eagan laughed, like he always did when he was caught. “And you’re a horrible fucking interrogator. What’s your problem anyway?”

Magic let out a heavy sigh, tipping his head back. “My problem…” he muttered.

His problem was he needed to get laid. But at least he’d stopped yelling.

“My problem is we have a thief.”

Eagan frowned. “What are you talking about? It’s just some food. Everyone here works hard—”

“I’m not talking about our cats. It’s something else. Someone else. If it was a cat, we’d have had a problem years ago.”

Eagan shook his head, not following. “You’re shit’s all messed up over some missing food?”

“No. It isn’t just food. It’s batteries, flashlights, firewood, rope. Even guests are reporting an alarming amount of missing clothing and toiletries. Mrs. Clemweather’s goddamn house slippers went missing from her room last night. And let me tell you, she is pissed. Said they cost her ninety dollars at Nieman Marcus or some shit.”