Page 11 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

She picked up a small burner and propane tank.“All I need is this and some water.”

“Really?”

She laughed again.“Yes, really.You can help if you’d like.”

He watched her curiously.“You’ll share this lasagna withcrème brûlée?”

“I will with you.Jace can eat whatever he brings back,” she clarified, connecting the stove to the propane tank.

His eyes widened with surprise before he slowly grinned mischievously.“Fair enough.Was it the knife that put him in the doghouse or was he there from the moment he started running his mouth?"

She chuckled as she finished filling the pot with water.

"Tough choice, but I think it was the knife that did it."

Mitchell grimaced."Fair enough," he said again.He took the water bottle from her outstretched hand, turning the clear container in his hands, and watched her ignite her tiny stove.His lips parted with awe, and he squatted to see the powerful blue flame.

“This is truly amazing,” he said, rising again.

“What’s amazing is that I can have a decent meal in less than ten minutes without really having to cook.I’d starve to death if I had to depend on my cooking,” she grudgingly confessed.

He frowned.“You eat nothing but these meals?Do all shifters eat these?”

She picked up the bag from the log and shook her head.“No, thank the goddess.Most of the time I either eat out or I devour Martha’s amazing cooking when I’m home.”

“Martha….Is she your mother?”he asked.

She made a face and shook her head.“No.I am my mother’s daughter.”

“Of course you are; whose else would you be?”

She looked at his suspiciously innocent face and scrunched her nose at his literal interpretation.He thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.Stepping closer, he couldn’t help but notice how his presence made her swallow nervously, her throat bobbing with each gulp.He lifted his hand and caressed her throat.Her pulse beat frantically against his fingertips.

“You like to play with fire, don't you?”she quipped, her eyes locked with his.

He dropped his hand and stepped back from her.The flicker in his eyes warned her that Jace was returning.She swallowed and turned away.

“It would have been nice if we had been near a river.Nothing in the stream.I found some mushrooms.Dinner is going to be meager,” Jace said, dropping the mushrooms he was carrying onto the log.

“Didn’t you bring some dried meat?”he asked.

Jace shrugged.“I ate it already.If I had known you were going this far, I would have brought more.Do you have any?”

Tracy snorted at the hopeful tone in Jace’s voice.“Dinner is ready.”

“Dinner?What is it?Worms and beetles?Isn’t that what shifters eat?”Jace asked.

Mitchell raised an eyebrow at Tracy in inquiry.She gave him a rueful crooked smile.

“My father believes in showing grace,” she murmured.

“What is 'grace'?”he asked.

Her eyes flickered to Jace who was silently watching their exchange.She huffed and handed Mitchell a bowl before stepping around him, pasting a fake smile to her lips, and offering the other bowl to Jace.

“I don’t eat meat.This is vegan lasagna with vegetables,” she said.

Jace took the bowl and sniffed at the food.Watching him, Mitchell didn’t miss the suspicious look in Jace’s eyes, nor the way they widened with surprise when he took a bite of the hot, savory meal.

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