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“Put this on your face,” he said gently.
“Ow.” Elijah grimaced. “It’s cold.”
“It’s supposed to be cold.” Mason led him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. “Luckily, you’ll heal faster since we’re mated.
“I knew there was a perk to being mated to you.” Elijah laughed then winced. “I need to stop moving my face.”
“I’ll call Roman and tell him what happened.” Mason guided Elijah to the table, where he pulled out a seat for his mate. “Sit there and try to relax as much as possible. I’ll be right back.”
Mason went to his bedroom and called Roman on his cell phone.
“Deep Dish, this is Roman speaking.”
“It’s Mason.” He told the snow leopard what happened yesterday and then about the attack today. “He pulled Elijah out of the car, in the middle of the fucking street, and attacked him.”
A low rumbling growl filled the phone. “You need help tracking him down?” he asked. “I might give Elijah a hard time, but I am very fond of him.”
As much as Mason appreciated the offer, he wanted to be the one who found Kyle. “Thanks, but I’ll handle this. I just wanted to let you know that Elijah is at my place. I don’t think he’s in any condition to come into work.”
“Appreciate the head’s-up,” Roman said. “If I come across Kyle first, I’ll hold on to him until you arrive. Mates are sacred, and for Kyle to do something like this, he just earned himself a death sentence.”
No truer words had ever been spoken.
* * * *
Mason definitely didn’t live in a sparse home or apartment. As Elijah looked around, he was impressed with his mate’s kitchen. Marble countertops, stained-glass cabinets, and the room was filled with sunlight, making it appear cozy.
He had no idea his mate had that kind of money from running a barbeque restaurant, although Mason had told him he was over two hundred years old. Elijah guessed that, in that amount of time, he’d done a lot of saving or was a whiz at investing. He wasn’t sure how he’d made his money and didn’t care.
Elijah didn’t want any of it.
He just wanted Mason.
“You’re making dinner?” Elijah asked, surprised. It wasn’t really dinnertime but already past lunch. Elijah had been scheduled to work the dinner crowd and was pissed he was missing work. Dinner was when he made the most tips. He and his friends had also made plans to go to Fearless Fox Friday night, but now he wasn’t sure. He felt like crap.
Mason smiled at him, and the effect it had on Elijah was like sparks igniting inside him.
“Cooking helps me relax. Besides, you need to eat. It’ll help with the healing process. What are you in the mood for?”
Elijah thought for a moment before answering, “Surprise me.”
What he was in the mood for probably wasn’t the best idea with his face hurting as much as it was. He didn’t want his face pounding while he was being pounded.
“What did Roman say?” Elijah asked. “He was probably ticked that I’m missing work.”
“That reminds me. I need to talk to Roman about your honeymoon period,” Mason said as he started cooking something on the stovetop that had Elijah’s mouth watering.
“What’s that?”
“It’s when a preternatural finds his or her mate. If the business owner is preternatural, he gives the person two weeks off.” Mason looked at Elijah and wiggled his brows. “Since I own my own business, I can do what I want. Since Roman is a shifter, he knows about the custom. It’s paid time off, too.”
“I was talking about what you’re cooking,” Elijah replied, though two weeks off sounded wonderful. Ever since he’d taken over care of his grandparents, he’d been hardcore grinding with a day or two off during the week.
Two weeks? Elijah was all for taking a break from working. Not that he didn’t like his job. He did. But a person needed downtime to recharge their batteries.
“I’m just sautéing mushrooms and onions,” Mason said. “Already had them sliced and ready to go.” He grabbed something wrapped in paper from the fridge. “I took out steaks yesterday and had them marinating. I’d planned on asking you here for dinner tonight.”
“You can cook steak?” It was one of Elijah’s favorite things to eat.
