Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Christmas Eve broke with a fresh blanket of snow covering the surrounding woods and the ice-covered lake.
He wanted it to be nice for her, so Jasper set a large pot of coffee to brewing and sliced some fruit while he waited for the quiche he’d whipped up to finish cooking in the oven.
He hoped Carolina enjoyed it. The recipe was simple enough. Eggs, cream, spinach, bacon, and Swiss cheese, along with his own herbed crust. It was a specialty of his, one he enjoyed making, which was why he’d been thrilled when he found the ingredients inside the stocked fridge.
There was also a ridiculously large bag of jellybeans, Christmas flavors, and cookie dough. Made him smile to think these were things Caro enjoyed. He craved information about her and wasn’t above searching for clues.
Would she speak to him today? He hardly knew, but he hoped like hell she would.
So sorry. Please forgive me.
He prayed he could repair the damage he’d done to their relationship last night with his stupid temper. Had felt guilty all through those dark and lonely hours. The fact he’d still tasted her on his lips was like the sweetest torture he had ever experienced. Damn, it almost drove him mad. He just felt so empty without her.
Crazy, right? Maybe. But he couldn’t help it. The Wyvern knew she was his. Beast and man wanted to claim her, to protect, possess, and just make her feel good all the time. So he did what he could. He guarded the cabin all night long.
It had been mostly quiet. No hide nor hair of any ghostly Demon had showed during his watch. A mama black bear strayed a little close to the cabin, but she’d left once he’d shown her his Wyvern.
He would never hurt a wild animal, but people and bears shouldn’t mix. That was a recipe for disaster. He’d used his own mythical animal to dissuade her from hanging around with her two adorable cubs.
After that, he’d had a rather stilted text conversation with his handler, Jennifer, who’d all but warned him off her friend. He didn’t mention the fact that Carolina was his mate and leaving her alone was the last thing he planned on doing.
Jasper figured Caro should hear it from him first, and not from the Owl. Regardless of how wise Ms. Dylluan proved to be repeatedly, he should be the one to tell his mate.
She was his. Destined by the universe to belong to Jasper. If there was one thing he knew, it was Fate would not be denied.
The television was on with the sound off, a little Christmas DVD playing to brighten the morning and get them in the holiday mood. Extra bacon sizzled in a frying pan, and the bowl of fruit salad was waiting on the table by the time he heard her shuffle down the hallway.
Jasper’s heart began to thud rapidly, and his pulse raced. He breathed in deep, savoring that warm vanilla scent of hers while allowing the tones of citrusy lemon to dance across his senses.
So damn tempting. Like my own personal vice.
He could still imagine the taste of her cream bursting on his tongue the night before, and just like that, instant boner. He adjusted himself in his pants, growling with the effort it took not to reach in and give himself some release.
But no. That would only make his condition worse. The Wyvern only wanted her, and Jas was in full agreement. He couldn’t wait to have her on his tongue again. And this time, nothing short of a fucking bomb dropping was going to stop him from driving his cock deep inside her sweet little pussy, coating her walls with his cum, and marking her with his scent at the very least.
He could not give her his bite until she understood and, hopefully, accepted him as her mate. Well, he could, theoretically, but he wouldn’t.
Prior to that, he could make love to her until all she could see, hear, taste, think, and desire was him.
If she let him—only if she let him.
Ever the optimist, Jasper turned to Carolina with a huge grin, taking in her cute little pajama shirt. It was nothing more than a v neck t-shirt with little red bows all over it. Her long, dark hair was in a braid over her shoulder, and her cheeks were still flush with sleep.
She looked positively adorable.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Jasper said, grinning even as she dead eyed him before sitting.
“Coffee,” she muttered, and he moved quickly to fill her a steaming mug of the good stuff he’d brought with him. Not that freeze dried crap Jennifer had stocked.
“Not a morning person, huh?”
Jas laughed when she didn’t speak and took cues from her on how she wanted her coffee fixed. A splash of milk and nothing else.
Good to know.
He handed her the steaming mug and grabbed the quiche out of the oven where he’d left it to stay warm. Next, he set bacon on a dish lined with paper towels to absorb the excess grease and placed it on the table along with jam and honey butter.
Jasper sat next to her, foregoing traditional expectations of sitting across the table, and practically hissed as his leg brushed against hers.
“What are you doing?”
“Having breakfast,” he replied, touching her arm with his as he handed her a fork and knife. He used every excuse he could to touch her. A finger on her wrist, his thigh against hers, a brush of his shoulder on hers when he leaned forward to get some juice.
“But why aren’t you sitting there?’ she asked and pointed.
“I didn’t want the table to separate us,” Jasper told her, going for honesty.
He was head over heels for the woman, and he didn’t care who knew it as long as she did.
“Oh.”
“Merry Christmas Eve, baby,” he whispered, smiling when she ducked her head and blushed.
“Um, to you too. So, you cook?”
Her big blue eyes grew impossibly bigger as she took in the food. She smiled and reached for a piece of crust that was hanging just a touch over the pie tin, moaning when she slipped the morsel between her lips. Pride filled him. She liked it! Well, damn. That had definitely been worth the effort.
“Yes, I dabble. Do you?”
“Nope. I’m afraid I can’t boil water. It’s one of my many failings, I’m told,” she confessed in a self-deprecating way that he didn’t really care for.
“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, baby, but I sure as fuck don’t see any failings when I look at you.”
He met her stare and watched as emotions flit across her features. Shock, confusion, hope, awe, and something else, too. Good. Jasper wanted her to know how amazing she was. He started making her dish and presented it to her with a flourish.
“Toast?”
“Please. We have rye,” she said, and he went to make it.
“Will you eat with me?” she inquired when he came back.
“Sure, just let me grab this” he told her when the toaster popped up.
He spread some honey butter on the toasted rye bread and returned to sit down beside her. She wiggled a little as if to give him room, but the kitchen was snug, and all she did was rub her exposed thigh against his jean clad one.
Immediately, Jasper got hard.
Fucking hell.
He was going to explode. Being near her and unable to touch her was going to be difficult. Hell, it might even kill him, but he knew he had to try. Maybe if he explained the situation, she would understand and forgive him. Then maybe he would have her permission to touch her everywhere.
Please gods, Santa, or whoever the heck is out there listening.
“This is really good,” she said, and nibbled on a piece of bacon.
“How about the quiche?” he asked and waited for her to take a bite.
The moan that escaped her lips had his balls tightening uncomfortably in his jeans. He needed to invest in some dang sweatpants. Could barely control his body around her, nevermind his beast, who quietly watched her from within.
He was intent on her every move. Desire was a constant hunger, and he wanted her so badly. There was no denying it.
“Ohmygah!” Carolina moaned. “This is fabulous. How do you get the crust so flaky?”
“Huh? Oh, I cut cold butter and cream cheese into tiny little cubes, along with some fresh herbs and sea salt, then I knead and fold the dough several times to get it like that.”
“Well, it is wonderful. I can’t believe you cook.” Caro took another moaning mouthful, and he got even harder, if possible. “Did someone put you together from a catalog or something?”
“What?” Jasper choked, just managing to swallow the coffee he’d sipped without spitting it out through his nose.
That would have been so attractive.
“Mmm.” She moaned happily again and blushed when she answered him. “You’re just, you know, you.”
“No, I don’t know. What do you mean?” Jasper asked, honestly confused.
“Oh, come on, you know you’re hot, so don’t go fishing for compliments with me. And you’re strong, and you can cook, and do, um, other things really good,” she mumbled the last bit, and he was really grinning now.
“You think I’m hot?”
“Yes, okay, you’re hot.” She rolled her eyes. “But even better than that, you cook. Tell me you clean and do laundry, and I might orgasm on the spot.”
Fucking hell.
He dropped his mug on the table, tipping it and spilling hot coffee all over himself.
“Are you okay?” she asked, dabbing him on the crotch with her napkin.
“Fucking hell, woman, you keep touching me and I’m gonna have you bent over this table in about five seconds,” he ground out.
“What? Oh,” she said, swallowing hard, and dropping the napkin.
Sad growl.
Jasper got up with a shake of his head and cleaned the mess in two shakes of his Wyvern’s tail. Caro’s eyes were downcast as she continued to eat in silence, and he felt bad for snapping at her.
But come on, now. He was only human. Sorta.
Really, how the fuck was he supposed to get through the day with her saying shit like that? He watched covertly as she picked up a ripe strawberry, sucking the red fruit between her lips before biting down. Christ, the woman was trying to kill him.
“Uh, you got a little something,” he muttered, leaning forward to wipe a seed from the corner of her mouth.
Her cheeks turned pink as she grabbed her napkin and wiped her face again. Pretty woman. Soft and curvy, just the way he liked. Her sleep shirt was a thin cotton material, and it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
In the winter sunlight shining from the window, the material was practically sheer, leaving her beautiful breasts on display for him, the tips pebbled and puckered.
Jasper wanted them in his hands, in his mouth. He wanted to feel their weight and taste the berry tipped beauties once more.
“I, uh, spoke to Jennifer last night.” Her voice was breathy, and he could smell her arousal teasing his senses into a frenzy.
“About what?”
“Things.”
“What things?”
“You,” she admitted. “She wouldn’t tell me what kind of Shifter you are.”
“You curious about me, baby?” he asked, the term of endearment slipping into his sentences as it had been doing all morning. Lucky for him, she did not seem to mind.
“Yeah,” she replied.
“You want to see?” he asked, ridiculously pleased that she wanted to know more about him.
“Yes, if I may.”
Carolina bit her lip, and that was all he could take. Jasper leaned forward and kissed her mouth sweetly. No tongue, nothing that would make him lose control. Just a soft brushing of lips—a tiny little claiming—to appease both Wyvern and man.
“Eat first, then get dressed. I’ll clean up breakfast and then. We’ll go outside, and I’ll show you my beast.”
“Okay.”
Caro blinked up at him, her cheeks blushing prettily. She was so petite compared to his massive height, so deliciously tempting. He would have to remember to be gentle with her. Despite her fiery attitude, she was still human. Still fragile.
Still mine.
It didn’t matter to him if she were human, alien, or whatever. He was already in love with her. Jasper’s heart swelled with the realization. He accepted it as truth, watching her while she chewed and swallowed. The fact he’d provided nourishment made him positively silly with pride, satisfying some primordial urge to care for and protect his mate.
“So, what kind of sculptures are you working on now?” he asked while they finished breakfast.
He needed a distraction, craving her desperately, as he did, body, mind, and heart, it was all he could do not to press his claim. But Jasper wanted her to trust him just as badly. It was imperative before they went any further.
A difficult prospect for him. Shifters were extremely physical beings. Jasper already wanted her beyond belief, and not just sex—though he really wanted that too. There was just so much more to it, more that he hadn’t counted on.
Jasper wanted to take care of Carolina. To cook for her, to protect, and cherish. To just simply be with her.
He watched his sweet Caro consider her answer before opening that bow-shaped mouth of hers, driving him wild with need.
“I’m actually considering a study on Egyptian gods and deities. Or I was before I found out they were real,” she replied and shrugged.
“Oh? Well, what have you already done that I might’ve seen?”
“I had a showing in a New York gallery last year. Mythological Heroes by Carolina Moore. It was a pretty big event. One of my pieces sold for a couple of hundred thousand pounds to a UK collector,” she said and blushed.
Pride filled him at her success, and even more so when he realized she didn’t enjoy talking about her money. She was obviously talented and good at what she did. He would have to work on bolstering her confidence.
“I read about that in your file. Do you keep any of your pieces?”
“Some. My favorites are hard to part with. They’re like my babies, not that I have any of those, yet, er, well, I mean—” She nearly toppled her juice cup, but Jasper caught it, and her hand, stilling her frazzled movements.
“Don’t be nervous around me, baby,” he whispered, kissing her hand softly. “You can say anything to me, and I won’t ever judge you.”
“Everyone says that, but they don’t mean it,” she whispered.
“I mean it, Carolina. I’ll prove it too if you give me a chance. Now go get dressed, I’ll clean up.”
He watched her go, his heart light with the prospect of a real future with her. Jasper whistled Christmas carols as he put the kitchen back to rights and waited for his mate to get ready. Next, he would introduce her to his Wyvern.
He'd never been nervous about his beast before, had always assumed he was mighty and awesome. But for the first time in his recollection, Jasper felt anxious. What if she didn’t like him? What if he scared her?
His animal snarled at the traitorous thoughts. The Wyvern refused to accept she would feel anything but pleasure at seeing his magnificent form, and Jasper hoped the creature was right. He was so close to telling her now, he would hate to fuck it up.