Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The sound of tires crunching up the driveway reached her ears a couple of hours later. She’d stayed in her room, listening as Medjed and Jasper fixed the mess downstairs.
She’d heard the men speaking, but could not make out their words. And she’d closed her ears to his soft knocks. She couldn’t do this. It hurt too much.
Finally, the cavalry had arrived and the second Jennifer’s voice sounded, Carolina exited the room and ran to her friend.
“Caro?” she asked, face scrunched up in confusion.
She could feel Jasper’s heavy stare, and it sat heavily on her heart. Of course he wanted to talk, but what could he say?
Sorry, you’re not my mate? Thanks for the sex.
Ugh.
Even her imagination had given up on her. Stunned as tears poured down her cheeks, she felt Jennifer’s arms wrap around her and only then noticed another male in the room.
“I’ll, uh, wait in the car⁠—”
“Carolina, I need to speak to you. Please, give me a moment?” Jasper stepped forward, but she did not think she could bear it. She looked at Jennifer for help, but her friend seemed strange.
“Um, actually, Carolina,” Jennifer said, looking at Jasper. Something passed between the two Shifters that Carolina could only imagine, and to her shock, Jennifer stepped back.
“I think you need to stay here and talk to Jasper. Are you Mr. Medjed?”
“Just Medjed, fair one,” the Demon replied and bowed.
“Uh, I see. Well, Medjed, would you step outside with me? This is Heliodore Wessex, Jasper’s brother. We’d like to chat with you.”
Jennifer retreated outdoors with the two men, leaving Carolina alone. With him.
Shit shit shit.
“Uh, look, I’m sorry. I know I have been emotional,” she began. “But you could’ve taken off while I was getting ready⁠—”
She cleared her throat.
“I’m your bodyguard,” he whispered.
“Yeah.”
She hated how her heart squeezed inside her chest. It was the truth. He was her bodyguard. She was a fool for thinking it was more.
“Am I only that to you, Carolina?”
“That’s not fair,” she said, emotions running through her at a mile a second. “You can’t just stand there being, you know, you, and ask me that.”
“Do you care about me?” he asked again.
She saw that damn smirk on his face, The panty-melting one. Only now, it made her mad as hell.
“Really? Why the hell would it matter to you? You’re just going to move on to the next case. To the next damsel and swoop in with your big stupid Dragon⁠—”
“Wyvern.”
“And your smug grin, and sexy body, and kissable lips⁠—”
“You think I’m sexy?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
“What? Fuck. No, um, I was not complimenting you!”
“I have been waiting to tell you something, baby,” he said, stalking her across the room.
“We don’t have anything to talk about. I’m a big girl. We had sex. That’s it⁠—”
Please don’t touch me.
He had her backed up against the wall, but even as she thought the words, her body betrayed her. Shivering with need, her panties grew wet, nipples hardened, and her pulse raced.
This was so bad. Carolina knew if he reached out with his big strong hands, she would throw herself at him, and beg him to keep her.
No! She couldn’t let herself do that. Sidestepping him, she turned last minute, wiping her eyes. Caro plastered a false smile on her face and pretended to not feel as he watched her with his luminous honey-colored stare.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, “Why are you pretending we don’t mean anything to one another?”
“Jasper, come on. We got caught up in the moment—” She shrugged, trying to make it light, but she was failing miserably. “I mean two healthy, relatively young people, alone in the mountains, so we did what anyone would do, we had sex. But that is all it was. Just sex. Now, it’s time to go.”
“That is not true, and you know it, Caro,” he growled.
He was pissed again. Anger seemed to come from him in waves. She closed her eyes against it and pretended a laugh she didn’t feel.
“Okay, fine, so maybe it was really good sex, but I heard what Medjed said about mates.”
“So? Does it scare you?” he asked and looked horrified by the suggestion.
“Honestly?” she continued. “Yes. I mean, this has been great. I really like being with you, but what do I do when you meet this mate of yours? Do I just fade away when that happens? I’m human, Jasper. I can’t turn my feelings on and off. It’s not fair of you to ask me to do that, dammit!” She yelled, crying hard now.
“Caro? I’m not asking you to do that! Never, baby!”
He stalked towards her again. Pushing the coffee table across the room with barely any effort, he grabbed her by the arms. His touch was firm, but gentle, and she knew it cost him to hold back with his chest heaving and eyes glowing.
“Stop it. Don’t play with me,” she whispered, but he was relentless.
“You think I am playing? Carolina, you are my fated mate. Don’t you know that?”
“What?” she asked, and the struggle went out of her.
“From the second I saw your picture in that dossier, I knew you were the one for me. I could hardly keep my hands off you. Fuck, woman, don’t you know how damn much I need you?”
“You do?”
“Need you, want you,” he whispered and touched her shoulders, her neck, her face. He made sure she was looking at him while he stole a kiss or three. “I want you all the time, baby. I love you. I love you so much, Carolina,” he growled and lifted her in his arms, and she was like putty in them.
Molding herself to his frame, she laughed through her tears, leaning into his kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist and let her heart soar with love for him.
But was she really his mate? As if on cue, Jennifer opened the new door that had somehow been put up during the time she’d spent in the bedroom.
“Hey, that is enough. This is my cabin, for fuck’s sake!”
Jasper spun around and growled, deep and low. For a moment, she was afraid he would hurt her friend. But Caro should’ve remembered what Jennifer was. With a loud screech, the Owl Shifter cut off the Wyvern’s growling.
“Okay, Caro, so you understand what Jasper meant when he said all those things to you?”
“What?” she blinked slowly, trying to come out of the sex fog she was currently in.
“Jasper!” Jennifer yelled. “Do you do anything I ask? He didn’t explain a darn thing, did he?”
Carolina bit her lip and shook her head. She yelped when he pinched her butt in retaliation for ratting him out, but the soft caress he gave her made up for it. She smiled and waited.
“Okay, knock that off! I mean, yuck. Now, Caro, you’re experiencing mating fever. The big, what was it Medjed called him—oh yeah—lizard breath here is your fated mate. That means he will want, need, and love you for the rest of both your lives—which by the way, once he claims you, ties you to his life force and so, yeah, you will live longer too.”
“Really?” she said and looked at Jasper, seeing the truth in his golden stare.
“Yes. If you accept my claim, I will share my life with you. Please say yes, Caro. I love you so much, mate,” he growled the word.
“Will you have me?” he asked.
“Of course, I will. I love you too,” she confessed.
“Wait!” Jennifer yelled as he walked out the door with Carolina in his arms.
But it seemed Jasper wasn’t waiting for anyone. One second, he was holding her in his arms and the next, he’d turned into his beast. Carolina was clutched against his body, held between both powerful legs, and he was flying them—well—she did not know where.
Carolina giggled as the world sped by, a winter wonderland of snow and ice. She even thought she saw a certain sled flying by, being pulled by some truly magical looking beasts.
“OHMYGAWD! Is that Santa?”
Jasper’s Wyvern loosed a shriek followed by a stream of golden flame, which she took to mean yes. She knew she should be afraid, but how could she be when he was the one holding her? Loving this magical world he was showing her, she rubbed his leg with her hand.
Do not worry, love. I have you, Jasper’s voice spoke into her mind, and her pulse sped up.
“Jasper?” she called his name, but the wind swallowed the sound of her voice.
You have but to think, and I will hear you when I am in this form. Telepathic communication is one benefit of being mated to a Wyvern, he added.
Oh. Wow, she thought at him. Where are you taking us?
I can’t wait anymore. I am taking you home to my bed, where I will give you my mating bite. I will claim you in all ways, and make you mine, forevermore.
Her body responded instantly to images of the two of them wrapped around each other. It took her a moment to realize he was sharing those naughty thoughts, pushing into her mind, and yes, she liked it. By the time he landed, she was so hot and bothered, he barely returned to his skin before she was on him.
“Baby, I want you to be sure⁠—”
“I’m sure. I waited long enough, Jasper. Make me yours.”