Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The hours ticked by slowly, but Jasper’s brain kept coming back to his discussion with his dad. Seriously? What was the man thinking? How could he expect Jasper to even consider finding a mate in the middle of all of this mess?
Besides, he was still young. Sixty-five in Wyvern years was like being in his twenties to normals. He had plenty of time for that.
“Find your mate, son, and become the man I know you can be,” his father had said, clapping his large hand down on Jasper’s in a show of affection that was pretty flamboyant for the staid man.
Not wanting to argue, Jasper just nodded his head, squeezed his hand in a brief shake, and left. There was so much he wanted to say to him. So many things he was grateful for.
Hell, Arthur Wessex could’ve left him and his brothers to be raised by the scientists who’d hatched them in a federal laboratory deep underground, but no. He didn’t walk away.
When the eggs yielded human babies, the General had acted. He’d superseded every order and initiated his own. The boys were his, and anyone who wanted to argue the matter would have to deal with him.
No one wanted to take on General Wessex, and after word got out, the paperwork was filed, and he took the four young Shifters home to his wife, raising them as his own.
It was brave, and more an act of love than any other Jasper had ever known. All his life, he’d tried to be what his father wanted him to be. Jas had always done his duty, and what was asked of him.
But a mate?
Who needed to be tied to one person for eternity when there were so many wonderful women to sample? He loved his father, but there was no way he was about to search for the old ball and chain.
Dad was probably just worried because his time was running out. Loneliness was a terrible companion for old age, or so he’d said.
Fuck.
Now that he’d considered that, it was all he could think about. This was not good. Jasper was not focused at all.
He should not be on assignment. He should be home. Hell, Jasper wanted to be home. To spend whatever remaining time his old man had with him. But no, he was going to be stuck on a mountain with some stuck up, snobby little grrrr, he couldn’t even say it.
Immediately, he felt ashamed of himself. If Arthur Wessex had taught him anything, it was to do his duty with pride, to treat women with respect, and to never, ever let his personal life or feelings interfere with what needed to be done.
“Fuck,” Jasper snarled, and slammed his hands down on the steering wheel.
He had no choice. Christmas or not, illness or not, he would finish his assignment, execute his duty as he’d been taught, then he’d return home to be with his father.
Even Arthur Wessex couldn’t fault him then.
Usually, it took four or more hours to drive to Indian Lake from his New Jersey home. Today, it only took three. Blame it on his foul mood. Sure, his foot was a little heavy on the gas pedal, he supposed, but hey, that was only because he could get away with it.
Along with his more than awesome driving skills, was a little magical bonus that only he could claim. Jasper could cloak his vehicle using his Wyvern powers, keeping him hidden from any police cars he’d passed along the way. Another benefit of being him.
WOOT WOOT.
Oh man, he was losing his mind. Jasper cranked up the radio and sang along with Elvis, Axl, and Jagger before he hit the private road that lead to Jennifer’s cabin. It was just twenty minutes from there.
He couldn’t wait to get out and stretch his wings, weather permitting. The radio mentioned impending inclement weather, but he could handle it. He was a Wyvern.
Maybe after he set up a perimeter around the cabin to protect his client, he could do just that. Sometimes, being a bodyguard was a lot like being a glorified babysitter.
Whatever.
He’d brought a box of gingerbread, some hot cocoa packets, a full bottle of whiskey, the good stuff, and a brand new deck of cards—an X-rated pack Dor had got him from Vegas featuring boobs.
Yep. He was gonna make the most of this weekend. Hell, he’d just been up this way not too long ago to fix a situation involving some pretty bad dudes who were after a Grizzly Shifter couple and their sweet cub.
They were nice, the Pax family. He’d even managed to score some pretty sweet seats for the man’s next Broadway show. He was a composer or some shit.
Jasper wasn’t exactly into the arts, but hey, he wasn’t going to say no to free tickets. Besides, women loved musicals, and it had been months since he’d had a good date. He made a mental note not to forget them. What? He wasn’t off women just because he didn’t want a mate.
Jasper loved women—all types. He liked them tall, short, thick, thin, pale, tanned, brown, blonde, redheaded, or brunette. But mainly, he liked how they felt wrapped around him.
Sex was good. He liked it. A lot. Even if it had been a bit of a dry spell for him.
Truth be told, the beast inside of him had been a little bit finicky about his choice in females as of late. Maybe he just needed to pay more attention to his Wyvern, go out for a few flights, a little hunting maybe, and then his old beastie would let him get laid.
Sounded like a plan.
That would have to wait till after he was finished with the job, of course. Speaking of which, Jasper grabbed the file he’d flung carelessly on the passenger seat and flipped it open while taking the one-car lane faster than any normal could have and lived to tell the tale.
“Holy fuck,” he whispered as the folder opened, revealing his client’s picture.
His eyes widened, and his pulse started racing. Thunder roared in Jasper’s ears. Even his Wyvern was paying close attention. He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His chest was so fucking tight, his heart threatened to beat him to death.
Jasper almost swerved off the road. Big blue eyes in a heart-shaped face stared up at him from the tiny photo clipped to a piece of newspaper.
This was the woman he had to guard? Protective instincts he didn’t even know he had roared to life. Whatever or whoever threatened this creature was good as fucking dead, as far as he was concerned. He would find it and fucking end it on principle alone.
“So, you’re Jennifer’s friend, Carolina Moore,” he spoke out loud, testing the weight of her name on his tongue.
He was shocked by how much he liked the way it sounded, felt on his tongue. Hell, he liked her.
Even more, he mused, his growls and purrs filling the inside of his vehicle. She was fucking gorgeous.
Jasper did not know his handler knew women like that. Not that Jennifer wasn’t hot in her own right. He liked that sexy librarian, naughty schoolteacher thing she had going on, but the woman staring back at him with the article titled ‘Local artist makes Heaven on earth’ clipped to it was a certifiable knockout.
An angel for sure, he thought, and touched the image with his fingertips.
She was simply beautiful. Pale blue eyes and olive-toned skin, with her hair like a dark velvet curtain draped around her shoulders. She was wearing some sort of flowy dress in the picture, but it did nothing to hide the ample curves underneath.
His Wyvern scratched against his skin. The beast was curiously agitated, pushing him to drive faster. And he did. His own curiosity and something else propelled him forward.
Jasper had the windows open despite the chill to enjoy the fresh mountain air. It was even colder in upstate New York, about average for late December. As he rolled to a stop on the newly snowed on graveled driveway, he filtered through the familiar scents of cold, ice, and mountain.
Pine trees were the strongest, mixed with the faint scents of oaks, beeches, and walnuts, and the compact, snow-covered dirt of the shore that led to the huge lake just behind the cabin. Deer, squirrels, and the faint smell of coyote, too. All of them ticked off and identified until he reached one unfamiliar scent.
It was warm, like vanilla, but bright like lemon verbena, too. The fruity notes attracted his beast while the man wanted to bask in the promised heat of the sexy, sweet fragrance.
He put his SUV in park, and exited abruptly, taking long deep breaths, following the path as if it was highlighted by little neon arrows just for him.
It was like he was in a trance. Need, urgent and unstoppable, drove him on. Riding him, urging him to find the owner of that delectable perfume.
Rounding the corner of the cabin, which sat right on its own private shore of the lake and had a private dock as well, Jasper almost stumbled over nothing. Imagine a Shifter, powerful and fast, tripping over his own damned feet!
Hell, he almost swallowed his tongue at the vision waiting for him there. The sun was low in the sky and the air was clean and warm. He tiptoed up the stairs and pushed open the back door of the cabin.
Unlocked? Really? He smiled indulgently, shaking his head. Inside it was warm, but not warm enough for a human, he frowned, making a note to build a fire as soon as he found her.
He mounted the stairs, moving towards the open bedroom door. He heard water from the shower stop suddenly, and fuck, he actually stopped breathing.
The cabin was beautiful, but nothing compared to her. Standing naked, freshly showered with a towel in her hand, his angel entered the room, humming softly as she moved.
Her eyes were turned away, like she was thinking as she dried her hair. Damn, she had on a pair of white air pods sticking out of her cute little ears. So cute, so dangerous though to not be aware of her situation, he frowned.
He didn’t want to disturb her yet. Oh no, Jasper wanted to look his fill. Not because he was a pervert or a voyeur, but because his heart was thudding like mad. The female was now singing delightfully off key, to an old rock song which only showed her sublimely good taste in his opinion.
Jasper wanted to study her in her relaxed state for as long as he could. His attention was positively riveted to the glorious creature. Every dip and curve of her delectable body.
Her bountiful, mouth-watering breasts, and the soft swell of her stomach. She tugged on a pair of tiny briefs with little Santa hats all over them, and he grinned.
Fuck, she was adorable. All of her, every last inch down to her pink painted toes. She stood inches from him, but he could not move. Was only capable of standing there with her in full view for him to admire.
His cock was hard as stone from her exquisite semi-nudity. So much pretty skin. Sun-kissed and a little bit tanned from her trip, maybe. His eyes were drawn to her lush, large tip-tilted breasts topped with big, dusky nipples and Jasper salivated.
He wanted to taste her, to see if she was as sweet as she smelled. He inhaled again, savoring her vanilla lemon fragrance, until the beast inside of him growled. That growl turned into a word he’d never expected to hear.
Mine.
Holy fuck.
His father had pretty much called it, but when was Arthur Wessex ever wrong?
This was it.
She was it.
Jasper had found his fated mate.
Feelings of love and joy filled him, and like an idiot, he walked over to where she stood, smiling, and waiting for her clear blue eyes to meet his.
He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when she did look at him, but it wasn’t for her to scream at the top of her lungs while, a second later, what felt like a million bolts of electricity raced through his body!
“What the fuuuuccccck?” he roared.
A second later, he was on his back, looking up at her from his new position on the floor. He wiped the spittle that had leaked from his mouth, needing a moment before he could speak.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
She shrieked, covering her nudity with her towel, and holding onto what looked like a wiffle ball bat. Now what the heck was she going to do with that piece of plastic?
“Ouch!” He growled after she tossed it at his head.
"Stay back!” she warned.
The female was nuts! But that did not matter. He still wanted her. Dodging the hefty science book she hurled next, Jasper grunted. Most of his defenses were still down from the shock of her attack, making him quite the easy target, and yet all he could think about was that one crazy word.
“Mine,” he growled.