Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 82: Chapter 82

Less than twenty-four hours after he had met Jennifer Dylluan in her offices, Medjed found himself wandering through the Arctic Circle.
Typically, he was very comfortable in his skin. But a Warrior Demigod Demon from Ancient Egypt was literally a part of the desert. He had no business being anywhere where the wind sliced your face like the sharpest of battle axes.
A winter storm raged ferociously as Medjed, used to driving chariots, expertly drove a small, sturdy sleigh pulled by a pack of well-trained dogs called Huskies over many, long, frozen miles of open wild terrain.
“Be brave, my team. We are on an important mission from the WPU to gather intel. This storm is nothing to us!” he called out, his words whisked away by the wind.
He was sent to track some unusual activity in the magnetic fields of a certain twenty mile area. The secret government office which employed the WPU had noticed strange behaviors some ten years ago but had never sent a team.
Medjed did not know or care why the others were found lacking. He simply relished a challenge, and if he could in any way help repay the kindness of those who took him in after the whole misunderstanding, he’d had with Jasper over Carolina back when he’d first met them both, well, he would do it.
Jasper’s mate had freed him from an unfortunately clever confinement spell that an ancient Witch had subjected him to, using it to bind him to a scroll until just a few months ago when the little human freed him.
After which, Medjed mistakenly thought she was meant for him—his fated mate. The human was not his, sadly, but he was happy for her and Jasper. Even better, the Wessex Clan had welcomed him into the fold.
He could scarcely wrap his head around the fact the entire pantheon who had employed him—hell, more than that, they had willed him into life—were no longer in power. The Egyptian gods who’d used him did not have any clout these days, especially not with the American government, it would seem.
So, when the Wessex males had offered him a job, a home, and friendship, he took it. Of course, this position was not as glamourous as being the Sword of Osiris himself, but his gods were dead, or at the very least, unemployed.
Was he disloyal to switch sides? Nah. His old boss had left him to rot, suspended for thousands of years in the hated papyrus until the lovely Carolina Moore, now Wessex, had come along and freed him.
Too bad the beautiful female was fated to be with another worthy, though lesser male. He snorted at the description. Medjed did, in fact, admire the Wyvern Shifter and his three brothers greatly. In truth, they had become his surrogate family in the earthly realm.
Medjed found that their own adoptive father, Arthur Wessex, was indeed a fine man. After he had helped heal the man of the cancer that had plagued him, they welcomed him even more assuredly with open arms into their small, but strong, family circle.
He frowned, wishing he was happier for all that he had. But Medjed still felt as if there was some void inside of him. He was anxious to help his new family and friends, but he seemed to constantly fumble. Uncertainty haunted him. Maybe he did not belong in the modern world.
The twenty-first century was remarkably different from what it had been when his gods had ruled. He had been feared, worshipped, and respected amongst the normals.
The supreme warrior, god-like in his own right, though minor, Medjed was immortal, invincible, and damn near indestructible.
Loyalty and devotion were his two best traits, along with the ability to disembowel the enemy with a mighty strike of his khopesh, of course.
But, if he were being honest, Medjed had to admit that magic could zap him every now and then. As it had when a certain ancient sorceress had imprisoned him after he’d refused her as a mate. Oh well, what was time, after all? Especially to someone who had all the time in the world—literally.
But Medjed had his boundaries. Fornication was a favorite pastime, indeed, but he would never share his immortal soul with anyone lest she be the mate destined for him. That special one was part of his fate, their stories interwoven, inscribed amongst the stars on the very skin of Nut herself.
Snow and hail started falling in earnest. But he did not even notice. His frown increased as the whip of the polar wind beat against his goggles and snowsuit covered body.
Inside his head was the fear he had never spoken of. The one thing in the world Medjed was afraid of, and it was running through his brain on repeat.
What if he’d missed his one true mate’s time on this earth? What if she’d been alive when he’d been incarcerated in the scroll?
What if he’d lost his chance for ultimate happiness and fulfillment because he’d followed his dick and buried it between the thighs of the wrong Witch?
Son of a dog!
He growled to himself, and his vision turned red as the height of his anger grew. The once white snow looked like frozen clumps of blood in his present state and only served to fuel his lust for battle.
No. This would not do.
He was there on a reconnaissance mission only. To investigate certain disturbances in the North Pole, which apparently was not a pole but a magnetic force. Interesting, but ultimately, that did not matter.
He owed Ms. Dylluan allegiance and would do as she asked. He would not return until his investigation was complete, and if he happened to snag himself the red-suited menace known as San Ta Claws, well, that would be strictly a bonus.
Medjed barked a command to his team of Huskies, enjoying the thrill as they obeyed his direction at once. There was nothing quite like the immediate submission of a worthy beast, and these dogs were more than that. He always did have a soft spot for animals.
Medjed tossed the team of sled dogs some hearty strips of salmon jerky, then proceeded to set up camp for the night. The wind was growing stronger and, as his previous experience had taught him, that was not a good thing in these parts.
The small cave he’d spied in a nearby snowy hill would provide the perfect shelter, he reasoned. He did not sense any wild animals about and that was a relief.
Somewhat.
No polar bears to bother him, though truth be told, it was a pity. He could’ve used the exercise.
Wrestling with a mighty creature such as a polar bear would’ve been just the thing to tire him out. His muscles buzzed with energy and his stomach tensed as though readying for some impending interruption or commotion, though it was all for naught.
He was alone in this cold place, and that thought was depressing. He’d spent a thousand years in that scroll, mostly in deep slumber, but still he had been alone the entire time.
Medjed had no wish to ever be alone again, and yet finding a mate proved elusive to him. But what was an ancient warrior to do?
Nothing. At least, not tonight, he decided. He had only to get some rest, then continue on his journey tomorrow. Medjed could spend some time looking over the spots on the map Ms. Dylluan had given him that marked the areas where the magnetic fields seemed to increase at odd intervals every year, and every year over the same few days.
Apparently, the DPCA was concerned about global warming having an adverse effect on the planet. He was to check the readings on the equipment the government had secretly placed in the area to make sure everything was working correctly.
Duh, he thought.
Of course, the environment was affected by global warming, industry, and humankind’s abuse of the Earth’s natural resources in general. Still, he owed it to her to check things out. Besides, he’d wanted to investigate for his own reasons.
“San Ta Claws is not real, Medjed. Just do your job!”
He did not necessarily believe the Shifter woman was correct about the fiend who ruled the season, but that was his opinion. For now, he would see to his animals and get some food inside of his grumbling stomach.
Watered and fed, the excellent team of Huskies bunkered down for the night in the pop-up kennel just inside the mouth of the cave. They were good dogs, would have been worshipped in his time, though their thick coats would have made living under the Egyptian sun unbearable.
But here they were in their element, and inside the pop-up kennel they would be safe and snug. He had plenty of high calorie food for them, and water to sate their thirst. They had certainly earned it.
The wonders of man, he thought as he dragged the sled inside the cave and covered the small opening with a large sheet of something called plasteek.
Once that was finished, he set about starting a small fire. First, he would eat, then he would sleep, and tomorrow he would find the cause of the anomaly Ms. Dylluan had asked him to investigate.
“Hmm,” he grunted skeptically after feeding his team.
Medjed always took care of his beasts’ needs before his. But as he added water to a bag of freeze-dried stew, he wondered if they had not gotten the better deal in the food area.
It did not look appetizing. Not in the least. But the smell was not so bad, he supposed.
“Hello? Hello! Oh, it’s warm in here. That feels so nice,” a voice said from behind him.
Medjed turned around with his fists raised and a mighty growl coming from his throat. He had checked the cave for signs of life, hadn’t he?
Hmm.
Maybe not well enough. Maybe he’d been too distracted by his wayward thoughts.
He focused on the direction where the voice had sounded with his growl rumbling threateningly in his throat. The sound immediately cut off when his eyes finally grew accustomed to the dim light and landed on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Medjed felt like a man who had been lost in the desert and had just gotten his first glimpse of water in what felt like forever. His inner powers stirred and hummed along his skin and inside his very veins as he stared at the vision.
The woman—and yes, it was definitely a woman—bit her lower lip and his eyes zeroed in on the small movement before tracing the rest of her.
She had pale ivory skin that seemed to glow in the dimness. Bright emerald colored eyes that sparkled like precious gems blinked up at him before darting away to look once more at the fire.
She shivered in her thin coat, and he could see it was no match for this weather. Curiosity warred with desire as he took in the womanly curves of his unknown guest.
Was she some mischievous sprite? An evil spirit to tempt him away from his duty?
He did not know, but she was positively the loveliest thing he had ever seen. With hair black as midnight, lips red as blood, and those incredible emerald eyes, she was a palette of perfection to his mind.
The perfect blend of lights and darks, an artist’s dream, indeed, that was how he felt. Like he had stepped into a dream, and if that proved true, then he never wanted to wake.
Visions of holding her close to him, kissing her full lips, and nuzzling her soft flesh filled his brain. It was all Medjed could do not to leap over the few feet that separated them and do just that.
Even more amazing than his intense physical reaction was his heart’s to her nearness. The muscle felt as if it was seconds from bursting.
One solitary word seemed to echo in his brain, and it started the moment his gaze had landed on her. It was all he could do not to shout it out to the whole world as possession and passion filled him. That single word roared in his head like thunder. That single word was—MINE!