Page 12 of Thrilled By Her Protector

He was left standing there, trembling in her wake. The woman was like a hurricane, he mused. She had the power to completely turn his world upside down. Did she know that? Did she care?

“Yo, Con! I’m going on an ice cream run for the girls, wanna come?” Dor asked from the hall.

“Yeah,” he replied, needing to get out of there asap.

The Wessex house was beyond full with their Wyvern,er, Drakein brethren in residence, not to mention Medjed,his brother by choice, was visiting with his mate, a bonafide Christmas Elf named Candy. Oh yes, they’d done well for themselves, chasing their fated mates without rejection or reservation.

Zircon had been the first to find his fated mate, but the confounded woman wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn’t figure out why. She’d held him at bay for years, refusing to even discuss the matter.

After discovering the truth about his heritage, that he was an Alien from a planet full of Wyvern Shifters, or Drakeins as they preferred to be called, Zircon and his brothers were completely taken aback by the knowledge. Not only were they Aliens, but they were the long lost Princes of their Clan—born leaders. And wasn’t that a kick in the head?

The decision to aid the surviving Drakeins in their assimilation to life on Earth was made, and he’d been thrilled at the prospect of having Jennifer on hand day in and out. But he didn’t know if he could survive twenty-four hours a day of her giving him the cold shoulder.

Truth was, it hurt like fucking hell. Conny would rather duel with any one of his brothers than deal with that.

“Where are we going?”

“Thought we’d make a run to Honey Sweet creamery in Barvale. They’ve got some incredible flavors and Kim texted me a list,” Dor told him.

His face was twisted in a stupid, lopsided grin when he said his mate’s name. Conny shoved him into the wall as he passed. Lucky fucker.

“Ow! What was that for? Asshole,” Dor growled at him.

“Nothing. Let’s go, already.”

His brothers’ mates were having what they called a girl weekend, and with Carolina, Kimberley, and Candy all expecting, it was no wonder they wanted ice cream. Of course, five minutes after they started towards the creamery, Kim texted Dor again with a list of other things the women deemed necessary.

“Here, read off what she wants while I drive,” Dor said.

Zircon grabbed the phone, rolling his eyes as he scrolled down the list. The fuck?

“Okay, they want half-gallon cartons of the following flavors,Peanut Butter Raspberry, Chocolate Lovers Delight, Peppermint Bark,andStrawberry Pecan. Next, they want us to go to thePickle Palaceto pick up three gallons of spicy bread and butter pickles. Then we have to stop at the Shoe Barn to get nine pairs of fuzzy slippers. Preferable all pink, but we can get purple if they don’t have them all. Oh, and pick up ten bottles of Bubble Gum nail polish from the salon. What the fuck, Dor? I’m not doing all this.”

“Oh, yes you are, little brother. Better get used to it,” he replied with that same stupid grin.

“Fine. But I don’t need to get used to anything.”

“What does that mean? I thought you and Jennifer were making progress,” Dor started.

Zircon shrugged. Fuck. He didn’t want to talk about it. Every time he mentioned his mate, his heart hurt like it was being ripped from his chest. Even worse was his Wyvern. The stupid whiny creature couldn’t understand what he did wrong to make his mate reject him. The beast was tearing him apart from the inside. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t do a fucking thing except want her.

“Nah, man. She don’t want me.”

“Look, Conny, you know I love fucking with you, bro. But I have seen the way Jennifer watches you when she thinks no one is looking. That Owl has got it bad.”

“She could have me, Dor. I made it pretty fucking clear. But she turns me away every time I get close. I-I think I’m going out of my fucking mind, bro,” he said, rubbing the top of his head.

“Nah, I get it. That’s your beast. He wants his mate. I understand completely. You try seducing her?”

Zircon scoffed at his brother and lifted his lip to snarl at his imbecile brother. What was Dor thinking? Had he tried seducing her? He’s tried every fucking thing to get her to notice him!

“What is this, some fucking chick flick? You think sex will fix my issues with Jenn? It’s not that easy., Dor.”

“First off, if you think sex is easy, you really don’t know shit about women. And second, well, I mean I was just gonna give you some advice on account of,you know,” he grumbled.

“No, I don’t know. What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you like saving yourself and shit. You know, you being a virgin and all.”

---