Page 14 of Thrilled By Her Protector

“What’s going on?” Jennifer stepped cautiously inside Jasper and Carolina’s sitting room.

With three pregnant mates, the Wessex boys, Medjed included, had hightailed it out of there like their asses were on fire once their women started having cravings. Oddly enough, one of their cravings, for lack of a better word, was to see Jennifer immediately. Daeja had delivered the message personally, and Jennifer could hardly say no to the woman. Especially not after she’d offered to help her in getting the other Drakein assimilated to Earth culture—the sooner the better for everyone.

“There you are,” Caro exclaimed, tears pooling in her enormous eyes.

“I was here the whole time,” Jennifer said, moving to sit next to her extremely preggo bestie.

She’d known Caro and Kim for years, in fact, it was kind of her fault the two women had gotten involved with Jasper and Larimar. After certain circumstances, they’d each required a bodyguard and, as luck would have it, they wound up being fated mates to the Wessex brothers who’d been assigned their cases.

Of course, Candy met Medjed after Jennifer had sent him to the North Pole on assignment. And Daeja only ran into Heliodore after Jennifer had brought her to the hospital when she went to check on Carolina. Fuck. It looked like she was, at least in part, responsible for all of them pairing up! Ironic, since she couldn’t do a damn thing about her own love life.

“Yeah, but you were busy with everyone else instead of being here with your best friends who love you,” Kim added, rubbing her own protruding stomach.

“There, there, I have taken care of you, have I not?” Daeja asked, and both women immediately reassured the pink haired Drakein.

“Don’t be silly, Daeja, we wouldn’t know anything about the littleWyvernlingswe were having if not for you,” Kim said, and she was right.

She was telling the truth, of course. Daeja had provided the brothers, as well as the DPCA, with invaluable information concerning the physiological aspects of the Drakein, and the potential complications and advantages of human and Drakein young. One complication turned out to be an increased gestation period, which Caro and Kim had accepted far more gracefully than Jennifer thought possible.

No one knew enough about Christmas elves and Ancient Demons/Demigods to hazard a guess at what kind of pregnancy Candy was looking at, but she’d seemed to double in size overnight. In fact, Jennifer had to work hard not to stare at the female, since it seemed her belly was growing by the minute.

Holy cow.

“Of course you have, Daeja,” Caro began, bringing Jennifer’s attention back to the small gathering of women. “But we’ve known Jenn for ages, and well, I wanted you all here because I think it’s time for an intervention!”

“A what now?” Jenn asked, jaw wide open.

“Anin-ter-ven-tion,” Caro replied, enunciating each syllable like Jennifer was hard of hearing or something.

“That’s it, I’m leaving,” Jennifer stood up, shaking her head.

No way was she going to listen to another one of Carolina’sjust give him a chancespeeches. Caro and Kim knew why she would never allow herself to be claimed. They’d heard the fights between Jennifer’s mother and father. They’d seen what happened to her mom after her mate had abandoned her and were witness to the horrible aftermath.

That was not going to be her fate. Jennifer could never allow someone to have that much control over her. That’s all mating was, really. Giving someone total dominion over your entire being, body, heart, mind, and soul. Just thinking about it caused Jennifer to panic. Hell, it made her want to run and hide.

No, thank you.

She couldn’t stand the idea of depending on someone else for something as simple as happiness. The pursuit of which was a constitutional right. Mated pairs were not always happy. She knew that from her parents.

Trust came hard, and as far as she was concerned, it was better not to love. It was safer to be alone. The women around her might have found their happily ever afters, but that was not Jennifer’s future. She’d tried to explain it to them before. But they just didn’t get it. Of course, not. They’d grown up strong and brave, believing in themselves. But Jennifer knew deep down she could never be enough for anyone.

“Oh no, you don’t, Jennifer Dylluan.! Now, you just sit your fluffy ass right down there and listen to what I have to say,” Carolina demanded.

“Caro, please don’t go there. Just do not do this,” she said.

“We just wanna help, Jenn,” Kim replied. “We know Zircon is carrying a torch for you?—”

“This isn’t your business. None of you have the right to pry,” Jennifer said. “Look, my job is difficult and demanding.”

“But work isn’t everything?—”

“Isn’t it? I am responsible for teaching a group of powerful Wyverns how to blend in so they don’t out the rest of us! That is pretty damn important. What with Shifters going missing, it is more important than ever now to keep our secret?—”

“Missing? Who is missing?” Caro asked, eyes wide with fear.

Fuck. She shouldn’t have said that. Jennifer gritted her teeth and shook her head.

“I love you, girls, but I can’t talk about this with you. You’re safe and your men are safe. But if we want to keep all Shifters safe, then the Drakeins need to learn how to blend in with normals. It’s the only way.”

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