Page 38 of Thrilled By Her Protector

Zircon was on cloud fucking nine. He still couldn’t believe it. Oh, he’d been telling himself she did for years, but that was way different from this. Jennifer Dylluan had said those magical three little words to him.

Finally, after all this time, she’d saidI love you, and it felt fucking awesome.

He watched her walk on her tiny-heeled shoes into the Dire Wolf run roadhouse and wondered at her sperm donor’s gall. First, the older male did not deserve to be called a father after what he’d done. Walking out on his child, leaving his mate while he chased tail all over the gods’ green earth—no bird joke intended.

He adjusted the sound on his earpiece, having outfitted Jenn with a microscopic wire. He could hear her heart thumping inside her chest and knew the moment she spotted him by how fast that muscle had started working.

Fuck.

He hated this. Zircon had agreed to give her ten minutes alone before taking a seat at the bar, but his Wyvern was pushing him to move already. He held onto control by a thread, reminding the creature she would be pissed if he busted her cover too early.

Double fuck.

“My, oh my, is that my ladybug? Look at you Jenny Bean!”

“Oh! Um, hi, um, Dad,” Jennifer replied.

Zircon knew from the squeak that prick had hugged her. It was unconscionable. He could hear the discomfort in her voice. Why couldn’t her father? Was he just that damn careless?

“You seem different,”Jennifer said to her father, her voice shaky.

Zircon’s instincts were up. Something was wrong here. He hit the steering wheel with his palms. Seven minutes to go on the little timer she’d set, knowing full well he wouldn’t wait otherwise. He waited, listening as they made polite and somewhat uncomfortable conversation.

“So, how’s your mom?”

“Mom? She’s dead, Dad.”

“What? Your mom died? How?”

“I thought you knew. She committed suicide a couple of years after you left,”Jennifer said tightly.

“Oh hell, I am so sorry. She was really something. Um, hey, ladybug, you know I got some pictures from when you were just a little girl up in my truck. Why don’t we go check them out and then we can come back and order?”

Fuck. He wasn’t waiting for another second to pass before he went to her. Jennifer could yell at him later. He got out of the truck and zoomed to the front of the bar, but she wasn’t there.

“Ouch! What the—Dad! No!”

Zircon froze a split second before he took off so fast for the back of the bar, he fucking blurred past patrons. Thank fuck, the place was mostly frequented by Shifters. He saw them then at the very last spot in the parking lot.

Jennifer’s father was holding something that looked kind of like a police baton, but it was buzzing and emitting a high frequency noise. Fuck, that hurt his ears. His Wyvern rose, and he pulled lightning from the sky to come down and zap the thing right out of the motherfucker’s hand.

Sonofabitch had been going to hit her again, and he was trying to stuff her into the cab of his big semi, but Jennifer wasn’t unconscious. She kicked out with her feet, hitting her father in the gut just as Zircon shifted completely into his beast.

Jennifer smiled at him, jumping up for him to catch her gently in one claw while he grabbed the sniveling male in his other, cloaking all three of them with his special brand of Shifter magic before taking to the skies.

“I just texted Mother. He’s sending a team to bring the rig and your truck back to base,” she yelled over the wind, and he loosed a short roar, so she knew he’d heard her. She patted his leg, and he kept hold of her, trusting she was safe in his talons.

A short time later, they touched ground just inside of the Wessex compound, and were greeted by his brothers, who’d obviously been successful in their mission to retrieve the stolen Drakein female. Aliza, Kizzy, Luna, Hydra, Serene, and Daeja formed a circle around Lyra, who seemed no worse for wear.

Once they’d landed, he tossed the unworthy male onto the ground, knocking him unconscious with the move. Then he gently let Jennifer down before shifting to his skin.

“Bro, pants,” Dor called, tossing him some gray sweats.

For some reason, ever since females started to live with them, all of their sweatpants had been swapped out for heather gray, which was fine, but he liked black or navy better. He’d have to ask Jennifer about that. Speaking of her, his eyes were fixed on the Owl Shifter as she frowned down at the man who’d sired her. Jonathan Dylluan was blinking and sitting up. But before Zircon could do anything, Jennifer moved, punching the man right in the face.

“Ow! Why, you disrespectful little animal! You’re just like her. Filthy, disgusting creature. So pathetic. Do you know she was the one who lined up my first sales? Your mother sold her friends to me for little more than a quick fuck in the back of my truck,” he spat with such hatred and venom Jennifer wobbled on her feet.

“Speak with a civil tongue, or I will remove yours,” Zircon snarled, advancing on him.

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