20. Chapter 20 - Regina
Chapter 20 - Regina
W atching the four brothers interact has me missing Rafferty. Seeing them give each other shit brings a soft smile to my face. The three brothers move away from the door, farther into the room, keeping plenty of space between myself and Chayce. There must be a strange look on my face as Adyr speaks.
“An unmated male around a yet-to-be-claimed female can cause issues,” he clarifies, pointing to Chayce.
Right, the mate to his animal thing.
“It was part of the problem at the bar,” Adyr continues, his eyes moving between me and Chayce as he seems hesitant to speak.
“Just ask,” Chayce bites out.
“Regina, can you please give us your version of events from tonight?” Adyr asks gently, obviously not wanting to irritate his brother more than he already seems to be.
I explain how two of the guys basically started fighting over me, or at least who got my attention. Chayce starts to growl, I think? Without conscious thought, I reach back and take his hand, which he grips tightly, almost to the point of being painful.
Focusing back on Adyr and my explanation of events, I continue. “Two other guys stepped in, defending me and warning the first two away.”
“If we take you to see them, all four, would you be able to tell us who started the fight and who was defending you?” Deakon chimes in, keeping wary eyes on Chayce. “It will make a difference when charges are filed.”
Giving Chayce’s hand a reassuring squeeze before responding, I prepare for an outburst before responding to Deakon.
“I would like to actually thank them for stepping in if that’s possible.” Squaring my shoulders, since I have gotten this far without Chayce objecting, I push on. “The situation spiraled out of control quickly. If it wasn’t for their interference, who knows what would have happened…” My voice trails off as I let the accusation hang in the air.
Apparently, those were the wrong words. Before I can register what is happening, Chayce reaches over and lifts me out of the chair, setting me in his lap and wrapping his arms tightly around me. His body is vibrating as his chest heaves.
After several long and tense moments, Chayce grinds out, “Let’s get this over with.” Smoke drifts from his mouth and nose. It isn’t the first time this has happened, but I disregard it for now, not feeling as if this is the appropriate time to ask about it.
Chayce stands abruptly, setting me on my feet. His brothers exit the office, giving us as much space as possible. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders and keeping me tucked into his side, Chayce guides me from the room. The tight grip he has on me makes walking awkward, but something tells me this isn’t the time to mention his possessiveness.
We walk down a long hallway to the other side of the building, from where Chayce’s office is located. The brothers are spaced out, leaning against the wall opposite the cell doors. Two of the men are in a cell together, while the other two each have separate cells. As we approach, all four men rise to their feet but remain along the far wall opposite the cell doors.
Oddly enough, my two saviors are paired together. Stepping forward, Chayce is reluctant to release me and only does so after I give him a glare over my shoulder.
“Gentlemen, I wanted to say thank you,” I say sincerely as my hands begin to shake at the memory of earlier. “Getting into a fistfight was a little over the top, but you defended me. It is very much appreciated.”
The two men bow their heads at me in appreciation and acknowledgment. Chayce steps forward as well, wrapping his arm around my shoulders before addressing the men.
“Thank you,” he starts, “for protecting my mate.” Chayce’s voice is spoken softly, but in the silence of the jail, they are easily heard.
All four men whip their heads in his direction, reverently whispering the word “mate.”
“The judge will be made aware of your actions,” Chayce informs the two men before us. “While I’m unsure it will do any good, I will do what I can as appreciation for your actions,” he finishes.
“That is the best we can ask for, Sheriff,” one of the men says in response.
Chayce escorts me back to his office, leaving his brothers to deal with the next step. He sits in his chair and tries to pull me into his lap, but I push away from him, needing a little bit of space to get through my thoughts. Pacing his office and wringing my hands together, I start the conversation that I’m not sure I am ready for.
“All right, break this down for me,” I say, trying to figure out where to start.
“Break what down?” Chayce asks, obviously confused about what I am referring to.
“You say that we are mates,” I start, noticing him bristle, “fated to be together. What does that involve, exactly?”
“The mating is usually completed when we make love,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, his nerves showing.
There’s something he isn’t telling me, but I will circle back around on that in a minute.
“That’s good to know, but it doesn’t exactly answer my question,” I say flatly.
“I thought I explained this,” he says with a sigh. “Every paranormal has a fated mate. The one person meant and designed only for them,” Chayce says, pausing to make sure that I am paying attention this time.
“So, what?” I state, pausing as my mind tries to fill in the blanks. “We have sex, which completes the bond, and then what?” I ask with a bit more attitude than is warranted.
“We spend the rest of our lives together,” he says matter-of-factly.
“I have no say in this at all?” I question incredulously. “You have this…this…feeling or whatever,” I stutter, waving my hand around Chayce’s body. “And I am just supposed to go, ‘Oh, okay then, let’s fuck!’”
He cringes at both my phrasing and tone as my voice rises.
“Do you feel nothing for me?” Chayce asks in a defeated tone.
“I don’t know you,” I say in response. “How can I answer that honestly, having been in town for three, maybe four days? It isn’t like we have spent more than ten minutes in each other’s company. Tonight is the longest we have been in the same room. And yet, you expect me to just go along with this?”
Not giving Chayce any time to respond, I go back to his comment about bonding.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I question, causing his brows to knit together.
“What do you mean?”
“You are hiding something,” I accuse as a blush creeps into his cheeks. “You said that the mating is usually completed when we have sex. What is the rest of that?” I demand, fully facing him with my hands planted on my hips and staring him down.
“I have to bite you,” he mumbles softly.
“Say what now?” I ask as my eyebrows hit my hairline.
Chayce moves to stand, but I hold my hand up in a stop motion, causing him to lower back into his chair.
“Depending on the paranormal.” He pauses as if the delay will make his words sound any better. I roll my hand in a circular motion to get him to hurry up and get to the point. “Most paranormals, specifically shifters, leave a bite mark, sometimes called a mating mark. Vampires do it as well. Fae and witches are typically the exceptions,” he explains, looking a bit sheepish.
“Let me make sure I understand this correctly,” I state, pausing for dramatic effect. “We have sex, binding us together for life,” pausing to take a breath before continuing, the color fades from Chayce’s face, “during which you bite me.”
“Yeah,” is all he says in response.
“Is it safe to assume this bite will be visible? And leave a permanent scar on my body?”
“Yeah,” he says again, causing me to grind my teeth together in annoyance.
“Being that you are sheriff here, I guess it is up to me to move here,” I state, not exactly as a question. Chayce gets a hopeful look on his face.
“What are you?” I blurt out, catching him off guard.
“I am a dragon,” he says flatly.
“Well, that explains all of the smoke,” I say in return.
A brief knock interrupts our conversation as Brady opens the door to Chayce’s office, not waiting for a response.
“Sorry,” he says insincerely as his eyes dart between Chayce and me. “Chayce, we got another report of strange prints. They are fresh,” Brady says. Chayce nods quickly, rising to his feet.
“Let’s get you home,” Chayce says, addressing me. “Duty calls. We can continue this conversation later,” he adds, placing his hand on my lower back and guiding me out of the room.
As we step into the frigid outdoors, I wrap my arms around my body in an attempt to keep warm.
“Where is your coat?” Chayce grinds out as we reach his truck.
Jumping into the cab, I don’t bother to answer. As I put my seatbelt on, Chayce jumps in, quickly closing the door behind him. He starts the truck and turns the heat up, but with the motor being cold, it’s a waste of time.
It takes me a minute to try and figure out how his truck got here. The last I saw it, he left it in the middle of the street. The door behind me opens and Brady hops inside, earning a glare from Chayce.
“I figured I would save you a step,” Brady says with a shrug. “Once you drop the little lady off, we can go straight to the pride,” he says like his presence should be obvious.
Chayce doesn’t comment; he just turns back around, throwing the truck into gear and heading to the rear of the Whiskey Genie.
Drying myself off after a long hot shower, I pull on some sweats and a long-sleeve T-shirt. Grabbing my phone, I play with it while brewing a cup of hot tea. Pressing the button before I think better of it, Rafferty picks up after two rings.
“Hey, G. What’s going on?” His voice is full of concern, but also alert, letting me know I didn’t wake him up.
“Do you have time to talk?” My voice wobbles, grabbing Raff’s attention.
“Always, what happened?” he questions.
“What do you know about paranormals?” I ask him, repeating the question Chayce asked me just a short time ago.
“Quite a bit, actually,” he says. When Raff speaks again, his voice is very serious. “Why?”
After launching into the story that Chayce gave me, Rafferty lets out a long whistle.
“Okay,” he says with a sigh. “Here is what I can add. When a couple is mated, there is no screwing around. That’s it, at least for the paranormal party. You are it for him. Now that he has found you, if you refuse to mate him, it can cause him issues.”
I want to ask so many questions, but Rafferty keeps going.
“It’s an all-or-nothing thing. If a paranormal never finds their mate, they just go on as they had been. Paranormals live longer lives than humans and once mated, if the mate is human, that person will gain longevity to their life as well. There is also a flip side, at least for some paranormals.” Raff pauses as if warring with himself to finish. Just as I open my mouth for him to talk, he does. “Depending on the paranormal, if one mate dies, the other one follows shortly after.”
His last sentence hangs in the air.
“Wow, okay,” I say stupidly, not sure what else to comment with.
“Paranormals are also more rugged,” I mouth the word “rugged” to myself as he keeps talking. “They have enhanced hearing, eyesight, and healing abilities. Oh,” he says as a bit of an afterthought. “Whatever you do, do not ask someone what kind of paranormal they are. It is considered rude,” he warns, causing me to cringe.
“Shit!”
Rafferty chuckles at my exclamation.
“If you are his mate, I don’t think he is going to care. Just don’t do it with anyone else,” he warns. “Oh, and watch yourself around unmated males,” Rafferty warns, not knowing I have already seen that display firsthand. “Did any of that help?” he asks, pulling my attention back to him.
“Yeah,” I respond, resigning myself that I am now tied to the dragon sheriff and this tiny shifter town. “I guess I am going to be moving here,” I admit out loud, causing my brother to chuckle.
“Do you want me to start packing for you?” Raff offers as if he has loads of spare time to take care of my stuff.
“I can hire a company to do it,” I reply, not wanting to burden my brother with more projects. “There is too much for you to do, with work and everything,” I offer as an out for him.
“Let me worry about it,” he says firmly.
Rafferty and I talk a little longer before saying goodnight and hanging up.
Climbing into bed, I am exhausted but too tired to sleep. My mind is stuck on all things Chayce, from his job to his family and this sleepy little shifter town.
Without thought, my hands drift down my body, imagining they are Chayce’s hands. One hand pushes my shirt up to my neck, exposing my bare breasts. Kneading the large globe and tugging on my hard nipple has my back arching off the bed.
The other hand sneaks under the waistband of my panties. My fingers easily slide between my folds, causing me to moan at the sensation. Sliding my fingers back and forth, gathering my juices, I rub my clit in soft circles. Teasing myself by increasing and decreasing the pressure, my arousal increases. Using my thumb to continue rubbing circles on my clit, my fingers glide into my channel. My orgasm is close. Pressing hard against my clit while pinching my nipple at the same time, I detonate, calling out Chayce’s name as I peak. My fingers continue to move, working me through the last bit of my orgasm.
Lying here, catching my breath, I take a moment before getting up to wash my hands and clean up. Climbing back into bed, I drift off to dreams of dragons.