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“This is a friend of mine, Jasper. Don’t fuck up.”
The folder sat on the passenger seat beside him, Jasper had only skimmed over the first page. And quickly at that.
He just could not think straight. Obligation and duty warred within him, and a profound sense of impending doom. He slapped his hands on the steering wheel, glad it was reinforced titanium, but wincing when even that seemed to bend under his grip.
Shit shit shit.
Jasper knew better than to behave this way. He had been taught the importance of duty, honor, and obligation. The desire to shirk his responsibilities had always been his toughest battle.
A fun-loving guy by nature, he wished he could go back to the time before their luncheon. When he thought the only thing pressing on his calendar was to meet up with a hot little bartender and celebrate the season.
This was not how he expected this Christmas to go. Losing Mom had been hard as fuck on him and his brothers, but losing the General might just break them.
Focus on the job. Deal with the rest later, a familiar voice whispered inside his head. His father’s words came back to him, and Jasper exhaled harshly.
Double fuck.
He growled again, the rumbling sound starting deep in his chest before reaching his throat. He thought about his parting words to his brothers before he’d left.
The sounds of his brothers’ footsteps grew louder as they neared his room. The mansion’s marble floors were definitely good for announcing unwanted visitors, though he’d always hated the cold stone on his feet in winter.
He snorted at the memory of the time he’d tried to heat them with his fire when he was just a lad. His poor mother! The shenanigans he and his brothers had gotten into were enough to drive anyone nuts, but not her. Anne Wessex was one in a million.
She’d simply laughed at the scorched marble and dried his worried tears. Then she’d instructed him to wear socks the next time his feet felt chilled. Father had not been impressed with his attempt at warming the marble. In fact, that little catastrophe earned him dish duty for a month.
“You know, you don’t have to be such a dick about it,” Conny said as he leaned against the doorjamb.
“Seriously though,” Dor added. “What are we gonna do, bro?”
“Look, Jennifer has given us all assignments, and you know our father,” Larimar growled, and flung his cell phone down on the bed.
“Duty first,” Dor said automatically, and the others echoed the sentiment.
“Yes.” Jasper met the glowing stare of each of his brothers. “We are going to do our duty as our father expects us to, then we will come back and get him to seek treatment.”
Heliodore growled. His brother’s Wyvern had glittery yellow eyes as he pushed against his skin, making his upset known. Jasper’s gaze found his, and he revealed a little of his own beast, causing Dor to avert his stare and end his growl.
It wasn’t personal. Jasper knew this. Growling and posturing were just part and parcel of being a Shifter. As the oldest, largest, and strongest, he was the unofficial Alpha of their small band of brothers. Unofficial in the sense that he’d never been keen on enforcing it.
Little was known about his kind. The Wessex Wyverns were recognized throughout the paranormal world, especially among those in the Department of Paranormal Creatures and Activity, as a force to be reckoned with, but that was pretty much it. Each with their own unique talents, the brothers spent a lot of time training to be the best they could be. It was part of who they were.
Individually, they were exceedingly strong. Together, they were even more so. But every Shifter group, no matter how small, had an Alpha, and Jasper was theirs. Though, truth be told, he’d never had cause to use that power against them. He’d never had to.
Thank fuck.
Family was the most important thing to each of them. Their mother and father had instilled that since the day they’d hatched. Together, they were a powerful unit bound by blood, duty, and brotherhood.
“Remember our vow, for our father’s sake,” Jasper said, and he’d met each of the three pairs of eyes staring at him.
His brothers’ eyes were glowing with their beasts, and he allowed his own black and yellow scaled Wyvern to rise just a little.
“With honor and faith,” he began, waiting just a beat until his brothers joined him in reciting their oath.
“We vow to keep safe those in our charge. Our lives for theirs, until our bodies turn to ash and our fire runs cold.”
“Alright,” Heliodore said, and nodded. “We will do what you say, Jasper. You’ve never led us wrong before.”
Jasper had only grunted his reply. Then he’d slapped a hand on his brothers’ arms. Ignoring the sharp ache that began in his heart when he thought of them losing their only remaining parent.
