Several hours later, Julia found herself blinking her eyes open on yet another unfamiliar couch. Disoriented, she sat up and looked around, relieved that at least this time she wasn’t waking up in intense pain. She felt quite good, actually. Once Dr. Pasko’s medicine started working, it worked quickly. If Julia hadn’t known better, she wouldn’t have believed she’d ever been so sick that she was on the verge of losing her life and her magic.

A few moments after she sat up, Jasper peeked his head into the living room.

“Hey! You’re up. How are you feeling?”

He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt—a completely relaxed, casual outfit. But she’d never seen him look so sexy. She smiled, her heart doing a little flip-flop as her eyes met his.

“I feel great, actually. Where am I?”

His grin widened. “My house. You fell asleep on the way back to Torch Lake, and I couldn’t wake you up when we got here. Dr. Pasko told me that might happen. He said you’d probably need to sleep off the aftereffects of the medicine, but that you should feel good as new when you woke up.”

“I do feel good as new,” Julia said, sitting up straighter. She was still wearing the pair of jeans and the hoodie that one of the Lost Garden wizards had generously given her so that she’d have a fresh outfit after all the fighting in the courthouse. “It’s strange to think that anything even happened. It all feels kind of like a weird dream.”

Jasper grimaced. “Yeah, well, it’s a weird dream I hope I never have again.”

“Me too.” Julia looked down at her hands, and at her beautiful magic ring. It terrified her to think of how closely she had come to losing everything, and she looked back up at Jasper with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know how to ever thank you enough. You saved me, in more ways than one.”

Jasper smiled, and came to sit by her on the couch. “There’s no way I was going to stand by and let you lose everything that mattered to you. It’s funny, you know. When I first learned that you had worked as a grunt level employee, I almost wrote you off. I thought you wouldn’t be able to handle dating a dragon, because I’ve had some bad experiences before. But you showed me how wrong I was to assume. You’re the strongest woman I know. The strongest woman I’ve ever met. And I’m honored that I was able to be there for you when you needed someone.”

Julia felt her heart pounding. Having Jasper so close to her was making her whole body tingle. She had a feeling that he was about to say many of the things that they hadn’t had a chance to say yet in the midst of all the chaos of the last two days. And oh how badly she wanted to hear him declare his love for her. Despite everything, she was still terrified that he wasn’t going to want to be with her. She had pushed him away at the beginning. She had thought her career was more important. Now, she realized that love was more important than anything else. And, oh, how she loved Jasper.

“Jasper, listen,” she said, feeling suddenly desperate to explain away her earlier rejection of him. But before she could say anything, he shook his head and put a finger to her lips.

“Wait. Before you say anything, let me. I want to tell you how I feel, and I want you to know that I feel that way regardless of what you decide to do about me, and about us.”

Julia bit her lip and nodded. “Okay.” She tried to take a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, but it was useless. She was on the edge of her seat, hoping that Jasper felt as strongly for her as she did for him. True, he had saved her. But he’d told the High Council that he’d done it simply because it was the right thing to do. Did that mean he would have done it for anyone, and that it didn’t prove that he actually had any strong feelings for her? Jasper was talking again, so Julia forced herself to quiet her mind and listen.

“Julia, I know I told you that if you didn’t want a second date, I’d leave you alone. And I’ll honor my word. I won’t bother you, or pester you for another date, if you decide you don’t want to pursue a romance with me. But I do need you to know that, even if you walk away, I never can. My heart will always be entwined with yours, and there will never be anyone else for me.”

“Jasper, I—”

“Wait. Let me finish, before I lose my train of thought.”

Julia nodded. She wanted to tell him that she did want to pursue a romance. But he had something big he wanted to say. Something that was very important to him. She forced herself to keep her mouth shut as he continued.

“We shifters have what we call lifemates. I know it’s an unfamiliar concept for many wizards. Have you heard the term before?”

“Yeah, Rachel has mentioned it. She said she and Jake are lifemates. It’s kind of like soulmates, right?” Julia’s heart was racing faster than ever now. Was Jake about to tell her that she was his lifemate?

Jasper nodded slowly. “It’s a little bit like the idea of soulmates, but even deeper than that. A lifemate is someone you’re destined to be with, from the moment you’re born. Fate works to bring you together, and usually once your paths cross you’re immediately attracted to each other. I know you were reluctant to date me at first, but damn, I couldn’t stop thinking about you from the moment I laid eyes on you, no matter how hard I tried.”

“If I’m honest, I was attracted to you from the start, too,” Julia admitted. “I just didn’t want to let myself fall for you, because I thought love would ruin my career. So I pushed you away.”

Jasper grinned. “That makes me happy to hear. It makes me even surer of what I’m about to say: Julia, I believe you’re my lifemate.”

Julia had suspected that this was where Jasper was going with his little speech. But even knowing that he was going to say it hadn’t prepared her for the feeling of relief and happiness that filled her when he actually spoke the words. He reached for her hand, and she found herself trembling at the warmth of his touch. The fire in his eyes seemed to reach throughout his whole body, and spread to hers. He took a deep breath and continued, and every word made the heat and happiness in Julia grow stronger.

“When you make love to your fated lifemate for the first time, you form the lifemate bond with that person. It feels like an intense warmth deep in your core. I felt that with you when we made love out on the lake, Julia. I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly planning to form a lifemate bond when I slept with you. I was more just overcome with the passion of the moment. You’re damn sexy, you know?”

Julia blushed.

“But when we made love,” Jasper continued. “I felt the lifemate bond form. I knew in that moment that you were my lifemate. My destiny.”

“What…what exactly does that mean?” Julia asked. She still wasn’t clear on exactly how lifemates differed from soulmates. But she was clear on the fact that she was overjoyed to hear that Jasper considered her his lifemate. And she’d felt a warmth when they made love, too. Had that been the lifemate bond? She’d never felt anything like it before, but it had felt amazing.

“It means that I’m bonded to you for the rest of my life,” Jasper said. “No matter what, even if you don’t want to be with me, there will never be anyone else for me. I’m yours, for all time. I will always be here to protect you and defend you. I’ll always fight for you against any evil that tries to harm you. And I’ll always love you. Yes, you heard me right. I love you, Julia. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that probably sounds crazy to someone who isn’t familiar with lifemates, but to me it makes perfect sense. I promised I wouldn’t bother you if you don’t want a second date. And I’ll keep my word on that. But even if you don’t want me, I’ll never love anyone else. It’s only you, for the rest of my life.”

Julia felt the tears she’d been holding back spill over onto her face. “Jasper, I felt that warmth, too. I didn’t know it was a lifemate bond, but I felt it. And I love you, too. It does sound crazy, but I don’t care. I love you, and I believe we’re destined to be together. I’ve been hoping there would be a second date, and a third, and a thousand after that. I need you. You’ve shown me that I don’t have to choose between a career and a man. I can have a full, happy life. And I want that life to be with you.”

Jasper didn’t waste any more time on words. He grinned from ear to ear, and then leaned in and kissed her. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and danced with her tongue, and Julia felt like her world had exploded into a thousand beautiful fireworks. The passion behind his kiss felt even more intense than the first time he’d kissed her. But there was something even deeper than passion there now. There was love. And Julia couldn’t help but close her eyes and drink it all in.

The worries and stresses of the last few days faded away as Jasper continued to kiss her. His hands moved hungrily all over her body, taking her in as though feeling her curves for the first time. He moaned with happiness as he felt her shoulders, her breasts, her hips, and her thighs. Julia moaned, too. They were both so hungry for each other, and there was so much satisfaction in giving in to that hunger.

Jasper reached for her hoodie and started to pull it off, and Julia returned the favor by tearing off his t-shirt. Even though she’d seen his abs before, the wonder of them hit her anew as she looked now. Jasper’s body was toned, muscular perfection. She continued pulling his clothes off until he was naked in front of her, and he did the same for her. They kissed as they tugged at the offending pieces of fabric between them, not wanting to tear their lips apart for even the few seconds it took to remove clothing. When they were both fully naked, Jasper pushed her down on the couch and continued kissing her. She could feel his thick, stiff erection poking against her thighs as he ran his tongue over her tongue and over the roof of her mouth. Her insides were on fire, and she could feel that she was dripping wet between her legs. She wanted him, all of him. She wanted him inside of her, now. God, it didn’t even make sense to her how she could love someone so much. But she loved him, and she wanted more of him. Always more.

Suddenly, he pulled back with a look of concern on his face. “Julia, I didn’t even ask. Are you sure you’re okay with this? Are you feeling alright? If you’re still too worn out physically we can wait until you’ve recovered more. I don’t want to—”

“Oh shut up and kiss me,” she interrupted. “I’m fine. And I want you now. I don’t want to wait.”

Jasper grinned, and moved his mouth down to her breasts. He chewed on her nipples, while reaching his hands underneath her to grab her ass. His body pushed against hers, both of them sweaty and trembling with the anticipation of each other. Julia felt like she was floating. Her body still burned with Jasper’s heat, and a strong, tingling pressure was already building within her. The pressure grew stronger with every squeeze of his hand, and every flick of his tongue. He drove her wild, and she could hardly stand to wait. She wanted him inside of her, now, and she pushed her hips up against him to let him know how she felt. He took the hint, and let out a low growl. Then he shifted so that his long shaft was right above her dripping wet entrance, and in one bold, strong movement, he slid into her.

She gasped as he filled her, amazed once again at how he filled her. His erection was huge, and reached into the deepest parts of her. The pressure she’d been feeling seemed to increase tenfold as he moved his hips against hers. The tingling and warmth intensified, until she knew she could not hold back any longer. And she didn’t want to hold back any longer. She wanted to give in to him. Her man. Her dragon. Her lifemate. She arched her back and thrust her hips forward to meet his, then let her release come.

“Jasper!” she cried out as the waves of pleasure took her. It was almost like drowning, but in wonderful, intoxicating way. Her body spasmed as her inner walls clenched around him, and he groaned as he continued to thrust deeper and deeper. And then, in the next instant, he joined her in the ecstasy of sweet release. He roared and stiffened, and then pulsed into her. She could feel the pulses of his body pushing against the pulses of hers. They were one in that perfect moment of passion, their love and their bodies both binding them together.

Julia wrapped her arms around Jasper and drank in the moment, thinking that even though it was only Tuesday, the week couldn’t possibly get better than this. At the end of it all, today had been perfect.

 

* * *

 

While nothing could top making love with Jasper, Julia had been wrong to think the week couldn’t get any better. When she got to work the next day, she had another surprise waiting for her. Noah Mohler, the senior Wizard Advocate who had given her and Jasper the tour of the advanced Advocate training facilities, summoned her to his office. Nervously, Julia went to talk to him. She wasn’t sure what to expect, after everything that had happened since the last time she was in the office. But Noah met her with a big smile.

“Come in, come in!” he said, gesturing to a guest chair in his office. “I have a few pieces of news for you. First of all, though, how are you feeling?”

“I’m great,” Julia said. “Thanks to Jasper and Dr. Pasko, I’ve made a full recovery.”

“I’m so glad to hear it,” Noah said. “And I’m really sorry that the breach in security with the cursed balls caused all this trouble for you. I would have never forgiven myself if you’d lost your magic.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Julia said.

Noah shrugged. “Not exactly, but I was still the most senior Advocate with you on that tour. I should have sensed that something was wrong. It was a lesson for me, that’s for sure. But all’s well that ends well, I suppose.”

“Agreed.”

“I wanted to let you know that we’ve sent Kai to a magical rehab facility. We found that he was infected with a very rare magical curse that is difficult to detect but causes severe lapses in judgment and anger issues, among other things. Thankfully, there is a cure, although it will probably take several months to get him back to full health. The good news though is that there is a cure.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I don’t wish him any ill will, especially since he was acting under the influence of a curse.”

“That’s very kind of you to say, and only proves further that you deserve the promotion I’m about to give you.”

Julia sat up straight, her eyes widening. “Promotion?”

Noah smiled at her. “Yes, promotion. Don’t get too excited—it’s not to an Advocate Defender position, at least not yet. We don’t have any of those open at the moment. But after the showdown in Lost Garden, Head Councilor Morgan called to tell me that he’s very impressed with your skills. I’ve reviewed your files and your training notes, and couldn’t agree more. Which is why, effective immediately, we’re promoting you to Chief Advocacy Support Specialist. You’ll be in charge of the entire team of support specialists, which will give you the chance to develop your leadership skills further. Additionally, you’ve been placed next in line for an Advocate Defender position. As soon as one opens up, you’ll be promoted into it immediately. I expect that will be soon, since we have several new classes of Advocates graduating soon, and we’ll be needing new Advocate Defenders to work with them. Of course, you’ll still have to pass the practical exam showing that you can perform all the necessary advanced defense spells, but Councilor Morgan assures me that after seeing you fight in Lost Garden, he’s sure that will be a piece of cake for you.”

Julia’s jaw dropped. “I don’t know what to say.”

Noah smiled. “How about saying that you accept the position of Chief Advocacy Support Specialist? We’d be thrilled to have a wizard as talented as you leading that team.”

Julia nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. I’m honored. Thank you so much. I’ll serve to the best of my ability.”

“Excellent,” Noah said. “Someone will be by your office later today to give you a rundown of the new responsibilities that the position will entail. Congratulations, Julia. You deserve it.”

Julia thanked Noah and then walked back to her office in a daze. She could hardly believe what a good week this was turning out to be. She had her life, her health, and her magic. She had a promotion. And, best of all, she had Jasper. She was a lucky girl.

When she got back to her office, she had to laugh. Jasper was sitting at her desk, grinning from ear to ear and obviously waiting for her. On her desk was a huge bouquet of flowers, even larger than the last one.

“What’s this all about?” she asked. “I thought I told you I didn’t like cheesy bouquets of flowers.”

“Nonsense,” Jasper said. “Every girl loves flowers. I saw how your eyes lit up when you saw them.”

Julia rolled her eyes at him, but she had to admit she was pleased. The flowers were beautiful, and they smelled amazing. And just the fact that they were from Jasper made them special. “What’s the occasion?” she asked.

He huffed. “I don’t need an occasion to give you flowers, do I? But, anyway, it just so happens that these are for a special occasion. Read the tag.”

She rolled her eyes at him again, then went to read the tag. In elegant script, it read, Congratulations on becoming Chief ASS.

“Really, Jasper? How old are you?” she tried to act mad, but she couldn’t help but crack a smile. The card was kind of funny. Jasper was laughing so hard now that he had doubled over in the desk chair.

“Get it? Chief Ass? Chief Advocate Support Specialist.”

“Yes, I get it. You’re a rascal.”

“But a cute one,” he said, getting up to come around the desk and give her a kiss. “And I really do mean the congratulations. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you. And you are cute. Even if you’re also a rascal.”

Jasper flashed her a huge smile. “Does that mean I can get away with addressing you as Chief Ass?”

“Not on your life, buddy,” Julia replied giving him a playful shove.

He started laughing again. “What can I say? Life with me is always gonna be a little bit…different.”

Julia laughed too. It was true. Life was different with him. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.