Beautiful Creatures Series

Chapter 66: 4

When Aster woke the next morning, she did so to Tyler, laying next to her. She smiled and leaned in, inhaling his masculine scent. The smell of him sent a pulsing need between her legs. Aster shook it off and got out of bed. Finding her phone, she checked her calendar app and swore. Had it really been six months already? Aster was in the early stages of heat. It was normal for a female Lycanthrope to go into heat every six months, and it lasted six to eight weeks. When in the heat, a female’s sex drive soared, and they became insatiable. They also gave off a pheromone that literally drove the male of the species into a sexual frenzy, to the point where the males lost all control around a female in heat. Things could get violent. When in the heat, most women isolated themselves to prevent any problems. The men also tried to avoid females while in heat unless they were their mates.

It looked like she was going into isolation. Just straight to work and home. As for groceries, she would have them delivered. Aster glanced over at Tyler and bit her bottom lip as carnal thoughts went through her head. She had to get rid of him before she did something she was going to regret.

First, she needed a shower. She had to get to work. Aster went down the hall to the washroom and hopped in the shower. Her shower was quick with icy water trying to kill the urge to do something stupid. Aster returned to the bedroom and got dressed for her day. She was fixing her hair when she heard the doorbell.

The sound startled Tyler awake. He lifted his head and looked at the time on the clock. “It’s six in the morning. What the fuck?”

“Go back to sleep. I’m leaving for work. When you leave, lock the door.”

“I thought I was taking you to get your car?”

“Shit.” She had forgotten she did not have her car. She was going to have to spend most of the morning with him. “How long will that take?”

“A few hours. Impound doesn’t open until ten.”

The doorbell ran again. “I’ll be right back.” She had no idea who could be at her door. Aster exited the bedroom and walked to the door. Opening it, she found Katelyn and her Lycanthrope hubby Derrell. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Katelyn’s car broke down this morning,” Derrell informed her. And his head gave a little twitch like something had assaulted his senses, “but I got to get to work. I was hoping…” Derrell took a deep breath in, and Aster knew he was picking up her pheromones, “um…” He could no longer think straight. “You smell really good.”

Katelyn slapped him in the belly with the back of her hand, giving him a funny look. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She snapped at her husband.

“It’s not his fault,” Aster defended Derrell as he began to pant quietly and move closer to her.

“You’re in heat.” He growled, moving closer as she backed away. He licked his bottom lip and then shook his head and took a step back. “Take her to work with you. I have got to leave.” He said, starting back to his truck. “I have to leave right now.”

“I’m not going to work this morning. I have errands to run.”

Derrell came back to the door. “Well, then how is she supposed to get to work?”

Aster looked at Katelyn and thought. “Well, just take her home, and I’ll swing by and pick her up later.”

“Can’t she just ride with you?” He asked, leaning in to sniff her hair.

Katelyn punched him in the arm. “Darrell!” She barked at him.

“Forgive him, Katelyn. He can’t help it. I’m in heat, and he’s reacting to the pheromones. He’ll be fine once he gets some distance. Don’t be mad at him. Derrell is a victim of his biology.” She said, placing her hand on Derrell’s chest and pushing so that he took a few steps back. “See, the thing is, I don’t have my car right now. It got towed when I was stopped for drunk driving. When I get it out, I will come to get her. Now, take her home, and I suggest flowers when you come home, Derrell, because you are in trouble.”

Katelyn took Derrell by the arm and jerked him hard, forcing him to follow her back to the truck. “What? Baby, I’m sorry. I love you.” Derrell told her as they got in.

“Victim of biology!” Aster called after them hoping to get Derrell out of trouble. It really was not his fault. Sometimes the animal in them was stronger. He could not control it. She really did hope Katelyn could understand that.

Aster stepped inside and shut the door. She turned around and jumped to find Tyler not far behind her. She had not heard him come down the hall. “Christ sakes, put a damn bell around your neck. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

He smiled at her. “Sorry.”

“How much of that did you hear?” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Pretty much all of it.” Aster rolled her eyes and turned to head for the kitchen. “You know we can’t get into the impound until ten, but I know a great pancake joint that opens at five. Why don’t we go grab some breakfast? My treat.”

Aster turned with the intention to say no, but like the ninja he was, the man had snuck up on her, and when she turned, she found herself so close she could have slammed right into him. She stood there feeling the heat radiating off his body. Her eyes locked with his. His scent was wafting over her senses.

Standing like this, breakfast seemed like a distant thought. Standing like this, the only thing Aster could think of was taking him back to bed. Her eyes were burning with lust.

Tyler’s smile grew, and he laughed. “Now, isn’t that interesting.” He purred. Tyler leaned in and brushed his lips over her ear. “It would seem Derrell is not the only victim of biology.” He then took a step back, distancing himself. “Such an interesting conversation you had. I asked myself, what did it mean that you were in heat? I know what it means when an animal is in heat, but you’re not an animal. After seeing how he responded to you, I wondered if it went both ways. So, I devised an underhanded experiment to see if you reacted the same way to men. You are getting off on the way I smell.”

“Well, aren’t you clever?”

“You didn’t react that way to your buddy Derrell though. I’m guessing that means you are probably just at the beginning. You’re not crazed yet. But if a man gets close enough, you react. So what is your overall radius when in full swing?” He said, watching her face trying to read her expression. “No, that’s not how it works, is it? You only rev up when you are close to someone you are attracted to… that’s when you get frenzied. You are attracted to me?”

How the hell did he do it? Was he a mind reader? She said nothing, but he had figured everything out without her. It was annoying. Clearly, no one could get anything over on him. “Don’t let it go to your head. I’m in heat. Fred Flintstone would look good to me right now.”

“That guy back there, do the men always act like that?”

“They can’t control it. The males go into a frenzy. They will kill each other to be the ones to get to a female in heat. They lose their minds and react purely on millions of years of instinct.”

“It sounds like it can get violent.”

“It can. That’s why females isolate themselves when in heat. To prevent violence.”

“How bad can that be? A few days on the couch watching TV and pigging out on chips.”

“Six to eight weeks.”

“Wow, that is a long time.”

“It only happens every six months.”

“What do you do for six weeks?”

“I go to work and stay home alone. I binge-watch my favourite shows and read. It’s a lot of me-time.”

“Well, why don’t I spend some time with you and then you don’t have to be alone. I could take you out to dinner, or we could stay in and watch movies.”

Aster laughed. “You are relentless. You never give up, do you?”

“I don’t know the meaning of the word,” He said with a cocky smile. “Look, I dropped a lot of money getting you out of jail on bail. I think I have earned at least one date.”

Aster thought about what he had done. She supposed one date was not unreasonable giving how far out of his way he had gone to help her out. “Fine,” she gave in, “I suppose pancakes sound good. You have until I get my car out of the impound to change my mind about you.”

“It’s all I’ll need.”

***

Tyler sat at the booth drinking his coffee and watching this beautiful woman devour her lumberjack’s size meal with the grace of a ravenous wolf. When she asked him to pass the salt, he had been nervous about getting his hand too close to her. He really did not want to be bitten again. She had

sharp teeth and a jaw that could rival the strength of a beartrap. He had been extremely lucky last night that she had not broken his arm.

“Do you always eat like this?” He asked.

He looked up from her meal and stuffed a large chunk of sausage in her mouth. “Sexy, right?” She chuckled, her mouth still full.

“Now word I would have used to describe it.”

“You have to excuse me. I am starving. It’s the hormone change. It makes me hungry. You ever notice some women pig out on junk food when they have PMS? The same idea, only it’s more like super colossal PMS. It’s not pretty, I know, but it’s my body’s way of storing the necessary energy to grow another living thing, not to mention be able to birth it into the world.” She said, looking at his bacon. “Are you going to eat that?”

Before he could answer, Aster’s hand shot across the table, snatched his bacon, and took a huge bite out of it. “I guess not.”

“So does colossal PMS also come with mood swings?”

“Mostly just horny.” He could live with that. “You were right about the food here; it is all really good.”

“I wouldn’t know I didn’t get to eat any of it.” She had been stealing from his plate while eating her own since they sat down.

Aster blushed. “Sorry. I can’t help myself. I’m a….”

“…victim of biology.” He smiled. “I get it.”

Aster wiped her mouth and sat back, fixing him with a smug look. “Still want a second date?”

“Yep.” He answered without hesitation.

“You must be crazy.”

“I think most people would agree with you.”

She giggled, which was promising. “Lucky for you, I kind of dig crazy.”

Tyler looked at his watch. The Impound was open now, and his shift started soon. He had to take Aster to her car. Tyler paid for breakfast, and they got in his car. They drove across town to the impound, and Tyler stayed with Aster while she filled out the paperwork to get her car back.

Once she had the keys, they stepped outside. “So I thought that if you want that second date, I could make dinner at my place tonight.” Aster offered.

“I would love to….”

Aster’s expression became one of regret, “… but?”

“I have to work. Otherwise, I would totally be there.”

“Right,” Aster said as she walked off to find her car in the lot.

“I really do have to work.” He called after her. “Could we do it on Friday? I have Friday off.” And she was gone. “Damn it.”

***

Aster staggered out of the bar and got into her car. It had been a hell of a long day. After work, she had gone to see her father. After that, she had gone to the bar. It was hard to see him that way. Aster pulled out into traffic and was almost sideswiped by a minivan who honked its horn at her. She had not seen them. Steeling her nerves and giving her head a shack, Aster started to drive home.

She was having trouble focusing when she spotted flashing lights in her mirror. She snarled and pulled over. The officer pulled up behind her and got out, coming to her doo. He tapped on the window and rolled it down, and looked out at him. It was the same cop from last night. Aster laughed. “Sven, are you following me.”

“Out of the car Miss.” He said, opening the door and stepping aside. She got out and almost fell. He then turned her around and took out his handcuffs. Aster’s head hit the roof of her car, and she groaned. Not again.