Beautiful Creatures Series

Darrell was sanding down the cabinet door he had been working on when Katelyn returned. She placed the bag of food on the table along with two medium sodas. “I hope Jimmies is ok,” Jimmies was a fast-food burger joint in town. It was non-franchised, but the food was cheap and really great. They had the best burgers, and Darrell really enjoyed the yam fries.

“Oh, my God!” Katelyn gasped as she looked at her computer. “What happened?”

“Something wrong?” Darrell asked, pretending not to know what happened.

“My computer, it is all frozen up,” she said, taking a seat at the table, trying to fix the problem. Darrell leaned against the workbench, eating the burger she had brought him.

Katelyn groaned. She could not fix it, so she was forced to shut the whole system down and start it up again. “Do you know anything about computers?” She asked, hopefully.

Darrell frowned, “I know how to check my email; that’s about it,” he lied.

He watched as she struggled to get everything going again. It took her 20 minutes, but she got the laptop working again. Katelyn searched for her pictures. “No… no… no!” She growled. It sounded like she could not find them. Darrell tried not to smile. He had succeeded in destroying the pictures she had of him.

“Troubles?” Darrell asked.

“I had the most amazing pictures, and now they are gone,” she said with a pout that was just too cute. He could not help but snicker. “What?” She asked, annoyed.

“Sorry, you are just super cute when you pout,” she was smiling now and blushing a little. Darrell knew she was taken, and he should not flirt, but there was something about her he liked. Usually, when he wanted a woman, he had her, but he would respect the fact that she was engaged. Still, the way she was smiling at him told him were she not another man’s fiancée. She would be his.

The sound of the front door opening broke the moment they were sharing. Darrell quickly went back to work, trying to look innocent. Nigel came into the room. “You are home early,” Katelyn said as her fiancé walked over to the table to kiss her.

As Nigel walked past him, Darrell’s heightened sense of smell caught the faint scent of a woman. It was not perfumed; it was a signature scent specific to one individual. Everyone had one, but it was not Katelyn’s scent. It was the scent of another woman. The only way for that scent to be all over Nigel was during sexual contact. What a scumbag he was cheating on his fiancée.

Some people would say that Darrell was jumping to conclusions, and he had no real proof, but the truth was he did not have to see it with his own eyes, he did not need a confession, his nose was better than pictures. As a Lycanthrope, he could sense things humans could not. This guy was a fool. He had a beautiful sweet woman, and he was screwing around. Nigel did not deserve Katelyn. A smile turned up the corner of Darrell’s mouth. His infidelity changed things; in Darrell’s mind, he was green-lighted to make a play for Katelyn guilt-free. This jackass was about to lose his girl so fast it was going to make his ancestors dizzy.

“My night manager up and quit on me today, so I have to cover the night shifts until I can hire someone,” Nigel told her. “I came home to shower and put on a fresh suit.”

“You are going to be gone all night?” Katelyn complained.

“I’ll be home at 8:00 AM.”

“You are going to work all day and then all night? When are you going to sleep?”

“I’m the manager, Baby. I can do what I want. I’ll just take a quick power nap in one of the empty suites.”

Darrell shook his head and bit his tongue. Wow, this guy was bold. Sure, he had been in bed, but Darrell doubted he was going to be alone and sure as hell not sleeping. He must have snickered because both Nigel and Katelyn turned to look at him. Darrell lifted his closed hand to his mouth and cleared his throat a few times. “Sorry… something in my throat,” he lied, and they disregarded him, going back to their conversation.

“Look, Kate Baby, if I had any choice, I would be home with you, but the hotel pays me a lot of money. I have to do the job they are paying me for,” Katelyn said nothing. She rolled her eyes. Darrell grinned. She was not buying his bullshit either. He had more respect for this girl; she was no fool. Nigel took an annoying step back. “What?”

“What is her name?” Katelyn demanded. Oh, shit was about to go down. Darrell was trying so hard not to appear as if he was listening, but he had been wiping the wrench with his shop rag since Nigel walked in.

“This shit again?” Nigel snapped, indignant with Katelyn for daring to suggest he was doing exactly what he was doing. “You think I’m screwing around?”

“No, I know you are screwing around,” she barked as she stood up to confront him. Darrell leaned against the workbench. He was not even bothering to pretend he was not listening. Nigel looked at Darrell, who made eye contact while he picked up his soda and sipped it like he was in a movie theatre. He was not worried about getting fired at this point. He had a feeling after this fight they would not be completing the project anyway, regardless he got 2/3rds upfront, and his signed and notarized contract clearly said no refunds. So, he was going to enjoy the show.

“Can we not do this in front of the help?” Nigel asked quietly.

said with a

think of you. I’m sick of this shit when

the past. I don’t have time for this,” he growled and stormed out of the room. Katelyn dropped back down in her seat with tears in her eyes, and Darrell felt bad for her. Not only was her man cheating

knew Nigel was in the shower. Darrell took the paper napkin from his meal and took a seat next to Katelyn, offering her the napkin for her tears. She accepted it and dabbed her eyes. No tears

to see

to live it,” he said with sympathy as he reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. “That guy

he agreed. Darrell never understood

and have some fun. I cashed your boyfriend’s cheque last week. I say we go get stupid drunk on

was not sure if going out with him was wise. After all, she had just had a fight with the man she lived with. Darrell leaned in and folded his arms on the table. He then rested his head on his arms and gave

come on, Baby, I’m c-u-t-e, you know you

word,

pose for revenge selfies, and you can send them to him all night,” she laughed again. “Check it,” he said, leaning back and lifting the front of his shirt to show Katelyn his rock solid six-pack. “Look at that, that’s

She

wanted to make sure he left the site with all his property because he would probably get a call tonight cancelling the project, and he did

***

betrayal. She wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. See how he liked it when she stepped out on him. Who better to do it with than this stunningly gorgeous man rocking the down-home southern

all of Aspen, someplace she had never heard of called the Mausoleum. It turned out to be some little local pub off the main drag. A dingy little dive bar, certainly not the kind of place tourists

at a small table near an old jukebox. Katelyn had not thought bars still had these. The waitress came over, and Darrell gave her five hundred dollars in cash, telling her to keep the whisky coming until they either passed out or ran out of money, whichever came first.

for hours talking about nothing at all, music, movies, inconsequential topics that did not allow her to get to know him in any meaningful way. When she would ask more personal questions, he would skillfully redirect

was fun, and he had a knack for putting her at ease… then again, maybe it was the endless drinks she had ingested. As it got later in the day, Katelyn mentioned that perhaps they should soak up some of their intoxication with a little food, so he ordered them some dinner from the kitchen. Katelyn was pleasantly surprised. The food here

had to be the twentieth time that evening. Katelyn looked at her phone, which sat on the table between them as it rang. Nigel’s name and picture on the screen. Katelyn sighed; she did not want to answer, but she had the feeling Nigel was not going to stop

should do, though. You

into him. “What

the table. He brought up her camera option and then put one arm around her shoulders as he held the phone out in front of them to take a selfie. He then turned his face toward hers. “Now give me a

back at Nigel. I

want to

“Do I?”

brushed his lips against hers in return. “Come on, Baby. Live a

her head spin… or was that the whisky? The flash of her camera ended their kiss quickly, and Darrell was grinning triumphantly as he looked into her eyes. He then offered her back her

on, send it to him. I bet he blows your

send it to him? She was not sure. Suddenly Darrell jumped when a slender young woman with long blond hair jumped on him from behind, startling both of them. Her arms wrapped tight around his broad shoulders. “Fancy seeing you here,” she giggled and then stood up and stole his hat, placing it on her

see I’m on a date?”

at Katelyn. “He’s just trying to

I was succeeding until you

cramping your style?” She

he smiled, and she

this?”

baby sister,” a sense

for the night,” she said with a teasing look at Darrell,

they were all friends. The women were all very pretty, intimidatingly so. And one of the men made Katelyn tense with fear. He was a huge man, and he was scary-looking. He looked like a serial killer that could rip the arms of his victims off with his bare hands. The most confusing part was the young woman with who he had his arm around. She was breathtakingly beautiful. They seemed to be together, and Katelyn could not help but

middle-aged man walked into the bar and Darrell, and his friends took immediate notice of him. Katelyn could not understand why. He looked just like any other guy, but the whole table was fixated on him like they knew something she did not. A look passed between them

look, and Katelyn saw raw hatred