Beautiful Creatures Series

Tyler was driving through the streets thinking about the informant he had just spoken with when he spotted a car that looked suspiciously like Aster’s. Hoping he was wrong, he pulled into the parking lot and blocked the car in question from being able to back out. Using his onboard computer, he ran the plates, and he shook his head when Aster’s registry information popped up on the screen. He was ticked off. She was drinking again and was going to drive her car home after she promised him she would not.

Tyler called for a tow truck, and when it arrived fifteen minutes later, he gave the driver Aster’s address and had the driver take it to her place. He then called a buddy of his who worked in traffic. He had the night off, so Tyler asked him to head out to Aster’s place and put a boot on her car. He would save her the impound fees and the jail time, but he was going to make that girl earn her vehicle back.

Once her vehicle was dealt with, he got out of his car and headed into the bar. It was like any bar; dark and a little dingy. Aster was sitting at the bar with some fat biker hitting on her. She was doing her best to deflect his clumsy advances, but the man didn’t get the hint. Tyler might have intervened if he had not known for a fact that Aster of all people did not need his help. She could easily tear this drunk to ribbons if he annoyed her enough.

Tyler walked up to the bar next to her. “So much for your word.”

Aster turned her attention away from the drunk hitting on her to see Tyler. “Fuck.” She groaned. “I only came in for one drink.” She said. Tyler looked at the bartender, who held up nine fingers, telling him her words were yet one more lie. “Rat.” She hissed at the bartender.

“You promised me you weren’t going to drink anymore.”

“You know it doesn’t matter what you think. You are not my boyfriend, you are not my father, and you are not my keeper.” She said, picking up her drink once more.

Tyler took the drink from her hand, preventing her from finishing it. “Dude, the lady told you to fuck off.” The biker growled. And Tyler flashed first his badge and then his gun. The biker put up his hands and backed off. “Right, none of my damn business. The girl is all yours, bro.” He turned and walked away.

“I got to get me one of those.” Aster chuckled.

“I might not be your keeper, but I am the law, and you will show me respect,” Tyler growled.

“When did I not show you respect?” She growled.

“When you looked me in the eye and lied to me.” She had no reply. “Give me one good reason why I should not just arrest you and let you do jail time?” He challenged her.

Aster smiled flirtatiously and leaned in so close she could almost kiss him. “Because it would be awfully difficult for you to screw me through the bars of a jail cell.” She purred.

“I am not joking.”

“Neither am I.”

her to get off her barstool. “I am taking you home. Are you going to come

sexy growl as she

booze talking. I’m just taking you home, and then I am going to put you to bed.” He said, walking her out of the bar to his car. Tyler opened

cop car.” She said, flipping

going tonight.” He urged her to sit back and then shut

rest of the night off. His supervisor was not impressed. By the time he reached Aster’s house, she had passed out. He searched her four keys and then took her inside and put her to bed.

***

but feel she wasn’t alone. That was when she noticed the shadowy figure

invisibly tethered to her bed. The eyes of the figure lit up a bright amber, and Aster’s fear grew. She could smell her mother’s perfume wafting on the breeze. A second later, the figure shot

get her off. Then her mother leaned forward and sunk her teeth into Aster’s throat. Aster

***

the bed violently. She let out a blood-curdling scream. He rushed the bed and bracing one knee against the mattress. He took Aster by the shoulders to wake her. As soon as he touched her,

him, and Tyler rushed the door as she jumped out of bed and came after him. Tyler pulled the bedroom door closed in the hopes of slowing her down. He ran back to the couch where he had left his gun and other weapons. He didn’t want to

Her beautiful human form had been replaced by a large hairy snarling nightmare of a beast, all teeth and claws. “Oh fuck me.” He panicked and started to back up with his taser

was tremendous, and she knocked him

body to jerk violently for a few minutes before she reverted to her human form

***

slowly woke on the living room floor. She was naked, and two metal prongs attached to long metal leads were embedded in her chest. Everything hurt. Did someone taser her? Aster coiled her fingers around the prongs and pulled them from her body, swearing in pain as she did so. There were burn marks on her skin, but in a few hours, there would be no evidence of a wound at all.

in one hand as he lay their limp. Aster checked his vital signs to see if he were dead. She couldn’t recall what had happened, but it didn’t take much to put two and two together.

was able to lift Tyler off the floor and carry him to the bedroom, where she laid him down on the bed. She stripped off his bloody shredded shirt and tossed it on the floor. She collected some clothes and water then came back to the bed trying to clean him up. He had lost a lot of blood, and Aster worried he might need blood; she very well might need to take him to a hospital. Only she could not explain his wounds. She knew Tyler wouldn’t heal, not as she did. He was

took his police car, would she be charged with stealing it? She had no choice. She had to call for an ambulance. They didn’t like having any kind of sirens in the area. It

went inside. She found a phone and called an ambulance. Then she cleaned up as much of the mess from the confrontation as she could in the short time it took for the paramedics to arrive. She didn’t want anyone to