Claimed by the Beast - Part One (7 page)

Ember’s eyes narrowed and she stopped to
sniff and glanced around. “Your mom gone already?”

“Yeah, she had to be in by six. She’s
working a double so she won’t be home until tomorrow morning.”

“Good.”

Crystal frowned. “Look, I’m sorry about last
night, I’m just—what’s wrong with my mom? Are you still pissed
about the helmet thing?”

“Irritated,” Ember admitted, “but that’s not
it. You’re ready for him and he’ll know it. He’ll come
tonight.”

“What are you talking about?”

She sniffed again. “His poison sped up your
cycle. You’re ready for him.”

“My cycle? What, you mean my period?”

Ember nodded.

Crystal’s eyes rounded. “Oh my God,” she
muttered before rushing upstairs to the bathroom. She dropped her
clothing and sat down on the stool. A quick wipe later and she
stared at the stained paper. “What the hell?” she mumbled before
fumbling through the cupboard under the sink beside her.

Crystal walked downstairs a few moments
later with her face flushed. “I just finished a week ago!”

Ember looked up from the jar of peanut
butter and jerked the spoon out of her mouth. She tried to talk but
the sticky paste made her mumble her words.

“Wait a minute,” Crystal said when she saw
the jar that Ember sat on the counter and pushed behind her. She
laughed, her embarrassment forgotten. “Peanut butter?”

“So I like peanut butter—what’s your
problem?” Ember said while licking her lips.

Crystal couldn’t contain herself. “Oh,
nothing.” She giggled. “I think there are some videos on the
Internet, that’s all.”

Ember snarled. “That’s enough,” she growled.
“Did you use a pad or a tampon?”

Crystal’s humor faded at the question. “Um,
kinda personal!”

“Kind of important,” Ember said. “A pad
won’t hide the smell as much.”

“Gross! I don’t smell! And what gives? I
just finished my period last week.”

“It’s not a period,” the redhead said. “It’s
you coming into season.”

“Coming into—”

“You’re in heat.”

Crystal’s jaw fell open.

Ember smiled and turned to lick the last of
the peanut butter off the spoon before tossing it in the sink. “I’m
good, but I didn’t notice you until you came downstairs. He’ll be
able to smell you from a mile away, more if he’s downwind.”

“I’m—in heat?” she repeated. “Like a
dog?”

Ember chuckled. “He’s not like any dog
you’ve ever met.”

“A wolf?”

Ember shook her head.

“What then?”

“A beast.”

Crystal heard herself whimper. “This is so
messed up. I don’t—I mean—how long will this last? What does it
mean?”

“It’ll last until he breeds you or you
die.”

Crystal gasped.

Ember pressed on. “Then again, I suppose
anybody could breed you. Know any cute guys?”

“Oh my God!”

A car horn honked, drawing Ember’s
attention. Crystal turned and stared at the door a moment until she
realized her friend must be waiting. “Oh! Beth’s here.”

Ember sighed. “Great. You ride with her.
I’ll drive.”

“No.” Crystal shook her head. “We told my
mom we’d go together. She’ll be pissed if you don’t.”

“Got news for you, Princess,” Ember said. “I
don’t care.”

Crystal balked and then lifted her head up.
“Please, Ember. I need you.”

Ember’s eyes narrowed. She sniffed again and
sighed. “Fine. But just so you know, you’re acting nice now because
you’re in heat.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re going to be extra friendly and nicer
than usual. Horny too. If you don’t want to spread your legs around
the first guy you see that you like, you’d better keep your friends
close.”

“What? No way! You make it sound like I’m
turning into a slut!”

Ember shrugged. “The Beast’s bite will do
that. Why else do you think you’d be willing to screw a giant hairy
beast?”

“No way. Now effing way!”

“Effing?”

Crystal blushed and turned as Beth honked
again. “Come on, she’s going to be pissed.”

Ember shook her head. “You always worry
about everybody being pissed off at you?”

“What? No—”

“So it’s just your hormones then?” Ember
asked as she pushed past Crystal and walked out the front door of
the house.

Crystal stared after her surly protector,
jaw hanging open at the woman’s words. Was she always worrying
about upsetting other people? She tried to be nice and thoughtful,
but look where that got her—made fun of and ridiculed. Crystal
closed her mouth and snorted before grabbing her purse and book bag
and following Ember out the door.

Beth met her in front of her car, a
five-year-old Ford Fusion her mom had passed down to her. She
surprised Crystal by stepping in front of her and wrapping her arms
around her before Crystal could react.

Crystal grunted and then inhaled. The scent
of Beth’s fruity shampoo and the lavender scent of her soap filled
her nose and made her relax into her friend’s embrace. Beth
stiffened for a moment and then held her tighter. Ember cleared her
throat, breaking Crystal out of the fog of comfort she’d let
herself fall into.

“Isn’t that sweet?” Ember asked.

“What? No, she’s my friend,” Beth stammered.
She spun to face her and looked her up and down, pressing her lips
together to show she disapproved of Ember’s clothes. “Isn’t that
your shirt?”

“Beth, this is Ember,” Crystal said. She
emphasized the beginning of Ember’s name to stop her friend from
making the same mistake her mom had. “And yes, it’s my shirt. Ember
didn’t have any spare clothes.”

“Okay, hi Ember. Now what the hell is she
doing with you?”

Crystal’s eyes widened and Ember laughed.
“Whoa,” Crystal managed. “She’s, um, a friend of Hank’s.”

“Hank? Is that the giant on the bike?”

Crystal cringed and nodded. “Yes. Sorry
about that. I had to get out of there. He gave me a ride the other
night.”

Ember snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Beth
demanded.

Crystal glared at Ember. “On his motorcycle!
After that party.”

“That’s how you got home?”

“Yes.”

Beth pressed her lips together and nodded.
She turned to Ember. “So what’s with you?”

Ember chuckled. “I like you.”

“What?” Crystal blurted.

“She’s feisty and has good instincts. Very
protective,” Ember said.

Beth’s eyes widened and she glanced at
Crystal a moment before looking away. “Crystal’s my best
friend.”

“Uh huh,” Ember said. She turned and walked
the final steps to the rear door of the car.

Beth turned to Crystal, her confusion
obvious on her face.

“I told you when I called last night I’d
explain everything this morning.”

“So start talking.”

Crystal sighed. “I don’t know if I can. Not
this morning. There’s too much. Tonight? After school.”

Beth folded her arms and glared at Crystal.
“I am not happy about this.”

Crystal dropped her eyes and had to fight
against the thickness in her throat. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you
everything I can, I promise. I just don’t know where to start.”

After a long moment of silence between them,
Beth broke down and pleaded, “What the hell is going on?”

Crystal shook her head. “You’re not going to
believe me.”

“Are you in trouble?”

Crystal nodded.

Beth let out a squeal and stepped up to her.
“What’s going on?” she hissed with a glance to the car where Ember
was sitting with the door open. “Is it her?”

“She’s, um, kind of my bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?”

Crystal nodded.

“Crys, she’s half your size!”

“Great, remind me that I’m a cow.”

“That’s not what I meant! Jesus!” Beth
protested. She stepped back and narrowed her eyes. “In fact, you’re
looking better than ever.”

Crystal blushed and glanced down at herself.
Her clothes were fitting looser. She glanced back up and smiled.
“Thanks, and I know what you meant. Trust me about Ember. There’s a
lot more to her than you think.”

Beth stared at Ember and earned a wave from
the redheaded woman in her car. She spun back around, her cheeks
rivalling Ember’s hair for color. “This better be one hell of a
story.”

“Oh, it is,” Crystal promised. “But later.
We’re going to be late.”

Beth clamped her jaw shut and turned away.
She walked to the driver’s side of her car and waited for Crystal
to get in before starting her car. She turned and looked at
Crystal, and then jerked her head back. “This better be good,” she
muttered before putting the Ford in reverse and backing out of the
driveway.

“So what gives?” Beth demanded after they
walked into the school. “And why is she just waiting outside?”

“She’s not a student,” Crystal
explained.

“No shit! I’ve never seen her before. Who is
she? And who’s the beefcake from last night?”

Crystal laughed in spite of herself. “She
can’t come in the school, so she’s going to keep an eye on things
outside.”

“What the hell?”

Crystal sighed. She glanced around and then
walked up to the lockers lining the hallway and leaned against it.
She slipped her sneaker off and pulled her sock down to show her
friend.

“When did that happen? I’ve never seen that
before,” Beth said.

“Friday night, after the party.”

Beth looked at the barely pink scar and then
back up at Crystal. “Bullshit. That’s old!”

Crystal shook her head. “Beth, remember my
black eye? My cheek was cut open and so was my knee.”

Beth stared at her and shook her head slowly
without saying anything.

“Something grabbed me and bit my foot. Ember
and Hank and their friends stopped and saved me. If they hadn’t
been there, it would have gotten me.”

“It? Something? What are you talking about?
Do you know how crazy this sounds?”

“Do you know how crazy I feel?”

“This isn’t possible!”

Crystal nodded. She couldn’t speak; her
throat was locked up and her vision was blurring. She blinked and
tilted her head back, staring up to try to keep from spilling
tears.

“Oh Crys, I’m sorry.” Beth groaned. “Please,
I didn’t mean to upset you. I believe you. It just—it’s hard to
imagine.”

Crystal forced a deep breath in and out and
risked lowering her head. “You believe me?”

Beth bit her lip and nodded. “How can I
help?”

Crystal let loose a nervous laugh. She
pulled her sock back up and wiggled her foot back into her shoe. “I
have no idea! Guntar said—”

“Guntar?”

“Sorry. Guntar’s their leader. The bikers, I
mean,” Crystal explained. “Anyhow, he said that the Beast tasted my
blood and he poisoned me. He won’t stop until he has me.”

“Has you? Christ! Then what’s he going to
do?”

“You don’t want to know!”

Beth frowned. “Um, okay.”

“Hey!”

“Shit,” both girls groaned in unison. They
turned and saw Stephanie walking towards them and a group of her
cliquey friends watching from farther down the hall.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?”

“Since when do you care?” Beth snipped at
her.

Stephanie’s smile faltered but she put it
back on. “Since awhile now. Look, I said I was sorry. Crys, where’d
you meet that guy at? He was hot! And that motorcycle—oh my
God!”

Beth harrumphed and started to step forward
between Crystal and the self-proclaimed queen of high school.
Crystal put her hand on her arm and stopped her. “He’s my
boyfriend,” Crystal said.

Stephanie laughed and then stopped after she
saw no one was laughing with her. “You’re serious?”

“His name’s Hank,” Crystal said. “And yes,
I’m serious.”

Stephanie stared at her for a long moment
before she recovered and said, “Um, that’s cool. You’ll have to
introduce me sometime.”

“Yeah, sure, sometime,” Crystal said.

“Cool,” the blond said. “I better get to
class. I’ll catch you later?”

“Whatever,” Crystal said.

Stephanie smiled and turned. She walked, her
hips swaying with sex appeal.

“Why aren’t you telling her to go fuck
herself?” Beth asked.

Crystal shrugged. “I’ve got some freaky
creature from a nightmare hunting me down—I don’t need to worry
about school drama too.”

Beth snorted. “The boyfriend bit was
nice—wait a minute! Holy shit, were you serious?”

Crystal blushed and shook her head.
“No.”

Beth’s shoulders relaxed and she smiled.

“Unless he wants to be,” Crystal added.

Beth’s smile vanished. “What? You just met
him!”

Crystal shrugged. “He’s dreamy.”

“You said that about Thor.”

“Everybody said that. Besides, Hank makes
Thor look like a Girl Scout. All he needs to do is braid his hair
into pigtails.”

Beth laughed. “You did not just say
that!”

Crystal shrugged. “You saw him—he’s
huge!”

“But is he big strong, or just big?”

Crystal thought back to when Hank had
carried her like a porcelain doll and smiled. “He’s strong.”

Beth’s eyes rounded. “This is too much.”

Crystal laughed. “It is, but thanks for
making me feel normal again. At least for a little while.”

The bell rung, startling both girls. Crystal
glanced down the hallway and saw it was empty save for them. “Shit,
we’re late!”

Beth glanced up and down the hallway and
then threw her arms around Crystal. She hugged her again and
whispered, “I’m with you, crazy or not.”

Crystal blinked the blurriness out of her
eyes and hugged her friend back. She inhaled Beth’s smell again and
leaned forward into her when Beth let go and stepped back.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Beth asked when
Crystal stumbled forward and almost fell into her.