Beautiful Creatures Series

Chapter 19: 17

Stanton sat on his couch, staring at the TV. He was watching… well, he had no idea what the hell this was. He hadn’t been paying attention anyway. He sat there drinking and fuming about what had happened. He sat up a little taller when he heard a car door slam. He rose to his feet and walked to the window. Looking outside, Stanton spotted Aurora getting out of Darrell’s truck. He must have given her a ride home after they dealt with the hunter, who he was certain by now had to be dead.

She said something to Darrell, then turned and headed for the front door of their cabin. Stanton took a few steps back as Aurora came in. She paused when she saw him. Stanton couldn’t help but notice Aurora was covered in blood, and he became concerned. “That’s a lot of blood,” he said, finding his voice.

“It’s not mine,” she drawled as she made her way to the washroom. “I need a shower.” He watched as Aurora entered the washroom and closed the door.

She must have been the one to kill the hunter. He was such a fool to believe Aurora ever needed him. She could clearly take care of herself. Stanton walked up to the washroom door and lay his hand against the wood. He was losing her; he could feel it. Sighing heavily, Stanton drained the last of his beer and went to sit on the couch again, idly flipping through the channels. He had to stop thinking about it. The more he pictured that hunter all over his girl, the more wretched he felt.

The shower ran for twenty minutes before he heard it turn off. A few minutes later, Aurora came out wearing just a pair of short-fitted blue booty shorts and a white spaghetti strap tank top with a low-cut neckline and the bottom riding up her solid belly showing off that creamy flat stomach. Her wet hair dripped down her shoulders, and it was easy to tell she was braless.

The sight of her always made him hard. It was crazy how even now, after all that had happened tonight, that all he wanted to do at that moment was bury himself deep inside her. It annoyed him to know that every man in the world had the same urge every time she walked into a room. It got him wondering

how many men she had been with? As an ex-prostitute, he knew it was probably quite a few. He hated that fact.

Aurora looked at him and then sighed as her bare feet made no noise walking over to him. She stepped up on the couch cushion next to Stanton and wedged herself behind him, her back against the back of the couch. Leaning in, Aurora wrapped both arms around his wide shoulders and braced her chin on his right shoulder, hugging him from behind like a baby spider monkey clinging to its mother.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, brushing her lush lips over his ear. “I knew I could get to him easier than you could. He never saw me coming. I was trying to protect you.”

“I’m a male,” he growled. “I’m supposed to protect you. That’s the law of nature. You have no reason to stay with me if you don’t need me.”

Aurora moved, rising to her feet behind him. She stepped around in front of Stanton and sat down, straddling him face to face. “Is that what you think? That I am only with you because I need you?” He nodded. “I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone. I have taken care of myself all my life. I’m not with you because I need you.”

“Well, you sure as hell ain’t with me because I’m pretty.”

“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

“A model for a Halloween mask?”

She snickered. “I see your soul, your beautiful soul. I’ve known enough men in my short life to know that all this,” she said, waving her hand around his face to illustrate his looks, “It means nothing. Some of the most attractive men I have ever met were ugly and cruel inside. You may not be what society considers a looker, but you have a beautiful soul, and that’s what I love.”

Stanton looked deep into her eyes. “Marry me.”

“What?” She asked, standing up. He had caught her by surprise.

“Marry me. Be my wife. Prove to me that we are forever,” Aurora thought about it. “I know I don’t have a ring, but I’ll get one. The biggest rock you’ve ever seen.”

“No,” she said.

“Ok, I’ll get something more practical.”

“No, I mean… no. I won’t marry you.”

Stanton rose to his feet. He didn’t know what to say. “I thought you said you loved me?”

“I do love you,” she shook her head. “But I’m not going to spend the rest of my life proving myself because you have no trust in me. Until you stop perceiving me as property and start thinking of me as your partner, I won’t marry you. You need to get right with yourself first,” she said, walking away. She then turned and walked away. “Now I’ve had a long day, and I’m going to sleep. So, turn the TV down, please.”

Stanton turned the TV off and headed for the door. “I’m going out,” he said as he walked out and slammed the door behind him. Stanton got into his SUV and drove the mile to Darrell’s place. He pulled into the driveway and got out. As he was coming up the porch steps, the screen door swung open, and Darrell leaned against the door frame crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m surprised to see you. I would have thought you would be balls deep in makeup sex,” Darrell teased.

“You got any beer? I need to get shitfaced,” he said, walking past Darrell to enter the house.

“Come on in,” Darrell sighed as they headed for the kitchen. He took two beers from the fridge and handed one to Stanton, who twisted the cap off. He drank half the bottle in one shot while Darrell watched. “I’m sensing that something may be bothering you.”

Stanton lowered his beer and looked at his friend. “She doesn’t need me,” he confessed.

Darrell laughed. “And here I thought you were pissed off that she had gotten to the hunter first.”

“I’m serious, man. I’m losing her. I have to re-evaluate where I stand.”

Darrell rolled his eyes, exasperated by the situation. “You need to have your brain examined,” he said. “I love you, man, like a brother. I get why you are so insecure in this relationship. I don’t want to be cruel, but let’s face the facts. You, my large friend, are ugly as fuck. You are a great guy, don’t get me wrong, but God damn, you got a face that scares small children and grown men alike. Aurora, though,” Darrell sucked in an excited breath and then whistled, “Holy Mother of Sin, that girl is so fine a man would crawl naked across broken glass on his belly just to catch a whiff of her perfume.”

“You’re not helping,” Stanton growled.

“Easy, Big Guy, I have a point,” Darrell assured him.

“Then get to it.”

“My point is Aurora is so far out of your league you two could have galaxies between you,” Stanton growled again, “BUT… she chose to be with you. This girl, who I have no doubt, could have any man in the world: rock stars, politicians, billionaire playboys, fucking Batman… and she chooses you? An ugly as fuck, a blue-collar construction worker living in a one-room cabin in the woods. The odds of that are astronomical. Yet it happened. The laws of the entire universe were designed to keep a girl like that out of your reach. Yet you have her. There can only be one answer; she loves you.”

“Why is that the only answer?”

Darrell shook his head. “Because love is the only thing in the universe that is strong enough to defy the laws of the universe. That girl is never going to leave you. Not for anything. I can see that when I look into her eyes. She is yours in this life and the next,” Stanton smiled as he looked down into his drink. “And it is not because she needs you. Love is not about one carrying the other. It’s about walking the path side by side.”

Stanton had to admit what Darrell was saying made sense to him. It also sounded a lot like what Aurora was trying to tell him. It took Darrell to beat the concept in his thick skull that the only reason he could have Aurora at all was that she wanted to be with him. Darrell was right; no other reason made any damn sense.

“If you don’t stop worrying about losing her, you are going to drive her away. Even the most loyal of people can only put up with unfounded accusations before the break and decided o do the crime they have already been unfairly punished for. If she leaves you, it will be your fault. Don’t drive away a great thing because you don’t feel worthy of her.”

Stanton appreciated Darrell’s pep talk. He understood where he went wrong.

“I know I’m not the person to be taking relationship advice from. God knows I’ve never had one that lasted past the first date.”

“I don’t think fucking some random chick you picked up two hours ago and then never seeing again can be considered a date,” Stanton didn’t know Darrell to date. Sure, he had A LOT of sex but no dates. Stanton had known Darrell a long time, and he couldn’t recall Darrell ever having a girlfriend.

“All I’m saying is if you have a girl that is loyal, funny, sexy, and willing to kill for you, then you should make that girl a wife. You are never going to do better than Aurora.”

“I asked her to marry me. She said no,” Stanton confessed. “You got any great advice on how to change her mind?”

Darrell thought for a moment. “Nope. Nada. Marriage is not really my forte. You need to talk to someone older and wiser than myself. Someone who is already married.”

Darrell was right. He needed advice from someone who had been down the road Stanton wished to travel. He needed to talk to Gordon.

***

After he finished his beer Stanton drove over to Gordon’s place. He knew it was late, but he needed to talk to Gordon. Ever since his own flesh and blood parents died, Gordon had been like a second father to Stanton. He supposed Gordon was a father figure to a lot of the younger pack members. Most Lycan kids were orphaned at young ages. Gordon took them all in. Gave them a safe place and helped guide them into adulthood. Gordon was more than just a pack leader. Gordon was everything most young male Lycans aspired to be.

As he pulled into the driveway, Stanton was pleased to see the lights in the house were on. It meant Gordon and his wife Melissa were awake. Stanton put his SUV in park, then got out. He started toward the door. They weren’t expecting him, but he wasn’t going home to Aurora until he got a chance to speak with Gordon.

Reaching the door, Stanton paused. He was going to knock, but then he heard something from the other side of the door. Someone was screaming and judging from pitch and tone. It was Melissa. Then Gordon yelled back, and Stanton jumped when he heard what sounded like a struggle. Oh, God, what was going on?

Concerned, Stanton opened the door, glad to find it wasn’t locked. He barged in just in time to see Melissa swipe her claws across Gordon’s chest, slicing the front of his shirt open and shredding the

flesh beneath. The gashes in Gordon’s chest were deep and severe. A human man would have had to go to a hospital to stitch them, but being a Lycan, Gordon would heal himself in a day or two with no scars or any sign of injury.

Stanton’s sudden appearance startled both Melissa and Gordon. They both looked at him. Gordon looked like he’d gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali. He looked as if he could hardly stand upright. Melissa looked fine but furious. That’s when it hit Stanton. As strong as Gordon was, he was a victim of domestic violence. Stanton didn’t understand how he could allow this to happen.

“Anyone tell you it is rude to barge into someone’s house?” Melissa snarled. “Get the fuck out.”

Stanton did as he was told and walked back out to his SUV. He stood there, unsure what he was supposed to do in this situation. A moment later, Gordon came out of the house and walked over to Stanton. “I’m sorry you saw that,” Gordon said.

“What the hell? How long has that been going on?” Stanton asked.

Gordon looked away with shame. “A long time,” he confessed.

“Why do you let her do that?” He said let because Stanton was sure if Gordon tried, he could put a stop to it. “Why don’t you hit her back?”

“She’s a woman,” he said as Melissa’s gender gave her a free pass to be a raving bitch. “A man never hits a woman, for any reason, ever.”

“I think people would understand in this case.”

“Never… ever. My parents taught me never to raise my hand to a woman.”

“Then divorce her.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why not?”

“We have a kid together.”

“That is a bullshit reason. Aster is twenty-five, and she lives on her own. I think she’ll understand you leaving.”

“Wolves mate for life,” Gordon told him. “I’m not just going to walk away from my life. I’m too damn old to start over.”

“But…”

“Stanton,” Gordon spoke sternly but without anger. “This is my choice. Respect it.”

With a heavy sigh, Stanton nodded, agreeing to drop the matter. If Gordon wasn’t willing to leave, there was nothing Stanton could do to change his mind.

“Why are you here, son?”

He had come for marriage advice, but with what he knew now, he no longer believed Gordon was the best man to be giving advice on how to have a happy marriage. “I needed advice.”

“Needed?” Gordon emphasized the past tense use of the word.

“I don’t want to bother you. You have enough on your plate,” he said. “I’m sorry a disturbed you.”

“Boy, just spit it out. What is the problem?”

Stanton considered what to do next. Despite the facts, he now knew he still respected Gordon. He decided to confide in him after all. “I want to marry Aurora.”

Gordon’s mouth curved in a grin. “I can’t blame you. I think you two are good together.”

“I asked, but she said no.”

Gordon’s smile faded away. “Oh.”

“She didn’t leave me, just refused to marry me until I got more confidence,” he explained. “I really want to marry her, but I don’t know how to change her mind. How did you get Melissa to marry you?”

Gordon frowned. “I got her pregnant. I didn’t want to marry her, but there are so few of us out there anymore, and she was having my baby. I married her strictly for the procreation of the species.”

“You never loved her?”

“No. I simply settled for what I thought was all I’d get. You are lucky. You found a female Lycan, and she actually loves you. Don’t fuck that up. You might never get another.”

“Right, but how do I change her mind?”

“Never underestimate the power of a grand gesture.”

“Ok, like what?” Stanton had no idea what to do.

“See, there is the thing. You have to figure that out for yourself. It would be meaningless if I told what to do.”

Stanton frowned. Well, this had been no help at all. He still had the same damn problem and no idea what to do about it.