The Beast Within - Chapter 8

Harry knew that Nym hadn't been serious about breakfast, but he wanted to do it. He woke up before her and headed to the kitchen. The cabinets were stocked with a decent selection. He noticed each one had a lightweight statis enchantment to keep things fresh. Due to that, all of the produce looked like it had just been picked and the bread was perfect.

He found the little enchantments around the room incredibly interesting. The stove looked normal but ran a rune array. As was the sink. There was some sort of enchantment on the floor tiles to make them not slippery. The pans, knives, and even the cutting board were imbued with magic.

All of the discoveries made the process of making breakfast pass quicker than expected. Bacon, eggs, and homemade hashbrowns. He didn't know if she drank coffee, or tea, so he made both. Tea was the classic drink, but coffee made sense for her profession. Everything smelled wonderful. It made his mouth water and his stomach rumble.

Harry paused.

It wasn't the food that had tickled his senses. The familiar hunger had mingled with the process of preparing breakfast. He sniffed. Someone had entered the house. The wards hadn't been triggered so that meant they were welcome. Their scent was one he didn't recognize so it wasn't Nym, or Andi. He really hoped that the hunger for Andi stayed dormant. Marking her as pack seemed to calm things. Of course, he hadn't spent much time with her after that.

He had been asleep by the time she had gotten back home last night. Still, he had been around her long enough to recognize her scent. The woman was younger, closer to Nym in age. They had similar undertones as well. A distinct type of leather and some sort of ash that wasn't from Floo travel. Everything else was different though. A hint of morning rose to her sweat.

The sensation had snuck up on him.

"Good morning, Harrykins." Nym called from the hallway. "You actually made breakfast?"

"It smells so good." The new voice said.

Harry turned to face the duo. Nym was dressed in a pair of shorts and a band T-Shirt that hung off of one shoulder. Her hair was still bright pink. The playfulness in her eyes told him she knew exactly how she had left him hard and frustrated last night. It took a considerable amount of willpower not to just pounce on her right in that moment.

Beside her stood a dark-skinned woman with an athletic build. She wore a mixture of muggle and wizarding fashion that gave the impression of an enchantress with an office job. Her hair had a slight crimson color to it that mingled nicely with the natural black. She was cuter side of pretty.

He didn't miss the way she sized him up either. The flare of her nostrils and brief growth of her pupil showed she was attracted to him. That was a secondary reaction though. She scanned his posture, hands, eyes, and searched for any subtle muscle tension.

"Good morning." Harry replied. "I didn't know if you liked coffee or tea in the morning, so I made both. Who is this?"

"Hestia Jones." The young woman inclined her head.

"Another Auror." He stated rather than asked.

"She's my partner." Nym smiled brightly at him.

Harry arced an eyebrow at her.

"For this assignment too?" He asked.

Hestia nodded.

Damn. He guessed there were worse problems than being around pretty women. A thought struck him.

"Did they purposely assign another woman?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Hestia answered before Nym could.

"The Boss Lady was worried that your inner dragon wouldn't like a new male in the area." Nym wiggled her eyebrows. "Encroaching on your harem, you know."

"Not in those exact terms." Hestia sighed.

Harry chuckled as he began to work on breakfast once more.

"Is Aunt Andi coming too?" Harry served up three spot at the table.

"She leaves early in the morning." Nym shook her head.

Harry tried to ignore the fact that Hestia kept the table between them. She made sure to have her wand hand free through the entire meal as well. From the looks of it, she was rather practiced at it. Nym sat beside her. She placed her wand on the table next to her plate like it was another piece of silverware.

He paused for a moment. The knives, spoons, and forks were all silver. It was only now that he noticed it. He didn't seem to have any adverse reactions to the metal.

"Is this silver?" Harry asked as he held up a spoon.

"Yeah." Nym replied between bites.

Hestia lunged from her seat. She plucked the spoon from his hand with surprising speed. He saw it skitter across the tabletop as she held his hand to inspect it for damage.

"Nothing." Hestia addressed Nym. "We should let HQ know."

Harry couldn't stop the rumbling purr that came from her extended contact. Her skin was soft, but he could feel the callouses from steady use of her wand. The rush of air the caused by her sudden movement covered him in her scent. There was a palpable tension in the room. Both Aurors studied him. Nym no longer had her easy smile. Instead, she studied him with an intense look. For some reason, that stoked the burning hunger for them even more.

"Ladies." His voice came out with a slight growl. "I need you two to relax."

The growl didn't help ease the tension.

"You both smell very, very good." The growl rolled into a purr as he spoke.

"Your eyes are glowing." Nym fought to keep her voice even.

"Please." Harry closed his eyes.

A deep calming breath only served to take another hit of their combined scents. How was he supposed to go to Hogwarts if he couldn't control himself around only two people. There were bound to be many, many more girls that smelled this good. Not to mention the people who would threaten him. He could not afford to rip Malfoy's head off, or mount Katie in the hallway.

Harry blinked. Katie? Why had she popped into his head as an example? Sure, he had a little crush on her in first year. It was only natural with the hugs after winning games. The kiss on the cheek led to some improper dreams over the summer. Maybe he should ask her out this year. As long as he was still allowed on Hogsmeade trips. He knew that he would have to control himself to even around groups of other people.

The run-away train of thought helped him calm down. Harry cursed Remus for the first time since this all happened. He had thought this new life was a blessing so far. At times like these it would help to have someone with experience to talk to. Harry settled back in his chair. The two Auror were still tense, but he no longer felt like a snake about to strike.

"Do you know any werewolves?" Harry turned his attention to the food before him.

"No." Hestia replied.

She had retreated to the other side of the table but hadn't taken her seat. Her wand was in her hand. It was angled down at the table. A small flick of the wrist would aim it at his center mass.

"Of course not." Harry grumbled.

He distracted himself with the bacon. At the time he hadn't realized he had made the usual amount that he had for the Dursleys. It turned out to be a good thing. His appetite had increased since this all began. Plus, it was bacon.

"Is there a chance I could talk to Remus?" Harry asked softly.

"I could ask." Nym offered. "Why?"

"It would be great to talk with someone who's gone through this." Harry sighed.

"I'll ask." Hestia offered.

Harry finished up his plate. He set it in the sink and watched as it was magically scrubbed clean. It floated to a drying rack on the counter nearby.

"I'll be downstairs." Harry didn't look at the two as he left the room.

They already made his mouth water. The fact that he could smell how aroused Nym was did not help matters in the least.