Hideaway Strath The only thing that's on my mind

Arlette was...absent.
Not gone, but she was avoiding him, certainly.
But while she could hide herself, she couldn't hide her scent.
When he'd got a whiff of her, he'd shuddered. A tingling running down his spine.
Arlette was in heat.

He'd thought back over the days before her heat, wondering what they meant to each other. His confession, their time in the Chambers, every little look they gave each other, how much they relied on each other.
It must be the fourth or fifth day now, and he couldn't stand not talking to her, not seeing her.

She avoided her usual haunts; she also knew and didn't want to see him. What was she scared of?
But there was once place he knew she wouldn't avoid. Her medical stash in the Chambers. Derg, in usually stalker fashion, laid in wait outside the Chambers. Hidden from sight. Waiting for that pretty woman to wander in.

Then she did. Clutching herbs n her jaws she rushed in; like she knew. He stood, moving in after her.
He waited for a second, hopefully she'd set the herbs down neatly.
Another step. "Arlette."
Soft light filtered in over him. He waited, wondering what she'd do.