Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)

I. Chapter 28 | Part 2 - Aubree

Song: "Distance" by Christina Perri ft. Jason Mraz

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Aubree didn't budge from her position and neither did he. Both of them avoided looking at each other for a minute until she realized that she stopped breathing.

As she took a lungful of air, she glanced over at him to see a smirk tug on the corners of his lips.

"Well rested? I'm kind of surprised, yet not surprised," he said.

He was leaning against the counter, but she couldn't help but feel drawn to him and how utterly delicious he looked in such a pose.

She swallowed, her eyes flitting to the stainless steel fridge with the built-in ice and water dispenser.

Following her gaze, he fetched her a glass before she could say anything and filled it with ice and water.

She pursed her lips as she accepted it from him. Her fingers brushed against his, sending delightful tingles up her spine. She helped herself to a drink before even attempting to speak, her throat still sensitive and her gaze lowered. "Why? Should Gwen have put me in her room instead?"

She stared at his bare feet on the white tiled floor, now closer to her and only three feet away. He felt so close that she didn't trust her heart to look up.

What he said next made her breath hitch in her throat and her gaze to rise up to the middle of his torso.

"No, but I would have thought that you'd refuse my room." There was a husky edge to his voice that drew her eyes closed.

Her thoughts lingered on the calming effect his scent had on her in his room, especially his bed. "It was nice enough."

Opening her eyes, she chanced a glance at his face. His eyes danced as he looked away. Was there a hint of a blush on his cheeks? "I'm glad for that."

Like a hammer, her heart pounded harshly against her ribcage as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her thoughts wavered on the memory of him all flustered when he remembered her fondness for coffee and pastries before his eyes prowled over her in his T-shirt. "Thank you for not crawling into bed with me."

"I wanted to," he murmured, making her heart skip a beat and her stomach to clench at the thought of him being so close to her.

What unnerved her was not that he had thought about it, but that a small part of her wanted to know what it would feel like to be held in his arms. To wake up beside him in such an intimate embrace with just his T-shirt on to separate his skin from touching hers.

Flushed with heat, she lowered her gaze and stammered, "T-Thank you for not..."

"You said that already."

"I mean it," she said as she struggled to clear her mind of her meandering thoughts. "You could've taken advantage of me, but you didn't."

"I'm an old soul, as you know," he said, looking down at the floor then. "I have my honor and yours to uphold, protect, and respect."

An awkward silence fell over them before he cleared his throat. "Do you resent me now?"

Taken aback, her eyes shot up to meet his staring intently back at her. She didn't know what to say as her memories flitted back to the infirmary in Vincent's palace.

'I can't afford to have you resent me now.'

Untangling herself from her intruding fantasies, her cheeks grew hot again as she averted her gaze. She shook her head. "No."

"If I may speak candidly, I'm relieved. Yesterday, you were so upset, I was certain you'd reject me."

Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she forgot about the glass she was holding as her thoughts raced and her heart began to beat more erratically.

How could she reject him now? She needed him. And as much as she was afraid to admit it, she needed him for more than protection against the vampires that want to murder her.

Her voice was hoarse as it came out in a breathy whisper. "Why would I reject you?"

While she didn't have the courage to look him in the eyes, she noticed his hands ball into fists at his side before he took a step back, putting more space between them. Frowning, she raised her eyes to meet his as he added another step of space between them.

"You're engaged. I haven't been entirely truthful with you. I have been less than kind to you. I do not deserve your affections, yet, I cannot tear myself away from you," he said, his voice lowering with that last sentence. "Need I say more?"

Soulmates. That was what it all boiled down to. That was why so much fear gripped his heart and forced him to maintain his distance. Even now, he was scared of losing her. Because of her engagement to Dan. Because of the threat against her life. Because of what he was. Because she was human. Because, no matter what it all came down to, he would crave every part of her as she would him, like that moment they kissed on the terrace.

The kitchen felt like it was a hundred degrees. Remembering that she still held a glass of ice water in her hands, she took a few gulps, effectively lowering her temperature a bit.

"I... I was scared," she said, lowering her gaze to the table as she moved to set her glass down on it, next to his cell phone.

She didn't want to admit that she had conflicting feelings about him being Gwen's father and an eight-hundred-year-old lycan—whatever that was exactly. She still wasn't sure what that meant, and she was hesitant to ask.

She was also scared to admit that despite all that had happened, she still had strong feelings for him. She still felt drawn to him, even though her mind told her to run.

He promised that he would keep her safe. It was the last thing he said to her yesterday, and indeed, she had nothing to worry about and even slept well despite everything that had been running through her head.

"Understandable," he said. "It's not like we're the cute, fluffy kind of wolves humans usually associate with werewolves."

She could feel the blood rushing from her face, making her dizzy. She gripped one of the chairs at the table for support as she took a few deep breaths while she felt his eyes continue to stare intently at her—still maintaining distance.

Gwen had said they were stronger and faster than werewolves, but if they did not turn into wolves, then what did they turn into? Images of snarling beasts from fantasy movies that she could never get into flashed in her mind.

Lowering her head as she hunched over the chair, she pushed the images away as she continued to breathe in slowly and deeply.

Who would have thought that vampires and werewolves actually existed?

Who would have thought that her soulmate was actually a lycan?

She didn't want to think about it right now.

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Dedicated to Konzelwoman 

*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2015*