II. Chapter 16 | Part 1 - Aubree

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Aubree bolted upright in bed, slick with sweat and gasping for air. She looked around Stone's room in the dark as beads of sweat trickled down her back drawing a shiver to course through her. She couldn't even piece together what it was exactly that had terrified her. The nightmare she had woken from was already creeping back into the dark recesses of her mind with each passing second.

Clutching her head in her hands, she took a deep breath, remembering darkness and the sense of being watched by multiple eyes. There were brief visions of creatures with elongated jaws full of razor-sharp pointed teeth and huge claw-like hands bigger than her head. She couldn't see what they were exactly, or where they were. The only thing that had been clear was the terror she felt.

A slick, sticky residue ran down her thigh, drawing a groan from her lips as she pulled herself up and went to Stone's private bathroom. She cursed at the blood that soaked through her panties and pajama bottoms.

Digging through her luggage made her groan even more. She was out of tampons. Pads would have to do.

After cleaning herself up and changing her bottoms, she soaked the soiled garments in some cold water in the bathroom sink before going to investigate the bedsheets. Sure enough, there was a small red spot right where she had been sleeping.

Stone was going to love that.

Not knowing where the laundry facilities were, she decided to roll the sheets up and toss them in the tub and worry about them in the morning. With a huff, she flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Now, what was she going to do?

A light rap on the door forced her to get up and answer it. She figured it was Rosemary, who had kept her company that evening along with Gavin for a couple of hours, while Hector went straight to bed.

She opened the door a crack and saw Rose looking back at her with sleepy eyes.

Crap. I woke her up. Aubree opened the door, her stomach knotting. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Rose waved Aubree's worry aside. "Don't fret. I've been disturbed on worse cases. Are you alright though? I smell blood."

Heat rushed to Aubree's face. "Oh, yeah. I bet you guys can smell that." She pulled away from the door with a sigh. "Living with lycans just got a whole lot more awkward."

Rose shook her head in amusement. "Lucky for you, we don't like the smell of human blood."

"Oh, that's even better." Aubree groaned, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Trust me, it is."

Swallowing, Aubree's mind flicked to the memory of the vampire that attacked her and the way he licked her face. She shuddered, crossing her arms over her chest and holding herself.

"Would you like some help?" Rose asked.

Aubree nodded. "I don't know where anything is here."

The nightmare she had was still making her feel edgy. A little chat with Rose as she helped her redress the mattress would do her some good to get her mind off of things. 

Rose helped her to clean the small stain on the mattress before putting a new bedsheet on it. She seemed reluctant to leave and in the end, settled next to Aubree on the bed.

"It's amazing how humans have the ability to reproduce at virtually any time during the fertile years of their lives. And when the seed isn't planted, the womb bleeds," Rose said with her eyes closed.

Aubree tried not to gape at Rose and her choice of words. Really? What century did she come from?

Instead, she asked, "Is it different with lycans?"

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