Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)

II. Chapter 25 | Part 1 - Stone

As Stone's body began to relax and the spasms ceased, he pulled her tightly against him and buried his nose in her hair in an effort to calm himself.

He was pissed. He didn't want to be, but she didn't listen to him. He needed to know that he could trust her to stop him if he couldn't stop himself.

"Don't ever do that again," he grumbled.

She hummed contently in response.

Growling, he tipped her chin up.

She looked up at him in confusion as she read the anger in his eyes. "What?"

"You completely gave in. You didn't even try to regain control."

She quirked an eyebrow. "So?"

"So?" he shot back, his anger rising even more. Could she not grasp the delicacy of their situation?

He pulled himself up on his elbows and looked down at her as he added distance between them. Taken aback, she propped herself up and regarded him with bewilderment.

"Do you not understand the seriousness of what could have happened there if I hadn't regained control over the situation?" he demanded. "You were supposed to take control, Aubree."

There was a flicker of hesitancy as his words sunk in. "I'll do it next time, okay?"

Was she not getting it? This was supposed to be a controlled practice run, an exercise to help prepare them for when their desires did get out of hand. They had to be able to recognize when they were losing control, and how to regain it, as well as how to maintain it when all they wanted to do was give into it.

He added more distance between them as he tried to keep himself from shaking with anger. "You didn't even try! What makes you think you'll be able to next time?"

"Because I wanted you, okay?" she fired back. "Is it so horrible that I wanted to lose control because I wanted you so bad?"

His throat rumbled fiercely at her. He understood, but there weren't enough excuses to justify turning her into a monster if he lost control and bit her.

"I need to know that I can trust you to take control if I ever lose mine! You have just proven that you can't and won't!"

"Fine. Next time, I'll take control, okay?"

"There won't be a next time!"

She recoiled at the anger and harshness of his words, but he didn't care. She had to understand the seriousness of everything. She had to understand how important it was to him that he not turn her into a monster, no matter how much she desired him. She had to be able and willing to take control when he needed her to.

Throwing his legs over the bed, he got up, wiped himself off with his shirt, and pulled his jeans back on before storming out of the room.

"Stone, wait!" she called.

He paused a few feet from the staircase when she wrapped her hands around his arm. Clamping his eyes shut, his fingers curled into fists as he pulled air into his lungs. He wouldn't look at her. He needed to be firm. She needed to understand that the implications outweighed the pleasures they desired.

"I need to be alone right now, Aubree."

"No, we need to talk about this."

He turned and glared at her. "What is there to talk about? You know the dangers, yet you still allowed yourself to lose control. I will not risk your life for a moment of pleasure!"

"I'm sorry, okay! I wasn't ready—"

"There is no 'ready' when it comes to this. When the real thing happens, you won't be ready. You will have to take control when you're on the brink of losing it."