Heart of Stone (Part III)

III. Chapter 4 | Aubree

Aubree's jaw dropped as she stared back at the gray eyes holding hers. Excitement, joy, and confusion reflected within their depths as her heart jumped in her throat and his words echoed in her mind.

'Mate! Give me my mate!'

A low growl rumbled through Stone as he stepped over, shielding her completely from the young man's line of vision. "Impossible," he said through gritted teeth. His hands clenched into fists at his side, shaking.

Aubree grabbed his arm in an effort to both restrain him from lunging at the kid and to calm him. Peering over his shoulder once more, she saw the kid's eyes widen as he stared up at Stone.

"No, not the human," he said, tearing his eyes from Stone's and looking around the room. "The one with the cinnamon scent. Where is she?"

Wait, what?

Aubree's scent was one of roses and vanilla. If he wasn't talking about her...

A shock of pain zapped through her. Wincing, she pulled away from Stone as his knees buckled under him and he collapsed down on one knee before the young man with his chin tucked into his chest.

"Guinevere," he croaked out. "My daughter's scent is of cinnamon. Please, you must come back with us. She needs her mate."

Holy shit!

Aubree's mouth was hanging off its hinges as her eyes widened and jumped from the young man to Stone. Her heart leaped in joy and excitement for Gwen, but why was Stone on his knees?

Those telepathic abilities would sure be handy right about now.

Stone reached up and grabbed her wrist and yanked her down. Hands and knees hit the floor as she struggled to fill her lungs with air and shake the emotions suddenly crashing over her. Bittersweet pain gripped her from Stone's touch and she gasped at its intensity as they flooded over her in powerful waves, sweeping her up and pulling her down under an unbearable weight she hadn't experienced before. Only when he released her was she able to pull herself out from the depths of the unknown and gather her bearings to make sense of what was going on around them.

"Please, I beg of you," he said again, his voice cracking. "She is in no condition to travel. You must come back with us."

Panting, and still trying to shake the coldness that had engulfed her, Aubree looked up to see the young man looking both startled and embarrassed as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, his eyes flicking from her and Stone to his parents behind them.

He chewed on his lower lip. "What's wrong with her?"

Stone hesitated, and Aubree looked over to see him take a deep breath and release it again slowly. "We are at war with a coven of vampires in Minneapolis. Two nights ago, my daughter was attacked by a handful of bloodsuckers. They shot her with silver and slashed open her stomach. We nearly lost her."

"Goddess," Eramis and Elena murmured.

"Please, you must come back with us," Stone reiterated.

Taking a deep breath, Aubree touched Stone's hand, feeling the bitterness tighten her throat and strangle her heart, but tried to push calm, peaceful feelings to him in hopes of relaxing him a bit.

He needed to focus. She needed him to be strong. She didn't know why he was getting so upset, but she needed him to be strong in this foreign environment.

She peered up to see the young man's brows furrow, his eyes looking over them.

He swallowed before nodding his head once. "Yes. I understand. I will certainly return with you."