Heart of Stone - Book 1: Fighting Fate

Stone had been dreading the shopping spree the moment he said he would go. The urge to protect Aubree was too overwhelming for him to fight off, though. Despite his efforts to push her out of his thoughts and send his pups to watch over her instead, at least until the threat was gone, she still persisted in haunting him.

Gwen even caught him shaving first thing in the morning.

She leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom with her arms crossed over her chest, a raised eyebrow and crooked grin playing on her lips. “You hoping to get lucky today?”

He shot her a hard look as he patted his face dry with a towel. “She has a boyfriend.”

“Oh, I know. I can smell him all over her. Makes me want to gag. I don’t know how you can manage it.”

He gritted his teeth, preferring not to think about it. “You’re not helping.”

“Of course I’m not.” She winked before skipping off with a giggle tumbling from her rosy lips.

Going to his room to get dressed, he struggled to decide what to wear. He put on a casual suit, only to immediately rip it off when Gwen sang from the doorway, “You’re trying too hard.”

"Fine,” he growled in exasperation as he ran his hand through his hair. “What would you suggest?”

She strolled in and went to his closet, rummaging through his clothes. “What kind of a statement are you trying to make?”

He shrugged.

She pursed her lips in an attempt to keep a straight face. “Alright, then.” She pulled out a loose-fitted black and gray T-shirt and black jeans. “Douchey and nonchalant it is.”

He snatched them from her outstretched hands and shooed her out so he could change.

He wouldn’t admit that he didn’t know what douchey meant. He couldn’t grasp the slang of humans anymore; it changed too frequently and he stopped trying to keep up with it. He figured it meant laid-back until Gwen’s cackling echoed down the hallway outside his room.

She was inwardly laughing at him the entire drive to Aubree’s apartment. He tried to keep his emotions under control but he was too wound up, which only amused her even more.

“Relax,” Gwen said, grinning unabashedly in the passenger seat.

“This wasn’t a good idea,” he said, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Hey, you invited yourself. You don’t need to be here.”

He growled under his breath.

“Just admit it, Papa,” she told him pointedly. “You can’t fight it.”

He gritted his teeth together. I can try.

She rolled her eyes at him but dropped the subject.

They drove in silence, blocking their minds from each other’s thoughts. Stone knew that Gwen only wanted him to be happy but Aubree was a human, not a lycan like them. Her life would constantly be in danger. Not only that, but her life would be much shorter than his. One day, he’d have to say good-bye to her after watching her health slowly deteriorate into old age.

He couldn’t bear to watch her die. It would tear him apart.

Not only was Aubree’s delicate life at a greater risk with him, but he couldn’t chance it.

It was better to stay away from her.

But, dammit, he couldn’t stay away.

Before they knew it, they were in the city and pulling in front of Aubree’s apartment.

Gwen sent a quick text to Aubree as they pulled into the parking lot and hopped out as soon as he put the car in park.

He lifted his sunglasses over his head and pressed the heel of his palms against his eyes.

How would she react when she saw him? Would she panic? Spin around on her heels and march back into her building? Or stand there in silence?

She had every right to throw a fit at him. Their last meeting didn’t end on a particularly positive note. Hell, he deserved to be slapped and he wouldn’t blame her.

He was still cursing himself when he climbed out of the car and leaned back against the hood. He pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes and looked up at the sky in an attempt to clear his senses.

When he caught a whiff of her vanilla-rose scent on the breeze, he allowed himself a moment to drown in it before he pulled himself up. He took a deep breath before turning around.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him and his eyes met hers. Her blood-pressure spiked as her heart rate accelerated as fear laced her scent.

Gwen turned from Aubree and shot him a dirty look. Her voice pierced through his barrier with venom.

[What did you do to her?]