Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide

Aubree woke to Stone shaking her shoulders gently.

“Wake up, Röslein,” he whispered. “We have a lot to do today and Guinevere needs her breakfast.”

She squinted through heavy eyelids to the large plastic bag in his hand. The smell of roadkill hit her and her stomach lurch with the mental image. Wrinkling her nose, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and glanced over at Gwen’s hulking form on the bed. She was still breathing heavily with the sheet pulled over her but otherwise seemed okay. Stone wasn’t worried, so she shouldn’t be either.

“I could have made her breakfast,” she murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Stone shook his head. “She needs fresh, raw meat. It will build her strength up better than anything cooked. Trust me on this.”

She tried, but the mental image she’d conjured up seconds ago didn’t help. Any thought of eating breakfast herself was immediately dashed. “Alright.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Go ahead and shower. I’ll prepare your coffee for you. We’re going into the city today, remember?”

“Right,” she said, still trying to rid herself of the thought of Stone and his family gorging on a dead animal at the side of a road in their wolf forms. “Guess Gwen won’t be coming with us, huh?”

He shook his head as he helped her to her feet. “No, but Hector will come with us. We will be meeting with the vampire slayers and the North Fang Pack.”

A rush of anxiety flooded over her. Vampire slayers? North Fang Pack? She still didn’t know Hector that well and would have felt more comfortable with Gwen by her side as the former luna, but now there was no choice in that matter. If Hector was coming, he must have a good reason for it.

“Why Hector? What about Rose?”

He walked her to the door of Gwen’s bedroom, where Aubree paused and looked up at him.

“Relax, Röslein. Hector is my cousin. You can trust him,” he said. “Rosemary went back to Rosenrot. They need their luna. She is their true alpha by blood, you know.”

Aubree furrowed her brows at him. “True alpha?”

He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll explain in the car. He’ll meet us in the city later around noon. Please get ready while I tend to Guinevere.”

A faint rumble from Gwen announced she was awake and probably very hungry.

Nodding, Aubree went into their room to shower in the ensuite, and change into a powder-blue blouse and white pencil skirt, like she would have worn to the office. She pulled her hair up into a bun for a more sophisticated look and added a little bit of eyeliner and lip gloss to complete her ensemble.

With Gwen unable to fill her usual duties, Aubree had to take on the role of luna now whether she was ready or not for it. She hoped Stone would fill her in on as many details as he could before she met with the vampire slayers and North Fang Pack. The more he could tell her, the more she could mentally prepare herself for the encounter.

Stone was waiting downstairs in the kitchen for her, coffee in hand. “I’m afraid I don’t have any pastries for you. We can stop at the first café we come across in town if you’d like?”

Aubree took the travel mug from him before her eyes scanned around the kitchen and settled on a bunch of bananas.

“Nope,” she said as she went to the counter and ripped off one from the bunch. “This will do.” She turned to him. “What about you?”

He smiled at her. “I ate already.”

The plastic bag flashed in her mind. Her previous thoughts about roadkill had washed away in the shower as she focused her attention on the day’s schedule. They resurfaced again and her nose wrinkled before she was aware she was doing it. Stone perked an eyebrow at her.

“Well,” she sighed, shifting her attention back to the task at hand, “I guess we’re ready to go then.”

She followed him to the front door, where he held it open for her and closed it behind them.

After climbing into the car and pulling away from the house, he began to fill her in on what to expect for the day.

First, they were going to pick up their paycheque, then pay the bills, and that should bring them to noon. After that, they would sit down to lunch and Hector would meet them there since he was sleeping now. Everyone’s sleeping and hunting schedules were messed up because of the attack on Gwen.

“Rosemary returned to Rosenrot because she and Hector have been gone too long. They need their luna,” Stone said as they entered the city limits. “I mentioned earlier that Rose was their true alpha by blood?”

Aubree nodded, to let him know that she was listening.

“In our world, there exists a bloodline, kind of like royalty, and we call it the Alpha Bloodline,” he said. “Everyone born in this bloodline is destined to be a leader, an alpha or luna of a pack. They are always superior in strength and size. They also share a spiritual connection with the Goddess.

“Full moons are auspicious to us. That is the time the Goddess comes through to us and blesses our packs. It’s kind of like a ritual led by those in the bloodline. With the full moon this Sunday night, the Rosenrot Pack needs her.”

Aubree nodded in understanding. “It must be hard on their pack to have her and Hector gone for so long.”

“Unfortunately, it is,” he said. “Rosemary was beginning to feel the strain. She didn’t show it, but last night was the final push.”

A twinge of guilt twisted at Aubree’s heart. Rosemary and Hector wouldn’t have to be with them if it hadn’t been for her and the vampire war waging at night. While she appreciated having Rosemary’s company when Gwen was out, she understood and respected Rosemary’s need to return to her pack.

Stone continued, “Those born in the bloodline also have a way of carrying themselves, of speaking, that demands respect, obedience, and can make even the strongest fall to their knees and tremble.”

Aubree’s eyes widened at that. “Really?”

He nodded. “You’re human, so you don’t feel it. Rosemary also hasn’t used her authority on you. If she did, you’d know. You’d feel it.”

“Is Vincent of the bloodline?” Aubree asked, remembering the feeling of power that seemed to radiate off him when she first saw him enter the infirmary.

Stone nodded again. “Yes.”

“I could feel it with him.”

“He likes to flaunt his power,” he said, a slight edge evident in his voice.

No kidding, Aubree thought as she turned her gaze out the front window. She was glad that he wasn’t around all the time. That would have made her adjustment to living with Stone and his family that much harder.

“So, you’ve been holding back on your alpha power too?” she asked.

He swallowed. “I’m not of the bloodline.”