Aubree stared up at the hospital before her with her heart in her throat. She'd never stepped foot into a hospital before. The Ciardaig Clinic was as close as she'd come to a hospital—if it could even be called a clinic.
Already feeling overwhelmed with the thought of facing Dan in a hospital bed, the least of her worries should be walking into the building. Walking through those doors would mean taking one more step toward a future she wasn't sure she was ready for. How would she react when she saw him? How should she react?
She couldn't break up with him then and there. Not only was it wrong to do that, but he needed her right now in a way that he had never needed her before. To know that in the days to come, she would break his heart made it hard for her to get enough air into her tightly bound lungs.
"Breathe," Stone said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Warmth and tenderness from his touch held her during the drive, and she was grateful for it. It helped to keep her calm despite the constant tumbling of her emotions in her stomach.
But she also got a sense of tension from him and it made both of them a little uneasy to say anything to each other.
"Stop over-thinking, both of you," Gwen scolded from the back seat of the car. "Let's get this done. My senses are already getting overwhelmed by this place and we haven't even left the damn car."
Gwen shoved the door open and climbed out.
"If she gets feisty, it usually means she's tired," Stone told Aubree. "Don't take it personally."
Aubree nodded. That was understandable.
She wasn't sure how long she'd last in the hospital anyway. In one part of her mind, a voice told her to stay there until visiting hours ended, yet another voice told her not to keep Stone and Gwen waiting. The later she stayed there, the greater the chances the vampires might find her. She felt bad if she left too soon though. Dan would want her to stay with him as long as possible, right?
Gwen tapped on Aubree's window to get her attention and break her from her troubled thoughts. "Almost forgot. We gotta cleanse your scent."
Aubree's brows furrowed at her when the brunette held up a spritz bottle full of water.
"We need to take extra precautions now," Stone told Aubree as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door.
"It's just a bit of sea salt in water," Gwen said. "Stick out your arms and feet."
Aubree wondered if this was necessary, but chose not to question them. They knew more about the danger she was in than she did, after all. Besides, she probably smelled like Stone. Dan didn't need a strong sense of smell to pick up on that.
Gwen spritzed the soles of her sandals, her legs and arms, and Aubree rubbed the water into her skin. As she climbed out of the car, Gwen continued to spritz her upper body and head while Stone got out and came around to Gwen's side. Gwen stopped long enough to sniff the air around Aubree. "That's better."
"Do the vampires have a strong sense of smell like you guys?" Aubree asked as she slammed the car door shut and Stone locked it with the remote.
"To a degree," Gwen said. "It's about twice as strong as humans, but it's stronger when it comes to the smell of blood. They can pick up on blood from half a mile away if there aren't too many obstructive smells in between."
"Your scent should be faint enough by the end of the day for them not to pick it up, but we must be diligent now," Stone added.
His gaze was downcast and she could almost hear his lingering thoughts that he dared not to speak.
YOU ARE READING
Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)
Werewolf[COMPLETE] Some bonds can't be broken, even in death. -- He couldn't endure another heartbreak. "Accepting her would be a mistake," he said. "She's a human. I can't afford to have her blood on my hands." Gwen looked away, and he knew she saw the ima...
