Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)

I. Chapter 22 | Part 1 - Aubree

Instrumental Song: "Moonlight" the Piano Guy's version of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

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Aubree's stomach rumbled as she followed Gwen down the corridors of Vincent's palace.

Yes, palace, or palace-like structure. It had long corridors lined with oil paintings of people and sceneries, old Victorian-inspired furniture, and vases filled with fresh cut flowers. The freak of nature was loaded!

She had been expecting to walk down stark white hallways with fluorescent light fixtures overhead, similar to what she'd find in a hospital, but not this. It was like going back in time or another dimension.

Gwen led her up a flight of stairs that wound around like a spindle. If her dress had been longer, she would have felt like a princess picking it up and walking up the tower to meet the king out of a fairy tale.

You sure you're not dreaming? She pinched herself for good measure. Nope. It's real.

Up a second flight of stairs and down another corridor that looked identical to the one she had previously been in, Gwen finally paused at a door and held it open for her.

Aubree expected Gwen to follow her out but found the door closing behind her.

The terrace was lovely. It was about the size of her living room and kitchen in Minneapolis and made of stone with potted herbs along the wall of the building—also made of stone. It really was a castle. Beyond the high stone railing, she could see miles of lush green woodlands and a blue sky dotted with many small cotton ball clouds.

She wasn't alone and her eyes fell on the man leaning against the rock railing with a little bistro table and two chairs standing behind him.

Why was it her and Stone out there? If she was meeting their father, why didn't Gwen join them? Was she getting their father right now and joining them soon too?

Her heart began to pound when Stone looked over his shoulder and saw her standing there.

A gentle breeze blew his hair back. It shone gold in the sunlight, framing his lean face. He had shaved since waking up from their nap an hour ago, and despite her somewhat formal attire, he was wearing the same loose-fitted T-shirt and jeans he had on earlier.

Twisting her fingers together, she watched Stone straighten up and step away from the low stone wall. Slowly, he approached her with his gaze slightly lowered. As he got closer, she realized he was staring at her neck.

Feeling her face heat up, her hands instinctively reached up to shield the bruises around her throat from his penetrating gaze, but he caught them and held them in both of his.

"Don't," he said in a low voice as his eyes met hers.

Swallowing with some difficulty, she saw his face frown as he lowered their hands so he could examine her bruises more closely. After a few tense seconds, he closed his eyes. Pain etched deep grooves in his forehead as he hung his head.

"I am a man of my word, Aubree, and I will do everything in my power to prevent something like this from ever happening again. But I need you to take me seriously and hear me out."

His tone and bent posture was unlike him and made her feel uneasy. With a hesitant nod, she pressed her lips together, and took a deep breath, willing herself to keep an open mind.

"When I told you to leave, that it wasn't safe in Minneapolis, I meant it," he said. "You're not safe. Wherever you go, danger will follow you. Your chance to evade it is now gone. There will be more like that man after you, and you won't see them coming until it's too late."

He paused to take a deep breath.

"I have been doing everything in my power to keep you safe since you moved to Minneapolis. I know, you thought I was a creep. I know, you thought I was over-reacting. But I can't..."

His breath hitched in his throat.

Aubree couldn't believe her ears. All this time, she'd been in danger and he knew? How did he know?

She blanched. Oh my god. He really is in the mafia.

But what did that have to do with her? Why would his enemies be after her?

"Why me?" she asked in a dry voice. "What do they want with me?"

He looked like a broken man, and it made her heart ache for him. She didn't like seeing him in so much pain. She could handle his scowls, his bursts of anger, but not this.

His hands released hers and he turned away, clenching his fists at his side. The distance between them was only a few feet, but it felt like he was worlds away from her.

"To kill you," he rasped. "They want to kill you because they know it will destroy me."

Her heart skipped a beat and she watched him with wide eyes as he struggled to compose himself. She knew he cared about her, but she didn't know how deep his feelings went. It was the tip of the iceberg and she was barely scratching the surface of it.

He continued after a few moments of deliberation, his head still lowered as a light gust of wind blew the tips of his hair around his face. "I thought, if I pushed you away, you'd be safe and they wouldn't find out. I thought, when you went to Chicago, that that would be the end of it. That you would be free to live the life you wanted. Free of me and the dangers that follow me."

He took a shuddering breath as he opened his eyes and held hers. She couldn't fathom how deep the regret flowed in his ocean blues, but it gripped her heart tightly. "Forgive me, Aubree."

If her throat was swollen, she wouldn't have known because her heart had jumped up there and wasn't about to move. She opened her mouth to speak, but could barely get the words out.

"It's not your fault," she managed to utter in a breathy whisper.

She didn't understand why he was blaming himself. How was it his fault that crazy people were after her?

He shook his head. "You don't understand. It's because of me that that disgusting bloodsucker tried to kidnap you and nearly killed you."

All the blood drained from Aubree's head. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "That guy... was a... vampire?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath to rid herself of such an absurd idea while Stone watched her intently, gauging her reaction.

"Think about it," he said. "He had super-human strength, incredible speed, moved effortlessly through the dark forest, and had red eyes. How much more proof do you need? To get bitten by him?"

He growled the last question, making her flinch. Grimacing, he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair.

"My apologies. I can't... I can't think about that happening to you. It angers me. To think that he would dare sink his teeth into your neck..."

Turning his back to her, he clenched his hands into fists again at his sides. His shoulders rose and fell with each haggard breath he took.

"You should eat," he grumbled.

Aubree noticed the bowl of soup on the bistro table. The table was dressed up with a simple white tablecloth draped over it and a lit tea light in a small glass globe to shield it from the breeze. Her appetite was long gone now and her stomach churned with nerves.

Vampires existed and they were after her.

Why? Why her? Why was she so important to Stone that they wanted to kill her?

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Dedicated to InSi_9012 

*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2015*