Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)

II. Chapter 31 | Part 1 - Aubree

"Daniel, you run like an elephant," Carina retorted.

His dark brown hair was getting longer now and he had to brush it out of his blood-red eyes as he ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Carina. Haven't learned how to run as softly as the rest of you yet."

Like a sledgehammer to the chest, all the air rushed out of Aubree, leaving her winded and horrified.

Those warm brown eyes that she had loved were gone. In their place, the deadly crimson of what he had become since she last saw him gleamed back at her.

He wasn't Dan anymore.

"That will come in time," Carina said with a flick of her wrist in the air before her. Her eyes flitted back to Aubree as she gave her a once over. "You're lucky he hasn't bitten her. I'm surprised, actually. They usually waste no time in claiming their mates. Must be because she's human. That can be rectified."

A sickening feeling filled Aubree as Carina continued to scrutinize her like some kind of lab animal being prepared for dissection.

This was it. She was never going to get out of there alive. They were going to turn her into a vampire like them.

The ache within her intensified as her attention shifted between the two of them.

Carina had gotten to Dan. Now, everything that she had feared, everything she had sacrificed for his safety, was lost. He was one of them. That could never change.

Listening attentively, Dan nodded his head in understanding before his eager eyes flicked back to Aubree.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I have three humans to reward for a successful mission. You know what to do."

Dan inclined his head once more as she left and closed the door behind her, leaving Aubree alone with the man she once loved and dreamed of marrying.

Aubree hadn't realized she was crying until he looked back at her with concern. Her thoughts kept circulating over everything. Dan couldn't be one of them. No. It was too terrible. She had given up everything they had to keep him safe, but the vampires still got to him. Still got to her. This couldn't be happening.

"Hey, Bree," he said softly as he sat at the edge of her bed and reached out to her. "Everything will be okay."

She moved further away from him. She didn't want him touching her. He was the enemy now. He was one of them!

"No," she sniffled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I'm dreaming. This can't be real."

"Babe, it's okay. Carina explained everything to me. I get it. I'm not mad. You did what you had to do but we can fix things now. We can be together again and—"

"No!" Aubree interrupted. "This doesn't fix anything!"

"Babe," he said, reaching out to touch her again but she slapped his hand away.

The hurt was evident on his face, but he pressed his lips together before trying to talk calmly to her again. This time, he didn't reach for her. "I don't know what they've told you, but Carina said we can fix things. It's simple, really. Become a vampire and the beast won't want you. That thing that binds you to them will be broken. It's the only way to free yourself."

Pressing her hands to her face, she released a loud sob.

Was it true? Was it that simple? If she became a vampire, would that break their bond?

How could she want that? She loved Stone. Why would she want to break the bond they shared? That she shared with the others? Why would she want to break their hearts?

The bed shifted next to her and she felt Dan's cold hand brush her hair from her face. She shivered.

"What did they do to you, Bree?"

"What did they do to me?" she repeated, pulling her hands from her face to push his hands away from her. She glared at him. "What did those vampires do to you? It's because of them that I left you, Dan!"

He frowned. "What?"

"They were after me! That guy that attacked us in Wisconsin? He was a vampire and he was trying to kill me!" she cried. "If it weren't for the lycans there, I'd be dead now! Carina's using you! She's using you to get to me and I couldn't tell you because you wouldn't have believed me!"

Silence fell between them as she pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her arms. "This is all my fault." And there's no way I can fix it.

"Bree," his voice soft in an attempt to soothe her, "it's not your fault. Carina didn't force me to do this."

Aubree's head shot up and she stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. "What?"

She heard him, but she couldn't believe it—didn't want to believe it. Why would he choose to become this?

"She told me the truth." His eyes looked into hers, willing her to understand that everything would be alright. "She told me you left because your soul was bound to a lycan's and you had no choice but to be with him. She said it was only a matter of time before you would have left, that it couldn't be helped. She offered me this chance though. This opportunity. She told me what she was, what they were, and said that the choice was mine. I could become a vampire and she would help me save you. I could turn you and that would free you from him."

He lowered his gaze as he shifted closer to her, pressing his back against the wall next to her. His arm touched hers, eliciting a shudder from deep within her bones. His skin was so cold against the heat of her own, proof of what he had become and the life he gave up. Tentatively, he brushed the back of his fingers gently down her arm. "I still want to be with you."

There was a yearning in his voice. A pain, an ache from within that she understood all too well as it tugged on her heart.

He did this for her. To be with her.

That was the part that crushed her the most.

"Dan..." She struggled to swallow but a lump of emotion blocked her throat. "I don't..."

Her voice gave out, unable to finish her sentence. It was too painful, too hurtful. She had to say it though. He had to know the truth.

"I want to be with him."

----

*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2016*

Dedicated to GregoryOdom