Heart of Stone

by Regine Abel

  She frowned and nodded slowly, a worried expression on her face. “So, you’re going into that stone sleep to heal?” she asked.

  “Yes, in a few minutes. But first, I need to warn Lana of what has happened, and that we’re both safe.”

  Brianna nodded again, a serious look on her face. Unable to resist, I leaned in and gently kissed her lips. She smiled, her features softening with a tender expression.

  Lar help me, she’s stealing my heart.

  “I want you to stay here tonight,” I said, then cleared my throat, embarrassed that my voice betrayed so blatantly the extent of the emotions she stirred within me. “In fact, is there any chance for you to call in sick for the next few days, or ask for some time off?”

  I wanted her to just tell her to quit her job. However, I’d turned her life upside down over the past few days and therefore needed to tread carefully. With luck, I could get her to reach that same conclusion on her own.

  Brianna chewed on her bottom lip, pondering. “Time off is not an option, but I could call in tomorrow morning and say I have a stomach flu. That would give me a couple of days and then the weekend will be rolling in.”

  Four days. Better than nothing but nowhere near enough. I’d ask Lana to get one of her doctor friends to give her an excuse for a longer sick leave.

  “Very well,” I said. “Let’s start with that. But you understand that as long as I am here on Earth, you will not be safe?”

  Eyes locked with mine, Brianna swallowed hard and then nodded.

  “Now that they know for sure how important you are to me, they will try everything to catch you again. And…” I hesitated to continue.

  “And?” she asked, her expression stating clearly she wouldn’t let me off the hook.

  “And they may still come after you once I’m gone, if only out of spite.”

  Brianna exhaled loudly, a shiver running through her.

  “I told myself I wouldn’t pressure you again so soon, but I hope you will seriously consider coming with me,” I said in a careful tone. “First because I really want you by my side. The past few days, minus this mess, have been magical. And second, because I will never have a moment’s peace, worrying about what might be happening to you. It’s a big leap to make, and I’m truly sorry I’ve dragged you into this, but—”

  Brianna covered my mouth with her hand, interrupting me, and then gently traced the shape of my lips with her fingers.

  “Standing by that ledge tonight, I thought this time, death would truly get me,” Brianna said, cupping my face in her hands. “In the past 24 hours, those men have gone out of their way to try and convince me you’d been using me. That you didn’t really care about me, only about what benefits you could draw from me, be it merely sexual gratification, or using me as a tool to achieve your goal. But you don’t need me for that.”

  Brianna shifted on my lap, her fingers roaming over my facial bones, drawing them one by one.

  “Dozens of women downstairs would give their left boob for a chance to sleep with you,” she said wistfully. “Even blindfolded and shackled so they couldn’t see the true you, they’d take it. So, on the sex front, you’re covered. And on the devoted helping friend front, Lana also has you covered. You didn’t have to come for me. But you did. You could have died tonight, but you took that risk for me. Twice, you have saved my life. No one has ever made me feel more valued and worthy than you have.”

  “Because you are worthy,” I said with all the sincerity that I felt. “You are beyond worthy.”

  “See? There you go again,” she said, her eyes misting. “You make me happy. We’ve only been together a few days but you’ve already become a drug for me. I don’t want to be without you. Like I said, I just found you and have no intention of losing you. The thought of your world terrifies me, but you’re worth taking that chance.”

  My heart nearly burst in my chest. Tightening my hold around her, I crushed her lips with a kiss that hid nothing of the depth of feeling that was steadily blossoming inside me for her, for my mate, my Hondassa.

  My hands hungrily roamed over her until a sharp pain in my side tempered my ardor. Although clearly reluctant to, Brianna stopped me.

  “You are hurt and need to heal. Call Lana and then go to sleep. Your wounds may not be bleeding anymore, but they’re still gaping open. That freaks me out. I wish you’d let me disinfect them or something,” Brianna said, glaring at my wounded calf.

  I groaned in frustration but acknowledged the wisdom of her words. I reached for my phone and called Lana who answered at the first ring. Realizing that she must have been camping by the device, waiting to hear from me, made me feel guilty that I’d taken this long to tell her all was well. After giving her a quick update, she promised to bring up some food now and fresh clothes for Brianna in the morning.

  Putting my regular Durassian pants back on, I stayed up until Lana brought the food. She examined me from head to toe, a worried look in her eyes before hugging me and then hugging Brianna. My chest tightened at the thought of parting from Lana. She’d forever be a mother and a big sister to me. I showed Brianna how the entertainment system worked and, with one last kiss, I climbed onto my perch and entered duramna.

  10

  Brianna

  Morning found me sprawled in Alkor’s bed, all alone. My eyes flicked to his perch where he remained in stone form. Jumping out of bed, I approached his statue and fought the urge to touch him. Since we’d become involved, he’d confessed that he had indeed felt my touch that first time and that it had nearly driven him insane with lust. The playful side of me totally wanted to tease, grab, and stroke. The mere thought of it had me hot and bothered, throbbing in all the right places. I couldn’t see any signs of the bullet wounds anymore on his body. The one on his side had closed. Looking around his perch I finally spotted the bullet which had been ejected during the night. As much as I wanted to ask him how he felt, I didn’t disturb him, knowing that he still needed to rest, or he would have come out of his stone sleep already.

  Still, it fascinated me how his pants had taken on a stone texture similar to his skin. If you didn’t know better, you’d never guess that they were clothes, only thinking them some detailing to the statue. With a sigh, I picked up the phone and called my office. They inquired about the emergency that had caused me to run out two days prior. I reassured them that everything was now under control. One of the workers had messed up, but we were able to fix it. I then informed them that I had the runs and would be puking my guts out for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I hadn’t been the type to call in sick often. They didn’t question the convenient timing that would effectively give me a four day weekend and just wished me a prompt recovery.

  I rummaged through Alkor’s closet where I had left a couple of tops and a skirt. I laid out my outfit on the bed then hopped into the shower. I got dressed, deciding to go commando, and hand-washed my undies which I hung to dry in the bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, I cringed at the swollen bruise on my cheek where Stephen had backhanded me. Good thing I wasn’t going to work after all; it would have been a difficult one to explain.

  Finding Alkor still regenerating, I entered the lift and made my way down to the main floor while the restaurant was still closed. A couple of waiters were already busy setting up the lunch service. They nodded at me before resuming their work. I didn’t mingle with the staff, not that I would have minded. They always kept a polite distance. I suspected the directive had come from Lana who had thoroughly vetted each employee of the club prior to hiring them. Part of me felt relieved. Like the rest of the patrons, the staff didn’t get to come close to Alkor. Knowing I was his girlfriend, they were surely dying to give me the third degree about their boss to get all the juicy details.

  I made a beeline for the kitchen and quickly prepared myself a ham and cheese sandwich, with a side of plain yogurt with honey, and also grabbed a huge Asian pear. If I were going to spend the next four days cooped up inside his apartme
nt, I would have to beg Lana to order a few extra things to bring upstairs so that I could cook for Alkor and myself. I felt like a mooch coming downstairs to raid the restaurant’s kitchen.

  As soon as I finished wolfing down my breakfast, I cleaned up after myself, and was heading back for the elevator just as Lana arrived.

  “Hey sweetie!” she exclaimed, walking briskly towards me, her hands burdened with bags. “How are you feeling?” she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

  “I’m doing great, thank you,” I said, smiling back at her.

  She was such a lovely lady. There was something entirely maternal about her that fed the gaping hole that my mother’s passing had left deep within me. The first time I’d seen her, I’d feared she would be competition. Still in her prime, Lana had a timeless beauty, a refined yet laid back elegance, and an undeniable strength wrapped in silken gloves. Any man would fall for a woman like her. Considering Alkor’s venerable age, twenty-eight or fifty years old probably made no difference to him.

  “I come bearing gifts,” she said, lifting the bags for emphasis.

  “Let me help you with those,” I offered, extending a hand to relieve her of a couple of them.

  “Thank you, love,” she said, giving me one grocery bag and one department store bag which I assumed contained clothes.

  Efficient as ever, she’d accurately guessed what I needed.

  “How is our boy?” she asked as we entered the lift.

  “Sleeping to his little stone heart’s content.”

  She smirked, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous glimmer.

  “Good, he needs it.”

  As soon as we entered the room and confirmed Alkor still rested on his perch, Lana helped me unpack and put away the contents of the bags. There was enough food to last two people a week. She insisted that I come down again later to take as many fruits and vegetables as I might need or want.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said before excusing herself.

  While waiting for her, I looked through the bag of clothes, grateful for the fresh undies and, overall, impressed with her impeccable taste. The clothes perfectly matched my style, which spoke volumes about her sense of observation. Still, as grateful as I felt, they clearly were quality clothes. She must have paid a pretty penny for them, and I didn’t feel comfortable with her spending so much on me, regardless of the delicate situation. I needed to find a way to broach the topic of repaying her without hurting her feelings or offending her.

  Lana returned holding two piles of documents in her hands.

  “This is Alkor’s living will,” she said. “And this is yours.”

  I blinked, my brain tilting for a minute. “Mine?”

  She smiled and nodded, gesturing for me to take a seat at the table before sitting down herself.

  “Alkor has been busy putting his house in order,” Lana calmly explained. “He has tremendous wealth for which he has no need and will be leaving behind. He has been very generous with my family, among others. Although he hopes you will go with him, he has left you enough to guarantee you a life of comfort and luxury for the rest of your days should you decide to stay.”

  “But… That’s insane,” I whispered at the impossibly high figure stated on the document, including a couple of estates, and various rare and collectible items. “Why would he do that?”

  “He cares deeply for you, Brianna,” Lana said with a gentle smile laced with gratitude. “I’ve never seen him as happy as he has been since he finally let you into his life.”

  “You set this up, didn’t you?” I asked, the sudden realization dawning on me. “You contacted my firm hoping I would come.”

  “Yes,” she said, holding my gaze unflinchingly. “I’ve watched Alkor pine away for you for the past 10 years, torturing himself over this nonsense of the Prime Directive. I mean, fine, I get that the majority of the population would freak out, but you’re his soulmate. He’s been head over heels for you since that first time you showed up at the club asking to see him. It was his last chance to be with you. I wasn’t going to let him waste it. Alkor is like both a son and a brother to me. I want him to be happy. And I believe you can bring him happiness. You already are.”

  My throat tightened again, and tears pricked my eyes.

  “To think I feared you might be a rival,” I said, trying humor to avoid making a spectacle of myself by turning into a weeping wreck.

  Lana’s eyes bulged, and then she burst out laughing.

  “Good God, no. I love him, but stone really isn’t my thing,” she said with a wink.

  I smiled and looked wistfully at Alkor, still sleeping. “Can he hear us?” I asked.

  Lana gave him a sideways glance before turning back to me. She shrugged. “Maybe. Sometimes he’s only half asleep, so he is aware of his surroundings, like that first time you were… admiring the gargoyle statue in the catacombs.”

  My face heated in embarrassment. Lana chuckled, pleased with herself. I gave her a fake angry glare, which made her laugh even more.

  “But I doubt that he is. He’s gone deep to fully heal and max out his energy before the journey ahead.” Lana covered my hand with hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Alkor must leave Montreal as soon as possible and start making his way to the pick-up point. He hasn’t told me or anyone else where it is. It is safer for everyone involved. But he cannot stay here any longer, and neither should you. Whatever you decide to do in the end, you should leave Montreal as well.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, my mind racing as to how I’d handle my employer. Although I wanted to just hand in my resignation, it would stir too much scrutiny if I did it now. They would promptly assign a new engineer to the project, who would want to come check the current state of the catacombs and get to work—not to mention them asking explanations as to why Lana no longer wanted to work with Stephen’s construction firm. We couldn’t risk having anyone tampering with the building or the security system Alkor had installed until we were safely gone.

  “If you’re thinking about your job right now, honestly, you won’t need it anymore, even if you choose to stay,” Lana said. “Unless of course you love it too much to walk away. But until you’ve made up your mind, here’s a doctor’s note dated this upcoming Sunday. It states that you’ve been diagnosed with a severe E. coli infection, which should give you up to ten more days of sick leave. And if you need more time, he will say that complications concerning your kidneys require a longer leave.”

  “Wow, you think of everything!” I whispered, blown away.

  “I’m good at what I do,” she said with a smug smile.

  I shook my head and laughed.

  “I will leave these with you. Although this isn’t exactly legal, the Commissioner of Oaths has already signed your living will,” Lana said. “If you decide to stay, just burn these documents and come claim your inheritance. If you decide to leave with him, make sure you fill out this form, indicating to whomever you want to donate your wealth, then courier it back to me. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Thank you, Lana,” I said, genuinely grateful. “I will fill out the document and just leave it here for you.”

  Understanding my underlying meaning, her eyes widened and then misted. She rose to her feet and cast a motherly look at Alkor before looking back at me.

  “I’m so glad you never stopped looking for him,” she said. Pulling me in to her embrace, she hugged me, kissed my forehead, then left without another word.

  My fingers lingered on my forehead where her lips had touched, like my mother’s used to do so many years ago. Settling back down at the table, I proceeded to fill out the forms. Despite being estranged, I donated half of everything to my father, and divided the rest among various organizations that provided assistance to victims of DUIs and to their families. Once done, I picked up a chair and brought it right next to Alkor’s perch. Sitting down, I turned on the TV to watch the news, my head resting against his ankle.

  I woke up to the rough t
exture of Alkor’s hands caressing my face and my hair, his lips brushing against mine. My eyelids fluttered open to see him looking at me with something akin to reverence. I smiled and clasped my hands behind his neck. He smiled back and picked me up before rising to his feet from his crouching position. I wrapped my legs around his waist while he carried me to bed, eyes locked with mine. He put me down in front of the bed and helped me out of my clothes, his palms and lips roaming over me as he freed me of my shirt and then of my skirt.

  It still dangled around my ankles when he pushed me back onto the bed. A satisfied growl rumbled from his chest once he realized I wasn’t wearing any underwear, not even a bra. I struggled to kick off the skirt because of Alkor’s impatience.

  Dropping to his knees before me, he dragged me to the edge of the bed and, opening my legs wide, he dove for my core with voracious hunger. My back arched off the bed when his rough tongue licked my opening in a frenzy before his lips closed over my little nub. A bolt of pleasure and lust exploded in the pit of my stomach, my nipples hardening painfully, aching for his touch. While his tongue teased and massaged my clit, two of his fingers slipped inside me, rubbing my sensitive spot just the right way with every stroke. My stomach quivered, and my legs shook as pleasure quickly built.

  I pinched my nipples with one hand while I rubbed Alkor’s horns with the other, my nails carefully raking around the bases of the three central ones. He shuddered and emitted that growl of pleasure that always did insane things to me. As if in retaliation for touching his erogenous spots, he intensified the speed of his ministrations until I came apart against his mouth. Even as my body shook with the spasms of release, he continued to lap at me.

  Relenting at last, he kissed and nipped his way up over the sensitive skin of my belly before paying attention to my breasts. He particularly loved giving them gentle bites and grazing them with his canines. I had a thing for vampires and both feared and ached for him to give in and sink his fangs into my flesh. Since the first time he had mentioned the mating kiss, Alkor hadn’t brought it up again. He didn’t want to pressure me as it sounded like a pretty permanent bonding, but I wanted him to.