Stone Predator by Kennedy Harkins (important books to read .TXT) 📖

/> “Until our paths cross again,” Ace whispered and disappeared into the darkness.
My cheek felt different from the rest of my body, more hyper-aware. The whole way home my mind was on Ace, it almost got me into an accident multiple times. I laughed thinking what I would say to the arresting officer, ‘Am I high? Something like that.’
When I finally arrived home it was all I could do to haul my ass to my welcoming bed and pull of my shoes before I sank blissfully into unconsciousness.
Stone Intern

A month had passed since Ace and I had had our confrontation. So far, so good. Mel had been over every night last week, for dinner and such. On some nights Ace would come with her.
Of course every time Ace did come over Ellen made a clever excuse for leaving us alone together. God, I love her.
I’m happy to report things are looking up; Mel comes home from school and work with a smile on her face and the bags under Ace’s eyes are slowly starting to disappear. I work quick as lightning.
I smiled as I swept through the door on my way to check on my last patient of the day.
“Hey, Mr. Melson-”
“Sit,” he said harshly and motioned to the chair next to his bed. He was looking at me strangely, like I had surprised him, and not pleasantly. Something about him screamed disappointed and worried, that’s why I followed his orders without argument.
He leaned closer to me and his brow furrowed. “You smell like him.”
My eyes widened, I could only guess who he meant. I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off.
“I always took you for a smart girl, and you are. But this, what you’re doing, is very stupid. Werewolves are dangerous to...get involved with.”
I could feel my face flush a horrible shade of maroon, “I-”
He held up his hand to stop me, “We’re a protective bunch, give us an inch we’ll take a mile. Alpha’s are worse. Their need to protect is consuming. You need to slow down, before you find yourself in too deep with no way out.” He continued in a more gentle voice, “Ace is a good man, but he can’t help what he is. What he is would take away your independence, and everything strong about you. It would brake both of you and I can’t just sit back and say nothing.”
I felt cold all over, “Are you saying I should...cut contact with him?” The words came out half choked and I wished immediately I could take them back. I couldn’t just drop Ace like a hot potato.
He just stared at me, “Perhaps you should be getting home now.”
I nodded and strode from the room without a look back. My insides felt all twisted and dead. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, just that I was putting as much distance between me and the things I didn’t want to face as possible.
I tripped over something and went flying into a very hard wall. My vision went a little fuzzy, but I scrambled to my feet none the less. Turning towards the scene of the crime I saw a girl lying in the middle of the hallway. My mind wasn’t precessing things perfectly, but she was definitely there. I rushed to her side, and reached down to find a pulse. My hands were shaking so much I couldn’t be sure if she had one or not.
Staring into her fear-filled eyes I recognized her instantly, Jennifer Iden, the intern I had sent on break after her patient had died the day I met Mel. Sasha Nevode, the teenage car crash victim. My heart squeezed thinking about what her parents must be going through.
“Jen-Jennifer,” my voice shook and my speech was a little slurred. Damn, gonna need a CAT Scan...
She made no response to her name. I stumbled to my feet and held onto her arm attempting to drag her. I almost dislocated my shoulder for my trouble. She weighed a lot...too much. She was thin, and short, I should have been able to drag her even if she weighed 50 lbs more than she looked!
I was beginning to panic, so I called out down the deserted hallway for help. No one came. Turning back to Jennifer I placed my hand on her throat and for the first time I realized how cold she was...ice cold. Desperately I grabbed hold of her and tried putting all my weight into moving her.
Still in the mist of scooting her, my vision cleared, and I got a good look at Jennifer. Everything was stiff and...frozen; from her terrified expression to the arching of her back, something that never would of happened if she was just injured or dead.
I let go of her and brought my hand to my mouth to stifle the scream that forced it’s way out anyway. I had been putting all my weight and balance into pulling her, and now that she wasn’t holding me from falling I soared into the wall again. The back of my head crushed into the cement with a sickening crack. I felt nothing.
My eye lids fluttered and the last thing I saw before the blackness took me was a surgical intern who had been turned to stone.

***
I was really getting sick of being knocked out, the whiplash was a bitch.
I couldn’t really tell if my eyes were open and I was conscious or if this was all just a really intense dream.
I was back in the populated part of the hospital; Emergency Room. People were rushing around me like crazy. I almost shouted ‘hey, where’s the fire,’ but since I couldn’t feel anything, let alone my vocal cords, it probably would have ended badly.
They were preparing a bed...strange...It was then that I realized someone was holding me and it was the same moment that I got my feeling back.
My head felt like it had been lit on fire, the pain was unimaginable. The rest of my body ached, but I’ve had worse...I painfully moved my head to the side to see who was carrying me without permission.
Emerald colored eyes met mine, and instantly I was furious. I’m not exactly sure why I reacted so violently, it might have had something to do with Nathan’s lecture, or maybe it was the fact that I had just taken our relationship to the next level. Showing up when the other is hurt and saving the day.
I spasmed uncontrollably, trying to get on my own two feet, to regain some of my independence. Ace just stared at me with obvious shock, no doubt he could hold me no matter how hard I fought. His eye brows furrowed, still not understanding my need to get away from him. It didn’t take him long.
Realization dawned his face, followed quickly by hurt. My struggles stopped like he had flipped a switch. What good was freedom if I damaged the people I cared about along the way?
His eyes widened, probably wondering if it was really that easy to get my submission. I was partly wondering it myself, but I knew this was just one of the battles in the war to come.
“What happened,” my voice came out like a hoarse whisper, as if I hadn’t used it in months.
This brought an angry expression to his face, it was full of possessiveness, animal fury, and a little fear. What he had to fear I couldn’t imagine.
“You were,” he started calm but the last word came out as a growl, “injured.”
My memory came back and hit me like a bullwhip; finding Jen, trying to save her, then realizing...
Ace gripped me tighter, which was when I noticed I was shaking.
“Shhh, it’s fine, you’re safe. I’ll always keep you safe,” he purred reassuringly into my ear.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to keep that promise,” I groaned.
He froze and looked around for the threat. Without glancing away from his search he asked, “Why is that?”
I grabbed his chin and directed his gaze back to me, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m too much trouble to be worth saving, I hunt danger like you hunt rabbits.”
Ace’s eyebrows hit the ceiling, “Is that what you were doing tonight? Hunting danger?”
I shifted uncomfortable under his disapproving stare, “No, more like...running from it. Figuratively speaking of course.”
A nurse glared at us, “The bed is ready, put her down so we can actually help.”
An outraged growl burst out of Ace’s mouth, he put the nurse under his ‘death glare’. She squeaked and ran. What an idiot! The worse thing you can do is run when it comes to a werewolf. Only prey run. Ace’s body tensed, fighting his inner predator he walked to the bed and set me down.
Instantly hospital personnel was swarming me; hooking me up to machines and starting a Morphine drip. I knew I’d be feeling that in a minute, I glanced over at Ace who was watching all this through narrowed eyes. I kept my eyes on Ace while Dr. Uhane talked.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, if Mr. Coleman hadn’t found you when he did we’d have one more body to bury.” Ace flinched, I wonder how he knew where I was...One better how did he know I was in trouble?
“Jeez, Doc, is that how you talk to all your patients?” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
He smiled, “I figured you could take a cold hard dose of the truth.”
“Oh, I can, but I don’t know about Mr. Coleman over here.” Dr. Uhane and I shared a chuckle and he exited to give me time to rest.
Ace pulled up the guest chair, rested his chin on his knuckles, and watch me expectantly. Probably waiting for me to sleep, so he can ask the Doc some real questions.
My eye lids fluttered and I battled with the Morphine, “How-”
He put a finger to my lips, “I’ll talk, you relax.”
“You mean go to sleep before you can answer an of the important questions,” I mumbled into his hand.
His expression was amused, “Just shut up, okay?”
“Is that anyway to talk to a lady?” I teased.
He sat back in his chair, “I understand; you already know everything I was going to say. I’ll just go talk with the doctor.”
“No!” I yelled as I tried in sit up quickly and was met with sharp agony. I cried out in pain, and the world went fuzzy. Next thing I knew I felt Ace’s warm hands holding me in place. He muttered something about an ‘accident prone blond.’ I kind of hoped he wasn’t talking about me.
“Please tell m-”
“Relax. I’ll talk, just please, be still.” He continued warily.“I was in a pack meeting when I heard you where hurt. I rushed here to find you,” he motioned to his nose and ground his teeth, “bleeding out in that back