Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2)
Read Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2) Online
Authors: A.C. Warneke
Stone Romance
by
A.C. Warneke
Copyright©2012 by Andrea Warneke
All rights reserved
This book wouldn’t have been written without the support and encouragement of those who read Stone Lover and wanted to know what happened next. Stone Romance is for you. Thank you.
~
I also want to thank my wonderful Beta Readers – you are amazing; thank you!
I wish to thank my children for dragging me outside to throw a disc around to clear my head when the words were stuck. And I want to thank my husband for encouraging me to continue writing.
~
And to the members of the Armed Forces: thank you.
Always.
This is book 2 of the Stone Passions Trilogy.
Stone Lover
is Melanie and Vaughn’s story and introduces you to the world of Gargoyles
.
Stone Romance is Jenna and Rhys’s story, delving deeper into the mythology of Gargoyles.
Stone Destiny will be Armand’s story.
~
While it isn't absolutely necessary to read Stone Lover to enjoy Stone Romance there are certain events that may not make as much sense if book 1 is not read before book 2.
Table of Contents
Jenna Jacobs stepped out of the shower and cringed as she caught the sight of her image in the mirror. Instead of looking away as she usually did, she forced herself to look at her reflection and see the wretched creature she had become. A shudder wracked her frail body as she barely recognized the stranger staring back, whose long, black hair hung in wet strands to her waist.
Her eyes were still blue but they were no longer shining with mischief and laughter. Nope; her eyes were hollow and had been ever since Jeremy had been taken from her over a year ago. And despite having given birth nearly six months prior her body was
that of a skeleton:
skin pulled tautly over sharp bones
.
It had
the added bonus of a few silvery stretch marks on her abdomen.
Pushing her hair out of the way, she placed her hands over her meager breasts; the once perky B’s were now depressed A’s and completely dry, unable to even provide the baby with any nourishment. Her milk had come in but the baby hadn’t wanted to latch on and
Jenna
hadn’t t
he desire to try
very hard
to make it happen
. By the time she got home from the hospital after a slightly extended stay, the baby preferred Melanie and the bottle
.
Jenna hadn’t cared because she hadn’t wanted to breast feed anyway. Another example of how she was failing as a mother and another reason she would forever be indebted to her sister.
Her hands smoothed over the protruding ribs, the indented stomach and the
silvery stretch marks
, the flaring hip bones
;
she knew that if she didn’t start eating, if she didn’t get some help, she would cease to exist. And she just wasn’t sure if she cared anymore.
Her head whipped upwards and she met her shaken gaze in the mirror as memories flooded her numbed brain, memories of a happier time when the world was laid out before her as a b
ountiful
feast. She and Melanie had been seventeen when they graduated from high school,
a few months shy of their eighteenth birthdays and
eager to be
gin
their real lives
.
Melanie was going to be
heading
off on some grand adventure, studying cuisine in Paris while Jenna was content with the thought of going to the local college and getting her degree in something, probably busine
ss, and a minor in art history.
She and Jeremy had
made plans for their future
and during
a private celebration
he had given her a ring, making their long-standing engagement official. Of course, they weren’t going to get married until after she graduate
d from college and he had put in at least four
years in the military but
their
future was mapped out and it was a wonderful future.
And then
a few weeks later
her period was late and she called Jeremy in a state of shock and panic, not knowing how they could bring a baby into the world when they were still so young and not settled. He took a long weekend to rush home so they could have a hasty wedding
so she wouldn’t have to face anything alone
. She had told Melanie that they were going to elope and asked her sister to help convince their parents that they were doing the right thing
. By the time the two girls were done, her parents thought it was romantic and foolish but they supported the decision.
Everything was set up: a quiet ceremony before a justice of the peace, a small celebration with the families, and a weekend honeymoon. B
ut Jeremy never made it.
Now she was not even nineteen with a baby, no college credits, no Jeremy and no will to continue on and she hated it.
Jenna stared at her reflection and a wraith stared back, its black hair in such contrast to its white, skeletal body. Fury welled within her and without a thought she grabbed a pair of scissors and started hacking off the long black tresses that Jeremy had loved
, tresses that belonged to a different Jenna
. Tears of rage and grief spilled over her cheeks but she didn’t make a sound.
Staring at the lifeless clumps of hair on the ground, Jenna slowly raised her gaze back to the reflection and gasped as she saw the extent of the damage she had wrought
. H
er hair was sticking up all over her head making her eyes look huge and bewildered in her pale face. Grabbing the thick robe from the back of the door, she quickly wrapped herself up in it and left the scene of her madness, her heart racing in her chest. What had she just done?
Barely able to catch her breath, she froze when she heard the sound of her sister’s voice coming from her room. Slowly, she pushed open Melanie’s door and saw her sister gently rocking the baby, weaving a fantastical tale about a sleeping princess and an enchanted castle that was guarded by magical gargoyles. Tears filled Jenna’s eyes as she listened,
Lenni’s
natural ability
with the baby a painful reminder
to how unnatural Jenna was. A terrible reminder at how much Lenni gave up
to stay at home and help
because Jenna hadn’t been up to the task.
As if sensing her, Melanie looked up, the brilliant smile faltering only slightly when she saw her sister standing there with her butchered hair. “I was just telling Ferris a story.”
“I know,” Jenna said, forcing a smile as she clutched the front of her robe together. Deliberately moving into the intimidating room, she sat down on the edge of Melanie’s bed, trying to keep the illusion of being all right. “But don’t you think she’s a little young for tales of fairies that steal one’s soul or dragons that devour virgins?”
Melanie chuckled, her gaze steady on Jenna’s face instead of the mess she had made of her hair, which Jenna appreciated. “Ferris loves my stories and I haven’t told her about the fairies and the dragons since she was four months old. I like what you’ve done with your hair; the short cut makes you look so sophisticated.”
With a smile that was almost genuine, Jenna ran her hand through the cropped hair, “I needed a change.”
“Yeah; I know the feeling.” Lenni smiled but there was sadness in her eyes that she was no longer able to hide as she carefully watched her sister. “I slept with Peter.”
Jenna’s eyes widened as her sister blurted that out. Melanie had been planning on saving herself for marriage and Peter was someone she would never marry, no matter how nice he was. “Why?”
Insouciantly, Lenni shrugged her shoulders as she stood up and carefully laid the baby down in the bassinet. Lovingly, she ran a finger along the baby’s cheek and sighed in contentment, “Why not? I like him and it just happened. Ferris is so beautiful, Jenna.”
The change in subject was jarring even though it was a tactic Melanie perfected to get out of discussing something that she didn’t want to discuss. Jenna was going to say something but seeing the expression of love and devotion on Melanie’s face as she gazed at the baby tore a
hole
straight through Jenna’s chest and she had to turn away before she crumbled to dust.