Blood Diamond Read Free

could aid her. Who else would go out after a Fenerec without being one? Not many would. My brother would be furious at my stupidity and foolish heroics, but my sweet, quiet Suzanne would have understood.
    Five years hadn’t done a whole lot to dull the edge of my grief for her and our unborn child. I still missed her. I hadn’t been able to save them from the car accident that had claimed their lives. If I had been there, if I had been the one driving instead of Suzanne, would it have made a difference? Instead, I had been working for the Inquisition. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.
    Suzanne was dead. The jade-eyed Fenerec lived. Later, I would confess all of my sins at my wife’s grave. Pocketing the crumpled photograph and the GPS unit, I stalked through the trees, wincing as I stepped on each and every twig on my way to the Fenerec’s den. I was close enough I didn’t want the light from the unit betraying my presence to anyone who didn’t happen to hear me.
    I was so focused on what was ahead that I didn’t notice the wolf until I tripped over it. I fell hard, sprawling over the animal. It wiggled beneath me, yipping in pain. A mouth full of teeth snapped at me, and I recoiled to dodge them, backing away with my heart in my throat. At maybe thirty pounds, the wolf looked more like a coyote—if coyotes had reddish fur. I was pretty certain they didn’t.
    The wolf’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Instead of snarling at me, the animal put its ears back, struggling to crawl away from me. One of its hind legs dragged uselessly behind it. Jade-rimmed, golden eyes remained fixed on me.
    If the small wolf wasn’t the woman from the photograph, I’d be astounded—unless someone other than the Inquisition had been out hunting unnatural canines. Despite everything I’d been told about injured Fenerec, she didn’t attack me, which I considered to be a promising sign. Maybe she wouldn’t try to rip my face off.
    I kept still and said in as soft a tone as I could manage, “I’m not going to hurt you.” While my voice wasn’t particularly deep, my words rumbled in my effort to stay quiet.
    She froze, staring at me with widening eyes. The jade rimming her pupils brightened in the moonlight.
    I murmured a prayer of thanks for my good fortune. With the Fenerec woman with me, I wouldn’t have to head deeper into the forest and closer to the den, which was likely ground zero of the battle between the rogue Fenerec and the Inquisitors.
    “Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll get you out of here safe and sound.” With slow, exaggerated movements, I shrugged out of my suit jacket. When the wolf didn’t react, I draped it over her. She whined when I touched her. Wincing at the thought of hurting her more, I hesitated. I’d be whining too if I had a hole in my leg. I couldn’t see the injury, but her fur matted where she bled. “Will you please let me take a look at your leg?”
    The wolf’s gaze met mine, and after a long, tense moment, she nodded. Like my movements, hers were slow and deliberate. With a click of her teeth, she closed her jaws. Her docility alarmed me almost as much as my close proximity to an injured Fenerec. I’d been warned about the nature of injured Fenerec. My orders had been clear in that regard; if any of them were hurt, they rode in the back, even if all nine ended up there instead of up front with me.
    If a Fenerec went on a pain-induced rampage, I’d be a mauled corpse by the time they were finished. Injured didn’t mean helpless, although I had a hard time believing the she-wolf was much of a threat.
    The little wolf whined at the pressure of my hands on her leg, but she kept still. I worked my fingers into her matted fur, finding the entry wound by touch. She snapped her teeth at me though she didn’t bite. The thought of her tearing a chunk out of me birthed a cold sweat on my brow.
    Shifting my grip on her, I ran my hand over my jacket towards her head until I reached her