The Diamond Heartstone Read Free Page A

she now possesses your heartstone, you can."
    "And how do I do that?"
    "You figure it out because frankly that's not my problem." She hit a
    series of buttons and the screen went blank.
    Barrick slammed his fist on the chair repeatedly until the bolts
    snapped and the left arm of the chair clanked onto the floor. She expected
    him to live in this constant state of arousal? To feel these phantom hands
    stroking him all hours of the fucking day and night? He'd find that witch
    and make her take him to his mate.

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    The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

Chapter Three
    Alycia turned the ATV to swerve around the trunk of the downed
    tree. Ten million dollars. The internet appraiser had told her that he was
    low-balling it. With only photos to go by, he couldn’t be one hundred
    percent accurate. Why would someone sell a necklace worth ten million
    dollars for ten bucks? She could sell the damn thing and open up her
    own practice. Hell, with that amount of money, she could open her own
    big cat preserve.
    She hit a bump and the necklace jostled in the gap between her
    breasts. Her nipples hardened at a sudden infusion of heat. Yeah, she
    could get ten million dollars if she could make herself take the damn
    thing off. It wasn't that she thought anyone would steal it. The warmth
    was soothing, calming, even with the vibrating machine between her
    legs.
    She looked down at the GPS and veered right. Five more miles
    and she should be able to see the laboring tiger. Ten million. The ATV
    sped along the short distance. She stopped the machine well short of the
    animal’s haven. Just sit and observe. Once the babies were born, she’d
    sedate the mother and tag the babies.
    The animal huffed and panted, her belly moving round and
    round. Alycia lowered her binoculars and picked up her bottle water.
    This should be over quick. This was the tiger's first liter. She should have
    no more than two in there. Settling back in the seat, Alycia picked up the
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    The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

    binoculars again.
    She sat in the same position for over 3 hours. But when the
    mother tiger stopped panting and stopped trying to deliver the cubs, she
    knew she was going to lose them.
    Lifting the rifle’s scope to her eye, Alycia sent the tiger a silent
    apology then pulled the trigger. The tired animal growled more than
    roared when the dart hit. The serum was quick acting. Mama tiger was
    knocked out in minutes. Alycia turned on the engine and sped to the
    sleeping animal. She needed to work quickly. The tiger would only stay
    knocked out long enough to tag the two cubs.
    Taking out her gloves, she quickly donned the elbow covering
    latex. She set her hand along the tiger’s soft orange coat. The babies’
    moves rippled against her. She plunged her right hand inside the tiger,
    reaching upwards until she felt the womb. She latched onto two paws
    and pulled down. The legs slipped down easily. She pulled her hand out
    bringing the two legs with her. Using both hands, she wrapped them
    around the tiny body and pulled. But the little guy wasn't budging.
    Mama needed to be awake to use her muscles and push him out, but
    Alycia couldn’t help when the tranq wore off.
    Death was not an option. Alycia grabbed the twitching legs and
    pushed them back inside. She twisted the cub around as much as
    possible. She grabbed two legs and pulled down again. The legs slid out
    easily but stopped when it came to the baby's bottom. No. Alycia pushed
    the legs inside and tried again.
    Time after time the legs slipped out but the rest of the cub wasn’t
    coming. The little guy had stopped twitching minutes ago but he still
    needed to come out if Alycia was going to be able to save the other one.
    It continued to move. There was one more thing to try. She pulled the
    closest cubs legs out and pushed down on the tiger’s womb, careful not
    to crush the remaining cub. The tiger's breath hitched. It moved its
    whiskers.
    That tranq must not have been full.