Diamond (Rare Gems #2)(18)

Blair felt oddly honored and terrified. To have such a book was an honor. Also to have it was scary. The book in the wrong hands could do so much more than what Thad thought it could. It would quite literally end the existence of all weres everywhere.

“She’s dying.” Thad looked up at him when he spoke. “She won’t shift and because of a promise I made her last summer, I can’t command her to do anything like this. At the time I thought it was because she didn’t care for going to the pack meetings and she didn’t want to have to shift because of what happened to her before with her other pack. But she sort of has me at a hold. No matter how much I command her to shift, she won’t. I think she wants to die.”

“Because of me.” Blair didn’t answer him. He wasn’t sure he could tell him anything other than he was correct. “Can I make her shift?”

“No. Well, that’s not true, you more than likely could, but it would be…it would require you pissing her off so badly that her wolf would take her.” Blair started to tell him it was dangerous but he stood up and nodded.

“Is she in her room?” Blair nodded and watched the man walk away. He wanted to go after him and tell him to not do this, but he had nothing invested in the man and everything in the woman. Diamond was a very big part of this family, as were all the others, and her being this way, dying and not really caring, he was willing to let him be hurt instead of her. And right now, he was their only hope of saving her.

~~~

Diamond moved slowly from the bathroom to the bed. She wanted to make it up, the sheets needed changing too, but she didn’t have the energy, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure she’d do it anyway. The knock at her door had her groaning. Why didn’t they simply leave her alone? When it opened, she stared at Thad for a long time before he moved into the room completely and closed the door behind him.

“What are you doing here? I think you should leave.” She felt her wolf stir a little. “Now, before you piss me off.”

“You look like shit.” Her entire body felt the hit of embarrassment when he said that. “Not only that, but you smell. What the hell have you been doing up here, hibernating? I’m opening a window and airing this place out.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I said for you to get out, now.” The cool breeze from the window took her breath away. And the scents from the now open window made her wolf claw at her. Thad stood near the window and looked out over the yard. Diamond would have closed it again but he wasn’t moving.

“You’re going to die up here, and no one will be the wiser unless you let out some of the stench in here. They’ll simply think you’ve still not bathed.” Thad turned to look at her as he continued. “Right now I’d very much like to pick you up and toss you in the shower myself, but I don’t want to reek of you.”

Her wolf stirred against her skin, hard and hot. When Thad took a step back from her, she knew he’d felt it too. Diamond tried her best to calm her, but she wasn’t having it. She wanted to hurt the man in front of them.

“You should leave.” Thad shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, looking for all the world like he was ready to do battle with her. “You are pissing off my wolf, and she wants to hurt you.”

“You think I care? I don’t. I’m not afraid of you. Other than you making me sick to my stomach. Did you really think that sitting up here in this room was going to endear you to anyone? All you’ve done is make people feel sorry for you. Big bad Diamond Erickson is so messed up from some guy that she’s willing to let herself die over him.” He snorted. “I guess you’re not half the woman they think you are. At least I will know the truth.”

Her wolf snarled at her and took her. Pain radiated from her entire body as fur replaced skin; bones took another shape and size under her skin and made her drop to her hands. Claws sprouted from her fingers so that she looked as if she had a monster growing from her. When she felt her wolf tear at her face, elongating her chin until she had a muzzle, teeth grew along her newly formed jaw until she knew that when she bit at something she’d tear and mash, bringing blood down her throat to drink from. Diamond blinked several times, waiting for her eyes to adjust before she looked at Thad.

“You should know that I didn’t mean anything I said to you. Before or now. I was a fool. But Blair told me that you needed to shift and this was the only way.” She moved closer to him and he didn’t run like her wolf wanted him to but stood very still. “I was more than a fool, Diamond, I was…I should have been…I’m not sure what I could have said or done that would have made things better between us.”

You don’t want me. He looked shocked at her, and she knew that he’d heard her. You made me feel like I was worthless, less than human. You made me feel worse than Jeffery ever did. She wants to kill you right now.

“I don’t know who that is but I’m assuming he’s the guy that hurt you into not wanting to shift at pack meetings.” Thad sat down on the chair and she could smell his weakness. “I know that you’ll never forgive me, and I can understand that. I was a bastard and a—”

What’s wrong with you? Diamond moved closer to him but not close enough that she could touch him. You smell like…you’re sick. What’s happened to you?