almost
monotone in its bleakness.
‚There has only been one instance where I was unable to find a
mate in time,‛ she said, shaking her head in a tiny movement. She swept
her black full length cloak around her.
‚What do you mean ‘in time’?‛ He walked away from her and
started searching the room.
‚Precisely that. There is a time limit on these things. No one can
survive without their true essence for too long. What are you doing?‛
‚True essence?‛ He’d looked behind the few boxes and chairs in the
room. ‚There’s someone else in here. I can feel them.‛
‚Anything less and I could not be sure of finding the right one for
you. If you die, I’ll return half the credits to your family.‛ She pulled a
black case from beneath her cloak. With steady hands she placed the
crystal on a small reddish pillow and closed the case. ‚Did I forget to tell
you that you will feel each stroke of the heartstone? And not always the
same. Some may be more intense than others, of course.‛
‚Of course,‛ he echoed. That would have been good to know before
hand.
‚You will know when I find her,‛ she said, moving away from him.
‚How?‛ He rubbed fingers in his eyes as the color seemed to drain
from the room. Everything turned to shades of gray. How much of himself
was he going to lose? He looked up to ask the question, but the Peddler
had vanished.
7
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
Chapter One
San Francisco, California
‚You like this one?‛ The small hunched woman behind the
makeshift flea market booth eyed her. The woman’s fingers glanced across
the yellowed plastic counter, lightly touching another of the beautiful
necklaces. Her voice floated over the loud voices around them.
Alycia James liked the look of the jewelry but she knew she didn’t
have the money for it. She nodded her head and started to walk away from
the stall. Why tempt herself?
‚Wait, I have others. Come look. These are special.‛
The woman’s voice stopped her in mid stride. You can’t afford it, why
look and torture yourself? What could looking hurt? Turning around, she
moved back to the stall and bent over as the woman pulled out a small
black case. Her wrinkled fingers pried open the leather lid.
‚I just got this one in.‛ The glowing shine of a crystal heart twinkled
up at her. It was only a bit smaller than the palm of her hand. ‚Go ahead.
Pick it up.‛
‚I couldn’t.‛ The sign above the stall read ‘You break it. You bought
it’ in bold black letters. There was no way she would be able to afford this.
Not working on an unpaid internship. This last semester had drained her
savings. Thank God this was the last one.
‚It’s sturdier than it looks.‛ The woman picked the crystal up with
8
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
her gnarled fingers, pushing it toward Alycia.
‚It’s not stolen or anything, is it?‛ Alycia asked, eyeing the woman
suspiciously.
‚No. It was given to me freely by the owner,‛ she stated, pushing
the necklace at her again.
Alycia took the heart pendant. There was a thick black string tied
around it. Encasing it. Binding it.
‚Try it on,‛ the coarse voice coaxed.
‚Are you sure it won’t break?‛ Alycia asked as several young men
pushed by her. Her knees hit the table, jarring everything on it.
‚The string is really strong. It will not break. If it breaks, I will
replace it. No charge.‛ The woman smiled, showcasing a missing-tooth
smile.
The second she touched the crystal an unfamiliar warmth spread
through her. Something was holding her, caressing her. A feeling of safety
and security washed over her.
She wanted to slip it around her neck but didn’t. Once there, Alycia
didn’t know how she would be able to take it off again.
‚Put it on. See how pretty it will look against your dark skin.‛ The
woman gestured for her to try it on. She must know how the crystal made
a person feel. Was probably
monotone in its bleakness.
‚There has only been one instance where I was unable to find a
mate in time,‛ she said, shaking her head in a tiny movement. She swept
her black full length cloak around her.
‚What do you mean ‘in time’?‛ He walked away from her and
started searching the room.
‚Precisely that. There is a time limit on these things. No one can
survive without their true essence for too long. What are you doing?‛
‚True essence?‛ He’d looked behind the few boxes and chairs in the
room. ‚There’s someone else in here. I can feel them.‛
‚Anything less and I could not be sure of finding the right one for
you. If you die, I’ll return half the credits to your family.‛ She pulled a
black case from beneath her cloak. With steady hands she placed the
crystal on a small reddish pillow and closed the case. ‚Did I forget to tell
you that you will feel each stroke of the heartstone? And not always the
same. Some may be more intense than others, of course.‛
‚Of course,‛ he echoed. That would have been good to know before
hand.
‚You will know when I find her,‛ she said, moving away from him.
‚How?‛ He rubbed fingers in his eyes as the color seemed to drain
from the room. Everything turned to shades of gray. How much of himself
was he going to lose? He looked up to ask the question, but the Peddler
had vanished.
7
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
Chapter One
San Francisco, California
‚You like this one?‛ The small hunched woman behind the
makeshift flea market booth eyed her. The woman’s fingers glanced across
the yellowed plastic counter, lightly touching another of the beautiful
necklaces. Her voice floated over the loud voices around them.
Alycia James liked the look of the jewelry but she knew she didn’t
have the money for it. She nodded her head and started to walk away from
the stall. Why tempt herself?
‚Wait, I have others. Come look. These are special.‛
The woman’s voice stopped her in mid stride. You can’t afford it, why
look and torture yourself? What could looking hurt? Turning around, she
moved back to the stall and bent over as the woman pulled out a small
black case. Her wrinkled fingers pried open the leather lid.
‚I just got this one in.‛ The glowing shine of a crystal heart twinkled
up at her. It was only a bit smaller than the palm of her hand. ‚Go ahead.
Pick it up.‛
‚I couldn’t.‛ The sign above the stall read ‘You break it. You bought
it’ in bold black letters. There was no way she would be able to afford this.
Not working on an unpaid internship. This last semester had drained her
savings. Thank God this was the last one.
‚It’s sturdier than it looks.‛ The woman picked the crystal up with
8
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
her gnarled fingers, pushing it toward Alycia.
‚It’s not stolen or anything, is it?‛ Alycia asked, eyeing the woman
suspiciously.
‚No. It was given to me freely by the owner,‛ she stated, pushing
the necklace at her again.
Alycia took the heart pendant. There was a thick black string tied
around it. Encasing it. Binding it.
‚Try it on,‛ the coarse voice coaxed.
‚Are you sure it won’t break?‛ Alycia asked as several young men
pushed by her. Her knees hit the table, jarring everything on it.
‚The string is really strong. It will not break. If it breaks, I will
replace it. No charge.‛ The woman smiled, showcasing a missing-tooth
smile.
The second she touched the crystal an unfamiliar warmth spread
through her. Something was holding her, caressing her. A feeling of safety
and security washed over her.
She wanted to slip it around her neck but didn’t. Once there, Alycia
didn’t know how she would be able to take it off again.
‚Put it on. See how pretty it will look against your dark skin.‛ The
woman gestured for her to try it on. She must know how the crystal made
a person feel. Was probably
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