Free A Wolf of Her Own by Susanna Shore Page B

he was over his resentment. He worked with humans every day. But learning that Gemma was in hiding—closeted, humans would say—angered him. Such a strong, beautiful woman shouldn’t have to hide what she was from anyone. He had never hidden his true nature, having been too stubborn for it, hating humans too much to pretend to be one of them.
    But Gemma, too, had lost her protector when Colm died, and she’d had no one to replace him with. If Tom and her father had been there for her, she wouldn’t have needed Colm in the first place. She used to hide in the forest from her mother, so perhaps hiding was a natural reaction for her still. He shouldn’t judge too hard.
    He entered the manor through the kitchen door and was instantly met with Vincent, who shot up from the stairs where he had been sitting. "Where have you been the whole day?" the boy demanded with a hurt look on his speckled face. He was still wearing his school uniform, even though school had ended hours ago. "I’ve been waiting for you."
    Kieran’s heart warmed in delight. Vince was such a great boy. His brother was a lucky man to have a son like him. "Why?"
    "No one believes that I bested everyone by being clever."
    Kieran laughed. "And you need me to verify it. Very well. But we must get you home first." He headed back out, herding Vince before him.
    Aidan lived with his wife and son in the same cottage on the other side of the estate that had been Kieran’s childhood home. Vincent chattered ceaselessly the entire walk there, about school, his friends, and football, drawing Kieran’s attention to him in a welcome respite from the day’s worries.
    Vince’s mother, Sarah, had dinner ready when they arrived and the boy was sent to change his clothes and wash his hands with a good-natured scolding.
    "Will you stay for dinner too?" Aidan asked.
    Kieran was an often-seen visitor at his brother’s table and he was tempted to accept the invitation. With Colm so strong in his mind, he would have loved to stay with his family, but he shook his head. "No. I’m sorry, I have matters to discuss with Jamie that can’t wait."
    Aidan gave him a stern look. "About the sheep killers?"
    Aidan was one of the soldiers responsible for clan safety, so Kieran wasn’t surprised he knew about it. "Yes."
    "You’ve learned something new?"
    "The Crimson Circle showed up on the Byrd farm. Their sheep had been killed by the same wolves too."
    "That’s bad. I’d better see if we can amp up security."
    Vince descended the stairs making an awful racket. "You promised to tell everyone I won in cleverness," he reminded his uncle.
    "Absolutely you did. But in stealth you have a few things to learn still. A herd of elephants could come down the stairs with less noise."
    The boy grinned. "I was in a hurry." Then he threw himself at Kieran and gave him a fierce hug. "I promise to track you properly the next time."
    Kieran hugged him back. "I know you’ll do great."
     

Chapter Nine
    Gemma sat at the kitchen table a long time after Kieran was gone. For once, the Rider was easier to control than her emotions. The shock she had felt in hearing that her wolf friend was dead had been replaced by grief as acute as if it had happened yesterday.
    After a while the grief eased, turning to a dull ache. If she had learned one thing in a century, it was letting friends go.
    Now that she knew Kieran and Colm were brothers, she could easily see the connection she had felt from the start. They looked very different, but the familiarity in the energy was there. In a way, it felt as if she hadn’t lost her wolf friend after all. Although she might have lost the new one before they’d even managed to befriend each other.
    She felt embarrassed that she had driven Kieran away, but the Rider had been too close to getting free, and his grief had put an additional strain on her. Now, though, she would have loved to talk about Colm with him.
    Feeling restless, she shot up. She cleared the table and