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Seventeen

H
e wasn’t sure what the ruckus was about as he
took another bite of his biscuits and gravy. The phone had been ringing off
the hook all morning long, and his father was threatening to jerk the cord out
of the wall if Sheriff Holter didn’t take the hint. Mr. Bamey was never a big
fan of telephones in the first place, but Lorcan couldn’t help it that he found
amusement in his father’s misery of technology. The man would probably still
have an outhouse if he could get away with it.

His thoughts were all over the place as he tried to
finish off the ridiculously large plate of food his mother had placed before
him. It wasn’t like he was starving. She’d stuffed him the night before, and
now she was trying to fatten him up again as if he hadn’t eaten in years.
Sometimes she was just too much…..

“It’s so good,” Presley sighed, scooping up another
forkful of peach cobbler and placing it between her lips. She closed her eyes
and savored the flavor, and Lorcan couldn’t keep from smiling as he gazed at
her. She was the most beautiful creature in existence, he was sure of it.

“It’s an old recipe,” He commented. Grabbing for the
cup of freshly brewed tea his mother had insisted he drink, Lorcan’s eyes
peered at the golden haired angel sitting across from him as he took a small
sip. The honey flavor attacked his taste buds, soothing him to his very soul
as he watched Presley frown. Why was she frowning?

“What do you think they’re going to do after the
meeting?” She asked, her fingertips brushing over the side of the tall glass of
lemonade Mrs. Bamey had given her. “What will happen now?”

“I don’t know,” Lorcan replied thoughtfully as he
placed his cup back on the table and leaned back in his chair. It groaned
beneath his weight as he stretched his legs out, the tips of his toes brushing
against hers. Electricity bolted through his veins as he gave her a grin.
“But we’re home, Pretz. We’re safe. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

‘
Don’t I?’
Her voice whispered in his mind. ‘
I’m
scared, Lorcan. What if he comes looking for me?’

‘I won’t let him hurt you,’
Lorcan
promised. His jawline tightened as he frowned. ‘
I will kill him.’

He reached his hand across the
table, taking hers and squeezing it gently as he sighed. She nodded in
understanding, but he wasn’t sure that she took his promise seriously. He
really would kill for her. One day she would understand just how deep their
connection really went. One day, she would realize that he lived for her now,
and he would do whatever it took to ensure her happiness and safety.

Presley suddenly perked up, and Lorcan finally turned
his attention to what was happening just as Arnold Goult came bounding inside
and disappeared down the hallway like a mad man. There was an awful lot of
excitement going on, and there were too many emotions to try and decipher at
the moment. Excitement, anger, and confusion hit him like a hurricane as he
released her hand and pushed his chair back. He stood from the table and
frowned as he caught onto a few words from the multiple conversations happening
at once.

“He freaking shot me with an arrow because he’s an
asshole,” Dimitri muttered.

“Could you possibly complain a little more?” Another
male voice asked. Lorcan didn’t recognize that voice, and it immediately made
him tense up. Dimitri’s wolf scent was the only one he could detect, but there
were definitely some new smells he did not know.

More
ursithropes?
He wondered as he glanced back
at Presley. She stood from the table as well, quickly rounding it to join him
by his side.

‘
A girl and a boy,’
Presley observed as she
laced her fingers with his. ‘
And there is someone else, too.’

‘Someone else?’
Lorcan’s brows furrowed as he gazed at her.
‘Who?’

“It’s my aunt Natalie,” Presley
whispered in disbelief. She released his hand, hurrying towards the screen
door as it swung open. She nearly collided with someone and Lorcan watched her
stammer a quick apology before disappearing outside. His eyes then fell on the
newcomer. She must’ve been the girl Presley was talking about.

“Oh, excuse me,” The girl said politely, stepping aside
and watching Presley disappear out the door before her eyes met Lorcan’s.
“Hello.”

“Hi,” He replied apprehensively.

“I am Louisa,” She offered, holding her hand out
towards him.

“Lorcan,” He stated as he gripped her hand gently and
shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” She smiled, releasing his hand and dropping
her own back to her side. “Do you live here?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do,” He answered, feeling awkward
as the seconds ticked by. Five minutes ago, everything had been somewhat
normal, but the energy in the room was insane now. He knew that more
ursithropes would be showing up, but there was something different about this
girl.

“The lady I just passed by. She is your mate, yes?”
She asked.

“She is,” Lorcan nodded, feeling a sense of pride and happiness
swell in his chest from the confession.

“That is wonderful,” She smiled. “You must be very
excited about the changes Urseth will bring.”

“I am,” Lorcan glanced towards the screen door,
watching as Dimitri and Rutley entered. The stench of blood assaulted his
nostrils and he frowned upon seeing the shape his brother’s mate was in. “Will
you excuse me for a moment?”

He didn’t give her time to reply as he approached the
two males, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “What the hell happened to
you?”

“Why don’t you ask the skid outside talking to your father?”
Dimitri muttered angrily as he wrapped his fingers around the arrow and tried
to pull it free. He grunted in frustration when it wouldn’t give way. “What a
fucking idiot. I’m going to kill him.”

“Wait.
He
shot you?” Lorcan asked, trying to
wrap his head around the idea of an ursithrope actually
wanting
to hurt
Dimitri. It was weird how protective he suddenly felt over the wolf.

“Stop pulling on it,” Rutley frowned. “Let’s go in the
bathroom and find the first aid kit, dude. You’re just going to make it
worse.”

Lorcan felt the anger bubbling over in his veins as
they disappeared down the hallway. He shoved the screen door open, nearly
knocking Davey Berdine over as he headed straight for the boy who looked a lot
like Louisa. He could tell they were related, but he wasn’t necessarily
worried about being nice to him at the moment. He’d shot Dimitri.

“Lorcan, meet Beau Xi-OH!” His mother gasped as Lorcan
grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the porch.
“Lorcan, you put him down this instant!”

“Who the hell do you think you are, just coming here
and shooting people?” Lorcan asked through clenched teeth.

“Put me down,” The boy replied as he narrowed his
eyes. “I will happily explain the mistake I have made, but you need to get
your head on straight.”

“You shot him!” Lorcan roared as his eyes began to
glow. “You could’ve killed him!”

“But I did not,” He replied as he wrapped his fingers
around Lorcan’s wrists and applied pressure. “Now stop acting like a
Neanderthal and release me.”

“Let him go, Son,” Mr. Bamey grunted. “He’s on our
side.”

A low growl rumbled in Lorcan’s throat as he shoved the
boy backwards, allowing him to fall off the porch as he turned to face his
father angrily.

“You will allow him into our home after he injured
Dimitri? In case you’ve forgotten, Father, the wolf is part of our family
now. Dimitri is on our side, too.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Mr. Bamey frowned as he
lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his head. “I’m well aware, Lorcan, but
Beau and his cousin have travelled an awfully long way to be here. Their
entire family was killed off by Dimitri’s alpha. He made a mistake. He didn’t
know
Dimitri’s connection to us. Get that through your thick skull,
boy, before one of y’uns get hurt. We’ve got enough to deal with without
turning on one another.”

The rage vibrated in his chest and arms as his fingers
went numb. Lorcan was trying desperately to regain control of his body as he
turned his eyes to see Presley’s arms around her aunt. Her eyes were wide.
Was she frightened? Worried? It took everything inside of him to keep from
falling apart. He had so much anger, and for what? Seeing Dimitri injured had
triggered something inside of him; something he couldn’t explain. Everything
was weighing heavily on his mind and in his heart as he leapt off the porch and
staggered towards the garage. He just needed to be alone. He needed time to
cool off and get a grip on reality.

I tried to attack one of my own,
He thought with
dismay as he raked his trembling fingers through his hair.
Urseth, help me
get it together before I kill somebody I shouldn’t.

–––––––—

He decided rather quickly that he did not like Lorcan
Bamey. He was too hotheaded and had zero control over his inner bear. A man
like that was dangerous and a threat to their kind; someone needed to put him
in his place, and quickly.

Beau pushed himself up from the ground, dusting off the
seat of his pants before lifting his gaze to see everyone staring at him. He
frowned.

“I am fine,” He stated. “I am not so sure about him
though. He needs anger management.”

“He’s just under a lot of stress,” Mrs. Bamey offered
with a small frown of her own. “He’s been through an awful lot lately, Beau.
I am so sorry he attacked you.”

“It was just a mistake,” Davey Berdine, an elder tried
to reason as he shook his head. “We understand you didn’t know about the wolf,
kiddo. It’s all right. Lorcan will come around.”

I don’t give a damn about what he’s been through,
Beau wanted to say.
He didn’t witness his entire village being ripped to
bloody pieces as I did.

It was wrong to think like that. He knew better than
to let such thoughts enter his mind, but Beau’s mentality had changed a great
deal since that horrible night. The level-headed, potential leader he’d once
been was long gone, and now he was just an ursithrope with an agenda of his
own. He wasn’t here to make friends or to learn about their heritage. He was
here to kill Breslin Connor.

“Please come inside,” Mrs. Bamey insisted as she pulled
open the screen door and ushered everyone back inside. “You must be hungry.”

No, Beau wasn’t hungry, but he would oblige anyway.
She was a nice enough lady, it seemed. He moved back up the steps, glancing at
the blonde female who stared at him with intense green orbs.
Pretty,
he
thought as he nodded to her.
But she is already mated to another.

He wasn’t there to find a mate
either, damn it. He needed to get his thoughts back on track, and soon. He
stepped inside the house and glanced around, taking in the sights of flowery
wall paper and portraits hanging all around. There was a strong sense of
family here and it made his heart ache. He missed his family…..

“Beau!” Louisa squeaked as she approached him. She
stared at him with worried eyes, reaching her hand out to touch his arm.

He quickly pulled away from her, frowning. “I am
fine,” He stated in a low voice. “Go eat, Liu. You need your strength.”

He instantly felt remorse as the hurt became evident
in her gaze. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately; hurting her feelings.
He didn’t mean to…..

“Sorry,” She whispered, turning away from him and
moving back into the kitchen quickly. He’d wounded her again.
Damn it.

“Are we going to have this
meeting or not?” A tall, massive male asked as he leaned against the
doorframe. His arms were probably as big as Beau’s head, but what did size
matter anyway? He crossed them over his chest, his eyes landing on Beau’s face
for a moment before he looked away. “Time’s a wasting here, people.”

“Patience, please,” Mrs. Bamey frowned as she pulled a
bowl from the cupboard and placed it on the counter. “We can’t discuss
anything until Lorcan comes back inside.”

Beau watched the male as he rolled his eyes in
annoyance. He could relate to feeling that annoyance, but even he knew that
was true. A lot had obviously taken place that Beau wasn’t aware of yet.
Despite his desire to take out Breslin Connor alone, he knew that it was his
obligation as an ursithrope to partake in this discussion, and there might’ve
been resourceful information he could use to his advantage. He would listen,
at least.

The screen door swung open again, smacking against the
doorframe as the Bamey boy appeared again. He seemed relatively calmer as he
lifted his eyes to gaze at Beau, and then he shifted his gaze to everyone else
in the room.

“Finally,” Mrs. Bamey sighed in relief. “Now we can
get this meeting underway.”

Eighteen

“W
ould you hold still?” Rutley asked as his
brows furrowed in concentration. He glanced at Dimitri briefly before he
focused his attention back to the task at hand. He carefully dabbed the
peroxide soaked cotton ball against the wound again, listening to Dimitri hiss
in pain. “I’m sorry. I know it burns.”

“It’s fine,” Dimitri muttered. “But you know you don’t
have to do that, right? The arrow’s out. The wound will heal on its own.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rutley shook his head as he tossed the
cotton ball, now covered in blood, into the trash can. “I just wanted to keep
it from getting infected.”

“We don’t really get infected,” Dimitri commented as he
glanced down at the small hole, wrinkling his nose. “Just give it a few
minutes and I’ll be as good as new. It’s like magic.”

“Yeah. Magic,” Rutley blinked, leaning back against
the sink as he wiped at his brow. Damn, it was tough to play Doctor. His hat
was definitely off to the people who did such things all day, every day. He
wasn’t sure he had the patience himself.

He watched in silence as Dimitri examined the wound and
then as his tongue darted out to trace over his lips. It made him do the same,
and he wasn’t even sure why that happened. He tore his gaze away from the wolf
and busied himself with cleaning up the mess they’d made. There may have been a
small part of him pretending he was in an episode of E.R. while he was getting
everything out…..

“Thanks for your help,” Dimitri said after a moment.
“You seem like you’d be a really good friend to have.”

Rutley shrugged as he closed the lid on the kit,
placing it back beneath the sink before glancing up at him. “It’s no problem,”
He replied with a sheepish grin. “Liam used to doctor me up all the time…..”
His voice drifted off and he lowered his head. Damn it. He did it again.
When was he going to learn to stop bringing up Liam?

“It’s okay.”

Rutley frowned and lifted a hand to scratch at the
scruff on his jaw. He needed to shave. He needed to call his dad. He needed
to get some decent shoes that actually fit. He would go back to his hotel room
to retrieve his bag and then-

“Did you hear me?” Dimitri asked as he rested his hand
on Rutley’s shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I said it’s okay.”

A frown was tugging at his lips, and Rutley slowly
lifted his eyes to meet Dimitri’s hazel hues. His throat was dry, and there
was a weird tugging sensation in his chest as he stared at the wolf. Maybe he
was just tired. Maybe he’d accidentally gotten his hands on some more serum.
Who the hell knew at this point? All Rutley was certain of in that moment, was
that what he felt when looking at Dimitri was very
wrong.

“Yeah, I heard you,” He said, nearly inaudibly as he
quickly dropped his gaze to the tiles beneath his feet.

“What’s the matter?” Dimitri gave his shoulder a
squeeze. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rutley insisted as he straightened back up,
reluctantly pulling away from the other’s touch as he moved towards the door.
He grabbed for the knob and then stopped, sighing. “I think I just need some
sleep.”

“Then you should go rest,” Dimitri stated.

Rutley whirled around, pressing his back against the
door when he realized Dimitri was right behind him. He tilted his head back
slightly to stare up at him. Jesus H. Christ, was he trying to make him piss
his pants?

“Y-yeah,” Rutley swallowed hard, licking his lips again
as he nodded. “I think I’ll just go back to my hotel. Seems like there’s a
lot going on here right now anyway, you know? It’s probably a good idea to
just…..go for a bit.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri repeated in a softer voice as his eyes
studied Rutley’s face. “Do whatever you need to do, Rutley.”

“I will,” He replied as his palms pressed flat against
the door and he mustered every last ounce of self-will he had, keeping his eyes
focused on Dimitri’s. He couldn’t let them stray away, even though they were
trying their damnedest at the moment. “Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Dimitri tilted his head to the side,
squinting a little as he pursed his lips together. “Are you sure you will be
though?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Rutley laughed nervously, shrugging
his shoulders. “Nothing a few more hours of sleep won’t fix, I’m sure.”

His heart felt like it was about to burst as Dimitri
stepped closer. Why was he getting closer? That was a very bad idea. In
fact, it was such a terrible idea that Rutley squirmed against the closed door,
as if by some miracle he’d be able to slip through it.

“Are you afraid of me?” Dimitri questioned
thoughtfully.

“Of course not,” Rutley scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“That’s ridiculous. If I was afraid of you, do you think I would’ve pulled a
freaking arrow out of your body?”

“I suppose not,” Dimitri shrugged, inching closer and
closer as his nostrils flared. “Why does your heart sound like it’s about to
go into cardiac arrest?”

That was a damn good question.
Why
was his
heart beating so hard? Rutley’s eyes darted back and forth between Dimitri’s
as static electricity clung to his skin from the wolf’s close proximity.

Well, this is pretty damn ironic,
He thought as his
stomach tightened into knots.
A werewolf hunter getting the warm fuzzies
for a goddamn werewolf.

And it wasn’t just
any
wolf either. It was his
dead best friend’s boyfriend to beat it all; his
recently
deceased best
friend. Liam hadn’t been gone for that long, and Rutley was definitely in the
wrong. Dimitri was probably really vulnerable…..what right did he have to feel
the things he currently felt?

“I should go,” Rutley whispered, his eyes snapping back
up to Dimitri’s again as their noses bumped together.

“I know,” Dimitri murmured in a softer voice as his
eyes lowered to Rutley’s mouth for a moment.

Oh god, don’t do it,
Rutley pleaded mentally as
his entire body hummed in anticipation. Bad body! He couldn’t
want
that. Not from Dimitri. They barely knew each other. They were
supposed
to be enemies. He was
his best friend’s boyfriend
.

Liam is gone,
His mind argued.
He’s going to
move on eventually.

Rutley groaned inwardly as he fought with his voice of
reason and his voice of desire. This couldn’t happen.
They
couldn’t
happen, ever. Not now; not tomorrow; not in ten years. It was
wrong
!

He felt the warmth of Dimitri’s palm against his cheek
and it took everything in him to refrain from leaning into his touch. Bad,
bad, bad. WRONG.

“Dimitri…..” His heavily lidded eyes snapped open as
he stared at the wolf’s softly glowing swirls of liquid gold and deep emerald.
God, he was so beautiful…..

“I should go,” Rutley finally said, with much force.
His voice sounded foreign to his ears as he felt the breath escaping Dimitri’s
parted lips, caressing his own trembling ones as he swallowed down whatever
messed up emotions he felt. “I
need
to go.”

“I know you do,” Dimitri agreed, his fingertips slowly
tracing down his neck before he reluctantly pulled away. It appeared that
Dimitri was fighting his own inner battle as he turned away from him and
grabbed for his shirt. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” Rutley cleared his throat. “Later, Dude.”

He finally managed to get the door open, surprised to
see Mr. Bamey standing there with an unreadable expression. The man didn’t
seem to be very happy and Rutley briefly wondered if he somehow
knew
about what had just happened. God, did he hate him now? Rutley would hate
himself. Christ, he
did
hate himself for what just happened. He
couldn’t have those thoughts.

“M-Mr. B.”

“Rutley,” Mr. Bamey replied. “Just the guy I wanted to
see. Your dad’s here.”

Rutley’s shoulders slumped as he winced. Perfect.
Just freaking perfect.

–––––––-

That was too close. That was too stupidly close and
Dimitri wanted to kick himself in the ass for allowing it to get that far.
What the hell was wrong with him anyway? He was still in mourning over Liam’s
death. His
mate
; his
love
; his
life.
How could he
possibly even think about kissing someone else?

He muttered in disgust as he exited the bathroom,
watching as Rutley and Mr. Bamey disappeared ahead of him. Good. He needed
distance from the boy. Did he really need to constantly remind himself that
Rutley had been trained to kill werewolves? Did he really need to keep
drilling it into his head that considering a new relationship was strictly out
of the question?

What is wrong with me?
He asked himself as he
appeared in the kitchen and found a large group of ursithropes staring at him.
Why were they staring at him like that?

“Oh, Dimitri! There you are, dear. All cleaned up, I
see,” Mrs. Bamey stated as she approached him. “Are you hungry? Our meeting
is temporarily on hold because of the
humans
,” She said in a lower
voice.

“No, thank you,” Dimitri shook his head, forcing a
small smile in her direction. What would Mrs. Bamey do if she learned of his
sinful behavior? He imagined she wouldn’t be overly fond of him or Rutley if
she knew what happened in the bathroom. He was her son’s mate; no one else’s.
What a mess.

“Are you okay?” Mrs. Bamey asked after a long pause of
silence. “Sweetie, you look so pale. Are you sick?”

“I am fine,” He stated reassuringly before his eyes
moved to Lorcan’s. He couldn’t convince anyone else if he didn’t even believe
his own lie. Lorcan frowned slightly before he stood from the table.

“Hey, man. Come out with me to get some air?” Lorcan
asked, nodding towards the back door.

“Gladly,” Dimitri responded as he gently patted Mrs.
Bamey’s arm. “I’ll eat when I come back in,” He promised before following
Liam’s brother outside. He was no sooner out the door when Lorcan grabbed him
by the front of his shirt and dragged him towards the steps.

“We need to talk,” Lorcan said firmly as he hopped off
the bottom step and then turned to look up at him. “I have a problem.”

Dimitri stared at him, lifting an eyebrow slightly.
“What’s going on?” He asked, unsure of what Lorcan would say. Did he know what
happened in the bathroom?

“I’m losing my damn mind,” Lorcan frowned. “I think I
overreacted about Beau shooting you and now everyone suddenly thinks I’m
unstable.”

Dimitri listened intently as Lorcan recalled what
happened on the front porch, and he couldn’t help but to scoff. “I don’t think
you overreacted at all,” He remarked. “I don’t like the kid. He gives off a
bad vibe.”

“Well his cousin gives
me
a weird vibe,” Lorcan
admitted as he placed his hands on his hips and glanced around. “Do you know
anything else about them?”

Dimitri shook his head. “No, I know just about as much
as you do. They’re from China. Their village was attacked by our favorite
asshole, and now they’re here. They saved Natalie from Breslin’s wrath
though.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Lorcan nodded. Dropping his gaze to
the ground, the ursithrope sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on right now,
Dimitri. I feel like I’m losing my mind. One minute, I’m fine, and then the
next thing I know I’m trying to kill people.”

“Does Beau qualify as an actual person?” Dimitri
wondered aloud. “He’s sort of a dick.”

“Wouldn’t you be, too, if you witnessed everyone you
cared about being massacred before your very eyes?”

Dimitri didn’t respond as his wolf ears picked up on
the conversation taking place in the front yard. Rutley and his father were
arguing and it didn’t sound good.

“You were supposed to come see me this morning,”
Sheriff Holter huffed. “I got worried so I made some phone calls, Rut.”

“I’m not a damn kid, Dad. You can’t just call
everywhere in the world looking for me! That’s why I have a cellphone.”

“I called your cellphone-you didn’t answer. Forgive me
for being a worried parent.”

Rutley laughed bitterly. “It’s a little late to take
on that role, don’t ya think?”

Lorcan was listening, too, and his eyebrows drew
together as he glanced at Dimitri. “Do you think we should intervene?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” Dimitri
frowned. “There’s something you don’t know. Lorcan, wait!”

Too late. Lorcan was already rounding the house and
Dimitri cursed beneath his breath before taking off after him. This wasn’t
good. This was
not
good. Everybody in the world of the living knew
that where there was a baby werewolf hunter, a papa hunter existed as well.

Dimitri knew he’d sealed his own fate when he came into
view, but he hardly anticipated what would happen next.