Return to Kadenburg (2 page)

Two

S
he slipped in and out of consciousness the
majority of the time. It seemed she fought to stay awake more than anything
else, and it was growing exhausting. She wasn’t sure what was happening to
her, or why; but Presley knew she was in very bad trouble.

Her limbs were heavy. Every single body part felt as
if they weighed a thousand pounds each and it was impossible to keep her head
up for very long. Her skin was warm and tingly, yet she could feel nothing at
all. Her mind was fuzzy. She couldn’t make out any noises half the time
because of the loud hum in her head. Was she drugged? She couldn’t really
tell. In fact, she couldn’t think at all. All she could do was sleep, sleep,
and sleep some more. It was impossible to pull her mind out of the sedation.

There were fleeting moments in which she could remember
what had happened; but even in those tiny seconds of fear, she couldn’t do
anything about it. Her heart beat was far too slow for her to panic, and she
was dangerously relaxed over the situation.

She could remember hearing the low groan of doors
opening. Sometimes she could remember hearing voices but she didn’t know what
they were saying. Every time she opened her eyes, she was sucked back into a
dark abyss of peace and uncertainty.

Hold on,
her bear would plead.
Hold
on, Presley.

The bad thing was…Presley had no idea what she was
supposed to be holding on to in the first place

––––––—

“Wake up.”

Dimitri felt the hard kick against his ankle and he
growled lowly from the pain that surged up his leg. Yep. Something was
broken.

“Come on, you little traitor. Open your eyes.”

Despite the fact his eyelids felt like they weighed a
ton, he forced his eyes open to stare up at Luke. That little bastard.

Dimitri’s foggy brain began to clear, and he could
remember what happened the night the ursithropes and lycanthropes faced off.
It hadn’t been a fair fight at all. He remembered Mr. Bamey shouting for him
to fall back; they were outnumbered by a good thirty more wolves than
anticipated. Dimitri hadn’t listened.

Why hadn’t he listened?

Oh, right. Lorcan was chasing after Breslin. Hadn’t
he warned Lorcan not to go after him on his own?

He’s stubborn,
Dimitri frowned. He roared in
pain as Luke kicked his foot again.

“Did you hear me?” Luke asked angrily. “I said get
up.”

“I’m not deaf,” Dimitri replied quietly as he pushed
himself upwards, trying to keep weight off his left leg. That wouldn’t turn
out very well for him, would it?

“No, but I can arrange that,” Luke said as he shoved
Dimitri forward.

The wolf lost his balance, stumbling forward and
hitting the cold pavement again. He grimaced and shut his eyes.
I swear
I’m going to kill him,
he thought as he tried to push up from the floor.

He felt the pressure of Luke’s boot against the side of
his head, forcing his cheek back to the floor as he growled.

“I should rip your heart out right now,” Luke said
through clenched teeth. “I should put you out of your misery just like that
pathetic little ursi-shit. What was his name? The one that stupidly followed
after you the other night…”

Dimitri felt the bones cracking beneath his excessively
hot skin as his eyes snapped open.
Don’t say Lorcan. Please don’t say
Lorcan….

“Greg,” Luke nodded. “That’s
it. That little moron couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”

While Dimitri felt bad that Gregory Kress was dead, he
knew that he would feel worse if it was Liam’s kid brother. He’d only given
chase because he didn’t want to see anything happen to the man Liam had adored
so much. He had to follow them to make sure Lorcan was safe; that Presley was
safe. He would accept the responsibility for Greg’s death, but it was the
least of his concerns.

You sound like a heartless asshole,
he thought
as the world started spinning. He was being pulled up by the hair of his
head. He growled again, his fangs elongating as he reached back to strike at
whatever body part he could find.

“Ah ah ah!” Luke laughed. “Calm yourself, Dimitri. I
could always tell Breslin you were struggling and my hand slipped. He would
believe me.”

Dimitri’s upper lip curled back in disgust as he
lifted his eyes to get a good look at his surroundings. Bland yellow wallpaper
was the first thing he noticed. The unfortunate thing about not being from
around here, was that he wasn’t familiar with most parts of Kadenburg;
if
they were still in Kadenburg.

Dimitri had no idea how long he’d been out, or how long
Breslin had been holding him captive.
Shit
, were Lorcan and Presley
here, too?

“Where are they?” Dimitri asked as he limped forward,
wincing every time his left leg had to bear any of his weight.

“Your little teddy bear friends?” Luke asked as he
pulled open the only door in the room. Dim light flooded in and Dimitri had to
blink in an effort to make his eyes adjust. “They’re somewhere around here.”

A new scent hit his nostrils and Dimitri coughed.
Whatever it was, it was burning his lungs and his body reacted violently. He
lifted his hand to cover his mouth, trying to keep the vile stench from
infiltrating his repertory system. “What is that?” He managed to ask between
gut wrenching hacks.

“Oh, that?” Luke smirked as he shoved him out into the
hallway, following behind him. “That’s just ammonia. We couldn’t very well
have those pesky little pooh bears trying to sniff you guys out, now could we?”

You son of a bitch,
Dimitri growled inwardly as
he kept his hand firmly over his mouth and nose. Of course Breslin would come
up with a way to prevent them from being found. It wasn’t good enough that he
killed one of the ursithropes, but now he had to keep their scents masked with
chemicals to refute rescue attempts, too?

“Pick up the pace,” Luke demanded as he gave Dimitri a
hard shove.

Dimitri stumbled forward, his bad foot hitting the
floor as he groaned. If only he could heal. Why wasn’t he healing?

“The boss wants to see you,” Luke stated in a sing-song
voice. “We figured it was only right to give you a chance to redeem yourself
before figuring out how to punish you,” his lips were close to Dimitri’s ear as
he lowered his voice. “However, I would’ve killed you without hesitation for
your defiance. You’re an ungrateful little cockroach, you know that? Breslin
took you in when you were nothing more than a pathetic little orphan pup. This
is how you repay him?”

Dimitri didn’t get the chance to reply as another door
opened and he was pushed inside. He fell to his knees, grateful that the
weight was taken off his foot as he pressed his palms against the floor. The
scent of ammonia disappeared as the door closed with a loud
thud.

All he could hear was the sound
of his own breathing at that moment. His lungs still ached from the ammonia
intake, and each breath he drew in was painful and raw. He swallowed hard,
trying to wet his dry throat as he lifted his eyes to gaze at his
surroundings. This room didn’t look entirely too different from the one he’d
been in previously, but it still didn’t seem familiar.

“Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri.”

The blood in his veins chilled instantly as Breslin’s
voice reached his ears. He swallowed hard and lifted his head to stare at the
massive alpha towering over him. Breslin cocked his head to the side, clicking
his tongue against the roof of his mouth before heaving a loud sigh.

“I am so disappointed in you,” Breslin said after a
moment. He crouched down before him, clasping his fingers together as his
brows furrowed. “I took you in, Dimitri. I gave you shelter and food; I
taught you everything you know today, and this is how you repay me?”

His body still wasn’t up to par. Dimitri felt like he was
completely detached from his powers and strength as his hands trembled to their
own accord. The muscles beneath his taunt skin quivered and tensed as he kept
his eyes on Breslin’s. He knew how Breslin operated. The man liked eye
contact and if his opponent looked away, it was a sign of weakness.

Dimitri may have been weak physically at the moment,
but his mentality was fully intact.

“You speak when I say something to you,” Breslin
growled. He reached out, his fingers tangling into Dimitri’s auburn locks as
he pulled him up from the floor.

Dimitri grunted, clenching his teeth as he tried to
stand. He had no choice but to put weight on his bad ankle and the agonizing
pain surging through his leg caused perspiration to break out on his forehead.
He wouldn’t let Breslin win this. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of
knowing he could hurt him.

“So that’s how you’re going to be, huh?” Breslin asked
hoarsely. His claws dug into Dimitri’s scalp as he released a frustrated grunt
and shoved him back to the floor. “You disgust me,” he barked. “Rolling
around in the leaves with one of
them
. I gave you an order and you
deliberately defied me.”

Dimitri paced his breathing, his eyes closing as he
rested his forehead against the cool concrete. His ankle was throbbing and his
chest was tightening. Was he afraid? Oddly not. He probably should’ve been,
but what else did he have to fear? The one thing he didn’t want to lose had been
torn from him already…..

“I’ve given a considerable amount of thought to how you
should be punished,” Breslin whispered as he crouched down beside of him once
more. “And I have made my decision.”

Dimitri’s eyes flicked upwards and his gaze hardened as
he stared at the other wolf. He licked his lips, curling his upper lip as he
bared the fangs attempting to elongate. Damn it, if only his powers were at
their full capabilities.

“Dimitri Fridolf, I sentence you to death,” Breslin
hissed, a menacing grin appearing on his lips as he straightened up once
again. “When the sun goes down, you’ll be taken into the woods,” he stroked
his chin. “I’m thinking you should die in the very same spot as your beloved.
Of course, I don’t know if I want to use the same method….”

Something snapped inside of Dimitri as he listened to
the amusement in Breslin’s voice. He took Liam’s death as a joke, and Dimitri
didn’t find a damn thing about it to be funny. He pushed himself up from the
concrete, releasing a loud roar of anger as he tackled the alpha against the
floor.

Perhaps it was only a second, or maybe a minute longer,
but Dimitri released every ounce of anger, heartache, and rage upon the other
wolf as his fists pummeled his face. He didn’t care about the blood gushing
from Breslin’s nose, and the gash above the man’s forehead wouldn’t be
satisfactory; but damn it, the day had finally come that Dimitri would make him
pay for what he did to Liam. Today, he would kill Breslin Connor.

Two pairs of strong hands pulled him away from the
other male, and Dimitri growled in frustration. He fought against the two
wolves trying to restrain him.

“No!” Dimitri screamed. “I’m not finished with you,
you son of a bitch!”

Breslin cackled as he stood once more, wiping at the
blood currently pouring from his nose like a faucet.

“We’re done here,” he said huskily, his eyes glowing in
warning. “When the sun goes down, take him into the woods, and kill him. I
don’t care how you do it; just make sure he’s dead.”

Dimitri’s heavy panting was the only thing he could
hear as he watched Breslin leave the room. He ignored the taunts of his pack
mates.

So I’m going to die,
he thought as he lowered
his gaze to the floor.
I guess I’ll be seeing you soon, Liam.

Three

T
he silence was overwhelming. Mrs. Bamey wasn’t
sure how much more she could take.

The last week had been the worst yet; nearly as bad as
when she received the news her first born was dead. In a way, they were in a
close running for the most terrible things that had ever happened to her.
Lorcan was missing. Presley was missing. That sweet boy Dimitri was missing.
No, she couldn’t stand any of this for a moment longer.

Richard insisted that she should stay home and continue
about with her business as usual, but how in the hell did he expect her to cook
and clean –two things she enjoyed doing-when her baby boy was somewhere out
there, possibly being hurt at this very moment by those hideous monsters?

And what about Presley? Poor, sweet Presley. She’d
only just begun to understand the life of an ursithrope when she was thrust
into this chaos. The poor dear would never recover from whatever brutal
torture the fleabags were putting her through.

How was she supposed to stay at home and do nothing
when the people she cared about were in harm’s way?

“Oh, damn it,” she sighed, tossing the damp dish rag
into the sink. She leaned over the counter to peer out the window, watching as
the sun lowered to meet the treetops. Nighttime would be upon them soon, and
her husband was still out there with the other ursithropes. Their search for
the trio had been ongoing for five days now, and hardly a break was taken.
They couldn’t give up.

She refused to give up hope. There was no way in all
of tarnation that Urseth would allow this to happen to his people. They’d been
created for a purpose, hadn’t they? Surely they were not made just to die at
the hands of werewolves……

The sound of brakes whining outside brought her out of
her thoughts, and she moved into the living room so she could peer out the
window above the couch. Only a few days ago, she was carelessly leaving her
front door open to let a nice breeze inside; but who in their right mind would
feel safe doing that with everything that was happening now?

Mrs. Bamey’s brown hues watched the young man as he got
out of his car. He approached the porch and she was already pulling the door
open to greet him.

“I’ve already told the sheriff everything I know,” she
stated in a tired voice. “You can go on back to the department now. There haven’t
been any changes here, Officer.”

She watched the young man as he took the steps at a
leisurely pace. He didn’t seem as professional as the other fellows that had
been filing in and out for days. Would Richard be angry with her for getting
the sheriff involved? Quite possibly, but she did what she felt she had to
do. They couldn’t even pick up on Lorcan’s scent-they needed help.

“I’m not an officer, Mrs. B.,” he gave her a warm
smile. “I just stopped by to visit, if that’s all right with you.”

It didn’t take very long for Mrs. Bamey to realize the
tall, muscular male before her wasn’t just any run-of-the-mill Joe; he was someone
of great importance from the past. She could hardly believe it! Why, he’d
grown so much-and it’d been so long since she’d seen him.

“Rutley Holter,” she said softly, pushing open the
screen door. She didn’t even hesitate as she wrapped her arms around his
torso, hugging him tightly. “Oh, my word! Look at you. It’s been a mighty
long time since I last saw you. Oh….” She lifted her hand, trying to comb out
her unruly brown and gray locks as she frowned. “Oh, I look a mess right now!”

She listened to the warm chuckle sounding from Rutley,
and she couldn’t help but to laugh with him.

“You look just fine, Mrs. B.,” Rutley nodded.

“Well thank you, honey. You’re looking awful nice
yourself. Come in, come in!”

She moved back into the living room, allowing her son’s
childhood friend to enter before she closed the door and hurried into the
kitchen. “Do you still like chocolate milk?” She asked, opening the fridge
door to peer inside.

“Yes, ma’am, I do,” Rutley responded as he leaned
against the doorframe and watched her. “But I didn’t come here just to get a
glass of milk. I was hoping we could chat.”

Mrs. Bamey slowly turned to face him, gripping the
carton of milk rather tightly between her sweaty fingers as she swallowed the
painful lump in her throat. “If this is about Liam…”

“No,” Rutley shook his head gently, lifting his blue
eyes to gaze at her again. “I’m very sorry to hear about that, by the way.
Liam was a hell of a guy.”

“Yes, he was,” Mrs. Bamey felt the burning sensation in
her nostrils. The promise of tears wasn’t very far behind. She blinked
rapidly and sighed, turning back to the counter to pour him a glass of milk.
“Why did you come here then?” She asked, opening the cabinet door and reaching
inside for the chocolate syrup. She was fairly certain that bottle hadn’t been
touched since Liam’s last visit. He was the last person to hold it…

“Mrs. Bamey?”

“Huh?” She blinked, turning her head slightly to see
Rutley standing beside her. His gaze was on the counter and a frown was etched
on his face. She followed his gaze and realized she’d put too much chocolate
syrup into the glass. “Oh! Oh, good heavens…I’m so sorry.”

“Why don’t you come to the table and sit down?” Rutley
asked as he gently gripped her elbow. “Come on. You look exhausted. When’s
the last time you got any sleep?”

“I can’t sleep,” she admitted sadly. “I haven’t slept
since the night the wo—” she immediately cut herself off. No, that was too
much information. There was no way, come hell or high water, that she would
get a good boy like Rutley involved in this situation. It was bad enough she’d
asked the sheriff for help, but to get his son involved? Absolutely not.

“The what?” Rutley asked as he helped her ease down
into the chair.

“Nothing,” Mrs. Bamey shook her head. “I’m just tired,
dear.”

“Why don’t I make us some coffee?” Rutley asked, moving
back to the counter as he rummaged through the cabinets. He glanced at her
over his shoulder, giving another award winning smile as his blue eyes
sparkled. “You take yours black, right?”

“With honey,” she nodded. “I have to have the honey,
dear.”

“Right,” Rutley chuckled. He dumped a scoop of
caffeine-promising goodness into a coffee filter before placing it into the
pot, flipping the switch. He listened to the low gurgle of the machine as he
turned back to face her again. “You always did like honey.”

“Honey’s good for you,” Mrs. Bamey insisted as she
gently massaged her temples with her fingertips. “It’s very healthy.”

“I know it helps with colds,” Rutley agreed as he eased
down into the chair across from her. He clasped his fingers together, resting
his hands against the tabletop as his eyes met hers. “Mrs. Bamey, what
happened to Lorcan?” He questioned. “Is there anything he’s done lately that
could’ve prompted his disappearance? Has he been doing drugs?”

Mrs. Bamey scowled. “Oh, heavens no! Lorcan? Doing
drugs? Absolutely not.” She shook her head furiously as she muttered beneath
her breath. “Not my boy. He’s a good boy. It’s nothing like that.”

Rutley released a low breath, his brows lowering slightly
upon his forehead as he tilted his head to the side. The way he looked at her
made Mrs. Bamey very nervous.

“You have to give me something to go on,” he said in a
gentle tone. “I don’t like the idea of Lorcan missing any more than you do.
I’m on your side, okay?”

Mrs. Bamey fought to keep herself in check, unwilling
to let her bottom lip quiver as she felt his warm hand rest atop of her own.
She nodded and closed her eyes.

Just breathe,
she told herself.
He only wants
to help.

“It’s all very complicated, Rutley,” she admitted after
a time. “You have to understand that….things haven’t been easy for our family
since Liam’s murder.”

That statement seemingly caught Rutley’s interest. He
straightened up in his seat, cocking his head to the opposite side as his lips
parted. “You think Liam was murdered?”

“I don’t think, sweetie; I
know.
”

“But Mrs. Bamey, the official police report says he
died from a mountain lion attack.”

“I know what that silly thing says,” she huffed,
frowning. “But you tell me the last time you saw a mountain lion in this part
of Tennessee.”

The seconds ticked by as they held one another’s gaze,
and Mrs. Bamey wondered what in the world could be going through the young
male’s head as he licked his lips. He blinked, and then finally turned his
attention to the coffee pot. “How about that coffee?”

Before she could say anything, he was up. His back was
to her as he prepared two cups of coffee, stirring in a generous amount of
honey for her as her mind reeled with how to explain the situation. She knew
it wasn’t easy for the sheriff to piece things together if she wasn’t even giving
him the right information, but there was one small problem; she couldn’t tell
him the truth. It was Urseth’s law. To tell a human about their existence
would result in her death, as well as Sheriff Holter’s. She couldn’t risk
that.

“Here you go,” Rutley stated softly as he placed the
steaming mug of coffee before her. The cup was one that Liam and Lorcan had
given her for Mother’s Day many moons ago. The letters were nearly faded from
so many washes; she did use it a lot.

#1 Mom
stared back at her as her lower lip
quivered again.

“Tell me what happened on the night they disappeared,”
Rutley requested as he lifted his own cup to his lips for a sip. “Where did
they go? What were they doing?”

Mrs. Bamey sighed, gripping the warmed porcelain
between her trembling fingers as she took a cautious sip. Her eyes met
Rutley’s as she tried to think of a suitable answer.

“I don’t really remember….” She lied, taking another
drink before tracing her tongue over her lips. “It’s a bit blurry for me.”

“That’s okay,” Rutley smiled. “I’ve got all evening,
Mrs. B.”

Her mind reeled with various answers as she emptied her
cup gradually, shaking her head as the warmth radiated through her entire
frame. “They were coming.”

“Who was coming?” Rutley asked as he rested his elbows
upon the table top, staring at her intently. “Who was it, Mrs. B.?”

Mrs. Bamey blinked again, frowning. She felt strange.
Her body was humming with warmth and content, and her mind felt as if water had
flooded her head. Was it possible for her brain to be floating around in her
skull?

“The…” No, she couldn’t say that, could she? She
wasn’t supposed to. She wasn’t allowed to talk about that, yet she was finding
it incredibly difficult not to tell him. “What did you put in my coffee,
Rutley?”

She met his gaze again, and it was only then that she
realized how blurry his handsome face was getting. She blinked once, twice,
and then let out a small cry of fright.

“It’s all right, Mrs. B.,” he said in that same, soft
voice. “It’s only going to help you relax. It won’t hurt you, I promise.
Neither will I.”

Mrs. Bamey shook her head, but quickly realized that
that was a bad idea, too. The room was spinning. Everything felt off balance
as she reached her hand out to grip the edge of the table. “I can’t…”

“Yes, you can,” Rutley assured her. He was standing by
her then, his palm pressed flat against the table top as he leaned down to be
at eye level with her. “Who took Lorcan and the others?”

“I can’t tell you,” she sobbed. “Please don’t make me
do that, Rutley.”

“Mrs. Bamey, please. I just want to help.”

“I…” her chest felt like it was tightening up as she closed
her eyes. A tear escaped from between her thick lashes, falling down her
cheek. “You don’t understand.”

“Help me to understand,” Rutley pleaded. “I want to
find them before it’s too late. We’re running out of time, Mrs. Bamey,” he
sighed. “Just tell me yes or no; do you know who took your son?”

“Yes.”

“Is it the same person who killed Liam?”

“Yes.”

“Are they human?”

“No.”

“Are they werewolves?”

“Yes.”

Mrs. Bamey gasped. Her eyes widened as she turned her
head to stare at him. She’d said too much. Oh, she was going to be in
trouble. How could she say that? How could he ask
that
? Humans didn’t
know about werewolves…

Rutley’s face was barely recognizable as her vision
became so disoriented that she thought she was going blind. Her trembling
fingers gripped the table top a little harder as her tears splashed against her
blouse.

“Don’t fret, Mrs. B.,” Rutley’s voice echoed in her
mind. “You won’t remember any of this when you wake up. Come on.”

She felt as he lifted her up from the table, guiding
her down the hallway to her bedroom-or at least she thought it was her
bedroom. She couldn’t make heads or tails of anything at the moment. She was
so tired.