Return to Kadenburg (3 page)

“Just relax,” Rutley cooed as he pulled the blankets up
to her chin. “When you wake up, Lorcan will be back home. I hope.”

“Bring my baby home,” Mrs. Bamey whispered, her speech
slurring. “Bring them all back home.”

“Shhh, don’t worry,” Rutley whispered as he kissed her
forehead. “Don’t you worry about another thing. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

Before he even set foot out of her room, Mrs. Bamey was
overcome by darkness; and in that darkness, she found her first moments of
peace since the night her heart had been taken away.

Four

T
he sleepiness was wearing off again, and Presley
was finally able to hold her eyes open without feeling as if it was the biggest
burden of her life. She noticed straight away that a reoccurring chill had
taken residence in her arms, and it was terribly uncomfortable.

What is going on?
She wondered as she tried to
lift her arms. She needed to get the circulation going in them again as soon
as possible. There was no worse feeling in the world than pins and needles
from an unconscious limb.

Well, except for
that
.

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach when she
realized she couldn’t lift her arms. They were tied behind her back. Why?

Oh my god, what’s going on?
She wondered as her
mind went into panic mode. Where was she? How did she get here?

Her green eyes wandered around the room, taking in her
surroundings as she tried to answer the thousands of questions buzzing around
in her head. Things like this only happened in the movies.

Yet you can turn into a bear,
she reminded
herself as sweat trickled down the side of her face. Why was it so hot?

Lorcan
, she thought. She shifted, squirmed, and
wiggled against her restraints. A small whimper of fear managed to escape
between her tightly pursed lips as she turned her head from one side to the
other. Her blond hair fell into her eyes, but she hardly paid it any mind as
she tried to figure out how to free herself.

The sound of the door opening quickly caught her
attention, and she lifted her head to see a man standing there. He was tall,
thick, and the look in his eyes told her he was nothing more than pure
wickedness.

“So you’re finally awake,” the man observed as he
crouched down in front of her. His head angled to the left as his golden eyes
shamelessly roamed down her body. “You know, little bear, I’ve not seen such a
pretty ursithrope since, hm, I think it was nineteen eighty seven.”

She could feel his gaze creeping over her chest and
Presley’s brows lowered in disgust. This man gave her the heebie jeebies-and
for good reason. His appearance screamed trouble, and the energy that
surrounded him made her stomach churn.

The jagged scar that ran from the bottom of his right
eye to just beneath his lower lip was faint against his olive skin, and she
briefly wondered how he’d received it.

“Nineteen eighty seven was a special year, wasn’t it?”
He inquired as he leaned in a little closer. As his fingers touched her cheek,
Presley flinched and immediately turned her head away from his caress. How
dare him!

“You don’t have to be shy with me, Sugar Bear,” he
chuckled. “I was…..close to your parents, you see.”

Presley’s head whipped back in his direction as she
stared at him. He had to be kidding, right? Him and her parents? Friends?
Impossible! She knew who he was. No one had to tell her. He didn’t have to
introduce himself. This was the man everyone had been talking about. He was
the alpha that caused Dimitri so much pain; he’d taken Liam away from his
family. This was the monster she desperately wanted to slay.

The icy sensation of dread that had been pooling in her
stomach for the past few minutes began to rise into her chest, gripping at her
lungs. The familiar shudder that rippled through every muscle in her body
reminded her that she was capable of killing the man in front of her; and oh,
she would if given the chance.

“Your mother was just as beautiful,” he continued as he
gripped her chin between his thumb and fingers. His eyes burned into hers as a
smirk lingered on his lips. “She was special to me.”

I’m going to bite your face off,
Presley
promised silently as she squirmed to get away from him.
I’ll give you a few
new scars to add to the collection.

“You’re not very talkative, are
you?” He questioned as he tilted his head the other way. “I could never get
your mother to shut up.”

Presley rolled her eyes, her lips tightly pursed
together as she fought the bile rising in her throat. His hot breath tickled
her chin and she felt nauseous just from the thought of this man trying to kiss
her.

He better not try it…

“So, Presley, I’m sure you’re
wondering why you’re here and more importantly, why you’re tied up,” He stood
once again and began to pace the floor of their confined room. Presley wasn’t
even sure where they were. It was a place that didn’t seem familiar to her.
There was only one hotel in Kadenburg and she’d been in all twelve rooms -for
random parties as a teenager-
none
of them had dull yellow paint on the
walls such as this.

“It’s a precaution for me. I do hope you understand,”
he leaned down in front of her again, his fingers curling around the back of
her neck as he pulled her face closer to his own. “It’s a bit eerie how much
you favor your mother. I can see your father in you, too, but you’ve got your
mother’s eyes,” He twirled a golden lock around his finger as his eyes lit up
from the smile on his face. “And this hair! Genetics are a magnificent thing,
aren’t they?”

Presley didn’t respond as she kept her cold gaze on
him. His golden eyes were tainted by a darkness that threatened to seduce her,
and Presley would be damned if she let one of
them
manipulate or
intimidate her. She knew exactly what he was and she understood that he was
her enemy according to the laws of nature.

So what if she didn’t fully understand her background
yet? Presley had enough common sense to know this man was the bad guy and he’d
taken her for a reason. It wasn’t just a friendly chat to reminisce about his ‘friendship’
with her parents.
No
, he had other plans and she could feel the
impending danger gnawing away at her ribcage.

“Didn’t your parents ever teach you it’s rude not to
speak when spoken to?” He asked as his grip on her chin tightened. Presley
winced, letting out a quick breath as her eyes flashed with anger. “Oh, wait,”
he smirked. “That’s right. Papa Bear’s dead and Mama Bear didn’t want you. I
keep forgetting that small detail.”

With a frustrated cry, Presley lunged at him. If it
hadn’t been for the chains wrapped around her wrists, she would have clawed his
eyes out.

His laughter bounced off the drywall surrounding them
as he released her chin and stood once more, waggling a finger at her.
“Manners, Miss Goult! It’s not very nice to attempt an attack on such a
courteous host such as myself.”

Presley could feel the pressure growing in her head.
Her body was trying to swell in anticipation of her shift-but for some reason,
it just wasn’t happening.

The man observed her in silence before he crossed his
arms over his broad chest, another smirk toying at the corner of his lips. “Something
seem a bit off?” He pondered aloud. “Is something keeping you from changing?”

“What did you do to me?” Presley asked in a hoarse
voice.

“So you do speak!” He jeered as he pulled a chair
closer to her, straddling it as he rested his arms against the back of it.
“Tell me, Presley. How does it feel to know you’re only moments away from
death?”

Presley tried to blow her blond bangs out of her face
as her eyes moved to meet his once again. Her chest rose and fell with shallow
breaths as her heart pounded an angry fist against her ribcage. Her pulse was
so erratic that she feared she’d go into cardiac arrest at any moment. Perhaps
ursithropes were not immune to panic attacks. Was that what she was having?

He released an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes
before he peered at her again. “You’re not going to answer that question, hm?
You’re much quieter than I imagined,” he speculated. “You’re the polar
opposite of your mother.”

“Don’t talk about my mom,” Presley warned.

“No?” He perked up a little, a brow lifting on his
forehead as he grinned. “Is that a soft spot for you? Mommy issues, hm?
We’re more alike than you realize, Presley,” he lifted his self from the chair
and then approached her again, leaning over until they were face to face. “I
lost my mother when I was a pup. It’s hard to grow up without that maternal guidance
isn’t it? No compassion, no nurturing; just some man who does what he thinks
is best,” he rolled his eyes. “Uncles.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about my uncle,” Presley
contended as she tried to work her wrists free from the iron links that bound
them.

“Again, you are wrong, little one,” he boasted with a
wide smile. “You think you know so much about everything and everyone you’ve
ever known, but the truth is
you
don’t know a damn thing, Sugar Bear.
You’re as oblivious as you are beautiful.”

Presley’s eyes narrowed on the man as she watched his
gaze lower over her body and her skin felt like it was crawling. He stared at
her as if she were a piece of meat he couldn’t wait to devour, and Presley was
extremely uncomfortable with the thought.

“It’s a shame you’re one of them,” he commented as he
leaned back in the chair, gripping the back of it with his hands to keep his
balance as a smile appeared upon his lips. “It’s so much more fun being one of
us, Presley. We’re faster; we’re more skilled at hunting; and if you assumed
we’re better at fighting, you’re correct.”

Within only seconds, he was crouching before her again,
his hands framing her face as he bumped his nose against hers. “We’re also
fantastic lovers.”

Presley scowled, jerking her head back violently in an
attempt to free herself from his grasp.

“Don’t touch me,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“What’s the matter?” he teased as he brushed the backs
of his knuckles against her cheek. “Are you afraid of me or something? I
assure you that you don’t have anything to fear when it comes to me,” he
smirked, “at least not while I’m in my human form, Sugar Bear.”

“I am not afraid of you,” Presley stated firmly. Okay,
so that was only partially true. She was freaking terrified, and she was
worried, too. She could remember fuzzy details from that night…how long ago
had it been? How long had she been here, exactly? She licked her dry lips,
nostrils flaring as she settled her gaze on his face again. “Where’s Lorcan?”

“Lorcan,” he repeated thoughtfully. “Lorcan,
Lorcan….hm, that name doesn’t ring a bell. Could you give me a description?”

“Lorcan! Where’s Lorcan, you idiot!” She exclaimed.
Any patience she’d had previously was out the window now, and she was getting
angry. Her skin tingled, body heat rising several degrees as the pulsating
throb in her skull returned full force. And the sudden slap against her jaw
didn’t help anything.

The sound from the impact of his palm against her cheek
sounded like a shotgun going off, and the ringing in Presley’s ears was
overwhelming.

The dull throb of pain made itself known as every muscle
in her body tensed in an agonizing way. The urge to shift into her bear form
was too much; she was going to kill him.

“Let’s get something straight, Sugar bear,” he said in
a low whisper. “If you ever speak to me that way again, I will not hesitate to
rip that thumping little heart out of your chest and eat it. Do you
understand?”

Presley’s gaze hardened as she stared at him, unwilling
to submit to the monster before her. This was the man that murdered her
father, and Liam, and he was surely going to kill her, too. She wouldn’t give
him the satisfaction of intimidating her into defeat.

Breslin’s eyes flashed with anger, his silver hues
glowing as his fingers curled around her throat. He applied gentle pressure as
his nose bumped against hers. “Do you understand?” He asked again,
articulating each word as a low growl sounded in his throat.

Presley whimpered, feeling as his grip threatened to
crush her windpipe. The flesh of her wrists was being rubbed raw as she
struggled against them, grunting in frustration.

“Answer me, you little bear bitch,” he seethed.

Presley’s lips parted as she blinked, feeling the
oxygen escaping her head. Her ears hummed in protest, her brain screaming for
the blood flow to return; god, she was
really
going to kill him.
“Fuck….you.”

She could see the wild animal clawing just beneath the
surface as he bared his fangs, a guttural growl reverberating in his chest as
he shoved her backwards, tipping the chair over as the back of her head made
contact with the floor. She whined softly, but she didn’t really have time to
worry about that right now.

“Wrong answer,” Breslin muttered.

As a tear escaped from the corner of her eyes, she
heard the door slam. She was left in complete silence.

What was going to happen now?

–––––––

The sound of water dripping nearby stirred him from
sleep, and Lorcan forced his heavy eyelids to open. The tips of his fingers
tingled, as if they’d fallen asleep on him some time ago and were just now
trying to awaken. God, he hated that feeling.

His mouth felt dryer than the Sahara Desert; what he
wouldn’t give for a drink of water.