Return to Kadenburg (4 page)

Where am I?
He wondered as he lifted his head,
trying to take in his surroundings.

Drip drip drip.

That is annoying,
he groaned softly, coughing
soon after as chemicals assaulted his nostrils; burning his lungs. What in the
world was that God awful stench?

“You’re finally awake.”

Lorcan’s head turned quickly in the direction of a
female’s voice, and he was surprised to see the woman standing in the corner of
the room. She had her arms crossed over her chest, a look of concern etched
over her attractive features as she frowned.

“I was beginning to worry that last dose was too much
for you to handle.”

“What did you do to me?” Lorcan asked in a raspy
voice. He curled his fingers against his palms, accepting the knowledge that
his hands were restrained. That was probably very smart on his captor’s
behalf.

He could remember now. He knew why he was here….and he
also knew that meant Presley was in trouble, too.

“Where is she?”

“She’s fine, for now,” the woman replied as she moved
closer. She crouched down before him, reaching for something as she sighed. “The
Etorphine will sweat out of your system eventually….that is, well, if I didn’t
have to inject you again.”

Lorcan blinked slowly, his eyes moving to her face
again as he frowned. “You’ve drugged us?”

“It’s the only thing I could do to prevent further
damage,” she insisted. “It was either that, or shoving pepper down your
throat. Which would you prefer?”

She had a point. Pepper didn’t sound pleasant at all.
He licked his lips, swallowed down the lump in his throat, and then watched her
cautiously as she lifted something into view.

Was that a bottle of water?

“You must be thirsty,” she said in a softer voice, her
eyes darting from one side to the other. “Don’t play tough guy with me,
Lorcan, just take a sip.”

He kept his eyes on hers, unsure of what she was
playing at as the mouth of the bottle rested against his lips. As she tipped
the bottle back, he wasn’t sure he’d ever been happier to taste warm water so
much in his life. He greedily swallowed each mouthful, his eyes closing as he
groaned. The room-temperature water soothed his mouth and throat before
hitting his empty stomach. When was the last time he’d had anything to eat?

“Here,” she whispered, pulling the bottle away from his
lips. “Try to keep this down, okay? It might be easier to feed you now that
you’re conscious.”

Lorcan blinked, watching as she pulled a wad of napkins
from her pocket. She quickly tugged away each layer, revealing a sandwich.
His mouth instantly watered, and his stomach growled in demand. Yes, he was
starving.

“Here,” she broke off the corner of the sandwich,
lifting it to his lips. “Just take it easy. Don’t try to force it, okay?”

Lorcan happily accepted the bread between his lips,
chewing it quickly before swallowing it down with an appreciative moan. It
felt nice just to have something in his stomach for a change.

“Why are you doing this for me?” He asked, licking the
crumbs away from his lips. Was that a trace of honey he tasted?

The woman shrugged, lifting her pale green eyes to
stare at him. “Redemption, perhaps,” she replied. She broke off another piece
of the sandwich, carefully placing it between his lips. “I’m not very keen on
what’s happening around here.”

After swallowing the second bite, Lorcan was
immediately able to tell a difference in his body. His vision was clearer, his
mind was more focused, and he didn’t feel as weak. That
had
to be honey
he tasted. He watched the woman as she pushed dark hair away from her eyes and
pursed her lips together.

Why did she look familiar?

“We don’t have much time,” she whispered as she glanced
towards the door. “I need you to listen to me carefully, Lorcan, okay?”

He nodded.

“Tonight Breslin is planning to have a big feast,” she
hissed the last word as her eyes darkened. “He says it’s to celebrate his
victory over claiming Kadenburg, and he-”

Lorcan growled as his upper lip curled in disgust. “He
hasn’t claimed Kadenburg yet,” he snapped angrily. “My father won’t allow
that.”

“I know,” she said firmly, meeting his gaze. “Trust
me…I know that better than anyone else. But just listen to me for a second.”

He complied, closing his mouth as he blinked.

“I’ve heard that more ursithropes are returning to
Kadenburg,” she quirked a brow. “If that’s true, then the battle that took
place only a few days ago will be child’s play compared to what will happen
after they get here. Breslin has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.”

“No shit,” Lorcan scoffed.

The woman gave him a pointed look as she lifted the
bottle of water to his lips again. “I have to give you another shot soon, but
I promise it won’t be as strong as the last. At most, you’ll be drowsy and
weak for three hours tops. That gives the sun long enough to go down,” she
rested her palm against the side of his face. “The honey I’ve given you should
return most of your strength. Do you feel it yet?”

Lorcan’s brows lowered on his forehead as he nodded.
“Yeah, I feel it,” he hesitated. “Why are you doing this?”

She exhaled loudly as she bowed her head for a moment.
“Because,” she finally said, meeting his gaze again. “I need you to get that
girl out of here. You and Presley need to get as far away from here as you
can. Do you understand me?”

“I understand,” Lorcan replied with a frown. “But I
still don’t get why you’re helping us. You’re one of them. Breslin will kill
you for your betrayal.”

He watched the sad smile sliding over the female’s lips
as she shook her head. “I’ve been on his hit list for a long damn time,” she
replied honestly. “But make no mistake in thinking that I’m one of them,
Lorcan. I just want you to get that girl to safety and keep her safe.”

“I don’t have any issue with doing that, but what about
Greg? What about Dimitri?”

“It’s too late for Greg,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

He could feel the anger brewing inside. He felt sick.
Greg was dead?

“Dimitri has been sentenced to death. There isn’t
anything I can do about that. My concern is for you and the girl. Can you get
her out of here?”

Lorcan blinked, his gaze staying on the floor as he
nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” she patted his shoulder gently. “Now I have to
inject you again, but remember….it’s a diluted dose and you’ll regain your
strength shortly after waking up. When you’re ready, go to the last door on
the left; that’s where he’s keeping her.”

He watched in silence as she pulled out a small
syringe. The clear liquid inside was what had kept him at bay for days now.
Who knew that something so small and simple could put a bear down? He made a
mental note to look up Etorphine once he was out of here; once Presley was
safe.

What about Dimitri?
He wondered as he watched
her push on the syringe, watching the small droplets of liquid drip from the
tip of the needle.
I have to save him, too…..

“Okay, here we go,” she said
softly.

Lorcan barely even flinched as he felt the small stick
in his arm. He kept his gaze on the female, watching the look of concentration
on her face. Who was she? Why did she care so much about Presley’s safety?

“There,” she rubbed her fingers over the injection
site, her eyes meeting his once more. “Just remember, Lorcan. Get her out of
here as quickly as possible, and get as far away as you can. Keep her safe.”

“Yeah…..” He whispered, feeling his head begin to
swim. “I can do that.”

“I know you can,” she smiled gently. “You’re a lot
like your dad.”

Loran wanted to ask her so many more questions. He
wanted to know how she knew his father. He wanted to know what was so damn
important to her that she was willing to risk her life for his and Presley’s,
but his mind was already shutting down on him.

“Take care of my niece, Lorcan.”

Those were the last words he remembered before the
world went dark.

Five

I
t felt a little weird to be back at this.
Rutley promised himself nearly ten years ago he would never set foot in
Kadenburg again, yet here he was, venturing into the woods of B.F.E. with
nothing more than the trusty rifle his father had given him on his twelfth
birthday. Yep, so much for promises.

He wasn’t doing this for his father anymore. It wasn’t
about the ‘family business’; it was freaking personal. Those stupid monster
mutts were responsible for Liam’s death and he would kill them.

Up until just a short twenty four hours ago, Rutley had
been satisfied with his decision to follow his own path in life. Sure, things
had become increasingly stressed with his father over the fact Sheriff Holter
didn’t approve of his lifestyle, but the bad blood ran so much deeper than
that.

When Rutley was only a small boy, his parents had gone
on one of their many ‘hunting trips’. Leaving him in the care of his aged
grandmother, they set out to save the world, yet again, from the lycanthropes
threatening to infect the small town of Foxley, Kentucky. Sometimes he wished
they’d never gone at all, but seeing as they were the closest, location-wise,
living in Rodney, Ohio; they went without a second thought.

He could still remember his mother holding him in her
arms, kissing his forehead, and asking him to ‘be a good boy for Nana’. He
promised he would be. He was always a rather well behaved child, but who
wouldn’t be well behaved when their father had racks upon racks filled with
firearms?

That was the last time he saw his mother. She never
came back.

Rutley didn’t understand why until he turned twelve.
That morning, he wasn’t greeted with a birthday cake or the usual birthday
pancakes his Nana made especially for him; instead he awoke to his father’s
deep voice.

“Today is the day everything changes,” his father had
said in a celebratory manner. “Today, you learn the truth.”

And damn, what a truth it was. How was any
pre-pubescent boy supposed to digest the information his father threw at him
that day?

Wasn’t it insane to find out he came from a long line
of skilled hunters that lived for killing only one thing? And worse, that one
thing was
werewolves.

A normal person would’ve laughed it off. A normal
person would’ve called in child protective services and whisked Rutley away to
a new family; but no one in the Holter family was normal. Even his grandmother
had been in on it, and Rutley had no choice but to embrace the future they’d
planned for him since before he was even born.

“Fucking werewolves,” he muttered softly as his eyes
scanned the area. It was cold and damp, and he wasn’t a big fan of this
weather anymore. He could’ve been on the beach right now, enjoying a cold one
while he watched tourists soak in the sights of Miami; but no, he was back in
the miserable, one horse town known as Kadenburg-and he hated it.

Werewolves were a pain in his ass. Not only had they
killed his best friend and abducted kids he knew back in the day, but one of
them was also responsible for his mother’s death.

Damn it, don’t think about that,
he chided as he
carefully stepped over a fallen tree and continued on his way. He lifted his
eyes to glance at the treetops, watching as the sun slowly sank behind them.
It would be getting dark soon, he needed to hurry.

He wasn’t even sure what he was looking for, exactly.
He knew which direction he was going in, but he didn’t have the slightest clue
as to what he’d find once he reached his destination. Answers? Closure?
Absolution?

Never
, his mind hissed. This wasn’t something
that could be forgiven. The werewolves were seriously messing with the wrong
town right now. Kadenburg was meant to be the clean slate the Holter family
needed desperately after his mother’s death; not territory for freaking wussy
wolves to frolic about on.

He really did hate werewolves, and knowing they had
taken Liam’s little brother and Presley Goult was enough to piss him off just a
little more. He would shoot first and ask questions later, just like his
father taught him.

As he trekked further into the woods, he listened to
the sound of dead leaves crunching beneath the weight of his boots. Various
songs ran through his mind, but he stayed surprisingly alert to any and all
noises around. There wouldn’t be too much activity during the winter months
anyway, right?

Darkness was upon him before he knew it, and that’s
when he found the exact spot his father had described. He stood there, dead
center, in the very place Liam died. A chill ran down his spine as his eyes
scanned the earth’s surface. There was no trace of blood here. A stranger
would walk by without a second thought about what had happened here a short
time ago, but Rutley wasn’t as fortunate.

He crouched down, tracing his fingers over the cool,
damp dirt as he closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Liam,” he whispered. “I’m
sorry I couldn’t save you from them.”

Maybe he never should’ve left. Perhaps he should’ve
just ignored his father’s bigotry and judgment-but how was he supposed to live
any sort of life with that kind of hate surrounding him?

“You should go,” Liam said with a sad smile. “If
that’s what’s going to make you happy, Rut, just go.”

He sighed as he leaned against the side of
his car, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know, Liam. It’s an awful
big world out there. What if I just move away only for it to happen all over
again?”

Liam grinned as he glanced up at the
evening sky, listening to the sound of crickets chirping all around before he
shook his head. “Maybe it won’t,” he replied. “Not every town in the world is
as narrow-minded as Kadenburg, Rut.”

Rutley met his friend’s gaze again as he
licked his lips. He swallowed the small lump in his throat as he chewed his
lower lip for a second. “Do you want to come with me?”

Liam cocked his head to the side, his grin
growing bigger as he lifted a brow. It was a look he often gave Rutley that
said he thought he was being ridiculous, and maybe Rutley was-but he was also being
very serious.

“You know I’d give anything to go out
there, but I can’t leave my family like that. I can’t leave Lorcan here to
fend for his self,” he chuckled.

Rutley echoed his laughter as he hung his
head again, blinking.

“Hey,” Liam said softly, reaching out to
rest his hands upon Rutley’s shoulders. He gave a small squeeze, slouching a
bit in an attempt to catch his gaze. “You know I’d go with you if I could,
right?”

Rutley nodded slowly, swallowing his nerves
back into place. “I do know that,” he confessed. “I guess I’m a little
scared. It’s a really damn big world out there.”

“But it’s a beautiful place,” Liam insisted
as his eyes darted back and forth between Rutley’s. “And you’re going to go
out there and make some new buddies. You’ll find a job you love….and somebody
to love. You’ll be happier than you’ve ever been in your life. You deserve
that more than anybody I know.”

“You deserve it, too,” Rutley argued. “Do
you really want to live out the rest of your life hiding what you really are?”

Liam fell silent, his eyes staying on
Rutley’s face as he frowned. “Of course I don’t,” he finally said. “But I
don’t think Kadenburg’s quite ready for a sexy homosexual like me. All the
girls will be locking up their boyfriends, afraid I’ll steal them or
something.”

Rutley managed to laugh despite the tears
blurring his vision. He shook his head gently as he pulled Liam in for a hug.
“You’re my best friend, Liam. What will I do without you?”

Liam’s strong arms wrapped around him,
holding him close as the night sky became darker. The cricket’s chorus grew
louder and everything else ceased to exist.

“You’ll find that guy, or that girl, that
makes you happy,” he whispered. “And then one day you’ll finally come back
here so they can meet your crazy ass best friend.”

Rutley sucked in a sharp breath
as the memory played out in his mind. Sometimes it felt like that had only
happened yesterday, but ten years had flown by a lot faster than he’d realized
until just now. He would never get to introduce anyone to Liam…..

The sound of a twig snapping nearby had Rutley on the
move, and he sank behind a large boulder that rested in between a few trees
with only seconds to spare. He gripped his rifle, his finger on the trigger as
he listened intently.

Footsteps.

He forced his breathing to slow down as he pressed his
back against the hard surface of the rock, slowly peering around it as he
watched three figures come into view.

“So how are we going to do this, Luke?” The first one
asked.

“Hell if I know,” the other male, presumably Luke,
replied. “We have to come up with a creative way for this traitor. I want to
do something fun.”

Rutley listened as they laughed, watching them emerge
on the path. They were both rather large men, built like professional
wrestlers, and they were dragging a third man between the two of them. He
caught a flash of auburn hair in the light of the moon and he leaned further
around the rock to get a better look. The middle one was injured. What were
they going to do to him?

“Come on, you little faggot,” Luke said as he shoved
the injured male to the ground….right where Liam’s body had been discovered.
“Give me a second to think about how I want to do this.”

Do what, exactly? Rutley’s brows knitted together as
he clutched his rifle, waiting. Watching.

He wasn’t very fond of the fact they were slinging
names at the third male, and he didn’t like the memories it triggered in his mind,
either.

“Come on, you little faggot! Get back up!”

He could hear the boys in the locker room
cheering on Bobby Lichliter, and it wasn’t doing a damn thing to help the
situation. For the third time this week, he’d been jumped after gym class, and
ten year old Rutley was getting fed up.

Pushing himself up from the floor, Rutley
turned around to see the pimply face of his attacker. He wiped the blood away
from his bottom lip before glaring.

“Awwww, poor little baby!” Bobby mocked with
a cackle. “Are you going to cry? Go ahead and cry, you little fairy. I want
to see you cry.”

Rutley let out a frustrated cry, rushing
forward as he wrapped his arms around Bobby’s body, tackling him to the floor.
Enough was enough. He was tired of being bullied every day just because Bobby
thought it was funny. He was tired of being called names and being tormented
by the other boys in his grade. This was going to end now.

Or at least, that’s what he was originally
thinking before Bobby rolled his fat ass over on top of him and started
pummeling his face.

“Smear the queer! Smear the queer!” The
other boys roared, hooting and hollering as they encouraged Bobby’s antics.

“Hit him again!”

Hit after hit, Rutley had no choice but to
take it. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping that Bobby would get bored sooner or
later, and let him go. Another punch, and another, and another…..

“Get off him!”

Rutley wasn’t sure what was happening until
it was already over. Bobby went sailing through the air, slamming into the
lockers as the other boys scattered. The overweight 5
^th
grader
scrambled to his feet, sobbing as he exited the room.

Rutley managed to open the eye that wasn’t
swollen shut, gazing up to meet the kind –but angry-face of Liam Bamey, his
best friend.

“What’d I tell you about picking fights,
huh?” Liam teased gently as he offered a hand to the fallen boy. “One of these
days they’re gonna mess with you and you’ll kick their asses.”

“I keep waiting for that day,” Rutley
admitted as he took Liam’s hand and pulled himself up. “Guess it just wasn’t
today.”

“You’ll get ‘em next time,” Liam promised
with a lazy grin, patting his friend on the back.

“Yeah, next time,” Rutley agreed.

The flashback came and went
very quickly, and Rutley had to pull his finger away from the trigger. He
really hated the term ‘faggot’, and he really didn’t like these dipshits,
either.

“What do you think, Dimitri?” Luke asked as he crouched
down in front of the injured male. “How do you want to die?”

Dimitri.
The name bounced around in Rutley’s
head as his lips anchored into a frown. That was one of the missing boys he’d
read about. Dimitri Fridolf.

He reminded himself he needed to stay hidden as the two
morons debated the demise of the third man. What exactly had he done to
deserve to die anyway?

“I’m thinking we should start with slicing his chest
open. Isn’t that what Breslin did to his little boyfriend?” The second guy
snickered. “Made him cry a bit, didn’t it? Do you think you’ll cry over it,
Dimitri? Are you a wussy, too?”