“And what is ‘this’ exactly?” Arnold turned his head in the direction of his friend’s voice. “What in tarnation does Breslin have up his furry sleeve, huh? He comes in here and kills our people, he kidnaps my niece and drugs her, and he turns our young and able into freaks of nature. Now I find out he’s been chasing after my kid for Urseth only knows how long and he’s coming back to finish what he started. You tell me where it all fits together, Richard, ‘cause I ain’t got a damn clue.”
“I wish I knew, Arnie. I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. All I know right now is that we have a family to protect. We have a cub that needs to enter the world without the threat of a bloodthirsty lunatic roaming in our woods. I’ve already lost one boy and I refuse to lose the other. We have to come up with a solution-a permanent one.”
“Yeah,” Arnold muttered as he tilted his head back to finish off his bottle of beer. Thank Urseth for Dimitri. He really needed the alcohol in his system if he had to have this conversation tonight. “I just don’t think we need to have any more town meetings. I can’t believe Davey had a meltdown like that. And did you hear that Buchanan boy’s ridiculous recommendation? You and me as elders.” He snorted.
“I don’t reckon it was that ridiculous,” Richard said quietly. “I mean....you and me, Arnie, we’ve stuck it out. We stayed here. Everyone else ran away to protect their families, but we stood our ground. We’re the ones who buried Pierce Carroll. It’s you and me who kept a close eye on our kids as they grew up in this town. Why shouldn’t we be elders?”
“Cause the last time I checked we weren’t over the age of fifty yet,” Arnold shot a glare in his direction. “I’m too young to be called an elder.”
“Then maybe we just need a different name, huh? We are sons of Urseth, Arnie. We come from a long lineage of warriors and there’s gonna come a day when we have to fight like ‘em too. It wasn’t long ago we found ourselves going head to head with Breslin Connor, ya know.”
“I do know that,” Arnold sighed. “But I don’t reckon I’m fit to be in charge of this town, Richard. I can’t call the shots for our people if I can’t even figure out my own life.”
“Then maybe you need to figure it out,” Richard patted his shoulder. “Go talk to the woman, would you? She seems to be in a happy mood tonight. She’s had some wine.”
Arnold rolled his eyes as Richard walked away. Did he really take him for the type of man to take advantage of a woman’s intoxication just to make amends?
Apparently he did.
And he was right.
Twenty-five
“It’s time to open presents, everybody!” Mrs. Bamey exclaimed as she re-entered the living room with a big black bag. Presley knew that gifts were in that bag. She’d attended enough Bamey Christmas celebrations over the years to know exactly how this worked, but it was fun to see the excitement on the faces of her friends and potential brother as they smiled.
‘I hope I don’t get socks this year.’ Lorcan mumbled in her mind. ‘I always get socks.’
‘If you get socks you will love them.’ Presley grinned and patted his knee. ‘It’s not easy buying expensive things in today’s economy.’
She was well aware of Mrs. Bamey’s need to buy everyone socks and underwear. She could still remember, very vividly, how the mama bear had bought her a bright pink training bra for Christmas when she was thirteen. Presley had never been so embarrassed in her life, but she did appreciate receiving a pretty bra instead of the plain Jane grey ones her uncle purchased.
At least he tried. Presley thought as her eyes drifted to her uncle. He seemed to be in a different world as he gazed at the floor. What was he thinking about? The only feeling she could get from him was discontent. Something was making him very unhappy. Was it Sammy? Was it Natalie? What if she was the reason he wasn’t happy?
‘You know that’s not true.’ Lorcan’s hand found hers and gripped it gently. ‘He loves you so much, Pretz. You could never do anything to make him unhappy.’
‘Except sneak out after midnight and come home in the back of a sheriff’s car.’ She stifled a laugh with her free hand and glanced around the room again. Dimitri was accepting his gift from Mrs. Bamey as she made the rounds.
One by one, each person received a gift wrapped in bright red wrapping paper and a green bow. Even the two surprise guests received a gift and Presley knew she must’ve rushed to find something to put in those boxes. Mrs. Bamey would never exclude anyone.
“Here you go, Presley,” Mrs. Bamey was simply glowing as she held out a box for her to take. “Now everybody has to wait for me to get seated before we start opening these. No cheating!”
“Mrs. Bamey, we’ve brought some gifts to give out too, if that’s all right with you.” Dimitri said as he pushed himself up from the floor and smoothed his palms against the thighs of his jeans.
“Oh? Of course, Dimitri.” The older female smiled broadly and nodded. “Have at it.”
Dimitri grinned and for the first time Presley noticed the dimple in his chin. How had she not seen that before? Since Dimitri’s speculation of being her brother, she was definitely seeing him in a different light. It made sense, didn’t it? How many times had he saved her when there was no reason for him to do so? How many times had he located her when no one else could?
He must be my brother. She thought while biting her bottom lip. He just has to be the one Urseth was talking about.
‘Maybe he is.’ Lorcan leaned over to kiss her cheek as Dimitri approached them. Presley tilted her head back to gaze up at him and as he smiled, she could only smile back.
“This is for you, Presley,” he said as he held out a small box for her to take. “I hope you like it. Lorcan, this one is for you.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything, man.” Lorcan grinned excitedly and accepted the bulky gift. He shook it out of curiosity and quirked a brow.
“Mrs. Bamey, this is for you,” Dimitri handed her another gift before he turned back to Rutley. “Where’s Mr. Bamey’s?”
“Uh....” Rutley glanced at Kia, the girl with the purple stripes in her hair, and gave her a questioning look.
“Don’t look at me. I was just in charge of grabbing the beer out of fridge.” She said as she held her hands up in the air.
“Ah hell, son. Don’t worry about that right now,” Mr. Bamey insisted as he shook his head. “I’m sure we can find it later, huh? Let’s open some gifts.”
The sound of paper shredding filled the air as everyone eagerly began to unwrap their presents. Presley felt excited, as she always did on Christmas, as she carefully untied the bow atop her gift from Mrs. Bamey and peeled away the wrapping paper. She had no idea what to expect this year. Everything was different in many ways and she had the feeling she wasn’t receiving another training bra.
But she had no idea she would be getting what the box held within. A small gasp escaped her lips and Lorcan quickly turned his head to stare at her.
“What’d you get?” He asked. His Southern drawl was oddly thicker than usual as his brown eyes peered into the box. “Holy hell....”
Presley gazed at a beautifully framed picture of her, Lorcan, and Liam from the summer of ’99. She remembered that day all too well. Lorcan and Liam were drenched from head to toe, dressed in their swimming trunks while a much chubbier version of herself posed prettily for the camera in a polka dot bathing suit. They all seemed so happy.
“This is beautiful,” Presley whispered as she blinked back fresh tears. Urseth pregnancy made her cry over the most ridiculous things. “Mrs. Bamey, you shouldn’t have.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Charlotte Bamey laughed. “I couldn’t afford much this year, but it’s our first Christmas without Liam and in a way...this was my way of having him involved.” She sniffled.
“This is absolutely perfect.” Presley whispered as she glanced towards Dimitri. He was unwrapping his gift from Mrs. Bamey as well and once he had the box open, his eyes misted over. She watched as he pulle
d out something very familiar and her heart threatened to leap from her chest.
It was Liam’s old baseball jersey. The name BAMEY stared at her in bright navy blue letters with the number 32 just beneath. That was always Liam’s favorite number.
“I don’t know what to say,” Dimitri said as his hazel hues turned to Mrs. Bamey. “This is the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. The only gift actually...”
“Oh!” Mrs. Bamey was wrapping her arms around him in an instant and Presley felt the waterworks going full speed. She really needed to get a hold of herself-and fast.
It was some time later that the party died down and Lorcan volunteered to clean up all the wrapping paper. Presley was seated at the kitchen table with a hot cup of tea in hand while Mrs. Bamey finished wiping down the last of the dishes.
“I think that was pretty successful, don’t you?” She asked as she wiped her hands off on the dishrag and turned around to peer at her.
“It was wonderful,” Presley nodded. “I just wish Uncle Arnold would’ve been in better spirits. He seems so down and I don’t know how to help him.”
“Oh, honey. I’m not sure we have the help he needs,” Mrs. Bamey joked lightly. “He’ll be all right, Presley. He’s just dealing with a lot right now, but as soon as he figures it out he’ll be okay.”
“Do you really think Sammy will die?” Presley questioned. It was a question that had weighed heavily on her mind since discovering she had a cousin. She didn’t have much family left in Kadenburg as it was. It saddened her to think Sammy would leave them just as they got her back.
“If we can find a way to prevent that, we will.” Mrs. Bamey promised.
“We have to head home soon,” Dimitri said as he entered the kitchen and plopped down across from Presley. “That was one heck of a shindig, Mrs. Bamey. Thanks for letting us come.”
“Oh, stop,” Mrs. Bamey huffed and glared at him playfully. “You were at the top of my invite list this year, Dimitri. You better not make any plans for future Christmases because I fully expect you to be here, with us.”
“Understood,” he smiled. There was that dimple again. His hazel hues met Presley’s and she returned his smile. He made her feel happy in spite of the gloom surrounding them. That had to be a sign, right? “Oh hey, Presley....you never did open my gift.”
“That’s because I wanted us to open our gifts together,” Presley explained as she got up from the table and hurried into the living room. She returned with a small box in hand and held it out to him. “This is for you.”
“You really didn’t have to get me anything,” Dimitri argued as he held his hand out. “But thank you for thinking of me.”
“I’ll just give you two a minute.” Mrs. Bamey said as she patted Presley’s shoulder and hurried back into the living room.
So here she was. She was alone with her potential brother and they were exchanging gifts. She knew exactly what was in the box she handed to him, but it felt right. He felt right.
“So how do you want to do this?” He glanced at her. “Count down?”
“Count down,” Presley laughed. “Three....two.....”
“One.” Dimitri tore the paper away from the small box and laughed as he eyed her occasionally. She was working on getting hers open, but he’d taped that sucker down.
Presley had no idea what to expect when she pulled off the box top and peered inside, but she really wasn’t expecting to find something so beautiful. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes grew wide as she stared at the gorgeous piece of jewelry inside.
“Do you like it?” Dimitri asked, watching her. “It was sort of last minute, but I figured my sister deserved something nice. They didn’t have much to choose from either.....”
“It’s perfect.” Presley whispered as she plucked the golden bracelet from within. The single heart shaped charm dangled in the air and once again she found herself on the verge of tears. He’d made an extra trip just to get it for her? Because he wanted to get his sister something nice?
“I’m sorry if you don’t like gold,” he added quickly. “I can’t exactly pick up silver and I wanted to make sure it was something pretty. I noticed you had a chain around your neck already or I would’ve gotten you a necklace....I hope it’s okay.”
“Dimitri, it’s fine,” Presley insisted as her eyes met his. “It’s beautiful and perfect. Thank you so much.”
He smiled and his entire face lit up with a happiness Presley hadn’t seen before. She’d never seen him look so content. Did she cause that?
“So what did you get me?” He asked as he refocused his attention on the rectangle-shaped box in his hands. He lifted an eyebrow as he removed the top and then both eyebrows shot high on his forehead. “Holy shit, Presley. That looks really expensive.”
She could feel her face heating up as he pulled out the pocket watch and handled it with such care. His large hand didn’t dare close around the finely crafted time piece as he shook his head slowly.
“Do you like it?” She asked a little nervously.
“Like it? Presley, this is gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life,” Dimitri popped it open to examine the inside and as his eyes moved over the words she’d had engraved her heart stopped altogether. “Oh, Presley....”
What if he didn’t like it? What if he changed his mind? What if he decided he’d made a mistake and he was not the one Urseth had spoken of?
He must be the one. Presley thought as her eyes moved back and forth between Dimitri’s face and the pocket watch. He was dreaming of my father, wasn’t he? Our father....that’s why he was asking about somebody named Pierce. We share the same dad just as I saw in my dream. He’s the baby that deserved a strong name.
It had to be true. Presley prayed that it was true as she waited with baited breath for Dimitri to speak again.
“Thank you,” Dimitri said as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her suddenly. Presley was taken aback, yet at the same time she’d never felt anything so wonderful before. She circled her arms around his muscular torso and returned the embrace as a small laugh escaped her lips. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” he paused. “Sister.”
Sister. The tears flooded down her cheeks again as she pulled back to peer at him. His soft gaze was tender and loving as he lifted his hand to wipe away the salty droplets streaming down her face.
“Don’t cry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“They are tears of joy,” Presley reassured him with a sniffle. “I kept hoping everything would start making sense and I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my brother. It turns out he was in front of me this whole time. I’m grateful that it’s you, Dimitri. I’m sorry that we couldn’t have found out sooner. Maybe things would have turned out differently for you and Liam if you’d been with me and Uncle Arnold instead of those.....monsters.”
“Hey now,” Dimitri pulled her against his chest again and sighed. “We can’t think about that, Presley. It’s Christmas. Liam wouldn’t want you to worry about that tonight, would he?” No, he wouldn’t. “And you said it yourself that everything had to play out in a particular way. I’m a firm believer in things happening for a reason. No matter how much it hurts, we have to trust that things are going to get better. I do miss Liam.....”
“I miss him too,” Presley sniffled again. “He was always so nice to me.”
“It’s just like Mrs. Bamey said, he was not forgotten tonight. We all carry a small piece of him with us now and he’ll always be in our hearts. He was only doing what he felt was right and if you’ve been dreaming about him...” He pulled back again to gaze into her eyes. “Then I trust everything he’s telling you. That baby in there is my nephew and you’re damned right I’m going to protect him just as much as I’m going to protect you. You’re a part of my pack, Presley and I’d die for you.”
“Please don’t say that,” she sobbed. She buried her face against his chest again. “Enough people hav
e already died over this. My dad...I mean, our dad...”
“Shhh. It’s okay,” Dimitri’s hand moved up and down her back in a comforting manner as he rocked her back and forth gently. “Everything’s going to be okay from here on out. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you.” She whispered.
And she believed him.
Twenty-six
Rutley was waiting outside with Kia and Amber while Dimitri exchanged presents with Presley. He understood it was something that needed to happen in private and he would respect that. It made him happy to experience Dimitri’s happiness as a light snow blanketed Kadenburg once again.
He was leaned against Liam’s old car with his arms crossed over his chest, listening intently to Kia and Amber’s conversation. At least Amber had the decency to apologize for attacking the girl.
I can’t believe we mated to her and I didn’t even know it. He thought with a small frown. How the hell did I not know it?
‘Because he was trying to protect you. He seems like the kind of man who would shield someone from something that could hurt them.’ Kia’s voice replied in his mind.
Rutley lifted his eyes to meet her gaze and the warmth her light brown hues inflicted upon his skin made him shiver. He could hear the fast paced heartbeat coming from her stomach and his inner wolf howled.
She is pregnant with our pup! His wolf cried.
We cannot be sure it is ours. Rutley argued lightly as he tilted his head to the side. Dimitri and I shared her that night, ya know. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
It was a complicated situation to say the least. One of them was the father of Kia’s baby, but which one? Rutley couldn’t help but worry that it would create a rift between him and his alpha, and they’d only just begun to get close again after everything that had happened.
It’s not fair.
‘I’m so sorry.´Kia whispered sadly.
Kadenburg Revealed (The Kadenburg Shifters Series, Book 4) Page 23
