“Need a hand?” Rutley asked, thrusting his free hand out towards the timid man.
“You killed them,” Dimitri managed to say after a moment, letting his head fall back against the leaves as he closed his eyes. “Why’d you do that?”
Rutley smirked, lowering his rifle to his side as he gave a roll of his shoulders. “That’s my job.”
Six
Arnold Goult was beyond tired. Five days in the woods and they’d managed to learn nothing new. If only they could catch a damn scent….why couldn’t they find a scent? He couldn’t even pick up on the stench of the werewolves!
He wouldn’t even be returning to civilization if it wasn’t for the fact that Davey Berdine was having chest pains. The old man needed a rest, and it took a hell of a lot of convincing for Arnold to even leave the woods, but he eventually gave in.
Richard Bamey was right –and Arnold hated to admit that-but they were safer in numbers. Being on their own would only make them vulnerable to the werewolves. Enough of them were missing as it was, and if they wanted to have any chance at getting their kids back, they’d have to regroup and set out again when the sun came up.
Even though he really wasn’t comfortable with leaving the woods, he did it in hopes of being refreshed and recharged by dawn. He would return on his own if he had to. He wouldn’t give up on Presley.
He was distracted with worries as they entered the Bamey home and the small hunting party retired for the night. Some wanted to sleep; others wanted to take showers; Arnold only wanted to hold his niece in his arms and keep her safe.
“Here,” Richard grunted as he offered a mug of coffee to his longtime friend. “Drink this. It’s gotta be better than that creek water we’ve been sipping on for days.”
Arnold reluctantly accepted the steaming mug of caffeine as he gazed at the fireplace blankly. He wasn’t in the mood for conversation, truth be told. He would never be in the mood for anything ever again if Presley didn’t turn up, safe and unharmed.
This is my fault, he thought as he took a small sip and let the bitter liquid slide down his throat. I never should’ve let her come back.
He couldn’t help but to feel he was responsible for everything that had happened. What if he’d just told her the truth from day one? He could’ve reared her in the ways of the ursithropes by the time she started kindergarten. She never would have wandered off to be with that idiot boy Tim had she only known the truth.
I’m so sorry, Presley, he thought as he took another drink. He pulled the cup away to gaze at it, frowning. Too bad he didn’t have any whiskey to add in.
“Arnie, you can take Liam’s room for the night if you want,” Mrs. Bamey stated tiredly as she entered the living room. “I’m sorry I didn’t have any supper ready. I guess I was just so exhausted.”
“It’s okay, Darlin’,” Mr. Bamey said as he approached his wife. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning in to press a kiss against her cheek. “You deserve to get some rest, too, you know.”
Mrs. Bamey gazed at her husband worriedly as she shook her head. “I know that, Richard, but I don’t even remember going to bed. It seems like I was doing the dishes and then the next thing I know, you’re coming through the front door. I can’t recall how I got to bed.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mr. Bamey smiled reassuringly. “We’re all entitled to sleep, Sweetie. Besides, we’re big boys. We can fend for ourselves when it comes to eating. Ain’t that right, Arnie?”
Arnold wasn’t really listening to them as he sipped at his coffee again, his gaze remaining on the fire currently blazing. He watched as the flames licked at the blackened bricks.
“Arnie?”
He blinked, lifting his head to meet Mrs. Bamey’s concerned expression. “Huh?”
“Why don’t you go lie down for a bit?” She asked, offering him a warm smile. “I promise if I hear anything I’ll wake you up.”
“Oh,” he exhaled loudly as he pushed himself up from the couch and raked his fingers through his hair. “Yeah….that’s probably not a bad idea,” he admitted.
As Arnold Goult disappeared down the hallway, Mrs. Bamey turned to gaze at her husband again. She frowned as she shook her head. “Richard, what are we going to do? This is going to eat him up alive. It’s already making me lose my mind.”
She blinked back her tears, swallowing the painful lump forming in her throat as a shaky breath escaped her lips. “I want my baby back.”
“I know,” Richard Bamey whispered as he enveloped her in his strong arms. “I want him back, too, Baby. We’ll get them all back. Just wait and see, okay? We’ll catch a scent tomorrow and there won’t be any stopping us. I’ll get Lorcan back home, safe and sound.”
“And Presley?” She asked, lifting her head to peer at him.
“And Presley. And Greg,” he smiled. “And even that wolf you seem to be so fond of.”
Mrs. Bamey stared at him pointedly, lifting a brow slightly. “He was Liam’s mate. He is a part of our family now.”
“Yeah,” Mr. Bamey sighed. “I know he is. That’s why I’m gonna save his ass, too.”
“Good,” she whispered, burying her face against his chest once more. “I just want things to go back to how they were.”
“Me, too,” Mr. Bamey agreed, though he knew deep down that things would never be the same again.
–––––––-
Rutley wasn’t by any means weak, but damn, this guy was heavy. Perspiration glistened on his temples as he took each careful step forward, trying desperately not to drop him on the ground.
“I reckon you’ve been knocked around enough tonight,” he grunted, hoisting the injured fellow back into a more secure position on his shoulder. “But hell, I am not enjoying this.”
He received no response, which he expected; the guy had been unconscious for the last half mile of Rutley’s trek out of the woods. He knew it wasn’t because the kid was losing blood-no, it had to be something else. He was awfully weak, and his speech was slurred when he was actually capable of speaking. Maybe he was drugged or something…..
Almost there, he thought as he felt the familiar burn in his thighs. Getting up the incline to make it out into the clearing would be the hardest part of this journey. It would literally be all downhill from there. Pacing his breathing, Rutley took each step with great determination, keeping his arm locked around Dimitri’s waist as they finally made it out of the woods.
“Shit,” he muttered, easing the male onto the ground before wiping at his brow. He released a low breath, shaking his head. “What the hell do you eat?” He wondered aloud.
With the bright moonlight overhead, Rutley managed to steal his first good look at the bruised man lying at his feet. He wasn’t terrible looking.
Jesus H. Christ, Rutley, he rolled his eyes. Are you really going to ogle at the man you just saved?
He pulled his gaze away from Dimitri’s face, despite the fact he really needed to get a better look at the claw marks on his cheeks. Instead, he settled for gazing at his broad, chiseled chest.
Yes, that’s the more reasonable thing to do, he chastised mentally. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, bending down to pick him up again.
“All right,” he sighed. “I need to get you out of here. I’m sure my dad’s going to have a few questions for you whenever you wake up.”
The other male mumbled incoherently as Rutley slowly made his way towards his car. This was going to be a fun night.
“You better not get blood on the seats,” he added quietly. “That car’s almost paid off.”
–––––––—
She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on when she heard muffled laughter sounding in the distance. Was it overhead? Was it beneath her? Was it just in the room across the hall? She felt so damn disoriented as consciousness finally returned to her.
“Mmm,” she groaned softly, lifting her head to gaze around the darkness of the room. Oh, how she’d hoped to awake and realize
it was all just a nightmare; but somehow she knew better than that. This was her reality. She could in fact turn into a bear, werewolves had indeed abducted her, and she had seriously boned Lorcan freaking Bamey a few days ago.
It’s official, she thought as she squirmed against the restraints binding her wrists. I just totally tossed sex with Lorcan into that observation. Does it matter that I’m about to die? Nope! I just had to go remembering that, didn’t I?
She let out a frustrated whimper as she pulled against the chains again. If only she could get free…..
She froze instantly when she heard the hinges on the door slowly creak, and she lifted her head to see a figure in the doorway.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. She held her breath, keeping her eyes on the silhouette of the person entering the room. What did they want? Was it Breslin again? She really couldn’t handle any more torture tonight.
“You’re awake,” the voice said softly. “Good.”
It was distinctly female, and Presley had to wonder if this was another one of Breslin’s tricks. Was he sending a woman to make her scream for a little while? Did he get some sort of sick pleasure out of making her bleed? Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she trapped her lower lip between her teeth.
“Don’t be frightened, Presley. I’m here to help you,” the woman stated as she came into view.
Presley was able to make out the woman’s facial features then. She was very pretty. She possessed prominent cheek bones and a perfect chin. Her pale green eyes glowed gently in the dimly lit room as she leaned forward, lowering herself to Presley’s level.
“Look at you,” she whispered with a small smile. “You’ve grown so much.”
Presley was taken aback, and confused. Why was this woman speaking to her as if she was a small child? Why wasn’t she torturing her as so many had over the last few hours? Sure, there was something running through her system, but Presley was more than aware of everything that had happened since Breslin’s visit earlier that evening.
In fact, memories from that visit made her tremble. She didn’t want that to happen again. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be out of these chains and back in the safety of Uncle Arnold’s house. She wanted…..
The chains hit the floor with a thud and Presley’s arms were freed from their uncomfortable angle. She quickly pulled her hands into her lap, rubbing at her wrists in turn as she stared up at the other female. She could make out the smile on the woman’s face as she frowned.
“What’d you do that for?” Presley asked quietly. “Are you taking me to him?” Her eyes widened slightly as she squirmed out of the chair and tried to stand. Bad move. She stumbled forward and her knees slammed against the floor as she gasped. Damn it. Why wouldn’t her legs work?
“Presley, be careful,” the woman whispered.
She felt a gentle touch against her back, and Presley turned over quickly to stare up at her. “You can’t make me,” she said through clenched teeth. “I refuse to do that.”
“Shh, shh, no,” the woman shook her head furiously. “No, Presley. I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”
Staring at her apprehensively, Presley’s brows knitted together. “It depends on what you’ve got to say,” she admitted as her voice quivered.
The woman tilted her head to the side, studying her for a moment. “I’m letting the Etorphine exit your system,” she explained in that same soft voice. “I’m sorry I had to drug you…..it’s the only way I could keep you from hurting yourself, but I promise you’ll be back to normal by morning.”
Presley scowled. “You drugged me? I knew it,” she hissed. “That’s why I couldn’t change? Wow, what a favor.”
“Presley,” she frowned. “I know you may not believe me, but I am trying to protect you. I’m not your enemy, all right?”
Truth be told, Presley wasn’t sure who she could trust in this place. The stench was god awful-and she couldn’t even smell the mangy mutt smell; it was that take-your-breath-away-and-make-your-lungs-burn-like-hellfire scent that was driving her insane. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, swaying back and forth a few times before the woman reached out to steady her.
As their gazes locked once more, the woman’s smile grew bright.
“Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your mother?” She asked softly.
Presley fought the urge to roll her eyes. She hated that she resembled her mother at all; that good-for-nothing woman. Ugh.
“I’ve heard it a few times,” Presley admitted as she licked her dry lips. What she wouldn’t give for something to drink. “So, if you’re not here to torture me and you’re not going to take me to Breslin,” she quirked a brow. “What the hell do you want from me?”
The woman pursed her lips together, heaving a sigh as she lifted her hand to touch Presley’s cheek gently. “I want you to run,” she nodded. “After I leave, Lorcan will come for you, and you have to get far away from here, Presley. I mean that. Go back to your uncle. Backup will arrive and then you can make your next move. Right now, my main concern is getting you out of here.”
“Wait, what?” Presley blinked, frowning again as she cocked her head to the side. “You want me to get out of here? Your boss isn’t going to like that very much, is he?” Her heart skipped a few beats at the thought of seeing Lorcan again. How many days had it been now? Five, wasn’t it? She’d lost track of time; maybe it had been much longer than that.
“I have no boss,” the woman replied firmly, her thumb stroking Presley’s cheek. “But I do have obligations in life. I’ve been running from them for too long.”
A surge of heat ran through Presley’s veins, like a jolt of electricity as the hair on her arms stood on end. What was that, exactly?
“I need you to take care of yourself,” the woman added after a moment. “And take care of this one.”
Presley’s brows furrowed again as she lowered her head, watching as the woman pressed her palm against her stomach. Another jolt of electricity ran through every nerve ending as her eyes immediately clouded over.
“You mean…..I’m….”
The woman nodded. “Yes,” her smile returned, but it was a sad one. “The cub you carry inside of you deserves a fighting chance in this world, Presley, and so do you. That’s why I am risking my life for yours. Breslin cannot take Kadenburg. He cannot drive us into extinction, do you understand?”
Presley’s mouth fell open as ten thousand different emotions tried to consume her very soul. She blinked back the tears as she shook her head. “Us? You mean, you’re a…..”
“Yes,” the female nodded eagerly. “Yes, I am, and I’m so sorry we never had the opportunity to get to know one another. I hope that this will make up for it, somehow. It’s what your father would’ve wanted, I think.”
“My father?” Presley’s bottom lip quivered. And then another thought occurred as she gazed into the pale green eyes of the woman before her. Yes, it made sense now. Maybe it shouldn’t have, and maybe she was crazy for what she was feeling; but she somehow knew exactly why this woman was helping her now. “Aunt Natalie?”
“Yes!” Natalie whispered excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Presley and pulled her close. “Yes, Presley. I’m so sorry for everything,” she sniffled. “I’m so sorry I’ve gotten you into this mess.”
“You didn’t…..I mean….you’re not the one who put Breslin up to trying to claim Kadenburg, right?” She asked softly, still trying to process this new information. This woman was her aunt; the one Uncle Arnold seemed to hate, and the one she understood to hate everything they stood for. Didn’t Natalie hate being an ursithrope? Wasn’t that what Arnold said?
“No,” Natalie admitted as she pulled back to wipe at her own tears. “But I did mention I had a niece.”
Presley shrugged. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it, I’m afraid,” Natalie confessed as she lowered her gaze to the floor. “We don’t have much time, Pres
ley, but I’ll tell you what I can.”
Seven
Once they were in the safety of the hotel room and Dimitri was tucked beneath the blankets, Rutley picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialed his father’s number. He eased down into an ugly beige chair near the heater, stretching his legs out as he waited for his father to answer.
On the fourth ring, his father’s sleepy voice echoed in his ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, Dad, it’s me,” Rutley said as he lazily pushed his boots off.
“Hey,” his father suddenly sounded much more alert. “What time is it?”
“Uh,” Rutley glanced at the clock near the television, reading over the illuminated numbers. “Eleven twenty three. Were you seriously in bed already?”
His father didn’t answer immediately and it made Rutley wonder if he’d asked the wrong thing.
“Yeah,” his dad finally said. “It’s just been a long day. I was tired. Did you find anything?”
Rutley glanced at the bed then, his eyes falling upon the sleeping male nestled beneath the sheets. He watched the steady rise and fall of his chest and licked his lips. “Kind of.”
“Kind of? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Did you get any leads from Mrs. Bamey?”
“Sort of,” Rutley replied purposefully. “But I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. I’m pretty tired myself so I think I’m going to turn in for the night. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Rutley, wait.”
“Yeah?”
“Where are you? Why didn’t you just come home for the night? You’ve got a bed here, you know…..”
“Yeah, I know,” Rutley gripped the receiver tightly as his jawline flexed and relaxed. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”
He hung up before his father had the opportunity to say anything else. He didn’t want to talk about it anyway. He had more important things to worry about in the moment, and none of those things involved his father trying to mend things between them.
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