Return to Kadenburg

by T. E. Ridener

“Who was the first?”

  Natalie’s eyes shifted towards the werewolf in the recliner, and everyone’s mouths fell open from her next reply.

  “Naomi Fridolf.”

  It was so silent that Louisa could’ve heard a pin drop, and undoubtedly would have had it not been for the sudden sound of screeching brakes outside.

  What is it now?! Louisa wondered as she heard the loud crash sounding only seconds later. She couldn’t will her legs to move as Dimitri bolted up from the recliner and moved towards the door. Mr. Bamey and Arnold Goult were hot on his heels while the young female was left to stand there, feeling confused.

  “What the hell was that?” Kyle Frey asked, the screen door slamming shut behind him.

  “Ain’t never a minute’s peace ‘round this place,” Davey Berdine muttered. “Now I remember why I moved away.”

  “What is going on?” Louisa asked, her eyes meeting her cousin’s.

  Beau glanced at her quizzically, shaking his head slowly.

  “Well if it’s not an ursi-lycan pumped full of silver being dragged in, it’s some lunatic wrecking his car in the front lawn,” He sighed.

  Twenty Six

  They had no idea how hard it was to be a single ursithrope pretending to be anything but extraordinary in a mundane world. Yeah, so he had his professional football career-big deal. He could have any woman he wanted-so what?

  It didn’t really matter that he was so famous with a high ranking spot on the ‘most eligible bachelor’ list if he couldn’t procreate with one of the many, many eager ladies who desired him. That’s just not how life worked for him.

  ‘Okay to date, forbidden to mate.’ The long running pain-in-the-ass adage he’d been hearing since early childhood. People had no idea how frigging difficult that made life for an exquisitely handsome, extremely talented man such as Colin Grimes.

  Of course he enjoyed the fame and riches that came with knowing how to score multiple touchdowns during a game, but he was getting older and he needed to start thinking about settling down. Over ninety-nine percent of the world’s female population couldn’t even be considered as an ideal mate, and that was frustrating. He had to choose another ursithrope and he’d never found a female that caught his ‘interest’ until he laid eyes upon Presley Goult.

  She was a juicy little morsel-that much was true. Those big green eyes and pouty little pink lips. He’d been dying to kiss them since day one. He wanted to tangle his fingers in those golden locks and bend her to his will…..but Lorcan Bamey just had to ruin it, didn’t he?

  It was bullshit, quite frankly, that most ursithropes believed in the pathetic possibility of marrying a childhood friend or high school sweetheart. It wasn’t an official rule in their twisted little guidebook. No female had to choose a male she’d been around her entire life. In fact, his mother and father hadn’t known each other until their late adolescence, so why did everybody in Kadenburg feel the need to push off their son on somebody else’s daughter at such a young age?

  It still bugged him. He would’ve had a good chance at snagging Presley up as a mate if Lorcan would’ve backed off for a bit. It wasn’t fair. Why did that little punk have to take the only attractive she-bear around?

  Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. That little Louisa number was cute in a way. That long dark hair and those legs that went on for days. Oh, he could imagine having those limbs wrapped around his waist as he gave her everything she could ever want. Fuck. Maybe he was just horny. He’d been stuck in this deadbeat town for nearly two weeks and he hadn’t scored his favorite type of touchdown since two days prior to his departure from Chicago.

  He didn’t even want to be back in this town. He loathed Kadenburg. If his mother hadn’t insisted on him ‘doing the right thing in the name of Urseth’, he would’ve ignored Mrs. Bamey’s plea for help and gone about his business. She was costing him big bucks and he didn’t like it.

  He did, however, like Presley. Liam’s little brother had snubbed out any chance he had of winning her over now. His disgusting scent was all over her, and she was carrying his cub. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

  With so many events happening as of late, Colin was only growing increasingly annoyed by his fellow ursithropes. They were all talk and no action. If they were going to kill the frigging werewolf, they just needed to do it. Hell, he’d do it if it meant he could go back to Chicago-Presley or no Presley.

  Luck had seemingly been on his side for a small while. Lorcan being taken prisoner along with Presley, the mutt, and Greg had given him the opportunity to play the hero. He would’ve saved her and left the rest of them to die if things had only gone his way; but of course Urseth couldn’t let that happen, now could he? Natalie Carroll, although blessed with a curvaceous ass and suckable lips, had once again screwed up his plans by letting Presley and Lorcan escape together. Was no one capable of cutting him some slack?

  And now Greg was back, miraculously alive and well -though a little on the weird side-so there wasn’t a doubt in his mind the younger ursithrope would somehow win over Louisa. What a crock of shit.

  Everyone rushed outside to check on the idiotic nit-wit called Rutley, leaving Colin alone with Greg’s unconscious form and the ever timid Louisa Xiong. Even Lorcan had rushed past him to see what the excitement was all about. What morons. Who cared if the werewolf hunter’s son got himself killed? Colin definitely didn’t care. They could all die and it wouldn’t bother him. None of them held an important role in society like he did.

  “How long do you think he’ll be out?” Colin asked as he leaned against the wall, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.

  “I don’t know,” Louisa sighed, glancing at him briefly. “Dimitri was out for days because of only one bullet. Greg could be out for weeks. I can’t be sure.”

  Oh, who gives a damn about the mutt? Colin rolled his eyes.

  “So he’s some kind of freak now, huh?” Colin smirked after a moment of silence. “Don’t guess a female ursithrope will be interested in him now.”

  Louisa shot a glare in his direction, frowning.

  “Why would you say something like that?” She asked softly. “It is not his fault that this has happened. He is still one of us.”

  “Barely,” Colin rolled his eyes. “He’s a freak. We don’t even know if he’s safe to be around. I think your brother is wasting valuable life-saving skills on him, personally.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you think,” Louisa snapped. She stood from the floor, crossing her arms over her small breasts as she narrowed her eyes on him. “My cousin has better instincts than most females I know. If a life is worth saving, he would know it.”

  “My bad, my bad,” Colin grinned, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just giving my opinion, you know. This is America. We’re allowed to do that here.”

  “I am not ignorant,” Louisa frowned. She was getting angry, and a part of Colin enjoyed that. Maybe he enjoyed pissing people off. He needed to let out some aggression anyway, right?

  “No?” Colin smirked. “Yet you are tending to him as if he’s some innocent little victim of a ferocious attack. He’s a monster. Anybody can see that, Louisa. You shouldn’t be so nice to him. I bet when he wakes up, he’ll prove that.”

  “You have no way of knowing that,” She growled softly, her eyes glowing as she curled her hands into tight fists. “I think you should go outside with the others and see if you can help.”

  “I’m not interested in helping,” Colin replied with a low growl of his own. “I think I should stay in here and make sure that little abomination never wakes up.”

  “You will not touch him!” Louisa took a step towards the couch, baring the razor sharp teeth elongating from her gums. She looked fierce-and sexy. It turned Colin on in ways he never imagined. Yes, she would do well in replacing Presley.

  “Can I touch you then?” Colin sauntered towards her, easily reaching her within three long strides. He lifted a hand to touch the side of her face. “Oooh. You’re bu
rning up. Do you want to bear out on me, Little Lou-Lou?”

  “Don’t you dare touch me again,” Louisa stated through her clenched, sharp teeth. “You will pull back a bloodied nub if you try.”

  “Oooh, feisty,” He snapped his teeth at her, wiggling his brows. “I think you’re really adorable, Panda Pants.”

  Louisa released a cry of anger as her fist flew forward. Colin had to bite back the laughter wanting to escape his throat as she punched his chest. It hurt, there wasn’t any doubt about it, but it only fueled the fire he felt for her.

  “So adorable,” He teased. “Look at how beautiful you are.”

  Louisa pulled her fist back, ready to strike again when another voice echoed in Colin’s ears.

  “What is going on?”

  The little panda vixen was soon forgotten as Colin turned his head to see his golden haired beauty standing in the doorway. She was dressed in an oversized t-shirt, undoubtedly Lorcan’s, and the collar was sliding over her shoulder in a way that made him wish he could rip the fabric from her body. His nostrils flared as he licked his lips.

  “Nothing, really,” Colin replied in a husky tone. “Just having a bit of fun.”

  Presley’s thin eyebrows drew together as she stared at him, and then her eyes moved past him to study Louisa.

  “What’s wrong, Louisa?” She asked.

  “He-”

  “I was just playing with her,” Colin chuckled, cutting Louisa off purposefully. “I was bored and thought I’d pick on her a bit. It was some harmless fun, Presley. I swear it.”

  He knew she wasn’t buying his story as she approached them. She had that look in her eyes that a woman often got when she didn’t trust a man.

  I don’t need her to trust me to make her mine, he thought.

  “Louisa?” Presley repeated in a gentle voice. “Are you all right?”

  “Oh, please,” Colin whirled around to face them, letting his smile fade away as his cold eyes landed on them. “She’s fine, Presley. Stop pushing it. She’s fine. Greg’s fine. And in case you’re wondering, that little alcoholic idiot outside is fine, too.”

  Presley tilted her head to the side, opening her mouth to respond when the front door opened. Dimitri entered with his arm wrapped around Rutley. The human looked a mess, for sure. The gash on his temple was still bleeding, and his lower lip had a cut upon it that could rival the state of Texas.

  “Get him inside, quickly!” Mrs. Bamey instructed.

  Colin fought the urge to roll his eyes. That woman was so annoying….

  “Louisa, I need some more towels,” Beau said in an exasperated tone.

  Colin watched in silence as the panda lifted his gaze to meet his cousin’s, and he cursed every single one of them for their bad timing. Of course Beau would see the expression her face. Of course he would be able to feel her emotions because they were related. Fucking…

  “What is wrong?” Beau asked in a flat tone. “Louisa?”

  “I…” Louisa was trying to find the words caught in her throat, and that gave Colin the two seconds of time he needed to screw everything up for everyone. In his mind, the way he saw it, if he couldn’t have happiness-neither could anyone else. He was tired of playing this game. He was tired of living by these rules. He was the professional football player. He was the rich guy. He was the most successful ursithrope in this room! If he couldn’t walk away from this mess with a new gain, then he would make sure everyone felt his misery after he was long gone.

  “I’m afraid she’s upset for discovering this,” Colin sighed. He reached his hand out quickly, grabbing Presley’s and curling his fingers tightly around hers so she couldn’t pull away. He strategically stepped back enough for Lorcan to see. “I didn’t know she liked me and well….I’m afraid I belong to another.”

  “What are you doing?!” Presley shrieked as she tried to pull her hand away from his.

  Colin took great pleasure at the look of bewilderment on Lorcan’s face. The way his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The way his mouth fell open in disbelief. Hell, Colin even gained some satisfaction from the gasp leaving Mrs. Bamey’s lips.

  “There’s no need to hide it, Sweetheart,” Colin said in a gentle tone. “They needed to know sooner or later.”

  Despite her struggle against him, Colin was much stronger. He easily pulled her body against his as he dipped his head, catching her mouth in a searing kiss of immense heat and promising desire. Her lips were so sweet; finer than any honey he’d ever tasted. He wanted to know what the rest of her body tasted like…..

  His bliss was short lived as he felt fingertips digging into his shoulders. He found himself sailing through the air, colliding with a shelf and falling to the floor. Various trinkets and pictures fell upon him and it took a few seconds for him to realize Lorcan had spiraled into a fit of rage.

  “Keep your hands off my mate!” Lorcan growled.

  Colin chuckled, slowly pushing himself up from the floor as his eyes met the livid ursithrope’s.

  “Or what?” He asked in a calm tone. Things were getting really fun now. “Going to hurt me, Bamey?”

  Lorcan’s eyes were glowing something fierce as he stared at him wildly. His chest rose and fell with each staggering breath. The veins in his neck bulged out as he bared his fangs for Colin to see.

  “I will kill you,” Lorcan promised.

  Colin narrowed his eyes on the other ursithrope, listening to the hushed murmurs and soft gasps escaping from their spectators. Let them watch. He didn’t care anymore. He was done playing this game with them. He wanted to go back home and be done with Kadenburg. He wanted to move on with his life and forget he was even from this god-forsaken dump.

  “I dare you to try,” Colin whispered.

  Lorcan took a step forward, but hesitated as Mr. Bamey cleared his throat.

  “Aw, that’s right,” Colin grinned. “If you kill me, you’ll be breaking a law, huh?” He chuckled, throwing his head back for emphasis on the amusement he found in the other male’s conflict. He sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest. “What a bummer.”

  “That’s enough,” Davey Berdine muttered. “You should leave, Colin.”

  “Gladly,” Colin shot back. “I was getting sick of this place anyway. You’re nothing but a bunch of pathetic cowards waiting for your slaughter.”

  Arnold Goult took a step towards him, his fingers balling tightly against his palms as he growled.

  “Oh, not you, too,” Colin laughed bitterly. “Are you suddenly going to take a stand against me as well, old man? I could take all of you with a hand tied behind my back. Please, take another step. I’m begging you.”

  “Don’t,” Mrs. Bamey frowned. “Colin, stop this. What’s gotten into you? Your parents would be so disappointed.”

  “I don’t give a damn what my parents think,” Colin scowled. “I am done living by this code. I am finished following the instructions given to us by a god we can’t even trust exists.”

  Everyone gasped in horror at his proclamation. Even Presley; beautiful, naïve Presley stared at him in horror. What he stated was blasphemy in their eyes, but he simply did not care. He was finished with the ways of Urseth.

  No one paid any mind to the stirring human in the recliner; at least, not until he spoke.

  “Is Lorcan going to turn into one of those big bears again?” He asked, his speech slurred. “Cause I kind of need a heads up this time so I don’t shit my pants.”

  While the human found humor in his own words, no one else thought it was funny at all. He’d just signed Lorcan Bamey’s death sentence without realizing it. No one wanted to say what everyone else was thinking, but Colin saw yet another opportunity to ruin everything.

  “Lorcan Bamey,” He hissed in a malicious whisper. “You violated the Clandestine Code.”

  Twenty Seven

  It had to be a bad dream. There was no way in hell this was actually happening right now. Lorcan had not survived being abducted by psychotic werewolves, per
severed after suffering the agony of losing his brother, and finally landed the girl of his dreams just for something like this to happen.

  “Don’t say that,” Mrs. Bamey pleaded. Her bottom lip quivered as she stared at Colin in horror. That little jackass was just asking to be brutalized; and Lorcan would be all too happy to do it.

  His fangs clashed against flat teeth as he allowed his gaze to wander from his mother to Colin, and then he glanced at Presley. Her thoughts were hitting him at a million miles per hour, and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and reassure her that everything would be okay.

  Truth be told, at this moment in time, he wasn’t sure he could make such a promise. Colin had stumbled over a dangerous ledge of desperation, and his obvious envy of Lorcan’s good fortune was too much for him to handle.

  “You violated the Clandestine code,” Colin repeated. “Never reveal, remember? You’ve done just that.”

  “He didn’t mean to!” Mrs. Bamey wailed. A choked sob escaped her lips as she clutched a hand against her chest. “Davey, please don’t listen to him. It was an accident, I’m sure. Rutley’s three sheets to the wind right now. He-He bumped his head when he crashed his car. He doesn’t know what he’s saying!”

  Davey Berdine released a heavy sigh as he lifted his eyes to gaze at the distraught female.

  “It’s not easy being an elder,” Davey said softly. “I’m sorry, Charlotte, but the laws are older than any of us. You know we cannot simply ignore this.”

  The elder male’s tone was apologetic, and the look on his face told Lorcan that he really didn’t want to do this. Hell, who wanted to convict one of their own to death? As a matter of fact, Lorcan was really starting to question their god as his eyes slowly trailed back to Presley. Her big green eyes were full of tears as she stared at him, a hand resting against her stomach as she bit at her trembling lower lip. He would never get the chance to see their cub…..

  “Well do it already,” Colin sneered. “He is guilty. I’ve reported him. You know what to do now, old man.”