Again, she wasn’t sure how it happened, but over the rush of the water she heard the faintest of moans. She searched the darkness, desperately looking for any sign of the man. “Jim!” She called out again.
The water had dropped down to her knees and she knew she was close to the shore, but she still saw no sign of the older male as she fought to keep her strength. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take. She collapsed against the ground moments later, attempting to crawl on her one good hand and both of her knees as she squinted her eyes. “Jim, please,” she sobbed. “Say something. Let me know where you are!”
It was then that her hand came in contact with wet denim and she felt around until her fingers curled around his ankle. She’d found him.
“Jim!” She shouted excitedly as she scrambled to get closer, reaching her trembling fingers down to feel his pulse in his neck. It was steady. Thank God. “Oh, Jim. Jim, can you hear me?”
His only response was another groan.
“Jim, I’m going to get help,” Presley promised. “Just stay right here.” Yeah, like he’s going anywhere, her mind sneered. “I’ll be back for you, I swear. Just stay alive!”
Four
The drive home was eerily quiet for Lorcan. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say or think at this point. What bothered him the most was why Liam had kept such a huge secret from him. They were brothers, so weren’t they supposed to trust one another with things like this? Of course Lorcan had always wondered why Liam never dated throughout high school-they weren’t forbidden to date human girls-but he always figured that Liam had just decided on waiting for his own ursithrope mate.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Not so much the fact of Liam being gay, but Liam mating himself to someone who was not an ursithrope. And worse-someone who was one of them.
Lorcan was almost certain that his brother would’ve been put to death for the act. He couldn’t imagine how natural enemies such as a wolf and bear-the two animals who commanded respect from one another-could possibly fall in love. It didn’t add up. It was the least natural thing he could think of.
As soon as he got home, Lorcan tried to mentally prepare himself for the conversation that was about to take place. His father wasn’t a short tempered man, but he knew that this news would send him on a rampage that would make Lorcan steer clear of him for a few days-maybe a week for good measure.
Liam had been gone for nearly a month and already the choices in his life were coming back to bite Lorcan in the ass. Thanks, Liam, he thought to his self as he got out of his midnight blue Chevrolet Chevelle and took a step towards his parents’ house.
The front door suddenly flung open and Mr. Bamey was bounding down the steps towards him. Mrs. Bamey was right on his heels, her eyes wide with worry. The only thought Lorcan had in that moment was Oh shit, what did I do?
“Dad, I-” Lorcan started, only to be cut off when his dad walked past him and opened up the driver’s door of his car. Lorcan stared at him in confusion.
“Get in the car, Lorcan. We don’t have time to talk.”
“But-”
“Get your ass in the damn car, Lorcan. We can talk on the way.” His father demanded as he started the car. Damn it. Lorcan really needed to learn not to leave his keys in the ignition.
Lorcan obeyed his father, moving back to the passenger side as he waited for his mother to squeeze into the back seat. She was a rather hefty woman, but she managed to get in and pull his seat into place before Lorcan slid in.
As his father put the car into gear and backed out of the long dirt driveway like a bat out of hell, Lorcan’s hand flew out the window to grip the top of the car. He turned his head to stare at his dad. “Want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Alma Proffitt just called and said Jim hasn’t made it home yet,” he spoke lowly. He kept his eyes on the road as they made it back to pavement and he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.
“Maybe he’s got a flat tire. Does that mean you have to drive like there’s a fire somewhere?” Lorcan asked, glancing back at his mother. Her face was pale. Why was her face pale?
“He’s an old man, Lorcan,” his dad said as he turned his head briefly to glance at him. “It’s no telling what could have happened to him at this hour.”
Lorcan’s eyes moved to the illuminated digits on the stereo system and he frowned. 11:32. He’d spent most of his evening talking to Dimitri. How had time gotten away from him?
“You know he has heart trouble,” his mother added as she leaned forward to poke her head between their seats. “We just want to check the main road to make sure he’s not pulled over to the side somewhere having a heart attack.”
Lorcan sighed as he relaxed in his seat. His dad wasn’t a bad driver, but Lorcan knew he was the better driver. He chewed his inner cheek as his mind wandered back to the conversation he’d had with Dimitri once again.
“We were planning to tell your parents,” Dimitri stated sadly. “I wanted to ask your father for his hand in marriage, but my alpha saw to it that that never happened.”
Lorcan flinched, feeling the bile attempting to rise in his throat as he thought about his brother again. Liam must’ve been so happy in the anticipation of his future union to someone he genuinely cared about, and for some asshole to come rip it all away-why?
“He broke many of our laws when he killed Liam. Lycanthrope are supposed to honor the coupling code and no harm is to come to anyone a lycanthrope wishes to be with. By killing Liam, he invoked the death sentence upon his self.”
“Then why isn’t he dead?” Lorcan demanded.
“Because he’s the alpha and he thinks he can do whatever he wants. Including murdering innocent people.”
Lorcan’s blunt nails dug into the top of his car as his eyes stayed on the road. If he thought about it too much, there was a chance he’d shift in the car and there was no way in hell his car was big enough for a 500 pound bear. He’d have to keep his mind occupied for the remainder of the car ride.
His mind immediately drifted back to golden curls and cherry red lips, and those sparkling green eyes that enamored him every time he gazed into them. He could still hear how musical her laughter was back in their teenage years. She had been the most carefree person he knew. If only she’d seen him as more than just a friend. He let out an inaudible sigh, but both of his parents caught onto it. Sometimes, he wished they didn’t share his gift.
“What’s the matter?” His mother asked as she leaned forward again, gazing at him with her soft brown eyes. “You seem down.”
“I am down, Mother,” he murmured as he avoided her gaze. “My brother just died.”
“That is no way to talk to your mama, Boy,” his dad warned as he glanced at him again. “And I know that ain’t what it is. Your heart’s hammering like a woodpecker against an old tree. What’s going on in your head?”
Oh, great. Lorcan rolled his eyes, debating on how to start the conversation of his feelings when the erratic pattern of blue lights up ahead distracted him.
“What on earth,” his father started.
“Oh no!” His mother gasped.
Lorcan frowned as he saw the three state police cars that were parked in the curve, an officer standing in the middle of the road with his flashlight signaling for them to stop. An ambulance was pulled over on the side and the destroyed guardrail was visible.
“Shit,” Lorcan muttered as he got out before his father rolled to a complete stop. He approached the trooper as quickly as his long legs could carry him. “What happened?”
“Seems a gentleman broke through the guardrail and his vehicle didn’t come to a stop until it hit the river,” the officer explained. “He’s mighty lucky to be alive.”
“No joke,” Lorcan murmured as he watched the two paramedics loading the man into the back of their ambulance.
“Jim!” He heard his dad called out as he jogged towards the ambulance.
Lorcan’s brows furrowed as he follow
ed behind his father, listening as he spoke to his long-time friend.
“Are you okay?” Mr. Bamey asked. “What happened?”
“It came out of nowhere, Richard,” Jim stammered as he gazed up at the other male. “I didn’t see it until it was too late. It scared the shit out of me.”
Richard frowned as he leaned over the gurney, staring at his friend as the paramedic double checked his neck brace.
“What was it, Jim? What scared you?”
“It was so big,” Jim stated quietly as he lifted his eyes to Richard’s again. “It was the most monstrous wolf I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Lorcan felt the electric shock of realization tingling through him as he looked at his father knowingly and the two males exchanged glances.
Just then, another officer appeared from between the broken guardrail. His uniform was caked in mud, his shoes and the bottom of his pants drenched. He shined his flashlight towards the other state troopers. “No sign yet.” He reported.
“No sign of what?” Richard asked as he looked back to Jim. “Are they looking for the wolf?”
“No,” Jim frowned as his bottom lip began to quiver. He looked like he was about to cry, but for good reason. Lorcan definitely did not expect to hear the next words leave his mouth.
“They’re looking for Presley Goult.”
Five
Nothing sucked more than being frightened back into a sober state. Presley was cold, wet, and she had no idea what direction she was going in. If only she’d paid attention in Geography-or even History for that matter. She knew one of them taught a person how to follow the North Star.
Her vision was still blurry. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just the hot tears that refused to stop falling. Her teeth chattered as she hugged her arms around herself and carefully placed one foot in the front of the other. It was pitch black. She couldn’t even see her own hand in front of her face. She was certain she’d crossed back to the other side of the water at some point. She didn’t even know if it was Jessen River. The river and a creek ran on either side of Jessen Bend Road. She couldn’t be sure about which side Jim had gone off on.
Great. He was going to die because she had gotten herself lost. God, who trusted her with these things? She clenched her jawline in an attempt to make the chattering stop, listening to an owl hoot in the distance.
I wish I was an owl, she thought as she nearly toppled over a fallen branch. She reached her left hand out on instinct and winced from the pain that reminded her she was injured. If I was an owl, I could just fly to where I needed to be. I could save Jim’s life by being an owl.
She lifted her green eyes to the sky, hoping to catch sight of a light pole, somewhere. She had to be near the road-there wasn’t anywhere else for her to go! She was following the river..or maybe it was the creek. She could’ve easily gotten back in to see how deep it was, but who wanted to mess around with trying to drown themselves after just surviving a car wreck?
I’ll pass, she thought as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She lifted her left wrist again to squeeze her fingers around it gently. Maybe it wasn’t sprained. Maybe she’d broken it and it was numb now. That would explain why the pain was dulling, wouldn’t it?
“Don’t lose your mind right now,” She pleaded with herself. “You’ve got to get out of here and find help. You have to get Jim to a hospital.”
Again she wondered why people trusted her with such things. Why did fate have a twisted sense of humor when it came to her life? All she wanted was to make a little money and get out of Dodge. That’s all she was asking for. She hadn’t been home a week and already she had gotten herself into trouble.
Why did I decide to drink tonight? She wondered as she continued along the path near the rushing water. Oh, right. I can’t handle things. Which was true-she couldn’t handle what had happened to her. She didn’t know how any woman handled that. She shifted uncomfortably as she tried to hug her hoodie tighter around her body. The fabric was drenched and it wasn’t doing her any good. If anything, it made her colder. Her blonde curls were dark from saturation, clinging against her chilled flesh as she took another step before stilling immediately. What was that? She’d heard a noise.
Probably a rabbit or something, she thought as she turned her head towards the direction of the trees. No, there it was again. She could hear the leaves crunching as if someone was stepping on them. Oh god. What if this was like all of the cheesy horror flicks where a crazed killer decided to take refuge in a small country town? What if she was his next victim? What if he targeted blonde women?
Presley held her breath as she quickly moved towards a tree, pressing her back against it as she eased her head around it to peer into the darkness. Silence. Where did the crunching noise go?
She could feel her heart hammering against her ribcage as she let her head fall back against tree once again. She kept her hands at her sides, ignoring the fact she was cold as she willed her breathing to remain as slow as possible. That was the mistake a lot of women made in the movies. The loud breathing was always a dead giveaway, and quite frankly, she didn’t intend on dying.
You are freaking out over nothing, her mind stated and Presley couldn’t help but to roll her eyes.
“Broad imagination,” she whispered to herself as she licked her lips. That’s all it was. Her imagination was getting the best of her. She’d just been through an extremely traumatic experience and the alcohol was still in her system. It made sense.
Pushing away from the tree, Presley continued on her way alongside the water, her eyes searching the dark night sky as she counted her steps. One, two, three…
Crunch.
Okay, she wasn’t imagining things. She definitely heard it that time. Presley whirled around and froze instantly as she met piercing silver eyes that belonged to the largest beast she’d ever been this close to in her life. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as she took a step back.
This is the part where I turn to run, she told herself as she heard the deep rumbling growl coming from the wolf. She felt her knees going weak, trying to give way as she reached out to grab for the tree again. She missed entirely and fell to the ground. Typical Hollywood! She thought as she scrambled to push herself up from the ground. The added pressure to her wrist made her cry out as pain shot through her arm once more.
Don’t worry about your stupid arm! Worry about the Big Bad Wolf eyeballing you right now.
Her breathing was growing shallow as she turned her eyes to the wolf again. It hadn’t moved towards her yet. Maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe it would turn and run away. A wolf could be just as scared of her as she was of it, right?
She licked her suddenly dry lips as she took another step backwards. And another. Good wolf, she thought to herself. Just stay where you are. I am not a tasty snack.
Her skin was beginning to burn and she suspected it was because her blood pressure was rising. Whose wouldn’t at a time like this? She had to keep herself calm or else the wolf would attack in defense. I will never drink again if you just let me walk away from this. She whispered in her mind as she stared up at the sky.
Ugh. What was that smell? The stench was floating into her nostrils and she felt like she would gag because of it. Was it the wolf? She made a small face as she took another step back and watched in horror as the wolf took a step forward. Again, the growl sounded from him as his mouth opened to reveal the razor sharp fangs he possessed. Two perfect rows of flesh tearing, bone crushing fangs.
“Oh god,” she whispered under her breath as she stumbled backwards. She would never again make fun of women in movies. Trying to escape a predator was not as easy as people would think. Her back hit the ground, hard, and the wind was knocked from her lungs as she gasped.
The wolf let out a howl that sent shivers down her spine and Presley shut her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the attack. What bull crap, she thought. Survive a car wreck just to be eaten. Was that how zombie apocalypse survivors would
feel?
As she anticipated the unimaginable pain of being ripped to shreds, another loud growl made her eyes pop open. That was not the wolf’s growl.
Presley’s eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as a large-and she did mean large-bear came out of nowhere, standing back on its hind legs as its gigantic paws lashed out to smack the wolf away from her.
Great. She was saved from one of nature’s most ferocious creatures only to be killed by another. Why did the universe hate her so much?
Presley kicked her feet against the ground, scooting backwards as she ignored the streaks of hot pain scorching up to her elbow. If she was going to die, it wouldn’t be like a helpless damsel in distress. She would at least try.
The wolf had regained his footing as he turned his attention to the bear. Presley could make them out as the moon appeared above the treetops and shined down against them. The near-white wolf’s fangs were exposed again as he snapped them at the bear, drool dripping from them as he scraped his claws against the ground. The bear was standing on all fours, its mouth open as it revealed its razor sharp teeth in return. They were trying to intimidate each other, and Presley saw her window of opportunity.
She pushed herself up from the ground and broke out into a run. The moonlight was providing enough visibility for her to avoid tripping over anything else. She tried to pace her breathing despite the fact her chest ached. She still had a chance. She could do this.
Her wet clothes were weighing her down, but she was determined to get away. She would do it for Jim. She would do it for herself. She was panting heavily as she leapt over a large rock and then she followed the bend which then broke out into a clearing. There weren’t any trees in her way now. She was in a full sprint as she looked behind herself briefly. They weren’t following her. Good.
The muscles in her legs were screaming at her as she finally made it away from the woods. She could see a porch light just beyond the scarce trees that remained. I made it! She thought happily as she took only a moment to catch her breath.
The Truth About Kadenburg Page 4
