Seven
Arnold Goult slammed the door shut on his old, beat up truck before he walked hastily towards the Bamey house. His niece had been back for less than a week and she was already trying to make him grey headed. His jawline was tight as he took the steps two at a time and then lifted his fist to knock against the screen door.
“Come on in, Arnold,” Mr. Bamey called out.
Pulling the screen door open, Arnold stepped inside to peer around. His eyes easily adjusted to the darkness of the room as he spotted Richard Bamey sitting in his recliner.
“Where is she?” He asked. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” Richard responded as he pushed himself up from his seat and moved into the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Charlotte just whipped up some fresh tuna casserole. Seems Presley had a hankerin’ for it last night,” he chuckled.
“No, I’m not hungry,” Arnold frowned. “I just want to take her home.”
“She’s still sleeping,” Charlotte Bamey interrupted as she appeared from the hallway with a laundry basket in her arms. “I think she had a mighty eventful night.”
“You don’t say?” Arnold asked as his frown grew deeper, brows furrowing. “Why didn’t anyone think to call me sooner? I’ve been worried about her all night.”
“You ought to know you can trust us, Arnold,” Richard replied as he lifted a bushy eyebrow. “She’s in good hands.”
“I even washed her clothes for her,” Charlotte added as she held up the freshly dried hoodie between her fingertips. “She’s so small. She should eat more.”
“I am her uncle!” Arnold barked. “You should have called me as soon as you knew she was here. I don’t appreciate anybody trying to take over what I’ve been doing for years. That kid ain’t had anybody but me since before she was able to walk,” he quieted then, his chest rising and falling with quick breaths as he lifted a hand to run through his hair.
Mr. and Mrs. Bamey stared at him in silence before exchanging glances and then Mr. Bamey stepped closer to the other male. He lifted his hand to rest against his shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze.
“We weren’t trying to step on your toes, Arnie,” Richard offered. “And I called you as soon as I could.” He turned his gaze to the clock on the wall to read the time. It was only 6:38 in the morning.
“Where is she?” Arnold asked again. “Which room?”
Charlotte pointed down the hallway. “She’s in Lorcan’s old room, but Arnie,” she stopped him as he attempted to move down the hallway. “We need to talk before you wake her up.”
“About what?” Arnold asked in an agitated tone. His eyes flashed with anger as he placed his hands on his waist and cocked his head to the side. “About the damn wolf that tried to attack her in the woods? I don’t need any help taking care of that problem.”
He tried to move past her again, but Charlotte took a quick step to the side to block his path once more.
“That’s what you say now, but need I remind you of what happened to Liam?” She asked. Sadness immediately reflected in her brown eyes as she gazed at him. Arnold knew how sensitive that subject was for her, and it probably would be for a very long time.
“It’s not just that, Arnie,” she continued in a quieter voice. “There’s other things we need to talk about. Important things,” she lowered her voice. “Ursithrope things.”
Arnold exhaled loudly as he rolled his eyes to look up at the ceiling. He knew exactly what they were hinting at and he didn’t have any interest in the discussion right now. His only concern was seeing Presley.
“I don’t have time to discuss nuptials between your son and my niece,” he stated firmly as he moved past her and down the hallway. He knocked loudly upon the door before pushing it open. The bed was empty.
“What the hell kind of idiot do you two take me for?”
“What?” Charlotte was behind him in seconds and she let out a faint gasp. “But..she was just there, I swear it!”
“And now she’s not,” Arnold muttered as he turned his head to glare at her. “When’s the last time you checked on her?”
“I don’t know! Maybe half an hour ago?”
“Leave that kid alone for five minutes and she’ll be halfway to B. F. E! This is why I wanted you to call me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Charlotte stammered as she became flustered. “She was sleeping so soundly and I didn’t want to disturb her, Arnie. I-I’m sure she couldn’t have gotten far.”
Arnold lifted his gaze to the open window and he could see the sky beginning to lighten outside. Within three long strides, he was resting his hands against the window sill as he tried to pick up on Presley’s scent. It was too windy and other pheromones were masking the one smell he needed the most at the moment. He moved his hand to rub at the back of his neck as he frowned.
“She must be close by,” Charlotte insisted. “She’s been through a lot.”
“Well, you don’t know her like I do,” he said quietly. “She’s a damn fast runner.”
Arnold was once again in his truck and leaving a cloud of dust behind him as he pressed his foot down on the accelerator. He wasn’t very fond of the idea that a wolf had tried attacking Presley. He didn’t like that one of his own had been killed just because he wasn’t a lycanthrope.
The mutts have gone too far this time, he thought as he curled his fingers tighter around the steering wheel. He glanced into his rearview mirror to make sure no one followed him. He honestly wouldn’t have put it past Richard to make this a ‘sleuth thing’, and Arnold preferred to handle things on his own.
She’s so damn stubborn, he rolled his eyes as he glanced in the rearview mirror again. She’s too much like her mother.
The sudden thought of his twin sister made a twinge of raw pain ache in his chest. It was difficult to think about Caroline. He never allowed himself to slip into that corner of his mind, where every memory of her smiling face existed. To think of Caroline meant to suffer from grief. He opted out on that a long time ago.
Caroline had made her decision and it didn’t include having her daughter-or Arnold-in her new life. He accepted responsibility for Presley because he didn’t want her to grow up with a family who wouldn’t love her, wouldn’t understand her, and most importantly; a family who would be unable to help her when the time came.
Despite his best effort, his mind returned to that life-changing night of April 27th, 1989.
“I need you to take her,” Caroline said as she moved to place the 26 month old baby girl onto the floor. The tall blonde straightened back up as she stared him straight in the eyes.
“Take her? For how long?” He inquired as he crouched down beside of his niece to unzip her little jacket, carefully pulling her arms through the sleeves as he gave her a brief smile. “Got a date or something?”
“No,” she responded with a shake of her head. “I’m leaving, Arnie.”
“Leaving..? What do you mean leaving, Caroline?” He picked the tiny girl up and held her against his chest as he stared at his sister, their identical green eyes connecting in a knowing gaze.
“I don’t want this life anymore,” she frowned. “I can’t live in this town. I can’t…look at that child.”
Arnold turned his attention back to the little girl who was smiling so sweetly at him. She reached her pudgy hand out to rest against his chin as she laughed. How could she not look at her own child?
“I think you’re overreacting, Caroline..”
“No!” She shouted suddenly. The volume of her voice was loud enough to startle Presley and the toddler began to cry almost instantly. “See? I can’t handle that. She always cries. She hates me, Arnie. I can’t do anything right for her.”
“Calm down, Caroline,” he said softly as he bounced his niece in his arms, glancing back at her mother. “You’re just stressed. You need a break.”
“I do need a break,” Caroline agreed as she began to pace back and forth. “I need a permanent break. I never agreed to do this wit
hout Pierce, you know I didn’t.”
He sighed, pressing a kiss against Presley’s temple before he frowned. His sister’s mate had been dead for almost three years and she was still so consumed with her grief that he wasn’t entirely sure how she’d carried his niece to full term-though he was grateful she’d been able to.
“I have to go,” Caroline sobbed. “I can’t look at her. She looks just like him. When she smiles..I see him,” her bottom lip quivered. “I can’t be her mother.”
“But you are her mother,” Arnold argued as his brows furrowed. “You have to be strong for her, Caroline. She needs you now, more than ever. A cub depends on its mother and you know it.”
“I DON’T WANT TO BE HER MOTHER!” She screamed. As her voice bounced off the plain white walls of the living room, Arnold stilled immediately. Presley let out frightful cry as she moved her little hands towards her ears. She was visibly shaken up. Arnold pondered how often these outbursts had happened in front of her.
Deep in his heart, Arnold knew his sister wasn’t well. She needed help. If he could have reached into her body and absorbed her pain, he would’ve done it in an instant; but instead he was helpless and by the end of the night, Caroline was gone. He tucked his niece into his large bed and kissed her forehead as his mind reeled with questions and concerns. The cubs clung to their mothers always-it was their nature to do so. How was he supposed to take care of this baby on his own?
“You’ll be okay, Presley,” he murmured as he laid down beside of her and stroked her cheek with a single fingertip. “It’s you and me now, Kid.”
Twenty four years. It had been twenty four years since Arnold had seen his sister. He didn’t have the slightest clue of where she lived or what she was doing, but his concern for her had shifted to Presley when she was legally placed in his custody by the state of Tennessee. Caroline had abandoned the child and Arnold did his best to channel the role of Mother and Father.
Did he have regrets? Of course he had regrets. Sometimes he regretted not revealing Presley’s true nature to her, but a part of him was terrified she’d end up like her mother. He was afraid she’d fall in love with another ursithrope and have her heart ripped out. Apparently Goult women couldn’t survive heartache.
Like that human Tim was any better, he thought bitterly as he pulled over to the shoulder of the road and put his truck in park. He sighed as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, attempting to clear his mind. If he could just catch her scent…
“Hey, have you-”
Arnold jumped in his seat as he turned his head to see Lorcan standing near the driver’s door. He smacked his open palm against the dashboard as he swallowed his heart back down into place.
“Scare the bajeezus out of someone, why don’t you, Lorcan?” He asked with a frown. He glanced from the left to the right before lifting a brow. “Where the heck did you even come from?”
“Sorry,” Lorcan murmured as he scratched the scruff against his chiseled jawline. “I figured you might need some help tracking her down so I followed you.”
Arnold rolled his eyes as he let out a low breath and glanced in the rearview mirror. That damn Chevelle was parked right behind him. His pulse was still racing at an uncomfortable speed. He’d been so distracted with his worry for Presley that he hadn’t sensed Lorcan’s approach-what a stupid thing to do. He knew better than to let his guard down at any given time.
“I think I can handle it,” Arnold replied stubbornly as he gazed straight ahead once more. “She can’t get too far.”
“Well, I’m pretty positive that’s the same thought I had last night when I found out she was involved in Jim’s wreck,” Lorcan remarked as he leaned down to rest his forearms against the window frame. “She was almost three miles away from the scene when I found her.”
Goosebumps rose on Arnold’s heated skin as he tried to imagine what that ordeal must’ve been like for Presley. He’d spoken briefly with Jim on the phone and learned of why she was in his jeep in the first place. He was grateful that Jim had given her a ride, but he was disappointed that Presley gave in to a habit he’d been so confident she could kick. There was a part of him that knew, deep down, her breakup with Tim involved more than she was telling. Sometimes it bothered him that she didn’t trust him more.
“I guess we can start with the woods,” Lorcan suggested.
“I don’t think she’d be going into the woods anytime soon,” Arnold disagreed with a shake of his head. “Would you go back into the woods after coming face to face with a massive wolf that tried to eat you?”
Lorcan slowly shook his head before he responded. “If I was a girl who was brought up to believe she was just an ordinary human being? No.”
Arnold stared at the younger male in disbelief. What gave him the right to make that comment? Who did Lorcan think he was to judge Arnold for the way he’d raised Presley? He couldn’t help the scoff that left his lips as he cocked his head to the side, his eyes staying on Lorcan’s.
“You know, Lorcan,” he started. “I’m well aware that the way I’ve brought up Presley is less than conventional. But I want you to keep in mind that I’m trying to prevent history from repeating itself. I don’t want her to be mixed up in the ways of our kind. She’s never even had the urge to shift and as far as I’m concerned, she’ll never have a reason to feel the urge.”
“How do you know?” Lorcan argued as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do you know she’s never had that urge? How can you be so sure that she’s not felt the shudder, Arnold? Maybe it’s confused her before; that overwhelming need to break free from the restraints of human flesh. Maybe she’s been suffering in silence over the lack of feeling whole. Conventional or not, keeping her in the dark about being one of us is wrong. She deserves to know.”
“You’re wrong,” Arnold stated as his eyes narrowed on the boy. “You’re only saying that because Presley’s never expressed interest in you. It kills you that you have to honor the laws of Urseth and wait for her to recognize you as more than just a friend,” Arnold rolled his green hues before he reached for the gear shift.
“Wait,” Lorcan’s hand suddenly clasped over his as the younger male stretched his arm through the window. “You’re right. It does kill me because I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want her,” he confessed.
Arnold’s gaze hardened as he stared at Lorcan’s hand resting over his and he flexed his jawline. “I’m going to count to three and if you ain’t moved your hand by then, you’re losing some fingers.”
“Listen to me,” Lorcan demanded through clenched teeth. “I know you don’t want her to end up like her mother. I get it. But you see what shape she’s in already, Arnold. A human did that to her. I would never hurt her.”
Arnold was quiet for a moment as he allowed Lorcan’s words to simmer in his mind. He honestly didn’t have time for this. It had always been intended that two of the offspring from the next generation of Kadenburg Ursithropes would continue the lineage, but only if the female was willing. That arrangement had been made before everything happened.
It had been voiced by both Richard Bamey and Pierce Carroll that if Caroline bore a daughter, she would be encouraged to pursue Liam or Lorcan. It didn’t quite work out that way. After Pierce’s death, Caroline refused to rear her daughter in the ways of the Ursithropes and she ignored her fiancé’s wishes of continuing the bloodline. A part of Arnold felt like he was betraying her if he carried through without her blessing.
“A guy said that to me once about my sister,” Arnold responded as he glanced at Lorcan while gripping the boy’s hand and pulling it away from his own. “He lied.”
Lorcan barely had a chance to step away from the truck before Arnold put it into gear and sped off.
Eight
Presley hugged her arms around herself as her bare feet trekked along the worn down dirt path. It was a shortcut she remembered from her childhood that eventually led to the abandon
ed hospital she was born in. The medical facility was the only thing Kadenburg had managed to upgrade since its founding over two hundred years ago.
Presley was born in that hospital, from what Uncle Arnold said. She was one of the last babies to be delivered before they transferred to the other side of town. She wasn’t even sure why she was going towards that place, of all the places she could go right now. The only thing she was sure of was that she needed to get as far away from Lorcan Bamey’s house as she could.
I can’t believe I broke into his home, she thought as she moved her fingers through her golden curls. Her hair was ridiculously curly when she didn’t straighten it. Well, considering you were in someone else’s house, I doubt a hair straightener would’ve been available.
She chewed her lower lip as she stepped over beer bottles and garbage that people had carelessly tossed aside. Probably tourists. No one had any respect for nature anymore. The ground was surprisingly warm for it to be the early winter months. She glanced down at the oversized t-shirt she had snatched from Lorcan’s room and she temporarily felt guilty for having done so.
Only a moron would strip out of her clothes in a stranger’s house, she chided mentally as she rolled her eyes. And eat their food, and take a shower, and sleep in their bed…
The list could go on and on of stupid decisions she made after drinking alcohol, but she really needed to be concerned about the hallucinations.
No wolf is that big, she determined as she lifted her gaze to the large, hollow structure that once strived with doctors, nurses, and ailing patients. The windows were busted out and graffiti decorated the beige stones. She stopped for a moment to admire the hauntingly beautiful scenery as her thoughts continued floating around in her mind. And bears are not that monstrous.
It was just a nightmare. That’s the only explanation she could come up with. She’d had too much to drink and left her car in the parking lot at Jimbo’s. The alcohol had messed with the wiring of her brain and clouded her judgment of respecting another person’s property. She’d somehow managed to wander into the Bamey house and the rest was history.
The Truth About Kadenburg Page 6
