Grabbing her wide brimmed hat from the dresser top, Sammy made her way out the front door of her tiny apartment and headed for her car. At least it was a decent car. It got her from A to B. So what if it wasn’t the type of vehicle most of her old school mates were driving around in? It was a means of transportation, and hell, who didn’t like playing with lights and a siren?
“I hate this day already,” She mumbled, getting into the driver’s seat and putting her seatbelt on. She slowly turned the key in the ignition, listening as the old clunker hummed to life. She rolled her eyes, putting it into reverse as she glanced over her shoulder. “Why can’t I just stay in the water?”
That was the heaviest thought on her mind as she made her way towards the Kadenburg Sheriff’s department to start another long, boring shift.
———————————
“All right, Mrs. Hagenbrook, that should have you taken care of,” Beau said with a small smile as he patted her on the knee. “Make sure to keep taking your antibiotics and call if you have any more trouble.”
The elderly female laughed softly as she eased down from the examination table, grabbing for her purse as she stared up at him with sparkling blue eyes.
“You are just the sweetest doctor I’ve ever had, Beau. I love you to bits.”
“I appreciate that, Mrs. Hagenbrook.” Beau replied as he turned on the faucet and began to wash his hands.
“I hope you plan to stick around. We need more good doctors like you.”
Beau was trying to adjust to life in Kadenburg. He was putting a lot of effort into pretending to be happy for Louisa’s sake. It was a small sacrifice to make, seeing as he was able to find a position at the local hospital. He did like to help people, and although he enjoyed helping his fellow ursithropes, it had never been part of his lifelong plan to remain in a tiny town without much room for growth.
Well, perhaps that wasn’t entirely true. He’d always been meant to take his father’s place on the high council in China. He’d been groomed for the position since birth, but what was he supposed to do now that his village was gone? The ursithropes his father and grandfather protected and guided for so many years were gone, too, and Beau felt lost. He didn’t like that feeling-at all.
He knew that Louisa was happy here. He knew that she was developing feelings for the ursi-lycan before she realized it herself. Who was he to stand in the way of her second chance at happiness?
He wouldn’t do that to her. He would stick around and wait for the right moment to say goodbye. He would continue studying, working, and watching out for her until he was certain she was ready for him to leave. Then -and only then-would he move forward with his own life.
He wasn’t entirely horrible. He knew what the Kadenburg ursithropes thought of him. Sure, they were grateful that he’d saved so many lives and such, but he knew they thought he was cold and heartless. That simply wasn’t true.
Beau had a lot of heart. Most of it was still trying to mend, but he did have one. It wasn’t his fault that no female had ever shown interest in him, and it wasn’t his fault if people said stupid things that deserved snarky replies. He was doing the world a favor.
“Beau, you’ve got another patient coming in at two.” The petite nurse’s aide said as she poked her head into his small office.
“Oh, thank you, Joy.” He nodded. Sighing, he put the paperwork he’d been spacing out on down, closing his eyes. He’d gotten lost in his thoughts again. It was happening more often than usual and he wasn’t sure he liked that. He zoned out at the wrong times. Just last week, he’d nearly poked a patient’s hand on accident while trying to give an injection. He really needed to get a grip on things-and fast.
I’ll be out of here soon. He promised himself as he pushed up from the desk and grabbed his stethoscope. Then I can finally find some happiness of my own.
That was his last thought as the double doors suddenly burst open and he literally had to leap out of the way in an effort not to be hit by the paramedics entering the unit.
“What in the….” Beau’s eyes landed on the unconscious female lying upon the gurney and the scent of the blood rushing through her veins slammed into him like a raging hurricane. It felt like somebody had hit him with a defibrillator, fully charged. The electricity surging into his heart made his knees buckle. He reached out to grip the side of the wall, gasping for air.
“What the hell was that?” He asked aloud, to no one in particular.
“Beau! Are you all right?!” Joy asked as she rushed to his side. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head furiously, glancing at the nurse’s aide briefly, “Nothing. I’m fine,” he said reassuringly. “What information do you have on that patient?”
Joy gazed at him in bewilderment, furrowing her brows as she glanced towards the gurney and then back at him.
“Not much,” She replied hesitantly. “She’s thirty years of age and appears to be in perfectly good health. The caller advised she was complaining of a headache before she collapsed.”
“A headache?” Beau quirked a brow as he glanced at the gurney again. “I think it is more than a headache,” He mumbled before he moved briskly towards the unconscious female. He carefully stepped around the male EMT standing by her side, allowing his gaze to fall upon her face.
“She works at the sheriff’s department?” Joy asked, observing the light tan uniform she wore.
She’s beautiful, was the very first thought he had.
Shit. No. He wasn’t going to think about a woman’s attractiveness when she was in obvious need of medical attention. He was a doctor for Urseth’s sake. He couldn’t check out every patient he had!
“Do we have a name for her?” Beau asked, reaching his hand down to check her pulse. He pressed his fingertips gently against her pulse point, glancing at his watch as he timed the soft beats.
“Samantha Josephine Calder,” the EMT replied. “That’s really all we know about her right now. She doesn’t have any medical records here.”
Beau’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead as he met the EMT’s gaze, “She has not seen a doctor here before?”
“I’m afraid not,” the female EMT said as she approached them with a folder in her hand. “She’s been a resident of Kadenburg for three years, but she’s never selected a family doctor. We were able to locate some medical files for her out of Sero City.”
“Sero City?” Beau blinked. “I’ve never heard of that place before.”
“Welcome to the club,” the male EMT chuckled. “Who the hell knows where that is in California? All I know is that this lady is in need of your care, Doctor.”
“Perhaps we should wait for Doctor Bishop,” Beau frowned. “He hasn’t made it back from lunch yet.”
“Then I guess today’s your lucky day,” the female EMT smiled at him. “Come on. We’ll get her set up in a room so you can examine her. If she was having head pain before collapsing it could mean a number of things. She’ll probably need to get her noggin checked.”
Beau was still trying to get used to how people talked in the South. Sometimes it was highly amusing to listen to them, but right now, he wasn’t sure he liked the female referring to his new patient’s head as a ‘noggin’.
“Very well,” Beau sighed. “I’ll get cleaned up and I’ll be in there in a minute.”
He watched as the EMTs pushed the gurney into an open room. As the curtain closed, Beau leaned against the wall and exhaled heavily. His heart was still beating erratically and he couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.
Why did he feel as if he’d just met the woman he’d entered the world for?
Three
His nostrils flared as the sweet scent attacked his nose and it took a full five seconds for his brain to register that the mouthwatering pheromones belonged to a female. She smelled good enough to eat.
“Do you smell that?” Rutley asked as he tilted his head to the side.
Dimitri looked up from the two gallons of pai
nt he’d been trying to choose between for the past ten minutes, his brows furrowing.
“Yeah,” he nodded, sniffing again before releasing a low breath. “Do you know what it is?”
Rutley knew this was a test. Dimitri had been drilling him for weeks over this or that, trying to see how well he could hone his skills. It wasn’t easy being a werewolf-at all. In fact, it was a pain in his ass.
It really didn’t have anything to do with shifting. Been there, done that. Never again. It was everything else that came with it. Like the fact he had to avoid his father at all costs, and now he had to deal with this excruciatingly delicious scent that had him going cross-eyed. What. The. Hell?
“A female,” Rutley finally replied after a few seconds. “She’s a wolf. I think.”
“You think?” Dimitri rolled his eyes. “You can’t think, Rut. You have to know. Try again.”
Rutley released a low breath, muttering softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. They were in the middle of the hardware store, trying to pick up some items for Presley and Lorcan….how was he supposed to figure out if she was a bear or wolf? There were dozens of humans roaming about. There was no way he could do it.
“Yes, you can,” Dimitri said reassuringly. “Stop thinking like that.”
Right. It was easy to forget Dimitri could read his mind sometimes. Rutley had no idea that an alpha wolf had that capability, but the more you know, right?
Closing his eyes, Rutley pushed everything else out of his mind, focusing solely on the sweet scent as it teased the tip of his nose again.
“Mmm,” he hummed, pursing his lips together. “She doesn’t smell like Presley or Mrs. Bamey,” he finally said after a few more seconds. “She kinda smells like you.”
“Like me?” Dimitri asked with a grin. “And what do I smell like?”
Rutley opened one eye to stare at him, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I dunno….you smell like dirt.”
“Well, gee. Thanks,” Dimitri snorted as he dropped a gallon of paint against the countertop. It made a loud noise, causing several people to look their way.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” Rutley insisted with a broad smile. “You smell like the earth, okay? Warm and sweet. It’s a good smell.”
“Uh huh,” Dimitri smirked. “So does she smell like dirt, too?”
“Kind of.” Rutley wrinkled his nose a bit, turning to face Dimitri as he gazed over the other male’s shoulder. His eyes landed on a rather pretty little number with purple strands in her light brown hair and he momentarily forgot how to breathe. She couldn’t have been over five feet nothing, in his opinion, and she had a bit more meat on her bones than most of the women he’d known in his lifetime.
Holy shit, he thought as his eyes travelled over her face. Holy shit, holy shit! She’s pretty!
But he couldn’t think of her like that. It wasn’t really him thinking at all. There was something deep inside of him going crazy over her scent, and he couldn’t seem to control it as a low growl rumbled in his throat.
“Easy there,” Dimitri said softly, reaching his hand out to grip Rutley’s arm. “This is another lesson I’m going to have to teach you.”
“What do you mean?” Rutley asked, keeping his eyes on the pouty lips of the girl. She was looking at snow shovels. How cute. Maybe she’d need help shoveling her driveway during the storm they were supposed to be getting…..
“Your wolf is attracted to her,” Dimitri replied. “Would you like to know why?”
“Because my wolf is a hormonal little prick who realizes I haven’t had sex in almost half a year?” Rutley retorted as he licked his lips.
“Well, perhaps,” Dimitri chuckled lowly, his grip on Rutley’s arm tightening. “But it might have something to do with her being in heat, too.”
And that’s all it took to snap Rutley out of his daze-at least for the time being.
“I’m sorry, what? Come again?”
“She’s in heat,” Dimitri repeated. “She’s giving off that scent because her wolf wants a pup. She’s basically putting out an S.O.S. for a mate…even if she doesn’t realize it.”
Rutley gazed at him, horrified.
“Don’t act so surprised,” the more experienced wolf mused. “That’s just how nature works. She’s a female and she wants a pup. We’re males, and we want to do terribly inappropriate things to her because women always have an upper hand when it comes to sexuality.”
Rutley shook his head, daring to sneak a peek at the female wolf once more as she busied herself with picking up a bag of salt. Man, she must’ve been really paranoid about the snow…..
“Focus,” Dimitri’s hands were suddenly on either side of his face, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Just give her time to leave the store and you won’t even remember her.”
“How is that possible?” Rutley asked as he searched Dimitri’s hazel hues. “You smell the same thing I smell, right? How am I going to just forget it?”
Dimitri sighed, shaking his head slowly.
“You just get used to it,” he murmured. “Do you want a pup?”
Rutley quirked a brow, “You mean a pup that occasionally turns into a little tiny person? I mean….I wouldn’t mind having children someday, but-”
“Do you want to mate with her?” Dimitri asked through clenched teeth. He was suddenly angry, and Rutley could feel the agitation rolling off the wolf in gigantic, unforgivable waves.
“N-no,” Rutley stammered, frowning. “I’m just saying, I’d like to have kids one day, dude.”
“Yeah,” Dimitri turned away from him, smacking his hand against the top of one of gallons. He stared at the clerk behind the counter sternly. “I’ll take this one, please and thanks.”
Rutley fell silent as he hung his head and kicked himself mentally. He’d offended Dimitri. He didn’t like the thought of that. Dimitri had done so much for him lately. Not only had he saved his life, but he’d also opened his eyes to an entirely new world. Werewolves weren’t that bad….at least not ones like Dimitri. And maybe that girl wolf wasn’t so bad either.
‘Think of her one more time.’ Dimitri’s voice growled in his mind.
‘Sorry.’ Rutley frowned.
“I’ll be out in the car.” Rutley mumbled as he brushed past Dimitri and stalked towards the automatic doors. He needed some air. He needed to make the tingling sensation on his skin go away. There was no way in hell he was ever going to shift again, and especially not over a petty argument about a girl.
He was almost home-free when he heard a very soft voice calling out to him.
“Excuse me!”
He stopped mid-step, wincing as he contemplated what to do next. He should keep walking, right? He didn’t need to talk to her. Talking to her meant being close, which meant he’d be catching her scent full blast. He wasn’t sure he could handle it.
“Excuse me, Sir.”
Shit, he slowly turned around to stare down at her, smiling a little nervously.
“Yeah?” Rutley asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Hi,” she smiled, and damn it, she had such a pretty smile. He took note of the two little dimples on her cheeks, and the way her light brown eyes sparkled as the sunlight flooded through the windows. Damn. “I was wondering if you might know anything about kerosene heaters.”
“Kerosene heaters?” Rutley echoed as he felt another set of eyes burning right through him. He knew who it was, and it made him cringe again. What did he know about kerosene heaters? His grandma always kept one on standby in case the storm of the century arrived, but he couldn’t recall ever learning how to use it. Shit.
“Yeah, I just moved here and I’m not really used to rough winters. I want to make sure I don’t get snowed in without power. Can you help me?” She batted her lashes, smiling at him again as her hands rested against her waist. Jesus Christ, she had a nice body beneath that t-shirt and those so-tight-they-were-like-a-second-skin jeans.
Rutley swall
owed hard, licking his dry lips before lifting his eyes to gaze at her again. God, had he been staring at her chest? Was she going to smack him?
‘Get a hold of yourself,’ Dimitri growled. ‘Just tell her you don’t know anything and walk away. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.’
He watched as the massive wolf walked by, exiting the store without glancing at him. Why was Dimitri so mad? It’s not like he was doing this on purpose. She asked for help and Rutley wasn’t a dick. If he could help her, he would.
“I don’t really know all that much about those types of heaters,” he finally admitted with a scratch to his scruffy cheek. It was seriously annoying how fast his hair seemed to grow now. He could usually go two days without shaving his ‘barely there’ five o’clock shadow, but since Dimitri turned him, it seemed like hair was popping up everywhere. “I’m sure there’s a manager that can give better advice than me.”
“Oh,” the girl sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks anyways.”
He watched as she turned away from him, heading for the cash register. Damn. He didn’t want her to think he was inadequate-because he was far from it. Rutley knew lots of things about…well, lots of things. Hell, he could sprout off random facts for hours. Why did it have to be kerosene heaters?!
She suddenly stopped and Rutley’s eyebrows lifted slightly. She turned around to face him again, smiling.
“I’m Kia, by the way.”
“Rutley,” He replied with a small nod. “Welcome to Kadenburg.”
“Thanks, Rutley. That’s a pretty unique name…..”
“Yeah,” he grinned goofily, rolling his eyes. “I guess my mom just really liked it or something. But hey, at least I wasn’t named after an embarrassing celebrity or something.”
“Or an annoying book character,” Kia laughed gently as she gazed up at him. “And I wasn’t named after the car if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a family name. I think I’m the fifth woman in my family to receive the honor.”
“I see, I see,” Rutley nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck vigorously. So maybe a conversation wasn’t the best idea in the world. Being this close to her made his inner wolf howl in excitement. It was bad enough to listen to his own thoughts-let alone those of a horny fur ball. He needed to get away from her. “Well, it was really nice to meet you, Kia. I should probably get going.”
The Siege of Kadenburg Page 2
