“This looks great.” Louisa said softly.
“I hope it tastes great,” Greg smirked. “Oh, and this is for you, too.”
She watched as he slid a tall glass across the counter and she instantly wrapped her fingers around the chilled drink.
“A root beer float?” She asked in surprise.
“Mhm,” he nodded firmly. “You mentioned you like those once, didn’t you?”
Oh my gosh. He remembered that I like these.
Butterflies erupted in Louisa’s abdomen as she tried to hide the huge smile threatening to appear. A funny sort of laugh escaped her tightly pursed lips as she nodded to him, ‘Thank you.”
“No sweat.” Greg winked. He winked.
After sticking a straw into the creamy goodness known as the greatest concoction –ever-, Louisa took a long sip and sighed.
“Mmm,” she hummed. “That is delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Greg replied. He propped his chin against his palm, leaning against the counter as he gazed at her. “Maybe sometime I can make a honeysuckle blast for you.”
Louisa perked up, licking her lips as she tilted her head to the side, “Honeysuckle blast?” She repeated.
“Mhm,” he nodded proudly. “My mom invented it years ago, back when we lived here the first time. It’s got a lot of honey and sugar in it, and my god, it’s so good,” He groaned.
“Sounds like it.” Louisa responded as she sucked at her straw again.
“What’s that on your face?”
She blinked, “Huh?”
“You’ve got something on your face.”
“Oh gosh, what is it?” She asked, her eyes widening as she lifted a hand to touch her cheek. She hadn’t eaten any of her food yet, so it wasn’t that…oh Urseth! Had the ice cream somehow managed to get on her face?
“You missed it,” Greg shook his head. “Here….”
Louisa watched him curiously as he scooped his finger over the ice cream floating atop the root beer, and then he tapped that same finger against the tip of her nose.
“Oh!” She laughed, wrinkling her nose.
“See? I told you there was something on your face,” Greg grinned again, flashing his pearly whites as his eyes sparkled. “You should be more careful. Let me get that for you.”
Louisa was still laughing at his antics when he grabbed a napkin and gently dabbed the ice cream from her nose. Her laughter died away as she noticed how intense his gaze was. The small café became eerily silent as her voice left her altogether, unable to think of anything else aside from him and what he made her feel.
She wasn’t sure when it happened, or how it happened for that matter, but Greg’s thumb was suddenly caressing her cheek and she leaned into his touch. Her eyes fluttered to a close as a sigh escaped her, and she took immense comfort in the affection he displayed towards her.
“You have such beautiful eyes,” Greg murmured as he leaned over the counter. “Don’t close them, Lou…..”
Her eyes immediately opened at his request and she met his soul shattering gaze again. This was wrong. It was all wrong-but how was she supposed to ignore what he made her feel? Was she never to experience happiness again?
Greg was inching closer and Louisa found herself drawn to him. Their lips were centimeters apart now. She could feel the static electricity between them as he gently cupped the side of her face and dipped his head, preparing to touch his lips against hers.
Ding.
“I forgot my backpack-oh!”
Louisa jumped back when she heard Gabby’s gasp of surprise. Her face immediately turned fifty different shades of red as she bowed her head and wished she could shrink away.
Greg straightened back up, shooting a death glare in his sister’s direction.
“I’m so sorry.” Gabby whispered as she hurried towards the kitchen.
Louisa didn’t dare to look up as she buried her face into her hands. How embarrassing!
“Hey,” Greg said softly as his fingers wrapped around her wrists, gently tugging her hands away from her face. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah,” Louisa nodded. “I’m f-fine. I should probably go though. It’s getting late. Beau will be home soon and we’re supposed to go to Presley and Lorcan’s for dinner.”
She reached into her pants pocket, pulling out a few bills to lay on the countertop, “Thank you.” She smiled shyly.
“But-”
“I’ll see you later!” Louisa called as she rushed from the café.
Oh, what was she going to do? She couldn’t like Greg. She couldn’t!
Five
Sammy was trying very hard to remember what happened when she finally came to. The sound of steady beeping roused her from sleep, but it was the sensation of unnaturally warm hands touching her face that brought her out of the deep sleep she’d been enjoying.
“Just relax.” A deep voice stated.
She really wished she could make out the male’s face, but it was hard to do when her vision was so damn blurry. She lifted her head, but immediately realized that was a terrible idea as the sudden pain flooded through her skull. She groaned, resting back against the pillow.
“Where am I?” She asked. If she had her guess, she was in a hospital-but she felt so disoriented that it was hard to tell reality from fantasy at the moment.
“You’re at Kadenburg Medical Center,” the male replied as he touched her left temple gently. “Does that hurt?”
“No,” she mumbled. “It’s the back of my head…it hurts. What happened to me?”
“You collapsed.” The male responded as his fingers moved to the back of her head, gently probing for tenderness. He found it all right. She winced when his fingers pressed just above her neck.
“Ow,” she hissed. “What the hell? Did I hit my head?”
“I don’t think so,” the male responded as he hovered over her. She couldn’t make out his face. What was happening to her? “We’ve ran some tests and everything came back negative. Have you been under any stress lately?”
Sammy scoffed, rolling her eyes. Ow. Note to self: Don’t do that.
“Stress is an understatement,” she mumbled groggily. “I’ve been in pure hell for three years.”
“Do you care to elaborate?” The male, who she presumed to be a doctor, questioned as he pulled his hands away from her head.
“My parents were murdered,” she replied softly, closing her eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out what happened to them. I’ve not had much luck so far.”
“Is that why you work at the sheriff’s department?” He asked curiously. Sheesh, nosey much? “Did you think that by gaining employment there you would be able to solve the case?”
She bit down on her bottom lip as she felt his warm fingers brush against her stomach. The cold metal pressing gently between her breasts a few seconds later told her he was listening to her heartbeat. Tiny shivers ran down her spine as she closed her eyes.
“It sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” She asked, feeling herself slipping away from consciousness. “I just wanted to know what happened….”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Miss Calder. For now, you need to rest.”
She forced her eyes open again, finally able to make out the warm chocolate color of the doctor’s eyes. He was handsome. He was really handsome. And then she was swept away again.
———————————-
‘My parents were murdered.’
The woman’s words echoed in his mind as he made his way outside so he could head home. Beau wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by that statement, or why he felt the need to help her. Perhaps it was because his own family had been murdered, quite brutally, and he could relate. Maybe he felt that they had something in common and he could do more to help her, more than just health-wise. It sure as hell had nothing to do with how tight his pants felt at the moment, or how fast his pulse was racing just from being close to her.
I am getting in too deep, he thought
as he made the short trek back to the apartment he now shared with Louisa. What happened to her parents is none of my concern. She is none of my concern. I should leave it alone. I can’t get involved.
It was easier said than done. Beau could still recall the way his body had reacted to seeing her for the first time. That wasn’t natural. An ursithrope only responded to another of their kind, when the possibility of mating came into play. But she was not an ursithrope. She did not possess the scent of a female ursithrope. Then again, she didn’t possess the scent of a human either.
What was she?
The walk home was shorter than he realized sometimes. He was already walking through the front door, welcomed by the flowery scent of Louisa’s perfume as he shrugged out of his jacket.
“Hey!” Louisa chimed as she appeared in the hallway. “I was beginning to wonder about you. We’re supposed to be at Lorcan and Presley’s in about half an hour. Did everything go okay at work?”
Beau leaned against the door, closing his eyes for a moment as he nodded, “Yeah. It was a good day. Strange, but good.”
“I had a strange day as well,” Louisa nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” Beau sighed. “I’m just going to take a shower and get ready. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” He said tiredly as he stepped past her to head for the bathroom.
“Okay.” Louisa frowned. He knew that she didn’t believe him. Louisa was a very gifted ursithrope. She was empathetic towards the feelings of others, but her gifts ran so much deeper than that.
Their grandfather always said Louisa had been blessed with empakinesis; the ability to project emotions into another person. She rarely touched people because of it. There had been many bad experiences from childhood that caused her to isolate herself from physical contact.
Gifts aside, Louisa knew him better than he knew himself. He was more than aware that she knew he was lying, but he simply could not find it in himself to care right now. All he wanted was a hot shower and some good food in his stomach. It was the recipe for a better night.
After combing his wet hair into place, Beau exited the steam-filled bathroom and made his way into his bedroom. His mind was still reeling with thoughts of Samantha Calder, the sheriff’s deputy that had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital. The woman he’d watched like a hawk for the duration of his shift, and she was still haunting his thoughts. Why?
“Louisa?” Beau called out, entering the living room in the nicest suit and tie he could find. His clothes weren’t anything fancy, really. He’d never intended on staying in one place for too long. It was a definite change from the usual jacket and jeans, but he hoped it would be acceptable at the home warming dinner Presley and Lorcan were hosting.
Perhaps we should have a home warming party, too, Beau thought as he tapped his fingertips against the doorframe. Where was Louisa?
“Come on, Louisa!” He shouted. “We’re going to be late and it won’t be my fault.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Louisa huffed as she appeared at the end of the hall. She was putting in some earrings, and she looked….very nice.
Beau’s brows shot up on his forehead as he did a quick sweep of his cousin’s attire. The big brother-figure within wanted to make her march straight back to her room and change, but what right did he have?
“That is a very short dress.” He mumbled.
“Short?” Louisa glanced down at her dress and then stared at him quizzically, “It comes to my knees, Beau. This is not short.”
“It shows too much of your legs. It’s cold outside.”
Louisa sighed, rolling her eyes, “I am not changing out of it. I like it. Presley gave it to me. Isn’t it pretty?” She twirled around, smiling from ear to ear.
“Remind me to thank her.” Beau replied sarcastically as he chewed at his lower lip briefly. Louisa was happy-and she had every right to be. He suspected she was dressing up so nicely in hopes of seeing a certain ursi-lycan, and he couldn’t get in the way of that, could he?
“We should get a move on. They’re going to eat without us and those wolves will have everything consumed before we get there.” Beau stated as he pulled open the front door and turned off the main hallway light.
“Hey! I can’t see!” Louisa whined, stumbling towards the door.
Beau grinned to himself. For the first time in many months, he felt a brief moment of happiness. He wasn’t even sure why. Perhaps Louisa’s mood was rubbing off on him. If that was the case, then he could only hope it would last. Even the coldest of bears craved warmth in dark times.
Something told him that the deputy at the hospital was in pretty dark times, too.
———————————
It was the wind howling roughly outside the stirred Sammy from her slumbering this time. She had no idea what time it was. All she knew was that it was dark, and she was cold. She could hear the scraping noises and they sent chills down her spine.
Sitting up in the hospital bed, she glanced towards the window and saw the tree branches slamming against the glass. That had to be some powerful wind going on outside…..
Slipping her legs over the side of the bed, Sammy pressed her bare feet against the cold floor and another shiver ran through her. God, did it have to be so cold in here? What kind of hospital was this? She hugged the flimsy hospital gown tighter around her body and cautiously moved towards the window.
It was an eerie noise. The way the wind howled and the branches clawed at the glass…it was almost as if something was trying to get inside; trying to get to her.
Don’t be ridiculous, she scolded mentally as she peered out the window. You’ve been doped up on pain meds and you’re talking out of your mind.
Why was she here, anyway? Oh. Right. She’d collapsed at work or something. She could vaguely recall the conversation she’d had with the handsome doctor. How long ago had that been? How long had she been asleep?
Her eyes moved towards the ticking clock on the wall, but it was far too dark to make out the numbers. Damn.
“I’m going down for coffee. Do you want some, Sandy?”
The muffled conversation of the nurses outside had Sammy’s attention, and she quietly crept to the closed door to listen.
“No, thanks. I’m good.” The other nurse, presumably Sandy, replied.
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few. I’m going to call and check on my kids. The snow should be here soon.”
Snow? Again? Sammy was sick of the bipolar weather lately. One day it was sunny and beautiful, the next it was cold and dreary. She honestly could not wait for spring.
She pressed her ear against the door, listening to the retreating footsteps of the first nurse. She had to get out of here. She couldn’t stay here all night-she had things to do! Ugh, so stupid.
Tiptoeing back to the small wardrobe near her bed, she carefully opened the door and peered inside. Where the hell was her uniform?
“Damn it.” She hissed. Weren’t they supposed to put the clothes she arrived in inside of this thing? What kind of hospital was this place?
“Oh, screw it.” She muttered softly as she crept back to the bed and peered beneath it. Ah, at least her shoes were there. She carefully eased onto the bed with her shoes in tow, putting each one on as quietly as possible. Now she just had to figure out how to sneak out without anyone noticing.
The wind picked up again, making it sound like a freight train was chugging through as she tied up her laces and glanced upwards again. The snow would arrive soon and she didn’t want to get caught in it. Damn. Damn. Damn.
But wait. She had an idea!
Opening the door to her room, Sammy made her way out into the dim hallway with nothing more than a hospital gown and her shoes on. She approached the nurse’s station casually, staring down at the blonde haired woman seated there with a book in her hands.
“Excuse me.” Sammy said in a firm tone.
“Oh!” The woman clutched
her chest, nearly jumping out of her chair as she looked up. “You scared me! What are you doing out of bed?” She frowned.
“I need a smoke.” Sammy lied. She’d only ever had one cigarette in her entire life and it nearly choked her to death. She supposed that’s what happened to a person when they tried to act ‘cool’ among their peers.
The nurse frowned, giving her a once over before tilting her head to the side, “I don’t recall your charts saying you were a smoker. It isn’t very healthy, you know.”
“I’m aware,” Sammy muttered as she placed a hand on her hip. “But this is America and I have rights. I want to go down for a cigarette. Do I need to sign something?”
The nurse seemed flustered by the way Sammy spoke to her, but Sammy had never been the type of person to take lip from anybody. She would do what she damn well pleased and they could like it or lump it.
“You’ll have to sign this sheet here,” the nurse said, placing a clipboard on the counter. “And I can only give you ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Sammy rolled her eyes. “Trust me, lady. I only need five.”
“Very well,” the nurse huffed. “But I don’t believe there were any cigarettes with your belongings.”
“Speaking of which,” Sammy said pointedly, “Where are my belongings?”
The nurse put her book down, obviously irritated with Sammy interrupting her precious reading time as she disappeared into the small office behind the nurse’s station. She returned a few moments later with the familiar tan coat between her fingers.
“Here is your coat,” she nodded. “I reckon you may want it when you venture out there. It’s going to start snowing at any moment. The last thing we need is for you to catch a cold. Doctor Xiong won’t be very happy about that.”
“Doctor Xiong?” Sammy echoed.
“Oh, yes,” The nurse nodded. “That’s your doctor, Miss Calder. He’s not here right now, but he’ll be back in the morning.”
“Right.”
The Siege of Kadenburg Page 4
