The Siege of Kadenburg

by T. E. Ridener

  “That can never happen again, Rutley.” Dimitri stated firmly as his lips anchored downwards.

  “Yeah.” Rutley stood before him and gazed at him sadly. Did he feel bad for what happened too? Rutley nodded in response to Dimitri’s silent question.

  “Go get washed up,” Dimitri cleared his throat and folded his arms across his chest. His heart was still racing. “I’m going to see how much snow we’ve got.”

  He was certain Rutley would protest, but the sudden knock on their door caught them both off guard. Who the hell would be outside at two in the morning in the middle of a friggin’ snow storm?

  Seven

  He’d been doing an awful lot of thinking lately. A lot had happened since the night Breslin Connor beat him into a bloody pulp and left him chained in the basement. He didn’t remember too much, really. In fact, the strongest memory he had from that horrible incident was when Louisa found him in the woods. He couldn’t even recall how he got there, or who shot him in the first place.

  His fingers instinctively moved over the small scars upon his torso as he frowned. He usually didn’t scar at all, but Dimitri said it was because of the silver. The wolf explained the werewolf anatomy to him fairly well, but no one could really be positive about how Greg’s body would react to injuries in the future because no one had ever dealt with a hybrid like him before.

  It didn’t surprise him really. Of all the people in the world who could’ve fallen victim to such a twisted scheme, it had to be him.

  “And that’s my luck.” Greg sighed as he tossed his Xbox controller onto the end of his bed and closed his eyes. He’d been playing for two hours straight and while that normally didn’t bother him, his head was reeling too fast for him to actually enjoy the game.

  A light knock sounded on his door before it inched open. He already knew who was standing there, and he wished she’d just give it up already. He was back. He was safe. She didn’t need to check on him every half hour to make sure he was still in the same spot she’d left him.

  “Can I help you?” Greg asked in a nearly robotic voice.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Mrs. Kress beamed as she stepped inside, flicking on the light switch. “Why is it so dark in here? Do you have a headache? Would you like some pain medicine?”

  “I’m fine, Mom,” Greg groaned as he finally opened his eyes to look at her. “I was just going to get some shut eye. I’ve got to help Dad open in the morning.”

  “Well, you don’t have to,” Mrs. Kress frowned. “There’s a blizzard going on out there. I don’t believe we’ll have any customers.”

  “It is?” Greg pushed himself up from his bed, moving to the window to peer outside. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground already. Whoa. Why couldn’t they have snow days like this when he was in school?

  “We’re not even going to bother with opening tomorrow,” his mother replied as she made herself comfortable in his computer chair. She watched him closely, the worry still evident in her eyes. “It would be a good day for sleeping in, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t sleep much,” Greg mumbled. That was the truth. Sleeping meant having bad dreams he couldn’t even remember. He’d woken up in a cold sweat more than once, and it took a while for his body to stop shaking. Perhaps he couldn’t recall what had happened to him while he was in that hospital, but there was a part of his mind that did. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to remember.

  “I think you need to talk to Beau about that,” Mrs. Kress commented gently as she toyed with her wedding band. “I think he could help-”

  “He’s a doctor, not a psychiatrist,” Greg snapped. It happened before he could stop himself, and he instantly felt bad. His brows furrowed as he leaned against his computer desk and allowed his head to fall back. “I’m not crazy or anything, Mom. I’m dealing with it, okay? I’ll be fine.”

  “How can you be sure of that?” His mother asked softly. “How can you know that a month from now, you’ll be okay? Who’s to say that by this time next year, you aren’t more wolf than bear? What happens then, Gregory?”

  “I’ll figure it out when I get there,” Greg replied through clenched teeth. He couldn’t explain it, but there was a certain anger creeping through his veins. His entire body trembled as he gripped the edge of his computer desk. The thick wood gave in to his strength and that’s when he understood he needed to get out. “I need to go, Mom,” Greg whispered as he moved towards the door. “I’ll be back in a while.”

  “But it’s snowing, Greg!” His mother gasped, right on his heels as he headed for the doorway. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just worry for you.”

  “Well, worry less!” Greg shouted angrily, turning his head to glance at her briefly before he opened the front door. A cold gust of wind and snow immediately entered the house and Mrs. Kress shivered.

  “Please be careful,” She pleaded in broken sobs. “Don’t stay out for long, Baby.”

  There was a part of him that knew this was extreme; a part that told him he needed to calm down. But there was also a part of him demanding release and he couldn’t ignore it. The wolf and bear within battled constantly, and Greg had no idea who would emerge as the victor.

  He needed to find his happy place. He needed to find her.

  ——————————-

  “It’s really coming down out there,” Mrs. Bamey whispered as she closed the blinds and turned to gaze at her husband worriedly. “We’ve not had a snow like this before. The weather is ridiculous.”

  “We always get a good blizzard every few years, Charlotte. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Mr. Bamey grunted as he rolled over on the mattress to stare at her. “Come back to bed.”

  “I can’t sleep,” she sighed, hugging her arms around herself as she paced back and forth. “Something is coming.”

  “It’s come and gone and will undoubtedly be back again, but you still need rest. It ain’t healthy how you’ve been up at all hours of the night, honey. Just come over here and let me hold you for a while.”

  “Do you think Natalie is okay?”

  Mr. Bamey blinked, “Natalie? Why are you thinking about Natalie?”

  “I just want to make sure she’s okay,” Mrs. Bamey frowned. “What if she doesn’t have any power? What if this storm gets worse and we’re all left in the dark? Her apartment isn’t all that nice. Maybe we should invite her to stay with us, and Louisa and Beau-”

  “Honey,” Mr. Bamey said more firmly as he sat up in bed and rubbed the back of his neck. “The power ain’t gonna go out. You’re working yourself up over nothing, Charlotte. Come back to bed.”

  Mrs. Bamey bit her bottom lip, glancing towards the window once more. Something didn’t feel right. Something was going to happen. Her nerves were on edge and she knew she couldn’t get any sleep tonight.

  “What about Lorcan and Presley?” She asked. “Presley doesn’t need to be in the cold right now.”

  “Lorcan is plenty capable of taking care of her,” Mr. Bamey replied as he pushed the covers away from his body and stood. “Charlotte, Baby Doll you’re worrying too much and that’s worrying me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she huffed, closing her eyes. “I can’t make it stop. I haven’t felt this nervous since….” Her voice drifted off. She wouldn’t let her mind wander that far back into the past. She couldn’t.

  Mr. Bamey’s arms wrapped around her as he pulled her against his chest and pressed his lips against her forehead.

  “Nothing like that will ever happen again,” he promised quietly. “Breslin can try, but he’ll never destroy Kadenburg. As long as I have a breath in my body, I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I’m not worried about me,” Mrs. Bamey promised in a small whisper. “I’m worried about our family. Who knows what Breslin is planning right now…..”

  “It’ll be all right,” Mr. Bamey stated reassuringly as he ran his fingers through her hair in an attempt to comfort her. “There are more of us than there are of them.
We’ve got Dimitri and Rutley, and Greg too. Nobody’s going to infiltrate this town again.”

  Mrs. Bamey tensed in his arms then, and Mr. Bamey pulled back to gaze at her. He saw the fear in her wide eyes as her mouth fell open.

  “What is it, Charlotte?” He asked quietly. “What do you feel now?”

  The lights flickered off and on before the room went dark. Mrs. Bamey’s anxious breaths filled her husband’s ears as she clung to him.

  “They already have,” she whimpered. “Something is already here.”

  ——————————

  “What in the hell are we supposed to do with that?!” Dimitri asked angrily as he pointed towards the living room.

  “I don’t know. Maybe let her stay the night so she won’t freeze to death?” Rutley scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Jesus, Dim. Do you take me for a heartless prick who tosses girls out in the middle of a snowstorm?”

  “She bought a fucking kerosene heater. It’s not like she’s going to freeze,” Dimitri growled. “She has no reason to be here. And how did she even find us, huh? Did you stop to think about that or were you too busy getting a stiffy over her scent?”

  “Oh, fuck you!” Rutley spat with a roll of his eyes. “It has nothing to do with that. I’m just trying to be a hospitable Tennessean-which you obviously know nothing about, you freaking uptight douche.”

  Dimitri had the mouthy beta pinned against the wall in an instant, baring his fangs as his eyes began to glow.

  “If you ever speak to me like that again, I promise I’ll rip your tongue out,” Dimitri muttered. “She’s not staying.”

  Rutley held the wolf’s gaze, his eyes glowing in response as his fingertips dug into Dimitri’s side. The tension between them was ridiculous. As angry as Dimitri wanted to be with him, he couldn’t. All he could think about was Rutley moaning his name as their bodies rubbed together less than an hour beforehand.

  “Fine. You can throw her out then.”

  “No problem,” Dimitri promised as he stepped back. The lustful memories dispersed immediately and anger took over. The room suddenly went dark and he growled in frustration. “Turn the fucking light back on, Rut.”

  “I didn’t turn it off.” Rutley replied in annoyance.

  “Hey!” The female’s voice sounded from the living room. “I think your power’s out.”

  “No shit, Dick Tracy.” Dimitri grumbled as he fumbled to find the drawer nearest to the sink. He pulled it open, listening to various odds and ends as they rolled from the front to the back. He withdrew a flashlight and turned it on, blinding Rutley in the process.

  “Can you please just try to be nice?” Rutley asked as he carefully moved towards the doorway. “It won’t kill you.”

  Dimitri snarled in response, directing the bright beam of light towards the hallway as his heavy boots hit against the wooden floor.

  “You don’t seem to understand the dangers of having her here,” he whispered as he grabbed Rutley by the shoulder, stopping him midway down the hall. “We don’t know her. She could be one of his.”

  “Look, I get it,” Rutley whirled around to face him. “I get that we have to be cautious and paranoid and the whole shebang, but you’re absolutely right. We don’t know her, which means she might be a harmless wolf without a pack. Maybe she really does need our help. Maybe that’s why she’s here. We could smell her…who’s to say she couldn’t smell us, too?”

  “You are a pain in my ass,” Dimitri exhaled loudly. “I’m just saying, the chances of a wolf being in Kadenburg without any ties to Breslin are one in a million.”

  “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Rutley replied stubbornly. “Now let’s go be courteous hosts and see how we can help her.”

  “I’ll help her all right,” Dimitri growled. “Send her ass right out the door.”

  If he had his way, that’s exactly what he would’ve done, too. But Rutley-the-hospitable-heroic-pain-in-his-ass-lycanthrope wasn’t going to let that happen. Yet.

  Eight

  He couldn’t sleep. He had to be back at the hospital for his shift in three hours, and he hadn’t managed to get a solid five minutes of sleep since his head hit the pillow. Louisa was sleeping contently. He could hear her even breathing from down the hallway, and he envied her.

  He usually didn’t have issues with sleeping. Even with everything he’d witnessed and everything he’d done-Beau never lost a wink of sleep over it. So what was the difference now? What had his mind racing at the speed of light?

  The mixture of snow and ice hitting against the window pane made it sound like a hurricane was roaring through. He wasn’t really a fan of snow-at all. Why couldn’t the hometown of the ursithropes be in Hawaii or Florida? He grunted, smacking his palm against the pillow before pushing himself out of bed. Oh well, sleep was a nice thought.

  Beau found himself in the kitchen before long, listening to the gradually growing squeal of the teapot as the stove heated it up. With the honey in hand, he was preparing to fix a cup of much needed tea when the power went out. The only sound he was left with was the dying wail of the teapot.

  “What the hell?” He muttered softly, blinking rapidly in an attempt to adjust his vision.

  His tea was soon forgotten as the wind outside picked up. It was stronger than only a few minutes ago, and the windows were literally rattling from the force.

  He checked on Louisa first, popping his head into her bedroom to make sure she was still sleeping. She was. Her breathing was just as steady as before, deep and calm. Good.

  He wandered back into the kitchen, deciding that he still needed the tea whether he had power or not. Work would still be there, and they’d probably call him in earlier now that this chaos was happening.

  The hour passed by fairly quickly, and within those sixty minutes of darkness, Beau had managed to drink two cups of tea and successfully retrieved his cellphone from his bedroom. The illumination from the small screen didn’t do much in regards to helping him see, but it sure made it easier for him to keep up with the time.

  “Two more hours.” He sighed, sinking down onto the couch and rubbing the back of his neck. Would the power even be back up by then? Could he really leave Louisa here without heat? Absolutely not. She’d just have to go with him.

  Or perhaps I can send her to the Kress house. She’d enjoy that.

  It was an amusing thought to have, and he was beginning to wonder if Louisa had heard it as the sound of a furiously beating heart entered his mind.

  “Louisa?” He whispered, pushing himself up from the couch. The heartbeat was fast and sporadic-as if Louisa was suddenly terrified. Beau’s body tingled in anticipation of changing. His desire to protect his cousin would always override every other sensation in the world.

  He poked his head into her room again, surprised to see that she was still sleeping soundly. What the hell? Her heartbeat was just fine. Steady and calm as it had been an hour before.

  Whose heartbeat was he hearing?

  He was distracted by the piercing shriek of his phone’s ringtone. He lifted it in his hand, gazing at the number. Yep, he called that one. It was work.

  “Hello? Do you need me to come in?” He asked, placing the phone against his ear. His brows immediately knitted together when he heard a distraught nurse on the other end. “She did what?”

  ———————————

  Sammy had gone through with a lot of stupid ideas in her time, but this surpassed all of them. She had no idea the weather was going to get this bad. When they’d pulled up the radar at work, she’d only seen a few flurries headed in their direction. This was definitely not a few flurries. This was a freaking tsunami of relentless snow and skin biting ice.

  Her naked legs were receiving the most punishment at the moment. As her shoes disappeared into the deep snow and her teeth shattered, she tried desperately to hug her coat tighter around herself. The wind was merciless, sweeping her long hair in every direction as tears stung at he
r eyes. The bitter temperatures would be the death of her.

  I should’ve stayed inside, she thought as she reached out to grab a tree limb. I would be warm right now at least.

  No, she knew better than that. She had to get out of that place. There was no reason for them to keep her at the hospital anyway. She was fine. She was healthier than a derby stallion!

  I just celebrated my 30th birthday a few days ago and now I’m going to die a death far worse than Jack Nicholson did in The Shining. What luck!

  Of course she had to trip over something and fall face first into the snow. Why would that work out any differently? She gasped, pushing her hands down against the iced ground and then forced her numbing body to operate.

  “Holy shit, that’s cold!” She exclaimed, clamping her mouth shut as her teeth continued sounding off like a jack hammer. She was trembling uncontrollably as she forced herself to keep going. Where was she anyway?

  Her mind was obviously shutting down on her, and any sense of direction she had had gone out the window a while back. Yes, leaving the hospital was a perfect idea.

  The ferocious air attacked her again and her hair swept into her face. She made no attempt at removing it. Her fingers were too numb to function properly anyway. The howling of the wind was growing louder and louder.

  Or at least, Sammy thought it was the wind.

  A deeper howl pierced the night air and it caused the hair on her arms to stand on end. Her heart collapsed into her stomach as she whirled about, staring into a mixture of darkness and blinding snow.

  What the hell was that? She thought as panic struck her heart. It didn’t sound good, whatever it was. In fact, it sounded hungry. Shit, shit, shit.

  Another howl sounded in the distance, and that’s when Sammy realized she needed to high-tail it the hell out of the woods. How did she even end up in the woods in the first place?!

  Aaawooooo!

  She was feeling a whole lot of hell no at the moment, and with each stumbling step she took, a million scenarios ran through her mind. This was Tennessee and some of the animals in the forest weren’t exactly nice or fluffy. Some of them had big teeth that could rip into meat and gnaw bones. Some of them liked the scent of a human and the last time she’d checked, she was a human.