The Siege of Kadenburg

by T. E. Ridener

  The air escaped from between her lips as a huge puff of white and with each ragged breath she attempted to draw in, her lungs screamed at her in protest. Why did it feel like she was in Alaska or something?

  Aaawooooooo!

  The howling was getting closer.

  Her chest was beginning to hurt as she desperately sucked in more air, willing her body and mind to remain calm as she reached for a branch and pulled herself over a fallen tree. She refused to be a frozen treat for any damn wild animal tonight.

  Aaawooooooo!

  Now that howl sounded angry, or hungry, or fifty other very bad words for something dangerous. Sammy swallowed the lump in her throat, pleading with her body to keep moving forward. She would make it out of here. She still had so much to do before she bit the dust. She made a promise at her parents’ funeral that she’d find their killer and she couldn’t do that if she was dead too.

  Her breathing was labored as she stumbled past more trees, relieved that her shoes finally hit concrete. She was out of the woods! She’d found solid ground!

  Her stomach twisted into knots as she glanced towards the woods again, allowing her eyes to scan the dark, white scenery. She knew someone –or something-was in there.

  Not tonight, she reminded herself as she took a step backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. She could find her way home now. The trek through the woods had been longer than she’d anticipated, but she was out now and that’s what mattered. If her body could only handle another few moments in the snow…..

  “Hey, are you-”

  Sammy shrieked, whirling around with her fists flying. She was pretty sure she made contact with somebody’s face more than once.

  “Ow! Hey! Stop!”

  Sammy didn’t stop. She was sufficiently freaked out and she flailed her arms towards the man like a crazy person.

  “Get back!” She cried. “Get away from me!”

  “Stop! Stop! STOP!” The male pleaded as he lifted his arms to block her strikes. “Stop it, Miss Calder-I’m trying to help you!”

  He knew her name? Sammy stilled, staring at him with wild eyes. It only took a second to recognize him.

  Oh shit, she thought. It’s the doctor. I just assaulted the doctor!

  He didn’t seem to be angry with her, but she knew there was a good chance he was going to press charges. Great-just great! A deputy beating on a doctor…that wasn’t going to go well in court. She was going to get fired. She would be sent away from this town with the title of doctor beater or something. Aw, hell!

  Doctor Xiong lifted his hand to wipe at the corner of his mouth, observing the bright crimson on his fingertips before he released a low breath.

  “That’s some mean right hook you’ve got there,” he stated, lifting his brown eyes to meet hers. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. What the hell are you doing out here anyway? You’re supposed to be at the hospital.”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Sammy said in defense. “Why are you out in the middle of a freaking blizzard?”

  Doctor Xiong cocked his head to the side as dark hair fell into his eyes. Wow. He was kind of cute from that angle.

  “I thought I heard a noise,” he replied hesitantly. “I decided to investigate said noise. But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are you out here and not in the hospital?”

  “Did you hear the howling too?” Sammy asked, her arms hugging around herself as her body continued convulsing from the cold. “And I don’t have to answer that. I have rights, you know.”

  Doctor Xiong’s brows furrowed as he studied her, “What?” He asked, and that’s when it sounded again.

  Aaaawooooooo!

  Sammy’s head whipped in the direction of the woods and she took another step backwards. Maybe she would’ve felt safer if she had her pistol-maybe not. But there was something about that howling she just didn’t like. It almost sounded familiar.

  “Let’s get you inside,” Doctor Xiong instructed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You need to warm up and we don’t need to be out here with them.”

  “With them?” Sammy echoed with a frown, not having much choice but to let him guide her towards the apartment complex. Her teeth chattered once more as she pushed the hair away from her face, stumbling along beside of him. “What’s ‘them’, exactly?”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” Doctor Xiong said over the loud howl of the wind. “Just worry about not getting frostbite, okay?”

  “Okay.” She replied skeptically. She appreciated the fact he wanted to offer her shelter from this bizarre snow storm, but she got the feeling he was hiding something else.

  Something she would figure out.

  Nine

  “Pretzerella, can you hear me?”

  Presley didn’t seem to have dreams very often anymore. In fact, the only time anything ran through her mind while she was sleeping, was when her brain decided to make her relive horrifying moments involving Breslin Connor. Being sucked into a peaceful atmosphere with bright, summer days caught her off guard.

  “Who’s there?” She asked, though she knew exactly who was talking to her. Only one person in the entire world ever called her Pretzerella.

  “Hey, Pretz, I’m over here.” The male voice called out.

  She was in a large, warm field with the sun shining down on her skin. It was nice. A welcomed change from the cold, dreary weather Kadenburg was currently experiencing during one of the worst winters of all time. She lifted her hand to block the sunlight from her eyes, finally able to see him.

  “Liam?”

  He smiled broadly, nodding, “Yeah, Pretz. It’s me.”

  “I don’t understand,” she frowned, her bare feet carrying her over the blissfully hot grass as she approached him. “Why am I dreaming this?”

  “Because I wanted you to,” he chuckled, crossing his ridiculously muscular arms over his chest. “I thought it was time to say hi.”

  “Say hi?” She blinked. “But you’re-”

  “Dead? I know that,” he nodded. His smile was unwavering as he gazed at her with brown eyes that were exactly like Lorcan’s. They sparkled in the sunlight as he took a step closer to her. “Don’t you remember that night at the river? The night you and Jim wrecked?”

  Presley nodded slowly, “Yes, I can remember that….I just thought I was going crazy. I’ve been under a lot of stress.”

  “I know,” he stated in a solemn tone. “You should’ve been welcomed into the bear club a long time ago, Pretzie. I’m sorry you had to find out about us like that. How are you holding up?”

  That was a good question. How was she holding up exactly? Her aunt was back in her life, a werewolf wanted to use her as a breeding machine, and she was going to have Lorcan’s baby. That was an awful lot to go through all at once, wasn’t it?

  “I think I’m okay,” she nodded. “I mean, I’ve been through worse, haven’t I?”

  Liam laughed again, holding his hand out towards her, “Will you come with me?”

  She stared at his hand for a moment, contemplating on if she actually wanted to do that. This was like A Christmas Carol, and she was Mister Scrooge. Which ghost was Liam supposed to represent?

  “I only represent myself.” Liam promised.

  “You can hear my thoughts?” Presley asked in shock.

  “I can hear a lot of things from my side,” Liam gave her another resilient smile. “But I’m not here to hurt you or anything. I just want to talk to you, Pretz. You can trust me.”

  Of course she trusted him….but he was dead. Why was she dreaming of a dead man, and her mate’s brother at that?

  “Please?” Liam pleaded gently, wiggling his fingers as he waited for her to take his hand. “There are some things you need to know. You’re the only one I can reveal these things to. It’s what Urseth wants.”

  “Urseth?”

  “Well, yeah,” Liam stared at her as if she was crazy for even questioning it. “You don’t think he watches over us?”r />
  “Well, how am I supposed to know that?” Presley said in defense. “All I know is that the guy made us.”

  “It’s so much more than that,” Liam promised as he reached out for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. “There’s so much you need to know, Pretz.”

  There was a blinding flash of light, and before she could make heads or tails of what was happening, Presley found herself in a very familiar place. Why did Liam bring her to the spot Breslin Connor killed her father?

  She quickly removed her hand from Liam’s, taking a step back.

  “Why are we here…?” She asked quietly.

  “Because there is much you need to learn.” Liam responded gently. He glanced around the wooded area, sighing.

  “I don’t want to learn anything right now,” Presley pouted as she stared at him. “All I want to do is dream and wake up refreshed. It’s not easy being pregnant, you know.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Liam beamed as he perked up at the mention of her pregnancy. “I get to be an uncle.” His smile was sad though, and it instantly made Presley feel bad. What she wouldn’t give to have Liam around in the land of the living.

  But it still didn’t make much sense as to why she could see him now, or why they were talking in her dream.

  “You have many questions, young grasshopper,” Liam teased as he stepped ahead of her and gazed at the tree that was forever scarred by fire. He reached his hand out, gently touching the burnt bark before glancing at her again. “I’m going to try to answer everything I can.”

  Presley nibbled her lower lip, clasping her fingers together as she dropped her gaze to the ground. It seemed so much clearer here; somehow nicer than in real life. Crisp and beautiful, as dreams often were when one needed to escape reality.

  “Do you know why I can feel what others feel?” She finally asked after a moment.

  “Yes,” Liam nodded, his brown eyes focusing on her. “It’s because you are a very special type of ursithrope. Not many are given the gift, but it seems Urseth deemed you fit for the cause. You’re an empath, Pretz. You can feel what they feel and trust me when I say it’s not a bad thing.”

  “But I feel their sadness,” she frowned. “Their anger….their hate; I can feel it.”

  “I know,” he nodded. “But it isn’t horrible. There are only so many ursithropes in the world who are blessed with certain gifts. I possessed the gift, too.”

  “You were an empath?” Presley’s eyes widened. “Did you parents ever know?”

  “Nah,” he shrugged. “I guess I didn’t see much of a point in telling them that. Then again, they never knew I liked guys back then either.”

  “Neither did I,” she admitted with a small smile. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “Pretz, I never even told Lorcan,” he said in a more serious tone. “There were certain aspects of my life that I liked to keep a secret. Dimitri was probably my biggest secret of all,” he sighed. “But I was planning to tell my parents. I wanted everyone to meet him at the right moment. I just never got that opportunity.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Presley whispered, unsure if she was supposed to hug him or something. She wanted to. She wanted to hug Liam and spend time with him, though it hardly seemed fair. Didn’t Lorcan deserve this opportunity more than her?

  “Lorcan dreams of me often,” Liam promised with another gentle smile. “I check in on him all the time. He’s doing well. He’s got you now. Besides, even if Lorcan wanted this ‘opportunity’, he’d never be able to see me as you do. You possess the gift-he does not.”

  “So what are you trying to say? Am I a medium or something?”

  “Kind of, but no. I wouldn’t call you a medium. You’re just a very special ursithrope. You know how Lorcan told you that meeting Louisa made him feel weird?”

  “Yeah,” She nodded. “I remember that.”

  “It’s because Louisa is special, too. You were both selected by Urseth to serve a great purpose to our kind. She doesn’t understand her gifts yet, but she will.”

  “So you could enter her dreams like this, too?”

  “I doubt she’d welcome me,” Liam admitted. “She’s seen many horrors. Beau has too. What happened to them is far worse than what happened to me.”

  “Liam, you were ripped open.” Presley nearly sobbed. She blinked back her sudden tears and noticed how the sky was darkening above them.

  “Easy there,” Liam said in a soft whisper as he stepped in front of her. His hands landed against her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. “Be careful with what you feel right now, Pretz. You’re in control of the weather and I was really enjoying the sunshine. Think happy thoughts, okay?”

  “This is too weird,” Presley shook her head slowly, refusing to meet his gaze. “I can feel everyone else’s emotions because I’m special? I can see you in my dream right now because I’m special? What about the night in the river? How was I able to hear you then?”

  “Because you’re-”

  “Special. Right, I get it.” She licked her lips and then glanced at him. Why was he still smiling? If she was stuck on the ‘other side’ she would be miserable. How could he be so happy?

  “I’m happy because I can still watch over the people I care about,” Liam responded to her thoughts. “I get to watch my little brother become a dad. I get to watch my mom cook my favorite meals and I still get to witness my dad crooning to country songs when he thinks no one is watching,” he laughed at that last bit, but then he took on a more serious stance. “I get to watch Dimitri slowly fall in love with my best friend.”

  “What?” Presley’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Dimitri is Rutley’s alpha. That’s all that’s going on there, Liam, I swear. If anything happened before that it was just a drug induced mistake.”

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Liam shrugged. “I mean..there isn’t much I can do from here, you know? I wouldn’t begrudge either of them the opportunity to find happiness. I wouldn’t do that to anyone. Besides…I’d rather it be Rutley than some random Joe, ya know? Rutley’s a good guy.”

  “You’re such a good person, Liam,” she whispered sadly. “I don’t understand why you had to…to..”

  “To die?” He tilted his head to the side. “Because everybody has an expiration date, Pretzerella and mine came sooner than I expected.”

  Still the same old Liam, she thought, stepping forward to hug her arms around him. He felt so real. He felt alive. He was warm and strong, and the steady beating of his heart made Presley question just how much of a dream this was.

  “Dreams aren’t always so imaginary,” Liam promised as he kissed her hair. “I am a chosen delegate of Urseth, as are you and Louisa.”

  “A delegate?” Presley blinked, pulling back to gaze at him. “You mean like a messenger of some sort?”

  “Something like that,” Liam nodded. “Your father and Natalie were also delegates. I don’t think Natalie has told you that, has she?”

  “No,” Presley whispered, another frown anchoring her lips downwards. “We don’t really talk about much of that. Right now I’m just trying to get used to having her in my life.”

  “Natalie isn’t as bad as your uncle Arnold wants you to believe, Pretz. She was put through a lot to be so young. You need to see what happened that night. That’s why I’ve brought you here.”

  “Okay….” Presley replied apprehensively.

  As Liam’s fingers closed around hers, Presley felt nauseas. Everything began to blur and she felt her body being pulled through the very threads of time. She clung to Liam, burying her face against his chest as the world around them twirled and shifted. It seemed to take an eternity for her feet to hit solid ground again, and even after the world stopped moving, she was still clinging to her mate’s older brother.

  “It’s all right,” Liam whispered as he gently pulled back to gaze at her. “You can look now.”

  Presley slowly lifted her head, taking in the new scenery. No, it wasn’t new at all. It was
just night time. She sucked in a lungful of chilled air and immediately gripped Liam’s shirt between her fingers.

  “What’s happening?” She asked softly.

  “This is the night your father died,” Liam murmured back to her. “This is a very important memory.”

  “No,” Presley shook her head furiously, blinking back tears. “No, please don’t make me watch him die, Liam. Please…I can’t bear that.”

  “I’m not going to make you watch that,” Liam frowned. “Urseth needs you to see what happened before your father died. He needs you to understand.”

  “Understand what?!” She stared up at him with wide, watery eyes. “Understand what I already know?! Breslin is a monster. He killed my dad and then forced Natalie to be on his side by terrifying her. I already know these things, Liam.”

  “No….not that,” Liam whispered as two figures emerged into the clearing. “It’s something else.”

  “We shouldn’t be out here tonight,” A very young Natalie said as she followed behind the taller male. “We’re going to get into trouble if Daddy finds out, Pierce. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Oh come on, Natty. Nothing is going to happen. We’re protected in this place. Stop worrying about it.” The male responded. He was very handsome. His dark hair and light green eyes were easy to see, as well as his perfect nose and strong jaw. He was in his late teens or early twenties.

  It only took a second longer for Presley to realize she was staring at her father.

  Natalie and Pierce Carroll knelt down before the tree, bowing their heads as they began to pray.

  “Urseth, our great and noble god, we thank you for giving us these gifts and we pray that you will help us use them as you see fit. Please come to us now.”

  Presley was still as stone-quiet as a mouse-as she felt a gentle breeze move through. The rustling of the leaves caught her attention, and she realized something was coming.