“I think you can.” Greg replied softly as he cupped his fingers around hers which were around the mug.
“How?” Louisa asked quietly, feeling the surge of energy racing through her veins from the contact. Her heart stopped momentarily as she met his gaze. “What can I do to help?”
Greg’s tongue traced over his lower lip as he smiled again, “When I’m with you….I feel distracted from my problems. I don’t think about them as much when we’re together, Lou. When I’m at home, alone with my thoughts, that’s when they torment me. I’ve really tried to get along with the wolf-I swear it. I do exactly what Dimitri told me to do….but he only seems to behave around you.”
“T-that’s ridiculous,” Louisa found herself replying as her lower back hit the counter suddenly. Why was she backing away from Greg? “Wolves d-don’t like bears,” She whispered.
“Don’t they?” Greg asked, tilting his head to the side. “I’m fairly sure Dimitri liked Liam.”
“That’s different.” She tried to argue as the cup of tea was pulled from her hands. Greg gently placed it on the countertop before taking her hands into his own. Gosh, his hands were huge compared to hers. Despite the fact he’d been in the snow –probably all night-his hands were wonderfully warm. She swallowed hard, listening as her heart thundered in her ears.
“No, it isn’t,” Greg promised in a lower voice, dipping his head down to bump the tip of his nose against hers. “Louisa, I need you,” He confessed in a husky whisper. “My wolf needs you. My bear needs you.”
Oh, Urseth, was this really happening? Was Greg really saying he needed her?
I need you too, was what she wanted to say. She couldn’t quite find the ability to make her voice work as she tilted her head back slightly. It was probably for the better. She wasn’t supposed to care about someone so soon. She couldn’t do that to her mate-to-be.
Mate-could-have-been, her mind reminded gently as her eager breath fanned out against Greg’s lips. He is gone. He is not coming back. He would want me to be happy…..
“Please make it stop,” Greg pleaded as he rested his forehead against hers. “You’re the only one who can make this better for me, Lou. Please….”
She wanted to help him. More than anything, she wanted to help this poor, tormented man. He never asked for any of this to happen to him. Hell, did anyone ever ask for the unexpected to happen to them? Louisa blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. His emotions were overwhelming her, but she fought through them to keep herself focused on the task at hand. He was asking for her help, and she would not fail him as she failed so many others. She would help Greg.
“I’m here,” Louisa promised with a small nod. “I’ll do whatever it takes to ease your mind, Greg. Just…try to relax.”
She closed her eyes, hoping he would follow her lead. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils and then let the air escape through her parted lips.
“Just breathe like me,” she instructed in that same gentle voice. “Breathe in, breathe o-”
She was cut off by the feel of warm, sensual lips against her own. Oh great, wonderful Urseth above! Greg had initiated the kiss…which was new for her. Louisa knew that the female always made the first move-that’s just how it was, yet Greg was breaking all the rules now as his mouth moved tenderly against her own.
Maybe she should’ve seen that coming. Maybe she should’ve been more prepared for it, but sweet Urseth, she was not expecting such a kiss from Greg.
His large hands framed either side of her face as his lips claimed hers in a searing, hungry manner. It was a kiss that caused her brain to frazzle. Pacing her breathing was no longer a concern as she found herself returning his kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck. She pushed up on her tiptoes, attempting to deepen this spontaneous kiss.
Greg was an exceptional kisser. She could only compare him to one other, and truth be told, no one would ever be able to compare to him. However, Greg was most certainly in a league of his own as his hard body pinned hers against the counter.
It ended all too soon as he pulled back, sucking a deep breath into his lungs with a smile lingering on his lips.
Louisa slowly opened her eyes, gazing at him as if she were in a daze. She sort of was, actually. Who gave him the right to kiss her senseless-without warning? Oh, but she liked it. She really liked it.
“Thank you.” He whispered.
“I….think I should be thanking you.” She replied as her face heated up once more.
They shared a small laugh, only to be cut short by the sound of a distant howl.
“What was that?” Louisa asked, turning her head to gaze out the window above the sink. “Was that Dimitri?”
“No,” Greg frowned. “And it wasn’t Rutley either. That was a different wolf.”
Louisa’s face paled, “Breslin?”
“I don’t think so,” His brows furrowed as his grip on her hips tightened.
The sound of the front door slamming made Louisa jump, and she darted past Greg to hurry back into the living room. Surely Beau wasn’t home from work already?
As she entered the living room, she soon realized that Beau was not home, and she was going to be in so much trouble.
“Oh no.” She groaned softly, pressing her palm against her heated forehead.
Sammy was gone.
Twelve
“What the hell is so important that you called me out of the office?”
Sheriff Holter was tired and easily irritable, but nothing got on his nerves worse than when his deputies couldn’t perform the simplest of tasks. He had bigger fish to fry right now and he was depending on them to get the power back up for the town.
He couldn’t very well work on finding his son if he had to keep coming out to do their job, right?
“Sorry, Sheriff,” one of his veteran deputies replied as he approached him. “I just thought you ought to see this.”
“See what?” Sheriff Holter frowned. “If it’s not a body, Farris I promise I’m going to make you run the radio for a month.”
“No, Sir. It’s not a body, Sir, but I think you’ll want to see it anyway.”
“Fine.” Sheriff Holter huffed as he trekked through the deep snow, making his way towards the power station. Why on earth the city workers and the handful of deputies he’d lent them couldn’t figure out the problem was beyond his comprehension. Was it that hard to repair a few lines and make sure the heavy snow was removed from around wires?
“It took us a while to shovel through the snow just to get this far,” Deputy Farris mumbled. “But when we got here we thought you ought to see it too.”
“See what?” Sheriff Holter asked through clenched teeth as he stepped past the deputy to gaze at the security fence that kept intruders from being too close to the high voltage station.
No one had to answer him as he saw the condition of the fence.
“The snow didn’t knock the power out, did it?” Sheriff Holter asked, though his tone was making it more of a statement than anything else.
“No, Sir,” Deputy Farris replied. “Somebody used wire cutters or something to get inside there.”
Sheriff Holter studied the fence as his eyebrows knitted together. He slowly shook his head.
“That wasn’t done by wire cutters, Son.” He replied quietly.
He was gazing at damage caused by wolf claws.
———————————
“She what?” Beau asked in an angry voice as he gripped his phone a little tighter. He really needed to keep himself in check right now, or else he’d be buying a new cellphone. He licked his lips, nostrils flaring as he glanced up to see Joy walking by. He tried to pretend everything was okay by giving her a quick smile, but everything was definitely not okay.
“I’m so sorry!” Louisa’s trembling voice replied on the other end. “Greg showed up and I left the living room for two seconds. She just left.”
“Louisa!” He damn near shouted into the phone. He needed to calm down, so t
hat’s what he did. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before trying again. “Louisa, I told you to look out for her. I told you there were wolves in the woods last night….if she gets out there and she’s the one they were looking for….” He couldn’t even finish that sentence. For some reason, way beyond his comprehension at the moment, Beau felt physically sick at the thought of something happening to Sammy.
“Nothing will happen, I promise,” Louisa whimpered. “I’m going to go find her right now. Greg and I will find her, okay? I promise!”
She hung up before he could say anything else, and that only infuriated him more.
She’s young. He reminded himself as he tucked his cellphone into the pocket of his jacket. She still has a lot of learning to do.
“Is everything all right, Doctor Xiong?” Joy asked as she appeared at his side.
“Yeah,” he frowned. “The waterlines froze at my apartment. It’s a huge mess.” He lied.
“Oh, yikes. That’s a bummer,” Joy smiled. “Well, I hope it gets fixed soon. They should get the power turned back on at any time-or so I’ve heard. I thank God we’ve got the generators here.”
“I agree.” Beau nodded and turned to grab the chart of his next patient.
The double doors at the end of the hall suddenly flew open and Beau didn’t need to look up to know someone was badly injured. The scent of their blood was strong-strong enough to signal they would be in need of immediate medical attention.
Oh, hell. Beau thought as he turned to see the gurney being rushed down the hallway. His eyes fell upon a middle aged man, covered in blood, with gaping wounds on his throat. It was one of the worst injuries Beau had ever seen in his life-and he’d seen many.
“What happened?” Joy asked as she fell into step alongside the hasty EMTS.
“Animal attack,” the male EMT responded. “His wife called into the sheriff’s department about twenty minutes ago. She was screaming and frantic. When we arrived on the scene, she was gone and he was lying in the middle of the road like this.”
“In the middle of the road?” Beau questioned. “Did they wreck or something?”
“No,” The EMT shook his head, pushing the gurney into an operating room with the guidance of his partner. “He was just there….no vehicle in sight. We couldn’t find any traces of tire tracks-or his wife.”
“So his wife is missing?” Joy gasped. “Oh, how awful! What could’ve done this?”
Beau didn’t need the EMTs to tell him any of their guesses. He already knew what had done this. He’d seen it before. These were the same fatal wounds most of his family had received on the night of his village’s slaughter.
“Get Doctor Bishop on the phone,” Beau stated hoarsely as he fumbled through the nearby cabinet to find a syringe. “Tell him he needs to get down here now.”
“Yes, Sir!” Joy shouted as she disappeared from the room.
Beau had every intention of injecting the man with some pain medicine. He couldn’t imagine the amount of pain he was in-but he wanted to ease it if he could. He was just about to call out to Joy again to retrieve some morphine when fingers locked around his wrist in a death grip.
“I have….a message….” The man struggled to say as blood gargled from between his lips. He stared at Beau with wide blue eyes.
Beau’s eyebrows drew together as he gazed down at him. Did this man not realize he was bleeding profusely from his throat and if Beau didn’t stop it, he would die?
“You…..c-can’t….” He sputtered, spitting a mouthful of blood onto Beau’s white coat as he gasped for air. He was drowning from the blood seeping into his lungs. For the love of Urseth Beau needed to stop it!
“I can’t what, Sir?” Beau asked as he glanced upwards, trying to find Joy. “I’m trying to help you.”
“No,” the man hissed, baring his blood stained teeth as his grip on Beau’s wrist tightened. “Listen….to….me…”
“I’m listening, Sir, but-” Beau was cut off as the man’s fingers gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer to his face. It was then that Beau caught of a sickening whiff of rancid wolf stench.
“They….are…..here….”
Beau searched the man’s face, his lips parting as the air escaped his lungs.
“They….are…here…” The man repeated as blood trickled down his chin. “You….can’t….stop them…”
“What did you say?” Beau asked quietly.
“You…..will……l-lose,” the man whispered, the light beginning to fade from his eyes. “Tell…”
Was this man seriously implying what Beau thought he was implying? He already knew the human’s wounds were inflicted by a wolf, and those words sent undesirable chills down his spine. His stomach twisted into knots as he struggled to hear the man’s nearly inaudible words.
“My…wife,” he gasped. “Took…..her….”
“They took her?” Beau whispered back to him, trying not to let the EMTs hear their conversation. “Who took her, Sir?” Even though he already knew the truth, he had to act like he didn’t. No one could know his connection with the attack. He was an ursithrope and it was his duty to protect humans, but he had to feign ignorance.
“You….know….” Tears leaked from the man’s eyes as his grip began to relax on Beau’s collar. He gasped for air, his chest heaving up and down as he desperately tried to hold on for a moment longer. “Save….her….”
And then he was gone.
Beau stood there, completely and utterly dumbfounded at what had just happened. It was almost as if this man was sent to the ER just to deliver that message. But why? Was Breslin Connor really clever enough to orchestrate such a plan?
As Beau stared at the lifeless form of the human being on the gurney, he already knew his answer.
Yes. Breslin was definitely clever enough to orchestrate a plan like that. Beau needed to find out what other ‘plans’ he was about to follow through on, before it was too late.
——————————-
Lorcan winced every time he heard the gut-wrenching heaves coming from the bathroom. Presley was sick again-she’d been doing that a lot lately. It was to be expected; he understood that. But wasn’t it supposed to ease up as the weeks passed by?
“That poor dear.” Mrs. Bamey sighed as she put away the clean skillet Lorcan had accidentally burnt the eggs in. It wasn’t his fault. As soon as he heard Presley’s screams, she became his only concern. The skillet had been forgotten on the heater, and Mrs. Bamey fought for a full fifteen minutes to scrape the crisp eggs from the bottom. Thank goodness for Mama Bears.
“You were just as bad,” Mr. Bamey mumbled as he re-entered the house with a gallon of kerosene in tow. “I remember how sick you were with Liam.”
“That’s true,” Mrs. Bamey sighed, wiping her hands off on a dish towel before she joined her husband and son in the living room. “She’ll be all right.”
Lorcan nodded in silence, resting his chin against his palm as his eyes wandered over the bare walls of his new home. They needed to hang some pictures eventually. He imagined their cub’s face would be plastered all over the place before long.
Why am I thinking about pictures when I need to be worrying about everything else?
“Did you hear me, Lorcan?”
Lorcan blinked upon hearing his mother’s voice and he looked up at her, “Huh?”
“Oh, Lorcan,” She frowned, placing her hands on her hips. “Sweetie, please try to pay attention right now.”
“Sorry, Mama,” he sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose. “What were you saying?”
“I was asking if this is the first time she’s had those dreams.”
“As far as I know,” Lorcan scratched the back of his neck. “I mean..she’s had a few nightmares about Breslin, but mostly she just doesn’t dream at all-at least not as far as I can tell.”
“Poor Presley,” Mrs. Bamey said softly, turning her head in the direction of the hallway. “She doesn’t need this stress. It’s n
ot good for the baby.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Lorcan questioned in an annoyed tone. “I don’t want anything to happen to her or our cub. You think this is the life I want for them?”
Mrs. Bamey gazed at him with sadness in her eyes. Lorcan didn’t mean to fly off the handle like that-he really didn’t, but enough was enough. He never imagined chaos making its way back into Kadenburg. The bad things that had happened were meant to be a thing of the past, yet he found himself re-living it and he had to watch Presley suffer through it, too. Kadenburg was supposed to be peaceful; they were supposed to be peaceful people, yet with each passing day he could feel the warrior within demanding to be released.
A firm yet gentle hand rested against his shoulder then, and Lorcan lifted his gaze to see his father standing there. Mr. Bamey stared at him with such understanding in his eyes, and a lot of compassion.
“We’re going to figure this out,” Mr. Bamey promised quietly. “No matter what it takes, Son, we’re going to get through it together. Whatever Urseth has planned….whatever Breslin thinks he’s going to do…we’ll be ready for it.”
“Yeah,” Lorcan nodded, dropping his gaze to the floor. He ran his tongue over his lips, attempting to moisten them as his brows furrowed. “I know that, Dad. I’ve never doubted it. I just don’t want Presley to be dragged through it. I don’t want the life of my cub risked over…this…” He let his hand move in a fast circle, as if trying to sum up the mile long list of problems they needed to deal with.
“Presley is a lot stronger than you give her credit for,” Mrs. Bamey remarked as she made her way into the kitchen. “I think you’re going to see that very soon, Lorcan. She is a delegate. Urseth does not give such an honor to just any random ursithrope. She will do great things. You heard what she said about the dream, right? Liam needed to show her things,” she turned back to face them with tears in her eyes. “If Urseth would send my boy back to tell her such a thing, then I believe whole heartedly we will triumph over the likes of Breslin Connor. That cub will be born and he will do wonderful things in the future.”
The Siege of Kadenburg Page 10
