Return to Kadenburg (11 page)

“Hey,” Lorcan’s hands gently gripped her face, pulling
her out of the cocoon she was trying to create. “Don’t even think about that,
okay? She has no idea what she’s missing out on. One day she’s going to regret
it.”

Presley sniffled. “The only thing she’s ever regretted
was bringing me into the world.”

“Don’t talk like that!” He said through clenched teeth.

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but was
surprised to feel his lips covering hers in a hard kiss. It nearly hurt, but
she could feel how tender it grew as the seconds passed by. She returned the
kiss as a tear slid down her cheek.

“What was that for?” She asked as he pulled away.

“Just because,” Lorcan responded as he moved his
fingers through her hair, tangling them into her unruly curls as he kissed the
tip of her nose. “Don’t let your mother’s stupidity make you question your
value on this earth, Presley. I don’t give a damn if she regrets your
birth…..I don’t regret it. I’m grateful you were born. I’m grateful that I
know you, and I can never be thankful enough that you love me.”

And there they were. More tears flooded her eyes as she
listened to him. These were all simple things she’d longed to hear from Tim
for months, but they were never once uttered. Even after she’d told him about
the baby, he never showed her affection like this.

Lorcan is not Tim,
she reminded herself. And
thank God for it, too. How stupid she had been to leave Kadenburg-and Lorcan.

She knew she needed to tell him about her aunt’s
discovery. He needed to know before anyone else. He was the father, after
all.

“Lorcan, I need to tell you something,” She whispered
in the darkness.

“Tell me tomorrow,” He insisted as his lips found hers
again. “We’re having a meeting, remember?”

“Yes, but-Oh!” She gasped, feeling his weight crushing
her against the mattress as his hips slipped between her thighs. “What are you
doing?”

“I’m…..kissing your neck?” He smoothed his heated hand
down her side, his lips tracing over her pulse point. “Do you want me to
stop?”

Presley blinked rapidly, her eyes darting back and
forth in the darkness of the bedroom as she wiggled beneath him. “N-no, I just
wasn’t expecting that,” She wasn’t going to complain though. It did feel nice,
and her body wasn’t necessarily denying his at the moment.

“Good,” He murmured, nipping her chin before lowering
his head to dust kisses against her collarbone. “I don’t think I could stop
even if I wanted to.”

The room temperature was suddenly unbearable and
Presley was having difficulty breathing. As Lorcan’s fingers snaked beneath
her shirt, everything else in the world ceased to exist. Any thoughts of what
had happened in the last week vanished. She found herself only able to
concentrate on his breathing, his scent, and his touch. What sort of power did
he have over her?

“Oh, Lorcan,” She breathed softly, her back arching
from the mattress as he pushed her shirt upwards. “Oh…..”

“Shhhh. We have to be quiet,” Lorcan stated softly.
“Super bear hearing, remember?”

She bit her lip, feeling the blush on her cheeks as she
thought about everyone else having the capability of hearing her in the
moment. She definitely did
not
want her uncle hearing this. “Sorry,”
she chuckled.

Her laughter soon gave way to a small whimper as
Lorcan’s wet mouth closed over a soft nipple. She felt the suction he was
supplying as the nub grew rock hard. She squirmed again, wiggling her hips
against his as her nails found his forearm. “Oh my god,” She gulped.

Time could drag out for an eternity for all she cared
as Lorcan’s lips and fingers explored every inch of her body. The way he
kissed her skin and caressed her curves made Presley feel like a virgin; and
how was that even possible? They had been together before –no matter how brief
or insane the circumstances were-but she couldn’t recall him touching her like
this.

She heard the soft sound of clothing hitting the floor,
and then Lorcan’s palms slowly smoothed over her outer thighs. She willingly
parted them for him again, shivering as the cool room air touched her wet
skin. Maybe it was just a bear thing, or maybe it was because of their baby;
but Presley had
never
felt so agonizingly turned on before in her entire
life.

Lorcan’s tongue was touching the skin of her knee
then, causing goose bumps to erupt everywhere. She held her breath, feeling as
the tip of his wet muscle slid lower, lower, lower.

Oh my god, I’m going to die,
she thought as she
released a trembling breath and sucked in another one immediately.
He’s
going to torture me until I die. What a cruel way to go.

Presley’s mind shut down on her
as Lorcan’s mouth landed between her thighs. His lips closed over the
extremely sensitive bundle of nerves, sucking ever so lightly as her legs fell
open and she clamped a hand over her mouth to stay quiet. She couldn’t let
anyone hear the moans that desperately wanted to escape.

He seriously expects me to be quiet while he’s doing
this?!
Her hips rolled up to meet his mouth halfway, euphoria gushing
through her as her toes curled. She was doing her very best to keep every
whimper, groan, and gasp sealed behind her tightly pursed lips as her free hand
found his hair. She tangled her digits into the soft locks, tugging at them as
her hips undulated to the rhythm of his talented tongue.
Oh sweet Urseth,
he’s so good at this…..

A low growl sounded from deep
within Lorcan’s throat as he lifted his glowing eyes to meet hers. As creepy
as it would’ve been for anyone else, Presley took it in stride. She didn’t understand
why his eyes were glowing like that, but she was oddly attracted to it.

I love him,
she affirmed as her head fell back
against the pillows once more.
I love him and I’m going to have his baby.
I may not have believed in fate before, but I do now. God, do I ever.

She sucked in a sharp breath
and bit her lower lip as both of her hands found the top of her pillow. She
listened to the sound of the fabric ripping and it took her a moment to realize
she was tearing the poor thing to bits. It was the only way she could keep
herself from screaming as his tongue hardened against her clit, stroking it
repeatedly as he brought her closer and closer to orgasm.

“Please,” She panted quietly. “Oh, please,” Her voice
was barely above a whisper as she tightened her thighs around his head, feeling
as his fingertips dug into the tender flesh in a possessive manner. He was
pulling her further down, his mouth covering her swollen wetness as he flicked
his tongue against her again. That’s all it took.

It felt like the world was falling apart as every nerve
ending exploded in perfect bliss. Presley lost herself in wave after wave of
pleasure while Lorcan’s tongue swiped over her pulsating flesh, lapping up
every last drop of her honey flavored juices. She sighed, jerking from
sensitivity as he licked her clean before crawling back up her body.

“I told you to be quiet,” He whispered, though she
could hear the hint of another smile in his voice.

“You try being quiet when someone’s doing that to you,”
She shot back. Her face was on fire, and the rest of her body felt like the
sun was scorching her all the way to the bone as Lorcan’s fingers stroked the
flesh of her inner thigh.

“I want to make love to you,” Lorcan murmured, kissing her
cheek. “Properly this time.”

She felt at a loss for words as his hard, hot body
pressed against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, sliding her nails down
his muscular back as she listened to the thundering sound of her heart in her
ears. He wanted to make love to her? Had she ever really made love to anyone
before? No. No, she hadn’t made love before. It was always sex; just sex.
Even with Tim it was just mindless sex that she participated in to receive
pleasure.

This is different,
she reminded herself.
Lorcan
is different.

He is our bear,
her
bear wept happily.
Become one with him.

It was sort of scary to think
about. Could she really mold with another person in such a way? Could she
give herself to him and trust him not to hurt her?

“I love you, Presley Goult,” Lorcan’s lips traced over
the shell of her earlobe as he allowed his throbbing desire for her to press
against her stomach. “I have always loved you and there is no one else I’d
rather be with right now. I know a lot of crazy stuff has happened since you
came back home, but I hope you realize your return is the best thing that’s
happened to me in a long time.”

He pulled back to gaze down at her as the moonlight
flooded his room. She could finally see him in all of his inhuman glory. The
way the muscle in his jaw flexed and relaxed; the way his brown orbs searched
her face as if he were trying to look into her very soul; the way his bottom
lip quivered with an emotion she was certain she understood.

“When Liam died, I honestly had no idea how I was going
to keep living. I wanted to die, too, Pretz. I wanted to give up,” His voice
cracked as he gazed at her. “And then you came back and something inside of me
changed. I felt everything come rushing back as if you’d never left in the
first place. The fire in my soul ignited in a terrifyingly wonderful way, and
I just knew…..”

He buried his face against her neck. Presley blinked
back tears as her fingertips gently stroked the flesh on the back of his neck.
“Knew what?” She managed to ask in a strangled whisper.

Lorcan lifted his head again so he could meet her gaze,
smiling in the most beautiful way Presley had ever seen. His smile sparkled in
his eyes as he tilted his head slightly. “I knew that no matter how bad things
can get in life, I’ll always be able to overcome them as long as I’m with you.”

The tears cascaded down her cheeks as the air left her
lungs. She was utterly speechless. Never, in her entire existence, had she
felt such
love
. The words he spoke enveloped her frame in warmth and
happiness, silently promising to shield her heart from the demons of her past.
The bear she was slowly accepting released a cry of delight, and Presley echoed
it in the form of a soft sob.

“I do love you, Lorcan Bamey,” She whispered as her
arms pulled him closer. “Please make love to me.”

Thirteen

This was exactly how Natalie envisioned it
playing out. Breslin and his little pack of bloodthirsty wolves would be far
too engaged in their celebration to even notice Lorcan and Presley fleeing the
premises. She watched them through the window as they disappeared into the
woods, and it was only then that she could release a breath of relief.

She knew she didn’t have much time left as the moon
rose higher into the sky. Breslin would be onto her before long, and she
didn’t have a doubt in her mind that he would kill her without hesitation.
She’d betrayed him, just like she betrayed her family. It’s what she was known
for, wasn’t it? A traitor; however, she’d taken it too far this time. Where
the ursithropes
might
have shown mercy, Breslin Connor would show none.
Her death sentence was signed the moment she started showing compassion for
Presley and the Bamey boy.

Oh, if only she could’ve spared Greg’s life, too.

It’s too late to think about it now,
she
thought. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Natalie stepped out onto
the rooftop of the hospital, gazing out at Kadenburg in all its glory. It was
a small town, but there were huge possibilities for it as well.

In the beginning, when ursithropes first came into
existence, they’d had a promising future. They would flourish and thrive in
the world of humans, remaining kind and tolerant of their more vulnerable side
while also staying in tune with the bears from which they were made. Things
had been so peaceful until werewolves decided the world wasn’t big enough for
the both of them.

What vile creatures the lycanthropes could be. She had
witnessed their brutality on more than one occasion; the first time being when
they murdered her little brother. It was a memory that haunted her, always.

“Run, Natty, Run!” Pierce shouted as he fought
against the two werewolves trying to sink their teeth into his flesh. He threw
a punch, hitting his first attacker right on his bloody little snout. The wolf
hit the ground and whined before pushing itself back up and growling at him.

“I can’t just leave you!” Natalie sobbed as
she reached out towards him. “Come on, Pierce! We can make it back together!”

The night wasn’t supposed to turn out like
this. The Carroll siblings had ventured out into the woods to do something
they had been doing for years, only to be ambushed by the werewolves who were
supposed to be sleeping soundly in the homes of fellow ursithropes. The eve of
a peaceful day had quickly turned into a nightmare as Pierce motioned for his
sister to get away.

“Go, Natalie. I mean it! You need to get
back to town and warn the others.”

“I can’t leave you,” She repeated as tears
streamed down her cheeks. “What about Caroline and the baby?”

Pierce jammed his elbow into the ribs of
the wolf jumping at him, glancing at his sister briefly before frowning. “Tell
Caroline I love her,” He stated hoarsely. “Now get the hell out of here, damn
it.”

For the first time in her life, she
listened. She turned on her heels, ready to make a dash for it when she
collided with a hard chest. Falling back against the ground, Natalie gazed up
into the dark, cold eyes of Breslin Connor-the leader of the lycanthropes. He
was the man who had shaken hands with the elder ursithropes earlier that
evening, promising that he wanted to call a truce.

“Hello there, Honeycomb,” He flashed a devious
smirk. “You’re just the pretty little bear I was looking for…..”

Natalie shoved that horrible
memory to the darkest corner of her mind, blinking away the tears forming in
her eyes as she leaned over the rail. She felt so sick. Her brother’s death
always made her sick; she couldn’t help it. Pierce shouldn’t have died.

And I shouldn’t have caved just to stay alive,
she thought bitterly. She hung her head, releasing a shaky breath as her tears
fell freely, plummeting towards the ground three stories below.

Every muscle in her body tensed and quivered as the
sobs bubbled up in her throat. She clenched her teeth together, whimpering as
the pain grew stronger than ever before.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Her sadness flowed freely from her eyes as numerous
heart wrenching sobs echoed into the night air. She was defeated. After so
many years of running; so many years of being afraid; so many years of being
repulsed by the beast that longed to be close….this was how it was going to
end.

“Please forgive me, Urseth,” She lifted her eyes
towards the night sky, watching as clouds rolled past the bright illuminated
circle staring right back at her. “I have forsaken you and I am not worthy of
your mercy, but please let it happen quickly. I don’t want to suffer
anymore…..I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

She wasn’t sure if he would even listen to her. Why
should he? She’d turned her back on him when he’d chosen her for such an
important task. Her brother’s sacrifice had been for
nothing
. She
didn’t deserve Urseth’s mercy, or his forgiveness. She deserved to be tortured
in the Great Wilderness for the rest of eternity, and she knew that it would
happen very soon.

Just then, the door to the stairs opened and she knew
that Breslin knew. She could feel his anger radiating from his body as a low
growl sounded in the air all around her. She slowly turned away from the
railing, meeting his silver hues as he bared his fangs.

“What did you do?” He asked through his clenched teeth.
“Where is she?”

As her legs trembled, Natalie held her head high.
“She’s back where she belongs.”

“You stupid little bitch!” He was seething as he
approached her. His fingers wrapped around her throat, pushing her towards the
railing again as saliva glistened upon his teeth in the moonlight. “You dare
to betray me?” He hissed. “Do you think you are excluded from my punishment?
Let me assure you that you are not. I will kill you for this.”

Please have mercy, Urseth.
She gasped, feeling
his fingers crushing her windpipe as she sputtered and choked. She could feel
the oxygen leaving her brain as her ears buzzed. “Go…..ahead…”

She knew there were more wolves on the rooftop. She
knew Breslin would once again set an example for those who dared to betray
him. It was how he operated; it was what he had done to countless others who
questioned his authority. She would be his best example yet.

At least, that’s what she thought until she heard the
howl of pain escaping one of his right hand men. Breslin immediately released
his grip on her throat, turning to see what the commotion was about as the
other wolves scattered. Natalie pushed herself away from the railing, rubbing
her neck vigorously. Her eyes fell on a shocking sight.

Theo wasn’t a wolf she’d ever cared to speak to. He
was just as cruel as Breslin and his thirst for bloodshed had no limit. She’d
seen him do horrible things to innocent humans, but at the moment, she took
satisfaction in watching the blood gush from his body. A small hatchet was
deeply embedded in his shoulder. Though she had no idea where it’d come from,
she knew that whoever was responsible for throwing it intended to kill a
werewolf-that was good enough for her.

“What the hell is this?” Breslin demanded, watching as
Theo slumped against the rooftop. Blood pooled around the wolf’s body as his
foot twitched; he was dead. “Are you doing this?” Breslin asked as he turned
to glare at her. “Did you trick me? You little…..”

Natalie closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever
he was about to do, only to hear something zoom by her head before Breslin
released a frustrated yell. Her eyes snapped open and she watched as he
stumbled backwards, desperately trying to pull an arrow from the left side of
his chest.

What in the world……?

Someone suddenly ran past her and Natalie was barely
able to catch a glimpse of the dark figure as Breslin turned to run. He leapt
over the railing and disappeared; the figure gracefully jumped after him.

“What the fu-mmf!” A hand suddenly clamped over her
mouth and Natalie immediately thrust her elbow into ribs. She heard the pained
grunt of her assailant and whirled about as she was released. “Get away from
me!” She shrieked, kicking at whatever her foot could find.

The figure fell backwards, hitting the rooftop with a
thud
,
and then
he
groaned.

“Is that how you repay your rescuer?” He asked, lifting
his head to stare at her. The hoodie he wore fell away from his dark hair and
his equally dark eyes stared at her angrily. “I’m not sure if you are
welcome.”

Natalie blinked in confusion, lifting a hand to rest
against her burning cheek as her eyes met his. “Jon?” She asked softly,
frowning.

“I am Beau. Jon was my father,” He stated calmly,
pushing himself up from the rooftop before dusting off the back of his pants.

“Was?” Natalie swallowed hard. He most certainly was
his father’s son. He looked exactly like the man she remembered from her childhood
and early adolescence. Jon Xiong was one of the greatest ursithropes she’d
ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“We thought you were in distress. We came to your
aid.”

“We?” Natalie’s head turned towards the railing where
Breslin had disappeared and the other figured had followed. “How many of you
are there?”

“Just my cousin and I,” Beau cracked his neck gently
before gazing at her once again, sizing her up. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Natalie nodded. “What about your cousin?
Don’t you think you should go help him?”

“She will be fine,” Beau smirked. “She can take care of
herself.”

She?
Natalie stared at him, wide eyed. “If you
say so. Breslin isn’t just any werewolf. He’s sort of insane.”

“A man with nothing left to lose is more dangerous than
a man who suffers from insanity,” Beau commented as he stepped closer to her.
He was tall and thin, but she could tell he had some muscles beneath his
hoodie. He possessed surprisingly broad shoulders for a man of his stature.
Yes, he resembled his father greatly.

“I hope I didn’t hurt you,” Natalie said apologetically,
running her fingers through her hair nervously. “I didn’t know you would make
it here so fast. I thought I’d be long gone before anyone actually arrived.”

“Well, you are not,” He said pointedly, rubbing his
chest. “Very much alive and kicking, I see,” He wrinkled his nose. “Besides,
we were in South Carolina. We did not have to travel far.”

“South Carolina?” Natalie frowned. “I thought your
family was still living in China.”

Beau dropped his gaze to the rooftop. She could see
the corner of his mouth twitching as his hand fell to his side. “My family
does not live anymore,” He whispered. “Breslin Connor made sure of that.”

“What?!” Natalie’s heart fell into her stomach as she
covered her mouth with her hand. She shook her head furiously. “No! That
cannot be. You mean….”

“Yes,” He lifted his eyes to meet hers once more. “He
attacked during the summer. Only a few of us managed to escape. My family is
dead.”

“I am so sorry,” She whispered, blinking back fresh
tears. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you know?” He tilted his head to the side. “You
were here, away from the devastation. I doubt a lycanthrope would tell you of
such things,” His brows lifted significantly high on his forehead. “But
something tells me you were closer to him than the laws of nature have
intended-not that it matters. You are one of us. I was obligated to spare
your life.”

She watched in silence as he stepped over to the fallen
wolf, pressing his boot against the dead man’s shoulder as he pulled his
hatchet free and wiped the blood off with his hand. He studied the dark liquid
on his fingertips before lifting his eyes to meet hers. “I hope that I will
not regret saving you.”

Natalie could feel the guilt eating at her soul. Jon
Xiong and the ursithropes he led had been killed. Was this poor boy an orphan
because of Breslin’s madness? She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say.
Breslin Connor truly was a monster. She suddenly realized that he wasn’t just
after the ursithropes of Kadenburg.

He was after all of them.