The Siege of Kadenburg (7 page)

“Jesus, it’s coming a big one out there,” Rutley stated in awe as he pressed his nose against the small window at the top of their back door. “Nobody’s going to be going anywhere in this mess.”

“Well then I suppose it’s a good thing neither of us are working then, huh?” Dimitri asked.

“Hey, I could work,” Rutley frowned, pulling away from the glass and turning his head to shoot a glare in Dimitri’s direction. “But noooo. I have to be ‘careful’, remember?” He actually used finger quotes to emphasize on the careful bit. Real mature.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, “I’m not keeping you here against your will,” He offered in a calm voice. “If you want to go out there and get shot, go for it. But don’t you dare come crying to me if Breslin shows up and I’m not there to save you.”

“You think I need saving?” Rutley asked, seemingly offended. “Do I look like I’m helpless?”

Dimitri’s eyes slowly swept over the other male’s frame before quickly averting his gaze elsewhere. He had no business to be observing the chiseled frame he
knew
Rutley had beneath that K.H.S. baseball t-shirt.

“I’m going to bed.” Dimitri mumbled, taking a step forward.

Rutley was in front of him in an instant. Damn him for giving this kid werewolf super speed. Dimitri’s nostrils flared again as he stared down at him.

“Get out of my way, Rut.”

“Or what?” Rutley challenged with a quirked brow. “Gonna kick my ass?”

“I could totally kick your ass,” Dimitri promised as he gently pushed past him and continued on his way down the hall. He seriously wasn’t expecting Rutley to jump on his frigging back. He stumbled forward, reaching out to grab for the wall. “What in the hell, Rutley?”

“I want to see if you can kick my ass.” Rutley snickered.

Dimitri was quickly growing agitated with the young werewolf as Rutley’s knuckles rubbed against his scalp, fast and painful.

“What are you? Ten?” Dimitri growled, reaching a hand backwards in an attempt to grab Rutley’s shirt. “Get off of me!”

“Try to kick my ass!” Rutley demanded as he boxed his ears and then hopped down.

Dimitri growled in a dangerous manner as he whirled about, glowering at the other male. “Didn’t your grandma ever tell you to be careful what you wish for?”

Rutley gave him a cheeky grin as he shrugged his shoulders, “Kick. My. Ass.”

“Oh, screw it,” Dimitri leapt at him. Rutley may have enjoyed his newly acquired powers, but Dimitri had been in this game a hell of a lot longer. They both crashed against the floor as Dimitri easily tackled him. He snapped his fangs in a playful warning. “I could’ve ripped your throat out just now.”

“Yes, but the point is you didn’t.” Rutley chuckled.

“No, the point is I could have, and any other werewolf probably would have. This isn’t a game, Rutley.”

“That’s your problem,” Rutley frowned, staring up at him with those damning blue eyes of his. “You need to loosen up. Where’s the fun in being careful all the time? You have to have some fun.”

“I’ve had plenty of fun,” Dimitri replied as he attempted to roll off him. He was surprised when Rutley turned the tables and reversed their position. He was lying on his back now with his beta grinning down at him. What a shit eating grin that was too. “Get off me.”

“No,” Rutley wiggled his eyebrows and leaned back on his haunches. “I’m proving a point here.”

“If you think I won’t take you for a cruise in bruise town, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Take me for a cruise in bruise town?” Rutley snorted. “What the heck does that even mean? What language is that?”

Dimitri’s skin tingled and heated as he swallowed hard and glared at the younger wolf. Rutley was teetering on a dangerous line. “Get off me.”

“Awwww, do I have to?” Rutley asked. He leaned down and rested his hands against the floor on either side of Dimitri’s head as the tips of their noses touched. His body was way too close for comfort as their midsections grazes against one another.

“Yes, you have to. “ Dimitri whispered hoarsely.

Something changed in Rutley’s demeanor as his blue eyes darkened. There was an emotion on his face that needed no explanation. He pressed his hips into Dimitri’s. “Are you so sure about that?” Rutley asked huskily.

“Rut….”

Rutley gently rolled his hips against his alpha’s and Dimitri felt the sweet friction from thin layers of clothing and growing arousal rubbing together. His eyes closed and every part of his body awoke to the familiar calling of animalistic lust.

“Rut…..”

“You feel good,” Rutley groaned as he continued grinding down against him. He buried his face against Dimitri’s neck and Dimitri was finding it difficult to hang on to the logical part of his brain. He was rock hard and aching for the male writhing atop him. His hands flew to Rutley’s waist as he pulled their hips together again, resulting in Rutley’s voice breaking in a cry of pleasure. “Fuck….”

“You smell good.” Dimitri growled as they dry humped each other with pathetic desperation. He could feel Rutley’s cock, ready and willing, pressing against his through the flimsy fabric of their pants. What he wouldn’t give to rip those blasted things off his body and bury himself as deep as possible inside his beta. Fuck, he wanted to. He needed to.

“I’m gonna come,” Rutley whined as he raked his teeth down Dimitri’s neck. “Shit….aw fuck…”

Dimitri lost himself in the moment as sweat rolled down his temple. Again and again his hips met his beta’s and they rose higher and higher together. He needed the release only the beautiful wolf above him could provide. His stomach muscles clenched and he felt the merciful relief of his orgasm as Rutley trembled against him.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Rutley cried as the warmth of their climaxes drenched the material of Dimitri’s pants. Dimitri released the grip he didn’t realize he’d had on his beta’s hair before collapsing against the floor. It would take forever for his heart rate to return to normal.

It seemed to be an eternity before he found his voice again.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Dimitri whispered in a pained voice. Liam’s face was vivid in his mind as he winced. He’d betrayed his love. “Do you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Rutley whispered. “I don’t know what happened.”

Dimitri pushed himself up from the floor and wiped the sweat away from his brow before glancing down at his beta. Rutley’s skin glistened with perspiration and his skin was flushed from their activities; their sinful, wrong activities.

“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?

H
e’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.

——————————-

“I
t’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.”