Kadenburg Revealed (The Kadenburg Shifters Series, Book 4) (6 page)

Her stomach churned at the thought of Breslin. Why had she been with him again?  He was a monster.  He tried to kill her niece.  He succeeded in killing her brother-that bastard!  Her fingers trembled around the handle of her mug as she lifted it for another quick sip.  Not even the strong taste of honey could soothe her troubled soul.

“What am I going to do?” She whispered aloud as her eyes lifted to peer out the window.

The sad truth was she was going to go back to Arnold’s house and make sure he was okay.  He needed her.

.....Or maybe she just needed him.

———————————-

“R
ise and shine, Sugar Britches!” Mrs. Bamey exclaimed as she pushed open the bedroom door.  It hit the wall with a loud thud and Louisa nearly fell out of bed.

Whoa.  She’d been having such a nice dream, too.  About Greg.

“What time is it?” She asked tiredly, raking her fingers through her thick black hair, attempting to push it away from her sleepy eyes as her vision focused in on the bright green numbers on her alarm clock. 
10:23.

“Oh my god!” She yelped, stumbling out of bed and nearly tripping over her sheets.  She’d overslept!  How did she oversleep?!

“Morning,” Mr. Bamey mumbled from his usual spot at the head of the table as Louisa bounded in after a quick shower.  “Coffee’s ready to go if y’ant some.”

He talks so funny,
Louisa thought while pouring herself a quick cup of java.  She lifted it to her lips, blowing lightly while gazing at him over the rim of her mug.  He was too busy reading the newspaper to pay any proper attention to her.  It was probably for the best; she looked a lot like the crypt keeper at the moment.

“Ah, there you are!” Mrs. Bamey chimed as she appeared in the doorway with a basket full of laundry.  “I was wondering when you’d join the land of the living, dear.  Did you rest well?”

“Oh,” Louisa swallowed down the mouthful of honey flavored coffee she had, nodding.  “Yes, Ma’am.  Thank you.”

Mrs. Bamey glared at her.  “What have I told you about calling me that?”

“Sorry,” Louisa laughed nervously, placing her cup on the countertop.  “It’s a habit, Mrs....erm...Charlotte.  I’ve only just woken up.  My brain hasn’t quite caught up with me yet.”

Mrs. Bamey’s expression softened as she smiled, shaking her head before continuing towards the living room.

“No need to fret, dear.  You slept like a rock all night.  Oh,” she reappeared a few seconds later, holding a small note in her hand.  “Beau called this morning.  He said the trip is going well and he’ll be back in time for Christmas.  This is for you.”

Placing her cup of coffee onto the countertop, Louisa eagerly accepted the piece of paper and unfolded it.  It was definitely Mrs. Bamey’s penmanship, but the words were her cousin’s.

Big news.  Will tell you when we get back.  It will change everything.  Behave.

Rolling her eyes, she folded the note back up and tucked it into her back pocket. Who was he to tell her to behave?  But more importantly, what did his message mean?  What was the big news?  Louisa worried at her lower lip as one eyebrow rose slightly higher than the other upon her forehead.  Perhaps he’d finally figured out what Sammy truly was, and if so, what importance it held for the small town of Kadenburg.

“Louisa, do you want to eat before you head out?” Mrs. Bamey asked, rummaging through the refrigerator.  “I can make you something quick.”

“Oh, no thank you,” Louisa smiled.  “I really need to get to work.  Mrs. Kress is going to kill me for being late as it is.”

“Mrs. Kress has never killed a thing in her life,” Mr. Bamey snorted.  “Come on, Kiddo.  I’ll take you to work.  We got more snow overnight.”

More snow? Ugh.
Louisa wrinkled her nose.  She was all for having a ‘White Christmas’ as the song said, but she was definitely ready for warmer weather and bright sunshine.  She needed to shift and roam in the woods, but she wasn’t too fond of doing so in the cold.  Then again, it was going to be tough to shift in Kadenburg.....Panda Bears didn’t exist in America unless they were in a zoo.

By the time she got to work, Louisa felt her heart permanently lodged in her throat.  The dream she’d had about Greg was pretty intense-how was she supposed to face him without blushing like a mad woman?

Just calm down,
her bear said in a soothing voice.
  If you wish for Greg to be our mate, then you must be confident when around him.

Tell me something I don’t know,
Louisa scowled, pushing open the front door and stepping inside.  It wouldn’t be so bad, right?  She knew Greg liked her in return, and maybe one day they could see where the path took them.  In the meantime, however, she would work on getting her head screwed on straight and actually arriving for her shift on time.

“Good morn-” she called cheerfully, only to lose her voice halfway through the greeting as her eyes landed on Greg near the counter.

With another girl.

Kissing.

————————————

I
t wasn’t supposed to happen like that.  When Greg’s mother informed him he had a visitor from Virginia, he had originally hoped it was his best friend Tyler....however, when his mother gave him ‘the look’, he knew it was the last person he ever wanted to see.

Why in the hell Amber even travelled over three hundred miles just to see him didn’t make any sense; they’d broken up nearly a year ago and he definitely didn’t have any interest in seeing her again.  Why?  For the love of Urseth-WHY?

“Oh, Greggy!” She squeaked in that annoyingly high pitched voice he hated.  She clapped her hands together excitedly as she ran towards him, full speed ahead, and threw herself into his arms.

Greg’s skin crawled as a frown anchored his lips down.  He patted her on the back gently before pulling himself away from her grip.  He stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

“What are you doing here, Amber?” He asked, his gaze becoming one of suspicion.

“Awwww, Greggy,” her lower lip jutted out as she batted her eyelashes.  “Can’t a girl come see her ex-boyfriend during the holidays?  Is there a law against that suddenly?”

“No,” he replied hesitantly.  “But I’m pretty sure I made it clear we weren’t exactly on friendly terms when I told you to get the hell out of my life and stay out.”

Amber had a tendency to go after anything that had to pee standing up, and unfortunately Greg learned that a little too late.  He’d genuinely cared for her and when he found out the news, it shattered him.  He’d come a long damn way since their breakup, and he’d be damned if he let her waltz back in as if nothing had ever happened.

“But it’s Christmas time,” she pouted again, sniffling softly.  “I’m on my way through to Louisville to see my brother and his wife, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to see how you’re doing.  I was so worried, Greggy.  I heard about your accident.”

“My accident?” He repeated, blinking.

“Mhm.  That’s why your parents came rushing back to this...” she looked around, wrinkling her nose.  “This place, right?  You got hurt. Oh, my poor baby!”  She attempted to touch his hand and he immediately jerked away from her.

“You need to stop touching me.” He said through clenched teeth as his eyes darkened. 

“What’s wrong, Greggy?” Amber tilted her head to the side.  “I just wanted to see you.  Why are you being so mean?”

“I’m not being mean, Amber.  I told you-we’re broken up.  I have no interest in seeing you.  You should’ve just kept driving.”

“Ouch,” she quieted for a moment, dropping her green-eyed gaze to the floor.  “I see you’re still sore over what happened.....”

Was she actually serious?  Still sore?  He’d gotten over her a long time ago, but the fact remained she’d cheated on him and that wasn’t something that settled right in an ursithrope’s bones.  Loyalty was important. Faithfulness was important.  Even though he’d gone in fully aware she was a human, he still had hopes she’d at least be decent about their relationship. What a foolish teenager he’d been!

“I think you need to leave.” Greg said quietly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“But I just got here,” Amber laughed, staring at him with a hard gaze. “At least let me eat something.  I’m starving.  Besides, I miss your dad’s great cooking.  Where is he?”

As she tried to step around him to enter the kitchen, Greg’s massive body stopped her.  He narrowed his eyes at her once again, jawline tight and anger boiling inside.

“You need to leave.” He repeated.

“Holy shit, you’re serious,” her lips twitched.  He knew that meant she was getting annoyed-well, good for her.  “Honestly, Greg.  Can’t we be like adults about this?  I made a mistake, okay?  I’m sorry.” 

“This isn’t even about that,” Greg replied as his skin began to tingle.  It wasn’t because he was mad-it was because he could sense the arrival of the most beautiful girl in the world; a girl he didn’t want to introduce to his nightmare of an ex.  He wetted his lips, shifting his weight from one foot to the other anxiously.  “Please just go.”

“No,” she said firmly as she placed her hands on her hips.  “Greg, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I made a mistake, okay?!” Oh boy.  The waterworks really came on then.  She mustered her best alligator tears possible as she sobbed.  “No one’s ever treated me better than you did, Greg.  I want it back.  I want you back.  I was hoping we could work it out.  Together, you know?  Please?  I’m so sorry!”

“Amber, I—” he was cut off by gloss covered lips and the blood in his veins became hotter than hellfire as he immediately gripped her arms to push her away.  He didn’t want anybody’s lips on his own aside from Louisa Xiong’s.  The dinging of the bell above the door told him that things were about to go from bad to worse.

He shoved Amber backwards, lifting his eyes over her head to see Louisa standing there, horrified.  Her mouth was open and the expression on her face was nothing compared to the heartache he was certain she felt.

No!
His wolf and bear growled simultaneously in his mind.

“Louisa, wait...” He started in a pathetically weak voice.  He took a step towards her but it was too late.  The bell dinged again to signal her departure as a blur of black hair and a bright red sweater disappeared from view.  Oh, hell.

“Who was that?” Amber asked in a tone that was seriously uncalled for.  It hinted at possessiveness and jealousy-two things she had no frigging right to feel towards him anymore.

His throat went dry as his cold gaze landed on her again.  It felt like his heart was being torn to shreds and the nausea coursing through his lower abdomen was gut-wrenching.  His pulse thundered in his ears as his nostrils flared.

“When I get back, you need to be gone,” he whispered hoarsely.  “And I mean that, Amber.  Get the fuck out of my town and don’t you ever come back.”

He heard the small gasp escaping her lips, but he didn’t stick around to hear anything else she had to say.  He was out the door in an instant, chasing after the scent of the girl he wanted more than anything else in the world.  The girl he’d probably lost for good and it wasn’t even his damned fault.

“M
m, what are you doing?” Presley mumbled tiredly as she felt another kiss against her shoulder.  She blinked slowly, attempting to wake up as Lorcan’s palm slowly slid over her stomach.  “Baby, it’s early.....”

“It’s after twelve,” Lorcan chuckled.  His voice was deep and husky.  She could practically hear his desire as tiny sparks of pleasure soared through her veins.  “It’s time to wake up, Beautiful.”

“Mmf...do I have to?” She asked, burying her face against the pillows as she stretched her legs out.

“You don’t
have
to, but I think you’d enjoy this more if you were conscious,” he snickered, grazing his teeth over her pulse point.  Arousal sparked in her abdomen, sparking through her thighs as she giggled.

“Would you ever really try to have sex with me while I’m sleeping?” She asked, rolling onto her back as her eyes connected with his.  His chocolate brown hues were glowing with hunger as he smirked.

“Would you ever really try to feign a headache just to get out of having sex with me?”

“Of course not!” Presley gasped, slapping his arm gently.  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Well, then.  There’s your answer,” he dipped his head down again, pressing kisses against her jaw.  “I just can’t seem to get enough of you, Darlin’.”

“I’m not complaining.” Presley promised breathlessly as his hot tongue lazily swirled around her collarbone.  She squirmed beneath him, meeting his smoldering gaze as her heart stopped briefly.  He always had that effect on her and she loved it.  She hoped they would still be just as in love in fifty years as they were in this very moment.

Her breathing sped up as he kissed his way down her body, once again stopping at her tummy to say hello to their son.  She laughed softly, admiring the beauty that was Lorcan Bamey as his head disappeared beneath the sheets.  Oh, she could get used to this.....

The sound of crying reached her ears long before Lorcan heard it, and she immediately forgot about their afternoon fun time as she sat up in bed.

“What was that?” She asked, frowning.

Lorcan pulled the sheets away from his head, staring at her in confusion.  “What was what?”

The crying grew louder and with it came an overwhelming sensation of heartache.  It literally made her chest hurt as she lifted a hand to rub just above her left breast tenderly.

“Someone’s hurt,” she whispered, quickly crawling out of bed and reaching for her robe.  “They’re coming this way.”

“Seriously....?” Lorcan buried his face against the mattress and groaned.  “I’m beginning to hate this town.”

“You are not.” Presley replied as she opened the bedroom door and hurried down the hallway.  She hated to leave Lorcan in such a state, but whoever was quickly approaching needed her; she could feel it.

The sobs soon turned into stranger noises, but Presley recognized them.  Whines and growls that only a bear would make.  That couldn’t be a good sign.

Presley tugged the front door open and peered out into the solid white scenery of what was sure to be a wonderfully white Christmas....but there was an uncommon addition to her front yard; a gigantic panda bear.