The Siege of Kadenburg (18 page)

“Are you okay, Greg?” Louisa whispered after a while.

“Given the circumstances….I think so.” Greg replied honestly, letting his head fall back against the stone wall behind him. He nibbled his lower lip briefly before letting his eyes sweep through the darkness. Where the hell was he this time?

He could hear Louisa sniffling again and it broke his heart. He hated the thought of her crying, and it was his fault they were here. One minute they’d been roaming through the woods, and the next they were here. How did Breslin manage to take all three of them out so quickly?

Some freaking hybrid I am.
He thought bitterly as he felt something nudge against his foot. He frowned in the darkness, feeling the nudge again.

“Can you feel me?” Louisa asked quietly. “Greg?”

“Yeah,” He released a quick breath and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Lou. I feel you.”

“I wish you were closer,” she confessed. “I can’t feel my hands anymore.”

What was wrong with her hands? He instinctively curled his fingers, keeping the blood flow going as he pondered the possibility of her hands being restrained above her head. What a sick bastard Breslin Connor truly was!

“Somebody must be looking for us by now,” She sobbed. “Beau is probably out there, right now, looking for Sammy. He was really worried about me losing her…mad, even.”

Sammy? He rolled his eyes in annoyance, “If he’s looking for anybody, it’s you, Lou. You’re his cousin. You’re his family. I’m sure you’re his top priority right now.”

When she didn’t respond, Greg forced himself to sink further down on the floor, the toe of his boot grazing her ankle, “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah.” Was her meek response.

The sound of a lock being unbolted had Greg’s body on high alert. He could hear Louisa’s panicked breath as he nudged her foot again.

“It’ll be okay.” He promised softly as the door swung open and bright light flooded the room. It was so bright, in fact, that he shut his eyes for a split second. So they definitely weren’t in Kadenburg anymore…unless the power had miraculously come back on by now.

“Well, well, well,” A deep male voice stated. “Looks like you two are finally awake.”

Greg’s eyes snapped open and he couldn’t believe what he saw. How could it be? How was it possible? The Great Beyond would come crashing down because of this-he just knew it.

“Colin?” He asked in disbelief, watching as the large man moved towards Louisa. “What are you doing?”

A part of him wanted to feel relieved that the familiar male was here, but he knew better. In the very deepest pit of his gut he knew that Colin was not here to save them. His scent was different now, and Greg had a growing suspicion Colin had made a deal with the devil.

“I’m doing what’s been asked of me.” Colin sneered, crouching down beside of Louisa.

Greg got his first good look at Louisa then, and every nerve ending screamed in fury. There was a dark, angry bruise beneath her left eye. Someone had hit her.

He growled, watching as she struggled to get away from Colin.

“Don’t touch her.” Greg warned.

Colin turned his head to stare at him, smirking, “Oh really now? You don’t want me to touch her?” He turned his attention back to Louisa, reaching a single finger out to poke her arm before chuckling. “What are you going to do about that, Greggy?”

Greg could feel the fangs breaking free from his gums and he welcomed the initial sting. He knew his eyes were glowing at this point as his skin burned and itched. He wanted to change-no,
needed
to change. He was going to rip Colin apart.

“Awwww. Are you mad that I touched your little girlfriend?” Colin asked, his eyes remaining on Louisa’s face. “Hi, Panda Pants. How’s it going?”

Louisa’s lower lip quivered briefly before she glared at him, her body tensing as she jerked against her restraints. Greg had been right about that, at least. Her hands were chained above her head.

“You traitor!” She screeched, kicking her feet in his direction. “How could you do this to us?”

“How could I…?” Colin threw his head back, laughing heartily. His voice bounced off the walls as his entire body shook from amusement. It died down slowly, and when he gazed at her again, the smile was gone. “They were going to kill me for kissing Presley and you want to know how I could do this? Seriously? You’re more intelligent than that, Panda Pants. Have some integrity, girl.”

“How could you join Breslin after everything he’s done to our kind?” Greg asked through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry-our kind?” Colin squinted his glowing eyes as a malicious sneer played upon his lips. “You and I are two of a kind, Greggy. I do not pledge my loyalty to anyone at this point. I’m merely playing this to my advantage. He had something I wanted and I got it.”

“Then why are we here?” Louisa asked timidly. “What do you want with us? And her,” she nodded to Sammy. “She’s not even one of us!”

“Mm, no. You’re right,” Colin’s eyes fell upon Sammy’s unconscious body. She was sprawled out on the floor with dried blood caked against the back of her head. Her skin was sickeningly pale and she was terrifyingly still. Had Greg not heard her heartbeat earlier, he would’ve sworn she was dead. “But she’s going to be of great value to me soon enough.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Louisa asked as she pulled at the chains around her wrists again. Her eyes were glowing like rippling liquid gold, and Greg’s heart was pounding hard in response. Even at the most inappropriate times, the wolf and bear longed for her. Urseth, what was wrong with him?

“It means it’s none of your business, you little twat.” Colin snapped.

“Don’t talk to her like that!” Greg roared as he jerked his body forward violently, managing to break free from one of his restraints. He clawed the floor as he struggled to push forward, grunting as the other chain resisted.

“Holy shit, look at you,” Colin laughed as he stood up, towering over Greg. “I thought I put enough pepper in your system to keep you down for another twelve hours,” He smirked. “I guess I was wrong.”

Greg grunted in pain as Colin grabbed two handfuls of his hair, jerking his head back to meet his eyes.

“Don’t hurt him!” Louisa cried as she fought against her binds again. “Please! Stop!”

“Please. Stop!” Colin mocked in a higher pitched voice. He rolled his eyes, turning his head to look at her as he gripped the side of Greg’s face. “You mean like this?”

Greg had no idea what was happening as the room shifted quickly. He heard a deafening
crunch
and Louisa’s screams echoed in his mind. As his body fell towards the hard floor, he could see the look of horror in her wide eyes. The overwhelming mixture of pain and agony in her golden hues was the last thing he remembered before the world disappeared.

——————————

T
he sound of a low hum caused her eyes to open and it took a full ten seconds for Presley to realize the electricity was back on. It was that strange high-frequency noise that always annoyed her. The one even a human could hear when a television was turned on. It grew stronger in her head as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her neck.

“No dreams?” She whispered softly. She was sort of relieved that she didn’t have any dreams this time around. Those images and flashbacks were taking a toll on her and she grew increasingly worried that the stress would cause her to lose the cub. She wouldn’t go through that again.

She rested a hand against her stomach, lowering her gaze to the small bump as she smiled. She knew her baby was safe in there.

“My son.” She murmured affectionately. She supposed the dreams weren’t
all
bad, seeing as she’d learned of their future baby’s gender that way. But still….her mind felt refreshed for a change and she was grateful.

“Lorcan?” She called out, waiting a few seconds for his response. When one didn’t come, she frowned. Maybe he’d gone out for something?

She let her bare feet touch the cool floor and then she was out the door. She carefully made her way down the dark hallway, noticing the light from the kitchen shining brightly. Oh, she was so happy the power was back on. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could tolerate the stench of kerosene.

“Lorcan?” She called out once more, poking her head into the living room. She was only met with silence.

‘Where are you?’
She asked in her mind. Even if he couldn’t hear her verbally, he would always hear her mentally. That was one of the coolest tricks she’d learned thus far with the coupling. They would always be connected and that gave her a strong sense of security. She would always feel safe, even if they were oceans apart.

‘I’m checking on Arnold for you. Mom is with you. I’ll be home soon.’
Lorcan’s voice rumbled in her mind and she took comfort in that.

‘Okay,’
she smiled gently.
‘But I don’t see her-’

The front door opened and Mrs. Bamey stepped inside, stomping the snow away from her boots as she glanced up.

“Oh! You’re awake!” She chimed happily, smiling from ear to ear as she shut the door. “And the power is back on. Wonderful. I suppose we’ve no need for these now…..” She tossed an armful of candles onto the couch and heaved a sigh. “Shew Lord. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Presley nodded, quirking a brow at the candles. “What are those for?”

“Well, with all the stress you’ve been under, I thought you might enjoy a nice relaxing bath by candlelight. You don’t have a single candle in this house, Presley. I don’t know how that didn’t get put on the house warming gift list.”

‘Is she there?’
Lorcan’s voice rang in her mind.

‘Yes. She was outside getting candles,’
Presley responded before hugging her arms around herself. “That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Bamey. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, shush,” the older female swatted at the air, as if refuting her words. “This is what family does for each other, sweetie. I take care of you and hopefully you won’t stuff me in a nursing home when I’m older.” She chuckled.

“Never.” Presley promised as she began to gather the candles to take them into the kitchen. They were very pretty to look at. Some were a creamy white color with glittery golden trim around the bottom; others were a vibrant crimson with sparkly silver trim at the top. They looked expensive. Surely Mrs. Bamey hadn’t spent a lot of money on them…..

“How are you feeling, dear?” The cheerful ursithrope asked as she moved into the bright kitchen and started rummaging through the fridge. “Oh, this is ruined now. What a shame,” She sighed, pulling the gallon of milk out to examine it. “I told Lorcan to put it in the snow. He never listens to me.”

Ah, the old when-the-power-goes-out-chill-your-items-that-can-spoil-in-the-snow trick. Presley knew it all too well. She could remember many winters in the past when Uncle Arnold would store his beer and the meats from the freezer in heaping mountains of snow outside. She smiled faintly from the memory as sadness clouded her heart. Poor Uncle Arnold…..

“He’s going to be all right,” Mrs. Bamey promised as her hands rested gently against Presley’s shoulders. “Your uncle is one of the most stubborn men I know. Natalie will take good care of him and before you know it, he’ll try to drive again.”

“What?” Presley quirked a brow. “He can’t drive…..”

“No, he can’t. But he’ll try and we both know it.”

With her lower lip trapped between her teeth, Presley put the candles into the cabinet above the sink and sighed. There was so much going on and adding on the worry of her uncle wasn’t helping anything. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted to do more to help the situation but just seeing him like that on the couch had sent her into an overwhelming fit of tears. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place over everything.

While Mrs. Bamey tossed away the spoiled items from the fridge, Presley distracted herself with preparing a snack. She’d just unscrewed the top from a jar of delicious peaches when Mrs. Bamey decided to break the silence.

“Did you dream about him again?” She asked softly.

Presley slowly lifted her head, gazing into the hopeful eyes of a mourning mother. It tugged at her heart strings as her stomach flip-flopped. She couldn’t lie to her, could she?

“Um…..” Presley turned around to face her, hugging her arms around herself as she shook her head slowly. “No, Mrs. Bamey. I didn’t have any dreams this time. I guess my mind was too tired, or maybe I was just too stressed when I took my nap. I’m sorry.”

Mrs. Bamey blinked rapidly before releasing a breathless laugh.

“Oh no, sweetheart,” she whispered with a quivering smile. “Don’t you be sorry about that, okay? I can’t say I know what you’re going through because I am not a chosen one of Urseth. I guess I just envy you,” she admitted as tears glistened in her big eyes. “I dream of Liam sometimes…but they’re just memories. I have so many.”

Presley felt awful. Mrs. Bamey was ripping open a fresh wound and Presley didn’t know how to keep it from bleeding everywhere. How could she help her?

“I wish I could talk to him,” Mrs. Bamey admitted as she tossed a soiled box of fish sticks into the trashcan. “There’s so much I didn’t get to say….things I needed him to know.”

The painful lump in Presley’s throat was getting bigger with each passing second, and she felt her knees knocking together from the anxiety clawing its way to the surface. She frowned and dropped her gaze to the floor.

How can I make this better for her?
Presley wondered as she ran her tongue over the back of her teeth. She scratched at her forearm before lifting her gaze to Mrs. Bamey. The woman seemed to be lost in the memories she spoke of earlier. Presley wondered if those memories were similar to the ones she often thought of. A smiling, kind boy who would give the shirt off his back to make sure someone else was warm. The boy who didn’t let anyone else get hurt or bullied. A bright light in a dark world. A son. A brother. A friend.