The Truth About Kadenburg (6 page)

She grabbed a large spoon from the nearby dish drain
and she didn’t stop eating until the spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl. She
couldn’t recall eating a single thing that day-plus drinking on top of it had
been such a
stupid
idea. She groaned from the sensation of being full
and then glanced about.

She wondered who lived here. She wasn’t sure what
direction she’d gone in, but it had to be someone she knew.
I’m sure I’ll
find out tomorrow,
she thought as she made her way down the hallway. It
was odd that no pictures hung there. Didn’t everyone have pictures in the
hallway?

Presley stopped when she came upon the bathroom,
contemplating for a moment just how far she was willing to go in a stranger’s
home. Her mind was still buzzing a little, and there was a part of her that
decided taking a shower in someone else’s house was a good idea.

She stripped down completely, turning on the faucet as
she waited for the water to warm up. She tapped her bare foot against the cool
tile as she ran a hand through her stringy blonde hair and then she bent over
to check the temperature of the water.

“Ah!” she gasped, jerking her hand away from the
stream. “Too hot.” She adjusted the knobs and counted to ten before she
checked the temperature once more. “No. Too cold.” She sighed in frustration
as she adjusted both knobs once more and counted to seven before reaching down
to feel of the water.

She pushed the small lever that would turn the shower
head on, quickly getting into the tub as she let the high pressure water beat
against her shoulders and chest. “Just right,” she sighed.

Once the mirror above the sink was sufficiently fogged
up, Presley wrapped a towel around herself to exit the bathroom. Her mind was
on auto-pilot and her body was nearing sleep mode as she made her way down the
hallway to the first door on the left. She pushed it open and stepped inside,
not paying much attention to the KHS alma mater flag that hung on the wall over
the bed. She pulled the covers down and crawled onto the mattress, curling up
against the pillow as she yawned.

She laid there for less than a minute before she
huffed. “Too hard,” she mumbled as she pushed herself back up and then
wandered out of the room and down the hallway a little further. The next door
she came to was on the right side, and she pushed it open to venture inside to
see a much larger bed.

She somehow missed the family portrait hanging on the
wall above the television. She pulled the covers down once again and climbed
into the bed, snuggling beneath the covers as she sighed. A minute barely
ticked by as she kicked her heels against the mattress and whined tiredly.
“Too soft!”

Presley’s eyes barely opened as she made her way into
the last room, overlooking the trophies on the small display shelf that honored
a young man for being the fastest track runner Kadenburg had ever had. She
didn’t even bother to pull the covers down as she collapsed against the bed,
face first, and let out a groan of approval. “Just right,” she whispered,
burying her face against the pillow-which smelled wonderful, by the way-and
within seconds she was sound asleep.

Six

L
orcan should have known something like this
would happen. No sooner than he picked up on Presley’s scent, he also caught a
whiff of one of those damn mutts lurking around, too. He knew it wasn’t
Dimitri because his scent, though equally disturbing, had a muskier hint to
it. The other scent reminded him of the one he’d found on his brother’s body.
It was a pungent stench that made his throat close in disgust. Lorcan would
never
forget that smell.

He broke out into a dead run as he sprinted in the
direction of Presley’s sweet scent. He wouldn’t let those damn mutts hurt
another person he cared about…

The scene he came upon caused such an adrenaline
rush that he shifted faster than he could ever recall doing so before. He
could only feel the overwhelming need to
protect
as he charged the wolf
that was stalking a fearful Presley. He could sense how scared she was, of
both the wolf and his self, but he had to remember she didn’t know it was him.
Hell, she didn’t even know their kind existed. This wasn’t the time or place
to think about it either.

He kept the wolf busy so that she could escape and once
he saw she was gone, he attacked. Lorcan didn’t hold back as his long claws
dug into the wolf’s back, causing it to howl in pain as he bared his fangs for
it to see.

You killed my brother!
His mind screamed as he
bit down against the nape of its neck. The wolf yelped from pain before
turning its head quickly to sink its fangs into his front right leg. Lorcan
roared from the pain as the fangs scraped against bone and he smacked the wolf
away again.

They circled around each other for a good five minutes
before the wolf growled in frustration. Was it mad because it couldn’t get to
Presley? And more importantly-was this the Alpha Dimitri spoke of? Lorcan
could only think of the anger and the pain he’d felt since the day of his
brother’s death. This wolf would pay. He would justify what had happened to
Liam.

It was then that he heard howls in the distance and
Lorcan growled lowly. Were more coming? If so, it would be a fair fight. He
would destroy them all. They didn’t need to be in his town anyway-it wasn’t
their territory!

Much to his surprise, the wolf tilted his head back to
release an ear shattering howl before he took off in the direction of his
pack’s call and Lorcan was left to watch his retreating backside.

Lorcan remained in bear form until dawn approached.
The bite he’d received from the wolf was nearly healed and he knew it would be
okay to return home. If his mother caught the faintest scent of blood, whether
his or the wolf’s, she’d have his hide for going against his father’s wishes.
He could hear her already.
“You went and picked a fight when we told you
not to! You have the thickest skull, Lorcan Bamey. What’s wrong with you?!”

Nothing was as dangerous as upsetting a mother
bear-especially
his.
He waded around in the shallow part of the rushing
river for a few moments, just to ensure the blood was washed away from his
thick fur before he began the short trek to his house. He immediately rounded the
back of the garage, which was concealed from any potential prying eyes, as he
shifted back into his human self. He opened the back door of the building and
stepped inside, immediately sorting through a basket of “just in case” clothes
to find some jeans. He froze briefly when he grabbed Liam’s on accident.

As he held the denim between his fingers and his
brother’s scent infiltrated his mind, he wondered how long it would take before
he’d actually be ‘okay’ with his brother being gone.

Never
, his mind whispered.
I’ll never be
okay with it.

He knew that was the truth. His big brother had been
his biggest role model in life, and now, even in death, Lorcan felt the need to
make him proud. It was a shame the wolf had ran off before he had a chance to
do just that.

As he exited the garage and made his way towards the
front porch, he glanced at his right arm to make sure it looked healthy and
unscathed. There wasn’t even a scar. Sometimes, being an ursithrope
definitely had its perks. He stopped short, suddenly, when he saw his dad
sitting on the steps.
Oh shit,
Lorcan thought.
What’d I do this
time?
He slowed his pace as he approached the steps and he glanced up to
meet his father’s gaze.

“Jim’s gonna be okay,” his dad started. “He’s got a
few broke ribs and a fractured hip, but he’ll survive.”

“That’s good,” Lorcan nodded as he shoved his hands
into the back pockets of his jeans. “Any word on Presley?” He tried to act
dumb about it, but the look his father gave him let Lorcan know his dad knew
exactly what had happened during the dark hours of the early morning.

“Ain’t been no word,” his dad shrugged as he pushed
himself up from the top step and turned to go in the house. “But you can come
and look for yourself if you want.”

Lorcan’s brows furrowed in confusion. What was that
supposed to mean? Presley had run in the right direction to make it home. But
then a thought struck him.
Shit. What if she got lost again?

Lorcan swung the screen door
open with such force that it slammed against the wall and his mother looked up
from the current book she was reading.

“Mind yourself, Boy,” his father scolded as he
frowned. “Don’t come in here acting like a damn heathen.”

Lorcan lifted a brow towards his father before he
looked at his mother again.

“You need to be quiet,” she commented. “You’ll wake
her up.”

“Wake who…” His voice trailed off when he realized
who
his mother was talking about. Her sweet scent slammed into his senses faster
than a frog could catch a fly. Presley was in their house. He wondered how
and why. He didn’t wait for answers as he made his way down the hallway,
pushing every door open and peeking inside. He wanted to make sure she was
okay. She wasn’t in any of the rooms thus far, and he became a little
skeptical when he got to his bedroom door.

No way,
he thought to himself as he rested his
fingertips against the wood. What were the chances? Very slowly, he eased the
door open and winced as the hinges creaked. The last thing he wanted to do was
wake her up.

Poking his head in first, his eyes fell upon her
slender frame in his bed and merciful Urseth, she was
gorgeous.
She was
perfectly still beneath the white sheet that covered her, giving only a small
hint of what was hidden beneath the fabric.

Why hadn’t she gotten beneath the blankets? He stepped
inside, still being as quiet as he could as he let his eyes wander over her
golden curls as they rested against his pillow, the spiraled tresses cascading
over her bare shoulder as she sighed and then rolled onto her back.

He froze instantly as he saw the very tops of her
breasts. His jeans suddenly became
very
uncomfortable. He licked his
lips, incapable of breathing as his brown eyes lingered on her chest. He’d
seen Presley in a bikini plenty of times. Why was this any different?

“Mm,” she mumbled, arching her back a little before she
shifted to lay on her side-facing him. Oh
God.
Lorcan swallowed hard
as his eyes travelled down, taking in the curve of her hip before his eyes
landed on the creamy skin of her thigh. She probably didn’t like to sleep with
the sheets on her feet, but why the hell was the blanket so far up on her
thighs?

His mouth went dry as his growing arousal strained
against the denim of his jeans. Her scent was surrounding him, fogging his
brain and squeezing his heart at the same time. Presley had a scent that was
more tantalizing than honey.

He stayed perfectly still as he watched one arm lift to
rest above her head, her brows furrowing slightly as her lips moved in a soft
murmur.

He wanted to kiss those lips.

This has to be the most unfair situation of my life,
he thought as he frowned. He crossed his arms over his bare chest as he stared
at her, watching the corners of her lips curve upwards into a smile. He wondered
what she was dreaming about. He imagined that she dreamed of childhood
memories as he often did. Running through the fields without worry-unafraid to
roam to the creek and play in the water. Back during a time of innocence..back
when he and Liam were safe; back when Liam was
alive
.

The painful lump in his throat was hard to swallow as
Lorcan’s gaze moved back to Presley’s face, watching her eyes move beneath
closed lids. He desperately wished he could invade her mind for only a
moment. If he could just see what it took to win her affection.

She appeared to be a restless sleeper as she shifted
again, causing the sheet to fall away from her breast. When her light pink
nipple came into view, it took every ounce of strength in his body to keep him
from approaching the bed. He could have taken two easy strides and been at her
side in an instant, but he refrained. His dark hues stayed on the blushing bud
as it began to harden and his body responded. God, did it
ever
respond
.

His breathing became harsh through his nostrils as they
flared, lips thinning as he took a step forward.

Don’t,
his mind warned.
You cannot do what
she does not want you to do. She is not willing.

How do you know that?
He countered as he gazed
down at her. All he had to do was lean down and take the ripe nipple into his
mouth. If she gave him five minutes, he could prove himself to her. He could
show her how worthy he was.

That is wrong,
his conscience chided.

Lorcan licked his lips as he leaned down, his eyes
studying her face as he opened his mouth to receive the sensitive bud between
his teeth. It would only take another inch and he could do it. Just another
inch.

His hot breath fanned against her skin and he heard the
sigh escaping her parted lips. She liked it. He wasn’t even touching her and
she liked it already. That had to be a sign, didn’t it? He released a low
groan of want as his desire for her became evident in the tight restraint of
his jeans. He moved his hand down to rest against the mattress, close to her
hip as he hovered over her.

His eyes closed as he inhaled her scent; so strong, so
inviting. He imagined she tasted as good as she smelled and his mouth watered
for her. He was confident he could have her squirming from pleasure if she’d
just give him the chance. He could be good to her. He could love her….

“Mm, no,” Presley mumbled in her sleep.

It spooked him so badly that he turned and made a dash
for the door and slammed it shut behind him. It probably woke her up, who
could be certain-but he wasn’t about to get caught gawking at her naked skin.
He quickly entered the living room with his hands shoved in his pockets as he
seated himself on the couch.

Mr. Bamey glanced away from the television briefly to
study his son’s face.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“How do you mean?” Lorcan questioned with a shrug.
“I’m fine.”

“Uh huh,” Mr. Bamey rolled his eyes as he lifted his
glass of milk to take a sip. “You sure don’t act like you’re fine.”

Lorcan rolled his eyes before sighing. He leaned
forward and rested his elbows against his thighs as he stared at his father.

“You want to know what’s wrong,” he cocked his head to
the side. “Fine. There’s a gorgeous,
naked
female ursithrope in my bed
and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. That’s what’s wrong.” Lorcan
tossed his hands up as if he were surrendering. “I’m not cut out for this. I
don’t have the self-restraint every ursithrope before me was born with,” He
pushed himself up from the couch and headed for the front door. “I need some
air.”

As the screen door slammed for a second time, Mr. Bamey
finished off his glass of milk before turning to gaze at his wife in the open
kitchen area. “Cubs.”