“And she did just that,” Antonio interrupted. Davey was heading for Louisa’s pew, but the tall, broad ursithrope quickly blocked his path as Greg’s massive body hid her from view. “She did not say anything to anyone, Mr. Berdine. I did not need to hear her words to find the truth you were so keen on keeping in the dark. You cannot lie to a delegate.”
A delegate! Louisa’s jaw nearly hit the floor and she could feel the sudden gush of excitement and surprise everyone else felt by his confession. Antonio Barcenas was a delegate of Urseth. That meant he had greater gifts than anyone could imagine.
“A delegate?” Davey scowled. “You think you’re so special because you can sniff out the truth, huh? Well let me tell you something, Antonio. I have worked hard to get to where I am today and I will not allow you or anyone else to bump me back down the ladder! Do you hear me?!”
It was surely going to turn violent as Davey continuously thrust his finger into Antonio’s face, but the dark haired ursithrope showed resilient self-control as he simply grinned. It only seemed to frustrate Davey further as he cried out.
“I think you need to calm down, Davey,” Mr. Bamey said as he pushed his way out of the pew and approached the older male. “You’ve taken this too far. That’s enough.”
“Keep your hands off me!” Davey shrieked as he smacked Mr. Bamey’s hand away. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do! I have earned my place as an elder and I won’t let you take it away from me. This ain’t right!”
Two more ursithropes that Louisa did not know emerged from the seated crowd and easily reprimanded the angry old man.
“This ain’t right!” He screamed. “I’ll get you for this! I’ll get all of you for it!”
The room became silent as the double doors closed and all anyone could do was stare at one another in disbelief. Had that really just happened?
Eighteen
Presley's mind was still reeling over the events from her first official town meeting. Were they always so exciting? She couldn't help but to wonder as she placed a few clean glasses on the table and felt a gentle kiss against the back of her neck. She laughed and turned around in Lorcan's arms as they carefully circled around her.
"If my mother catches you setting the table she's liable to bend you over her knee, Darlin'," he chuckled. "Do you need any help?"
“I have to do something,” Presley insisted as she peered up at him innocently. “That was really intense and my body hasn’t recovered yet.”
Lorcan’s hand immediately fell to her stomach as he gently caressed the more prominent baby bump. Liam had been right; her baby was growing faster than she’d realized. She trusted him when he said her son would be okay, but she still wanted to speak to Beau as soon as he returned. He was the only bear doctor she knew.
“Are you feeling okay?” Lorcan asked with a grave frown. “Do you need to lie down?”
“Don’t be silly.” Presley smiled as she rested her hand against his and tiptoed to kiss his lips. A wave of heat slowly crawled over her body as Lorcan’s mouth possessively claimed hers. Urseth, she loved when he kissed her like that.
“Awwww!”
Presley slowly pulled away to stare at a blushing Louisa and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t aw me,” Presley laughed. She rested her head against Lorcan’s muscular chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. “I saw you and Greg after the meeting.”
“He was simply trying to comfort me after that surprise attack from Davey Berdine,” Louisa frowned and hugged her arms around her slender frame. Her sadness lingered in the air as she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I don’t know what made him snap like that.”
“I do,” Lorcan mumbled as his arm tightened around Presley. “I’ve seen elders who can’t handle the responsibility they’ve been given. Davey Berdine is a fine example of that. But I have to admit I’m pretty grateful to know Julian Buchanan is back in town.”
Presley did want to know more about Mr. Buchanan and his son Antonio, or Anthony as he preferred to be called. Everyone in the ursithrope community seemed to have an astounding amount of respect for the elder and she wanted to know his story.
Lorcan must’ve been reading her thoughts again because he gave her that infamous lazy grin of his before wiggling his eyebrows. “Story time?”
Presley already knew what that meant and it took her mind back to the first time Lorcan explained the creation of ursithropes to her. If only she’d known then what she knew now and only if she’d known how close they would become and how in love with him she’d be. She smiled gently and eased down into one of the chairs. “I’m all ears.”
Louisa slid into a chair across from her and Lorcan leaned against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest and Presley’s eyes immediately watched the muscles dance beneath his taut skin. Sweet baby Urseth he was gorgeous. She bit her bottom lip and pushed the urge to pounce on him to the back of her mind. Pregnancy hormones or not, she needed to behave.
“Julian Buchanan or Barcenas, whatever you want to call him, was one of the elders who served on our ‘council’,” he used air quotes, “back in the eighties. He was one of the few ursithropes that dared to be in the same room with Breslin Connor. The Buchanans were one of the more powerful families in our community and Davey’s family always envied that.”
Presley tilted her head to the side and listened intently as her mate released a low breath. Was the story going to be just as intense as the meeting? What made the Buchanan family so powerful in the first place? She was genuinely interested in knowing.
“In the beginning there were the eight types of bears and you both know that,” Lorcan glanced back and forth between Louisa and Presley. “Each of those types had one leader and there was a point in time when we worked as a democracy. Unfortunately after what happened to your father, Presley, everyone moved away except for my family and yours. Louisa’s grandfather took his clan to China since it only made sense for them to live there. Panda bears only live in America if they’re in captivity....”
Louisa winced and dropped her gaze to the table. Presley knew it bothered the younger ursithrope to think of her bear relatives in such a situation. Hell, there were grizzlies locked up in zoos too. Presley had never been fond of any poor animal being taken out of its natural habitat and put on display for human amusement. Perhaps that disdain came from a deeper subconscious level.....
“Luke Bishop’s father moved the polar bear shifters to where they would blend in as well. No one liked the idea of being repressed to their human form so they did what was best for each clan. The Buchanans moved to Peru. Thinking back on it now....I don’t believe leaving Kadenburg was the best idea.”
Presley studied Lorcan’s handsome face closely as his eyebrows knitted together and another frown graced his lips. He seemed to be bothered by a thought, but she couldn’t find a specific one that stood out as a reason for concern. She tapped her fingertips against the tabletop and cleared her throat.
“So all the bears took off in different directions and went to where they would normally live, right? I mean the polar bears went to where it’s cold, obviously, and Louisa’s family went to China. They couldn’t risk being seen here in the first place. It wouldn’t make sense to humans.”
“Believe it or not Kadenburg was once strictly ursithrope territory. No humans lived here until the 1950’s and the only reason our families allowed that is because we’ve always been taught to accept our human counterparts. Allowing humans to take up residency here is no different than allowing a full-fledged Grizzly some romping ground on its way through to a new home. We had to be fair and that’s how the elders viewed it. We never really had any problems until Breslin decided he wanted some new land to claim.”
Ugh. Breslin Connor. His name alone still caused her stomach to twist into nauseating knots and she had to fight the urge to throw up. He was a wicked man and he’d caused her and those she loved so much pain already. If only they could kill him.....
; “Oh, we will,” Lorcan promised quietly as he read her thoughts. “That time will come, Pretz. Believe me, Baby. He will pay for everything he’s ever done to us: for Liam; for your father; for Greg; for Louisa’s family......all of it. He’s going to pay.”
At least she could take comfort in that thought. She heard the soft sniffle that sounded from Louisa’s direction and she quickly turned to face her friend. Louisa was crying.
“What’s the matter, Lou?” She asked. Presley reached across the table to touch her hand gently. “What is it?”
“I just feel sad for Anthony,” Louisa admitted in a small voice. A tear slid down her cheek as she slowly shook her head. “He lost his family in the same way that I lost mine. Breslin slaughtered them all, didn’t he?”
Lorcan nodded. “Yes.”
“How can such a despicable creature be allowed to live? How can Urseth and Yliana stand by and watch this evil spread?”
That was a damn good question too. Presley squeezed her hand gently as her eyes met Lorcan’s.
“Urseth and Yliana are not in control of everything, Lou. You know that. They are not the only creators.”
Wait. What? Presley became easily confused over the history of her town, but was Lorcan insinuating there was another god or goddess she didn’t know about? There was Urseth, Yliana, and Tessa....who else?
“Ah. I probably should have mentioned him sooner,” Lorcan admitted as he winced. “I just never felt he was important enough to talk about.”
“Who?” Presley asked cautiously.
“Calic,” Lorcan’s serious gaze connected with hers. “The god of wolves.”
———————————
The bitter night air was getting the best of her and Natalie knew she needed to go home soon. The cold hadn’t bothered her much in bear form, but now she was naked and vulnerable to nature’s cruel temperatures. Her shivering body couldn’t take much more and though she didn’t need to worry about becoming sick, she did need to worry about the possibility of danger hiding in the shadows of the woods.
“Help me figure out what to do,” she said between chattering teeth as she gazed at the scarred bark of the tree where her brother had died. A hot tear slid down her cheek as she sniffled and hugged her arms as tightly around herself as possible. “I don’t know what to do about anything.”
It had been a very long time since she’d visited this place. She’d been to her brother’s grave a few times since her return to Kadenburg, but she just felt closer to him, here, for some reason. Her numb fingertips touched the bark delicately as she bit back a soft sob. Oh, how she missed him so much. What she wouldn’t give to have him back.
“Presley’s so beautiful, Pierce. I wish you could see her. She looks so much like Caroline....”
Another stab of pain made itself known in her chest as she thought of her future sister-in-law. It was so uncharacteristic of Caroline to abandon Presley. She didn’t understand how that was possible at all. The woman had been elated about becoming a mother.....why would she leave her cub behind?
“I have so many questions and no one can seem to answer them, Pierce. I need to know why Urseth stole my memories from me. I need to know why Presley can dream of Liam but I cannot dream of you...” The tears fell uncontrollably as she bowed her head and finally released the heartache and guilt she’d harbored for years. Maybe this was what she needed. “How could I so willingly go with Breslin and witness the horrible sights of his cruelty? How did I allow him to kill so many of our kind and not intervene? Why would I do that?”
She knew no answers would come. She would not hear her brother’s warm voice or his words of encouragement that he so generously gave to her once upon a time. Pierce was in the Great Beyond and she could only wait for the day they would see each other again.
“I just want to be a good aunt,” she confessed quietly. “I want to be there for your daughter and her cub. I don’t care if I ever get to marry anyone or anything like that, Pierce....I just want to be relevant and needed by my own flesh and blood. Am I asking for too much?”
“Not at all.”
The sudden response from a male voice nearly made Natalie topple over as her head lifted to gaze at the night sky.
“Pierce?” She whispered in disbelief.
“No, I am sorry to disappoint you.”
Natalie turned her head to see the man standing behind her and she immediately felt calm as she discovered his scent was one hundred percent ursithrope. He wasn’t going to hurt her.
“Who are you?” She asked as she wiped at her eyes. She glanced down at her naked body and suddenly felt more self-conscious than ever before. She tried to hide her nude flesh from his view as she carefully crept towards the other side of the tree.
“I am here to help you,” he said reassuringly as he smiled. “Would you like my coat?” He took off his jacket and approached the tree she was hiding behind. He held it out for her to take as his eyes lifted to gaze at the deeply embedded burn marks from the fire that claimed her brother’s life.
“Thank you.” Natalie grabbed his jacket and slipped her arms through the sleeves before buttoning it quickly. It barely came to her thighs, but at least it hid her from his view.
“You are welcome, Natalie,” he nodded as his eyes became sad. “This is where it happened, isn’t it? I was just a small boy when he died, but I remember the flames. The smell.....”
“Who are you?” Natalie repeated.
“I am Antonio Barcenas, but I think you will remember me better as Anthony Buchanan. My father is Julian.” He responded as he tilted his head to the side. Why did he keep looking at her like that?
“Oh,” was her simple reply as his name suddenly jarred an old memory loose. It was a terrible memory too. That’s why he was looking at her like that. “Oh, Anthony....”
Breslin had killed off Julian’s clan some time ago in hopes of eliminating the elders of the ursithrope world. It was no different than what had happened with Louisa’s family. How awful she felt as guilt began to eat at her again. She was such a horrible person for allowing it to happen. Anthony had barely turned seventeen when Breslin’s pack attacked his home in Peru.
“Do not do that. Please,” Anthony requested as he touched her shoulder. “You cannot control what has been written in the stars, Natalie Carroll. I know that you did not want that to happen and that is what matters.”
What was he talking about? How could the mass murder of their people be fate? How could her involvement with those killings be fate? This young man was obviously a little on the delusional side if he thought his words brought her any comfort.
“What do you suppose you could’ve done to prevent the death of my clan, Natalie?” Anthony asked curiously as he took a step away from her and focused his attention on the marred tree. “Would you have stood and fought for their lives and put your own in danger? I don’t think so,” he shook his head and then offered a tender smile. “You were never intended to be put in harm’s way. You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure I follow.” She replied carefully.
“You are a lost little bird right now. I can appreciate this,” he eased down onto a tree stump and laced his fingers together. His elbows rested against his knees as he sighed. “I was once lost too.”
He was definitely mental. Was he just here to confuse her or could he really help? She didn’t have much patience at the moment and her feet were freezing. She needed to go home.
“Well...this was nice but I should go,” she said after a few beats of silence. “I’ll return your jacket to you as soon as I can.”
“Do not go yet, Natalie,” Anthony chuckled. “I promise I do have a point to make. There is much we must discuss before the New Year comes.”
“It’s just another year.” Natalie mumbled. Did she really believe that? Was she ignoring that feeling of impending doom that had been looming over her for months? The answer was yes. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take and she didn�
��t want to think about Presley having to endure more of Breslin’s bullshit, but it was inevitable.
“It is another year,” Anthony agreed as he stroked the small line of stubble on his chin. “But it will be the year that changes everything. You know what is coming just as well as I do, Natalie. I fear that many sources have been undermining us this entire time. It is not just the humans he has hired to kill innocent humans....”
“What?” Natalie’s eyes widened. What did he mean by that?
“Ah, you do not know,” Anthony speculated as his eyes dimmed once more. “I hate to be the one who must tell you this.....”
And tell her he did. He recalled what happened at the town meeting, which Natalie hadn’t received an invitation to, and how Davey Berdine had gone off his rocker. He mentioned Louisa and her discovery of a young human girl that was meant to be a ‘message’ to the ursithropes courtesy of Breslin Connor, and he even told her about how Arnold Goult had bravely stood his ground and defended his niece. Why did hearing that part make her heart feel so funny?
“I can’t believe Davey was trying to make her leave town,” Natalie whispered. “And Dimitri too? He’s the only decent werewolf I’ve ever met aside from Rutley. We owe them our gratitude for everything they’ve done.” She went on to explain what had happened to bring on Rutley’s transformation, but Anthony already seemed to know everything she wanted to say.
“I do not believe all werewolves are bad,” Anthony stated thoughtfully as he glanced up towards the night sky. It was easy to make out the stars above the treetops. This had been Pierce’s favorite place, after all. “I do not think Calic ever intended for his people to be the feared monsters they have become over the years.”
Natalie had heard a few stories about Calic before. He was the wolf god and he’d been around for at least a century. How did one truly know how old a god was?
“Breslin Connor is just like that one adage....how does it go? One bad apple spoils the whole pie?” He shook his head again and then smiled. “If we can rid the world of that bitter fruit then I think we have real chance at living in harmony with the lycanthropes. No one would ever have to live in fear again. I know this is what you want for your niece, is it not?”
Kadenburg Revealed (The Kadenburg Shifters Series, Book 4) Page 16