Return to Kadenburg

by T. E. Ridener

  “Yeah,” Rutley cleared his throat. “Later, Dude.”

  He finally managed to get the door open, surprised to see Mr. Bamey standing there with an unreadable expression. The man didn’t seem to be very happy and Rutley briefly wondered if he somehow knew about what had just happened. God, did he hate him now? Rutley would hate himself. Christ, he did hate himself for what just happened. He couldn’t have those thoughts.

  “M-Mr. B.”

  “Rutley,” Mr. Bamey replied. “Just the guy I wanted to see. Your dad’s here.”

  Rutley’s shoulders slumped as he winced. Perfect. Just freaking perfect.

  –––––––-

  That was too close. That was too stupidly close and Dimitri wanted to kick himself in the ass for allowing it to get that far. What the hell was wrong with him anyway? He was still in mourning over Liam’s death. His mate; his love; his life. How could he possibly even think about kissing someone else?

  He muttered in disgust as he exited the bathroom, watching as Rutley and Mr. Bamey disappeared ahead of him. Good. He needed distance from the boy. Did he really need to constantly remind himself that Rutley had been trained to kill werewolves? Did he really need to keep drilling it into his head that considering a new relationship was strictly out of the question?

  What is wrong with me? He asked himself as he appeared in the kitchen and found a large group of ursithropes staring at him. Why were they staring at him like that?

  “Oh, Dimitri! There you are, dear. All cleaned up, I see,” Mrs. Bamey stated as she approached him. “Are you hungry? Our meeting is temporarily on hold because of the humans,” She said in a lower voice.

  “No, thank you,” Dimitri shook his head, forcing a small smile in her direction. What would Mrs. Bamey do if she learned of his sinful behavior? He imagined she wouldn’t be overly fond of him or Rutley if she knew what happened in the bathroom. He was her son’s mate; no one else’s. What a mess.

  “Are you okay?” Mrs. Bamey asked after a long pause of silence. “Sweetie, you look so pale. Are you sick?”

  “I am fine,” He stated reassuringly before his eyes moved to Lorcan’s. He couldn’t convince anyone else if he didn’t even believe his own lie. Lorcan frowned slightly before he stood from the table.

  “Hey, man. Come out with me to get some air?” Lorcan asked, nodding towards the back door.

  “Gladly,” Dimitri responded as he gently patted Mrs. Bamey’s arm. “I’ll eat when I come back in,” He promised before following Liam’s brother outside. He was no sooner out the door when Lorcan grabbed him by the front of his shirt and dragged him towards the steps.

  “We need to talk,” Lorcan said firmly as he hopped off the bottom step and then turned to look up at him. “I have a problem.”

  Dimitri stared at him, lifting an eyebrow slightly. “What’s going on?” He asked, unsure of what Lorcan would say. Did he know what happened in the bathroom?

  “I’m losing my damn mind,” Lorcan frowned. “I think I overreacted about Beau shooting you and now everyone suddenly thinks I’m unstable.”

  Dimitri listened intently as Lorcan recalled what happened on the front porch, and he couldn’t help but to scoff. “I don’t think you overreacted at all,” He remarked. “I don’t like the kid. He gives off a bad vibe.”

  “Well his cousin gives me a weird vibe,” Lorcan admitted as he placed his hands on his hips and glanced around. “Do you know anything else about them?”

  Dimitri shook his head. “No, I know just about as much as you do. They’re from China. Their village was attacked by our favorite asshole, and now they’re here. They saved Natalie from Breslin’s wrath though.”

  “Yeah, I noticed,” Lorcan nodded. Dropping his gaze to the ground, the ursithrope sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, Dimitri. I feel like I’m losing my mind. One minute, I’m fine, and then the next thing I know I’m trying to kill people.”

  “Does Beau qualify as an actual person?” Dimitri wondered aloud. “He’s sort of a dick.”

  “Wouldn’t you be, too, if you witnessed everyone you cared about being massacred before your very eyes?”

  Dimitri didn’t respond as his wolf ears picked up on the conversation taking place in the front yard. Rutley and his father were arguing and it didn’t sound good.

  “You were supposed to come see me this morning,” Sheriff Holter huffed. “I got worried so I made some phone calls, Rut.”

  “I’m not a damn kid, Dad. You can’t just call everywhere in the world looking for me! That’s why I have a cellphone.”

  “I called your cellphone-you didn’t answer. Forgive me for being a worried parent.”

  Rutley laughed bitterly. “It’s a little late to take on that role, don’t ya think?”

  Lorcan was listening, too, and his eyebrows drew together as he glanced at Dimitri. “Do you think we should intervene?”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” Dimitri frowned. “There’s something you don’t know. Lorcan, wait!”

  Too late. Lorcan was already rounding the house and Dimitri cursed beneath his breath before taking off after him. This wasn’t good. This was not good. Everybody in the world of the living knew that where there was a baby werewolf hunter, a papa hunter existed as well.

  Dimitri knew he’d sealed his own fate when he came into view, but he hardly anticipated what would happen next.

  –––––––—

  Presley was desperately trying to keep up with the excitement of the newcomers, and she felt especially distracted by seeing that her aunt Natalie was alive and well. Her survival was a miracle in itself, and she’d have to remember to thank Beau and Louisa later.

  Speaking of Louisa, the girl had hardly taken her eyes off Presley since they’d gathered in the kitchen for the highly anticipated ‘discussion’ of what was going on in Kadenburg. Mrs. Bamey barely managed to share the news of more ursithropes coming when the sheriff showed up.

  “Well, I never,” Mrs. Bamey huffed in irritation. “Why is everything happening all at once? We really need to talk about this.”

  “And we will in a minute,” Mr. Bamey promised as he opened the front door and saw the sheriff standing there, his fist in the air, ready to knock. “Hello, Sheriff. What can we do for ya?”

  “I’m looking for my son,” Sheriff Holter explained as he glanced inside. “Are you all having a party or something?”

  “A family reunion of sorts,” Mr. Bamey smirked. “But your boy is here. I’ll go fetch him for you.”

  “Hello, Sheriff,” Mrs. Bamey called out, waving to him. “Would you like to come in and have some coffee?”

  “No, thank you, Charlotte. I’m a bit busy right now. I just wanted to make sure Rutley was okay. I haven’t heard from him since last night.”

  “He’s fine,” Mrs. Bamey insisted. “I’ve fed him for you and kept him out of harm’s way.”

  Presley’s eyes moved back and forth from Mrs. Bamey to the sheriff. She could feel tension thickening around her, but she had no idea where it was coming from. It was very strange how she could sense things now. She wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse just yet.

  As Mrs. Bamey made small talk with the sheriff, Presley did her very best to ignore the glare Colin was giving her. Was he mad at her? What on earth had she done to him to deserve the looks he kept casting in her direction?

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Lorcan asked as he touched her hand beneath the table.

  ‘Nothing,’ Presley smiled gently at him. ‘I’m just ready to be done with this.’

  ‘Soon,’ Lorcan promised as his thumb stroked over her knuckles. ‘We’ll never have to worry about it again once Breslin’s dead.’

  Thank Urseth for that. She did find comfort in the idea of Breslin being gone for good. Then she and Lorcan could live happily and worry-free. She would be able to embrace her inner bear and the ways of her people. Her and Lorcan could get married and raise their b—

  Her th
oughts dissipated when Mrs. Bamey spoke excitedly. She lifted her gaze to see Rutley disappearing out the door to speak to his father, and Dimitri emerged from the bathroom. He looked pained and confused, and she had a feeling it wasn’t because of the arrow incident. There was something else going on in his mind….she could feel it.

  And then Lorcan was up and moving out the back door, taking Dimitri with him. He seemed to be in such a hurry. Why?

  Why do I bother to try and keep up with all of this? She wondered as her eyes met Louisa’s again. What did the girl know that Presley didn’t? What secret was she harboring behind her cocoa colored hues?

  Louisa offered her a small smile as she picked up the glass of water sitting before her. She took a sip, only glancing away from Presley when Colin spoke.

  “So, Panda Pants, how old are you?”

  “I am nineteen,” Louisa replied with a nod.

  “Cute,” Colin grinned, his eyes shifting to Presley briefly before focusing on the brunette once more. “You’re really adorable, you know that?”

  Louisa placed her glass carefully on the table, her eyes lifting to meet his before a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I may seem adorable now, but call me Panda Pants one more time and see how cute I can be.”

  Davey Berdine bit back a howl of laughter as he reached for his coffee cup. Kyle Frey let out a low whistle and immediately turned his head in the opposite direction to hide his smile. Various snickers sounded from around the kitchen, yet no one wanted to point out how badly the girl had just embarrassed Colin.

  His smile immediately disappeared as he stood from the table, the chair scraping across the floor as his nostrils flared. He left the room without saying a word, probably going into the bathroom to nurse his ego.

  What a jerk, Presley thought with a shake of her head. Not every woman wants to be hit on.

  She didn’t really have time to be bothered with Colin’s shenanigans anyway. She was worried about Lorcan. He was way too tense and he seemed anxious about everything. Maybe it would do him some good to talk to Dimitri in private. The werewolf was the closest thing he had to Liam, wasn’t he?

  She willed her body to relax as she leaned back in her seat. Too much stress would be bad for the baby.

  I’m going to do it right this time, she promised herself. Not that she’d done it wrong the first time…it was just with the wrong partner. As messed up as it all seemed, she was finally beginning to understand it wasn’t her fault. Urseth was a twisted god, but she was grateful to have a second chance at being a mother. She would not follow the same path as her own mom. She would be good to this baby. She would be the best mama bear in the world.

  This cub will be loved, her inner bear promised.

  Presley was readying herself to reply when a sudden gunshot rang in the air. Panic clutched at her heart as she sprang up from the table and moved towards the front door. What on earth had just happened?

  She pushed the door open, stepping out onto the porch to see a most terrible sight. Sheriff Holter was gripping his pistol in one hand and Rutley’s face was frozen in horror. Lorcan was standing a few feet away, his mouth hanging agape as he stared at the figure on the ground. It was Dimitri.

  He wasn’t moving.

  Nineteen

  “You need to stay out of my way,” Beau instructed as he knelt down beside of the unconscious werewolf and got to work. He tore open Dimitri’s shirt, exposing his chest, and the fresh gunshot wound as he shook his head. “Just give me space. Stay back.”

  Mrs. Bamey was in tears, sputtering and sobbing as she clutched a hand over her chest. “Why did you do that?” She asked, glaring at the sheriff. “He’s just an innocent boy!”

  “The hell he is,” Sheriff Holter replied as he stared down at the bloody mess surrounding Dimitri’s body. “There are things you wouldn’t understand, Mrs. Bamey. I was defending myself.”

  “Defending yourself against what?” Lorcan asked angrily. “He didn’t have a weapon!”

  “Goddamn it, Dad!” Rutley shrieked as he pushed his hair away from his eyes and stared down at Dimitri. “Why the fuck did you do that?”

  “You know why I did it, Rut.”

  “He’s losing a lot of blood,” Beau observed as he leaned back on his haunches, unzipping his jacket and pulling it off. He wadded the material up and pressed it against the gunshot wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

  “What the hell did you shoot him with, Owen?” Mr. Bamey asked in an accusatory tone.

  Beau already knew what the man shot the wolf with. It was a silver bullet and it was meant to cause devastation…..unless he could get it out in time. Of course he knew werewolf hunters existed, but he had no idea that this town was overflowing with supernatural beings. It was actually sort of ridiculous. Kadenburg seemed to be crawling with them.

  “I did what I had to do,” Sheriff Holter scowled. “Now move away from him so I can take him in for questioning.”

  “Questioning?!” Mrs. Bamey exploded. She stepped towards him, waggling a finger in his direction. “If you take him anywhere aside from the hospital, he’ll bleed out!”

  “That’s not my problem,” The sheriff remarked. Pulling the handcuffs from his side, he stepped forward, only to be shoved back by his very own son.

  Beau glanced up briefly, watching their interaction before focusing on the task at hand again. He needed to worry about getting the bullet out. He did not have much time.

  “You need to leave,” Rutley said through clenched teeth.

  “I’m not leaving without him,” Sheriff Holter replied. “And we’re going to talk about this later, young man. I don’t know why you were here with him, but I’m going to find out.”

  Mrs. Bamey glanced at her husband worriedly before gazing down at Beau. “Can you save him?” She asked softly. Her voice cracked with heartache as another tear slid down her cheek.

  “I can,” Beau nodded confidently. “But I’m going to need help.”

  “Anything you need, Son. Just name it,” Mr. Bamey promised as he crouched down beside of him.

  “I am going to need some tweezers and a bottle of whiskey. It would also help if you would be willing to hold him down while this happens. He is not going to like it once that bullet comes out.”

  “Oh, that’s horse shit!” Sheriff Holter exclaimed. “I will not permit you to perform a medical procedure on him, do you understand me?”

  “I don’t think you’ve got any damn right to be saying what we can or cannot do,” Lorcan replied in a dangerous tone as he glared at him.

  Sheriff Holter jaw went slack as he stared at him, his eyes narrowing. “You know, Bamey, I’ve been working at all hours of the night trying to find you for a week. Now I don’t know anything about what happened, but I do know I’m not very fond of my son hanging out with the likes of him. I’m the damn sheriff in this town and what I say goes. No one touches him,” He aimed his pistol at Beau. “Step away from him. Now.”

  Beau slowly lifted his head, turning it to stare straight up at the sheriff as he frowned. “You are willing to let this man die?” He asked. “Is your job not to serve and protect the citizens of this town?”

  “It ain’t my job to protect him,” Sheriff Holter replied with hate in his voice. “He’s no citizen of mine,” He pulled the hammer back on his pistol. The click could be heard from miles away. “Now I said move.”

  Beau swallowed hard, his eyes remaining focused on the Sheriff’s as he made no move to back away. In fact, he pressed the jacket harder against Dimitri’s stomach as he stared the man down. He wouldn’t budge on this. Though he had originally attacked the wolf without knowing his connection to the ursithropes, now that he did know, he was obligated to save the mate of a fallen bear. “No.”

  “Boy, I will tell you one more ti-”

  Sheriff Holter’s pistol fell from his grasp, hitting the ground only seconds before his convulsing body followed. All eyes moved to see Rutley standing behind him, wide eyed. He was gripping
a Taser between his hands, staring down at his father’s limp form as his mouth fell open.

  “Rutley?” Mrs. Bamey’s voice was still thick with emotion as she stepped towards him. “What was that all about?”

  Rutley lifted his tearful gaze to meet hers, frowning. “I couldn’t let him do that,” He whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  “We ain’t got time to worry about it right now,” Davey Berdine interrupted. “We’ve gotta get that boy inside and get the bullet out. Lorcan, Colin, carry him in.”

  As the two larger ursithropes carried Dimitri into the house, Beau and Davey hurried in behind them. Mrs. Bamey cautiously approached Rutley.

  “What was that all about?” She asked once again, reaching her hand out to touch his arm. “Rutley, what’s going on? Why did your father do that?”

  “He….” Rutley blinked, his eyes meeting hers. “He was just doing what he was trained to do, Mrs. B. What I’m trained to do. I’m so sorry….I….I just….”

  “It’s all right,” She whispered, hugging her arms around him as he finally dropped the Taser. “It’s all right, my sweet boy. Everything will be all right.”

  “No, it won’t,” Rutley stated in a breaking voice as he buried his face against her shoulder. “I just did a very bad thing.”

  ––––––—

  Louisa was silent was she watched her cousin work quickly and with precision to remove the bullet from the werewolf’s stomach. The loud clink of the bullet hitting the bottom of the bowl caused her to cringe. She couldn’t imagine what pain he would be in once he regained consciousness.

  “I need the whiskey again,” Beau instructed as he held his hand out. Lorcan handed it to him without hesitation and Beau unscrewed the top. He took a drink first, and then he tilted the bottle slightly to splash the mahogany colored liquid against the gaping hole. “Bandages, please.”

  Louisa moved out of the crowded bedroom and made her way back towards the living room. It was too much excitement for her. With werewolves and hunters and jealousy raging all around her, an empath could only handle so much.