The Truth About Kadenburg (21 page)

“Aw, shit,” he said beneath his breath as he headed
down the hallway.

Twenty
Two

S
he had no idea what she was thinking when she
decided to steal a glance at the wounded wolf currently imprisoned in the Bamey
basement. Perhaps it was only mild curiosity, or maybe she just had a death
wish; but Presley had to see him.

“I can smell you,” he muttered as Presley lingered at
the bottom of the stairs. “You don’t have a bad scent, but it’s not pleasant
either.”

Presley released the breath she hadn’t realized she was
holding as she took a step forward, peering around the shelf that blocked him
from her view. He was sitting on the floor, his hands shackled above his head
as he leaned against the wall. He lifted his silver hues to gaze at her and he
smirked.

“I’m not going to bite you,” he commented. “I can’t do
much from my position right now.”

Presley licked her lips, taking another hesitant step
forward as her eyes moved over his face. There was something animalistic about
him. Sure, he looked like a man, but there was something darker lingering in
his eyes. What was it?

Evil,
she thought.
Pure evil.

The wolf, or Luke as Dimitri
had identified him, peered at her in silence as his jawline tensed and
relaxed. His gaze made her feel uneasy. Why was she doing this again?

“You look just like her.”

“What?” Presley asked, blinking.

Luke chuckled lowly as he shifted a little, attempting
to scratch the side of his head. The chains didn’t give him much slack as his
fingertips barely grazed the tips of his hair. He sighed, closing his eyes.
“I said you look just like her.”

Presley frowned, keeping her distance from the wolf as
she captured her lower lip between her teeth. What was he talking about?

His breathing was harsh. His nostrils flared as he
opened his eyes to stare at her again. Presley couldn’t get over how menacing
his orbs were, and how uneasy they made her feel. Dimitri’s eyes weren’t like
that. In fact, Dimitri’s eyes were sort of warm looking. Why did this man
possess such cold eyes?

“You have your mother’s chin,” he speculated.

And that was it. Presley’s heart dropped into the pit
of her stomach as she stared at him. She allowed his words to process in her
mind as she shook her head slowly. That was impossible. He was trying to mess
with her head. He didn’t know anything about her mother. He couldn’t.

“You don’t know anything about my mother,” she replied,
swallowing her shambled nerves back into place.

“Ah,” he grinned. “You’re lying to yourself about
that, aren’t you?” He asked.

Flashbacks from the night before came to mind, and
Presley could recall the words of the wolf that had attempted to capture her.

‘She looks just like her mother.’

It couldn’t be true, could it? Her mother hadn’t
pulled a Natalie on them, had she? It was like a very bad remake of Star Wars
and her mother had chosen the dark side. Icy shards of nausea exploded in her
stomach as she reached out to grip the side of the shelf.

“Now it’s making sense,” Luke smiled. “You’re a smart
girl, little she-bear. You know the truth now, don’t you? You’ve always
wondered what happened to her after she left you behind.”

“No,” Presley shook her head. “You’re lying to me.”

“Am I?” Luke tilted his head to the side. “It’s only a
matter of time, you know. Breslin will come to get me and you can see for
yourself then. Just wait and see who his right hand lady is.”

Presley shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head once
more. “No!” She shouted. “You’re lying! Stop it!”

“What am I lying about?” Luke asked as his eyes
narrowed in on her. “Surely you aren’t that naïve, little bear. Don’t you
find it peculiar that a mama bear abandoned her cub? She left you with an
incompetent man that had no idea how to raise a child,” he traced his tongue
over his lower lip as another smirk slid over his face. “Maybe he’ll be the
first to go when Breslin gets here. Would you like that?”

Presley growled. She could feel her skin heating up
and the fangs she struggled to keep at bay were starting to elongate.

No, no!
She pleaded internally as her fingertips
dug into the wooden frame of the bookshelf.
He’s just trying to make you
lose control. You can’t do this right now!

“Look at you,” Luke spat
bitterly. “You’re trying to control the beast that so desperately wants to be
free. Is that a rule of your supposedly great god?” He asked. “Can you not
indulge in the joys of being a powerful animal? How pathetic.”

“Shut up,” Presley said through clenched teeth as a
loud
pop
sounded in her ears. What was that? A bone? She felt the
sharp pain surging up her spine as she attempted to pace her breathing. “Just
shut up.”

“Awww, what’s the matter, little bear?” Luke mocked as
he tugged at the chains restraining him. “Are you scared? Come now, Presley,
embrace your true form. Give into it. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

“No!” She cried, doubling over as the pain
intensified. She gasped, feeling as the bones in her fingers began to crack
and tremble. She couldn’t change right now, and most definitely not because he
was taunting her. She squeezed her eyes shut, listening to the rhythm of her
heartbeat as it thundered in her ears.

“Your mother isn’t afraid to bear out,” Luke added
after a moment. “Especially when she’s desperate for a good fuck.”

Presley released a shrill cry of agony as she fell to
her knees, her vision blurring. It felt like her head was going to explode.
Her brain was swelling, or something. God, she wanted it to stop!

Two strong hands grabbed her from behind, and before
Presley knew what was happening, she was being pulled out of the room. Her
back hit the hard wall and warm palms cupped her face as she lifted her eyes to
meet brown hues.

“Calm down,” Lorcan whispered as he rested his forehead
against hers. “He’s only trying to get you riled up, Presley. You can’t let
him get the best of you.”

Hot tears flooded down her cheeks as she felt the bear
within roar in anger. She lifted her hands, gripping at Lorcan’s forearms. “I
don’t know how to stop it,” she sobbed. “I don’t know how to control it!”

“Just breathe, baby,” he whispered, exaggerating his
own breaths as he pulled her against his chest. “Just breathe.”

Despite the thoughts running through her mind and the
overwhelming need to
kill
, everything seemed to vanish when she realized
Lorcan had called her baby. She stared up at him, her eyes wide as her mouth
fell open. She did as he requested, breathing in through her nose and out
through her mouth as her grip on his arms relaxed.

“That’s it,” Lorcan nodded. His voice remained gentle
and calm as he gazed at her. “Just like that. You’re doing perfect.”

“He was talking about my mother,” Presley whispered.
She closed her eyes, burying her face against his chest as she felt his hand
rest gently against the back of her head. “Is it true? Is she with them?”

She heard Lorcan sigh, and then listened to the deep
rumble of his voice as he spoke. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “No
one’s seen your mother in years, Presley. We don’t know what happened to her.”

“I know what happened to her!” Luke called from the
other room. “You’ll see tonight, little bear. Perhaps you can have a nice
little family reunion before we kill all of you.”

Presley felt Lorcan tense, and then he was pulling away
from her. She immediately missed his embrace as he stalked back into the
furthest corner of the basement and she heard Luke grunt, excessively. She could
hear the sound of fists making contact with flesh; he deserved every punch he
was getting.

Your mother is a traitor,
her bear
announced.
That is punishable by death!

I don’t give a damn
about my mother.
Presley frowned, hugging her arms around
herself.
She hasn’t given a damn about me in a very long time.

Lorcan returned after a few
moments. He was flexing his fingers as he lifted his eyes to meet hers, and
his gaze immediately softened.

“Come on,” he said as he offered his hand to her.
“Let’s get you back upstairs. I don’t even know why you were down here
anyway.”

Presley placed her hand in his, but as he moved up the
first step, she pulled him back down. He turned to gaze at her. His brows
furrowed as he gave her a questioning stare, but all was soon answered as she
moved her free hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down until their
lips could meet.

Fireworks exploded in her head. Heaven’s choir started
signing joyously as their mouths molded together. The entire shebang of
everything wonderful seemed to happen at once as Presley wrapped her arms
around his neck to keep him close.

She’d only meant for it to be a kiss of gratitude….

She felt as Lorcan returned the kiss. Before she knew
it, her back was against the wall and Lorcan was lifting her away from the
floor. She let out a harsh breath through her nostrils, tilting her head
slightly in an attempt to deepen the hungry kiss. Sweet Heaven above, where
did this man learn to kiss?

How did this even happen?
She wondered briefly.
Weren’t we going to go upstairs?

Oh, screw it. She didn’t care
about going upstairs at the moment. Lorcan’s mouth was on hers, his tongue was
touching against hers, and his hands were exploring her anxiously. She felt
like a damn virgin as she trembled against him, gasping as he sucked at her
bottom lip. He tugged at the tender flesh before releasing it, only to claim
her mouth again in an earth shattering kiss.

Yes!
Her bear crowed excitedly.
This
is what we have been waiting for.

Presley couldn’t be bothered
with listening to her bear’s inner monologue right now. She was far too busy
with listening to the sounds of her shallow breathing and the growls of hunger
escaping Lorcan’s hot mouth as he nipped at the flesh of her neck.

“This is crazy,” she gasped, trying to keep her heavily
lidded eyes open. “Lorcan, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

Perhaps they shouldn’t have been doing it, but her body
most certainly wasn’t complaining. She tangled her fingers in his thick hair,
tugging at it as his teeth teased over her heated skin again and again.

“I can stop,” Lorcan offered as he kissed his way up to
her lips again. “Just tell me to stop.”

“No,” she replied, locking her legs around his waist as
she pulled back a little to stare at him. “No, don’t you dare stop.”

“Thank Urseth,” Lorcan sighed as he gave her an
irresistible smile. “I don’t think I could stop.”

His mouth crashed against hers again and Presley
whimpered softly. It was so sudden, yet it felt like everything had been
building up to this moment for years.

Maybe it had been.

Lorcan’s hot fingers slipped beneath her shirt,
splaying over the soft flesh of her stomach as he nipped at her chin. Tingles shot
through her abdomen and settled between her thighs as he touched her here,
there, and everywhere.

“This is so crazy,” she repeated before a moan escaped
between her kiss swollen lips. “Lorcan, what are we doing?”

“We’re doing what all ursithropes do when they find
their mate,” he replied. His tongue traced over her collarbone as he pulled
the fabric of her bra away from her breasts. She sighed, allowing her head to
fall back against the wall. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for
that kiss.”

“A long time?” Presley wondered aloud, though it was
hardly the time to be debating over such a thing. All she could think about
was his hands and mouth as the fire inside her grew hotter. She squirmed
against him, biting back another moan as his lips attached themselves to a
throbbing nipple. “Oh…”

Presley had no idea how they’d ended up in this
situation, nor did she understand why she was so enthused to take part in a
make out session with him. All she truly knew in that very moment was how
happy and complete she felt. She couldn’t be bothered with thoughts of her
mother. The worries of an impending battle vanished from her mind as it was
consumed with Lorcan and Lorcan alone.

“I love you,” Lorcan whispered huskily. “I have always
loved you.”

A lazy smile slid across her lips as moisture gathered
in her eyes. Presley hugged her arms around him a little more tightly, resting
her cheek against his shoulder as she sighed. “I don’t know..what to say…” she
admitted softly.

“You don’t have to say it back right away,” Lorcan
murmured as he popped open the button on her jeans. “But I want you to know
how much I love you. Will you let me show you?”

Oh yes. Yes, yes. She wanted him to show her how much
he loved her; several times if he was up for it. She pulled back to gaze at
him again, searching his face. “This is going to sound even crazier, but yes,”
she nodded gently. “Show me, Lorcan. Please.”