The Truth About Kadenburg (22 page)

As Lorcan’s lips met hers again, Presley prepared herself
for whatever was going to happen. It didn’t matter what was going on above
them; all that mattered in this very moment was that Lorcan loved her, and she
was confident there was a part of her that had always loved him, too.

She dusted kisses against his neck and jawline, tasting
the small droplets of salty water that glistened on his skin as he freed
himself from the restraint of his jeans. She dropped her gaze between their
bodies and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
Holy shit,
she thought
as the ache between her thighs grew stronger.
Urseth most certainly blessed
him.

She reminded herself to thank Urseth later as Lorcan
lined himself up with her entrance. One deep thrust and a stifled moan later, and
he was buried inside her.

He stayed perfectly still for several seconds, his
broad chest heaving with shallow breaths as he rested his forehead against
hers. He met her gaze, smiling faintly as he traced his fingertips down her
jawline. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life,” he
whispered. “I have waited for you for so long…”

Presley felt her chest tighten, in a good way, and her
heart swelled with adoration. Why hadn’t this happened sooner? Why had she
left Kadenburg in the first place? How had she not seen this glorious man for
what he was before now?

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” she whispered in
response. She blinked back the tears in her eyes. Why were there tears in her
eyes?! She was so overwhelmed with everything she was feeling. How stupid.

“I would’ve waited forever,” Lorcan promised as he
slowly rolled his hips into hers.

Presley gasped, biting back the moan that so
desperately wanted to escape. She buried her face against his neck instead,
breathing in his scent as he made love to her in a way she’d never experienced
before.

Sure, it was happening in a basement; against a wall;
with an unconscious werewolf on the other side of the room, but what did that
matter? So what if they both had the capability of shifting into bears? And
so what if they were going to war with werewolves at any moment now? What
mattered was what she felt as Lorcan pushed himself deeper inside her. It
wasn’t just the pleasure he gave her, but the happiness, too. The promise of a
better tomorrow, should they survive to see it.

“I love you,” Lorcan repeated as his thrust grew
sporadic. He let out a low grunt, his powerful hips moving forward and up as
he gripped her thigh possessively. “You never have to say it if you don’t want
to, but I will do my best to make you happy.”

This is crazy,
she repeated over and over in her
mind.
This shouldn’t be happening!
Yet it was, and she
loved
it. Maybe it would never make sense how she ended up having sex with Lorcan
Bamey in his basement, but at least she would always remember what
unadulterated bliss felt like.

She would never forget what it felt like to be truly
loved.

–––––––

Nothing was going to ruin how elated Lorcan felt in
that moment. He was determined not to let anything diminish his happiness as
he walked, hand in hand, into the living room with Presley. What had taken
place in the basement was a milestone achievement, and something that only
happened once in a lifetime for an ursithrope.

He knew Presley was new to the ways of their kind, but
there was no denying she felt the connection, too. Even if he never heard
those three words leave her lips, he would always know how she felt about him
because she’d shown him with her body, and he’d felt her heartbeat against his
very own.

A human being would’ve been confused with how quickly
things escalated between them, but that was just how love worked for
ursithropes. It was a mighty powerful thing, and it was more overwhelming than
any other feeling in the world. He’d found his mate and she’d finally allowed
him to show her just how much she meant to him.

She loves us,
his bear reassured him as
he tightened his fingers around Presley’s. He stole a glance and took note of
the smile on her lips as he laced their fingers together securely.
She
will say it back.

She doesn’t have to say
it back,
Lorcan replied.
I have felt it.
And he could be
happy with that. He could live out the rest of his days quite contently as
long as Presley continued to allow him these small moments. The moments of
gazing into her eyes, holding her, and telling her exactly how he felt. He
didn’t need a piece of paper stating they loved one another. He didn’t need
her to take on his last name to prove what they felt was real. All he needed was
for her to continue existing.

“There you are,” Mrs. Bamey said as she approached
them. “Oh, thank goodness. I was getting worried.”

Lorcan smiled at his mother, watching as her eyes
dropped to their hands. She blinked and then met his gaze again. There was a
look of hope in her eyes and the worry she’d been sporting seconds earlier
disappeared. “Oh, children,” she whispered happily.

“We’ll talk about it later, Mom, okay? I promise,”
Lorcan said as he released Presley’s hand, only to wrap his arm around her
shoulders a few seconds later.

“You bet we will,” she nodded. “Right now, we do have
something else to talk about.”

“What’s going on?” Presley asked. She lifted her eyes
to meet Lorcan’s as she frowned.

No one had to answer her as the stench grew stronger.
It wasn’t just one, either. No, it was
many
.

“They’re here,” Mr. Bamey announced as he gripped his
shotgun firmly between his hands.

Lorcan watched as Davey distributed a gun to every
available ursithrope in the room. Colin was examining his closely with a frown
on his lips, and Greg was anxiously pacing in front of the door as his finger
traced over the trigger of his own firearm.

“Be ready,” Davey instructed as his eyes began to
glow. “This ain’t gonna be pretty, folks.”

“Presley,” Arnold Goult said as he stepped in front of
them. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“What is it, Uncle Arnold?” She asked, peering up at
her uncle as her face paled.

“I need you to go with Mrs. Bamey,” he said softly,
reaching out to touch her cheek. “She’ll keep you safe.”

“What?!” Presley exclaimed. “No, I’m not leaving you,”
she turned her head to gaze at Lorcan. “Tell him I’m not leaving, Lorcan.”

Lorcan pursed his lips together, giving her an
apologetic frown as he pulled her against his chest and kissed the top of her
golden hair. “You have to,” he said softly. “We have to protect you.”

“No!” She pulled away from him as if his touch burned
her. “No, I’m not going to
hide
. That’s bullshit. You can’t make me!”

“Presley, please. We don’t have much time,” Mrs. Bamey
said urgently. “Sweetheart, it’s the law of Urseth. We aren’t supposed to
partake in battles. Those are up to the great warriors of our kind. We are
meant to be protected. We have to remain hidden and safe.”

“No!” Presley repeated as she shook her head. “No,
that’s bullshit! I’m not going to hide while you put yourselves in danger,”
she looked back and forth between her uncle and Lorcan.

Lorcan felt a stab of pain in his chest as he gazed at
her. What was he supposed to do? What could he say to convince her it was the
right thing to do? Presley was hard headed and extremely stubborn. He knew
that she would ultimately do whatever she wanted to. That was one of the many
things that made her so wonderful, after all.

“I’m not going to run,” Presley stated as she moved
towards the gun rack. “I am tired of running.”

Lorcan watched as she pulled the last remaining gun out
and though it seemed far too big for her, she held it proudly in her grasp as
she turned to face them.

“If you’re going to fight, then I will fight with you,”
she affirmed.

And before anyone could stop her, she was running out
the back door to meet the prodigious pack of blood thirsty werewolves hell-bent
on their extinction.

Everyone stood there in stunned silence as the screen
door slammed shut. No one really knew what to say to that. How could they
tell her no now? They couldn’t.

Lorcan released a small breath as he glanced at his
father. “What are you waiting for?” He asked with a quirked brow. “You heard
the lady.”

He was out the door in an instant, leaping off the deck
with no regards for the steps as he followed after Presley. It didn’t take him
long to catch up to her. She’d stopped at the edge of the field, breathing
heavily as her eyes scanned the wooded area.

He stood beside her, and proudly so, as he listened.

“They’re in there, aren’t they?” She asked softly.
“Just waiting.”

“Yeah,” Lorcan nodded. “Breslin likes to play games.
At least that’s what my dad says.”

“Well I’ve got a game he can play,” Presley promised as
she lifted the gun in her arms, resting the butt against her shoulder as she
aimed it towards the trees. “He’s the one that killed my dad.”

“Don’t shoot yet,” Lorcan instructed quietly, gently.
“He probably wants that, Presley. He wants to use our emotions against us. He
wants to use your father’s death against you. You have to keep your head
clear, do you understand? Werewolves play dirty.”

“Dimitri doesn’t play dirty,” she whispered. “He’s
different.”

“He is,” Lorcan agreed as he licked his dry lips. He
could feel the others joining them in the field, and he turned his head to see
the big red wolf standing near his mother. He smiled faintly. A part of him
was grateful that Dimitri was on their side. He was grateful that the wolf had
loved his brother so much that he was willing to fight with them. He would
have to remember to thank him properly later.

“Are you scared?”

Presley’s question took him by surprise. He could
answer it one of two ways, really. He could be truthful and admit that he was
scared, but would she think less of him for it? He couldn’t risk that.

“No,” he said after another moment of silence. “I’m
not scared. We can take them.”

“You’re damn right we can,” Mr. Bamey commented as he
stepped closer. “This ends tonight.”

Lorcan turned his head to gaze at his father,
understanding the look the older male gave him in that moment. It was a look
that said
‘Take care of yourself, don’t get killed
.’

Lorcan would do his best not to. After all, his
future was looking brighter by the second. The golden haired beauty that stood
so bravely at his side was a damn good reason to stay alive.

A low growl sounded from somewhere in the woods, and it
was countered by Dimitri’s angrier one. Lorcan turned his head to stare at the
red wolf as he moved closer, digging his claws into the ground.

“It’s okay, Dimitri,” Lorcan said softly as he glanced
towards the woods again. “We’ll be all right.”

The sound of a rapid heartbeat caused Lorcan to gaze at
Presley once more. She was standing there, her gun still aimed towards the
woods as she closed one eye. She didn’t seem to be afraid at all. Maybe she
wasn’t.

Maybe I need to be more like her,
he thought.
He licked his lips, swallowing the lump in his throat as he caught a glimpse of
glowing eyes between the trees.

“Get ready,” Mr. Bamey whispered. “This is it,
fellas.”

Lorcan caught Presley’s gaze as she glanced at him, and
he smiled gently.

“I love you,” he mouthed.

And much to his surprise, right before the wolves sprang
towards them…

She mouthed it back.

Thank you
for reading
The Truth about Kadenburg!

Other books
by T.E. Ridener:

The
Descendants Series

The Fire
King’s Daughter (Book #1)

The Water
King’s Bride (Book #2)

The Ice
King’s Heart (Book #3) Coming soon!

The Blood
Betrayal Series

Blood
Betrayal (Book #1)

Mirela and
Her Vampire (Book #1.5)

Blood
Revelations (Book #2)

Blood
Resurrection (Book #3) Coming soon!

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Keep reading
for an exclusive sneak peek at book #2 in The Kadenburg Shifters Series,
Return
to Kadenburg
.

Sneak
Peek

Return to Kadenburg

One

W
hy was he coming back after all
this time?

29 year old Rutley Holter was still trying to find a
sufficient answer to that question as he watched the aged buildings slowly pass
by. Kadenburg, the one horse town where dreams were diminished daily, was the
last place he ever thought he’d see again.

Yet here I am,
he thought as he pulled into the
parking lot of the sheriff’s department and killed the engine on his Subaru
Impreza. That car was his baby. He’d worked so many hours of overtime just to
make the down payment, and it was
almost
paid off; almost.

He allowed his baby blues to gaze around the small
town, taking in every last boring brick and mundane window sign as he exhaled
softly. “I have not missed you,” he stated as he shut the car door and made
his way towards the front entrance of Kadenburg’s finest.

He pulled it open, listening to the small
ding
signaling his arrival as the warmth of the office enveloped him. He shivered,
frowning. Yeah, he totally didn’t miss the cold weather. He was longing for
the sandy beaches of Florida already.

Yeah, no. It’s best to stay away from Florida for a
bit, don’t you think?
He asked himself as he stepped up to the empty
receptionist’s desk. There wasn’t a soul to be seen, which wasn’t all that
surprising considering this was the Kadenburg Sheriff’s Department. People in
this town seriously had no idea what a good worth ethic consisted of.

If he had his guess, the person that was supposed to be
sitting there was probably out back, enjoying some nicotine.

“Hello?” He called out.

He drummed his knuckles against the countertop as a
muffled conversation sounded over the police scanner nearby. It sounded like
two deputies talking back and forth, but he could barely make out anything they
were saying.

“No trace of them” and “headed back to the station” was
the only parts he could understand before the static became so unbearable he
had no choice but to tune it out.

“Can I help you?”

Rutley lifted his gaze to the young deputy standing in
the doorway of the hall. He had a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, and a
pack of Marlboro Reds in the other. He was around the same age as Rutley.

What a poor soul, stuck here in Kadenburg,
he
thought with a small grin. “Uh yeah, I’m here to see the sheriff.”

The young man snickered, giving a roll of his eyes as
he slid down into the squeaky office chair behind the counter. “Get in line,
pal,” he stated as he sipped at his coffee. “He’s not back yet.”

“I had no idea,” Rutley countered as he lifted a brow.
“I mean, it’s not like I didn’t notice the cruiser missing outside,” he leaned
over the counter and narrowed his eyes on the young deputy. “Get on that little
radio you’ve got there and tell him he’s got a visitor.”

The deputy scoffed as he leaned back in his seat,
crossing his arms over his chest. “You think you get special privileges around
here just because you drive that shiny little car out there? I don’t think so,
buddy. You can sit your ass down right over there and wait for him to get
back.”

Rutley fought to keep a grin at bay as he glanced in
the direction the deputy was pointing. “Over there?” He asked, nodding to the
small waiting area. “Sure thing.”

He sank down into one of the old, leather chairs,
rubbing at the back of his neck as he glanced at the clock. 4:35.

“Will he be back soon?” Rutley questioned after a few
beats of silence.

The deputy sighed audibly before peering over the top
of the counter. Rutley didn’t have to see his whole face to know he was
scowling. He could see the irritation in his eyes. “Hell if I know,” he
replied. “He’ll be here when he gets here, okay?”

“Okay,” Rutley nodded, sinking back into silence as his
eyes wandered over the wallpaper. It was definitely in need of a modern
touch. Who even used faded green flower designs anymore? Geez.

It was only a few minutes later that he heard a car
pulling up outside. Something on that vehicle needed fixed, he could hear the
rattle growing louder before it suddenly died away. Then the door was opening
and the sheriff walked inside.

The older male pulled his hat off, wiping the sweat
from his brow with the back of his hand as he made his way towards the
counter. “Have you heard anything?”

The deputy seemed to be much more hospitable as he
stood from his chair, rummaging through various papers on the desk before he
shook his head. “No, Sir,” he replied. “The only thing that’s changed since
you were here is that fancy pants snot head over in the corner,” he nodded in
Rutley’s direction. “Apparently he wants to talk to you something awful.”

Rutley’s eyes met the sheriff’s as the aged man turned
to look at him. Rutley grinned. “Long time no see, Dad.”

The deputy’s face immediately fell, and he might’ve
gotten a little pale as he realized the strong resemblance between the two men.

“Hi, Son,” Sheriff Holter said with a nod. “Want to
step into my office?”

Rutley pushed himself up from the chair he’d been
warming for the last few minutes, giving another grin to the deputy as he
strolled past him. “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, walking into the office and
slumping into a chair as his father closed the door.

“Some staff you’ve got there,” he commented as he
watched his father ease into his office chair. “He seems nice.”

“He’s a punk kid,” Sheriff Holter muttered as he pulled
open a folder and glanced up to meet his son’s gaze. “That’s Roy Helton’s
son. He needed a job. What was I supposed to do?”

“That’s Randy?” Rutley asked in surprise. “No shit.”

“No shit,” his dad replied as he started flipping
through pages, sighing. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Rut. I half
expected you to say no.”

“I’m just as surprised as you are,” Rutley replied as
he tilted his head back to stare the ceiling momentarily. “I mean, obviously I
must be crazy to come back after you called me a sinful little heathen and told
me I was going to hell.”

The sheriff’s jaw went slack as he stared at Rutley,
and then the muscle tensed as he straightened up in his seat. The paperwork
was seemingly forgotten as he cleared his throat. “Listen, son, I’m sorry
about how things ended back then. I realize I don’t deserve the father of the
year award, but you know I love you, don’t you?”

Rutley rolled his eyes. He didn’t come back to
Kadenburg to make his dad feel guilty over how things played out nearly ten
years ago. He came back because he heard the urgency in his voice and he knew
he needed help. It was purely professional, and he intended to keep it that
way.

“I’m over it,” Rutley replied as he leaned forward in
his seat, reaching across the desk to grab the file his father had been looking
at. “What’ve we got?”

“Four missing persons and none of the witnesses will
talk,” Sheriff Holter frowned. “It’s been two days and I have zero leads. I
needed another set of eyes, and another brain to help me out.”

“Uh huh,” Rutley nodded, his eyes scanning over the
pictures of the missing persons. “Not just any brain, huh?”

He lifted his eyes to meet his father’s gaze, noting
the concern etched on his face. Sheriff Holter shook his head slowly. “None
of my deputies will ever be able to make heads or tails of the situation, Rut.
I need
your
help. You’re the only other person who’s been…trained for
this type of thing.”

Rutley heaved an exaggerated sigh as his eyes lingered
on the snapshot of a pretty blond with bright green eyes. He remembered her.
He
knew
her. In fact, he knew two of the others as well; Presley Goult,
Gregory Kress, and Lorcan Bamey. They were all missing?

“Who’s this guy?” He asked, flipping the page to read
more information about the case. “Dimitri Fridolf? What do we know about
him?”

“Not much,” his father responded as he tapped a
fingertip against the desk. “But some of the stuff I’ve found leads me to
believe he’ll be the easiest one to find.”

Rutley licked his lips as his brows lowered on his
forehead. “Are you seriously insinuating that we’re dealing with werewolves?”
He asked. “Dad, we’ve not had any issues with wolves since back in the
eighties. We chased them all off, remember?”

“Did we?” His father asked as he scratched at the
scruff on his chin. “I’m not so sure, Rut. There’s been an awful lot of
questionable activity going on lately,” he stood from his desk and moved to the
filing cabinet. He tugged it open and removed another folder, tossing it onto
the desk for his son to see.

“I’m retired,” Rutley commented as he leaned forward,
flipping the folder open without a second thought. He immediately regretted
his decision.

“Shit,” he whispered as his lips anchored into a
frown. “Is that Liam Bamey?”

“Uh huh,” the sheriff nodded. “I told his parents a
damn mountain lion killed him. They didn’t really believe me, I don’t think…”

“A mountain lion?” Rutley repeated as he glared up at
the other male. “Dad, this is…this isn’t just some random body you can show
me,” he felt his throat closing in on him as he closed the folder and pushed it
away from himself. “Why didn’t you call and tell me?”

“Because I reckon I didn’t want to bother you with work
stuff.”

“Work stuff,” Rutley repeated bitterly. “He was my
childhood best friend, Dad. You couldn’t even pick up a damn phone and call
me? Did they have a funeral for him? Did you even bother to tell his parents
you didn’t call me? God almighty, Dad. You’re a real piece of work.”

“The Bameys have been dealing with a lot lately,”
Sheriff Holter frowned. “Trust me, Rut. I’m sure they were more than
understanding on why you didn’t come back. Nobody ever comes back to
Kadenburg.”

“Yeah, well I’m here,” Rutley replied as he stood from
his chair and glowered down at his father. “And I want to find the son of a
bitch that killed Liam.”

“You’re not the only one,” his father stated as he
stood from his desk and moved to the window. He pulled the blinds back to peer
outside. “I’ve got a feeling that Lorcan and his friends had a similar goal,”
he glanced back at his son again. “And if we don’t find them soon, there’s a
good chance they’ll end up dead, too.”

Rutley felt the anger boiling within. His nostrils
flared as his hands balled into fists. “Consider me reinstated,” he
muttered.

Coming
soon.