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“I was wondering where you went,” Beau said without
looking up at her. “Making friends?”

“Sort of, I think,” Louisa replied softly. “Do you
think he will be all right?”

“He’s going to make it,” Beau responded as he finally
glanced at her. “He won’t be very happy about the pain for a while, but it’s
going to take some time for the silver to exit his system. He’s very fortunate
that I was here.”

“I think he would beg to differ,” Louisa countered as she
stepped further into the room. “But perhaps he will see you in a different
light now that you’ve saved his life.”

“Perhaps,” Beau replied nonchalantly. “He is the mate
of an ursithrope, Cousin. We honor the code of blood and family, no matter who
that family is,” He turned to face her, his chest rising and falling with a
large breath. “What have they done with the hunter?”

“I do not know,” Louisa shook her head. “The boy
Rutley seems to be very upset with the situation. He betrayed his father. Did
you know he was a hunter as well?”

“Well I had my suspicions,” Beau turned back to the
dresser and grabbed for the bottle of whiskey. He tilted his head back, taking
a hearty gulp before wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. “We cannot
lose sight of why we are here, Cousin. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Louisa bowed her head. “I have not lost sight
of our purpose, Bo,” She whispered his given name as her eyes closed. “I will
make you proud of me again.”

Silence surrounded them, and Louisa knew he was staring
at her. She was terrified to see the expression on his face, so she kept her
eyes shut.

“It is not a matter of making me proud, Cousin. It is
a matter of seeking justice for the wrong doing against our clan. We will find
him and we will kill him, together.”

She finally lifted her head, staring at him with
thinned lips as she nodded. “Together,” She repeated quietly.

“Exactly,” Beau suddenly smiled, and she was taken
aback by it. It was very rare to see such an emotion from him, but it didn’t
take long to realize he’d consumed more whiskey than what was used on the
wolf’s wound. “Now, let us go listen in on the discussion between the others,
shall we?”

Twenty

P
resley was a mess of nerves as the discussion
ended and everyone decided to call it a night. Mrs. Bamey was acting strange
towards her, and she got the feeling it was because she didn’t tell her what
she and Louisa had been talking about earlier. It did make her feel sort of guilty.
If anyone had a right to know about the baby, it was Mrs. Bamey.

And Lorcan,
she thought.
Lorcan deserves to
know, too. Soon.

And on top of that, her uncle
Arnold had been on edge ever since her aunt Natalie showed up. They wouldn’t
even look at one another or acknowledge each other’s existence. She knew that
her uncle had harsh feelings towards Natalie, but they were acting like
children over everything. It bothered her.

The icing on the cake, though, was how Lorcan was
behaving. Ever since Beau arrived, he’d been nervous and fidgety. He wasn’t
acting like his usual self and that worried her most of all. What had gotten
into him exactly? Every time he gazed at her, she could see some sort of
torment in his eyes. There was a storm brewing in his chocolate hues and it
made her nervous.

Pregnancy hormones,
she concluded as she made
her way down the hallway and entered Lorcan’s bedroom. She was slightly
disappointed that he wasn’t waiting for her, but perhaps it was for the best.
Maybe some time apart would give him the opportunity to sort everything out,
but it didn’t make her miss him any less.

Was this the sort of thing she had to look forward to
in the future? They were connected now, right? Did that mean that being apart
from him would be agonizing and unbearable? Perfect.

She eased down onto the mattress, snuggling against the
pillow as her eyes closed. Maybe everything would be better in the morning.
Maybe her uncle would finally pull his head out of his ass and stop being cold
towards Natalie. Maybe Natalie would realize it wasn’t the end of the world
and Presley really did want the aunt/niece relationship she’d been deprived of
for so long. Maybe she would muster up the courage to tell Mrs. Bamey about
the baby…..

Knock knock knock.

Perfect. Timing.

Presley rolled over, her eyes opening to see Mrs. Bamey
standing in the doorway. She still looked so tired, and Presley couldn’t
understand why the woman wouldn’t go to bed and sleep throughout the night. She
needed it.

“Do you have a minute, dear?” The older female asked as
she smoothed a hand through her wavy hair.

“Sure,” Presley nodded, pushing herself up into a
sitting position as she smiled warmly. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, things are fine,” Mrs. Bamey nodded, easing down
onto the bed beside of Presley before turning her head to gaze at her.
“Dimitri’s still asleep so I think we should enjoy the peace and quiet while we
can. He’s going to be very irritated when he wakes up.”

“Yeah, Beau said something about that earlier. The
silver is going to torment him until it exits his body, huh?”

“That’s how I understand it,” She shook her head
slowly. “I had no idea that Owen Holter was connected with werewolves. It just
goes to show you never really know anybody,” She sighed. “And you can’t know
things unless they tell you.”

Presley blinked, meeting her gaze with a small frown.
Why did it feel like Mrs. Bamey was directing that last statement at her?

“I
know
, Presley,” She affirmed after a
moment. “I knew it the moment Louisa left the room. Forgive me if I broke
your trust or invaded your privacy…..sometimes the urges are beyond our
control, and I just…..I wish you would’ve told me sooner.”

Dropping her gaze to her lap, Presley immediately
sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She chewed at it vigorously as her
brain tried to come up with a decent apology. Were there any words that would
truly suffice for the situation? ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about your grand
cub and you had to use your super bear hearing to find out?’ No, that wouldn’t
work.

“Presley,” Mrs. Bamey’s hand found hers, curling her
warm fingers around Presley’s in a gentle manner as she smiled again. “I know
you’ve been through a lot in the past few days, sweetheart, and I know this
can’t be easy for you…..but I wish you would trust me more. I have always
adored you, sweet girl. I consider you to be the daughter I always wanted, and
yes….” She sucked in another breath. “…there’s a part of me that always hoped
one of my boys would be worthy of your love. I’m sorry things have played out
in such a violent manner, and I’m sorry that you were thrust into our world
without any guidance, but I promise you,” She sniffled softly. “I promise that
you’re not alone. No matter what happens, I am here for you. I’m here for
that baby.”

Presley’s lower lip began to quiver as she dropped her
gaze to their hands. Mrs. Bamey really was like a mother to her, and Presley
was so envious of Lorcan and Liam when they were younger because they got to
have her and she didn’t. She never imagined that something like this would
ever happen. Never in her wildest dreams could she have dreamed up a scenario
quite like this.

“Mrs. Bamey, I-”

“What are you doing in here, Mom?”

Lorcan’s sudden presence startled the both of them, and
Presley quickly wiped at her eyes before gazing towards him.

“Oh, Lorcan,” Mrs. Bamey sighed. “I was just coming to
say goodnight to Presley. It’s been a long day for all of us.”

“Oh,” He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer as
he scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…crazily eventful,” He smirked. “I
just checked on Dimitri. He’s still sleeping like a baby. Davey Berdine took
Sheriff Holter back home and Rutley’s going to crash on the couch. I told him
you’d be okay with that.”

“Of course I’m okay with it,” Mrs. Bamey insisted as
she stood from the bed and approached her son. He towered over her like David
and Goliath, but it didn’t keep her from wrapping her arms around his torso and
hugging him. “I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about,” She glanced at
Presley. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” Lorcan called after her before easing the door
shut. He stood there for a moment, shaking his head before turning to glance
at Presley. “That was weird. She’s acting weird. Have you noticed that?”

Presley moved beneath the sheets, staring up at him.
“A lot of people have been acting weird today,” She replied. “It must be the
weather or something.”

“Must be,” Lorcan agreed as he pulled his shirt over
his head and tossed it onto the dresser. He kicked off his boots and yawned.
“It’s been a long day.”

“That it has,” She agreed in a soft whisper, nestling
against the pillow as she became comfortable. “I’m glad it’s over.”

The room went dark as he turned off the light, and then
the mattress groaned beneath Lorcan’s weight. It wasn’t long before she felt
his arm wrapping around her waist. He pulled her closer as he buried his face
into her curls. “It’s not over yet,” He mumbled.

“It will be when I go to sleep,” Presley yawned and
closed her eyes, resting her hand against the heated skin of his forearm.
“Goodnight.”

A good five minutes passed by before Lorcan broke the
silence.

“Are you really asleep?” He asked in a loud whisper.

Presley’s eyes snapped open and she frowned, rolling
over carefully to face him. She shook her head.

“Good,” He replied as his hand fell to rest against her
hip. “I want to talk about something.”

Uh oh,
she thought as anticipation gripped her
lungs. What did he want to talk about, exactly? Paranoia was eating away at
her mind as she waited for him to continue.

“Do you get a weird feeling when you’re around those
Xiong kids?” He asked.

Presley’s brows knitted together as she shifted on the
bed, propping her head against her palm. “Louisa and Beau? Not really. Why?”

“Because they give me the creeps,” Lorcan muttered.

“That’s rude, Lorcan. They seem like really nice
people and they just lost their entire clan. How can you say such a thing?”

“I know it’s rude, but it’s the truth. He gives me the
stink eye and she just weirds me out. She’s always staring-very intensely.”

“I think she’s just observant,” Presley argued. She
couldn’t necessarily tell him about what happened in the kitchen, but she did
believe there was something more to Louisa than the girl was telling them. Was
it good or bad? Presley wanted to believe that Louisa was good. She
definitely didn’t sense any bad vibes surrounding her…..

“Observant or not, she did something to me when she
touched me.”

“What?”

“I shook her hand in the kitchen before everything got
crazy. I don’t know what happened, Pretz, but I’ve been losing my temper ever since.
I think she hexed me,” Lorcan kept his voice low as he gazed at her in the
moonlight.

“Hexed you?” Presley bit back a small laugh as she
stared at him quizzically. “Lorcan, she’s not a witch. She’s an ursithrope.
We’re highly perceptive, you know?”

“I know that,” He huffed. “And a little clairvoyant,
too…..but I’m telling you. She’s done something to me, Presley and I don’t
like it.”

As he rolled onto his back and hid his eyes beneath his
forearm, Presley instantly felt bad for making him feel ridiculous. He was
trying to confide in her and she’d reactive in a negative manner.

“I’m sorry,” She pouted, moving closer to him and
pressing a kiss against his chin. “How can I help?”

“I don’t think you can,” Lorcan mumbled. He made no
effort to gaze at her, keeping his forearm firmly over the upper part of his
face as he sighed. “I just know there’s something more to her than she’s
telling us. She’s different.”

Presley chewed at her bottom lip as she traced her
fingertips over his strong jawline. She wanted to help him, to comfort him
somehow, but she didn’t know how to do that. He was tense and plagued with
worries; how was she supposed to fix it?

Pushing her body closer to his, Presley’s lips closed
over his in a tender, light kiss. It only took a millisecond for him to
respond, and then he was kissing her back. It was sweet and gentle, but fierce
and strong; just like him. She pulled away after a moment to gaze down at
him. She was pleased to see his brown eyes staring back.

“Did that help?” She asked quietly.

Lorcan’s eyes darted back and forth between hers as he
lifted his hand to rest against the nape of her neck. He pulled her down for
another smoldering kiss as his fingers buried themselves into her long locks.
His mouth moved roughly against hers as he breathed her in through his
nostrils.

“It’s helping,” He mumbled against her sweet lips,
capturing her lower one between his teeth and tugging gently. “I love you, you
know.”

“I love you, too,” Presley whispered, her hot breath
fanning against his sizzling mouth as she straddled his hips. “Things will get
better eventually, Lorcan. They have to get better.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling myself ever since Liam
died,” He admitted in a sadder tone. “And I have to be right because you came
back to town and look at us now,” His free hand slowly moved down her back,
curious fingers tracing over her spine as he pecked at her lips. “You are my
better, Presley. No matter what insanity takes place around us, you are the
person who keeps me grounded. You’re the reason I can breathe easier during
the madness. I hope you realize that.”

Her heart fluttered and swelled within the confines of
her chest as a smile played at her lips. Presley nodded slowly, resting her
forehead against his. “I do,” She whispered softly. “I just wish I could make
everything better for everyone. Uncle Arnold is hurting-I can feel it. Aunt
Natalie’s fear slices through me every time I’m within five feet of her……it’s
really strange to experience their emotions like that.”

“You can feel their emotions?” Lorcan asked, pulling
his head back to stare at her.

“Uh huh,” Presley nodded, lifting a brow. “I’m
supposed to be able to do that, right? Uncle Arnold said we could feel each
other’s pain.”

“Yeah, you can feel the pain,” Lorcan agreed. “Whether
it’s emotional or physical, you will take in their pain as if it’s your own…..but
you can feel Natalie’s fear?”

“Yeah…..” Presley replied hesitantly as she leaned back
and stared down at him. “Is that not normal?”

Lorcan pushed himself up into a sitting position,
resting a hand against the small of her back to prevent her from falling over.
His jawline tensed and relaxed as he studied her. “You can feel everything
from me because we’re coupled, Presley; that is normal. You can sense things
about your family because you are of blood relation; again, that’s normal. But
are you saying you can feel things from other ursithropes?”

Her mouth went dry as she stared at him, and she
suddenly felt as if she’d done something horribly rotten and now she was in
trouble. She frowned, dropping her gaze to stare at his chest instead. He did
have quite a nice chest…..