Kadenburg Revealed (The Kadenburg Shifters Series, Book 4) by T.E. Ridener Page A

Darlin’,” Lorcan couldn’t contain his ridiculously big smile as he gathered her in his arms, pulling her closer to himself.  “He’s gonna be lucky to have a mama bear like you.”
    He could feel the heat in her cheeks and there was a certain feeling of pride he got every time he achieved making her blush.  Presley was too damn adorable for her own good and he loved the hell out of her for it.
    It was a shame Greg had ruined his chances with Louisa.
    “Mm, it’s going to be okay,” Presley whispered as she traced the tiny tips of her equally tiny toes over his leg. “We’re going to talk to him and figure this all out.”
    “What happened to hitting him?” Lorcan chuckled
    “Oh, I’ll still hit him....I just need to know why.  Louisa is devastated and I don’t know how to make it better for her.  Her emotions are too overwhelming for me right now.”
    Lorcan knew all about Louisa’s past.  The fact she’d allowed Greg to get so close to her was a really big deal.  He couldn’t imagine having a mate-to-be and losing her...
    Oh, wait.  Yes he could.  He’d almost lost Presley more than once.
    “I’m sorry,” Presley whispered as her hand fell lightly against his chest.  “I never should’ve left, Lorcan.  I should’ve followed my instincts with you.”
    “Don’t be sorry,” he murmured as his large fingers curled around her delicate hand.  “You didn’t know about us, Pretz.  You just wanted out and I can’t blame you for that.  I would’ve waited until the end of time for you to find your way back to me.”
    “You’re too sweet.”
    “You’re too sweet,” he smirked, rolling over suddenly and pinning her against the mattress.  “And we’re incredibly off-topic; what do you want to ask me about Yliana?”
    “Oh, right,” Presley’s cheeks flushed as she smiled shyly.  “When she was talking about the swans I was wondering how they became ursithropes in the first place.  How did they transition from one creature to another?  Why is it that I haven’t sprouted feathers and gained a sudden craving for swimming?”
    “Ah,” Lorcan laughed in that deep baritone voice of his as he leaned in to press a kiss against her lips.  “I think I might be able to answer that for you.”
    He knew Presley was curious as he pulled away from her, very reluctantly, and made his way to the top drawer of their dresser.  He pulled it open and pushed around a few pairs of socks before he grabbed the small white box hidden near the back.  He returned to the bed and the mattress groaned beneath his weight as he twisted his body enough to look at her.  “Come here.”
    Presley moved onto her hands and knees and crawled to him then, her eyes landing on the box before one perfect little eyebrow lifted on her forehead.  He could hear the series of thoughts being thrown his way.
    “It’s something I bought for you.” He answered one of the questions as he carefully pulled the lid off.  He kept his palm over it though.  He wasn’t ready for her to see it just yet.  This was a big deal to him.  It was just as important as proposing marriage in his opinion and he needed it to be perfect.
    “For me?” Presley tilted her head to the side and long golden curls tumbled over her shoulder.  It took every ounce of strength he had to keep from tackling her to the bed and making love-Urseth, she made life hard sometimes.
    “Yes,” he grinned.  “When Yliana presented her daughters to the warriors, she made them promise to be kind and loving.  They were to cherish those girls for the remainder of their lives and give them nothing but happiness.  As you know, Thomas and the other warriors agreed to that.  Urseth agreed to it, too.”
    “Because he was in love with Yliana.” Presley nodded.
    “Yes.  Exactly,” Lorcan licked his lips quickly and felt his heart take an irregular beat.  Perfect.  That’s all he needed right now.  He was supposed to be courageous at a time like