Return to Kadenburg by T. E. Ridener

he instructed gently. “Don’t come out
until I tell you to, okay?”
    Presley stared back at him with wide eyes, nodding.
“Be careful,” she whispered back.
    “I will,” he promised, watching as she ran towards the
trees and disappeared.
    Turning his attention back to the bank, Lorcan’s eyes
darted back and forth, ready and waiting for his enemy to come into view.
    Come on, his inner bear roared eagerly. Come
out and fight!
    While Lorcan usually wasn’t one
for violence, he’d taken as much as a person could possibly take over the last
few days. Being held captive by the werewolves and learning of Breslin Connor’s
intentions with Presley had definitely pushed him over the edge. Having his
only brother killed by that son of a bitch kick started the hatred in his
heart, and knowing that Dimitri and Greg were both dead because of that bastard
made the idea of killing something tonight that much more enthralling.
    Bracing himself for whatever was about to happen,
Lorcan cast one final glance in the direction Presley had disappeared in. As
long as she stayed out of the way, everything would be all right. He couldn’t
imagine seeing her get hurt after her aunt’s sacrifice to free her; to free them .
He wouldn’t let anyone else get hurt.
    As two figures emerged from the trees, Lorcan released
a roar of warning, darting forward with vindication and anger flowing freely
through his veins. The claws burst forth from his fingertips as he swiped at
the first figure, missing entirely as it darted out of the way. Damn it!
    He turned his attention to the second figure, feeling
the fur sprouting up on his arms as his body finally shifted into the massive
beast that had been kept at bay by force for days. It felt good to bear out
again.
    “Whoa! What the hell?”
    Lorcan snarled, chomping his pointed teeth together as
he stalked towards the male. He couldn’t make heads or tails of what was
happening. All he could focus on was the need to kill. It was a hunger
he wasn’t used to experiencing, but he knew it was best to give such urges an
outlet. Who better to release them on than the enemy?
    A loud howl sounded in his head then, and Lorcan turned
his attention to the massive wolf jumping towards him. He felt a small nip
against his neck and that only infuriated him further.
    Kill the wolf! His bear screamed.
    Gladly, Lorcan replied as he stood on his hind
legs, reaching his paws out to shove the wolf away before snapping his teeth
again. At least he would get to kill one wolf tonight.
    “Lorcan! Lorcan, stop!”
    Jerking his head in the direction of Presley’s voice,
Lorcan stared in horror as she came into view. No! She was supposed to stay
hidden!
    “Lorcan!” She called out again.
    He could see the look of fear on her face as she ran
towards him. Why was she running out of the woods? Didn’t he tell her to stay
put?
    Just then, he was knocked to the ground and the weight
of the wolf crushed against his chest. It hardly hurt, but it managed to piss
him off as he released a deafening roar.
    “Stop it!’ Presley repeated, and somehow, he managed to
listen to her. He wasn’t sure why he was listening, especially when a
wolf was pinning him to the ground, but he did as she asked.
    He listened to the sound of harsh air leaving the
wolf’s nostrils and he turned his attention back to it, watching as its hazel eyes began to glow.
    Shit…..Dimitri?
    ––––––—
    It all happened so fast. Presley was grateful that her
senses were still intact when the two males came into view. It was weird,
really. She couldn’t explain it, but as Lorcan lost control over his bear,
hers was incredibly calm. She had time to register the scents and faces and
was able to prevent Lorcan from killing them.
    It was a good thing, too. She was in a state somewhere
between crying and dramatic splendor as she recognized the red wolf currently
sitting on top of Lorcan’s chest.
    “Dimitri!” She called out, reaching them