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

cried, shaking her head furiously though he could not see it.  “You must let me go!”
    “Damn it! I’m not letting you go til you talk to me,” he hissed in her ear.  She was crushed against his chest and there was no place to go.  She was unraveling-and fast.  She buried her face against his chest, breathing him in as her bear sighed contently.  This was home.  He had always been her home....even if he’d denied her access.
    “I’m scared,” she confessed.  Her voice was barely above a whisper as her tears soaked the fabric of his flannel shirt.  “For Presley...for all of us.  I’m so scared and I don’t know what to do.  I’ve let this happen.  I allowed this to happen and I hate myself for it.  And now look at what I’m doing to you, Arnold.  This is wrong.  Please.” She moved her hands down his sides, gripping at his hips in an effort to push him away. 
    “Stop,” he grunted, nuzzling his nose against her hair as he breathed her in.  “Stop trying to get away from me.  You’ve been running all your life and you’ve got to stop.  Ain’t you tired, Natalie?”
    Yes .  More than he could ever know.  She was exhausted.  All she wanted was to live happily in her hometown with the people she’d grown up with.  All she wanted was to watch Presley’s cub enter the world and experience the very best that life could offer.  All she wanted....was a second chance at getting the happiness she’d been deprived.
    “I know why you did what you did.” Arnold murmured against her soft strands.  Her heart stopped in that instant.  What?
    She pulled her head back, staring up at him with wide eyes.  What did he mean by that?
    “You know how Pretz has been having those dreams about Bamey Number One?”
    She nodded and even though he couldn’t see it, he somehow sensed it.  His tongue darted out, wetting his lips as he continued.
    “He sure had some insightful information about things; things about the past, Natalie.”
    “I don’t understand,” her voice cracked.  “Presley said she’s dreamed about Liam and about Urseth. She’s even dreamed about Pierce, but.....did she keep something from me?”
    “She kept a lot from you,” he nodded.  His eyes moved back and forth, and though she was certain he couldn’t see anything, it felt like he was staring straight into her soul.  “Natalie, I think you need to know this or else you’re gonna drive yourself insane with guilt.  Maybe if you know....you’ll finally find some sort of peace.”
    “What is it?” She repeated, tilting her head to the side.  “What did Presley not tell me?”
    Her heart was lodged in her throat as she waited for whatever truth Arnold was about to reveal.  However, there was no way she could prepare herself for the words about to leave his lips.

Eight
    “P lease let me come in to see her,” Greg’s voice pleaded from the other side of the door.  “I need to see her.”
    “I can’t do that,” Lorcan replied as he leaned against the heavy wooden door and crossed his arms.  “You need to go home, Greg.  When she’s ready to talk, she’ll call you.”
    He could totally sympathize with the hybrid, but his hands were tied.  Presley would kill him if he let Greg inside and he wasn’t necessarily a fan of dying.  Or worse, she’d cut him off and he definitely wasn’t going to risk that.  He could hardly go an hour without touching her; let alone a day or longer.
    “Please, Lorcan,” Greg nearly whined.  “It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t do anything-I swear it.  Just let me talk to her.”
    “Go home, Greggy,” he sighed.  “My mom’s on her way over and it’s probably best for you to be gone by then.”
    “Shit,” Greg huffed.  “Why is your mom coming over?”
    “Uh,” Lorcan laughed from an amusing thought as he scratched at the scruff adorning his jawline.  “It might possibly have something to do with Louisa showing up in our front yard as a massive panda