Return to Kadenburg Read Online Free Page A

disappeared,”
Rutley requested as he lifted his own cup to his lips for a sip. “Where did
they go? What were they doing?”
    Mrs. Bamey sighed, gripping the warmed porcelain
between her trembling fingers as she took a cautious sip. Her eyes met
Rutley’s as she tried to think of a suitable answer.
    “I don’t really remember….” She lied, taking another
drink before tracing her tongue over her lips. “It’s a bit blurry for me.”
    “That’s okay,” Rutley smiled. “I’ve got all evening,
Mrs. B.”
    Her mind reeled with various answers as she emptied her
cup gradually, shaking her head as the warmth radiated through her entire
frame. “They were coming.”
    “Who was coming?” Rutley asked as he rested his elbows
upon the table top, staring at her intently. “Who was it, Mrs. B.?”
    Mrs. Bamey blinked again, frowning. She felt strange.
Her body was humming with warmth and content, and her mind felt as if water had
flooded her head. Was it possible for her brain to be floating around in her
skull?
    “The…” No, she couldn’t say that, could she? She
wasn’t supposed to. She wasn’t allowed to talk about that, yet she was finding
it incredibly difficult not to tell him. “What did you put in my coffee,
Rutley?”
    She met his gaze again, and it was only then that she
realized how blurry his handsome face was getting. She blinked once, twice,
and then let out a small cry of fright.
    “It’s all right, Mrs. B.,” he said in that same, soft
voice. “It’s only going to help you relax. It won’t hurt you, I promise.
Neither will I.”
    Mrs. Bamey shook her head, but quickly realized that
that was a bad idea, too. The room was spinning. Everything felt off balance
as she reached her hand out to grip the edge of the table. “I can’t…”
    “Yes, you can,” Rutley assured her. He was standing by
her then, his palm pressed flat against the table top as he leaned down to be
at eye level with her. “Who took Lorcan and the others?”
    “I can’t tell you,” she sobbed. “Please don’t make me
do that, Rutley.”
    “Mrs. Bamey, please. I just want to help.”
    “I…” her chest felt like it was tightening up as she closed
her eyes. A tear escaped from between her thick lashes, falling down her
cheek. “You don’t understand.”
    “Help me to understand,” Rutley pleaded. “I want to
find them before it’s too late. We’re running out of time, Mrs. Bamey,” he
sighed. “Just tell me yes or no; do you know who took your son?”
    “Yes.”
    “Is it the same person who killed Liam?”
    “Yes.”
    “Are they human?”
    “No.”
    “Are they werewolves?”
    “Yes.”
    Mrs. Bamey gasped. Her eyes widened as she turned her
head to stare at him. She’d said too much. Oh, she was going to be in
trouble. How could she say that? How could he ask that ? Humans didn’t
know about werewolves…
    Rutley’s face was barely recognizable as her vision
became so disoriented that she thought she was going blind. Her trembling
fingers gripped the table top a little harder as her tears splashed against her
blouse.
    “Don’t fret, Mrs. B.,” Rutley’s voice echoed in her
mind. “You won’t remember any of this when you wake up. Come on.”
    She felt as he lifted her up from the table, guiding
her down the hallway to her bedroom-or at least she thought it was her
bedroom. She couldn’t make heads or tails of anything at the moment. She was
so tired.
    “Just relax,” Rutley cooed as he pulled the blankets up
to her chin. “When you wake up, Lorcan will be back home. I hope.”
    “Bring my baby home,” Mrs. Bamey whispered, her speech
slurring. “Bring them all back home.”
    “Shhh, don’t worry,” Rutley whispered as he kissed her
forehead. “Don’t you worry about another thing. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
    Before he even set foot out of her room, Mrs. Bamey was
overcome by darkness; and in that darkness, she found her first moments of
peace since the night her heart