Hard and Easy [High-Country Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

The elderly man handed her the book. “You must be Madra, the archeologist.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “I’m a friend of the archeologist, but I helped her decipher the cave drawings.” She pulled her portable transmitting device so she could share her work.

Gernac lead the professor to the table. “Why don’t you two sit here and discuss what you need to discuss.”

She looked up at him then shot a glance at Henla. “I wanted to present the information first. Is there some way I can transfer this data?” She had no idea if the wolves’ computing systems matched the lions’ computation device.

Henla came over and took the device. “The two systems are the same but different. What I mean is, the operating systems are different, but I can still transfer the data. Give me a sec.” She found a cable in one of the drawers and hooked the two pieces together. “I would have been lost without this when I first arrived. Now I’m used to both systems.”

A few seconds later, the data appeared on the wall. “Does it work the same way? I just swipe and move them?”

“Yes it does, but this system is a little more advanced. It reads your eye movements, so if you want to advance from one slide to the next, you just look at it.”

“That’s unbelievable, but for the sake of saving time, I’ll use my fingers.” Madra got up and went into teacher mode. When she displayed the cave drawings, Professor Fran got up and moved closer to the wall. “These are amazing.”

Henla moved his chair next to him so he could sit down if need be. As Madra told him Lara’s conclusions, he’d make comments. For the most part, the professor had the same facts.

He tapped his cane. “How would you like to see a tomb of one of the wolf kings?”

That was what Frania referred to in her research. Her heart nearly burst. “That would be beyond my wildest dreams, but I can only stay until tomorrow morning.”

“I’m thinking we can find a vehicle to take us there.”

A vehicle?
The wolves were more advanced than the lions in that department, but she supposed that since most of the lions lived underground, the tram system sufficed for getting around.

The professor nodded to Gernac. “You think you can get Tamor to lend us his ambulance?”

He laughed. “Old man. That ambulance would no more be able to climb that mountain than you can.” He held up a finger. “However, I bet we can get Prinal to lend us his dirt driver.”

Professor Fran grinned. “Can you set it up?” He glanced at her. “You up for a little rough terrain?”

“Yes. I’d be willing to claw my way up the mountain if I have to.” This was a chance in a lifetime.

Madra was worried the trip would be too rough for Professor Fran, but the old man hung on and actually seemed to enjoy the bumpy ride. He said he came up to the mound quite often and it had been too long since he’d had the chance to share his excitement with someone.

Both of them were nestled in the back of the vehicle. He leaned closer and shouted, “Most of the time, the wolves don’t want to even hear the word
lion
. It’s such a shame we can’t get along better.”

“I agree.”

For the rest of the trip, they rode in silence, mostly because the engine was noisy and the road rough. Gernac volunteered to come with them, as Madra insisted Henla stay behind. While Madra didn’t know a lot about babies, riding in this rig might cause a problem.

As they neared the top, the driver made a hard left up a dirt trail. She hoped they’d be able to get down. As soon as he rounded a corner, the vista was amazing. He pulled to a stop and cut the engine.

Gernac jumped out and helped the old man get down. She was happy to exit that death trap, too. “It’s no wonder the kings were buried here. I think I can see the whole world from this spot.”

A cold wind sliced through her shirt. If she’d known they were going to be at such a high altitude, she would have borrowed something warmer.

Fran waved his cane. “It’s this way.”

The cave had a tight opening, and she had to duck her head to get inside. She couldn’t identify the smell, but if she had to guess, it was a combination of mold and ancient herbs. For ten minutes, they traveled single file through the narrow confines of the passageway. Twice they came to a fork and the professor motioned which way to go. In case he got lost, she occasionally dragged her toe in the dirt to help with the direction.

Fran placed a hand over what looked like an ordinary brick, and a loud grating sound emitted and moved the wall to the left. Perhaps what surprised her even more was the fact they didn’t need any light. Either nature or man had drilled holes in the cave ceiling to let in the sun’s rays.

When the door finally opened, they were presented with a large room in which three coffins sat in the middle, all gloriously decorated with stones and polished wood. She suspected either the remains were long gone or the bodies had been preserved. The most striking characteristic of the coffins was the yellow metal inlays along the sides. Sitting on top of two tables pressed against the wall were ceramic plates, bowls, and statues, looking not unlike the ornaments found at the burial grounds in the cave. Lara had unearthed a few precious items that she’d donated to the university. In reality, the goods should have been returned to the wolves.

“I’m speechless.”

The professor ran his hand over the highly ornate coffin. “I only brought a few pieces back to our museum to see the reaction. Sadly, the goods were stolen shortly after they arrived.”

“What good could they have done anyone? Anyone who bartered for them couldn’t display them.”

“True, but there are a lot of men who like possessions merely because others don’t have them. I did find some items that I believe were spoils of war. After extensive research, I concluded they were lion in origin.”

Oh, my
. Her heart ached at the senseless war that divided these two proud cultures. To give everyone the chance to enjoy the history would have been so wonderful. In her lifetime, she suspected it would never be. The professor showed her some cave drawings, which looked remarkably like the ones on the cave Lara discovered. They must have spent an hour walking around. She would have asked to stay longer, but it was clear that Fran was tiring.

“I think I need to get back.” She took his gnarled hand in hers. “I can’t thank you enough for showing me this.”

“It is I who needs to thank you. I wish there were more people like you who are willing to share.”

On that note, they headed down the narrow passageway. Thank goodness Professor Fran had no trouble remembering the way back. All the way down the mountain, she wondered what she was going to do with this newfound knowledge. To keep it to herself would be a shame, but for now, she wanted to ponder the ramifications.

She wasn’t sure of the lion law, but she wouldn’t be surprised if there might be laws against visiting wolf territory, let alone sharing knowledge. When they finally got back, the sun was setting. She was used to having the underground streetlights on all night long, but she could get used to seeing the sky turn colors and having the wind in her face.

When they got home, Henla met them at the door. “So how was it?”

“Amazing. This is something I’ll be telling my children and grandchildren about.” Her gaze shot to Henla’s belly, and she had to swallow the bit of jealousy.

Her friend seemed so happy and fulfilled, which pleased her to no end. The decision to move here couldn’t have been easy, yet it had been the right one.

Henla tugged on her arm. “Tomorrow morning when you leave, I’m going to walk back with you.” She winked. “With escorts of course.”

Nothing would please her more. “It’s not too dangerous with you being—”

“No. I’m not that far along. I want to tell my parents while I still can. I know Mom will go crazy when she finds out.”

“She’s going to go crazy like she did when Lara got pregnant.”

“I know. Now all we need is for Sella to start producing heirs.” Henla walked toward the kitchen. “I kept dinner warm for you.”

“Thank you. I am hungry.”

She couldn’t wait to get back and analyze all of what she’d learned. The trouble now was to decide what to do with the information. The last thing she needed was to cause another stir.

* * * *

Now back from visiting Henla, Madra stepped into her hot shower and let the water soothe her aching body. The walk to lion territory hadn’t seemed long as she and Henla talked the whole way. Her feet and back, however, were telling her that she needed to get out and exercise more.

When she returned home, there had been a message on her communicator from Brin asking if she might be able to come over tonight. He needed help with something.

Wanting to share her adventure with the men, she’d immediately responded she was free. After she rinsed the soap out of her hair and cleaned the sand off her body, she stepped out of the shower. He said he’d be home by six and that Larek would pick up groceries to make dinner.

She dried off and sorted through her clothes. Someday she’d have to go shopping and buy something new as her wardrobe was sorely lacking. There might be some sex involved in tonight’s impromptu date. She put on her best undies and prettiest top since she still wasn’t up for walking around Anterra half-naked. Running into students in the mall might cause some problems.

Putting on comfortable sandals, she gathered the book the old man had gifted her and headed out. On the way to the tram station, she passed a liquor store. Since they were buying the food for dinner, she thought it would be nice if she brought a bottle of wine.

She got out her card and touched the top corner to see how many credits she had. Her breath caught at the low balance, but at least there was enough to cover the wine. While she didn’t pick an expensive brand, she chose a red since she knew that was what her men liked.

Armed with her contribution, she hopped on the tram. Her energy seemed higher than usual, and she had to attribute it to seeing firsthand the ancient wolves. They truly were kings at one time.

Since her history degree included studying Earth, she found a lot of similarities between what had happened on Anterra and to the ancient Egyptians. Like the current wolves, the modern-day Egyptians no longer had the same level of wealth as they did thousands of years ago. Maybe that was the cost of change.

She was reliving her moment in the cavern so intently that she almost missed the stop. At the last second, she hustled and got off. Her pussy throbbed as she thought about their late-night adventure.

As she headed to the men’s home, the trees looked fuller and the flowers nicer, but she had to admit, being in wolf territory with its open skies had been a welcome change.

The men must have sensed her presence, as she didn’t even get to knock. Larek answered the door with a broad smile.

“Hello, princess.” He removed the bottle of wine from her hand, set it on the counter behind him, and then pulled her into an embrace.

She groaned when his strong chest pressed against hers, and his lips caught hers in a hungry kiss. He tasted like a tomato-based sauce, but that thought disappeared as his fingers massaged her ass and his cock pressed against her stomach.

He leaned back. “I have missed you.”

It had only been six days, but she had to admit it seemed like an eternity. “Me, too.”

“You look ready to burst. What’s going on?” He grabbed her hand and led her over to the table.

“I’ll tell you later.” She spotted Brin with his computer on his lap and his files displayed on the wall.

Larek turned her face toward him. “Ignore him. He’s in a wolf of a mood.”

“The trial’s getting to him?”

“It’s eating him alive.” He pulled out a chair and motioned she sit. “I’m about to serve dinner.”

She expected they’d sit and chat a bit and discuss the trial later. After that, she had other plans.

“Let’s get back to why you look so chipper.”

“I spent the last two days visiting Henla.”

Brin’s laptop snapped closed, and he got up. “You did what?” He rushed over to her.

She hadn’t expected that reaction. “I had a bear shifter escort me.” She assumed he’d been worried about her safety.

His shoulders relaxed. “You could have asked one of us if you needed to go there.”

Interesting that he was focused not on why she wanted to go but how she got there. “You were busy.” Besides, she believed they might try to dissuade her, despite being interested in her desire to rewrite history.

He pulled up a chair. “I trust you went to find more answers.” This time his eyes sparkled.

“And answers I got.”

Larek placed a fabulous-smelling casserole on the table. Piles of steaming vegetables were topped with a tomato sauce. “Salad coming up.”

She wanted to wait until both men were seated before she told them about her new find. “I brought some wine.”

Brin jumped up. “I’ll pour.”

Once both were ready to eat, she inhaled. “I got to see a tomb of an ancient wolf king.”

For the next forty-five minutes, she told them about her decision to get more proof, as Brin would say, about the discovery.