Hard and Easy [High-Country Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

“That’s not fair.”

He guzzled the cold brew. “When is it?” He nodded to the pot on the stove. “When’s dinner ready?”

“Ten minutes.”

He was so tired that he walked over to the sofa and dropped down. “I’ve been thinking.”

Larek followed him into the living room. “That’s a good thing if it involves Madra. I miss her.”

“I do, too. Miss her, that is.” He waved his beer. “I want to check out that cave.”

Larek lifted a brow. “The one that caused all the controversy?”

“Yes. I’m curious about it. ”

“You know where it is?”

If Larek had to ask, then he didn’t know him that well. “I spoke with Kellum.”

“I’m game. When?”

“Saturday?”

* * * *

Getting outside helped clear Brin’s head. All week, he’d made calls, begged for favors, and was getting closer to the answer of who stole the gems. He believed Ana and Wendric when they said they were mopping the floor like usual and when the water wouldn’t drain, they undid the metal grate only to find a sack full of
zornans
. Their luck, the owner caught them with the gems in hand. Now, Brin just had to prove they were innocent.

Larek looked up at the clear sky and inhaled. “We need to get out more often.”

Larek, too, had been tracking down witnesses and interviewing people for the paper and hadn’t had a chance to get in a run all week.

“You don’t have to convince me.”

Larek looked over at him. “Want to race to the cave?”

Brin grinned. “You’re on.” They both shifted.

While he’d told Larek the general direction of the cave, he probably wouldn’t have found the right one, as there were many that dotted the mountain ridge. As soon as he chased ahead of Larek so he could lead, his friend would charge ahead of him. He was a competitive one all right.

Brin’s lungs began to burn from the exertion, but he wasn’t going to admit defeat. He definitely needed to come up for air more than once a week or he’d turn into a weakling.

When he passed the solid wall of rock, he slowed.
Hold on.
It’s near here
.

Larek stopped and waited for Brin to come alongside.
You lead
.

Since they were far into lion territory, he didn’t need to be as alert for wolves as he would if they’d headed toward the west. Kellum had told him about a path they’d cut when Lara, Madra, and a host of others began excavating.

Hey, look
. An orange ribbon attached to a tree wavered in the wind.
I bet it marks the way.
He took off and Larek was right behind him.

As soon as he saw the entrance he shifted back into human form. Larek followed suit. Brin expected the cave to be dark, but as soon as he stepped inside, a wall of lights blinked on.

Larek moved into the middle of the cave and turned all the way around. “This is cool.”

Brin had spotted the sun absorbers outside and figured they were what allowed the lights to glow. The cave was quite large, and the hole in the ground on the far side was a good twenty feet by ten feet. He stepped to the rim and looked down. “I wonder if Lara unearthed any remains here.”

“I believe the report said she did. The question would be whether the remains were human or animal.”

“I thought you read the transcript of the presentation.”

“Only part of it.”

While the empty gravesite might provide answers, he was more fascinated by what was written on the wall. He moved closer to get a better look. “Take a look at this.”

Larek joined him. In silence, they studied the drawings. “The detail is quite something, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” He pointed to what looked like a throne. A man, wearing a crown, was perched on top with a wolf at his feet. “I’m guessing this is what started the whole debate.”

Larek moved to his other side and edged along the wall. He covered more distance, but Brin figured his attention span wasn’t as great as his.

“Hey, Brin. Look at this.”

He trotted over. While the red pigment had faded, it was clear the lions had come in after the wolves had established Anterra and had basically murdered much of the wolf population. “This is pretty damning evidence.”

Larek fingered the wall as if to test if the paint was still wet. “Do you think someone could have painted this recently in the hopes someone would think it was old?”

“I’m sure Lara had it tested at the university.” He shook his head. “This implies our history has been a lie.” Noise coming from the entrance captured his attention. He glanced toward the backlit opening. A young girl stood there. He must have been slipping if he didn’t hear her.

“Hello, there. Who are you?” He tried to keep his voice as unthreatening as possible.

She clasped her hands behind her back. “I’m Frania.”

He didn’t want to scare her, so he kept his distance. “Can we help you?” Maybe she was lost.

She shook her head. “My history teacher, Ms. Madra, told us about these drawings, but then she had to stop. I’m studying them.”

The name, Frania, finally sunk in. Her father had been the one to attack Madra. “Does your father know you’re here?”

Her eyes widened. “No! He can’t find out either.” She moved toward him. “You won’t tell him, will you?”

“No.”

Larek stepped forward. “This is the first time we’ve been here. Maybe you can show us what you know.”

“Really?”

Frania’s enthusiasm spurred an idea. “Yes. Do you mind looking around for a bit? I need to discuss something with Larek.”

“Okay.” She bounded to the far wall, slipped off her backpack, and extracted a tablet.

He pulled his friend aside. “I think Madra should be here.”

Larek’s chin jutted inward. “Why?”

He wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “You and I both know that Madra won’t be happy until she finds a way to teach the kids the truth.”

“I agree, but she hasn’t bought into her true calling yet. She doesn’t think it’s worth her losing her job over, and that’s the problem.” He glanced over at Frania. “What are you thinking?”

Brin couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “What if she could find another way to accomplish her goals?”

“How?”

“What if we bring her out here and let her and Frania explore together? Madra will soon realize what she’s given up.”

“You sly dog, you.”

“Equally importantly, I bet this will motivate her to come up with a way to solve the problem herself.”

Larek punched him in the arm. “How about I go get her? I know our date isn’t until tonight, but maybe she’ll be willing to join us sooner.”

He glanced to the side to make sure the young girl was out of earshot. “Why don’t you pick up some other goodies just in case Frania isn’t planning to stay long?”

“You are one devious bastard.” He nodded to the little girl. “Keep her occupied. I won’t be long.”

“Be fast.”

“By the way, I volunteered to get Madra only because I fear you might get too tired running.”

“Smart-ass.” Now more than ever, he needed to work on staying in shape.

In a flash Larek was gone. Brin’s cock twitched as he thought about the joy this weekend would hold.

“Hey, Frania?”

She spun around. “Yes?”

“Guess who’s coming here?”

* * * *

Racing as fast as he could, Larek reached the opening to the underground in less than fifteen minutes. He probably should have called Madra to make sure she was home, but she had claimed she spent most of her weekends doing schoolwork at home.

Just when he needed to be somewhere, the tram took forever to arrive. Once he hopped on, all of the cars were packed with people, and he was forced to stand in the back. This was one time he wished no one needed to get anywhere. His luck, the whole city seemed to be using public transportation.

Madra’s place was one of the last ones, so his impatience built with each stop. When the tram got to her station, he exited and jogged to her house. As soon as she answered, he blew out a breath.

“Larek! What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

All week they’d tried to find even a few minutes to meet, but between his job and her school commitments, the first time they were able to. “No.” He stepped inside. “I know we said Brin and I would pick you up at seven, but something came up. Are you free to go on an adventure?”

Her eyes shone. “Right now?” A giggle escaped.

“Yes.”

“I’m not really dressed.”

He figured she’d say that. “You look lovely the way you are.” While the skirt had a few holes around the hem, and a button was missing on her shirt, she looked perfect to him.

“I don’t need to change?”

“If you want to, but in a second.” He grabbed her hand. “I’ve been waiting all week to do this, and I can’t wait any longer.”

He spun her around and pressed her back to the wall. The moment his lips touched hers, his need exploded and painfully tightened his balls. When Madra wrapped her arms around his neck, he wanted to sink his cock in her so bad he was almost willing to make Brin wait.

Ever since he’d watched the joy on her face when Brin made love to her, Larek hadn’t been able to concentrate. For Madra’s sake, he pulled away. “If I don’t stop now, we’ll spend the next hour in the bedroom, and Brin is waiting for us.”
And Frania
.

Her breaths came out in short pants. “I agree.”

“Maybe you should put on some pants and some sturdy shoes. We’re going aboveground.”

She jumped up and down. “Really? After the week I’ve had, I need some sunshine. I’ll be right back.” She practically ran back to her room.

True to her word, she returned less than five minutes later.

He took hold of her hand. “I thought we could stop at the grocery and pick up some stuff for a picnic. Would you like that?” Should they get some privacy, he bet she’d be up for spreading out on the blanket and having a good time.

“Sounds divine.”

“Do you a backpack we can use to carry the supplies and perhaps a spare blanket?”

“I do.” She disappeared and brought back a bag with the school emblem and a blanket.

“Perfect.”

Madra had no idea where Larek was taking her, but she loved being outside, so where they went really didn’t matter. The fact she could spend more time with the men made it that much nicer.

“Now will you tell me our secret destination?” She looped an arm around his.

“Brin’s waiting for us in the cave.”

She couldn’t come up with any good reason. She slowed. “Why?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back there. It was too easy to get swept up in the history again.

“The cave is important to you, and Brin and I want to be part of your life.”

His explanation made sense, and it thrilled her that they would take time out of their busy schedule to try to connect with her. “Did I tell you that you are a very sweet man?”

He puffed out his chest. “I’m not sweet. I’m a tough, powerful shifter!”

She laughed. They’d been walking for about fifteen minutes when she spotted the shortcut. “It’s faster if we take this path.”

“Great.”

As soon as they came to the cave, memories of the excavation filled her. The whole discovery process had been so wonderful.

“Hello!” Larek shouted their arrival as they neared to the entrance.

Frania came running out of the cave. “Ms. Madra! You came.”

Her pulse spiked at the surprise appearance. She glanced at Larek. “You knew she was here?”

He held up his hands. “Yes, but we didn’t bring her. We were examining the walls when she stopped by.”

Determined to find out what her student was doing here, she waited to ask until they went inside. She spotted Brin and excitement raced through her, but she needed to speak with Frania first. “Not that I’m not delighted, but what are you doing here?”

The young girl stood taller. “I never was interested in history until you told us about the cave drawings. Since you can’t teach about it anymore, I wanted to see the drawings for myself.”

“Really?” A rush of endorphins spiked through her blood. She’d never taught a student with such initiative. “I’m so pleased.” To think Frania had showed little interest in any of her schoolwork until she’d proposed this new story.

Frania grabbed her hand. “Come look at this. I think I figured something out.”

She glanced at Brin and Larek, who were grinning. Apparently, they didn’t mind if she spent a few minutes helping her student.

While Madra and Lara had been over every inch of this cave, maybe they’d overlooked something. The drawings were primitive, and sometimes what objects might have existed a few thousand years ago didn’t exist today. What they thought was maybe an ax could have been something entirely different.