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

by Melody Snow Monroe

  About five years ago, she’d had the opportunity to go to the bears’ territory to witness an initiation ceremony. Unfortunately, her memory how to get there was a little fuzzy. Hopefully, they’d find her before she’d wandered too far off course. Ending up in wolf territory wouldn’t be good. Lara had told her that when Earth people travel from one country to another, there are barriers and signs to let one know. She wished they had all that in Anterra.

  Madra needed to hurry, but with the sun beating down on her head, sweat beaded over her body, and she’d already gone through one bottle of water. She hoped she’d brought enough to drink. Unfortunately, she hadn’t crossed any streams, for if she had, she could have refreshed her drink.

  As she headed east, she kept alert for wolves and bears. Good thing she responded differently to the different breeds or she wouldn’t know whether to hide or greet the clan member. Her feet were starting to throb and her legs ache when a strange rustling sound off to the right made her slow. Senses on alert, she scanned the area.

  Suddenly, a huge man, well over seven feet, jumped from behind a tree and grinned. “Hello, neighbor.”

  Had he mistaken her for someone else? Lion territory seemed far away, so she couldn’t be considered a neighbor. She held up her hands. “My name is Madra, and I’m a friend of Jalen’s.” She prayed the connection would be enough for this giant to help her.

  “Is that so?” He approached, but the smile on his face made her relax. “I’m Nar.”

  That was a nice name. As if he’d wrapped an arm around her, her whole body grew warm and loose. Even her eyes seemed to droop on their own. She then remembered the story Sella had told her about how Jalen had been able to control people’s minds and make them do bizarre things.

  “Can you stop that, please?” She grabbed her head to dispel the fog clouding her brain.

  He laughed, and suddenly the feeling of being manipulated disappeared. The giant held up his hands just like she had. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. Jalen is on a spiritual retreat, and I got the urge to play. Can I help you?”

  “Maybe.” She told him of her desire to get to the wolf outpost. “My friend Henla lives there with her husbands Kranor and Jude.”

  “Ah, yes. Jalen mentioned he’d met Henla. I wasn’t aware she’d married two wolves. That’s quite commendable.”

  She found it fascinating that he knew about the comings and goings of the lion world. “Do you know about the wolves, too?”

  He tapped his head. “Bears don’t reveal their secrets.”

  It didn’t matter anyway. “Do you think one of the bear shifters would be willing to escort me to the wolf outpost?” She unhooked the necklace she’d inherited from her grandmother. “I can pay him with this.”

  He moved her hand back. “That won’t be necessary. Since Jalen is off doing his thing, I’ve been rather bored. If you have no objection, I would like to escort you.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. The bears and the lions are, after all, friends, and that’s what friends are for.”

  What she wouldn’t give if everyone could live in harmony. “I agree. In a way, that’s what I’m trying to accomplish.” She launched into the findings in the cave.

  “Why don’t we walk and you can tell me all about it.”

  Excited to have someone who wanted to listen to her theory, she told him all about Lara and how she had been the one to find the drawings. Nar made her stop a few times to drink and once more to have a bite to eat. The sun was setting and the cool air was chilling her. Maybe it hadn’t been smart to leave in the afternoon, as it was now quite late.

  Nar held out a hand to stop her progress. “We’re close.”

  She wasn’t sure if she should go first or if she should walk behind him. He stood there and closed his eyes. She wanted to ask if he could use telepathy to speak with the wolves or if he was just thinking, but she didn’t want to disturb him if he had been able to make a connection.

  About a minute later, his shoulders relaxed. He faced her and smiled. “Your friend is very excited that you are here. Kranor is going to come out and greet you.”

  That was quite amazing. “Kranor probably thinks it’s safer if he escorts me into his world.”

  “Indeed. When he arrives, I will bid you adieu.”

  She wasn’t sure what adieu meant, but from the context, she guessed he meant he’d be on his way. One minute she was enjoying Nar’s company and the next her skin prickled and her stomach churned. “Wolves!”

  Nar lightly clasped her shoulder. “It’s Kranor.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Don’t worry, kitten. If it’s a mean one, I’ll bend his mind and make him docile.”

  He didn’t blink, so perhaps he was telling the truth. Out from around a corner, a huge wolf charged. She backed up and instinctively slid behind Nar.

  The flash occurred quickly and another large man appeared. He was about six foot eight inches, with untamed dark-brown hair and the blackest eyes she’d ever seen.

  He held out his hand. “You must be Madra. My sister-in-law has spoken of you often. I’m Kranor Ryn.”

  She shook his hand. When she didn’t turn into ashes, she inhaled and smiled. “If I could have contacted you before just showing up, I would have.”

  “No matter. I know Henla will be so excited to see you.” He faced Nar. “Many thanks, my friend.”

  Nar nodded and instantly shifted into his bear form. While he didn’t move fast, his large size would dissuade any animal from getting in his way.

  “Let’s get you to safety.”

  She truly didn’t think wolves would attack them, but from what she’d heard, Kranor had made some enemies. Even though she had blisters on her feet, she didn’t complain and hurried alongside him.

  Fortunately, the trek wasn’t too far. When he slowed, the sight before her was not what she had expected. Sure, she’d learned the wolves lived aboveground, but she never expected to see a long street of wonderful shops.

  “This is amazing.”

  “Thank you. I had a lot of help. All the people who live here wanted a better life than one imbued with hatred, one in which we live peacefully with the lions and bears. So I built this for them—and Henla.”

  That sounded divine. They passed the well-lit street and followed a path to a large home. Madra couldn’t be more pleased that Henla lived in such a nice place. Kranor opened the door, and Henla immediately launched herself at Madra.

  “It’s so good to see you!” Her friend gave her a hug. Henla’s neatly trimmed blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and it was lighter than Madra remembered. Maybe it got bleached from all the sun.

  “I can’t believe how long it’s been.” The school year had flown by, and Madra felt a little guilty for not having tried to contact her sooner.

  “Come and sit down. We were just about to have dinner.”

  A slightly shorter man came out from the hallway. His beauty was unparalleled. The medium-brown hair wasn’t an unusual feature, but she hadn’t expected a wolf to have such golden eyes.

  “This is Jude Trisk, my other husband.” Henla looked up lovingly at him.

  Jude stepped behind her and placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I was about to put the dinner on the table.” He looked at her. “You’ll be joining us.”

  “Thank you.”

  They all moved to the table, where she sat next to Henla. Henla placed a hand on Madra’s arm. “I hope you can stay the night. We have so much to catch up on.”

  “Thank you, I’d like that very much. Let me say though, as much as I wish this were purely a social visit, I do have an agenda.”

  “I figured it must be important if you were willing to confront wolves. What is it?”

  She wasn’t sure where to begin, so she started with Lara discovering the cave.

  “I did know that my sister-in-law was doing a lot of digging, but I never heard the results.” She shrugged. “As much as I love being here, I
don’t get to know about how my friends and family are doing.”

  “That’s understandable.” Traveling between here and lion territory would be an unnecessary risk.

  Jude placed the food on the table, and they all dug in. Between bites, she told them of what she’d learned about the history of the wolves from the cave drawings.

  Kranor waved a hand. “I don’t think it matters who started what. The wolves have had hundreds of years to work things out.”

  She couldn’t have agreed more, but she’d never expected he wouldn’t have embraced the theory that the wolves were victims. Her mind spun as to how to proceed.

  A knock on the door saved her from responding. The door opened and another two handsome men appeared. Their gazes zeroed in on her.

  “Welcome.” One of them stuck out his hand. “I’m Tamor Kran, the local medicine man.”

  “And I’m Gernac Kran, chef extraordinaire.”

  Their perfect smiles and broad shoulders kind of surprised her. She’d always pictured wolf shifters as smaller in stature compared to lions. She definitely needed to adjust her theories.

  “This is Madra,” Henla said. “She was telling us about some history my sister-in-law uncovered. How about giving these men a recap?”

  Madra inhaled and told her story again.

  Tamor grinned. “Well, I’ll be damned. That more or less aligns with what we were always taught.”

  Gernac tapped the table. “You know who she should talk to? Professor Dirnell Fran. He’s the local historian.”

  She clenched her fists. “I’d love to compare information.” She lifted her backpack off the floor and dug through the contents to find her portable transmitting device. She waved it. “I have all of our findings with me, including photos. Do you think he’d be willing to meet with me?”

  Gernac laughed. “Are you kidding? You won’t get him to shut up. If you’d like, we can introduce you tomorrow.”

  This couldn’t be going any better. “I’d love that.” Learning which of their assumptions were correct would mean the world to both her and Lara.

  Kranor held up his glass. “To bringing our cultures together!”

  The whole group cheered.

  There were so many questions Madra wanted to ask. “So, Henla, what do you do here?” She had run the shoe store before Rein.

  “I opened another shoe store. It’s wonderful actually.”

  “That’s so exciting.”

  Jude cleared his throat. “Though she needs to find someone to work at the store in, say, seven months.” He winked.

  She grabbed her friend’s hand. “By the skies above, are you pregnant?”

  Henla giggled. “Yes! But don’t tell anyone yet. We’re planning to go back home soon and break the news to everyone.”

  She remembered when Kranor had been injured and they mostly worked through Taryn and Kellum. Without them, the wolves would have been killed if they’d gone underground.

  “I’m so happy for you.” Now it made sense why Henla was the only one drinking water. Madra yawned and quickly covered her mouth.

  Henla covered her hand. “Did you have a hard day?”

  “It was long.”

  She pushed back her chair. “How about you rest, and tomorrow we can catch up?”

  Henla was the best kind of friend.

  * * * *

  Madra and Henla had been chatting all morning, not only about Sella’s adventures in Miami as well as her life in Spirit but about Lara’s life in Anterra. Henla straightened before the front door opened. Jude came in followed by their friend Gernac. He held open the door, and an elderly gentleman came in using a cane for balance.

  Madra jumped up. This must be the professor. She rushed over to him. He was carrying some kind of heavy notebook, and she held out her hands. “Can I help you with that?”

  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.

  Chapter Ten

  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.