Panthera Spelaea

When we talked to our steward about getting a wheelchair, she did us one better. Art’s people set Melanie up not just with a powered wheelchair but a wheelchair-capable mini-tour bus and a guide! It was waiting for us after the Elements finished tying up stern-to to the dock. Melanie needed a medical check before we went, so I took her to see Doc Margaret while the others got ready for a day on the town.

Margaret told her to rest and use the wheelchair, and her fatigue and soreness would go away over the next week. When Melanie asked WHY she was sore and what happened to the shotgun wound that blew away half her neck, Doc just looked at me. “I said I’d explain everything later when there is time,” I tried to deflect.

Have you ever tried to tell a woman that she didn’t need to know everything? I was amazed it went this far. I hadn’t expected her curiosity to hold out longer than the hot tub, but the Colonel provided a distraction there. “I want to know NOW,” Melanie said. “What happened to me?”

“Fine. Reader’s Digest version, and you can ask all your questions tonight,” I said. “You did get shot, and you would have died if not for what Svetlana had in the backpack.”

“Medical supplies?”

“No. It was the carcass of a Golden Eagle, but not just ANY eagle. It was the animal form of what we call a Switcher. For millennia, all the way back to the Pleistocene Era, this Eagle attached itself to a human. We call people like them Switchers because they can switch instantly from human to animal form and back.”

Melanie’s mouth dropped open. “You’re delusional. Do you mean werewolves are real? That is fantasy-land stuff!” She looked between Doc and me, waiting for us to admit the joke, and we didn’t.

“From what we know, the Eagle is immortal, and the human they bond with is a false immortal. They don’t age, and they heal rapidly from wounds. The human lives until something damages it beyond its healing powers. When I met the Eagle switcher in Moscow, Ekatarina looked to be in her early twenties, but she gained the Eagle during the Russian Revolution. A man killed Ekatarina a few days ago. He was motivated by greed and the promise of immortality. Like a coward, he took the Eagle by shooting our friend in the back of the head. The Eagle rejected him, killing itself the next day to save my life. You were the first human to touch it, and the Eagle joined with you. When it did, the Eagle healed your neck wound and saved your life.”

I held my sister’s hand, letting the information I’d given her settle in. “I’m immortal?”

“You will not age, and you won’t get sick. You are the youngest of our small group, and I am the second youngest. The oldest has been a switcher for five and a half centuries.”

“You have an eagle as well? Can I see?”

“Each of us has a different animal, all from the same prehistoric era. Your Pleistocene Era Eagle is bigger than the modern birds but looks very similar. I switch into a Cave Lion. The others are a Cave Bear, a Dire Wolf, and a Scimitar Cat.”

She could tell I wasn’t lying, but she was having a hard time believing me. “I remember seeing a big lion out of the corner of my eye. I heard him attacking the old guy.”

“That was me,” I said.

“Can I see my Eagle?”

“Not yet. Your body is sore from the first Switch, and I’ll have to teach you how to share your mind and body with your animal. I can show you my Lion if that would help.”

“Please.”

I moved to an open spot in the treatment room and pulled off my swimsuit and robe. Doc sat with Melanie on the exam table, holding her just in case. I called my cat forward, and an instant later, a 900-pound Cave Lion stood where I had been. Melanie screamed, but Doc held her in place. I sat on the floor looking at her until she calmed down. “John?” I nodded my head, then slowly moved until I was sniffing her legs. “That tickles,” she said as my whiskers ran along her skin. With Doc’s encouragement, she reached down and touched my head. I let out a low rumble of pleasure as she scratched the skin near my ears. “You’re incredible.”

I moved back and shifted to my human form, putting on the robe again. “We call the animal we share our lives with the Gift. The men who kidnapped you wanted both animals, but they are dead, and your Eagle saved your life. You can’t tell anyone about it, Melanie. It’s too dangerous for our kind to have our nature known.”

There was a knock on the door. “Tour bus leaves in fifteen minutes,” the steward said.

“We better get you changed and ready to go,” I told Melanie as I picked her up. “Try not to overthink things right now. You’re safe and healthy, and that’s enough. We’ll talk more tonight.”

I carried her up to our stateroom, and the girls got her dressed and ready while I took a quick shower and changed. I told my mates that she knew about her nature and had seen my Lion, but we would not talk about it until tonight when we were alone again. My sister was smart as hell, and I was sure she’d have a LOT of questions ready for me tonight.

Colonel West was waiting at the gangplank, wearing a collared shirt, khaki shorts, and aviator glasses. Melanie smiled when she saw him and reached out, so I handed her off to her friend. He carried her into the waiting tour bus, and they sat in the front next to the wheelchair. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m still sore, but the Doctor said it will get better in the next week. There’s no permanent damage.”

I sat behind the new couple with Svetlana and Anna. Two of Art’s security people came in, one sitting in front, the other in the back. Both wore light jackets to cover up their pistols and earpieces for their radios.

We started the tour with a drive through the Old Town, seeing the architecture and beauty of the city. We stopped at town walls and gates dating to the seventh century AD and checked out the tiny shops and cafes surrounding town squares. We visited the Batana House Museum, dedicated to the traditional flat-bottom wooden fishing boat built for centuries in Rovinj shipyards. We visited the hilltop Church of St. Euphemia, where Hunter carried Melanie up many flights of stairs to see the views from the tower. Lunch was at the La Puntalina Restaurant, overlooking the water. It wasn’t out on a terrace; no, this place put tables on every flat section of rock from the Old Town wall down to just above the water’s edge. Our table was only a few feet from where the waves crashed against the rock. It was spectacular scenery, the seafood was fresh off the boats and perfectly prepared, and the company was great.

The food and wine, plus the sea air, was too much for Melanie to overcome. Shortly after lunch, she fell asleep on Hunter’s shoulder. We headed back to the Elements, and the girls put her to bed. “We’re going to take a nap with her,” Anna said.

I walked Hunter to his guest room. I wonder what he would think if he knew his parents were both onboard? I was hoping Melanie’s attraction to him was based in part on her Eagle. If they were mates, Hunter would be read into the Switcher group and could see them again.

I wasn’t involved in the interviews. I’d nominated two people, and Melanie got the Eagle. My other nominee was Doc Margaret, who would never know her name was in the hat. None of the nominees would know the true purpose of coming here today, but they would leave happy. They would depart with generous checks for their charities or vouchers for free European vacations.

Art was in his office with the blinds drawn. Edward, Duncan, and Olivia were with him, and they were all watching the news. “RUSSIAN STEEL OLIGARCH FEARED DEAD IN HELICOPTER CRASH,” the crawl at the bottom of the screen said. A helicopter was circling a debris field in the water, with a dozen boats searching for survivors and evidence. I sat down and listened to the broadcast. “Russian billionaire Mikhail Abrahmov, his eldest son Vasili, and charter pilot Davor Modric are feared dead after an explosion destroyed their helicopter as it returned to Split, Croatia. The fiery explosion, which occurred just before noon local time, was visible over twenty kilometers away. Police sources confirm that both Mikhail and Vasili’s cellphones pinged towers over the island of Vis, and Vasilit sent multiple text messages from the helicopter before the explosion. The pilot’s flight plan and charter contract listed both men as passengers. Investigators are treating this as a murder investigation. Sources within the Croatian National Police expect the investigation will take time due to the complexity of the recovery efforts and the depth of the water. The debris field is extensive, and much of the evidence recovered is small.”

Holy crap! “Was that Zach?”

Art nodded, then we went back to the television. The announcers went over to the business desk. “The death of Mikhail Abrahmov is another blow to his steel empire, already reeling from allegations of corruption. Stock prices are currently trading at twenty-two percent of the closing price from only a week ago. Takeover rumors are flying, with Karpen Investments rumored to be buying up shares.”

The announcer interrupted. “If Mikhail and his sons are dead, who has control of the company now?”

“Although details of Mikhail’s will are not known, it is expected majority control of the Abrahmov Steel empire will pass to his granddaughter, Alexandra. She is single and attending the University of Moscow, where she is studying Business Management.”

“And now could be one of the richest women in Russia. After the break, the weather forecast, and sports.”

Art muted the news feed. “Now you see why you had to be seen out in town today, and the Elements had to be far north of Split.”

It was a sobering thought. “Is Zach all right?”

“He’s with our team, removing all evidence of us from the island. The bomb he used was plenty big; they’ll be able to identify the three with DNA, but not enough to determine their true cause of death.”

I thought about the next move from a business standpoint. “Will Alexandra be forced to sell her shares to pay inheritance taxes?”

Art shook his head, no. “Russia doesn’t do that. Alexandra is guaranteed at least half his estate, even if his will directs it elsewhere. I suspect the estate will end up in court for a few months, and then I’ll approach her with a takeover offer. Your shares will be worth a fortune next year.”

Good. I hoped I could trust Art in business matters, but I’d be asking my Dad to protect our interests. How I was going to explain two wives, $25 million in offshore cash, and a large stake in a Russian steel company I did not know yet. “I should be getting home,” I said.

“We are returning to the States on our private plane tomorrow,” Duncan said. “I’ll get a good run in at the nature preserve tonight and be ready to fly in the morning.” I was glad I didn’t have his Dire Wolf’s fear of enclosed spaces.

“I’d like that,” I said. I trusted Duncan more than Edward and Art, after all.

There was some work I had to do; Art’s lawyer came in, and I had to sign a mountain of paperwork. Limited power of attorney, financial disclosure statements, equity transfer documents, banking forms, and other stuff. I left with what I needed to access my fortune and advice on how to bring it into the United States with minimal tax consequences. “If you can bring Melanie up here before dinner, I’ll get her set up the same way,” the lawyer said.

“Give her another hour to sleep, and then I’ll bring her here.” I left the room for my own. The girls were sleeping on the bed, so I sat in the chair and watched them sleep. My Lion was anxious about the future and wanted out. I set the alarm on my phone for fifty minutes. I pulled off my clothes and shifted, moving over until I was lying on the floor between the door and the bed.

When I woke to the alarm, Anna had draped her body across me with her head tucked to my shoulder. I dressed and woke Melanie up, taking her to Art’s office while the girls dressed for our last dinner on the superyacht.

We had a pleasant dinner, and then I made love to the girls all night long.

Melanie had left for the hot tub with Hunter and never returned. She spent the night in her new boyfriend’s cabin. I was hopeful that my sister found her mate, but it was still early. She had a tearful goodbye with Hunter before he headed to the airport for his commercial flight home. He had to return to his duties at the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, and she promised to visit soon.

We flew to the States with Duncan and Olivia. They continued to Montana after their pilots had their rest time. Melanie and I flew home to Houston on a different jet.

We had a lot of things to discuss.