Page 76 of Shifters Unifying
“That’s where I was when Logan found me and said you wanted to see me.”
I pressed the smooth pendant between my palms, the inset rubies felt like smooth pebbled against my skin. “Is that so?”Gingerly, I laid the pendant on the table. “I might know where another trove exists.”
Dr. Wise blinked. Her eyebrows knit together as she studied the red-eyed bat, and she scooped the bat from the table and smoothed her thumb over the gold surface. “It resembles a relic from one of the partial lists I have. Where did you come across that?”
“It was a gift.”
“A gift? From whom?”
“An unlikely source,” I said, not yet willing to divulge how Marcus came across the pendant or why he’d given it to me. That had to be his story to tell.
“Did they say where they found it?”
“Deep in the only cave in Louisiana.”
“Wolf Moon Cave?” she breathed. “Someone reached the back of it? They closed it off over fifty years ago.”
The name seared my mind, and a shiver tripped down my spine as though destinies might be changed there. I rubbed my suddenly sweaty hands over my thighs. “That’d be the one. He said there were booby traps, but I don’t know what kind.”
Her expression softened as though she stared into the lengthy history of shifters in Louisiana. “Do you know why it’s called Wolf Moon Cave?”
“I’m afraid I’m not up to date on the history of that area. Most of my historical knowledge is limited to Willow Creek and Magnolia State Park.”
She smiled. “That’s where you learned you could shift, wasn’t it? Magnolia State Park?” After I nodded, she continued. “Long ago, the family who owned the cave was rumored to be wolf shifters or maybe bat shifters. Newspaper articles from the time mention both. Many historians believe it was a ploy to drive traffic to the cave, but I’m inclined to believe they really were shifters.”
I scrunched my nose, recalling all the vampire movies I’d seen in my lifetime. “So… Bat shifters? Wouldn’t that make them vampires?”
She chuckled. “No, the one does not equal the other. Though, vampires can sometimes change into bats. I believe the family was probably wolf shifters, hence the name of the cave. As they intermarried with humans, the genetic ability to shift diluted, resulting in the idea that the wolves have since died out of the area. The cave is under state management now.”
“So, vampires are real, too?” I asked, suddenly feeling more overwhelmed by everything I didn’t know about the hidden world around us. “Anything else I should know about?”
She returned the pendant to me. “Probably lots of things, but none of it affects your task as the multimorph. Just know that if there’s a legend about something, it was probably real at one time and may be real now. Although, shifters are the most common, most others are far less common. I know of only one vampire coven in Europe. Though, my lack of research on the topic doesn’t mean there aren’t more.”
It was my turn to chuckle over the absurdity of it all. “So, apparently, the family who used to own Wolf Moon Cave used to be much like Six-Mile, right down to the treasure trove.”
Her eyes gleamed. “If the existence of the trove is true, there must be a wealth of information inside. We should visit and try to reach the back.”
I shook my head. “Once Acheron’s defeated, we can work on whatever other relics might be in Wolf Moon Cave. Otherwise, we only need the one, and I’d rather beg for forgiveness for trespassing than seek permission to enter. That means I’ll be the only one to go.”
Dr. Wise frowned. “You can’t go alone. Too risky.”
“You have a point.” I crossed my arms, thinking. “I won’t go alone, but too many shifters will arouse suspicion, and we can’tlet Acheron know what we’re up to.” The battle at the cabin replayed in my mind. “I’ll take one shifter with me.”
Logan’s going to lose his damn mind.
When we exited the back room a short time later, Logan and Marcus were sitting on the ground in the middle of the sparring circle, panting, covered in sweaty mud, but no longer fighting. Both Marcus and Logan looked bruised, beaten, and broken. Cuts striped their faces, and Logan had a black eye. Marcus had two. I doubted either could see through their swollen eyes. The metallic smell of blood hit me, and I shook my head.
A large audience of squirrel shifters milled around behind them, including the Izzie, John, Oliver, and Blaze, the newbies I’d found in Willow Creek and Salali’s best squirrel warriors. Each one trying to pretend they weren’t there for the epic battle between two of the strongest alphas in Louisiana, all secretly hoping the war would resume. I glared at anyone who met my gaze.
Finally, I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. “Good to see you two have worked your way to a better mood. I won’t ask who won.”
They both clamored to their feet and rushed toward me.
“It was a stalemate,” Logan said, leaning close to my ear. “First of my life.”
“Mine, too,” Marcus murmured.
“Well, hurry up and shift,” I commanded, lifting my chin. “I’ve got to make a trip to make, and we need to talk.” Logan started to argue, but I rushed on. “Not here.”
