by Leela Ash
The floor looked as if it were made of marble, or something much like it, and it had a large circle that connected each of the portals within it. In the center of the circle was a pillar, where a gently glowing orb was sitting.
Frank immediately went to it, frowning in confusion. He lifted it up and turned it over in his hands, then looked around the room in confusion. “This is in the wrong spot,” he said with some certainty. Apollo tilted his head, surprised but curious as Frank searched the room. Finally, he physically moved the pillar and found a small dip in the floor. He placed the stone in the center of the circle and the room began to rumble lightly.
“What the…”
He stood quickly and stepped back to join Apollo and Mike. Apollo had never seen anything like this happen before and looked around the room to make sure nothing was wrong.
“How the hell did you know that?!” Mike asked.
Frank shrugged, staring at the orb as its glowing intensified. “It felt familiar. Like the Serah Stone.”
Suddenly, holograms began to flash on the walls surrounding them. Snippets of information in languages they couldn’t fully identify, but that were clearly ancient shifter. Some things Apollo could read thanks to his studies, but most of it was hard to tell. They would need to get someone here to decipher it all, if they wanted it to make any sense.
Images flashed before them as well. The Serpent Mound. The home worlds. Bear shifters in their native land −which made Mike bow his head in a combination of anguish and relief. The home worlds weren’t a lie. But that meant there truly was trouble ahead. For all of them.
“This is unbelievable,” Frank murmured, stepping into the circle to get a closer look at the portals.
“It’s the Portal Room,” Apollo said with a shrug. “It tends to be.”
“Hey, Apollo. That dragon dude has your name!” Frank said suddenly. He pointed to the huge statue of the dragon shifter hero, where the name “Apollo” was written on the plaque.
“Wait a minute,” Mike said, looking keenly at Apollo. “That can’t just be a coincidence.”
Apollo grinned. “Okay, you caught me. My real name is Carl. I thought Apollo was way cooler.”
Frank jogged over to the wolf shifter statue and laughed. “Well, if you can be Apollo, then I should get to be Achilles.”
Mike studied the statue of the bear shifter hero. “I guess that would make me Atlas.”
“I have no objection to that,” Apollo said with a laugh. “Frank, I dub you Achilles. And you, Atlas.”
“Hey, we need a name too, you know. Like, for the group,” Frank said, coming closer to the other men in the circle.
“Yeah, like a team name,” Michael agreed. “So, people will know what to call us when we save the world.”
“What about The Shifter League?” Apollo suggested.
By the look on the other men’s faces, he already knew he had picked a winner.
“We’re The Shifter League,” Frank agreed, putting his hand in the middle of the circle. Mike put his on top, then Apollo followed suit.
“To The Shifter League!” Apollo said, his voice booming. They threw their hands in the air victoriously, feeling like a true band of brothers for the first time.
“May we save the world and get the girl!” Frank added.
Mike rolled his eyes, and Apollo laughed.
“One thing at a time,” Apollo said.
Though, he had learned that, sometimes, things happen when you least expect them. And the best surprises of life could come when you just need a minute to relax.
…looking for more romance until the Shifter League returns?...
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Preview of Burning Falls Shifters
Her Keeper Bear
Burning Falls Shifters
Cynthia Wilde
Copyright ©2019 by Cynthia Wilde. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
The image in her rear-view mirror reflected the jagged New York skyline fading into the distance. The dim, gray color of the sky mirrored Cindy’s mood, drizzling large spattering rain drops onto her windshield.
“Good riddance, New York,” she muttered as she sped down the two-lane highway. Her time in the city had done her no favors outside of her professional life. More specifically, Reginald Anderson, though he preferred Reggie.
Cindy had fallen for his smooth demeanor, and the fact that he was a co-worker did not deter her from a series of toe-curling dalliances after hours. The affair ended badly. As it turned out, smooth-talking Reggie was having a clandestine romance with another colleague as well.
She found out about his “dalliance” one night when she had to return to work unexpectedly to retrieve a file she needed to go over before a morning meeting. When she got to the office, she spotted his light on down the hall and opted for a surprise pop-in.
“Hi, Reggie,” Cindy had purred as she opened his door. She found him between the thighs of his personal assistant, her bare backside perched on the shelf of his bookcase which was rattling against the wall as his hips thrust into her with great gusto.
He had not even tried to pretend an apology. “We never said we were exclusive,” he called out between gritted teeth, not even pausing his machinations. Cindy absorbed the scene in silence, watching them for a few seconds before she spoke.
“That’s okay,” she demurred. “I wanted to let you know I’d like to submit my resignation, effective at once. Goodbye Reg.”
In three days’ time, she managed to pare down her belongings enough to fit the remainder into the back of her Prius. What she could not cram into her car, she had dropped, without ceremony, to the nearest thrift store. She could not stop herself from chuckling as she drove past the sign indicating the edge of the small town she had once called home.
‘The City of Burning Falls Welcomes You!’ followed by a small clip art picture of a flame beneath a waterfall. The waterfall itself was far more poetic than the sign would show and the only thing which held any sentimental memories for her from her hometown.
“You are always welcome,” her grandmother said. “For as long as you like.”
“You might be right, Nan,” she had replied. “New York is wonderful, but the city is so fast paced. I think I need a break.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Nan replied with a wry tone.
“Why do you ask?” Cindy said, trying to evade the second sense her grandmother always had about her.
“It’s that boy, isn’t it?”
“Well, Reggie’s thirty-five, so I wouldn’t call him a boy.”
“I knew he was trouble, being so much older than you. It was not a good match.”
“Only ten years, Nan. That’s not that much older than me. And besides, I wasn’t looking for a match. Maybe just a flame.”
“I’d like you to come,” her grandmother said. “I’m not as young as I used to be, you know.”
“Oh, Nan. You’re only as young as you feel, as you always point out.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t feel as young as I once did. I’m getting tired more often, these days. It might be nice to have someone else here for a little while. Just in case.”
“Okay, fine. If only for a little while.”
Cindy and Nan had always had a unique relationship, much to the chagrin of Cindy’s parents. Nan had encouraged Cindy’s creative endeavors, always asking to see her latest designs, even when she was a child. After high school, she had skipped town as quick as she could blink, taking a job as an intern in New York, which led to a full-time position in the fashion industry. Cindy felt that much of her success came because of Nan’s encouragement.
A few minutes after passing the we
lcome sign, houses began to appear at the edge of the two-lane road. Farm houses placed back from the road with large, sweeping yards, gravel drives, and cute little flower gardens adorning the porches.
“Ah, home,” Cindy said, not without some irony in her tone. “New York, this is not,” she murmured. Soon, she arrived at Nan’s house. The nearest neighbor being about a quarter of a mile away, still visible, but from a distance. Cindy smiled as she pulled into the driveway.
Her grandmother’s house had always had a certain element of character, compared to the other homes. Besides the lavender hydrangeas planted around the base of the raised porch, she also kept a collection of wind chimes, birdhouses, and painted gourds all over the porch. The house reflected her grandmother’s eclectic personality.
Cindy exited the car, hearing the light tinkling sounds as the breeze drifted through the décor, the sounds of childhood. She had not even made it to the front step before the door flung open.
“There you are!” Nan stepped out with arms wide, rushed into the yard and scooped her up into a huge bear hug. “I thought you’d never get here!”
“Hi, Nan,” Cindy said.
Nan shuffled her inside before grabbing her suitcase, carrying it as if it were light as a feather, her long flowered skirt swishing around her sandals. Cindy could not keep from smiling as the woman dragged them both into the house.
“Come in, come in! I’ve got soup in the crock pot waiting for you. It won’t be ready for another hour though. I’ve got tea. Would you like tea? I can put on the kettle in no time at all.” She fluttered around the house, picking and adjusting the already pristine home.
“Tea would be nice.” Cindy took a seat at the kitchen table, a relic from a bygone era, made of lime green Formica. The room filled with cheery welcoming scents of the rich chicken broth bubbling in the corner. Within moments, the tea kettle hummed on the stove. Nan poured two cups of hot water over the spiced tea satchels.
“Cream, sugar?” she asked, peering over her shoulder.
“Oh, both please,” Cindy replied.
“Ah, it is a ‘both’ sort of day. Isn’t it?” Nan turned and sat down across from her, placing the steaming mug before the young woman. “So, tell me about New York. Is it as glamorous as everyone says?”
Cindy sipped her tea, relishing in the cinnamon and comforting sweetness of the flavors. “Ugh, I’ve had enough of glamour,” she said. “Though I think you should visit the city sometime. You would love it there. It’s a wonderful place to visit.”
“’But you wouldn’t want to live there?” Nan laughed.
“Goes without saying,” Cindy replied.
“Maybe so,” Nan said. “Besides, I think I have enough to contend with here in the ‘City of Burning Falls’.”
The crinkles around her grandmother’s eyes somehow made them appear greener than usual. The only other indicator of her grandmother’s age was the silvery streaks through her long hair. Otherwise, Cindy thought she exuded a vibrant and youthful energy. “And a thriving city it is,” Cindy said with a smirk.
“Perhaps, one day, I’ll visit New York,” Nan mused, peering out the window. “After an inevitable windfall.”
“I could show you around,” Cindy mused. “You know what, Nan? I wonder if I could get settled in and unpack? I’d like to get the road dust off me, if that’s okay? Which is my room?”
“Yes, of course! Let me show you where I’ve got you staying.”
As they made their way through the living room, Cindy heard the clump sound of the mail being dropped into the box outside the door. Nan pulled open the door, waving and greeting the mailman already halfway down the path. His postal truck idled on the side of the road.
Nan filtered through the small stack of envelopes. “Bill, bill, junk mail… Oh, what’s this?” She placed the rest on the side table and tore open the small white envelope. Her face went pale. “Oh, those rat bastards!”
“What is it, Nan?” Cindy said with alarm at her grandmother’s rare outburst. “Is everything okay?”
Nan collapsed into the chair closest to her, handing the pages over to Cindy, who read the words with a sense of dread.
Dear Mrs. Sadie Carson,
This has been our third attempt at contacting you on behalf of Stapleton, Stapleton and Howe Real Estate Company. The land parcel upon which you currently reside had been earmarked as a portion of property containing a good percentage of Berinium, a highly sought-after metal which contains a number of beneficial properties. As such, our client has been trying to reach out to you regarding acquisition of your property.
My client is prepared to offer you a sizeable sum in exchange for this parcel. Please contact our offices at the number below to set up a scheduled time to meet at your earliest convenience, so we may move forward with our communications. My office will await your response.
Sincerely,
Bertram Howe, Esq.
Stapleton, Stapleton, and Howe
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