by Mikayla Lane
Rebecca smiled to herself. He was definitely a little sharper than he was the day before, which gave her hope that she’d made the right decision to bring him along with her. It had really helped his case that she didn’t want to have to go back to town and wait another year to find the caves.
With the season so close, this was her only chance to make the trek this year and she hated to waste another winter reading through the journals when she had already memorized them.
She held a tree branch for him as she passed it and smiled at him as their eyes made contact before she spoke. “My grandfather has probably been to more places in this forest than any other human being. He has journals and journals of places that he’s discovered. Most of which, he’s taken me to at some point and the others he described so clearly that I could find them easily without a map.”
She turned to see if he was paying attention and saw him watching her intently. Shrugging off the tingle that gave her, she turned back towards the front and continued.
“This cave, he doesn’t really describe at all. I only figured it out by piecing together clues that he put in each of the journals. It was as if he didn’t want me to find it right away. Which is really strange because he never kept secrets from me. So of course, it piqued my curiosity,” she said, suddenly realizing that she sounded like the crazy one now.
Mysteries in journals, clues scattered throughout and strange cave art… yeah, she sounded like a crazy treasure hunter or something. Trying to dilute some of the crazy she rushed to continue.
“Since it’s pretty close to my normal route, I figured it would make a great visit for my tours. The tourists love to see wonders like that and it never gets old for me either. Besides, if it does exist and the cave art he spoke of is there, I’d really like to make sure it’s documented and preserved. Treasures like that from the ancient people who lived here are rare and should be treated with care for future generations,” she said.
Rebecca didn’t tell him that was part of the mystery. Her grandfather felt the same way as she did about preserving the history and the fact that he hadn’t documented it and turned it in to the park service for preservation is what had her really curious.
Gracus could feel the truth in her energy but could also detect that there was more to it than what she was telling him. Since they had barely started the trek, he decided not to push her on it too much. He definitely didn’t want to take the chance that she would try to turn around and take him back.
Instead, he tried a different tactic. “So what kind of landmarks are we looking for? And how close to the ridge do we need to be in order to start looking for them?”
Rebecca stopped and turned to look at him, wondering if he was mocking her. All she could see was curiosity and interest in his eyes and she turned back around and started walking again before she answered him.
“We need to be a lot closer to the ridge for the first landmark. There will be a series of random rock carvings. At least they appear to be random. According to my grandfather, they aren’t. The rock carvings are the map,” Rebecca said with a grimace, fearing that she sounded crazy again.
Gracus knew by the energy vibrating from Rebecca that she was nervous and he wanted her to feel more comfortable talking to him. He considered feigning interest, but the truth was, he really was curious about the caves that had intrigued his mate so thoroughly that she would come out here alone to find them.
Gracus decided to be honest. “I have to admit, that sounds pretty mysterious. Which only makes me more curious about the place. Is there a language associated with it? Did your grandfather know what indigenous people the art belonged to? Is it just one cave?”
Rebecca grinned at what sounded like true interest in his voice. She had never spoken to anyone about the caves and her suspicions about why her grandfather had kept it a secret. Or her secret obsession to find the cave. It felt really nice to think that she could share that with someone. The fact that the someone she was sharing it with was the hottest guy she’d ever seen, was just a bonus.
Since she was taking him to the caves anyway, Rebecca couldn’t think of a good reason not to answer his questions. “From what I could get from the journals, it’s just one cave entrance, but once inside, it’s a massive network of tunnels. My grandfather never gives any kind of hint about language or who may have used the cave system though,” she said, waiting to see his reaction.
Gracus’s interest was definitely piqued now. “Hmmm, now I understand why you are so curious. I have to admit, it’s a little contagious,” he said with a grin.
Rebecca stopped and turned to look at him, to see if he was telling her the truth or thinking of a way to run from the crazy woman, and was a little surprised to see genuine interest on his handsome face.
Testing him, she asked, “What do you think makes it so curious?”
Gracus turned her back around and gently pushed her forward until she started walking again. “What’s curious is that you said your grandfather has walked more earth in this area than anyone and yet he never told you about this place. He doesn’t specify a people or language, which is most curious because he would definitely be familiar with the various cultures that were indigenous to this area.”
Sensing her surprise at his answer, Gracus continued. “Then there’s the fact that he put the clues in several different journals, as if he wanted you to find the cave, but only when you figured out the clues. Since you said that he’s taken you almost everywhere, or at least described his adventures to you, it begs the question why he never said anything about this particular place.”
Rebecca stopped and turned to him again, looking at him in blatant surprise. “Wow, for a stoner, you really pay attention!” she said teasingly, even though she was a little stunned at how closely he’d paid attention.
Gracus laughed and gently turned her back around and waited until she started walking again before he spoke. He needed the time to think of what to say, unable to tell her too much.
“I have to pay attention in my job and you know the stoner thing was an accident. Now stop avoiding the subject. Why do you think your grandfather didn’t tell you? It’s obvious you love this place and would never do anything that would harm the area, so that can’t be the reason. Then there’s the question of why he didn’t specify or give a better clue as to who the people were that he suspected were responsible for the art. What have you concluded?” he asked, honestly curious about what she’d considered already.
Rebecca sighed and continued walking. “I’ve run those same questions through my mind a hundred times and can’t answer them. Which is why I’m out here. To find out why. There’s no reason that I can think of that he wouldn’t tell me. Especially since we’ve travelled around this area extensively together and even though there were times when we were close to the cave, he never showed it to me. He never even told me it was there,” Rebecca said.
At first, when she realized that he’d hidden the information from her, she was hurt. Assuming that he hadn’t trusted her. The more she read the journals though, the more she realized that he must have thought he was protecting her. From what she didn’t know.
Maybe the caves were too dangerous and he was trying to keep her curiosity from getting her killed. But that didn’t make sense either because her grandfather had taught her to be careful and not take dangerous chances.
This wasn’t the kind of place for that. If you got hurt or in trouble, it wasn’t like help was minutes away. Out here, stupid mistakes and taking chances got you killed. Quickly. And her grandfather hadn’t raised her to be reckless. So it didn’t make sense that he was worried about that, but she kept it as an option in her mind anyway.
Gracus could feel the underlying hurt in her energy and wanted to take it away. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being in any kind of pain. Physical or emotional.
“I’m sure he had a really good reason to make you wait to find it. Do you think maybe it’s too dangerous to travel? It wo
uldn’t be the first time that a cave became unstable,” he said, just as excited and curious about the place.
Gracus knew that he was allowing the excitement and curiosity in her energy to magnify his own and he took a few moments to revel in the shared emotions with his mate. Their energies were rapidly forming the mating bond between them. Although, it was happening much more quickly than he expected, he was glad of it.
Rebecca stopped again and turned to face him and he didn’t need to sift her energy to feel the frustration he saw in her expression or heard in her voice when she spoke. “See, that doesn’t make sense to me either. If it was dangerous, he would have told me about it in great detail in order to make sure I avoided the place. He’s done that dozens of times in different areas,” she said, clearly frustrated.
This time she turned around and started walking again before Gracus could touch her again. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it. No, it was just the opposite. His gentle touch on her shoulder made her want to duck under his arm and cuddle against his chest like that baby bear had done.
Rebecca had no idea why she was thinking something like that. She’d never met a man that affected her the way this strange man did. He’d been adorable when he was stoned and goofy, but today, with the drugs almost gone from his system, he was smart, charming, attentive and dangerously sexy. When he wasn’t freaking out on a tent zipper, she thought with a grin.
Gracus considered her words, definitely more curious than ever. Obviously her grandfather had taken great care to teach her how to survive in this terrain and by her own words, he’d warned her away from other places that were dangerous.
Gracus shook his head. “He wanted you to find it or he wouldn’t have put it in his journals. So, it must not be that dangerous or he would have never given you the clues to begin with. What was it that led you to the clues in the journals? Had you read them before?”
Rebecca nodded her head. “I’ve read them since I was a teenager. Like I said, he didn’t hide things from me. It wasn’t until this last winter when I pulled them out and read them again that I noticed that the symbols drawn randomly on different pages, in different journals, wasn’t random at all. There was a pattern,” Rebecca said, uncaring that her excitement was showing in her voice.
Gracus grinned, reveling in the increased bond forming between them that Rebecca was unwittingly assisting by her heightened emotions. He had rarely ever thought of a mate. Even seeing how happy his best friend, Scaden was with his mate Cari, Gracus had never been jealous.
Now he couldn’t think of ever spending another day without this amazing woman in his life. He just had to think of a way to explain the unbound beast in her brain, her hybrid status and that he was from another planet. Oh and her mate.
Clatz laughed. “Oh yeah asshole, for you that should be real easy. Maybe you can get your bear girlfriend to help explain it to her. The bear has a better chance of being believed,” Clatz said sarcastically in his mind.
Gracus tamped down the urge to scream in his mind, knowing how much Clatz hated it. But thinking of Scaden and Cari made him wonder why he wasn’t being bombarded through the Shengari’ by Scaden. He had basically escaped MedLab and knew damn well that Scaden wouldn’t let it go. Which meant that they were following him.
Clatz laughed. “Oh now you’re spinning on a few more cylinders! I was beginning to wonder when you’d ask about that.”
Chapter Nine
Gracus was tempted to smack his own forehead in frustration. Not only at himself and his beast but at Scaden. His friend had the worst damn timing, he thought. “Clatz, now is not the time to be an ass! How close are they?”
“I cannot detect them nearby, but the chatter I have heard through the general Shengari’ energy strands is that they left yesterday to find you. I would assume Grai will be closer than we think. That bastard is sneaky,” Clatz said with a hint of respect.
Damn! Gracus thought, that meant he didn’t have much time before they showed up. “Clatz, what are the odds that if I try to explain to Scaden that I need time with my mate, that he would go back and leave us alone?”
Clatz laughed. “I think he’ll come charging over here to ensure you were all right anyway. He’s annoying like that. You’re better off talking to Grai. He’s more reasonable.”
Gracus wasted no time trying to reach Grai through the Shengari’ and was relieved that the man responded immediately.
“Gracus, are you well?” Grai asked as he stopped and held his hand up for the others to stop as well.
“I’m good. No more drugs… or paranoia. I know you guys are following me, but the woman I’m with, is my mate. I need you to give me time with her. Please…,” Gracus said as he followed Rebecca.
Grai smiled. “Gracus, I am very glad that you are well and have found your mate. I have every intention of giving you as much time as possible with Becca, but the problem is that there are five Relians somewhere in the vicinity and I plan on making sure we find them and keep them away from you. Are you armed?” Grai asked, hoping that Gracus had packed weapons.
Gracus sucked in a sharp breath and went instantly alert. He could feel Clatz scanning the immediate area for danger as he recounted in his mind the weapons he’d strapped on before they had left camp. He had a human gun, several knives and a few throwing knives as well.
Gracus nodded his head silently before responding to Grai. “Yes, I have a gun and several blades. What are they doing here? Do you know where they are or where they are going?” Gracus asked as he and Clatz stepped up their surveillance of the area around them. Neither willing to take any chances with Rebecca’s life.
Grai responded immediately. “I think they are going to the same cave that you and Rebecca are heading for, so I’m going to leave Decano, Amun and a couple of Sibiox behind to make sure you and Rebecca are not ambushed. They will remain at a distance and not bother you. I’ll take Scaden, Niklosi and Gibly up ahead of you to try and get to the Relians before you get to the cave. Remain vigilant, my friend and contact me immediately if you see anything.”
Gracus narrowed his eyes and looked around, before asking a nagging question. “How do you know about Rebecca and the cave?”
There was a long pause in his mind before Gracus heard Grai’s response and the answer floored him.
“The symbols to the cave are written in a Valendran code that I believe gives the location of a sanctuary created by Fiorn Erikson, a member of the original outpost. It’s your mate Rebecca that can decode it and help us find him,” Grai said, seeing no reason to lie to Gracus.
It was too late to lie. If Luke Carson, Rebecca’s grandfather and he were right, then there was no way that they could stop what was going to happen. And Grai couldn’t help but be happy and excited that he would finally have the answers as to where Fiorn had gone.
Gracus stumbled and quickly righted himself as Rebecca turned around and looked at him questioningly. He’d been silent since she had spoken of finding a pattern in the symbols her grandfather had written in his journals and was wondering if he was thinking she was the one on drugs this time.
Rebecca laughed nervously and grinned at him. “I’m not crazy. I brought one of the journals with me and can show it to you when we camp for the night. There really is a pattern to the symbols,” Rebecca said, a little defensively.
Gracus nodded his head absently, trying to understand what Grai had said along with what Rebecca, had admitted to him already. He knew she was a hybrid. He and Clatz, could easily detect the unbound beast in her brain. But, how Grai, expected her to decode something that was written in the Valendran language hundreds of years ago was mystifying to him. Unless she was gifted, he thought.
Clatz interrupted his thoughts. “If you continue to keep silent, you’re going to piss her off. Trust me, it pisses me off and I like you. She doesn’t know you well enough yet, to put up with your shit. She thinks you are questioning what she believes is in the journals and her sanity,” Clatz said, helpfully.
Gracus cleared his throat. “I have no doubt you’re correct about the symbols. What I’m trying to figure out is why your grandfather wouldn’t just tell you about the place and explain to you what he knew about it. Why all the secrecy? Do you have any ideas?” he asked, hoping between what Grai, knew and what his mate knew, that he could figure out what the hell was really going on.
Rebecca laughed and the sound was so beautiful it sent skitters up Gracus’s spine as she spoke. “I’ve been wracking my brain with those questions all winter. I don’t have a clue as to why he would do that to me. It’s so out of character for him that I can barely wrap my mind around it at all.”
Rebecca stopped and turned to Gracus, needing him to understand. “My grandfather wasn’t the type of person to hide things and if the site was of significance, I can’t imagine he would keep it to himself and not allow for it to be properly studied and preserved,” Rebecca said, feeling frustrated all over again with the lack of answers to her questions.
Gracus wanted so much to confirm her thoughts, based on what Grai had told him, but he didn’t have any idea how to begin to explain things to her.
Clatz laughed heartily in his mind. “Yeah, tell her you’re an alien, that the cave is written in your language and that you’re talking to the Relian/Valendran hybrid leader of the Alien Earth Alliance in your head. Who confirmed for you, that she’s right! Ha!” Clatz broke into an annoying laughter while Gracus, tried to think of how the hell he was supposed to do this and continue to bond with Rebecca.
“How far are we from the cave?” Gracus asked, hoping it would be a few days at least.
Rebecca didn’t turn or stop walking when she answered happily, “If we can keep this pace going, we’ll be there tomorrow night.”
Gracus sighed. “At least we’ll have some answers soon,” he said absently and contacted Grai again.
