Free Hard and Easy [High-Country Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Melody Snow Monroe

curious about it. ”
    “You know where it is?”
    If Larek had to ask, then he didn’t know him that well. “I spoke with Kellum.”
    “I’m game. When?”
    “Saturday?”
     
    * * * *
     
    Getting outside helped clear Brin’s head. All week, he’d made calls, begged for favors, and was getting closer to the answer of who stole the gems. He believed Ana and Wendric when they said they were mopping the floor like usual and when the water wouldn’t drain, they undid the metal grate only to find a sack full of zornans . Their luck, the owner caught them with the gems in hand. Now, Brin just had to prove they were innocent.
    Larek looked up at the clear sky and inhaled. “We need to get out more often.”
    Larek, too, had been tracking down witnesses and interviewing people for the paper and hadn’t had a chance to get in a run all week.
    “You don’t have to convince me.”
    Larek looked over at him. “Want to race to the cave?”
    Brin grinned. “You’re on.” They both shifted.
    While he’d told Larek the general direction of the cave, he probably wouldn’t have found the right one, as there were many that dotted the mountain ridge. As soon as he chased ahead of Larek so he could lead, his friend would charge ahead of him. He was a competitive one all right.
    Brin’s lungs began to burn from the exertion, but he wasn’t going to admit defeat. He definitely needed to come up for air more than once a week or he’d turn into a weakling.
    When he passed the solid wall of rock, he slowed. Hold on. It’s near here .
    Larek stopped and waited for Brin to come alongside. You lead .
    Since they were far into lion territory, he didn’t need to be as alert for wolves as he would if they’d headed toward the west. Kellum had told him about a path they’d cut when Lara, Madra, and a host of others began excavating.
    Hey, look . An orange ribbon attached to a tree wavered in the wind. I bet it marks the way. He took off and Larek was right behind him.
    As soon as he saw the entrance he shifted back into human form. Larek followed suit. Brin expected the cave to be dark, but as soon as he stepped inside, a wall of lights blinked on.
    Larek moved into the middle of the cave and turned all the way around. “This is cool.”
    Brin had spotted the sun absorbers outside and figured they were what allowed the lights to glow. The cave was quite large, and the hole in the ground on the far side was a good twenty feet by ten feet. He stepped to the rim and looked down. “I wonder if Lara unearthed any remains here.”
    “I believe the report said she did. The question would be whether the remains were human or animal.”
    “I thought you read the transcript of the presentation.”
    “Only part of it.”
    While the empty gravesite might provide answers, he was more fascinated by what was written on the wall. He moved closer to get a better look. “Take a look at this.”
    Larek joined him. In silence, they studied the drawings. “The detail is quite something, isn’t it?”
    “Sure is.” He pointed to what looked like a throne. A man, wearing a crown, was perched on top with a wolf at his feet. “I’m guessing this is what started the whole debate.”
    Larek moved to his other side and edged along the wall. He covered more distance, but Brin figured his attention span wasn’t as great as his.
    “Hey, Brin. Look at this.”
    He trotted over. While the red pigment had faded, it was clear the lions had come in after the wolves had established Anterra and had basically murdered much of the wolf population. “This is pretty damning evidence.”
    Larek fingered the wall as if to test if the paint was still wet. “Do you think someone could have painted this recently in the hopes someone would think it was old?”
    “I’m sure Lara had it tested at the university.” He shook his head. “This implies our history has been a lie.” Noise coming from the entrance captured his attention. He glanced toward the backlit