Panthera Spelaea Ch. 41-50

"Oh, wonderful! I can't wait to get all the details."

"Gotta go, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

I hung up as the girls looked over at me. "Sorry," I said.

We relaxed that night with a big dinner followed by hours of tender lovemaking. We were relaxing and watching the nightly news on the bed afterward. I could understand most of the Russian broadcast now, only asking for help on a few of the words I couldn't figure out. I jumped a little when my picture came on the screen. It was a story on tomorrow's hearing, heavy on interviews with weeping family members. I felt for them, especially the police officer and my coworkers on the boat, but I couldn't change things now. What was I going to do? Confess that I'm also a four-hundred-kilo extinct cave lion? I'd never leave the loony bin.

The story ended with a retired Judge stating that it would deny the families' justice if I prevailed. "Once he leaves Russia, he is beyond the reach of our courts. We have no extradition treaty with the United States, and he would be foolish to return here."

"We won't ever be back, will we," Anna asked.

"The only way it is safe to come back is if the police kill the lion and arrest its owner," I replied. Was our room bugged? It was a certainty.

We had to get up early and cycled through the shower and getting dressed. The three of us laid waste to the breakfast buffet before heading to my appointment with Marina. I would travel with her to court, so the girls left to do some shopping first. I had a few other things on my mind. "I need a will," I told her.

Marina raised her eyebrow. "You are a student living off your parents," she said. "That shouldn't be difficult."

"It's not that simple." Anything I told her was under attorney-client privilege, so I explained the nature of my relationship with the girls. "I need to make sure they are protected if anything happens to me. I don't trust Viktor; I know he's pissed about me disappearing and making him look bad. If I go to jail again, I'm sure I'll have a tragic accident or die at the hands of my cellmate. That is why I need this now. Svetlana automatically inherits once she is my wife, but Anna has no legal relationship with us. If I die tonight, they have nothing."

"What kind of assets are we talking about?"

"I have a trust fund my Grandfather set up for me, plus my father has been placing stock in his company in trust for his children since we were born. I want my will to divide my estate equally between Anna and Svetlana."

She opened her computer and pulled up a form. "Last Wills are fairly standard documents. I can give you something now, but you should update it as soon as you get married." It didn't take long before I was signing the form in front of two witnesses.

We went to the garage and got in her sedan, her assistant driving us to the courthouse. The Russian and foreign press was all over the place, along with the protestors and supporters. A representative from the Embassy was standing inside with the girls after we made it through the crowd. "Let's go," Marina said.

Once again, I had a translator on the headphones for me. We all stood as the door opened in the front of the courtroom. "Circuit Court is now in session, Judge Vitali Shemkov presiding."

"Be seated," the Judge said as he sat. "Before us is a motion to release the passport of John Jacob Cantwell. Is that correct, Counselor?"

"It is Your Honor," Marina stood and responded.

He looked at the other table. "Senior Counsellor Rozanova, the State opposes the motion because of the flight risk."

She rose and responded. "Yes, Your Honor. The complainant is not a Russian citizen and has stated his intent to leave Russia and never return."

"And how do you know this? That statement is not in the motion."

"The State acquired the information via other means," the Prosecutor responded.

Marina had a grin as she pounced. "Your honor, those other means are the surveillance the police set up on my client's hotel room last night. You released my client weeks ago due to a lack of ANY probable cause for arrest. Since then, my client has been the subject of repeated police harassment."

Counselor Rozanova tried to fight back. "Your honor, the police had authorizations for every search and every surveillance placed on Mr. Cantwell. He remains the prime suspect in two mass murder incidents, after all."

Marina snorted. "My client had his rooms bugged repeatedly, plus the police placed bugs and tracking devices on his car. I'm sure when you signed the warrants for those, you didn't authorize harassment."

That got the Judge's attention. "What do you mean?"

"My client and his friends decided to go camping to get away from everything. They drove to the middle of a National Park, hiring a boat to take them to an island with no one around for kilometers. The day after they arrived, two Police Officers arrived by boat and searched their campsite. The senior officer said, and I quote, 'Viktor says to enjoy your vacation while you still can.' A tent in the middle of nowhere wasn't enough to be left alone."

The Judge looked annoyed. "Is that true, Senior Counsellor?"

"I am not sure of the particulars, but several times Mr. Cantwell has actively evaded tracking. Mr. Cantwell has destroyed surveillance equipment, relocated tracking devices, and taken evasive actions to lose our watchers. More aggressive means were required to ensure he remained under surveillance. It is not the behavior of an innocent man, Your Honor."

The Judge waved his hand. "Since when is it the responsibility of the subject to comply with your surveillance," he replied. "The whole discussion is pointless. When I threw you out of here last time, I told you not to come back without evidence to support an arrest. Have you ANY more evidence tying John Cantwell to the murders after all this time?"

Counsellor Rozanova would have said it if she did, so we all knew she had nothing. "No, Your Honor, but the State cannot allow a murder suspect to leave the country!"

"Enough," the Judge said. "The motion is granted. Return Mr. Cantwell's passport immediately with the apologies of the Court." He banged the gavel and rose, and so did we.

We'd won my freedom.

Ch. 44

I turned to the gallery and leaned over to embrace my girls. They were happy, but most of the gallery was shocked and upset. I thanked Marina for her help and looked for the exits. There were uniformed police in the gallery, and they were taking up places to protect us from the hostile crowd. "сюда, пожалуйста (this way please)," the Bailiff said. I lifted the girls over the railing, and the Embassy representative slid over it too. I could hear screams of "убийца (murderer)" as we exited the way a prisoner would, ending up in the same conference room as my earlier hearing.

My release had set off a protest inside the courtroom and outside the building, and it wasn't safe for me to leave right now. "I'd recommend leaving the country as soon as possible," the Embassy man said.

"I need visas for the girls. I'm not leaving without them."

He nodded. "You are both registered nurses, correct?" They nodded. "Can you guarantee them employment in that field?"

"Of course. Both can work for my family's company if they want, and there are plenty of hospitals in Houston where they could work."

"That makes it easier. I will arrange for work visas and bring them to your hotel. Make the flight arrangements for tomorrow. I'll bring an Embassy vehicle to take you to the airport."

"Eager to get rid of us?"

He let out a sigh. "Your continued presence in Russia is good for no one, especially in the diplomatic corps. Let's get you home."

I had to agree. The consular official left for the embassy, and when my passport was in hand, Marina and the guards brought us to the secure parking area. We had to drive with a police escort through the mob outside, and more paparazzi and protestors were waiting at our hotel. "This rules out going out to eat tonight," I said as I escorted the girls into the lobby past the hotel security.

We returned to our room and ordered food brought up. In the meantime, Svetlana updated her parents on our plans. Since we had to leave so quickly, we couldn't get engaged at their home as we planned. Instead, I changed our hotel reservations, making tonight our last and adding a room for two nights for her parents. I also bought them one-way plane tickets to Moscow, leaving in two hours and returning after a day alone sightseeing. They packed quickly and headed to the Rybinsk airport, then take a cab to our hotel. When we left, they would drive our car back to their home.

I then booked three business-class tickets from Moscow to New York- LaGuardia, connecting three hours later with a non-stop to Houston in first class. The flight left at ten in the morning, so I hope the Consulate can get the visas quickly. Finally, I contacted the hotel concierge and asked for help arranging a private dinner for five. He was more than happy to cater to our need for privacy, as having us in the main dining room would be a distraction. When I told him I was planning to get engaged, he said he would take care of everything.

I got a text from the jeweler saying our rings were ready. Not willing to risk leaving, I asked them to deliver them to the concierge in the hotel instead.

By the time I got off the phone, Anna was out of the shower, and the food had arrived. The food would feed eight, but we polished it off and looked for more. While the girls packed suitcases for the trip to America, I went down to the gym to burn off some energy.

The Universal gym they had wasn't a challenge, so I punished myself on the treadmill with a hard run. The gym was empty, letting me push my speed for forty minutes. When I finished, I wiped the sweat off and headed back to the room.

The girls were lounging in their robes, watching the news coverage. "Feel better?" Anna came up to kiss me, her robe hanging loosely to give me a look at her hot body.

"I will after a shower," I said.

"We'll be waiting. We have another two hours until our parents arrive, and we'll have to shower and air out the room before then." I stripped off my workout clothes and headed for the shower. I knew what was waiting and was hard as a rock by the time I came back out.

The girls didn't disappoint. They were standing together by the big bed, facing away from me. Like synchronized swimmers, the robes opened, then fell to the floor together. The girls crawled onto the bed, wiggling their firm butts in my direction. My lion's pride of ownership pushed through our bond in my head, matching my love for them. It was time to take care of my pride. "Svetlana, on your back. Anna, you lay on top of her and show me how much you love each other."

The girls immediately shifted positions, kissing and stroking each other's flesh. I pulled the two back until their hips were near the edge of the bed, their needy pussies stacked one above the other. I tapped the head of my cock against them, rubbing their juices on it before sliding it between the two. The girls angled their hips, moaning with arousal as I stroked three times across their clits. I then pulled back, set myself at Svetlana's petals, and pushed my length into her. It felt fantastic as she took me deep inside herself, and she came for the first time when my big balls slapped against her ass. "JOHN!"

I started stroking into her, long, powerful strokes that shook them both when my hips crashed into her ass. Anna was pinching her nipples and capturing her moans with her kisses, feeling my shaft pushing up into her stomach as well. I kept going until Svetlana peaked again; when she stopped screaming, I pulled out and moved up a few inches until I was pushing my length into Anna.

Back and forth, in and out, I pounded them both good for the next twenty minutes. I drove each girl to multiple orgasms before my balls started to tighten as I worked over Anna's tight box. I managed to hold off until she was close; she broke with me as I slammed deep and started filling her with my seed. After a few spurts, I pulled out and slammed deep into Svetlana. She took the rest.

"Anna, spin around and clean each other out." I loved this part; Anna turned into a classic 69, diving in to catch the milky seed leaking out of her lover. At the same time, Svetlana was pulling her to her face, sucking out everything I'd left in Anna. I let the girls bring each other to another orgasm before Anna cleaned me off with her mouth.

I handed them each a bottle of water from the minibar, then drank one myself. We still had an hour more to play, and this time the girls could be on top.

I loved riding time.

The room was airing out, our showers finished, and we were dressed for dinner when the concierge brought up the rings. I pocketed them. "Your guests arrived ten minutes ago and are in Room 422. When you are ready for dinner, call me, and I'll have Security escort you all to the private dining area on the rooftop."

"Thank you," I said as I slipped him a big tip. Svetlana called her parents, who were changing for dinner and would be ready in twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes later, the five of us stepped onto the rooftop of the Metropole Hotel and into a private garden area with a round dining table set up. The days were not as long anymore, but it was still warm enough to be comfortable. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner, with the sunset over Moscow going on after the plates disappeared. I asked the waitress to give us privacy for fifteen minutes before dessert.

It was time.

I stood and moved my chair out of the way, kneeling between my loves as her parents watched. I had a ring box in each hand, flipping it open as I looked at them. "Svetlana, Anna, I have fallen in love with both of you and cannot imagine a life without you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wives?"

"Yes," Svetlana said as tears ran down her face.

"I will," Anna said before she left her seat to hug me. Svetlana was right behind her, the three of us hugging and crying as the girls put their rings on.

We finally stood back up as Sergei and Nadezna came around to congratulate their daughter and their future daughter-in-law and son-in-law. The girls proudly showed off their rings, and eventually, we all sat back down again.

The waitress came back out with a 'Congratulations on Your Engagement' cake and a bottle of champagne. Nadezna looked up knowingly when both girls only took half a glass. "You didn't have drinks with dinner," she said to her daughter.

It was time, again. "A toast," I said as I raised my champagne. "To the finest nurses, best partners, and happiest mothers in the world. I love you, Anna and Svetlana."

"Mothers?" Sergei had almost dropped his glass when I said that.

"Mom, Dad, I'm pregnant. I was going to get it verified by the doctor this week, but my home pregnancy test confirmed it this morning."

"I'm pregnant too," Anna said with a smile. "Congratulations, you're getting grandchildren too!"

"Oh, my," Nadezna said as she leaned into her husband, crying onto his shoulder.

The girls got up and went to hug Lana's parents. "We love him, and we're happy," Anna told them. "We'll set a wedding date after we've talked to his parents."

"I'll fly you to the States," I told them. "It wouldn't be good coming back here."

It was a lot to take in, but her parents accepted and supported us. Their little girl was going to be a wife and mother, however strange our relationship was. "I didn't expect to be a grandmother so soon," Nadezna said as the girls hugged again.

When we got back home, I'd have to do the same with my family.

We enjoyed the dessert, talking and laughing until the air was chilly. Sergei suggested we retire, as it would be an early morning. "Thank you for inviting us here to watch your proposal," he told me as he pulled me into a hug. "Welcome to the family, son." Mom was still emotional; her baby was getting married, having a baby, and moving far away from her.

We split up on our floor, and I brought the girls back to our room. I was so eager to be alone with the girls that I didn't catch the strange scent in the room before I closed the door again. My cat surged forward as he sensed the threat, but I stayed human. "Hello, John," the young woman said from the chair by the bed, where she was wearing a hotel robe and nothing else. "I need you to relax. I'm here to help you."

"I don't know you." She was a tiny thing that radiated strength, like a gymnast with her frosted blonde hair cut short. She was shorter than Anna and nowhere near as filled out. Physically, she was no threat to us, but our cat was screaming to me that something was wrong with her.

"Don't say anything since they may be listening." With that, she stood up and dropped her robe. I got a glance at her tanned, athletic body before she wasn't there anymore.

In her place was a four-foot-tall golden eagle.

Ch. 45

All of us were shocked, but Svetlana recovered first. "Beautiful," she said as she moved forward.

I grabbed her arm, not sure of the danger. Svetlana turned to me and whispered in my ear. "If she wanted to hurt us, she had her chance. She's like you." I released her, and she moved closer, reaching a fist out towards the eagle's beak. It was just like you'd introduce yourself to a strange dog, and the eagle tilted her head and allowed her to touch its feathers. "So soft."

That broke the ice, and Anna and I came over to touch the giant raptor. She shifted back, holding her finger over her lips to indicate we should stay quiet. She whispered into Svetlana's ear to play music loudly, then pulled Anna and me towards the bathroom. "Bugging a bathroom is less common, but it can happen. Search for bugs while I run a bath."

I found one under the sink and crushed it between my fingers, showing it to the others before tossing it in the trash. We didn't locate more, and they wouldn't have a chance to put more in before we left. The oversize jacuzzi was half-full when the bird-woman turned on the jets. "Take a shower and leave the water running, then join me in the tub," she told us.

The girls shot me a look of jealousy, and I shrugged it off. "She's right. It's the best place to talk, and I'm not going to do anything with her." Between the music playing on the phone in the other room, the water running, and the air pumps, it would be tough for bugs to pick up anything.

Our visitor and I got in the tub at opposite ends. Since Svetlana and Anna were pregnant, they sat on the edge with their legs in the water. We all leaned forward so she could talk. "My name is Ekatarina Federova. Thank you for talking to me."

I had so many questions. "You're like me, but how?"

"Tell me what you've learned about your lion, and then I'll answer your questions."

I quickly went through what happened on the boat, the changes to my body, and how I'd slowly learned to coexist, so I was aware of what happened when I shifted. Our time at the farm had been productive; my cat and I could exchange feelings and urges freely in either form, though my lion couldn't form words. I could now shift between the two bodies at will and heal quickly from wounds. I also talked about the changes I'd seen in the girls; their easy acceptance of our polyamorous relationship, sharper senses, and increased physical strength and endurance. "I don't know how, but I can become the same lion I found frozen in the permafrost years ago."

"You've learned a lot on your own, and that is good. We feared that your living in cities, or prison, would result in further exposure, even your death. We were lucky the damage was so limited."

I rolled my eyes. "Sixteen dead and a lion caught on video is limited?"

"It could have been much worse. New Switchers are rare, and you were a big surprise. We had no idea a Cave Lion Switcher existed until we saw the video after the Moscow incident."