Panthera Spelaea Ch. 51-60

He turned back to the helicopter and helped a woman out. Damn was she a looker! She was almost as tall as him, with her jean-clad legs disappearing eventually into white cowboy boots. She had a round ass, narrow waist, a big bust, and big blonde hair. She looked like Marilyn Monroe as a fantasy cowgirl.

Art greeted them both, then brought them back to his office. We followed Edward in after them, and I caught the scent. "John, Svetlana, Anna, I'd like you to meet Duncan West and his wife and mate, Olivia. Duncan is our Dire Wolf Switcher, just in from his Montana ranch. John is our Cave Lion."

I stepped forward holding my girls at my side while my cat took in his scent. The fact he was mated helped calm my cat, and I shook his hand with a smile. "John Cantwell. My mate Svetlana Sevastyano and my other mate, Anna Kovalenko."

"Two?" Olivia giggled as she embraced the girls. "He must be quite the stud."

"Oh, he is," Anna replied. "I have so many questions for you."

It was then I realized that this was the first time the girls had met other switcher mated females. They headed out to talk as the men got down to business.

Ch. 53

"One more and we'll have the whole set," I said lightheartedly as we made our ways to chairs in the ornate office. A young woman in a crew uniform took drink orders and disappeared.

"That would be a first," Duncan said. "Art visited our ranch forty years or so ago, and we visited Edward before he moved to Tasmania. Now he's to dang far away."

"It is a lot of travel, and I know how you hate being cooped up," Edward said with a wave.

"Fences and buildings make me nervous; it's the way I am," Duncan replied. "When is Ekatarina arriving?"

"She's on her way," Art said. "She should arrive in time for dinner."

"It's an exciting time for us," Edward said. "Has a gathering like this EVER happened? I don't recall meeting with more than one of my fellow switchers at a time for training or to catch up. My Dad never mentioned it."

Art shook his head, no. "Never in my knowledge have the known switchers gathered until now, and I've been around longer than any of you."

I looked over at Duncan. "When did you become a Switcher?"

"During the Revolutionary War in 1778," Duncan responded. "My father moved from Scotland to the Colonies, arriving in 1650 in Boston. He moved between the Colonies to hide his lack of aging, and to find lightly populated areas with good hunting for his wolf. Even back then, muskets and the fear of wolves made it dangerous to be out in animal form."

That brought up a question I had. "Both Art and Ekatarina told me they like to switch a few times a week."

Art snickered. "It's easy for her, she just flies away. The rest of us have to have room to switch with no one around, like on that beach we were just at."

"So how often do you tiger out, Edward?"

"My cat is pretty easygoing, I guess. I try to give him a day every fortnight or so, but I've gone months without switching. When I let him out, I like to let him go for a day or two if I can."

Duncan just shook his head. "There's a reason I live on thirty thousand acres of ranch land. My wolf gets restless if he doesn't get a run every day, and he hates going more than two days. How often does a Cave Lion come out?"

I accepted a bottle of Coke from the crew member. "He loved it at the dacha where he was out every day, but he's gone weeks between early on. I think he understands from me when it is too dangerous, but before we melded minds, he forced his way out after a few weeks locked inside. I guess I don't know what the minimum is yet."

Duncan nodded. "I don't think anyone knows much about the Cave Lion. If you have a safe place, switch as much as you can. It will help you merge your minds, and make it less likely he pushes his way forward when you don't want him to." He sat back as a crew member handed him a German beer. "That's why we are a little late. I hate being stuck in an airplane, and I don't have a private jet or loyal boat crew like Art here. I spent a full night in my wolf before we headed to the airport, then slept most of the flight. It's the best way I've found to travel long distances when I must."

Art agreed. "That's part of the challenge of being a new switcher, learning to coexist with your animal side and seeing that his needs are met, too. None of us can afford the exposure that would occur if our animal switched at the wrong time."

I had to agree. "I'm lucky the Moscow park had no video surveillance in the area where the girls were threatened. If we hadn't run into the park from the sidewalk, it would be all over the internet by now."

Art tossed down his vodka and leaned forward. "That's part of why we all wanted to talk to you. Each of us has chosen different ways to live as a switcher. I'm a recluse, using my wealth and anonymity to stay out of the limelight. Edward moves around every twenty years, picking places with low population densities and few tourists. Ekatarina moves to a new Russian city every decade or so, traveling to the country to fly. Duncan owns large holdings in rural America, moving between them while remaining an absentee owner of others. All of us change identities periodically, and I help with that."

"How?"

"I have doctors who provide birth certificates for fake sons. These identities are maintained with fake school records, medical histories, and driver's licenses. When we move, we assume the new identity."

"I'm not rich like these blokes," Edward said, "so I have his doctors fake my death and pass my estate to my 'son' who moves far away to start a new life."

Art waved at the boat. "I am happy to help, as nothing good would come from our exposure. Imaging the lure of immortality, combined with the raw power our animals have. How far would the rich and powerful go to achieve that?"

A hell of a long way, I imagined. "What do you think I should do?"

"We will know more when Ekatarina arrives. You are a hard case, because your name and face is so widely known, and is tied to both a dead Cave Lion and a killer Moscow lion. The Internet never forgets. It's likely we'll have to fake your deaths and hide you out for a long time."

"How long?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "A century would be good."

Holy crap. "A hundred years?"

"Long enough for your story to be forgotten, and everyone who knows you to die off."

Including my family and Svetlana's parents? "Our families? I can't abandon them."

Art waved his hand around. "I have disappeared without abandoning my family. You can too; your father and Svetlana's are nearing retirement age, and you have enough money to live comfortably in isolation. You could take them with you, and let them help raise your children."

"Nothing has to happen right away," Edward agreed. "Your situation with two mates is unique, but not difficult to overcome. You could marry Svetlana and settle down in Texas, then we fake your deaths later on."

Art agreed. "Of course, everything is subject to change if your secret isn't as secret as we thought. Viktor was pushing you for a reason, and whoever was directing him wanted your Gift for himself. You can bank on that."

Ch. 54

My Lion wasn't happy with the idea of someone killing me to take my Gift, but there wasn't anything I could do about it now. I had some serious discussions ahead of me with my girls, not to mention what I was going to tell our families. 'By the way, we're never going to age so you need to help us keep the secret while you grow old and die on us. The good news? Lots of grandkids.'

I felt the engines rumble to life as we got underway. "Where are we going?"

"The Spanish island of Manorca, eventually. For now, we have to transit past the southern tip of Sardinia. Ekatarina is flying in to the Cagliari Elmas Airport late this afternoon. A helicopter will fly her out as we pass by."

I had to ask the obvious question. "She's an EAGLE. Can't she just fly out?"

Duncan looked at me like I was an idiot. "When has a woman ever traveled without luggage?" He had a point. Duncan raised his glass and looked at me. "Whatever the girls get up to, I'll just apologize for in advance. Olivia hasn't shut up since she found out about your two mates."

"It's just women talk, right?" I didn't sound very confident.

He laughed. "Do you know how long it has been since Olivia had the chance to make real friends?"

I didn't get it. "She seems friendly enough. I bet she has plenty of friends."

"No, that's part of the problem with how we have to live. Art has the same issue, as do all of us. The only true friends we can have will be on this yacht tonight, because we're the only ones trusted with the secrets. Olivia can't be friends with anyone except Ekatarina. Human friends are problematic; even on our ranch, we are isolated from the surrounding town. We don't travel off our property very often, and when we do, she has no one to see except in our group."

"No grandchildren?"

"We're not at rich as Art is, and we can't support the extended family like he can. We don't share the secret of our existence with our children; once they move out, their children never know they have grandparents."

That sucked. "Why is that?"

"How hard would it be for someone to make a slip of the tongue? Better they never know."

Art agreed. "I stay more active in the lives of my extended family. Since I support their upbringing, education, and employment, I engender more loyalty. What I don't allow is for those not of my blood to see me and know the truth. Unless they are working for me directly, they live in the world, and their spouses know nothing. I sponsor summer camps, bringing my children together from around the world. They have no idea everyone at the Camp is related by blood, and we get a good idea of their character. When the kids are older, IF we believe they can be trusted, I have the option of bringing them into the family company. As you can imagine, the farther down the family tree you go, the tougher it is to trust them."

"And if you don't trust them?"

Art took a drink before answering. "No person is cut off completely from the family. We may not have contact, but we can guide their careers and help put them in positions of power and influence around the world. As far as they know, their dead ancestor left a trust fund for their education. Most of them will never be asked to do anything, but if needed? We have a parent or grandparent in the Company ask them for the help without explaining why. I have thousands and thousands of descendents who go through life never knowing Arten Karpen is their blood relative."

It sounded very complicated. "Art, how the hell do you handle marriage? What if your child or grandchild divorces?"

"If they fall in love with someone outside the family, I set them up with employment outside the family business. Marina was that way; she interned at the company, then fell in love while at law school. I helped her set up her practice, and she helps me. If one of them gets divorced, they can come back in. They never mention me to their spouse, and they never visit with them. If I'm lucky, they bring sons or daughters to me to be read into the family."

"So they all leave to get married and raise children?"

"Not all marriages are outside the family," he said with a smile. "You'd be surprised how many distant cousins fall in love at these camps, or while working in the family business. If both are family, they stay in the Company and keep my existence from their children until it is time."

My head was reeling. "Jesus. It's like the Mob."

Art laughed at that. "The Mob dreams of having loyalty like I have. Family is everything to us. I told you earlier, there are almost two thousand working in Karpen Investments, and three thousand more who know the secret but live and work outside the company. They have spouses, children, lives of their own but remain loyal to me, keeping the secret from the rest of their family."

"And you've never had anyone try to blackmail you? Go to the press? Try to kill you and take your bear for themselves?"

His eyes flashed. "No. I provide them with good lives, good jobs, and a purpose. Their loyalty shows the strength of the family bonds. Those that don't reciprocate find themselves outside my trust."

"Damn. That doesn't seem like it should be possible!"

"I don't think it would be under normal circumstances. I'm an old switcher, John, with centuries of experience observing and evaluating people. My bear has a nose for loyalty. I also believe there is a genetic component that works to strengthen that bond to our family, but I can't prove that."

I hadn't thought of that. It still blew my mind to think Art was five and a half centuries old, Edward was about a hundred, and Duncan was over three hundred year old when all three looked as young and strong as I did. How much could you learn over the centuries?

"And what does your bear's nose say about me?"

"My bear likes you, John. So do my investigators, who I've had researching your background since you came to our attention. I admire your loyalty to your mates. The incident on the subway, then in the park, was how I knew I could trust you."

"Why?"

"Because when you come into power like we have, the temptation is to abuse it. My people saw how fast you could run and how strong you'd become. A lesser man would seek advantage from that, but you protected Svetlana from assault without going too far. I'm glad my people didn't have to clean up after you on that one; letting your lion out in the subway, or demonstrating superhuman abilities, would show you weren't mature enough to handle the power you've obtained."

"And if you couldn't trust me?"

"My people would take you before anyone else could. You and Svetlana would have been drugged and taken to a secure holding facility. I'd pick a family member suited to the Gift and have you killed so he could take your Lion. Svetlana might survive as his mate, or might not. It's harsh, but so is the life we must lead. Imagine if Viktor was the first to touch you after your death? Or some criminal? No, we cannot risk power in the wrong hands. Someone has to kill the host so a more suitable person could get the Gift."

"And you get to choose who is 'suitable' to get the gift?"

"I have the power and the age to make those decisions, John. What happens to one of us affects us all. That's why I brought you here, to meet with the others. We all need to take measure of you, and you need to understand how your life has to be now. If I wasn't confident you could do it, you'd be dead already."

I needed to change the subject. "So, Duncan, about the girls?"

"Olivia's only friend since Art's mate died has been Ekatarina, and she lives halfway around the world. She's also a switcher, and not mated, so things aren't the same for her. With Anna and Svetlana, she can have friends who are living the same way and under the same rules. She doesn't have to hold back on who she is or what it is like to be a Switcher's mate. By the time we all head our separate ways, those girls will be friends for life. A LONG life."

Edward laughed a little. "You'll have no secrets by the time they get out of the pool, John."

I wanted to find out more about my fellow US citizens. "How long have you and Olivia been mated?"

"I found her in 1821. Since then, we've had eight daughters and seven sons."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Fifteen children in three hundred years doesn't seem like much for a wolf. I thought you had big litters?"

Edward choked on his drink on that one, and Duncan just chuckled. "The way we have to live, keeping a big family around is difficult. You raise your babies to adulthood, and pretty soon you can't ignore that you look the same despite the age difference. What we settled on was to have one or two. While raising them, we were building an identity and moving our fortune to the next land we'd move to. After they reached adulthood, we'd fake our deaths, leave them enough money for a good life, and move to the next place."

"And that is why you have so few?"

He nodded. "The Gift gives, but it also takes. You'll learn the pain that comes with abandoning your children to keep your secret, John. Not everyone has Art's fortune or will to live as a recluse."

"That has to be hard," I said. I couldn't imagine raising children only to cut them loose like that.

"Sometimes I think I'm the lucky one, but I'm not," Edward said. "Art and Duncan spent centuries with their mates, while I've been afraid to let anyone close for a long time. You can keep an eye on your children from a distance, but falling in love over and over to people who aren't your mate? It tears you up. Whoever said 'Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' is full of shit. I stopped seeing women my cat rejected decades ago."

"So you've given up on women?"

Edward looked shocked. "Oh, HELL no. I'm king of the one-night stands. If my cat doesn't want her in the morning, I kick her out. Quantity has a quality all its own."

I bet. We talked for another hour, mostly me telling my life story and talking about how I was settling in with my lion. "Gents, if you don't mind, I need to find my mates and see how bad everything is by now."

"I'll go with you," Duncan said. "God knows what decisions they've made for us already."

The day was sunny, the breeze warm, the water clear, and the scenery in the pool was fantastic. "I didn't know suits were optional on board," I teased as I walked up to the small saltwater pool on the aft deck.

"We didn't feel like going back to change, and who cares? We're on a yacht in the Med, and we're all friends or family here," Anna responded.

"Get your clothes off and get in here, baby," Svetlana said.

I looked over at Duncan, who shrugged and pulled off his shirt. "Could be worse," he said.

"We'll find out soon." We slid into the water, and my girls sat in my lap as the others joined us. Life was good, and tonight we'd have all the Switchers in one place.

Ch. 55

When the girls started to prune up from spending too long in the pool, we broke up the party and headed for our stateroom. By 'break up,' I mean the girls took off naked, and I chased after them with my dick slashing around like a lightsaber. Nobody bothered to grab their clothes, and no one cared. We were getting used to the idea of being on a private yacht with a loyal crew. No one cared about our nudity and open sex.

Duncan stayed behind, getting a blowjob on the edge of the pool from his beautiful mate. Edward's date from last night wasn't the one, so a new girl had joined us in the water. When I last saw him, he had the young redhead holding onto the pool railing as he pounded her from behind. She was vocal in her encouragement, but who cared? Nobody was close enough to worry us.

I thought it was a hell of an idea, and our stateroom had a small, private deck that looked out over the water towards the island in the distance. I started with Svetlana sitting on the deck and Anna leaning over the rail. Anna squealed as Svetlana's tongue hit her clit, then she screamed as I sheathed my cock fully inside her with one powerful thrust. The two of us drove her to one screaming orgasm after another. I grabbed her hips and lifted her off the deck as my orgasm hit with hers. I kept holding her on me as I pulsed a load deep inside her. When I tried to set her down, she couldn't get her legs to work.

I carried a fucked-out Anna to the chaise lounge, setting her down with her head near the foot of the padded chair. I fed her my cock, letting her clean it up and restore it to hardness. I gestured to Svetlana, who smiled widely before climbing on top of Anna in a sixty-nine. She started to noisily suck and lick the mess from her sister mate while planting herself onto Anna's tongue.