Panthera Spelaea Ch. 71-80

"I will, but I have to be careful. Karpen Investments could crush us both like insects if we cross them," I said. There wasn't much left to shock them with. We all agreed that Melanie needed to go back to school. She would be inheriting Dad's company eventually and needed the education. Dad would sign a lease on a larger apartment near campus with better security. It would be big enough for the girls and me to stay while doing switcher training. Melanie would pay him back after the lawyers figured out the best way to bring the money stateside.

"I'd like to see your Eagle unless you two have more bombshells to set off," Dad said.

"Maybe after dinner," Melanie agreed. "We all have a lot to do."

Mom practically jumped out of her seat. "It's late afternoon in Moscow, so we still have time to talk to Svetlana's parents! Come on, girls!" I didn't even get a chance to kiss them before she pulled them out of the room.

"I'm going to search for apartments," Melanie said.

"And I'll get the financial documents and come back here." It had gone better than I expected, and I had my parents solidly behind me. It was time to plan OUR lives instead of reacting to what others wanted.

Ch. 79

"Nervous?"

I looked over at my younger brother Patrick as he took his place next to me in his tuxedo. "Why would I be?"

"I don't know, bro. Two hundred people looking at you and your pregnant girlfriend inside with her father?"

I just grinned. "I can't wait. Someday, you'll know the feeling." I looked across the small podium in our backyard to where Anna stood in her bridesmaid dress and smiled apologetically. We'd kept the wedding party small, with just a Best Man and Maid of Honor. Anna deserved a day like this but would never get it. Anna smiled as the organist stopped, then everyone stood as the Bridal March started.

I started to grin. "Look, I paid good money for Svetlana. She's mine now." It was a fun Russian tradition for the groom to 'rescue' his bride on their wedding day. This morning, I'd gone to the hotel where she was staying with her parents. They had 'hidden' Svetlana in a closet in the bedroom, with luggage and furniture piled in front of it to keep me away. I had to buy my bride's freedom with a bottle of champagne, a big box of chocolate, tickets to the Houston Ballet, and cash for spending money. As we left, her friends showered us with seeds, coins, and candies for luck.

There were a few other traditions at play today. Sergei and Nadezna's closest friends were the старейшины (elders) for the ceremony. Her parents arranged for a Korovai, the traditional Ukrainian wedding bread, to be baked and brought over. A Korovai wasn't the kind of loaf you'd buy at the market; it was intricately decorated and lovingly crafted. Superstition held that the Korovai bakers passed along the fate of their marriages through the bread. Therefore, only married women and their children participate. The baking starts with prayer, uses holy water, and is a labor of love. The elders brought the Korovai in and would hold it during the ceremony. It was beautiful; two birds on the top symbolizing us, the rest decorated with flowers, pine cones, grapes, and vines.

The back doors opened, and Svetlana stepped out with Sergei into the bright Houston sunshine. My bride looked radiant. Her blonde hair pulled back in complicated braiding, a veil below a silver tiara obscuring her face. The sleeveless white wedding gown clung to her athletic curves, offering hints as to the treasures I knew were beneath it. The train followed behind her, sliding over the white material leading out to the altar.

The guests gazing at her knew what I did; I was the luckiest man in the universe. I saw the love in her eyes as she reached us, and her father placed her hand in mine. "позаботься о моем ребенке, (Take care of my baby)," Sergei said in Russian.

"она мое сокровище, (She is my treasure)," I replied. My father-in-law shook my hand and took his seat in front next to Nadezna. The two of us turned to face the Russian Orthodox priest. The priest was Svetlana's spiritual guide from baptism through high school. Svetlana kept in touch after his transfer to another parish. He flew here with her parents and a dozen friends of my girls from school and work. My pastor stood next to him; he would be the 'official' officiant under Texas law and share the ceremonial duties.

I didn't even notice the crowd, and the service itself was a blur. We repeated the vows, exchanged rings, and got crowned in the traditional Russian Orthodox manner. We finally kissed for the first time as husband and wife. The crowd cheered, and I saw how thrilled Anna was for us. We turned to face the guests as she took my arm.

Both Moms were crying, and our fathers were not unaffected. Melanie sat next to my Mom, with Colonel West in his Marine dress blues by her side. She was crying and leaning into his side as we passed. Melanie had been nervous about him when we returned to school, but he was smitten. Neither cared about the age difference between them, and they talked every night during our visit. Mom and Dad met him last night, and he'd met whatever tests they had for him. I was happy for them and hopeful he was her mate.

I smiled at the other guests as we slowly returned to the house. The other Switchers were here, all sitting on the bride's side. I'd convinced my childhood and college friends to sit on Svetlana's side as well, and a few of the single ones had found seats next to the hot Russian nurses who came over. My side was older, with friends and business associates of my parents dominating the crowd.

The wedding party went to Dad's office to sign the paperwork, then the girls and I retired to the sitting room for more pictures. While we did that, caterers finished setting up the pool area for the party to follow.

The reception was in the Russian tradition as well. Svetlana's cousin, Todor, was the "Tamada," what we called the Master of Ceremonies. Todor set up a receiving line at the entrance to the big pool/patio area. Patrick was first, with me next, then Svetlana. Anna and our parents followed. Anna used a table behind us for gifts, including our Russian friends' traditional salt and bread.

As people made it to the tables, wine bottles got opened, and glasses charged. Todor announced the first toast, explaining the tradition to the Americans as he went. He held the glass up. "для молодоженов, (For the newlyweds)!"

The guests shouted back the toast, then drank. One of my college buddies, obviously prompted by the cute Russian brunette at his side, called back, "Горький (bitter)!"

"Oh, the wine is bitter? There's only one way to sweeten it up! The longest kiss!"

Svetlana grinned as I took her into my arms and kissed her deeply. The longer the kiss, the sweeter the wine, and I didn't mind a bit as the crowd counted the seconds. At just over two minutes into some serious tonsil hockey, Todor tapped my shoulder. "Come on, we're getting hungry," he whispered.

I ended the kiss, and another gave a toast. This time, another guest complained the wine was bitter, so we did it again. It took six tries, but eventually, we got it right.

Mom was surprised at Svetlana's decisions on the reception menu, but it was inspired. She'd chosen authentic Texas barbecue from our favorite local restaurant, and the smell of the food cooking had been a distraction all day. "I'm not a formal dinner person," Svetlana explained. "I love the flavors of your food, and I want my guests to share in that."

Instead of formal seating, there were four buffet lines set up. We piled our plates with brisket, chicken, ribs, cornbread, potato wedges, and coleslaw before taking our spots at the head table. It didn't take long before we were tucking into the food, and the first clinking of glasses sounded. You see, Americans have traditions too! I leaned over, licked the bit of barbecue sauce from Svetlana's lips, then kissed her deeply as the crowd cheered.

Todor kept the party going during the meal, interspersing jokes and poems among multiple toasts. Anna told funny stories about us in Russia, and Patrick gave his Best Man speech. Many bottles of wine were gone by the time we got to my bridal toast, but it all went off as planned.

Svetlana was cleaning her fingers on a wet towel before patting the food belly she'd created. "That was great," she said as she relaxed.

"очень хорошая еда, (Very good food)," her father agreed. Caterers cleared the dinner tables as we headed for the wedding cake. The three-tiered cake had a white and raspberry cake base, a banana-custard-flavored middle layer, and an authentic Russian honey cake on top. We made the traditional first cuts, fed each other a taste without incident, and turned it over to the professionals to distribute.

"You didn't shove it in her face!" Patrick sounded disappointed.

"Not all traditions are good ones," I countered.

As the night went on, Todor kept the fun going. Russian wedding receptions were full of games and contests, the most dangerous being 'find your bride.' I was blindfolded and sent along a line of women who might offer a hand, leg, or body part for me to touch, and I was to find Svetlana or face punishment. My nose made this easy, and she gasped when I pulled her into my body for a kiss as the crowd cheered.

The dancing and partying went on into the night. Our guests needed to start heading home, so we made the round of goodbyes. On the way out, we cut the Korovai bread and ate some, while the elders would make sure all the guests got a piece as they departed. Anna went with us to our room, and we changed into our getaway clothes. One last goodbye to our parents, and we headed to the limo for the airport.

Anna was crying as we pulled away from my parent's home. "I'm sorry," I said as I pulled her into my lap.

"The ceremony was beautiful, and I had the BEST time," Anna replied. "It was everything I could have dreamed of."

"And I can't give that to you," I said as I tucked their heads into my chest. "We'll make it up to you, somehow."

"Anything," Svetlana added.

"I want him first tonight," she finally said. "I want to make love to him and feel him fill me with his seed." She was wiggling on my leg, and I was responding. I was only human.

"We've got twenty minutes to the airport," I replied. Anna didn't need any other permission; she slipped off my lap, and the girls removed my pants and shirt in seconds. Anna pulled her skirt up and straddled me in reverse, letting my big cock slide deep inside her velvet sleeve. "Oh, GOD! You feel so good," I told her.

Anna closed her eyes and started to move her hips, and she stifled a scream when she felt a tongue on her clit. Svetlana was leaning over, teasing her sister-wife as she started lifting herself and dropping back down. We gave her three orgasms in ten minutes, the last one ending with me pounding up into her and depositing a full load. "I get my reward for sharing now," Svetlana said as I laid Anna across the seat. She dove in and cleaned the gooey load, gulping down the magic jizz while giving Anna one last orgasm.

I was so lucky the girls didn't get jealous of each other.

We cleaned up just in time. The private jet was waiting for us, and the copilot took our bags as we boarded. We were heading to a friend's place for two weeks, a place that was a lot warmer than our other offer in Montana. Our host joined us a few minutes later, and we were off.

We flew to Los Angeles, and since the jet had a bedroom, Svetlana got her first lovemaking session as a married woman. We then flew first-class to Sydney before catching a smaller plane to Tasmania. A car was waiting at the airport for us, and a young woman got out as we taxied to a stop. Edward was off the plane first, and the beautiful girl ran into his arms. "John, Svetlana, and Anna, may I introduce you to Alexandra Abrahmov."

I froze as what he said registered. "Alexandra? As in Mikhail's granddaughter and heir?"

The two smiled widely. "Yes," Edward said. "Alexandra is my mate, and she has a few things to tell you."

Ch. 80

It took me a moment to recover from this. "Your mate? How?"

"We have a long drive to my place so we can talk on the way," Edward said. The copilot transferred our luggage to the back of his Land Rover, then the three of us got in the back with me in the middle. Edward held the door open for Alexandra to get in, then went around to the driver's side. As we drove off, he turned to look at us quickly. "Our story will take a while, but I want to ask you two a few things first. Why are you here?"

I shrugged. "Our honeymoon? The girls liked the beaches in Italy, but we wanted to get away from Europe and all the press. Tasmania is about as far away as we can get."

He nodded at that but kept pressing. "You know I'm happy to host, but I was shocked when you asked to visit. I thought we were friends, but you had reasons to be hesitant. I did set you up in Croatia."

I hadn't forgotten that. Edward had been the one to contact Mikhail and tell him of my location on the uninhabited island, plus he leaked the word about the Eagle carcass. "You played your part well, Edward. We'd always intended to lure Mikhail there, but no one expected him to kidnap Melanie. Art's people let that information leak out, and Mikhail exploited it. Thanks to you, we're rich now. It all turned out for the better." I looked in the front seat. "Except for Alexandra. I'm sorry, this talk is insensitive. The money we had would have been yours."

"I'm fully aware of what you did with my grandfather's company," the Russian beauty said. She was tall and thin, her straight raven-black hair going midway down her back. She had high cheekbones, perfect white teeth, and a classic face with subtle made up. Her clothes were designer, expensive and flattering. In her early twenties, she was a woman of power and money. She outshone her mate, who dressed more like a working man. "I'm still dealing with the mess you left me."

"We'll get back to that," Edward said. "You three have had some time to process everything that went on since Russia. What things have you been unable to understand or still bother you?"

"I'd rather find out what you know, Edward."

"Humor me. I need to see if your suspicions matched mine."

Fine. The girls and I had talked about a few things. "I guess we could start with Senior Investigator Kaprisov. When we left the hotel in the middle of the night, Marina said it was because he had a judge willing to put me back in jail. That never happened; the Russian government never tried to stop me or extradite me from Italy, Croatia, or the United States. I'm wondering if it was all part of Art's ruse to get me on his yacht."

"You weren't the only one. Art called me as soon as the judge in Russia freed you; he said he was bringing a new one of us in, and we needed to meet you. Duncan got a call about the same time; I asked him. For both of us, it took a while to arrange travel to Europe."

That brought up a question. "That's the second thing that doesn't make sense. I know this was the first time all the Switchers had gathered together, but why? Isn't it risky to be in one place, especially if the authorities may be watching?" I squeezed the hands of my mates. "I know we all got together again at my wedding, but that was as private as I could make it. Even then, Art's people were all around."

"Why do you think Art gathered us if it was so dangerous?"

"He said he wanted to judge if I was worthy of being a Switcher, and if not, he'd have killed me. Why tell me that? He already had been following me, he had Marina in my inner circle, and Ekatarina had talked to us at the hotel. You'd think he had enough information to go on, but that's not what he said. It would have been safer for me to meet other Switchers individually over a few months. Gathering us made us vulnerable to attack."

Edward nodded as he navigated the roads. "What about the attack made you suspicious?"

"Zach was right; you don't just throw something like that together in a day. Mikhail had to hire mercenaries, equip them, train them, and moved them into place. It could take weeks, but I'd only been on the yacht for a short time."

"Art is a liar and a cheat," Alexandra finally said. "You were brought together so Art could keep you away from Mikhail. Art set you up. He might STILL be setting you up."

This threat got Svetlana's attention. "How do you know?"

"I know because I was Grandfather's eyes and ears in Moscow. He was obsessed with the Palace Eagle, more so as his cancer advanced. He saw it as his only chance to beat cancer." She paused and looked out the window at the ocean. "Art Karpen contacted my father, not the other way around."

"When was this?"

"My grandfather's people were following up on information about the Cave Lion sightings in Moscow. Mikhail knew that one prehistoric eagle still lived as a Switcher, so why not another animal? There was no other explanation for Siberia and Moscow. My grandfather's big plan was to have you moved to a remote facility in Siberia. He would then arrange for your death and the transfer of the Cave Lion. Grandfather was very close to making this happen, and then you were released and disappeared. He wasn't happy about that. Soon after, he got a call from Art Karpen."

"What did Art say?"

"Art offered to deliver you up in exchange for a forty-percent stake in his steel company."

Holy shit! I did some quick math; Abrahmov's company had assets of over twenty-eight billion, so a forty-percent stake would be worth something north of twelve billion dollars. "Could your grandfather even keep his business that way?"

"Probably not," Alexandra replied. "It was more than half of his holdings, the rest owned by his fellow investors. It would have made Art Karpen the most significant single shareholder. He could easily take control of the company my grandfather built over his lifetime."

"I can't imagine your grandfather took that well," Anna said.

"He was FURIOUS," Alexandra replied. "Grandfather told Art he was out of his mind; if he couldn't have the Cave Lion, he'd find the Eagle. Art laughed and said Mikhail would never find Ekatarina because every Switcher in the world was under his control. If Mikhail didn't take the deal, he'd move on. 'There are plenty of dying rich people who would gladly pay my price. What good is your money when you are dead?' Art told him to call back when he was ready to deal. My Grandfather is a stubborn man, and he wasn't going to let Art Karpen take his company. We started making other plans."

"Like what," I said.

"Finding out everything we could about Karpen Investments," she replied. "We knew he was cruising the Med in his superyacht. We'd flipped some family members on the Elements with offers of cash, and we were monitoring his electronic communications. Grandfather knew his planned movements, but he didn't know about the size of his defense force or the arms locker he hid onboard. He figured the guys would kill everyone, and pirates would take the blame for the attack. It was a simple, direct, and much cheaper solution to his problem. All he had to do was wait until you or Ekatarina were on board. You and the girls disappeared from Moscow and showed up in Italy. Our agents saw you boarding the helicopter and flying out. Art was kind enough to provide the proof of your Switcher nature."

"What proof?"

"Drone video from the beach the next day, showing you shifting into your Cave Lion and hunting. Art edited it so we couldn't tell who the bear or cat shifter was, but Grandfather knew there were at least three switchers on the yacht. He ordered his men to attack and kill you all. My grandfather, father, and uncle would board later and start touching dead people until all three of them were Switchers."