Page 34 of Kin of the Wolf

“With orange juice, right?” Duncan accepted it with a smirk.

“Your impertinence is also deserving of slaps,” she said sternly, but, yes, thatwasa smile in her eyes.

“I get that a lot.” He lifted the glass, then walked out, closing the door to give us the privacy Mom wanted.

I eyed her warily, afraid my fertility would come up again.

Instead, Mom opened her nightstand drawer and withdrew the black-velvet-covered box that held the medallion. I tensed, afraid she believed her death was coming soon and she meant to give it to me now.

“There is a cave not far from here.” Mom opened the box, and the golden wolf-head medallion with its equally golden chain glowed softly.

I remembered how it had blazed when I’d touched it in front of Lord Abrams and Radomir.

“Several generations ago, the first of our pack to enter into and claim this territory left paintings and sprinkled potions and other magic about the cave. It has been a sacred place for a long time for the females of our line. Had you stayed and mated with an alpha, I would have shared its location with you many years ago. Much of the lore has been lost, and I do not know what all the paintings signify. I do know that this—” Mom lifted the medallion from its resting place, “—glows more strongly there than I have seen it do anywhere else. I always felt some secret was in the cave and that, if discovered, it would teach us to more fully use the medallion’s power to strengthen our pack and protect it from outsiders.”

“It does seem like the pack needs more protection these days.”

Her eyelids drooped. “Some of those men with silver bullets returned. They did not leave their vehicles and remained on the road, but they used binoculars to peer in this direction. I believe they sensed the newly placed magical defenses near the driveway and decided not to attack at this time, but they are still after this.” She jingled the medallion chain.

“I’m sorry.”

Between his grenades and his raw strength, Duncan had nearly destroyed the security forces at the potion factory, but Radomir was probably wealthy enough to hire brutes by the dozen. Or thehundred. Maybe there was, even now, a “Thugs Wanted” sign on the community board at El Gato Mágico.

Sooner or later, I would have to deal with Abrams and Radomir if I wanted their subordinates to stop trying to steal werewolf artifacts, but I could only handle one set of evildoers at a time.

“Before you go, I want you to visit the cave. See if you, perhaps with that one’s help—” Mom pointed her chin toward the door, “—can learn more about the ancient magic within it.”

I was more interested in handling my cousins than going spelunking, but, after disappearing from her life for so many years, I owed it to my mother to obey her wishes. All except the creating-more-offspring one, anyway.

“It’s possible that what you learn there will assist you with facing your cousins,” Mom offered, as if she knew my thoughts. “It may also help you figure out why those people want this.” She held the medallion out to me.

I drew back. “You’re keeping that until you pass, right?”

“I will, but take it for tonight. The cave will respond to it. You may learn more if you carry it inside.”

“Okay.” I accepted the medallion, though its cool weight in my hands made me uneasy, as if this exchange were signaling Mom’s death. I vowed to bring it back before going home. “You say this cave is nearby?”

“Yes.” She delved into her drawer again and withdrew a pen and a journal. “I will draw you a map.”

“Okay,” I repeated.

“Take the old-world werewolf with you.”

“Duncan.”

“Yes.”

“You trust him now?” I asked.

She hadn’t when he’d first come with me to visit her. She’d warned me to watch out for him.

“Trust? No. But, as I said, he is an ideal male with whom to produce offspring. Despite being slightly past his prime, I believe his virility will ensure his seed takes with only a few matings.”

“My exact thoughts when I met him.” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my tone. I wished she would knock this off.

“If only you were in earnest.” Mom looked up from her map drawing to shake her head sadly at me. “I have hope that you will see the truth. I believe he is drawn to you.”

“It’s my boobs.”

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