“A week feels like an eternity after last night,” he said, pouting, then he brightened up. “Let’s go to your hotel room right now. My buddy doesn’t expect me to return the truck until tomorrow, and no one is expecting us anywhere. From the looks of it, this town is shut down due to the storm. We could order room service and watch movies, then see where that leads.”
“I know exactly where it will lead,” she said, slightly breathless from the desire that was suddenly rushing through her. “And it sounds like a good idea to me, but could we stop by the site just for a few minutes? The closer we get, the more I feel like I need to go there.”
“Your wish is my command, pretty lady,” he said, taking the turn toward the university. “Maybe we can stop by the frat house afterward. I could use a change of clothes and a few other things.”
When they pulled into the parking lot next to what was left of the stadium, it was deserted except for a vehicle belonging to the security company hired by Dean Proctor to guard the site. The engine was running, but she didn’t give it much thought as she climbed out of the truck, instead, she was focused on the feeling that something was wrong inside the cave. Slightly annoyed when they got the locked gate and found no one there, she looked around and realized why the engine was running on the SUV.
“I don’t mind that he’s sitting in his car, but he hasn’t even made a move to come see who we are,” she said, digging the key to the lock out of her purse and handing it to Cooper. “What if we weren’t supposed to be here?”
“Then we wouldn’t have a key,” he said, holding it up before slipping it into the lock. “Let’s go inside and make sureeverything is okay, then we’ll come back out and you can yell at him.”
She looked over at Cooper, then couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe I am being a little ridiculous, it’s just that…well, you know what’s in there. I don’t want anyone inside the ruins until we decide what to do,” she said, following him through the gate. “I just don’t think we can risk someone else finding them, but I can’t bring myself to think about what we might have to do to keep them hidden.”
“I know, I’ve been thinking about it too,” Cooper said, stepping back so she could slip through the opening in the rocks, then following her. “Let’s not even say it out loud until we know it’s our last resort.”
It was clear they were completely alone when they stepped out of the tunnel into the cave, but Stephanie couldn’t shake the feeling she had to see the crypt again, and led Cooper directly there. She didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were inside, the lanterns they’d left behind were lit and shining brightly on the mural, which was still in perfect condition.
“It looks fine,” she finally said after walking up and down in front of the glowing painting. “Now that I know the truth, it all makes so much more sense. I would love to be able to study the mural more, but I guess that’s not going to be possible.”
Cooper came up, wrapped his arms around her, rested his chin on her head, and studied the mural with her. “I don’t think so, but maybe someday things will change,” he said. “Maybe someday the world will accept people like me. Maybe they’ll understand that we’re just like everyone else, not a bunch of monsters.”
“I hope so,” she said, leaning back against his strong chest. “But until then, this has to disappear. It’s the only way to keep you all safe.”
CHAPTER 19
***COOPER***
“And what is it that you’re keeping him safe from, sweetheart?” a voice Cooper had come to hate asked. “Besides, isn’t he supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around?”
He whirled around, keeping Stephanie behind him, the instinct to protect her instantly coming to life. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you, I just wanted to see what all the commotion was about,” Sebastian said, looking around the crypt. After letting out a long, low whistle, he walked toward them. “I can see why you’ve both been acting so strange. At first, I thought it was just because you had the hots for each other, as gross as that is, but when you shut down the site for a day, and suddenly disappeared, I knew that something was up. Looks like I’m right, and this place is practically humming with energy, shame on you for hogging it all to yourself.”
“Sebastian, you shouldn’t be here, none of us should be here,” he said. “If the world finds this place, it could be a big problem for shifters everywhere. You should leave now.”
He pushed past them as if Cooper hadn’t spoken, then walked up and down in front of the mural before turning back to them. “I can see what you mean, but I’m not giving this up,it might finally be the thing that gets me the alpha position,” Sebastian said, a strange gleam in his eyes. “I’d be a fool to walk away, and I’m not a fool. This is my chance, and I’m going to take it. Just think how much power I’ll have when I reveal this place to the clan, I’ll be a hero, I’ll be returning a piece of our history. My name will be known everywhere, and then you’ll be sorry you ever crossed me.”
Cooper saw the desperation in the other man’s eyes and knew that Sebastian had been devastated when his grandfather turned his back on him after Taylor humiliated him in front of his entire clan. But that didn’t mean he was going to let him use the crypt and everything it contained to dig himself out of the hole he was in. I was a sacred place, and he would destroy it before he’d let Sebastian’s clan get ahold of it.
“I think you should leave now,” he said, taking a couple of steps toward Sebastian. “And if you’re smart, you’ll keep your mouth shut. No one is going to be happy about what’s in here. You won’t be a hero if you expose us all; you’ll be the downfall of all shifters everywhere.”
“You’re wrong,” Sebastian said, a stubborn look on his face. “You’ll see, I’m going to be the most powerful alpha my clan has ever had, and I’m going to crush you then, you and all your friends.”
He stomped off, and Cooper was forced to let him go, but he knew they had trouble on their hands. Turning to Stephanie, he pulled her into his arms. “He won’t do anything without checking in with his clan,” he said. “His grandfather and the elders will shut him down. They’ll want this kept secret as much as we do, but I guess I’d better make a few phone calls. My clan should know what’s happening too.”
“This is getting very complicated,” Stephanie said with a sigh. “Part of me wishes that we’d never found it.”
“It’s going to be okay, you’ll see, we’ll figure it out,” he said, pulling her closer. “For now, let’s get out of here. We both need something to eat and some sleep, then we’ll figure out our next move.”
Sebastian slippedthrough the gap in the rocks and out into the cold afternoon air with a huge smile on his face. The answer to all his problems was finally in his grasp. After weeks of searching for a way to redeem himself in his grandfather’s eyes, he’d finally found something that was sure to please the old man so much that he’d finally do the right thing and appoint him the next alpha of the clan. Not only that, it would elevate him in the clan, make it impossible for anyone to challenge his authority ever again, and he would finally have all the power he deserved.
As soon as he slipped through the hole he’d cut in the chain link fence, he dug his phone out of his pocket, not wanting to waste a second of his new status as the future leader of the clan. He was pulling up his grandfather’s number when he realized that redemption felt almost as good as winning, but he hesitated with his finger hovering over the call button, wanting to savor the moment that his entire life was going to change.
He saw his future spinning out in front of him, but the vision turned sour when he heard Cooper’s voice in his head warning him to stay away and realized that he and the woman archaeologist might become a problem. Then it occurred to him that his grandfather might steal his discovery, might take all the credit for himself; he’d watched him do it to other people enough times, and he slowly put the phone back in his pocket.
If he wanted to be the alpha, he had to start acting like one. He didn’t need help dealing with Cooper and the woman; he could handle that task on his own, in fact, he was looking forward to it. Then, when it was all over, he’d tell the clan,not just his grandfather, what he’d found. It would be the most amazing moment of his life and exactly what he deserved after everything he’d endured growing up.
For the first time in his life, he’d be calling the shots; it wouldn’t matter that he wasn’t related to his grandfather by blood, it wouldn’t matter that he only carried the man’s name; everyone would respect him. The clan would finally bow down to him, finally recognize his superiority, and he would be able to make them pay for every slight, every dig, every time someone pointed out his faults.
His path was clear to him now; he just had to figure out the details. Cooper and the woman were all that was standing in his way; if he eliminated them, it would be easy from there. The call to his grandfather forgotten, he headed for the fraternity house, already turning over all the possibilities in his mind, already feeling giddy with the power that would soon be his.
