Wolf Tales 12 Read Online Free PDF

closer.

Chapter 3
    “Lily? Do you want to help? Alex, Stefan, and I are going into the cave to check supplies.”
    Lily glanced up from her book, and it was obvious she didn’t want to be interrupted, but Harry Potter could wait awhile. If he didn’t occasionally drag her away from her reading, Anton feared she’d never leave her beloved books.
    “If you need me, Daddy.” She sighed. “But I’m in a really good part.”
    Anton grabbed her hand and pulled her out of his big leather recliner. “It’s Harry Potter, Lily. They’re all good parts.”
    She carefully set the big hardback aside. “It’s all about magicians. Did you know Alex said magicians aren’t real? I told him you were a magician, and he said you weren’t a real one.”
    “Does it matter if Alex believes you or not?” They’d had this conversation before. No matter what Lily said, Alex tried his best to prove her wrong. Unfortunately for Alex, Lily was generally right.
    Lily shrugged. “Not really. Not about stuff that’s not important, but what if it is something important? What if I’m right and he’s wrong and it’s something dangerous?”
    “Hopefully we won’t be faced with anything dangerous, but if that happens, you call for a grown-up.”
    “He’ll say I’m a tattletale.”
    Anton stopped at the doorway leading from the kitchen to the caverns beneath the house and knelt down to Lily’s height. She was already so beautiful she took his breath; to think that he’d had a part in creating a creature this perfect—and one who never, ever ran out of questions. “Lily. Think of what you’re saying. What’s more important? Being called a silly name, or keeping someone safe from harm?”
    “Keeping someone safe.” She planted her hands on her hips. “But if he calls me names, I’m gonna sock him.”
    “You do that. But don’t tell Uncle Stef I said you could.”
    “Don’t tell Uncle Stef what?”
    Anton whirled around as Stefan opened the door behind him and stepped into the kitchen from the cellar. Alex was right behind him. Both of them had their hands filled with bags. “Nothing important. Merely a discussion about name calling.”
    “Ah.” Stef glanced over his shoulder at Alex, who stared at his shoes with rapt fascination. “I see.”
    “What’s all that?” Anton peered at the bags in Stef’s arms.
    “We were checking the big pantry in the main cavern and discovered mice and cereal and an open door make a rather messy combination.” He stepped past Anton and headed toward the back door to dispose of the trash. “We need to tell Xandi to pick up traps next time she’s in town.”
    “One more thing to add to the list. It was a lot easier for everyone to gather here before there were so many of us.”
    Stefan grunted as he and Alex went out the door. Anton and Lily headed down the stairs, through the cellar, and into the caves. The air was warm in this first level, surprisingly so for a cavern, but the water flowing into the large pool at one end originated in an underground hot spring.
    Stefan returned a few minutes later. Anton gave Lily and Alex bags to check for any trash that might have been left after the last gathering, and then went to work on their inventory.
    After a while, Lily’s voice rang out from the far side of the pond. “Daddy? Did you know someone wrote on the wall?”
    Anton peered into the shadows. Alex and Lily were standing beneath an area where Mik Fuentes had spotted what he called cave art years ago. Anton hadn’t even thought of it since then.
    “I think it’s cave art, Lily. Something Native Americans might have written ages ago.”
    “Oh.”
    He heard her talking to Alex and went back to his inventory. It was so peaceful here in the caverns. There was an almost otherworldly sense—as if people had walked here for ages and left nothing but memories.
    And a few fascinating drawings on the wall, if Lily’s interest was any indication. He shook his head. They really needed