Even though it was dark and late at night, Virginia still enjoyed walking through Central Park. There was something about being in natural surroundings that helped to calm nerves frayed by the hustle and bustle of New York. Before traveling to the 9 Kingdoms it had been easy to imagine that she was in a magical forest far away from the traffic and skyscrapers of modern life.

A small breeze tickled the loose hairs that had fallen from her ponytail and brought the fresh smell of growing things to her nostrils. Virginia took a deep breath and smiled.

"A Wendell for your thoughts." Wolf asked.

"Nothing important." a small laugh escaped her and she shook her head. "I was just remembering how I used to fantasize that Central Park was a magical forest and that some day I would be whisked away by a prince." Virginia suddenly felt Wolf stop as he still held her hand.

"You don't regret being with me.?" There was an anxious tone in his voice.

"Of course not." Virginia rolled her eyes then became serious as Wolf studied her face. "Wolf, you know I love you and am very happy. Especially with our baby coming soon." Virginia took Wolf's hand and placed it on her stomach and playfully kissed him on the lips.

Wolf's appetite aroused, he captured her face in his hands and kissed her more firmly. Virginia snuggled closer and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Then there is nothing wrong?"

Virginia picked up her head and looked into Wolf's eyes. "Absolutely nothing." she affirmed. "Just a little tired."

"Virginia perhaps . . . "

"Ah uh uh! Absolutely not. No way." she already knew what he was going to say.

"But Virginia I was just . . . "

"Wolf, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm crippled." Virginia stared at him pointedly.

Wolf's brow lifted and he looked at her sideways before surrendering to her will.

"Okay, I just don't want you to get too tired."

Virginia took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Besides you know I'm not the type to stay at home and crochet. I like to stay busy. Having our restaurant and running it with someone I care about is what I've always dreamed. It's just that I didn't count on The Wolf's Den being so successful. Strolling through the park helps me to unwind and relax."

That's when they heard the angry shouts.

In a clearing not too far away, a boy who looked to be about 12 years old with sandy blond hair stood in the center of a ring of four other boys. Virginia could tell by their stance that this wasn't a friendly encounter. Clearly the other boys had hostile intent towards the boy they had trapped.

Because of her pregnancy, Virginia's maternal and nesting instincts were in full force and like an angry bear protecting her cubs, Virginia charged towards the boys.

"Virginia what are you doing?" Wolf ran after her.

"Wolf I can't let them hurt him." she said angrily as she got closer.

"Hey!" she shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

The boys all turned their heads startled. The sandy haired boy appeared both relieved and alarmed by her arrival. The others became unsure and looked guiltily at each other. When they saw that Virginia was not alone, they scattered and ran off fearing the police would be called. Only the sandy haired boy remained looking like a scared street urchin who would just as soon have disappeared also if Virginia and Wolf hadn't been so close.

"Are you okay?" Virginia asked concerned. The boy simply nodded.

After the initial adrenaline rush of fear, Virginia finally noticed the rather odd clothing the boy was wearing. They looked like a hodgepodge assortment of different fabrics sewn together by hand. His coat looked like an old blanket. His vest underneath appeared to be a mattress cover. The shoulders instead of being stitched with thread were held together by a strip of leather laced through it like a pair of shoes. His boots were also laced and tied over his pants. It was as if he was preparing for a trip in cold weather. Virginia thought that was strange since the temperature was mild. Was he homeless, she wondered.

"What's your name?" The boy glanced hesitantly at Virginia then Wolf.

"It's okay. We just want to help." Virginia assured him. Wolf also gave him a reassuring smile.

"Jacob."

"Hello Jacob. My name is Virginia and this is Wolf." Jacob glanced at Wolf oddly.

"Where are your parents?" Virginia quickly surveyed the park.

"Uh . . I should go home now." Jacob sidetracked and shuffled on his feet nervously.

"Where do you live and we'll go with you." Virginia offered.

"No!" Jacob shot out. "I mean I can get home myself." Jacob turns to leave but Virginia grabs his shoulder.

"Wait, you can't go back out there alone. It's too dark and dangerous."

"I'm fine." he insisted.

"You weren't fine just a few moments ago. What were you doing out here by yourself anyway.?" Virginia asked sternly.

Jacob didn't answer.

"Come on. I'll take you to my place and we'll call your parents."

"I . . . uh, I don't have any parents." he said in a panicked voice.

Suspicious, Virginia looked Jacob in the eye.

"I live with my guardians." he explained further.

"You haven't run away from home have you?" Virginia still pinned him with her stare.

"No." Jacob shook his head.

"Well okay, but I can't leave you out here." Virginia insisted.

Jacob sighed resignedly knowing there was no escape. "Okay."

"Such a soft touch." Wolf whispered in her ear.

Jacob stared at himself in the bathroom mirror wondering how he had gotten himself into this mess. After arriving to Virginia and Wolf's apartment, Virginia had wanted to know the phone number of his guardians so that she could call them. But he had insisted on calling them himself in private. Virginia had looked at him even more suspiciously but it couldn't be helped. If he was to keep Father's secret he couldn't let Virginia make the call unexpectedly to his 'guardians'. He had to be able to warn them so that they could keep the secret also. His guardians were really "helpers" who rendered assistance and passed on messages whenever needed. He knew Father would be upset that he had endangered all of them. That's why now he was stuck in the bathroom trying to avoid anymore questions and raising any further suspicions. They had been so nice, he felt guilty that he couldn't tell them the truth.

Jacob sighed and took a cursory look at his surroundings. A small apple green throw rug was placed before the bathtub and in the towel ring next to the sink was a peach hand towel. The sink had plenty of counter space and an assortment of toiletries were neatly arrayed on top. There was a floral patterned cup holding two toothbrushes; one purple and one yellow, and a swan shaped soap dish with a bar of Ivory soap next to the sink. The room smelled of roses and he saw a white vase with a single red rose. Next to the vase was a beautiful tin pillbox. Curious, Jacob looked inside the pillbox and was surprised to see a pearl ring.

Jacob picked up the ring to take a closer look and gasped in surprise. The pearl had turned over and a small face was smiling up at him. Then the ring began to sing:

"How I long to linger On your father's finger. A former prince unfound now living underground."

Stunned, Jacob stared in disbelief at the ring. He jumped when Virginia tapped at the door informing him that his guardians had arrived to pick him up.

Jacob, what you did was very dangerous. Not only to yourself but to the rest of us." Vincent admonished him.

"I'm sorry Dad. I just wanted to go outside for a little while. I'm tired of being down here all the time."

They were inside Father's chamber. His "guardians" who were an elderly couple who didn't live too far away had picked him up from Virginia and Wolf's apartment thanking them for their kindness. Then they had promptly dropped Joseph off at Central Park and admonished him to be more careful. Jacob had promised he would and waved goodbye to them as they drove off.

Vincent laid a gentle hand on his son's shoulder in understanding. As a boy himself he had grown tired of the boundaries of his existence here and willingly snuck out at night with his best friend Devin Wells and the other boys. Devin had wanted Vincent to experience the thrill of going to a carnival and riding on the merry-go-round. It seemed harmless and no one was around since the carnival was closed. It was an experience that Vincent would always remember. Unfortunately, a night watchman had spotted them and they had nearly been caught. Father had been quite furious with Devin for endangering Vincent and the rest of their secret community.

"Son, we live in a world different than the one above us. Our world is very fragile and we must be careful to protect it."

"Completely irresponsible." Father accused. He was standing next to his desk. He was an older man with graying hair and a trimmed beard and mustache. He could have passed for a professor at a college or a doctor if not for his attire. Like everyone else in the underground community, he dressed with stitched together remnants of warm fabric and a thick over cloak to protect him from the damp chilliness of their subterranean environment

"We all must abide the rules. Each of us depend on the other. None of us lives for ourselves. What if it had been the police that had picked you up." he addressed Jacob like an unruly student.

Father snapped closed one of his books from his large library and placed the book back on the shelf. Long ago when he had gone by the name of Jacob Wells, he had discovered the tunnels and underground caverns that lay forgotten underneath the gleaming city of New York. Blacklisted by the world above, he had started the underground community and helped set up the rules that governed their society. It had become a sanctuary and a home to many who had escaped from their broken lives above. It had become his family and like a father he was very protective of them.

But Jacob and others like him who had been born and raised in Father's underground community knew nothing of the hidden dangers of city life. To them the world above was a strange, compelling curiosity to be explored.

Jacob was also special from the other children because of his parentage. After only being in his mother's womb for six months he had been born full term. Catherine, Jacob's mother had been taken captive by a rich powerful criminal mastermind who had taken interest in her unborn child when he had witnessed Vincent' s miraculous strength in his surveillance cameras as he tried to rescue her. Unfortunately, in the end Catherine had been injected with an overdose of a drug after the birth of their baby and died in Vincent's arms. It had been a devastating blow to Vincent to lose his one true love. But having their child had helped to ease the pain.

Catherine who was special herself had been a courageous, caring and beautiful woman who had fallen in love with Vincent when he had found her injured and near death in Central Park and taken her underground to nurse her back to health. Due to mistaken identity, Catherine had been viciously attacked and her face mutilated by a razor. During her recovery underground when her face was wrapped in gauze and she could only hear Vincent's voice, he had read stories to her and comforted her fears with his gentle words. In her life above she had been a socialite and dissatisfied with the aimless superficial life of the elite. Now that she had experienced Vincent's quiet compassion and graceful spirit she was determined to change her life and do something that would make her feel she was accomplishing a worthy goal. That's when she had given up her posh position in her father's firm of corporate lawyers and joined the District Attorney's office.

It had meant that she could not be part of Vincent's underground world. As the daughter of a prominent lawyer, her disappearance would put the community at risk of discovery. Likewise, Vincent could not go to her world above. He most of all needed the sanctuary of the tunnels. Due to a cruel twist of fate, Vincent had been born different than other men. Instead of the face of a normal man, Vincent had the facial features and the long mane of a lion. His hands were clawed like an animals and he had fur along his hands and arms. Even though he appeared almost feral, Vincent was kind and patient and had the manner and bearing of a renaissance man. He loved reading the classics like Great Expectations and he enjoyed playing games of chess with Father.

Father was more than a title of respect to Vincent. It was Father who had taken him in when he was abandoned in the streets and raised him as his own son. So Jacob who was his namesake was like his own grandson.

"I didn't mean anything." Jacob mumbled looking down and jamming his hands in his pockets.

"Jacob I know it was not your intention to cause any harm but your actions could have had disastrous repercussions for the rest of us. For Vincent especially. You must think about the consequences of your actions."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"We know you won't." Vincent reassured him.

"I don't wish to be hard on you Jacob. I just wanted you to understand the importance of keeping our world a secret from above." Father's stern expression relaxed into a patient smile.

"I do. I promise." Jacob moved to hug his father. He forgot that while he had put his hands in his pockets he had slipped his finger through the strange pearl ring. Outside of his pocket, the ring began to sing. . . .

What's wrong?" Virginia asked. Wolf had seemed strangely quiet after their little visitor had left with his guardians.

Nothing, just thinking." Wolf answered distractedly. Virginia had learned to read Wolf's expressions and trust his instincts.

"You're thinking about Jacob aren't you?"

"Well, there was something strange about him." Wolf looked like he was trying to remember something just on the tip of his tongue.

"You mean besides his clothing." Virginia prodded.

"It wasn't his clothing."

"Well, I think his guardians were strange. They didn't even ask why he was out in the park by himself. They didn't even seem worried. If I was his mother, I know I would have been hugging him with relief before I threatened to kill him for scaring me to death."

"I don't think he's human." Wolf suddenly blurted.

"What? Did you say not human?" She was surprised.

"Something has been bothering me ever since we brought Jacob to our apartment but I couldn't understand why. Virginia, it was his scent. It wasn't human. At least not all human." Wolf sounded excited at his discovery.

"You mean he's a half-wolf like you?" Virginia sat next to him on the couch.

"Half lion."

"Now you lost me."

"There was a legend in the 9 Kingdoms about an ancient civilization of lion men who were put under a spell and they mysteriously disappeared."

"And you think the legend is true."

"I trust my nose." Wolf rubbed his finger along the side of his nose.

"But how can that be. There's no way to get here without . . . "

"Without the mirror." Wolf finished for her.

"This is weird. What do we do now?"

"You stay here." Wolf got up from the couch. "I'll find out where Jacob lives."

"Wolf, you're in my kingdom now. We'll both go and find out where Jacob lives." Virginia stood up also.

"Oooh! Virginia." Wolf shook his head in exasperation and made a low growl. "You're so stubborn."

When Virginia doesn't answer and gives him a determined look, Wolf realizes he's not going to change her mind and relents.

"Okay" he acquiesced, "But you must follow me and do what I say."

"Fine."