“We need all the tokens, and we’re the best qualified to protect them. We’re only doing what’s necessary.” Saskia’s upper lip curled back slightly.
Necessary? They all thought it was okay to take Ransom’s token? No. This was ridiculous. None of them knew what they had gone through.
“Stop it.” Kinley demanded, and everyone stared at her as if they couldn’t believe she said anything. Part of her was surprised that she did. “The lynx totem chose Ransom. He gave his life to save a child. He died. He is more than worthy to wear the token, and the lynx knew it even if you don’t. No one will be taking anything from anyone. We’re all supposed to be working together here.”
“We know what’s best—” Saskia started and Ametta snorted at her.
“Yeah, right. I have a token and Ransom has one. You do not. Clearly you don’t know—”
This fighting. It tore at Kinley’s soul.
“I have a necklace.” She reached under her shirt collar and withdrew the polar bear, holding it out for them to see.
Everything seemed to go quiet. The party faded as if it was in another building one block over.
Saskia sucked in a breath. “Mom’s necklace. Where did you get it?”
“Mom left it for me in Newhalen with a woman named Mara Okpik. Mom knew I’d be there and why.”
“Mom wore this all the time.” Saskia stroked the ivory bear. “I always wondered what happened to it.”
“Mom knew things… like you?” Ametta touched the nose of the bear as she glanced at Kinley.
“She did. She was much more in tune with her gift than I am.” Kinley imagined her mother’s kind smile. “I saw her. In the realm of the dead. She said she’s proud of us.”
All three of them touched the bear at the same time. Kinley wasn’t looking at her sisters, but she could feel the change. Their mom acted as peacemaker again.
Ametta lowered her hand first. “Have you shown Dad yet?”
“No, he’s not supposed to be back until tomorrow.”
“Maybe we should all have Sunday dinner together.” Ametta suggested and leaned against Lucky who gave her a tender smile along with a kiss to her head.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Kinley smiled and looked hesitantly at Saskia.
Saskia shrugged. “I do have fresh moose.”
“Everybody who was in Fairbanks has enough moose to take them through the winter.” Sedge smirked… maybe? It was difficult to tell. And it was sort of a little scary.
“All right. Then we’ll see you tomorrow at Dad’s. Right now, it’s time to schmooze.” Ametta slipped her arm through Lucky’s and led him off. He gave a little wave at their group before turning his full attention on Ametta.
Saskia drew her hand away from the ivory piece. “I remember going to Newhalen. Dad would fish all the time, and Mom would drag me to all the different houses to look in on people.” She glanced at Kinley. “You look just like her.”
Kinley took Saskia’s hand. “I miss her too.”
“I know,” Saskia whispered and took a deep breath before lifting her chin. “So we’ll talk about everything tomorrow. This isn’t exactly the place for it. I feel like we’re in some fucked up carnival sideshow.”
It did, and Kinley liked it for that reason. So many wonderful costumes and mysterious individuals. “Okay. See you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah.” Saskia turned without another word and headed out. Sedge nodded and followed behind.
Ransom wrapped his arms around Kinley from behind. “You are amazing, did you know that? I thought for sure grumpy bear was going to take off my head.”
Kinley couldn’t stop her snicker. “They wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“I don’t know about that. But thank you for saving me.” He kissed her again, and her belly did a little flip as heat zipped through her veins. “And thank you for thinking I’m worthy.”
Applause echoed in the tent. Kinley turned her head to see Bert leading a petite redhead in a sparkling gown onto the stage. He bowed and said nothing as he backed away to leave her in the center. When she started singing, Kinley understood why Bert was so taken with her. Ethereal and enchanting. Reminding her a little of the singer from The Fifth Element.
“You are worthy.” Kinley smiled as she leaned against him, savoring the heat of his body against hers. “All that stuff that bothered me, that I held in, it was stupid, and I’m sorry. We’ve always been open with one another, and I want to make sure it remains that way. I realized I do get a little jealous and territorial—”
“Which I realized is a total turn-on.” Ransom chuckled as he nipped at her earlobe.
“It is not.” Kinley turned in his embrace and shook her head.
He pressed his forehead against hers. “It is. You think I’m worthy. And when I think you’re some gorgeous, geeky angel so far above everyone, I’m in awe you think that of me. You might have noticed everybody thinks you’re too good for me.”
Heat rushed into her cheeks. “I’m not…”
“You are. And I plan on doing my damnedest every day to be worthy of you. I love you, Kin. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone else.”
Said in his most sincere rambling rolling voice that she could listen to forever. Said with his eyes locked with hers. Said with a slight tremble in his abdomen. Said with a hand on her butt.
Nothing could be more perfect.
“I love you too. So very much.” Her breaths came a little faster as her lips grazed his with her words. Full disclosure. Nothing left inside anymore. “And sometimes it scares me how much, how fast it happened, and how intensely—”
Ransom kissed her. His tongue silenced her until he eased off with a satisfied little moan. “All that matters is we love each other. We’ll get through the rest together.”
TOTEM SERIES
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Three sisters.
Seven totem tokens.
One chance to save their world.
DARK DAWNING (TOTEM #1)
It’s a dark day when someone murders one of their own.
Shifters across Alaska are going missing. When up and coming interior designer Ametta Dorn rescues the gorgeous Kodiak shifter Lucky Osberg, she comes into the crosshairs of two relentless hunters. While Lucky sets his sights on wooing her, the killers seek to not only capture her in her powerful polar bear form but to also take her skin.
To prevent her murder and the deaths of other shifters, she must work with Lucky to track down and stop these merciless hunters. After all, their enemy’s plan for shifter skins is something much more terrifying than collecting mere trophies.
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Release date: October 17, 2016.
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SILENT WHISPERS (TOTEM #2)
It’s not only the dead who whisper upon the wind.
An ancient totem pole has gone missing, and its pieces are scattered across Alaska. Restoring the seven totem tokens may be the only way to save every shifter in the world.
Kinley Dorn, a geeky architect with a heart of gold and a polar bear shifter, jumps at the opportunity to help her family find the lost pieces. Their idea of “helping” involves staying indoors to research online. Work leads Kinley to sexy lynx shifter Ransom Averill. He coaxes her away from the safety behind her computer and into the path of a rampaging giant. Terrifying as the monster might be, she must brave its mountain because the owl totem is calling to her through silent whispers.
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Release date: October 31, 2016.
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CLOAK OF SNOW (TOTEM #3)
No one messes with Saskia Dorn’s family and gets away with it.
The same murderous shifters who had hunted her sister have attempted to steal a magical totem pole. Since the pieces are scattered across Alask
a, Saskia, a polar bear shifter, takes her search to the tundra for any signs of the lost totems.
Instead she finds Sedge, the latest reincarnation of the old Inuit Bear god, who just happens to be the man who broke her heart.
They come across a small native village tormented by the Jinxioc, evil gnomes with an appetite for human flesh. Sedge declares he will rid the people of the menace, believing a totem token is nearby affecting the devils’ behavior. At his side, Saskia battles to save the tribesmen, but it could mean sacrificing herself.
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Release date: November 14, 2016
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SHATTERED SPIRIT (TOTEM #4)
A haunted house isn’t going to stop Ametta Dorn from doing her job.
Frustrated that her family has left her out of the search for the missing totem tokens, Ametta Dorn loses herself in her work. She’s offered a dream job of a complete interior renovation of a famous Cremaschi house. Not even discovering the house belongs to Lucky Osberg can dampen her enthusiasm.
Lucky’s plan to spend more time with her as she works goes awry when the spirit who protects his home tries to murder her. Ametta won’t be scared off, despite being tempted to run and never come back. She was going to flee Alaska and pursue her designer dreams anyway, yet that means giving up on Lucky and the totem that is just within her grasp.
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Release date: January 9, 2017.
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DEEP CURRENT (TOTEM #6)
Always read the fine print when making a bargain with a sea hag.
Lost to the clutches of her grief of losing her mentor, Saskia Dorn welcomes the opportunity to take down a warehouse of drug dealers. When their leader makes a break for it, Saskia and her ex-boyfriend, Sedge, chase the criminal shifter into the sea off the coast of northwestern Alaska. Not only do they lose their quarry, but a vicious sea hag snatches Sedge.
Saskia can’t take another loss and attempts to bargain for Sedge’s life and the salmon totem the witch has trapped in her cave. The sea hag wants only one thing: her long lost love. Who is dead. And living under the freaking ocean with the Salmon People. Find the Salmon People and return with the witch’s love before Sedge’s life is forfeit. Simple, right? Yet she can’t leave the Salmon People’s land without finding herself first.
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Release date: February 6, 2017.
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TOTEM #7, #8, and #9 release dates yet to be determined.
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OTHER WORKS BY CHRISTINE RAINS
Paranormal Romance
Of Blood and Sorrow
Fearless
The Marquis (The 13th Floor #1)
The Alpha (The 13th Floor #2)
The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor #3)
The Harbinger (The 13th Floor #4)
The Oracle and the Vampire (The 13th Floor #5)
The Ghost (The 13th Floor #6)
The 13th Floor Complete Collection
Paranormal Erotica
Ghost Dancer (The Paramours #1)
Poltergeist’s Pleasure (The Paramours #2)
Lovelorn Spirits (The Paramours #3)
Big Yearning (Sasquatch Susies #1)
Big Longing (Sasquatch Susies #2)
Big Burning (Sasquatch Susies #3)
Horror
L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo
Geeky Erotica
Loose Corset (Dice & Debauchery #1)
Layers of Lace (Dice & Debauchery #2)
A Masked Kiss (Dice & Debauchery #3)
UNTETHERED REALMS
Tap into worlds, wings, and spec fic things!
Untethered Realms is a group of speculative fiction authors. We reside in the weird and fantastical. For more information about the Untethered Realms authors, please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to my team of awesome critique partners and beta readers: T.F. Walsh, Tara Tyler, Patricia Lynne, and Clare Dugmore. You help bring out the best in my writing.
For Untethered Realms, I’m so grateful to be part of this wonderful group of writers. I’d have our pet T-rex applaud you, but you know…
Thank you to my husband and son who must put up with a wife and mommy who is lost in the supernatural Great North. You are my compass, my way back home.
To my dear friend and critique partner/editor/formatter, Cherie Reich. Five down, four more to go! I’m so appreciative of everything you do for me.
Finally, this is my fifth book in the Totem series. And if you’re a reader who’s still reading through to the acknowledgments, thank you. You rock!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She’s married to her best friend and fellow geek living in Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents’ own good and loves to pretend he’s a Pokémon. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy. She’s a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. Totem is her biggest project to date, and it comes along with her own dream of one day seeing Alaska.
Ghost Cat (Totem Book 5) Page 9