“I’ll see you soon then.” Kinley turned to the door and started walking out.
“Get some sleep. Eat some cookies,” Ransom said in a soft tone. “And take care, Kin.”
She quickened her pace and trotted outside to the truck. The totem token was waiting for her. But she’d be careful and bring Azarius or Dad and Sedge with her. She’d give them until morning.
Tap, tap, tap.
Kinley bolted upright in her bed and winced at the bright light. Dammit. How long had she slept? She set the alarm on her phone for eight. By the position of the brightly glaring sun, it had to be closer to noon.
Tap, tap, TAP.
She cursed and leapt off the bed. No one in her bedroom and, looking over the railing, no one downstairs. Rising her head, she stared out her big window to find her view obstructed by a big black bird. No, a raven.
Azarius.
She let out a long breath and waved at him. He hopped off the wooden frame and glided down toward her front door. She hurried to change into jeans and noticed she had not placed her cell properly on its dock. It had run out of power.
Figures. She fixed it so it would charge and rushed down the stairs. At least she caught up on sleep.
Unlocking and opening her door, she smiled at Azarius. Relief flooded through her. While she thought Bert very capable of several things, Azarius was already a hero in her eyes.
Just after her mother passed away, Kinley had taken Ametta out to a lake to teach her to swim. Both girls were way too young to be off on their own, but their father was wallowing in his sorrow and Saskia was raging at the world. Their mom had always taken them to the lake on nice summer days. Kinley wanted to preserve those traditions.
Polar bears were naturally good swimmers, but swimming in human form wasn’t quite the same. They’d always been told not to shift without an adult around for their own safety. Kinley swam out with her little sister, but Ametta became tired and started to drown. Kinley, not much bigger than Ametta, tried to swim with her back to shore, but holding onto Ametta, they started to sink and both of them started to panic.
Azarius flew over and dropped a life jacket into the water. He landed on the dock and shifted, swimming out to collect them. Never once did he give Kinley trouble. He not only saved her, but her sister too.
A few years later, Azarius recruited Saskia to become a Black Shaman, making her his apprentice. When Kinley turned eighteen, he asked her if she was interested in training and stated he could help her hone all her talents. She’d never told him about the whispers, but somehow he knew. While she declined his offer, she was proud that Azarius thought her worthy enough to join the ranks.
Ametta didn’t remember the drowning incident, but Kinley never forgot.
“Please come in.” She held open the door for him.
He nodded and flashed her a quick smile. Still the handsome dark-eyed and dark-haired man he was when she was little. Being a Black Shaman had its perks.
Kinley shut the door behind him as he came in, shivering from the chill. “Let me go turn on the coffeemaker. Or would you prefer tea? Something to eat?”
“Tea, please. And something to eat would be wonderful. As soon as you contacted Saskia, I flew here. Has anything else happened since?” Azarius’ footsteps made not a sound as he followed her to her small kitchen.
Had anything else happened? Kinley turned from him to fill her kettle and put it on to boil. She blinked away the sudden wetness in her eyes. Bert near death, other shifters injured, and Ransom… She fell too easily for him. Not that it was what Azarius meant, but the stab of emotion was as sharp as everything else.
Calming herself, she told him from the beginning what happened. Azarius asked questions, looking for specific details, and focused on the owl totem.
“Only I heard the owl’s call.”
Azarius’ fingers wrapped around his mug. The steam from the hot tea meandered in front of his face. “The owl is a messenger. It carries messages from the unknown. And you can hear them.”
Kinley sucked in a breath. It made sense the owl would contact her. When she researched the owl online, she read about the animal itself, not the totem meaning. She could list off the types of owls in Alaska, their habitats, diets, and mating rituals. How could she be so stupid? This was no ordinary bird.
“Can you hear… such things?” She peered at him from over the rim of her cup.
Azarius glanced up over her shoulder, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “Not quite like you do. Your talent is innate. Mine was taught by another raven shifter. What I hear is more like… chattering on the wind. And what I hear right now is someone approaching your door.”
Neither of them said anything until ten seconds later when there was a knock at the door. Kinley hadn’t heard the car approach. She got up and answered the door, smiling at Ametta.
“Sorry I’m a little late. Meeting ran longer than I expected. I brought burgers today. Got a few extra in case your boy…” Ametta walked in and stopped as she saw Azarius. “Thank God you’re here. Dad has been freaking out since Kin got hurt. Maybe you can talk some sense into her and make her stay in bed to heal.”
“I’m fine.” Kinley gestured to her ribs and held out her hands at her sides. She’d ingested vampire blood to heal herself, but that was probably something her sister didn’t need to hear.
Ametta set the bag of food on the kitchen counter. “You’re not. Dad’s going to make you stay inside for the winter.” She turned, crossed her arms, and looked to Azarius. “Please tell us that you can slay the giant and retrieve the totem token.”
The fate of all shifters hung on them getting this token. Kinley would’ve done this to save strangers, but her family was included in this. All the people she loved.
Azarius dipped his head slightly to the left. “I do not believe we need to battle the giant. Kinley’s belief that it is there because of the totem is likely true. I will fly over and search for the owl myself, but it may be Kinley is the only one who can find it.”
“She’s not going back out there.” Ametta shook her head.
“Mett,” Kinley sighed.
“No.” Ametta firmly set her jaw.
“If I need her to find the totem, she will come with me,” Azarius stated and sipped his tea.
Ametta’s lips thinned as her face twitched. There was a war brewing behind her dark eyes. Kinley saw the same internal conflict whenever it came to Ametta and Lucky. It was more amusing then than it was now.
“You know how vital the totems are.” Kinley began, and Ametta silenced her with a zipping motion.
“Yes, I do. And if you can find it, you’ll find it. But I don’t have to like it. And Dad will absolutely hate it.” Ametta grabbed the bag and unloaded the wrapped burgers and cartons of fries. “Let’s not talk about it anymore right now. I’m hungry.”
“Kunik will agree to do what’s right for all of us.” Azarius fetched the napkins from beside the fridge.
Oh yes. Kinley’s dad would rant and rave about her going back to where the giant was, but in the end, he’d let her go find the token. Maybe he’d send in a small army, but the fate of all shifters rested in locating the totems and reassembling the ancient pole.
“I said we’re not talking about it.” Ametta nabbed three bottles of water from the bottom of the bag and set them down with a solid thud. “So that truck out front isn’t yours, Kin. Did your boyfriend spend the night again?”
Kinley imagined banging her head on the counter.
Talking about the fate of all shifters was easier than anything dealing with Ransom.
After an uncomfortable lunch, Azarius flew off to search for the owl totem. Kinley began her cleanup and wished she hadn’t eaten that third burger, but she kept stuffing food in her mouth so she didn’t have to talk.
“So Ransom’s a lynx.” Ametta smirked.
“Yes.” Kinley closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with one hand.
“Oh yeah, Dad’s so going to lov
e that your new boyfriend is a lynx.” Ametta snickered and then puffed out her chest to speak in a gruff voice. “What’s wrong with bears? You don’t want to give your old man any grandbabies? Are you trying to drive me to an early grave?”
Kinley let out a little snort and threw all the wrappers into the garbage. “God, that whole grandkids thing. You’d think we’re all a bunch of spinsters.” She shook her head. “And he’s not my boyfriend.”
“He slept in your bed.”
“Because I was hurt.”
“You’ve seen each other naked.” Ametta grinned.
“Because we had shifted!”
“He kissed you and you liked it.”
Damn. That was true. Kinley’s head dropped forward into her hands. “That doesn’t make him my boyfriend.” She ran her hands through her hair and finished her cleanup. “So how’s Lucky?”
“Shut up.” Ametta snapped and then was blissfully quiet.
Once everything was wiped down and back in its proper place, Kinley looked to her large desk and then out the window at Ransom’s truck. Work. She needed to do work. Her gaze stayed on the truck.
“Hey, Mett, do you think you could drive into town with me? I want to drop off Ransom’s truck, but then I’ll need a ride home.”
“Want to see him that bad, huh?” Ametta slid off her stool and smoothed down her skirt.
“No. I’m hoping he’ll be sleeping. I’ll leave his keys with the receptionist at Mr. Ellsworth’s office.” Though Kinley wanted to know how Bert was doing, she would have to wait until the totem was retrieved. She wanted the giant gone before she dealt with anything else, including her feelings for Ransom.
Ametta drove and Kinley followed. When they arrived at the office building, Kinley parked the truck out front and hopped out. She stood beside it, fiddling with the keys.
Would Ransom be there? Did she want to see him? Touch him, kiss him…
Yes, she did, but she shouldn’t. It was time to focus on much more important things than a hot guy. The quest must be first in her heart and mind right now.
“You want me to take the keys in?” Ametta rolled down her window and gave an impatient sigh.
“No. I’ll do it.” Kinley squared her shoulders and walked into the building. The receptionist appeared frazzled as she talked on the phone, but she took Ransom’s keys and promised to give them back to him. She barely gave Kinley more than a quick look.
Good, good. Fast and easy.
Kinley was almost to the door when she heard Ransom call her name. She paused and attempted to brace herself. No fairies dancing in her belly or rushes of lust. Nope. She was going to turn around, and he’d just be a nice guy who loaned her his truck.
Feeling strong, she turned, and there he was, cupping her face and kissing her like mad. She almost lost the ability to stand!
Brace herself? More like melt into a puddle of happy goo.
No, no. She patted his chest and whimpered when she pulled away from the kiss. “Uh, Mr. Ellsworth. Yes. How is he?”
“I think he’s going to be fine after some time. I’m afraid you’ll have to tell your sister the shopping trip to Russia is off, though. I don’t know which one of them is going to be more disappointed about that.” Ransom chuckled and gathered her to him, his body molding to hers.
Thank God. Though there was little relief to be had at the moment wrapped in Ransom’s arms. “I left your truck keys… There. At the desk. Thank you.”
Could she not even form a full sentence? It was embarrassing, especially for a geek. Damn, he made her dizzy with want.
“Mmhmm.” Ransom nudged her hair back from her neck and brushed his lips over her sensitive skin. His hands wiggled into the back pockets of her jeans. “Did you sleep well?”
“Slept hard. Didn’t even hear my alarm. Azarius arrived. He’s out looking for…” Kinley almost said the owl totem. She bit back the words and rattled on. “The giant. He’s a raven. He can fly, so it’s safer for him to do it. He’ll know what to do. Have the problem cleared up within a couple days. Then the crew can fix the damage and maybe get the foundation laid before winter.”
Ransom eased back a little and raised a brow at her. “Well, just as long as he knows what he’s doing. And as long as you don’t go back out there. I won’t be able to come along to be your bodyguard. I’ve got to stay here for a few days. Bert needs to be fed a lot.” He smiled his pirate’s smile. “Speaking of food, maybe you want to pick up something and bring it here later. We’ll have dinner together. I have my own private office.”
The implications of that statement. The immensely naughty implications. Kinley swallowed and raised a shaky hand, pointing at the door. “My sister’s waiting. I’ve got to go. We’ve got lots of work to do, but, um, I’ll give you a call, okay?”
His smile fell. It was like she kicked a small dog. And she felt just as horrible too. She repeated to herself she was protecting him from danger and protecting herself from future heartbreak.
“Call me.” And then he released her.
Ransom looked like she felt. She wanted to hug him, tell him she’d be there with chicken and biscuits. Holy cow. Even her imagined make-ups weren’t sexy. Chicken? He was the type to eat sushi off a beautiful woman’s body.
Her chin dipped, and it became difficult to breathe. “Okay. Bye.”
Kinley stumbled a little over the lip of the office door. Yup, total klutz. And a boring nerd. Spinster was her future.
She climbed into Ametta’s car and shut the door.
“What the hell was that?” Ametta pulled away from the curb before Kinley even put on her seatbelt.
“Nothing.” Everything. Life sucked.
Ametta made Kinley promise to stay safe before heading back to Anchorage. Safe in her family’s minds meant staying inside and sitting behind a computer. Which Kinley did while waiting for Azarius.
Every single one of them knew that there was no real safety in hunting the totem tokens. That’s why they told Kinley to stay at home.
She was neck-deep in research when Azarius returned early in the evening. Neck-deep meaning she had twenty tabs open in her browser. Having read more on the meanings of the totems, she didn’t need Azarius to tell her what she already worked out.
“I need you to come find the owl totem.” Azarius didn’t greet her with a hello or a smile. He walked in when she opened the door for him and gazed at her with intense dark eyes.
It was meant for her to find. She might be a bear shifter, but the owl fit who she was. Intelligent, wise, intuitive, and a messenger.
Kinley offered him something to eat after realizing she hadn’t eaten since lunch herself. “Did you see the giant?”
“No.” Azarius shook his head as he stood in the kitchen while she fixed sandwiches for them. “They were creatures of the earth. I did not step foot on the land nor was there anyone else there.”
“I can’t fly, though. I will have to walk the land.” Kinley nipped her lower lip as she placed a cold cut sandwich on a plate and pushed it over the counter to him. “The giant wanted me. Me as a bear, though. So it might be safe if I didn’t shift.”
“’Twas Bear and Raven who killed the last of the giants.” Azarius stated. He didn’t sit as he started to eat.
He had a point. Was it going to piss off the giant even more to have both of them there? Instead of poking a hornet’s nest, they might end up whacking it with a stick. She couldn’t fly off like Azarius could. And he wouldn’t leave her, so he’d have to battle the monster.
Bloody images of what happened to Bert flashed in her mind. No. She didn’t want that to happen to Azarius or anyone else.
“We need to go in with a plan.” Kinley said after they’d eaten in silence.
“We cannot plan for what we do not know.”
“How did Bear and Raven kill the giants?” A sword and a truck weren’t going to do it. Her father owned guns, but they’d be of no use.
“With fire, burned them to ashes. They then
flung the ashes to the winds so they’d fly all different ways for even those tiny bits were still hungry for human blood.” Azarius made a flinging gesture with one hand, but that was as far as his showmanship went.
Fire. So where could they find a gigantic flame thrower?
Yeah, right. Best not to even engage the giant. Fleeing would be the best option. She could only hope the giant was tied to his territory and couldn’t leave.
“We’ll go in through the forest and not onto the site proper. For that was where you heard the owl’s call, yes?” Azarius did have a plan. And she was relieved it was sound.
“Yes.”
Maybe the owl would come to her if she responded to its call. That would make things so much easier. Of course, if this were like any role-playing game she played, she would have to earn the owl’s token, and the obvious way seemed to be to defeat the giant.
Kinley played over several scenarios in her head as she drove them to Ellsworth Mountain. Stick to the woods and don’t shift. It should be okay if she didn’t turn into a bear.
She parked along the road. The sky turned pink as the sun set in the west. Pretty and ominous.
As soon as Kinley stepped out of the car, the owl hooted. It was waiting for her. It wanted to be found. Silently, she called to it, trying to make it understand it was best if it came to her.
“What do you hear?” Azarius stepped around her car. His keen eyes searched the treetops surrounding them.
“The owl. I’m trying to see if it will come to me.”
One minute. Two. A third passed by. Nothing.
Maybe if she called it out loud. “Who-who-whooo!”
Azarius gave her a sideways glance. Yes, her owl call was horrible. She figured it was the intent that mattered.
The owl hooted back, but it didn’t sound any closer.
Leave it.
Kinley sucked in a breath. The same voice that told her to leave before. Why would the whispers tell her such a thing? It was incredibly important that she find the totem. For everyone she loved.
Silent Whispers (Totem Book 2) Page 6