Looking to her left at the lake, she saw something huge and dark roll just below the surface.
“Come see!” Brayden shouted and drew her attention away from the lake.
Kinley balanced as she maneuvered over the rocks to the river’s edge. The river ran loud, but it wasn’t swirling with white waters. And try as she might, she couldn’t see the bottom of it, even close to the side on which she stood.
Through the mist, she noticed movement on the other shore. The longer she stared, the more she could see. People. Dozens, no, hundreds of them.
To her right, a lynx with no spots padded out of the mist. An elderly man followed behind. Crooked as his back seemed, he didn’t struggle to keep up. The lynx sat on the foot of the bridge, and without pause, the man walked past the cat and started across the bridge, crossing the river.
“Look.” Brayden tugged on her sleeve. “I can see my dad.”
The child jumped and waved, laughing when a man on the other side waved back at him.
His father? How could he tell that far away? Besides, his dad was dead. He couldn’t…
Oh. Kinley’s eyes widened. It suddenly clicked. The lynxes and the Urayuli, the disappearances, the strange anomalies here, and the people on the other shore. Not people. Souls.
They were in the place between the living and the dead.
If the totem was messing up the paths between the living and the dead, then this just didn’t affect shifters. It could mean disaster for the entire world. A supernatural apocalypse. Imagine if the dead and living had to exist together!
Kinley put her hands on her knees and breathed heavily. As if carrying around the weight of the fate of shifters wasn’t heavy enough.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will hurt you here.” Brayden bent his head sideways to look at her. “I come here a lot to see my dad. I bet your mom’s here too.”
“There’re so many people over there. I don’t think I’d be able to spot her.” Kinley straightened and put on her best calm mask. What would it do to the boy if he kept coming here? Would he fade away from the world of the living?
“It’s easy. Just think about her. And you’ll, like, focus in, like with binoculars.” Brayden nodded and hopped onto a taller rock to wave again at his father.
Kinley reached into Ransom’s coat and felt the polar bear necklace. She traced the contours of the bear’s body with her thumb. Her special gift from her mom.
That’s when she noticed a blond woman among all the milling souls. Tall and pale, dressed in white. The more Kinley stared, the more certain she was she’d found her. It happened just as Brayden described. Her mom’s face was clear even so far away. And oh, she was every bit as beautiful as she remembered.
Kinley’s heart raced. A giddy and childish it’s-Christmas-Eve rush of emotions surged through her.
Her mother smiled and waved. Kinley raised a hand in return. Her mom. God, she wanted to hug her. If only she could do that one more time, hear her voice, tell her she loved her.
I know, sweetie.
A whisper with that beloved voice. “Mom.”
I’m so proud of you and your sisters.
Kinley’s mask of calm crumbled. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her palm, unsure of what to say. There were a million things she wanted to ask, but none of them seemed right in this moment.
Instead, she motioned to the smiling child. “I found him. Just like I promised.”
Her mom’s smile turned sad. No, no, no. Did Kinley do something wrong? Was she too late? Her stomach tightened and flipped and threatened to empty itself.
The boy is safe. But you must find your love. Find him before he’s lost to your world forever.
Ransom!
Every soul on the other side turned to look at Kinley. In one booming chorus, they said, Find him.
Kinley stumbled back and lost her focus on her mom. Stars exploded and swirled behind her eyes. The whole world of the dead was yelling at her to find Ransom. None of them were screaming as loud as her heart, though.
But where would she even start to look? This realm could be as big as Alaska or the world. Maybe even bigger.
Remember you are strong. You are bear. You are my daughter.
“Find him.” Kinley finished for her mother. She hugged her mom in her head and heart before turning to Brayden. “Can you get us back as easily as you got us here?”
The boy shrugged. “Sometimes. I’ve only managed to do it in the graveyard. The others need the lynx to take them.”
“Will you go back to the graveyard and wait for me? I have to find someone, and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Sure. But you don’t like it over here? You can see your mom.” Brayden motioned to the other side of the river.
“It was nice to see my mom, and I thank you for it. But there’s someone alive who needs my help. I think he might be lost here.” Kinley hoped her desperation didn’t seep through and worry him, but she had no idea how they’d get back if he didn’t help.
“It’s a big place.” Brayden pursed his lips and puffed out a long, tired breath. “I’ll wait for you, but don’t take too long, okay?”
“You could come with me.” She suggested, but when his eyes widened and his face paled, she said instead, “I’ll go as fast as I can.” She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and then ran back towards the woods. If this realm was a huge as she believed, the logical place to start would be the spot she’d seen Ransom last, which was the cemetery.
She couldn’t lose Ransom. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She’d been stupid to think about those other women, and well, it led to their first fight. Did he regret his relationship with her now? Was that why he went off with the other lynx?
No, not another lynx, but the totem.
Kinley skidded to a stop. The lynx totem. Surely it would feel some affinity for Ransom, but what would that mean?
He said lynxes were guides. Yes, spiritual guides. But he didn’t know how literal that was. Like the one at the bridge with the old man, lynxes guided souls to the land of the dead.
Would the totem take Ransom to the land of the dead? Would that kill him?
No. That didn’t make sense. She was thinking the worst things. She needed to think the most logical thing.
Totem. Saving lost kids by turning them into Urayuli. Lynxes as guides for souls. The totem was going a little crazy, but it was helping, in its own way. So that meant it would attempt to help Ransom, and Ransom being a lynx…
Would the totem think him a guide? Or make him a guide. Lynxes weren’t common animals. The totem might not realize it came across a shifter or a wild cat. So it would take Ransom to do a job. The nearest job.
The lodge’s owner.
Kinley took off again, sprinting through the woods. Please let her be right.
The door to the cabin behind the lodge was unlocked. She burst in and ran through the house. No one. Not a soul.
“Ransom!” She drew in a deep breath, and there, yes, his woodsy feline scent. He’d been there recently.
There was still time. There had to be.
She left the cabin and rushed back to the bridge. The guides didn’t go across it. She could catch him there. And then what? Explain to the totem it had the wrong guy?
It didn’t matter. Get there first.
Kinley didn’t see any big cats as she drew near to the bridge. Just the rushing water, mist, and the boy finding it difficult to balance on the wobbling bridge.
Brayden?
He wouldn’t cross the bridge. He knew what was on the other side. And he promised to meet her at the cemetery.
But he knew what was on the far shore. His father.
Fuck.
The back of a huge black beast crested the water at the river’s mouth. The flow didn’t affect its movements at all. It swam toward the bridge.
Double fuck.
No lynxes in sight. Kinley hightailed it to the bridge. “Brayden!”
/> The boy glanced over his shoulder at her, holding tight to the rope on either side of him.
She knew that look. Her sisters got it sometimes. It said I’m going to do this thing no matter how stupid it is.
As much as she’d love to go across for a hug from her mom, she guessed that crossing the bridge was a one way trip. And, shit, the lake monster was nearly under the bridge now.
“Brayden, hurry! Come back!” Kinley stepped onto the wood planks of the bridge. Her body tensed as the world seemed to heave. If she were stepping onto a tightrope over the top of the Grand Canyon, she couldn’t have felt more stressed. Her instincts screamed to flee. Even her bear was tearing at her to remain on solid ground.
A tentacle molted with dark greens and browns rose from the lake. Water dripped off it as it rose toward the bridge.
Toward Brayden.
Kinley’s body refused to obey her command to run to the boy, but she could still scream. “Brayden! Look out!”
Brayden looked down and yelled before spinning to come back her way, but his erratic move put him off-balance. He fell and grabbed onto one rope with both hands as his legs dangled off the edge.
No! Why couldn’t she move?
The tip of the monster’s tentacle touched the underside of the bridge as Brayden pulled his legs onto it. The child wrapped his arms around the rope and held still as if he could trick the mammoth below him into believing no one was there.
A second tentacle snaked upward, curling and twisting.
Kinley cried out and kicked herself in the ankle to make herself move. Could the living not cross the bridge? But what did that mean that Brayden could?
Something panted behind her, and then a furry blur leapt over her and onto the bridge. A lynx. And not just any cat. She recognized the markings. Ransom!
He raced along the bridge and turned. Skidding to a stop, he butted Brayden with his head. The boy released the rope to grip Ransom’s fur instead. One of the tentacles slithered over the plank behind them.
Hurry, please hurry. It was horrible enough to see the Lovecraftian creature seeking out the trespasser, but it was made a nightmare by the fact Kinley couldn’t get onto the bridge to help. Whether it was an invisible barrier or a spell on her body that wouldn’t let it work beyond a specific point, it didn’t matter. Being unable to do anything sucked.
Tears streaked down her cheeks. She kept pushing even as helpless agony wrenched a sob from her.
A sharp chill seized her, and the shade of a man stepped onto the bridge. Through her.
She recognized him as the owner of the lodge. Photos had shown a happy face, but now it sagged with illness. He walked forward as if unaware of the battle.
Ransom pushed the kid toward her over and over. It seemed the closer they got to Kinley, the more trouble Brayden had moving. The tentacles groped the bridge just inches behind them.
“Come on, Brayden. You can make it.” Kinley gestured to him and stepped away from the edge of the bridge. Full freedom of movement returned to her body. “Run and jump if you have to. I’ll be here to catch you.”
Making a grunting noise that sounded like agreement, Ransom dug his claws into the wood and heaved Brayden forward. Brayden slackened his grip, and his body flung to the end of the bridge. He barely kept on his feet and went through the lodge owner’s soul.
A thick tentacle lashed out and missed the boy, but as it yanked back, it snatched hold of Ransom’s right front leg. Fastened to the planks as he was, the bridge bowed and shuddered as the monster attempted to dislodge him.
Brayden tumbled into Kinley’s arms, and she drew him back from the wildly swinging bridge. “I have you.”
Each breath heaved in Brayden’s chest as he sobbed, saying he was sorry. No one could blame a boy from wanting to see his father. Even if seeing his father meant crossing into the realm of the dead.
Ransom hissed and chomped the tentacle, but it would not let go. Kinley held the child’s head against her chest, but she couldn’t look away. She prayed to the old gods, to any god who would listen, to help Ransom get away.
Fight. He had to fight. He had to come back to her.
The soul passed by Ransom, nodding once, before continuing.
The whole struggle lasted mere seconds. The monster was too great. Likely it was the guardian of the realms, and it did its job.
It ripped Ransom from the bridge and threw him into the lake.
No! It was as if her heart tore from her ribcage and a searing pain enveloped her soul.
It was weirdly cartoonish and numbingly horrific. Ransom sailed through the air, legs flailing, and just before he hit the surface of the water, he vanished. No splash or ripples or disturbance in the water whatsoever.
The ancient beast retracted its limbs and retreated to the depths.
No. She refused to let Ransom be dead. Kinley let go of Brayden and staggered to the lake’s shore as she removed her coat. She tossed it down and yanked off her boots.
“What are you doing?” Brayden’s voice trembled as he followed her.
“I have to save him.” Nothing else mattered now. Her world had come to a grinding halt without Ransom in it. She needed him back.
“You can’t swim out there.” He touched her arm and flinched when she shrugged it off.
“I can and I will. I’m a bear shifter.”
“Really?” Something other than fear and sorrow gave strength to his voice. “But you still can’t. The lynx isn’t there. Well, he’s there but not here there.”
Kinley turned and gripped the hem of her sweater. “What do you mean?”
“He’s back in our normal world.”
Then she could still save Ransom. She snatched Brayden’s hand. “Take us back. We have to get back right now. Every second counts.”
Brayden wiggled his hand free and wrapped his arms around himself. “I can’t. It’s not like I can do it whenever I want.” He huffed. “And I don’t want to go back. I’ll be a Bigfoot then. People are scared of me.”
She wanted to hug him again, to protect him from all the rotten things in the world. But there wasn’t enough time. She fell to her knees in front of him. “Please. You have to try. Ransom will die if we don’t do anything. And he and I, we’re working on turning you and all the children back to normal. That’s our job, you know?”
“You can turn me back to a person?” Brayden sucked on his lower lip. A few more tears fell from his eyes. “But I really can’t do it. I don’t even…”
“Look at me.” Kinley took his hands. Her heart pumped faster than an arctic hare’s. “Take a deep breath and be calm. Think about the other realm, your home. Your mom, your siblings, and even Clyde who said you’re an expert fisherman.”
“He said that?” A hint of a smile twitched up his lips.
“He did.” She nodded, squeezing his hands. “And your mom misses you so much. I first saw a flier for you in Wasilla. That far away. She’ll never give up looking for you. She’ll never stop loving you, no matter what you look like.” She drew in a trembling breath. “Because of that flier, I found you, and I can help you, but first you have to help me.”
“My mom…” Brayden sniffled and pressed his lips together in a thin line. He closed his eyes and held her hands even tighter. Lifting one foot, he stomped on the ground.
The flickering of light went faster this time, and her stomach dropped as if she’d just ridden through loops on a roller coaster. She wished she closed her eyes, but there was no time. The sun peeked out above the mountains in the east. One sun.
Nothing moved out on the lake that she could see. Oh God, Ransom. Please still be alive.
No time to worry about her clothes. She removed her necklace and handed it to the now gigantic Brayden. “Thank you. Keep this safe for me please. My mom gave it to me.”
He blinked and keened looking out to the lake.
Kinley’s clothes stretched and shredded as she shifted into a bear. She raced into the water. The noise echoed too lou
dly in her ears.
Ransom. She had to find him. She’d give up this totem, too, if that meant saving him.
She mentally pictured the spot where he fell. It was past the beach and the area floatplanes landed. Did she have it right? The lake was so big, and he was but one animal.
Pumping her legs as hard as she could, she swam farther out. He couldn’t die. Not when he was so young, and their relationship so new. She loved him. It hurt to even think it, but it was the truth. In her mind, she screamed for him.
Where was he? Panic twisted around her.
Maybe the lake monster came back to finish him off. Crushed him, drowned him, and ate him whole.
Something bobbed just below the surface ahead of her.
Paddling over, she snatched it with a paw. A log. A fucking piece of wood. She batted it away.
No. Ransom was out here somewhere. She wouldn’t give up on him.
Kinley.
She went under as she whipped around and pushed to the surface, spitting out water. It was his voice!
Oh no. No, no, no. Not his voice. His whisper.
She roared before diving under. She’d scour the entire lake to find him if she had to.
Kinley.
She could hear him as clearly as if he were beside her. To the left. She rocketed in that direction.
He called to her again, a little more to the left and toward the shore. Swimming, she squinted under the water, and there he was. Floating naked and human and not moving.
Kinley dashed under him and came to the surface with his body on her back. To the shore. She couldn’t swim damn quick enough. No breath came from between his lips.
Ransom was dead.
Brayden met Kinley in the water and lifted Ransom off her back to set him on a clear spot on the beach. He moaned as he laid Ransom’s limp body down and held his head in his hands.
Kinley shifted as she stepped out of the water and ran to kneel by Ransom’s side. “Wake up!” She rubbed his chest, face, and arms, shaking him at the same time. “Don’t you dare die. Don’t leave me.”
Ghost Cat (Totem Book 5) Page 7
