Silent Whispers (Totem Book 2)

by Christine Rains

  Kinley couldn’t let that happen. It was safer for everyone this way. Well, safer for everyone who wasn’t in Ransom’s truck.

  What was she thinking? Oh, that’s right. The whispers told her to go.

  It was rare that the whispers told her to do anything. Most of the time, they were bits of the past or present, and sometimes, she’d get something from the future. Not anything she could control. She wasn’t like a medium who could ask spirits questions or divine a particular future. It was more like she was listening in on private conversations.

  That was the trick about the whispers. Since most of what she heard was from the present, she had to be careful what she deduced from it. Things they said didn’t always come true.

  When her mom got sick, all Kinley heard was how she would get well and their family would be together forever. So when her mother died, it was an even bigger shock. Later she realized that she might have heard the hopes her family had rather than whispers about the truth.

  None of them spoke in the truck. Not Ransom or Bert or even the whispers. Ransom tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of a rock song she didn’t recognize on the radio.

  Was something going to happen to him? Was that why she had to be there? Her chin quivered, and she bit her lower lip.

  The floodlights were on when they arrived at the site, but no one else was there. Bert confirmed he told the security guard not to come in for the night.

  Much of the destruction had been tidied up. The remains of the trailer were gone, and the dump truck had been hauled out of the foundation hole. The boulder still sat upon the flattened backhoe and the remaining equipment had been moved closer to the road off the main site.

  Ransom switched off the engine, and the three of them sat in silence.

  After a minute, Bert opened the passenger side door and stepped out. He breathed in deeply and surveyed the land with his unblinking eyes.

  Ransom reached over and squeezed her hand. “You ready?”

  “No.” Never. But she slid out of the truck.

  The second her feet touched the ground, it sounded like she was in the middle of a full blown party. Whispers from everywhere. Not like the ones she heard earlier either.

  Danger. Leave. Mine. Go. Revenge.

  Kinley steadied herself with a hand on the side of the truck. She might have whimpered because Ransom and Bert both turned to look at her.

  She covered one ear with her hand. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t hearing the whispers with her ears. And oh, they were zealous. “We have to go. It’s not safe to be here.”

  “You’ll be fine. I am confident I can take care of this problem.” Bert spoke as if he had an infestation of cockroaches rather than a giant on his land.

  Ransom came to stand with her and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay.”

  The neighborhood owl screeched in the distance. “Even the owl knows it’s dangerous here.”

  “An owl?” Ransom peered at the dark woods. “I didn’t hear one.”

  Kinley stiffened. His ears were as good as, probably better than, hers. There was no mistaking the owl.

  Peering around, she couldn’t see any birds, but she heard it. Clear as glacier water. And it hadn’t been with her ears.

  Oh. The Owl. The totem. She’d heard it with her sixth sense. All this time, it had been here.

  She could follow the sounds and find it. What would her family think if she brought home the first totem token? She’d no longer be the research nerd. She’d have something better to show her worth than an adventuring hat.

  Leave.

  The force of the word knocked her against Ransom.

  “What’s wrong?” Ransom held her tighter against him.

  “It’s not here.” Bert frowned and turned to face them. “I need you both to shift.”

  There was a hard “now” unsaid at the end of that command. Ransom squeezed her and let her go to start taking off his clothes. He didn’t hesitate or question the vampire. Made her wonder what sort of hold Bert had over Ransom.

  “I don’t know…” Kinley’s skin crawled. Or it could have been the number of mosquitoes buzzing around them.

  “My dear,” Bert said with flat patience. “You’ve been to this site numerous times. The only time the giant appeared was when you shifted. Does it not make sense for you to be in your other form?”

  Yes, dammit, it did make sense. But that was beside the point. They shouldn’t be doing this. Fighting giants was way out of her league. Out of Ransom’s league too. Bert? She didn’t know. Yet she had always been one to play it safe rather than sorry.

  “Well?” Bert raised one eyebrow slightly.

  “She’s shy. You want to go around to the other side of the truck, Kin?” Ransom was out of his shirt with the top button of his jeans undone.

  Her mind momentarily flashed to highly inappropriate things she wanted to do to him right now. Right now, with an unblinking vampire watching and the threat of a giant who could crush them. Strange the things a person thought about in the face of danger.

  The whispers told her to leave. She put her trust in Bert and Ransom.

  Drawing her hand along the truck, Kinley walked around to the other side. It would be okay. What were the chances the giant would show up again? She removed her hoodie. No bra, but she unwound the now unnecessary bandages wrapped around her middle. Shoes, pants, and panties. And before the cold could set in, she transformed.

  Kinley lifted her head to sniff and caught sight of Ransom sitting on top of his truck. She hadn’t even heard the lynx jump up. Was he smiling at her?

  She walked around the truck, sniffing and studying the mountain. Would the giant come from the same way if it attacked again? Where exactly did it come from to begin with? While she wanted these questions answered, part of her still begged to flee. Four paws on the ground gave her a little more confidence, but not as much as she’d like.

  BEAR!

  Oh shit. Not a whisper. Fury. Raw rage.

  She took a few steps back. Maybe if she shifted back to her human self…

  The giant’s roar shook the truck and trees and made her fur stand on end. He descended from the top of the mountain and sent mini avalanches of rock and dirt down with each step. The horrid scent traveled much quicker, and she fought back her gag reflex.

  Bear. It was her that triggered the giant. But why?

  Bert, or rather the blur that was the vampire, met the monster before it could reach the site. He had a sword in one hand. When did Bert pick up a sword? Not just any blade but, from its curve and decorative guard, a saber. A big thank you to role-playing games for making her a weapons’ expert.

  Kinley stayed by the truck, and Ransom kept his position on the roof. Nothing either of them could do but watch.

  Bert was ignored by the giant until he skillfully climbed up to his shoulder and thrust his sword through his milky eye. No pus or goo, nor even a great geyser of blood erupted from the wound.

  She couldn’t see Bert’s face, but she imagined him looking disappointed. The giant, on the other hand, wailed. He fell to his knees and slid the rest of the down the mountain. Bert held on with his saber still in the giant’s eye.

  Was the vampire going to take down the monster so easily? Bert probably didn’t even break a sweat. Not that she thought he could sweat anyway.

  Kinley dared to move forward, transfixed by the crying behemoth and tiny man perched on him. Not a minute ago, she wanted to run. Now she was witness to one of the greatest victories in history. At least in this century. And she was part of it. As bait, sure, but it wouldn’t have happened without her.

  If she was a wolf, she’d howl. A bird, she’d sing. This grand moment—

  The giant snatched Bert and bashed him into the ground. Over and over and over.

  No! Kinley couldn’t scream. Her mouth yawned silently.

  “In the truck! Now, now, now!” Ransom sat naked behind the wheel and cranked the engine.

  Bert was
gone. She couldn’t save him.

  She ran to the passenger’s side and shifted as she climbed inside. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She shouldn’t have let them come out here.

  Ransom reversed down the drive and out of sight of the bellowing giant. Kinley barely had time to shut her door.

  She should have listened to the whispers. They told her to leave. Wait. Didn’t they also tell her to go with them?

  None of it made any sense. And because of it, Bert was dead. Like really dead.

  Ransom pulled up to an elegant old building of red brick. Bert’s office. Had they driven that far from the site already?

  “Come on. I want you to wait for me inside.” Ransom turned off the engine. His keys jingling snapped Kinley out of her fugue. She still couldn’t grasp the meaning of what he said.

  She jerked her head toward him, not opening her door. “Why aren’t we going to my place?”

  Yes, home. Safe and cozy.

  “This is closer to the site than your house. I need to go back and find Bert before the sun comes up.” Ransom reached down to the floor, moving clothes until he retrieved his boxers. He slipped them on and reached for more.

  Kinley’s heart thudded so hard she wouldn’t doubt the whole cab vibrated with it. She twisted in her seat and put her feet on top of the pile of clothes. “No. You can’t go back there.”

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Bert needs me.” Ransom rested an arm on the steering wheel. His hazel eyes no longer hooded and sexy, but wide and shimmering.

  She reached to grab his shirt, but he wasn’t wearing one. She grasped at nothing, pressing her fists to his bare chest. “You can’t. The giant—”

  “Is likely gone by now.” He tenderly laid his hands over hers and lowered them. “All it wanted was you.”

  “You don’t know that. It could be any intruder or any shifter. We know nothing for certain.” Kinley shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly. She couldn’t cry. She wouldn’t let anyone else die.

  “You know it. And I know it.”

  “Don’t go!” Kinley rose onto one knee, half-standing over him. He had to listen to her. “I’m a bear, and I’m not afraid to use that to my advantage to keep you from going back.”

  Ransom smiled, and his teeth briefly caught his lower lip. “And damn, if that’s not turning me on right now. I wish I had the time for you to tie me down and use me to your advantage.”

  Heat flooded her face. Dear God. She was naked. How could she forget? She plopped back down in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, folding herself half over her groin. Maybe she should let her arms down, crook a finger at him, and distract him until he forgot he wanted to go back to the site. It would be easy. She didn’t need to have a good sense of smell to tell his arousal was apparent. She could see it.

  Instead, his smile faded. “I’ve got to get Bert. The giant will be gone. It only wanted you. I heard its cry for bear.”

  All thoughts of seduction fled. He heard? “You can… hear them?”

  “Them?” Ransom cocked his head a little to one side. “I heard the giant. Loud and clear.”

  Her stomach quivered. “Did you hear the owl?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Just the giant. Sometimes I hear other things. Not really hear, but more intuit them. I got the feeling from the first night I met you that you have a similar gift.”

  “I hear whispers.” Kinley’s voice softened to just above a whisper itself. “I don’t know what they are. Spirits, maybe of the land, maybe of the dead. I think both, or something else even. They told me to go with you to the site. Then they demanded I leave, that it was dangerous.” She swallowed heavily. “Please don’t go back.”

  Ransom slid closer so that their knees met and wrapped an arm around her. “Those voices sound like they were looking out for you. And I’m glad they are. But I’ll be okay. I don’t only know it, I feel it.” He pushed her hair back from her face. “It’s my job to see to Bert’s safety. And I’d do it even if it wasn’t my job. He’s like family to me. I’m not going to leave him there to fry when the sun rises.”

  “But—”

  “It takes a lot more than a beating, even by a giant, to kill a vampire as old as him. I’ll be fine.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “And fuck, I’ve got some really good motivation to stay alive. I want to get you naked at a time when our lives aren’t in danger.”

  Kinley stiffened and pulled back a foot. He wanted to get her naked? That was a lot more than just flirting. It was a flat-out proposal to get naughty together. Did he really feel that way about her? A hot guy like him wanting a geek like her? Where were the damn whispers when she needed to know something specific?

  “I mean, if you’re interested. I thought perhaps…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, you’re not like any other woman I’ve met. Smart, gorgeous, brave. I feel like I’m flailing around blindly when I try to reel you in.”

  So he didn’t put it in poetic terms, but a man like Ransom blundering about trying to impress her? All her defenses went to mush. And she gave him what he wanted. What she wanted.

  She leaned in and kissed him, long and increasingly steamy.

  When they pulled apart, the windows were fogged. Ransom’s grin gleamed hungry. “Definite hardcore motivation to return.”

  Kinley’s eyes widened as she fought to catch her breath. Hardcore? Zings of electric desire zoomed through her.

  Ransom chuckled and kissed her nose. “Yeah, word choice. I know.” His lips pressed to hers again before he sat back. “And as much as I hate saying this, we need to get dressed.”

  “Right.” Her mouth still hummed with the heat of his kisses. She pulled on her hoodie and then her bottoms. He wanted to get naked with her. Was it wrong under the circumstances she was imagining herself doing a happy dance?

  Once dressed, Ransom brought her inside the building. “Bert has an emergency vault here. I’m going to bring him in. Can you watch for my truck and open the door for me when I get back?”

  “Yes, of course. Be careful.” Kinley nodded and was rewarded with a fiery kiss.

  Her sense of reason didn’t come back the second he left. She wandered through the mostly dark building smiling what she was sure was a goofy grin. It had been so long since any guy that wasn’t in a show or book made her feel this way.

  He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Sex with him would be like… She giggled as her stomach fluttered.

  But then what? Reality hit her harder than a speeding train. And backed up to run over her again.

  Ransom didn’t say he was falling for her or anything. He only said he wanted to hook up. And while sex with him was extremely appealing, she didn’t know how to do it without being emotionally attached.

  She fell for his charms like any other woman. No, she fell for him, which was worse. What was scarier was that she still wanted to share a bed with him. Not just for sex, but for Firefly marathons and munching cookies as a midnight snack.

  Kinley closed her eyes and listened to the whispers. They said nothing about him. Just echoes of history that reverberated in the building.

  She dug her phone out of her pocket and stared at it. Ametta would give her advice. Though, from the way things were between her and Lucky, it might not be the best advice. And besides, how would it look if she texted her sister about a guy when there was far more important business going on?

  Taking a deep breath, she sent messages to her family and Sedge about the giant and the owl totem. She didn’t doubt for a second it was the token they were searching for. Sure, she hadn’t seen it and didn’t even know exactly what to look for, but she felt it in her soul. Almost like the owl had called to her in particular.

  She sat behind the reception desk so she could watch out the front window. If the owl wanted her to find the totem, she’d best learn more about owls. Research time.

  Three messages from her family ranting about how she should’ve stayed at home, one big cup of coffee, and two hours
later, she spotted a set of headlights. She sprang up and went to the front door.

  Ransom parked out front and hurried around to the rear. He opened the hatch and removed something wrapped in a blanket before rushing toward the office.

  Kinley opened the door for him. The stench reached her before he did. She cringed, wondering how much of that stink was the giant’s and if any was Bert’s.

  “Thanks. If you open his office door for me, you can then wait out here.” Dirt and blood streaked Ransom’s handsome face. “I might be a while. There’s a couch you can nap on in the lunch room.”

  Her chest tightened. She wanted to hug him and take all this weight off his shoulders. Serious and sad didn’t suit him. It was a cloak she was used to wearing, though.

  But, no, not now. He had a job to do, after all. And so did she.

  Kinley opened Bert’s office door. “I’m actually going to head home. I need a solid sleep in my own bed. After everything that happened tonight and still not being fully recovered from the other day, I’m exhausted.”

  “Yeah, okay. That’s probably a good idea.” Ransom set his bundle down gently on the desk. Could Bert really be in there? It didn’t seem big enough to be a man. Or, well, vampire. He plucked his keys out of his pocket. “Here. Take my truck.”

  She stared at the keys for a few seconds. Taking his truck would mean she’d have to come back very soon. She bit her lower lip, debating the offer.

  “It’s okay. I trust you.” He flashed her a small smile. “And I’d kiss you if I weren’t…” He glanced down at himself. “Yeah.”

  “All right. Thank you.” Kinley took the keys and fiddled with them in her hand. “Um, take good care of Mr. Ellsworth. I know you will, but I really hope… Will he be okay?”

  “Eventually, yes.” Ransom sighed and his shoulders sagged.

  Forever changed.

  Kinley’s heart skipped a beat at hearing the whisper. No doubt Bert would be changed by the beating he took. She shouldn’t have let them confront the giant. And if she was right, it was the totem’s effects bringing the monster out, she could make certain no one else was hurt by finding the token.