Steal the Sun: (Book 1)

by Stephanie Kelley

  “Tsk, tsk. Too many questions, just worry about the mines and the shifters that work them. You’ll get your answers.” That crazy man, that darkening green shimmering thing, dissolved into mist and left us standing there.

  “What the-”

  “Not a clue, Bear.”

  I was tired as I watched him scan the area for our next threat. Kenai’s skin was slick with blood, the barest glow of orange radiated from beneath the dirt and grime on his sun darkened skin. A pale ring of flames circled the irises of his eyes. My eyes darted toward the night sky expecting to see the auroras, but the night was just as empty as the voice of stars. My eyes were playing tricks on me. I tore off my blood-soaked hoodie and tossed it over the safety railing of the dock. This acid trip from soaking in vampire blood needed to subside, and quick. We had been too complacent with this hunt. We should have cleaned the blood off quicker. Cy never should have gotten the advantage over us.

  We were still alive. And that was luck.

  I whistled for my dog. Czar was still nose to the ground trying to figure out where that thing had gone. There were muttered curses from Kenai as he grumbled about the situation we had gotten ourselves into.

  “Tulugaq, fuck.” It was always the damn ravens he cursed when things went upside down for us. “I think it's past time to go. I need to get to the gold mine. We’ve still got to get to Dez’s place.”

  The urgency in his voice gave me pause.

  “Dez doesn’t hire shifters. You seriously think we might be next?”

  Kenai shook his head. “We need to get moving. I don’t want to take the chance that we are next. Not if that thing is involved in any capacity.”

  Summer had been rough in Cordova this year, miners had disappeared. All that was left behind was their crushed vehicles and random mangled animal carcasses. The whispered rumors in town and in my bar were that those who had gone missing had been shifters. We hadn’t lost any of our crew from Ordeneige and I hoped to keep it that way. If whoever or whatever was behind this was truly after shifters, I expected it to stay that way. Our eldest brother hated the supernatural community with a passion and would never knowingly hire one.

  The next mine over, Big Mount, was run by a full crew of Others, mostly shape shifters. So far managed to escape unscathed. The foreman of Big Mount was my connection for getting rid of the vampire and human bodies we had dumped in the harbor. He would have told me if someone went missing from his crew. Something wasn’t adding up.

  Kenai grabbed my arm, spinning me to face him. A rough shake made me focus on his mismatched eyes burning deep with a tiny flame of fear. It made me shiver.

  “What texts, Koda?”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kodiak

  Kenai headed to the mine after we finished melting and pouring bullets. I had decided to go hunt black tail deer as a way to clear my head. His cabin wasn’t too far from town, but it was far enough away that I didn’t have to worry about the distraction of town. I’d let him take Czar. Kenai wanted to try to socialize the red and white pup that we had decided to keep from the last litter.

  Green and pink lights danced and crackled with laughter overhead, obscuring the stars and touching trees, while they taunted me. The Northern Lights were fleeting and intangible, much like those who had moved in and out of my life. Out of habit I reached for my knife strapped to my thigh. I should have been smarter about this. I should not have gone hunting by myself.

  Snow crunched loudly beneath my feet. It had been a long day and my deer hunt had not gone as planned. I wanted to make it back to my brother’s cabin and sleep, but my nerves were on edge. On fire to be honest. A wolf pup had ambushed me while I was stalking the deer, and it burned like I had embers bound to my arm. My knife had gotten a taste of the wolf’s blood but I hadn’t been able to kill it.

  My skin crawled as the sound of seals barking resonated off the hills of snow. I was nowhere near the ocean, my mind was playing tricks on me. I wasn’t sure if it was the blood loss or if I was beginning to experience hypothermia. And I probably still had more vampire blood in my system than I cared to admit.

  “Kodiak!”

  My name reverberated off the snow from somewhere in the distance. The voice was male, familiar as if I’d heard it hundreds of times before, but I had told no one I had come out here. My name came again from somewhere deep in the woods. I scanned the scrub brush and evergreens looking for any sign of where this familiar voice was yelling from.

  “Kodiak! Run!”

  Why couldn’t I place that voice. Poppa? Was he really back after ten years? Why couldn't I see him? No matter where I looked I couldn't find the source of the voice. Twigs snapped behind me. I spun to face whatever had come through the brush.

  There before me was the largest black and gray wolf I had ever seen. And it was laughing at me.

  “Amaroq.” The words escaped my lips in a strangled whisper.

  “You're late for dinner, Lamb,” the creature managed in perfect English, it's lips curling back in a snarl as it drew out the epithet. “You should know better than to hunt alone under the stars.”

  Shit.

  I, of all people, should have known better. Never hunt alone for the Amaroq will take you. One of the first lessons Poppa had taught us as children.

  “God damn it, Kodiak. How many times do I have to save you?”

  A strong hand grabbed my shoulder. I caught a glimpse of the figure attached to the hand, but couldn't make out who it was. With an unceremonious shove I was pushed away, the figure taking my place in front of the laughing wolf god.

  “I told you to run Kodiak, do it!”

  Run I did as the Amaroq’s hollow laugh reverberated off the snow. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I ran.

  Thunder cracked in the distance, somewhere where the dancing lights touched the Earth, and everything froze. I couldn’t move as my world was swallowed by blue glass.

  I woke gasping for breath. A spike of burning cold tore through my chest. My heart was ready to explode as I fought not to hyperventilate.

  I had been dreaming. I had fallen asleep at my desk.

  Damn it all.

  “Sorry, Miss Koda I told him I forgot his biscuit and that was it. “

  When I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I was a bit worried. My husky, Czar, had the delivery guy pinned to the wall, paws on his chest fluffy tail wagging. The “open” sign still on the door and the stack of bills for the family businesses I was supposed to pay, was now smeared across my desk.

  Czar backed off as I whistled him down, coming to sit by my big wooden desk. I shot my dog a look and he laid down, head on his paws.

  “I'm sorry, Manny. I had a late night.”

  Kenai and I had spent hours melting and casting silver hollow point bullets at Dez’s house till after 3 a.m.. He headed to the mine and I drove to my own house, exhausted and still in need of a shower.

  Few of the locals up here talked about it, but everyone knew to call us to take care of their preternatural problems. For the last century and a half, my family had kept the locals safe from the Others. The list of Others got longer every day as things crawled out of the wood work and headed toward the Alaskan wilderness.

  “Was it the puppies?” he asked with a smile.

  On top of all the other business Dez ran, or had us run, he still bred sled dogs. I had promised Manny first pick of the litter. He and Czar were best buddies and Manny could use some company.

  “No. They aren't here yet. But soon. Did you need me to sign something?”

  “No, nothing to sign today. I was wondering if you just wanted me to load the packages on the truck. Its parts for the backhoes and a new generator for the mine, or at least that’s what Dezi told me to expect last week.”

  Our goldmine outside of town we had named Ordeneige. In French it meant Snow of Gold, we just squished it all together to fit it on the sign. Family of overachievers I guess, but it took its toll. Between all the businesses we managed, it se
emed I slept on my desk more than I did the bookkeeping.

  Dez had left the mine last night to fly to Oregon. There was no point in calling him to tell him his deliveries were here. I’d be better off to take them up myself. It was nearly eleven. It would take me two hours to drive up to the mine on the muddy and icy back roads, and two hours to drive back. It would get me out of office work and the fresh air would do me good after that horrible dream.

  “Go ahead and load them up for me. Dez has a new foreman for the summer who I really should go meet before payday comes around.” I pulled open my desk drawer and pulled out a bag of Czar’s favorite salmon jerky treats. “Take these and Czar out with you, Manny. I’ll lock up and meet you at my truck.”

  I handed him the bag of treats over the desk, my dog longingly looking from me to Manny. “Go Czar. No mud.”

  The fluff ball whined and wagged his tail, but happily trotted to his friend.

  “Thank you, Manny.”

  “No problem Miss Koda. Come on boy.”

  I checked my phone, three text messages. One from my brother Kenai saying he was bored and we should have made more silver bullets. One from a friend saying he would see me at Broken Tusk tonight for a drink. The last made my heart drop.

  Rory knew. Dead because of it. Who’s next on the list? -Snow W.

  Attached to the message was a picture of a tiny blond girl sporting vampire fangs and a bloody face. I shivered hard, my hand darting for the carving I knew was beneath the middle desk drawer. I whispered a prayer for protection as I traced the five pointed star my father had carved there long ago.

  I hadn't thought about Rory in years. She’d gone the way of so many others in Alaska and disappeared. Now I knew why.

  If my brothers knew about this, I would be on lock down. I couldn’t have that. I needed a handle on this before something happened. Against my better judgment, I clicked the forward button and sent the message to the one person that I did not share blood with whom I trusted.

  The door to my office pulled shut with a heavy thud as Manny loaded the last of the small boxes into the back of my truck. How much had my brother ordered for these machines? The entire truck bed was full to the point of overflowing. This was going to be a long, slow trip.

  “The Northern Lights were dancing and whispering last night. Nothing good will come of this Miss Koda. I’d keep that knife your father made handy if I were you. They found another animal attack,” he said flatly, not bothering to glance my direction.

  A shiver ran up my spine at the mention of the Northern Lights and the animal attacks. Some believed those dancing lights could bring back our passed loved ones. Some believed the dancing lights were out to destroy us. I didn’t know what to believe anymore, but these animal attacks were coming closer together. Another attack meant another pile of ribbons and splinters. Gold season had started three months ago and brought with it a series of mutilations on large game. All that remained were the fresh hides of bear, elk, caribou, and even a wolf. No organs, no meat, just a shredded mess, with the occasional random skull or foot.

  “Is your brother looking into it? He’s got miners out there in trailers in the woods at the mine.”

  “Dezi seems to think the mine is safe since the bears and wolves will keep away from the heavy construction equipment they are running nearly twenty-four hours a day. But it's Friday night so the boys are usually all in town, so I’m sure I will hear all about the latest happenings at Broken Tusk. Did everything fit in the truck?” I asked as I leaned against the tailgate.

  “Yes, ma’am. Do you want me to come with you?”

  I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. I guess he thought only my brothers did the dirty work in this family.

  “You’re very sweet. I’ll have Czar, and I can handle myself. Thank you, though.

  “Miss Koda, can I ask you a question?”

  I never liked that question, but I nodded anyway.

  “Your eyes, they are the same as your brother’s?” He motioned towards his own eyes. “One blue, one brown?”

  I nodded, remembering I had forgotten to put my contacts in this morning. It wasn’t worth running by my house before heading to the mine. I would just have to do my best not to be self conscious about it.

  “Are you and Kenai twins?”

  “No,” I said with a laugh. Ken was three years older than me, the wild card of the family for sure. “No chance.”

  “Ah. I see. But you are also just like Czar,’ Manny said with a huge smile. “You’re all magic though.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Rhen

  Stepping out of the trailer, the sun hit my face and my eyes closed. Nothing felt as good as basking in an Alaskan morning sun while the chill in the air burned off. It was the last few weeks of summer, my breath hung in the morning air in white puffs. I didn’t know how long we had left to mine gold before the snow hit. Maybe a few days. Maybe a few weeks. Maybe everything would freeze tomorrow. Alaskan seasons are notoriously unpredictable, but it made everything here an adventure.

  These last moments in Alaska were always bittersweet. My crew had done well this season. We were headed into the final push for gold. The owner of Ordeneige Mine had asked me if I thought I could get a thousand ounces out of the mine this season when he called and offered me the position of foreman. I thought he had been joking, they hadn’t even managed to pull half that much gold from the ground the previous year. Asking for a thousand ounces was asking me to guarantee I could get him a million dollars. So far my crew and I had pulled nearly 1700 ounces of gold from this ground he owned and we still had time left to double his original goal. If Dez stayed out of my hair the rest of the season, he and this crew of eight I had working for me would go home extremely happy for the winter. The name Ordeneige was taken from the French words for gold and snow. They had certainly named their gold mine well.

  “Ravenwhite,” a familiar voice shouted at me over the sound of the heavy equipment. “Breakfast?”

  I opened my eyes to see a man that should have been family headed towards the fire pit, skinned rabbit in one hand and a clove cigarette in the other. He’d been my best friend going through school, and the little brother of the owner. After leaving Alaska years ago, I was happy for any bit of kindness he showed me, I certainly didn’t deserve it after what had happened in our past.

  “Pass. I prefer salmon.”

  Kenai nodded at me as he walked past my trailer. I hadn’t expected to see him here, but I shouldn’t have been shocked, Dez was out of town on business. That made little brother my default “tender.” If it had to be anyone, I preferred Kenai, he let me do my own thing. He knew he didn’t need to watch me run the mine, this was second nature to me. I’d mined gold for the last six years in the Yukon, and five years before that worked a gold dredge of the coast with my twin sister when the weather was favorable as a hobby.

  I needed to start my day. I rolled my neck and flipped up the hood of my sweatshirt before heading towards the office trailer. I didn’t need the hood, but it was easier to dress like my crew than to keep explaining I wasn’t cold. Being a selkie didn’t have many perks in human form, but my resistance to the cold I did enjoy very much. I may have faerie blood running through my veins, but a shifter is still a shifter to a hunter. No one cares for technicalities. And the Sesi clan was the most well known modern supernatural hunters in Alaska.

  I was beat down, my mind exhausted, and I wanted to shift into my seal form and go for a swim in the ocean. Any one of those issues made it easier to make a stupid mistake around heavy equipment, if I could manage an extra bit of calm I could give myself I would take it.

  It had been nearly three months since I tasted the salt water of the Pacific Ocean. When the wind blew through the trees I could smell the salt and my skin itched. There were some days all I wanted was to be in deep water, oblivious to the world around me. I swore sometimes it would have been easier to be celibate than it was to refrain from shifting. I’d worked hard to hold ont
o the calm I’d found over the last few years, a lot depended on it when I was mining. One wrong move, one moment of showing my crew that I wasn’t human, that could be the end of me. One moment where my emotions were out of control and I would end up inadvertently calling in a storm that could shut down the mine.

  Taking the few stairs into the trailer two at a time, I caught a glimpse of the sun on the horizon above the tree line. The change in perspective wasn’t much, but it was just enough for me to see the sun haloed with sundogs. Those two glowing phantom suns told me everything I needed to know about today. There was a storm on the way. We needed to get the gold out of the ground and quick.

  “You’re up late.”

  My second in command didn’t even bother to look back at me as I pulled the door closed behind me.

  Dez had stolen Remmy Castello from a mine I worked three years ago. It had been rough working the last mine without him. I was always plotting our next move, our next point C, D and E. Remmy filled in the missing pieces for the crew. I was glad to be back on the same team with him again.

  I looked over his shoulder at maps of the mine. We were trying to decide if it was worth trying to clear a new place to dig this year. With only a few weeks left, it would mean the difference between just doubling what Dez has stipulated I mine, or going over and beyond even my own expectations.

  “Morning to you, too. Couldn’t sleep. The wind was shaking the trailer too bad. Were the boys running paydirt all night?”

  He nodded at me as I poured myself a cup of coffee from the good stash we kept for ourselves in the office.

  “All night. No issue. Connor said he kept hearing howling all night though. Said it was messing with him, that there were tracks up in the cut he was taking paydirt out of.”