DESCENDING MOON
TOTEM #8
Christine Rains
Descending Moon (Totem #8)
Christine Rains | Copyright 2017
Kindle Edition
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This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events, or occurrences is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Tagline: Some say the moon is for lovers, but wise folks know to fear it.
Summary: Kinley Dorn must be strong for her family in these dark times. Sometimes she feels she’s all that’s holding them together. But when the frightening Moon Man attacks and bestows a burdensome gift upon her, Kinley might have to do more than simply help her family. She will have to battle a god, but which one? If it’s the sly man hunting her in the astral plane, Kinley might not make it out alive.
Cover design: Christine Rains
All photos came from Bigstock. Kinley model – Photographer: Raisa Kanareva. Background – Photographer: pellinni. Frost – Photographer: Rafinade. Bear art for chapter headings – Artist: 9and3quarters.
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For every geek who
wanted a magic sword.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Totem Series
Where to Find Christine Rains Online
Other Works by Christine Rains
Untethered Realms
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Days like this, Kinley had no strength left to hold herself together. The last box of her possessions she’d stored at her father’s house sat in front of her. Old school photos and homework. Not that her parents were in any of the pictures, but memories of them sang loudly through the projects.
The first two years of school before her mom died, she’d help Kinley every day with her reading and writing. The fact she was so well read and her writing so neat was due to her mom. Later on, trying to please her dad, she focused on projects like the anatomy of a salmon and the history of Denali National Park and Preserve.
This house had been her parents’ home. The place they loved and lived and had children together. Now they were both gone and…
“You have to take down the fish and beer plaques at least.” Ametta’s voice shook Kinley from her thoughts.
“I’ll take down the beer ones, but the fish stay.” Saskia put up a hand to state it was the last word on the matter. And oh, Kinley’s sisters had had many a word on it over the past few weeks.
Ametta sighed and pushed on. “Let me decorate the place. I’ll totally make it you and honor Dad in the process.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll paint the wood, throw out the comfy furniture, and put up some pretentious art. The house is me already.” As the eldest, Saskia had inherited their parents’ house when their dad was murdered last month. Killed by Azarius, Saskia’s closest confidante and mentor. Alaska was lucky she hadn’t torn the head off every raven in the state.
“The house is Dad.” Ametta snorted. “And I wouldn’t paint the wood. Okay, not all the wood. There’s just so much of it! Wait until you see Lucky’s house. You’ll love it. Then you’ll let me have at this place.”
Why did anything have to change at all? There was no argument that Saskia would have the house, but she could keep it the same, locked in time.
Push forward and protect.
The whisper brushed by Kinley’s ear. As much as she wanted to hold on to the past, she was trudging on. She would protect the memories and her sisters, whichever one the whisper had meant. It didn’t mean moving forward didn’t hurt.
Without a word, Kinley stood with the box in her arms and slipped on her boots by the door. One more thing to load into her car and take to her cabin. Then she’d lock up her home for the rest of year, or maybe longer. Until they retrieved the remaining totems. And with Azarius in possession of two of the tokens, maybe three, it would be no easy task. But if they didn’t get all the totems, every shifter in the world could die.
Her sisters continued talking as Kinley opened the door and stepped out into the late afternoon cold. Her boyfriend Ransom had gone to the store with Lucky, and neither of her sisters offered to help. Heavy wet snowflakes fell from the gray sky and covered the foot of snow already on the ground. Her car would need to be cleaned off again before they left.
Propping up one foot on her back bumper, she balanced the box and opened the trunk. Three other boxes already sat there. This last one would make it final. Something trickled down her cheek. Be it a melted snowflake or a tear, she didn’t know.
Kinley had given herself over to supporting her sisters this past month. If Ametta needed to dive into work to help forget things, she worked with her. If Saskia needed to go out hunting, Kinley made certain there was a big hot meal waiting for her when she got back. She cleaned, took care of all the legal business, and made living all together in the cabin bearable.
But her dad’s, no, Saskia’s house wasn’t meant to shelter six adults for a long time. Nerves were wrought tight, especially with no sign of Azarius.
With Christmas approaching, they agreed to spend it at Lucky’s house. It was more than large enough for them all, protected by a domovoi, and on Kodiak Island. With the last totem being the bear, it was the most logical place to be to attract it.
“Did you hear something?”
The gravelly baritone yanked Kinley out of her head, and she dropped the box. It plopped into the trunk as she turned to face Sedge. He stood between her and the house with an armful of firewood. Though he wore only a white t-shirt, his skin didn’t even have goosebumps. The benefits of being the latest incarnation of the old Inuit Bear god.
“Oh. Hi.” Kinley twisted to fit the box into place and tried to calm her racing heart. How did a guy that huge walk so quietly?
“I’m sorry I startled you.” Sedge dipped his head.
“It’s okay. Just a little jittery.” Kinley closed her trunk and motioned to the front door of the house. “I’ll get the door for you.”
He didn’t move. “Did you hear anything?”
Sedge had asked her to listen. Any little thing, any clue, but she heard nothing of Azarius nor the other totems. It was the one thing he asked of her, and she didn’t take it lightly. The one power she had, and she didn’t have any control over it to protect her family. Even when she knew something might happen, like with her dad, they couldn’t stop it anyway.
“No, sorry. Just random whispers urging me to move on.”
His brows furrowed. “Did they say move on or something else? A sign that going to Kodiak is the right choice?”
Kinley fiddled with her silver thumb ring. “I don’t know. It might be, you know, more of an emotional thing. The
y never specify, and the meaning is usually only clear after the fact.” Why was talking to him uncomfortable? Sedge was Saskia’s boyfriend, even though her sister probably wouldn’t use that word. He’d known them all their lives, known their parents. Maybe it was just the way he stared with those dark eyes. Intense was the normal setting for Sedge. “But it is logical, going to Kodiak. If the bear totem hasn’t been found, the place where there are so many bears in close quarters makes sense. And there are far fewer people around on the island. Better weather for hunting. And we all get to stay in a Cremaschi house.”
Sedge was saved from her rambling as Ransom and Lucky pulled up in Ransom’s SUV. Did she look as relieved as she felt?
Ransom hopped out of the vehicle and flashed that cocky pirate’s grin at her. He laid his arms across the top of the open door. The wind blew his hair and messed it up even further. God, the man was sexier than the whole crew of Serenity.
“Miss me so much you had to wait outside for me?” He even had this Alaskan drawl twined with a purr, which made her stomach quiver.
Before Kinley could say anything, Lucky climbed out of the SUV with a smirk. “Yeah, just look at him with all that wood. He missed you lots.”
Lucky and Ransom laughed, and even Sedge smiled. The men had bonded over the past month. Often they sat around drinking beer and playing cards. Under different circumstances, they probably would’ve never known one another, but they were brought together by their love for Kinley and her sisters.
The front door opened, and Ametta stuck her head out. “Good. You’re back. Get the stuff inside. If we want to stop by Kinley’s and then get to Anchorage before too late, we need to get moving.”
Ametta left the front door open for Sedge, and Lucky grabbed two bags, jogging to go inside too. Sedge went in and Lucky followed, shutting the door behind them.
Kinley wiped her face with her sleeve as she walked to the SUV. “Need any help?”
Ransom wound his arm around her middle and kissed her. “Most of the stuff is staying in the car since we’re taking it to Kodiak with us. But what you can help me with,” he said and kissed her again. “Is convincing them to let us go to your house alone so we don’t have to muffle ourselves with pillows.”
Her cheeks heated, and she gave him a playful nudge. Though she was already trying to think of something to say to make it happen. “Maybe if we distract the guys with food…”
“And your sisters?” He nipped at her neck.
“Uh… Mett needs to get the last of her things together. So she could stay and do that.” Kinley squirmed, not to get away, though. This man did make it very difficult to think. “And Saskia, she, uh…”
“Just whisper to her that we want to have sex, and she’ll retreat faster than when Bert sees the sun.” Ransom slipped a hand up under her sweater and skimmed his fingers over her bare flesh. Heat zinged through her body.
Kinley couldn’t stop her laughter. Saskia had become like their father had been in regards to Ametta and Kinley. She turned a blind eye to the fact they were sleeping with their boyfriends. And crammed into a little house with shifters who had keen hearing and a keener sense of smell, everyone knew what everyone else was doing. Even Saskia and Sedge couldn’t hide what went on when they closed their bedroom door.
The door banged open. “Hey! Get your asses in here and let’s get ready to go.”
Kinley sighed at Saskia’s shout.
“One little mention of sex…” Ransom gave her a squeeze before he shut his car door.
She smiled again, letting him take the lead, and looked up at the moon peeking between the clouds. A chill swept up her back, and she sucked in a breath.
He’s near.
Oh God. Fear clutched her heart. Azarius lurked somewhere close. She grabbed Ransom’s hand and raced into the house.
“He’s here!” Kinley slammed the door shut behind her and Ransom, slid the bolt, and twisted the lock.
Everyone inside froze mid-action. Only the sound of the kitchen faucet dripping resonated.
“Who’s here?” Ametta peered out the windows.
Kinley’s stomach clenched. “Azarius. Somewhere close.”
Saskia sprang for the front door, but Sedge caught her arm and hissed out a whisper. “No. We stay inside. Make sure all the windows are locked. Turn off the lights.”
Kinley turned off the outside lights and flicked off the lamp nearest her father’s chair as everyone ran to different parts of the house to secure it. Her hand shook. She never wanted a battle. But that’s what it was going to come down to, wasn’t it? The people she loved fighting for their lives.
And what could she do? Even if she shifted into a bear, it wouldn’t be enough against an enemy that could become a bigger bear.
“I don’t feel anything.” Ransom tapped his chest. “Just Saskia and Mett.”
“I don’t either.” Saskia leaned on the wall beside the front picture window and scanned the area. “Are you certain, Kin?”
“I heard a whisper.” Kinley didn’t know why the token bearers couldn’t feel him. The whisper had been urgent.
“Azarius can hide his tokens. Like he did with his safe.” Ametta gripped one of Lucky’s hands with both of her own. “He could get up close, and we’d never know.”
“I’d know.” Saskia didn’t look their way.
“No, you wouldn’t.” Ametta raised her chin. “He outsmarted us.”
“He outsmarted you.” Saskia turned and jabbed a finger at their youngest sister.
Oh no. Kinley inwardly cringed and prepared to step in between the two other women.
Ametta released Lucky and stepped toward Saskia. “No, he outsmarted all of us. He let us believe he was dead and then that he was helping. If he hadn’t killed Dad, you would have gone off with him in the blink of an eye.”
Saskia’s upper lip curled. “I would not—”
“Yes, you would—”
“Stop it,” Sedge snapped, saving Kinley from having to intervene. “We will not fight among ourselves. Azarius had us all fooled. All of us. Likely he planned this for years. It is no easy thing to find an Extra Space and use the portals.”
“Can you use the portals?” Ametta asked.
Sedge’s jaw hardened. “There has never been the need to learn.”
Silence settled over them. Kinley wrapped her arms around herself. If Azarius could pop in and out of the portals, then they’d never catch him. Not that there were any portals here; Sedge and Saskia had searched for any after their father’s death. But what if Azarius could make one? Or summon one? Not that it mattered. He could turn into a raven, and none of them would be able to catch him as he flew away.
Two minutes ticked by and then three. Saskia shook her head. “I still don’t see or feel anything.”
“What exactly did the whisper say?” Ransom rested an arm around Kinley’s shoulders.
Could she have been wrong? There was imminence to the message. “It said, ‘He’s near.’ That’s it.”
“That’s vague. How near is near for your spirits or whatever?” Ametta frowned as Kinley replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Are they even referring to Azarius?”
Saskia opened the front door. “It could mean he’s near the other totem. We need to go.”
No one questioned that interpretation. Kinley couldn’t say with certainty that the whisper was about Azarius, but it’s what her gut told her. It had been urgent and ominous, a warning to keep up her guard.
They gathered the rest of their supplies and locked down Dad’s house. No, Saskia’s house. Kinley didn’t think she’d ever get used saying that.
She drove her car with the others following in three vehicles. The plan was to leave her vehicle in her garage, and she’d ride to Anchorage with Ransom. They needed all that space in the cars to bring the supplies to the island. Feeding the six of them took a lot of food.
Kinley parked in her garage and left the boxes she’d taken in the trunk. Lucky and Ametta waited in t
heir car while Sedge and Saskia insisted on checking the house first.
Ransom waited by the front door with Kinley and nudged her ear before kissing behind it. “All I need is five minutes alone with you. Do you think they’ll wait outside?”
She chuckled and shook her head. “I would need more than five minutes.”
“I’ve got the magic touch, baby. I guarantee you in five minutes—”
“We’re clear.” Saskia walked outside and stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Pack what you need fast. We need to get on the road before the snow really starts falling.”
“Where’s the big guy?” Ransom peered over Saskia’s shoulder.
“Inside. Where I told him to stay until you were done.” Saskia gave him a narrow eyed look. “Don’t think I’m going to give you any chance to, you know, get it on with my sister, Cat. There’s work to be done.”
Kinley covered her mouth to hold in a giggle. While the others had gotten to like Ransom now, Saskia still always suspected him of mischief. And while Kinley would never say so, half the time, her sister was right.
“And the work will get done, oh diligent and fierce bear lady.” Ransom strolled into the house. “The big bear and I are buds now.”
Grinning, Kinley stepped forward. “Don’t worry. He’s just teasing you. We’ll be quick.”
“I’m not worried. Sedge knows what tonight will be like if I’m in a pissy mood.” Saskia flashed a smile and headed to her car.
Everyone knew what it was like when Saskia was in a bad mood. Kinley’s sympathies went out to Sedge on that one.
She went inside and closed the door before wiping her feet on the mat. “Why don’t you guys go through the kitchen and see if there’s anything we can take with us while I’ll pack my clothes upstairs?”
Ransom, who stood with Sedge in the kitchen, nodded. “Okay, babe. I’ll come up in a few to help you and grab some of my things.”
Kinley climbed the stairs to her loft bedroom. She’d designed the house for herself, but it was very clearly hers and Ransom’s now with his mess in her room. While it once annoyed her when either of her sisters was messy, his laissez-faire attitude was endearing. Okay, so she found everything about him wonderful.
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