Lucky remotely opened the garage, and they were inside before the doors were all the way up.
“You’re riding with me.” Ransom never gave orders like that. It was more of a Sedge thing to do. But she didn’t question him. He was by far the better driver, and he wouldn’t leave his body to smash into a tree while randomly projecting onto the astral plane. Yes, it was definitely safer and more expedient to ride with him.
Kinley hopped on the green machine behind him. The engine was already on, and the sled was starting to move by the time her butt hit the seat. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled down the top. Sedge and Saskia didn’t even bother pulling their roofs down all the way before they zoomed off.
Ransom caught up to Saskia and passed her as they sped in a different direction they had raced earlier. Kinley wasn’t sure if it was north or west, but the town was to their backs. At least the totem had the sense to stay away from civilization.
She wanted to tell Ransom about the Moon Man and Bert’s sword, but not now. It would distract him. Their focus needed to be on the bear totem.
Her breathing came in quick pants, and her hands were sweaty despite the chill. Should they let Sedge have this token? She shouldn’t question it. He was Bear, after all. It was right. Or it sounded right. But her gut didn’t settle with the decision.
Ransom slowed. She shook her head. She hadn’t even realized how long they’d been pursuing the totem. Was it a few minutes or fifteen?
He skidded to a stop and pushed up the top before they were completely at a standstill. Saskia did a fast stop, bumping her machine against a nearby tree. Sedge and Lucky with Ametta pulled up behind with more careful stops.
“This way!” Saskia jumped off her sled, ran between the trees, and leapt over a large rock. Everyone followed, no one missing a beat.
A rocky hill layered with snow emerged within the woods. The clouds had cleared, and the moon lit their way. Was it the Moon Man’s way of helping?
Kinley took up the rear, glancing over her shoulder often. Azarius was out here. She was sure that was what the domovoi meant. Though she doubted Azarius would attack when the whole group was together, he’d remain hidden, biding his time.
Circling the base of the hill, the bearers found what they were looking for. An opening, a den.
“It’s in there.” Ransom confirmed, his breath coming out in great puffs of mist.
“Let me go in first.” Sedge strode ahead. The lip of the cave brushed the tip of his head.
None of them hesitated. This wasn’t the way the totems worked, was it? Every one came with a test. Surely they wouldn’t waltz on in and pluck the token from the bear.
Kinley looked behind her again. Nothing in the sky nor in the trees. Ahead of her, someone activated a light, and she turned to find that its source was a rock. Or rather, a dozen rocks. All glowing like giant petrified fireflies.
The snarl of a bear quickened her steps. She rounded a bend and almost bumped into Lucky. Everyone had stopped and stared at the polar bear in her den. Most certainly a female as Kinley could tell by her features, scent, and the fact a cub cowered behind her.
And around the neck of the cub sat the totem necklace.
There was no other way out of the cave except for a few ice-coated holes in the ceiling. The dirt on the floor appeared well worn as if the bears had been here awhile. That might not have been true, but some bear had been using this den for a long time.
Sedge stepped toward the bears, and the mama let out a warning roar. She placed her legs apart in a threatening stance and didn’t budge when Sedge snarled at her.
Usually animals fled from shifters or were submissive to them. This mother bear was not. But, of course, she was a mom protecting her baby. There’s a very good reason people say not to get between a mama bear and her cub.
Not pausing to try to calm the mama or coax the baby to him, Sedge lifted his chin and shifted. His immense bear filled the cave. He was bigger than any shifter she’d ever seen. And the power… Wow.
Beside Kinley, Ametta grabbed Lucky’s arm. They all could feel it. Even Ransom, whose animal was a lynx, gaped with wide eyes at Sedge.
The mama bear did not kneel down to Sedge, though. Her fur stood puffed out as she backed farther from him with her baby. She roared, and up on his hindquarters, Sedge bellowed. The ground shook with the force of it.
Sedge dropped to all fours and, as he did so, swiped at the mother. He caught her on the side of the muzzle, and she stumbled to the side. She fast righted herself and took up position in front of the cub.
The baby cowered and whimpered.
Sedge smacked the mama bear again, growling in her face, demanding she submit.
Kinley clutched her hands to her chest, breaths coming raggedly and rapidly.
No. Fighting the bear wasn’t right.
If there was a test to get this token, this wasn’t it. He was beating down a mama bear who was just protecting her cub. Maybe she didn’t even know the baby was the totem.
“Stop!” Kinley shouted and stepped forward.
Saskia held out an arm. “If he has to fight the bear, he’ll be fine. He’ll earn the token.”
That wasn’t Kinley’s concern. Sedge most certainly could take on the other bear and kill her. She tried to tell herself that he was Bear, and he knew what he was doing better than any of them. If anyone was meant to be the bearer of this totem, it was he. She couldn’t let Azarius’ lies make her doubt him.
“It’ll be all right.” Ransom couldn’t manage a full smile even as he said it. He rubbed Kinley’s back a few times before resting his hand on the small of it.
Sedge rammed into the mama bear, pushing her hard up against the side of the cave.
“No!” Kinley couldn’t let this happen.
Push forward and protect.
Shoving past Saskia, Kinley shifted and leapt at Sedge. When she hit him, it was like smacking into a boulder. He wobbled off-balance, and the mama bear wiggled free.
Kinley stood next to the mother in front of the cub. Ransom and her sisters called to her, and when Ransom went to run forward, Saskia snatched the back of his jacket and screamed at him not to interfere. The two of them wrestled, and her sister threw a punch, making Ransom stagger backward.
Sedge had regained his footing, rose to his hind legs again, and roared.
Kinley had never wanted to fight him. Whatever the Moon Man prepared her for, she wished it wasn’t this. Sedge was the man her sister loved, her father’s old friend, and the one to deal justice to shifters everywhere.
Not too long ago, he had said the old Inuit gods weren’t about good or evil. And while she understood it at that time, there was nothing right about attacking another creature that was only trying to defend her offspring. Good or bad, it was her nature to protect her cub.
Right or wrong, Kinley would stand with the mama and stop Sedge from hurting her just to get what he wanted.
It happened so fast, but the seconds stretched out over a century.
Sedge dove toward Kinley, and she dodged. Snapping and growling, he had enough sense that he was trying not to harm her, but he had not shown the other bear the same kind of mercy.
The mother bit into his left flank, and he twisted to whack her on the side of her head. The mama bear fell over with blood trickling out of her nose and whined even as she tried to get back to her feet.
Kinley darted in and bit Sedge’s foreleg. She yanked him away from the mother and threw him against the other side of the den.
Threw him.
Holy shit. Where did that strength come from?
Whatever ruckus was coming from Ransom, Lucky and her sisters silenced.
Sedge rolled to his feet and shook himself off. His black eyes focused on Kinley.
With an unearthly roar, he charged and slammed her against the wall. The world unfocused for a second. All she could hear was the cub’s cries. The poor thing was terrified.
Kinley clobbered his muzzle with he
r paws. The crunch of bone so much more sickening than satisfying. He slapped her across the head and added a ringing to her ears.
Kicking out with her back legs, she raked her claws down his chest. It wasn’t a warning. She dug in deep past layers of fur, skin, and muscle.
Sedge bit into her shoulder and tossed her to the other side.
She didn’t dare take her eyes off him. Could she kill him? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to. She just wanted him to stop.
He snorted and came at her, his chest a matted crimson sigil.
Kinley didn’t budge. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she wouldn’t give up. She roared, emptying all her emotions into it.
Sedge stood and bellowed right back at her.
Unwilling to be intimidated by his immense size, she rose too. Yes, he was still much bigger, but she’d protect that cub and the mother.
Staring each other down, she had to make a move. She couldn’t wait for him to smash her against the wall again. No matter her own strength, another collision like that might knock her out.
Kinley reached over her shoulder and withdrew the sword.
Sedge was even bigger, and the biting cold told her she was human again. Or was she? Did she just step onto the astral plane?
But she could see Sedge and the mama with her cub. Ransom, Lucky, and her sisters stood naked and bloody, transfixed by the scene unfolding in front of them.
Kinley pointed the sword at Sedge. “Back off. This is not the way.” He snarled, and she jabbed the weapon at him and repeated. “This is not the way.”
Sedge shifted back into his human form. She thought he was going to concede, but instead he burst forward, pointing over her shoulder. “Look out!”
She twisted around to see a golden eagle swooping down from the ceiling toward the cub. Without even a thought or a plan, she used her momentum and threw the sword at it.
It sliced through one wing and clanged against the rocks behind the mama bear and cub. The eagle toppled head over tail to roll onto the ground and shifted.
Into Azarius.
Seeing Azarius, Kinley considered again she must be on the astral plane, but Saskia’s harpy screech and Sedge’s war cry shattered that thought.
Azarius bared his teeth and leapt into the air, shifting into a raven. His wing hadn’t fully healed yet, and he could not get the lift he needed. After a few feeble pumps of his wings, he transformed again. This time into a mouse.
Sedge swept his arms out and missed, and the mouse raced away to disappear under the rocks. Both Sedge and Saskia tore at the wall, throwing rocks back in a vain attempt at finding Azarius.
The original golden eagle hunter had been dead. All along, it had been Azarius. He had not one or two animal forms, but four. Probably more. He hadn’t used skins like the male hunter who had tried to kill Ametta and Lucky. What kind of magic did Azarius have?
“No!” Saskia raged at the wall.
“Kinley,” Ransom breathed out her name and hurried to her side. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, making him pause in his embracing of her.
The baby’s cries tugged at her heart. She crouched down and crawled toward the injured mother lying beside her cub. She held out her hand. “It’s okay now. You’re okay. No one will hurt you.”
The mama bear whimpered and lifted her head. She sniffed Kinley’s hand and licked it.
Warm tears dripped from Kinley’s eyes and steamed briefly when they met the frozen floor. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m so sorry.”
The cub crept around its mother and leaned in, daring to sniff Kinley’s outstretched hand like its mama. It made a funny little warble and pushed its head against her palm. So soft and warm. So beautiful. All white fluff, pudgy legs, and a wee black nose.
More importantly, it was fine. No one had hurt it.
It did a silly baby prance and came to put its front paws on Kinley’s knees. It sniffed some more and licked, and she swore when it opened its mouth, it was the equivalent of a bear smile.
The token jiggled around the cub’s neck and parted. It traveled like a slow moving train winding around her arm. Cars of beads, bones, and ivory. White, black, and a dozen blues.
Kinley couldn’t even find the breath to gasp. The necklace grew hotter as it slithered around her neck and sizzled through her veins as it seared into her chest. It didn’t hurt, but it was as if she had stood very near a fire and the heat bloomed through her whole body.
The bear totem had chosen her. Elation surged through her.
The mama bear and baby had vanished, and the rock fireflies had dimmed. Kinley looked down to see her token tattoo etched across her chest. For such a powerful animal, the design was as elegant as it was strong. And the bear in the center, it was her mom’s bear. It looked exactly the same as the one she’d given Kinley.
Her mother knew. In the note with the necklace, she had said “You are bear.” Kinley had only thought it was meant to make her feel comfortable with her animal half, but it was this.
Outside the den, an engine barked to life. Kinley stood and turned to find Sedge gone. Her giddiness evaporated.
Saskia hovered between Kinley and the entrance, a war going on with the emotions in her eyes.
Ransom hurried over and embraced Kinley, picking her up and spinning her. Jolts of electricity shot through her body as their nude bodies pressed together. So this is what the other bearers felt when they touched one another. She wanted to step back and do it again.
He kissed her with bloody lips and grinned. “You scared the shit out of me, babe. I’m so glad you’re okay.” Another kiss. “I’m so proud of you.” A third kiss. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Kinley’s chest swelled with the admiration and adoration in his eyes.
“Kin,” Ametta wiped away a tear as she held out her arms to Kinley. When Kinley went to hug her, Ametta just grasped hands and kept her at a distance. “I’m not hugging you naked and with these tokens. My hands are vibrating just touching yours. But I’m happy you’re all right.”
Opting wisely not to go for a naked hug either, Lucky patted Kinley on the shoulder. “You did good, Kin. I just wish I…” He shook his head at himself. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you. I didn’t know whether—”
“None of us knew.” Ametta gave him a one-armed squeeze. “We all thought Sedge knew what he was doing.”
They all looked to Saskia who was the only one clothed in the den. Shreds of clothes littered the floor. She turned her head to the mouth of the cave as the sound of the snowmobile outside faded away. Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Kin. I didn’t think he would hurt you and that it was a test if he fought the other bear. I was certain he’d get the bear totem.” She ran her hands through her loose blond locks. “And I’m sorry for whipping your boyfriend’s ass. He just wanted to protect you.”
Ransom shrugged as if it were already forgiven.
“It’s okay.” Kinley stepped toward her older sister. “None of us knew. Not even me.”
Saskia nodded and looked outside again. “I think maybe I should go after him.”
“Before you go,” Kinley said and motioned to her new tattoo. “Look closely. Do you see it? It’s mom’s necklace. She’s the one who knew. This was supposed to happen.”
Saskia flinched as she glanced at the token. “Right.”
Kinley’s throat constricted. Had she hurt Saskia somehow by getting the totem, somehow denying Sedge of it? Or was it the mention of her mom that brought that black look of pain in her sister’s eyes?
Yet before Kinley could say anything more, Saskia took off out of the den. Another snowmobile roared to life and sped off into the night.
“Don’t worry, babe. They’ll work through it. They just need some time.” Ransom embraced Kinley from behind and rubbed her bare arms. With the sudden drop in adrenaline, the cold started to bite at them.
“Where did you pull out that sword?” Ametta gestured to it still in the corne
r.
“Oh!” Kinley hurried over and picked it up. She laid it in her hands for them to see. “It’s Mr. Ellsworth’s sword. The Moon Man brought it to me earlier. It was on my back in the astral plane and somehow… I guess I plucked it out of the astral into our world. I’m not sure. And I don’t know what that means for him.”
“Oh no.” Ametta covered her mouth, eyes wide and glistening.
Ransom paled. “Let’s get back. I’ll call Russia again.”
“Should we shift first? I don’t know about riding naked.” Lucky gathered Ametta to him, using his body to shelter hers from the cold and from sight.
“The seats have heating in them. We’re good. We’ll get back faster with them anyway.” Ransom went to take Kinley’s hand and paused. “What are you going to do with the sword?”
“Um…” Kinley pursed her lips. It would be difficult to ride while holding it. Maybe if she tried putting it back into the astral on her back. She closed her eyes and imagined sliding it into its sheath. She let go and nothing fell to the floor.
“That is amazing.” Ametta spared a little smile and then tiptoed out of the den with Lucky.
“And smoking hot.” Ransom winked at Kinley, and they rushed out to the snowmobiles.
She clasped tight to him the whole way back to Lucky’s house. The fact she had taken on a god and lived didn’t seem as overwhelming as the fact her mom knew she’d get the bear totem. The rest of her family still had trouble seeing her as anything more than a book-loving nerd, and sometimes she found it difficult to see herself as anything else either.
Tonight she became a hero in saving the mama bear and her cub. But the god didn’t take defeat well. And neither did her sister. Was being the hero supposed to hurt this much?
Half asleep the next morning, Kinley snuggled against Ransom under the thick quilt on their bed. For a few seconds, in her muzzy-headedness, she thought they were back at her cabin in her loft. Morning sun warmed the side of her head, which meant it was just after ten.
Descending Moon (Totem Book 8) Page 8
