“Merry Christmas, babe.” Ransom kissed her forehead, his whiskers soft as they scratched against her skin.
Christmas? Her eyes snapped open.
Lucky’s house. The bear totem. The astral plane. Bert. Saskia. Sedge.
She sat upright, blowing the hair out of her face. Her hand fluttered to her chest. The rawness of the power hung there. Strong and true.
Her mother had known all those years ago. If only she were there with them today. And her dad. All he’d want for Christmas was fish stuff and flannel shirts.
Kinley’s chin quivered, and Ransom sat to wrap his arms around her. She turned into him and hugged him tight in return. She loved him so much. He kept her from tumbling into that black hole of grief. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
They held each other for a few minutes in silence. Power of the totems zinging between them, but nothing as immense as their feelings for one another.
Listening to the house, the soft sound of Lucky and Ametta talking in the master bedroom was the only thing that stirred among the quiet creaks and hum of the furnace. No snores or showers or huffs.
“Saskia…” Kinley wet her dry lips. “Saskia and Sedge didn’t come back, did they?”
It was silly to post it as a question. Even as she said it, she knew they didn’t.
“They just need time, babe.” Ransom muttered by her ear. “Their pride has been wounded, and they don’t know how to live with the hurt. But they’ll learn.”
They had to. Everyone still needed them.
“And Mr. Ellsworth?”
Ransom leaned back and reached a hand out to the night table on his side. He snagged his cell and flicked it on. She could hear his heart hammering.
His eyes then lit up. “Bert left a text. He’s fine. Says not to worry, to have some fun, and that he expects his sword back.”
Kinley’s eyes met his. Holy crap. Bert knew. How? Did he use the Moon Man as his delivery boy? For some reason, it didn’t surprise her.
“He’s alive!” She laughed and reached behind her. She couldn’t feel the sword, but there was an awareness of it. “Wish him a merry Christmas and tell him thank you for the gifts. And I’ll take care of his sword until we see him in the new year.”
Ransom grinned as he pressed the little mic icon to send a return message. “Merry Christmas, Bert! We’re happy you’re okay. Thanks for the awesome sleds. We might have crashed one up a bit already, but I think it can be salvaged. Kin has your sword, which we also thank you for. Wait ’til you see her new tat. Cheers, bossman.”
He tossed his cell over his shoulder onto his pillow and kissed her. She protested, just a little, against his mouth. “Hey, you told him about my token?”
“I’ve never told him about the totems, but I think he knows.”
Yeah, so did she. Bert knew a whole helluva lot more about many things. “Maybe we should tell him.”
“Maybe.” Ransom nodded with a thoughtful look. It was just as sexy as his devilish grin.
“First we ask the others, though. No more keeping things from each other. I learned my lesson.” Kinley kissed him and slid off the bed. “Throw on some clothes. Let’s go have breakfast.”
“I’m looking at breakfast right now.” He rose onto his hands and knees and wiggled his taut rear.
“Food first.” She kept out of his reach as she picked up her robe from a chair near the window and slipped it on. A robe she hadn’t owned until Ametta bought one for everyone when they were staying together at her dad’s house.
“As long as you pose for me naked with your astral sword later. I can’t tell you how incredibly hot that is.” Ransom bounced up and snagged his robe without bothering putting on anything else under it. Modesty was not one of his personality traits.
She smirked and opened the door. Ametta and Lucky had already gone down to the kitchen. The scent of coffee lured them there.
Sober merry Christmases were exchanged and thank yous for the hot coffee.
“Saskia didn’t come back, did she?” Ametta sighed. She turned her head to the side and wiped a tear away with a quick, jerky motion as if she didn’t want anyone to notice.
Kinley shook her head. Her heart ached at not having Saskia with them, but more so, at what her older sister must be going through with Sedge at the moment. “They’ll be back.”
“Hopefully sooner than later.” Lucky set a cast iron pan on the gas stove to heat up.
“We got word from Bert, though. He’s okay.” Ransom offered the good news.
Ametta exhaled and sagged against the counter. “Thank God.”
“He expects me to return the sword. Though I kinda like it.” Kinley smiled a little bit against the lip of her mug and blew lightly on the steaming liquid.
Lucky leaned with both hands on the edge of the stove. “That was really Azarius changing into those different animals. No skins. How is that even possible?”
None of them had the answer to it. Maybe Sedge did. If he would tell them.
“We have four totems, and I’m guessing he has three. We’re winning.” Ransom tapped the counter to punctuate the last bit.
They may have had more tokens, but nothing felt like a win about this. A little niggling voice in the back of her head said it still wasn’t certain if Azarius was a bad guy. He certainly didn’t like Sedge, and if they were working with Sedge, they were his enemies too.
But after what happened in the bear’s den, would Sedge even come back? And if he didn’t, would Saskia go with him or come back to her sisters? God, she wanted Saskia back with them. Never before had she spent Christmas without her.
Kinley ran a finger along the sides of her mug and chided herself not to overthink about something she had no control over.
Push forward and protect. You are bear.
She would. Without hesitation. But with a heavy heart.
TOTEM SERIES
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Three sisters.
Seven totem tokens.
One chance to save their world.
DARK DAWNING (TOTEM #1)
It’s a dark day when someone murders one of their own.
Shifters across Alaska are going missing. When up and coming interior designer Ametta Dorn rescues the gorgeous Kodiak shifter Lucky Osberg, she comes into the crosshairs of two relentless hunters. While Lucky sets his sights on wooing her, the killers seek to not only capture her in her powerful polar bear form but to also take her skin.
To prevent her murder and the deaths of other shifters, she must work with Lucky to track down and stop these merciless hunters. After all, their enemy’s plan for shifter skins is something much more terrifying than collecting mere trophies.
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Release date: October 17, 2016.
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SILENT WHISPERS (TOTEM #2)
It’s not only the dead who whisper upon the wind.
An ancient totem pole has gone missing, and its pieces are scattered across Alaska. Restoring the seven totem tokens may be the only way to save every shifter in the world.
Kinley Dorn, a geeky architect with a heart of gold and a polar bear shifter, jumps at the opportunity to help her family find the lost pieces. Their idea of “helping” involves staying indoors to research online. Work leads Kinley to sexy lynx shifter Ransom Averill. He coaxes her away from the safety behind her computer and into the path of a rampaging giant. Terrifying as the monster might be, she must brave its mountain because the owl totem is calling to her through silent whispers.
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Release date: October 31, 2016.
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CLOAK OF SNOW (TOTEM #3)
No one messes with Saskia Dorn’s family and gets away with it.
The same murderous shifters who had hunted her sister have attem
pted to steal a magical totem pole. Since the pieces are scattered across Alaska, Saskia, a polar bear shifter, takes her search to the tundra for any signs of the lost totems.
Instead she finds Sedge, the latest reincarnation of the old Inuit Bear god, who just happens to be the man who broke her heart.
They come across a small native village tormented by the Jinxioc, evil gnomes with an appetite for human flesh. Sedge declares he will rid the people of the menace, believing a totem token is nearby affecting the devils’ behavior. At his side, Saskia battles to save the tribesmen, but it could mean sacrificing herself.
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Release date: November 14, 2016.
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SHATTERED SPIRIT (TOTEM #4)
A haunted house isn’t going to stop Ametta Dorn from doing her job.
Frustrated that her family has left her out of the search for the missing totem tokens, Ametta Dorn loses herself in her work. She’s offered a dream job of a complete interior renovation of a famous Cremaschi house. Not even discovering the house belongs to Lucky Osberg can dampen her enthusiasm.
Lucky’s plan to spend more time with her as she works goes awry when the spirit who protects his home tries to murder her. Ametta won’t be scared off, despite being tempted to run and never come back. She was going to flee Alaska and pursue her designer dreams anyway, yet that means giving up on Lucky and the totem that is just within her grasp.
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Release date: January 9, 2017.
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GHOST CAT (TOTEM #5)
Bigfoot is rampaging through a small fishing town, and he has friends.
The whispers say a boy is missing. Kinley Dorn can’t ignore them. The last time she did, a giant almost killed her. Her investigation in the boy’s disappearance leads her and her boyfriend, Ransom Averill, to a village on Lake Iliamna. Unfortunately, that boy isn’t the only child missing.
Some folks claim Bigfoot is taking the children, but the gentle creature usually stays away from humans. Kinley believes a totem is making Bigfoot act strangely, but can she and Ransom find it before more kids are abducted?
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Release date: January 23, 2017.
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DEEP CURRENT (TOTEM #6)
Always read the fine print when making a bargain with a sea hag.
Lost to the clutches of her grief of losing her mentor, Saskia Dorn welcomes the opportunity to take down a warehouse of drug dealers. When their leader makes a break for it, Saskia and her ex-boyfriend, Sedge, chase the criminal shifter into the sea off the coast of northwestern Alaska. Not only do they lose their quarry, but a vicious sea hag snatches Sedge.
Saskia can’t take another loss and attempts to bargain for Sedge’s life and the salmon totem the witch has trapped in her cave. The sea hag wants only one thing: her long lost love. Who is dead. And living under the freaking ocean with the Salmon People. Find the Salmon People and return with the witch’s love before Sedge’s life is forfeit. Simple, right? Yet she can’t leave the Salmon People’s land without finding herself first.
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Release date: February 6, 2017.
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SHADOWS FALL (TOTEM #7)
Sometimes it isn't what lurks in the shadows we must fear, but the shadows themselves.
Ametta Dorn is hosting her first family Thanksgiving feast. Everything must be flawless from the appetizers to the desserts. But the totem quest weighs heavily on her and her family. If she can’t even fold a perfect crane napkin, then how can she help her family find the next token?
That totem is closer than any of them realize. The Shadowmen have opened a door to their world, and they’ve targeted Ametta as the weak link in her family. She will show everyone she’s just as capable as they are. Except her daring might be the very thing that loses not only the raven totem but also her life.
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Release date: July 25, 2017.
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TOTEM #9 is forthcoming in August 2017.
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OTHER WORKS BY CHRISTINE RAINS
Paranormal Romance
Of Blood and Sorrow
Fearless
The Marquis (The 13th Floor #1)
The Alpha (The 13th Floor #2)
The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor #3)
The Harbinger (The 13th Floor #4)
The Oracle and the Vampire (The 13th Floor #5)
The Ghost (The 13th Floor #6)
The 13th Floor Complete Collection
Paranormal Erotica
Ghost Dancer (The Paramours #1)
Poltergeist’s Pleasure (The Paramours #2)
Lovelorn Spirits (The Paramours #3)
Big Yearning (Sasquatch Susies #1)
Big Longing (Sasquatch Susies #2)
Big Burning (Sasquatch Susies #3)
Horror
L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo
Geeky Erotica
Loose Corset (Dice & Debauchery #1)
Layers of Lace (Dice & Debauchery #2)
A Masked Kiss (Dice & Debauchery #3)
UNTETHERED REALMS
Tap into worlds, wings, and spec fic things!
Untethered Realms is a group of speculative fiction authors. We reside in the weird and fantastical. For more information about the Untethered Realms authors, please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A big thanks to my beta readers, Patricia Lynne and Tara Tyler. Your support carries me through.
For Untethered Realms, I’m so grateful to be part of this wonderful group of writers. I’d have our pet T-rex applaud you, but you know…
Huge thanks to Tania F. Walsh. Your critiques keep me on my toes.
A big thank you to my newest critique partner, Renee Cheung.
To Cherie Reich. My dear friend and critique partner/editor/formatter. You win the most awesome award! One more to go.
Thank you to my husband and son who must put up with a wife and mommy who is lost in the supernatural Great North. You are my compass, my way back home.
Finally, my readers. This has been the biggest project I’ve ever attempted, and it is your support and enthusiasm that keep me fueled. Thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She’s married to her best friend and fellow geek living in Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents’ own good and loves to pretend he’s a Pokémon. Christine has four degrees, which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy. She’s a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has one novel and several short stories and novellas published. Totem is her biggest project to date, and it comes along with her own dream of one day seeing Alaska.
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