Cloak of Snow (Totem Book 3)

by Christine Rains

Aluki giggled and shook her head. “No, I mean the little people. It’s safe for them in our walls.”

  “Aluki, no stories.” Yakone chastised her daughter, her voice flat and without authority.

  Saskia couldn’t keep her hands still any longer. She leaned toward the stove and picked up a smaller piece of wood. Pine was soft, but she didn’t plan on doing any fine work with it. “I’ve heard of the little people. Sometimes when the walls aren’t warm enough, they sleep in the pots. Do you have a knife I can borrow?”

  “The pots!” Aluki covered her mouth as she grinned and suppressed her giggle.

  Dave came over, avoiding eye contact, and handed Saskia the knife from his belt.

  “Thank you.” Saskia took the knife and withdrew it from its sheath. She broke the log into three pieces and went to work on the first. “Yes, the pots. They like the smell, and they retain the warmth from the fire. The little people, you see, like to eat.”

  “I like to eat.” Aluki mimed devouring a feast of food.

  “So do I.” Sedge nodded, humor lacing his tone.

  Saskia continued to whittle. “The little people must know that, and that’s why they came to stay at your house. Except the inside of a wall is no place to eat. So what I’m going to do is make chairs and a table just the right size for them. And when they’re not using the furniture, maybe your dolls can. Does that sound good?”

  “Yes!” Aluki bounced on her bottom and watched Saskia’s hands intently. “How did you learn to do that?”

  “I’m a carpenter. I make furniture and other things for people’s homes. It took many years of practice and training.”

  Aluki asked her more questions as she carved out two rough chairs and a pedestal table. The fish were finished as she scraped the blade across the wood to make a flat tabletop. Guests were served first, and Sedge took the biggest fish.

  Saskia’s stomach rumbled. She thanked the fish spirits for providing this meal. Aluki and her family doing the same. All of them ate with no plates or utensils. No one picked at their food or pulled off strips. There was no embarrassment in digging in and eating heartily.

  Aluki set up the mini table and chairs beside the far wall and placed a piece of fish on top of the table.

  Her mother tsked. “Don’t waste food, Aluki.”

  The girl pouted. Saskia swallowed the last of her dinner and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make certain the little people get their fair share.”

  Saskia winked at Yakone to let her know she wouldn’t let the food go to waste and then turned to Aluki and winked again. The child had a horrible day. If she could give Aluki a little magic, then she was glad to do it.

  Once dinner was done and the bones tossed into the fire, Sedge motioned to Aujaq. “We thank you for your generosity. I ask for your home for the night to rest. You will be safe in the long house with the rest of the tribe.”

  Yakone shook her head and opened her mouth, but Aujaq placed a hand on her shoulder. “The comfort of our home is yours, Nanuk.”

  “There’s plenty of wood to last through the night. Is there anything else you might need?” Dave stood and pulled on his fur coat.

  “A needle and thread, if you have it. Fishing line would be even better.” Not that the family would ask for an explanation, but she continued on. “My coat was ripped. I just wanted to mend it.”

  “Yes, I have what you need.” Yakone opened one of the bundles she had stacked in a corner and removed two needles and thread.

  “Thank you.” Saskia took the items with a small smile.

  Dave slipped outside and returned with fishing line. She thanked him, and the family filed out of the cabin saying their good nights. Aluki took her doll but left the table and chairs with the fish. The girl hesitated before leaving Saskia’s side, inching closer as if wanting to hug her. Aluki instead hugged her doll and waved as she was whisked off by her mother.

  Saskia had a few seconds to enjoy the quiet crackling of the fire before Sedge broke the peaceful silence.

  “Alone together in a little cabin. It’s been a long time…”

  Fuck.

  Saskia cut him off before he could voice any other thoughts. “Alone because I need to stitch you up properly. Otherwise, we’d be out hunting.”

  Sedge grunted and rose to his knees to remove his coat. He slipped out his good arm and paused at his injured one. “Alone, nonetheless.” He tugged on his sleeve a little. “The coat is stuck to my wound.”

  Threading one needle with fishing line, she didn’t move to help him. “Vanish the coat or, if you prefer, I could tear it off.”

  “No.” He gritted his teeth and gave the sleeve one more trial tug before he made it disappear. Along with his shirt and pants and every other bit of clothing he had conjured.

  Heat washed through her from head to toe. Why did the man have to be so damn sexy? Ripped abs, thick muscled thighs, tight ass… And a great big gaping wound on his right bicep. Yes, focus on the gore. Forget the way he made her body ache.

  She’d make certain that being alone with her was not as pleasant as he desired.

  “Fuck. It still looks bad.” Saskia circled him, out of reach until she knelt from just behind his right arm. “The muscle healed, but anything I stitch closed is going to look like shit.”

  “Do what you need to do.”

  Saskia nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder. Best to start at the top where it would be easier to stitch the skin together. Closer to the elbow, she didn’t think she could close the wound.

  His skin was hot under her callused hand. She didn’t have the same soft skin as her sisters, and she couldn’t even remember a time when she didn’t have calluses. They were a part of her as her white hair, dark eyes, and tattoos.

  She pinched the top of the wound on his shoulder closed. That was all the warning she gave him as she started to sew it up.

  Sedge hissed and rolled his head to his other shoulder. “Never the gentle one.”

  “You know that.” Saskia poked through his flesh with the needle and drew it through. One stitch, two, three. She hoped she had enough fishing line.

  “And I’ve always liked it.”

  No smirk or playful growl. Just a burning statement which made her very aware of his nudity again. Was she going to last the night alone with him?

  Saskia bit her tongue. Don’t respond. Anything would encourage him.

  Sedge glanced at her and then his arm. “Once you would have shown me how ungentle you could be.”

  “We’re not having this conversation again.” Saskia finished the easiest part of the sewing with twenty-one stitches. She studied the wound. Maybe a part there and one here and then just bring the skin as close together as possible over the rest.

  “I can think of no better time—”

  “Do you want me to stab this needle into your fucking arm?” She squeezed the small bone in her hand as she tried to rein in her fury. “A better time does not exist. We, as in us, do not exist. You made your fucking bed, now lie in it. Alone.”

  Sedge turned to face her. He held his wounded arm up to the side and, using his uninjured side, snatched her hand with the needle. “I sense the way your body still responds to mine. You would not fight me with such fire if you did not burn for me.”

  Damn him. There was no way to hide how much she lusted for him. No man had ever matched her sexually, and after having Sedge, no man ever would. That was her burden to bear. And she was willing to live with it.

  He nipped at her knuckles. No soft kiss. All teeth, scraping over her skin.

  Saskia yanked her hand away. “I will not be your broodmare!”

  “But you’re so good with children. That little girl, Aluki—”

  “No.” A growl rumbled in Saskia’s chest. “Never.”

  Sedge’s hands curled into fists as he rolled his shoulders, breathing out through his teeth. “You are much more than that to me.” He rose slowly, standing inches from her. “You know how much I love you.”

&nb
sp; “Don’t. Just… don’t.” She turned away from him and squeezed her eyes shut. She hadn’t heard him say that in a long time. Oh, it was clear he never stopped caring for her, and he even gave her space to think things through years ago. Of course when she didn’t come back to him, he charged after her. Azarius talked to him, made him back down, but Sedge promised if she ever broke taboo again, he’d be there, and she would be his.

  “I will.” He brushed her hair to one side and used his thumb to trace the swirl of a tattoo that looped to the back of her neck. “I searched for almost two centuries.”

  Saskia tried to picture him as an old man, wrinkly and hunchbacked. It was impossible. He was beautiful. A god. And he’d maintain his godliness as long as the essence of Bear remained within him. The only way he’d lose that essence was if his body was destroyed or if he passed it on to his offspring. A fact Sedge himself had not told her. Azarius did. Her teacher was the only one she could rely on to tell her the truth of things.

  “You are the only woman I have ever loved.”

  A lie? She had no idea. If he thought her a romantic, he should know better by now.

  “You’re the only woman worthy of me.”

  Now there was the arrogant asshole she wanted to punch in the face. She spun around, fist raised. He didn’t lift a hand to defend himself.

  “But you’re not worthy of me.” Saskia seethed and swung her fist at the air to her right. “And the only reason I didn’t hit you is because it will take both of us to fight the Jinxioc.”

  “You don’t mean that.” Sedge’s face hardened.

  “What? It will take the two of us to kill those little bastards. Then we’ll find the totem and go our separate ways again.” She circled the small space of the cabin. Too much energy hummed within her. She needed to move and going outside wasn’t an option.

  “Fine.” His upper lip curled in a silent snarl. He stared at her pacing for a moment before returning to his kneeling position. “Finish with my arm. I need it to heal for tomorrow. I must deal out the punishment for the thieves before we go hunting.”

  Saskia stopped and shook her head. “No. You are not punishing Dave and Aujaq for taking my truck. They were trying to save their family.”

  Sedge’s gaze rose to meet hers. “They stole your truck and lied to the tribe. It matters not the reasons.”

  “It matters a whole damn lot.” Saskia shot back.

  His gaze didn’t waver nor did his voice rise. “I cannot let the act go unpunished. My people would lose respect for me.”

  “Then make them dig ditches or cut all the firewood for the winter.”

  “Yes, such a fearsome punishment doing work they would normally do. No, I will take their han—”

  “You can’t!”

  “I will take their hands and tongues.” He lifted his chin.

  Fucking hell. “I will take their punishment.”

  Sedge’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to chop off one of your hands or your tongue. They are my people. I will deal—”

  “And I said I will take their punishment. You cannot deny me the right to do so. I know the old ways as well as you.” Maybe not as well as he, but she refused to let Sedge’s black-and-white vision doom those poor men and their family. He wouldn’t really cut off her hand and tongue. She hoped.

  He tilted his head slightly to the side as he regarded her. “You will declare this in front of the tribe?”

  Saskia swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then I will mete out your punishment tomorrow.” Sedge turned his head away from her. “Now finish with my arm.”

  Her stomach churned as she cradled her hands against her chest. What had she done?

  The morning sun hung heavy behind dark clouds. Two inches of snow covered the ground and likely another foot of it was coming. The tribe wasn’t fully prepared for the winter ahead, and their haunted eyes declared why.

  Last night had been silent. Saskia slept little. Not that she’d be able to have a good sleep with Sedge’s snoring. No wonder the Jinxioc didn’t return. They feared a dragon had taken up residence in Kuci.

  What surprised her the most was that Sedge had not pushed her further after her stating she’d take on Dave’s and Aujaq’s punishment. Maybe his wound ailed him more than he let on, but she doubted that would stop him from trying to get her beneath the furs with him. He simply lay down and went to sleep with no more discussion.

  Sedge now stood in the middle of his people who formed a circle around him in the center of Kuci. The entire tribe was present: men, women, and children. The responsibility for each member was everyone’s task.

  Typically, there were no crimes in these villages. Everyone had food to eat and a roof over their heads. The elders gave each person a job, and even the children helped. They took care of each other.

  When someone did break a law, everyone resolved the conflict together. The Inuit never killed someone for a crime. The worst punishment was banishment which, years ago, sending a person with nothing into the great north, was akin to a death sentence.

  For each crime, there was a punishment, and then the perpetrator also had to work to make amends to the victim, their family, and the tribe. Everyone must be healed as a whole.

  Saskia highly doubted that chopping off hands and tongues was a normal punishment. Sedge might be trying to maintain his fearsome reputation, but she believed the severity was because the men stole her truck.

  From her spot beside Toklo, Saskia spotted Aluki making her doll wave at her. She gave a little wave back and then, before the girl could giggle, pressed a finger to her lips.

  Dave and Aujaq stood with Sedge. Their heads bowed and hands clasped before them. A wooden chopping block with a hatchet wedged in it sat beside them.

  “My people.” Sedge’s voice boomed over the crowd. “Today we mete out the punishment to Aujaq and Dave. They took property that was not theirs and told lies to the tribe and their family.”

  Murmurs scurried through the circle.

  “I have proclaimed that for their thievery, they would lose a hand and, for their lies, their tongues.”

  Dave flinched, but no one spoke against Sedge’s sentence.

  “But…” Sedge held up a hand and walked around the accused. His dark gaze found her. “Saskia has declared she will take on their punishments.”

  Gasps and chatter followed. Dave and Aujaq shook their heads, begging her not to do it. Sedge’s gaze did not leave her.

  Saskia took a deep breath and stepped into the middle of the circle. She approached the two tribesmen first. “I forgive you for taking my truck. I was angry when I discovered it gone, but that anger was extinguished when I learned your reason for taking it. Family is most important, and you were only trying to keep them safe.”

  A family that was one less now because of her.

  Dave fell to his knees before her, thanking her between sobs. Aujaq put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. A few tears escaped his eyes. “We cannot allow you to take this punishment for us.”

  “You need your hands to take care of your family.” Saskia placed her hands on their shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “It is already done. You will have enough to do in making restitution to the tribe.”

  Aujaq nodded and helped his brother up. They said nothing more as they joined their family, all embracing one another.

  What would Saskia’s dad think of her doing this right now? He’d yell at her, tell her she was crazy, but deep down, he’d be proud. Her father once was a Black Shaman too, but his heart was too big for the job. And when he fell in love with her mom, he left the ranks and took up fishing.

  “Saskia.” Sedge motioned for her to approach him. And the chopping block.

  He wasn’t going to do this. No way would he chop off her hand. Hell, maybe her tongue. Fuck.

  Sedge plucked the hatchet out of the wood. “Saskia.” He repeated her name, rolling it smoothly off his tongue.

  Silence took the circle. It seemed as thoug
h several people held their breath.

  Saskia’s heart thumped. She clasped her hands in front of her to keep from fidgeting.

  “You have willingly taken on the punishment for these great crimes.” Sedge walked a tight circle around her. He raised the hatchet and rested the head of it on his shoulder. “Knowing the penalty is equal to the crime, you still stand before us.”

  Holy shit. Mr. Black-and-white Vision Man was going to do it.

  Flee? No. He’d hunt her across every continent. Fight? She could hit his sore arm. It mostly healed overnight, but he’d need at least another few days to be at full strength.

  But what would that say about him to his people? More so, what would that say about her who willingly took on the punishment? She couldn’t stop this.

  “Are you ready?” The corner of Sedge’s mouth twitched. Was he holding back a smirk?

  The bastard. How could he be enjoying this? Saskia gritted her teeth and nodded. With heavy steps, she took her place beside the chopping block.

  “You came to Kuci a stranger, but you protected the people from the Jinxioc and now you take on punishment meant for two tribesmen. You are now part of this tribe. Do you accept this honor?” Sedge stood on the other side of the block. His dark eyes glimmered with her reflection.

  Formalities. “Yes.”

  Drawing it out only made it more painful. She wanted to scream for him to get it over with.

  “You are one of my people now.” Sedge slammed the hatchet into the block.

  Wait. What? He did not do that. Oh fuck.

  She was one of his people and under his command now. How could she have not seen this coming? She’d walked blindly right into this with only the thought of helping the humans.

  “And as one of my people, I need you to keep your hands.” He smirked. No more hiding it. He had this fucking planned all along! “But you still need to be punished, and through this punishment, it will help heal the tribe.”

  Saskia gripped her hands to keep them from shaking. Her mind flitted back to the time in his den, to passion so hot it could melt glaciers. But how would that help heal the tribe?