Beyond the Snow: The Life and Faith of Elizabeth Goudge
Author: Christine Rawlins
Date: 2015-08-28 00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Urban Fantasy; Biography
Description: "This is a much-needed study of a remarkable life. Elizabeth Goudge was not only a sensitive and acute artist in fiction, but a profoundly insightful commentator on the processes of growing up spiritually and morally. She fully deserves the kind of sympathetic and appreciative exploration provided by this book." Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury Elizabeth Goudge once said she had "done no exciting things" - none of the "wonderful things that some people do". Yet her achievement was wonderful. From the stuff of her own life - even the hard things like depression and nervous breakdo
Publisher: WestBowPress

CLOAK OF SNOW

TOTEM #3

Christine Rains

Cloak of Snow (Totem #3)

Christine Rains | Copyright 2016

Kindle Edition

All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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: No one messes with Saskia Dorn’s family and gets away with it.

Summary: The same murderous shifters who had hunted her sister have attempted 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.

Cover design: Christine Rains

All photos came from BigStock. Saskia model – Photographer: Tverdokhlib. Background – Photographer: mr. Smith. Frost – Photographer: Rafinade. Haida wolf for chapter headings – crochet pattern design by Eric Parnell.

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To strong women everywhere,
may you all find a partner equally as
strong to stand with you.

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

Saskia lowered her snout to the frozen ground and breathed in. Nothing. It was just plain old fox shit.

She huffed and rubbed her nose with a paw. That was the thirty-fifth pile of poop she’d sniffed today. Whose brilliant idea was it to do this? Oh yeah, Azarius’. But she’d been idiotic enough to agree to her mentor’s plan.

Investigate the arctic fox population in northern Alaska. Sniff their shit and see what they’ve been eating, where they’ve been, if they mated. Blah, blah, fucking blah.

There had to be an easier way to go about searching for totem tokens. Weird behavior certainly had to show up in ways less subtle than animal droppings. Azarius had been sure that something would happen in the area, and fox territory was small compared to the other animals of the totem pole. She trusted his instincts, but dammit, she was done with poop duty.

Saskia trotted toward the southeast where she’d left her truck. She’d parked it three or four miles away over the hills. Not far on four legs.

If her family was lucky, her sister Kinley would secure the owl totem. Funny how one of the tokens was so close to home. And hell, wouldn’t it have been better to deal with a bird than sniffing dung? All her sister had to do was keep an eye on its location until Azarius arrived, and he would do whatever was needed to retrieve it.

Azarius had flown south that morning in his raven form. It might take a few days for him to get there, but Saskia wasn’t worried about Kinley getting into any trouble. Her sister was the cautious one in the family.

None of them had acquired any of the lost tokens of the ancient totem pole yet. When two human thieves tried to steal the magical artifact, the totem pole had torn itself into pieces—seven token animals to be exact—and scattered them across Alaska. The fate of every shifter in the world rested on her family finding the totems and putting them back together.

That left Saskia to concentrate on locating the fox totem. And hopefully before the first big snow. Which—she sniffed the air—was coming within twenty-four hours.

Not that Saskia minded the snow, but it made the foxes harder to find. She needed Azarius’ eyes in the sky. And his calming company, especially with Sedge back.

Sedge. After she fled from his den and his desire to make her his mate, she’d avoided him for the past seven years. But blissful the years had not been. Being so far from him, still feeling his mouth claiming hers, his body grinding down upon her… No one and nothing else would ever fill that hole inside of her.

Saskia huffed and pushed him out of her mind. Time to focus on the task at hand. She’d drive to Galbraith. Maybe one of the truckers had seen something or she’d find a story on the news.

She tossed her head and picked up speed. Maybe if she was lucky, there were snacks left in her truck. Or, at least, a beer. The hare she’d eaten earlier didn’t have much meat on it.

She glanced at the clouds. The snow was close, but her pickup was closer. She crested a rocky hill and furrowed her brows.

Her nostrils quivered. She’d parked right down there. But where was her truck?

Saskia trotted down the hill into the field and scanned the area. Soil, wilted long grass, and rocks. A few scraggly trees. Yes, she spotted tire tracks. More tracks than she’d made herself.

Surely Azarius didn’t take her pickup. He flew back to Wasilla. He didn’t like to drive.

Taking in another deep sniff, she growled. Fuck no.

Men. Humans. Two of them.

Now that she was looking for it, she spied the extra footprints. And a little farther away in the mud, the tracks from a four-wheeler. Bastards!

They stole her truck! She roared. She’d have their heads for this.

Saskia snarled and raked at the ground with her claws, flinging dirt and rocks. She was stuck in the fucking middle of nowhere Alaska. Wiseman was maybe fifty or sixty miles to the south. Damn those thieves!

What was she going to do? Dumb question. There was only one thing to do. She’d follow the trail left by the pickup.

There was no way to call her family. Her phone had been in the truck. Her carpentry tools, her clothes, damn well everything was in it.

She battered the ground again and bellowed.

Another bear’s roar answered hers.

Saskia quieted and turned in the direction where she’d heard it. She couldn’t see the other bear yet, but her ears twitched at the sound of movement in the distance over one of the hills. She breathed in deeply. Her eyes widened, and the fur stood up on her back.

No. It couldn’t be. Sedge was out west with her father. But that scent, she knew it as if it were her own.

A massive polar bear crested the hill and roared.

Fuck.

Saskia didn’t wait for Sedge to come down the hill. She shifted back into her human form and dipped into the warmth which tingled within the center of her gut and imagined herself clothed. Rarely did she call upon Black Shamans’ magic, but this trick was the one she used most often. It was either do that or stand there naked.

What was he doing here? Part of her quickened, excited to see him. The other half demanded she flee.

She tightened her long black coat around herself as Sedge lumbered toward her. Better she meet him this way than as a bear. She’d be more given to submission in her animal form and that was not going to happen, no matter how much her body ached for it.

Folding her arms, she made an impatient rolling gesture with one hand. “Come on. I don’t have all day. Tell me what you want so I can be on my way.”

The gigantic bear picked up his pace until he stood directly in front of her. He thrust his head forward with his nose almost touching her face. On all fours, he was nearly as tall as she was and that was just over six feet in height. A low rumble, not unlike thunder, resonated in his chest.

Saskia didn’t budge or flinch. Only the loud thumping of her heart gave anything away. “Well?”

Like a flash of sunlight, the bear vanished and a gorgeous man clad in white with closely trimmed pale blond hair stood in his place. Scruff hugged his square jaw as he gazed at her with near black eyes. Four inches taller than she and twice as wide, one might consider him as intimidating as his animal form. To Saskia, his human form was far more frightening.

“You should be pleased to see me.” Sedge’s gravelly voice rumble vibrated in her ears like an unearthly purr.

“Why? Did Dad and you find one of the totems?” The wind whipped her coat and long hair around her as if punctuating her question. She wasn’t going to admit she was stuck out on the tundra after some stupid humans stole her truck, but the bastard always seemed to know everything. Mostly everything. He would never really know her.

“No.” He huffed, his chest heaving with it. “But—”

“Then I have no reason to be happy to see you. And since we don’t have any totems yet, I have work to do.” Saskia turned and started to walk away from him. If they drew out their conversation, they’d end up in a fight. She didn’t want to deal with him right now.

She had gone three steps before Sedge spoke, “Humans took your truck. Are you going to walk all the way home just to avoid me?”

Saskia pressed her lips together. Don’t scream. Don’t even answer. Just keep walking.

Of course he followed. “You’re tracking the thieves. What will you do when you find them?”

The ground crunched under their feet, the sound irritating her further. She hadn’t thought about what she was going to do. And it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she was going to eat them or anything. She only wanted her pickup back.

His presence behind her pressed against her back. Big. No, bigger than big. Not only in his physical size, but his power was monstrous. And his raw sexuality… Fuck.

She hugged herself tighter and picked up her pace.

“The journey would go faster if you shifted.” Was that humor in his tone?

Saskia whipped around and clenched her fists at her sides. “My journey would go faster if I was alone.”

Sedge held out his hands, open palms facing up. “I’m not hindering you in any way, am I?”

In every way possible. Not that she was going to tell him that. “Why are you here?”

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his thick coat and strolled ahead of her. “You drove off Dalton Highway to get here. Whoever took your truck must live closer than Galbraith.”

Avoiding her question. Typical Sedge. Saskia marched past him. “I hadn’t thought it was someone from Galbraith. Some asshole hunters probably.”

“Here so late in the season?” Sedge matched her pace.

Saskia hissed out a long breath between her teeth. It didn’t matter who it was. She’d find them and get her pickup back. If only things could be that easy. Sedge loomed beside her, and Azarius wasn’t there to act as a buffer.

“I know where these tracks are going.” He smirked at her.

“And where’s that?” She asked when he didn’t say right away and ignored his smirk.

“There’s a village between Itkillik Lake and Victor Gulch.”

“No, there’s not.” She knew Alaska. Maybe not this area very well, but the tiny villages in the north became regular havens when she trained as a Black Shaman. Azarius wanted her to visit every one. There would be no place a shifter could hide in the state from her.

That infuriating smirk remained on his lips. “Kuci. A few hundred of my people.”

Saskia glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. His people? That could mean a dozen different things. A band of worshipers, bear shifters, or a Black Shaman training camp. He was the reincarnation of the old Inuit god Bear, after all, and seeing to the training of the Black Shamans was his responsibility.

And why hadn’t she heard of Kuci? She’d been back and forth across Alaska a hundred times. Azarius had taken her to dozens of villages. Was it a secret place?

Whatever. It didn’t matter. It was the likely spot to find her truck.

“Okay. I can find it. You can go do whatever.” She waved him off and put her nose to the air in search of the scent of a large group of humans.

“I’m coming with you.” He motioned with his chin toward the northeast and took the lead.

“I’m perfectly capable of finding it on my own.” Saskia had picked up the scent. Funny she hadn’t noticed it before. But she would have, if he hadn’t arrived. “I don’t need you.”

Sedge turned to stand in front of her. “You do.”

His gaze bore into her. Hot and commanding. Once upon a time, she yearned for him to look at her like that. It was one of those be careful what you wish for things. And while some part of her still ached for him, she shut it away. No more.

“I don’t.” Reining in the urge to run, she walked around him.

If Sedge thought he could trick her and lure her somewhere to have her to himself… No. That wasn’t his style. The Bear never resorted to trickery. Maybe he’d throw her over his shoulder and carry her there, but what he wanted more was her to come with him of her own free will.

Not going to happen.

Saskia couldn’t be what he wanted her to be: his mate and mother to his cubs. She couldn’t have anyone relying on her, not when she couldn’t guarantee she’d always be there for them.

Ever since her mother died, she moved herself to the outside of her family, of every group of friends. Maybe if her father had been there for her then instead of emotionally checking out himself, but no. Sorrow choked her, cut her off from the world, and made her never want to care for anyone else again.

While Kinley and Ametta were nearer in age and more closely bonded, it was Azarius who came to Saskia’s rescue. As her mentor, he was the big brother she’d never had. He distracted her from her grief with training and meditation. Sometimes during their sessions, she felt free of her life, as if she were flying in the clouds with him.

Sedge never understood these things. To him, everything was plain and simple, black and white. So her feelings for him were straightforward in his eyes. He couldn’t see them for the tangled mess they truly were.

He muttered something under his breath before he said, “The people of Kuci live by the old ways. With my blessing. They don’t have trucks or cars or four-wheelers. But someone from there did steal your truck. I recognized the scent of their special hide tanning solution. It’s my business to find out who it is and punish them.”

Saskia didn’t argue with him. If the village was his, then woe be unto the poor fellows who did steal her pickup. The old gods were not merciful. She hadn’t really planned on ripping their heads off. Maybe scare them a bit.

Well, hell. She swallowed and almost said for him to go on without her. It was his business, after all. But it was her truck. No way was she leaving it.

“All right. Let’s go.” With the ease of mist flowing in the wind, she slipped out of her human skin and into her bear’s. He followed suit.

Sedge was right that it would be quicker to travel on four legs. And as bears, it would also prevent him from trying to talk to her about the two of them.

The village Kuci appeared no different from any other Saskia had visited. Several small and finely built man-made log homes circled around the center of town which contained a large fire pit. The biggest building, the long house, stretched toward the north at the peak of Kuci. Smoke puffed from chimneys, and dogs yowled from their kennels along the fringes.

Very few people wandered about or worked outside. Sure, the settlement was tiny, but it was nearing sunset. The hunters should’ve returned with dinner. Where was everyone?

Sedge shifted and stared at the village. His brows furrowed.

Transforming back to her human self, Saskia drew in a deep breath. Something wasn’t right. Not that any scent told her such, but it was the lack of certain smells which did. No fresh meat or skins tanning under the sun.

She caught a glint of metal on the east side of Kuci. “My pickup.”

He grunted. Always the master of conversation.

If he wasn’t going to say anything, all the better. Saskia wrapped her coat around her and started down the hill toward the village.

Sedge nabbed her arm and yanked her closer to him. “Something’s wrong. I’ll go first.”

She shook her arm loose. Not like she needed him to tell her. It also wasn’t any of her business. “What’s wrong is there are thieves in their midst, and they have my truck.”

“Stay with me.” He stepped in front of her and led the way down to Kuci. His white coat with the fur trim swirled around him, creating a grand effect. Like the man needed fancy clothes to look impressive. No one could mistake him for anything else other than a god. Or, rather, the most recent incarnation of one.

Not like what people thought of when you mentioned gods these days. The old gods weren’t all powerful, and their strength depended on the body they were reborn into. Bear chose well inhabiting Sedge. As she nipped her lower lip, she mentally nodded. Oh yeah, very well.

Saskia didn’t need a bodyguard, but when Sedge told someone to be wary, all her senses went on alert. Once she had her pickup, she’d be out of there. Sedge could stay and deal with his people. She had totem tokens to find.

And she didn’t want to be near him any longer than she needed to be, especially as she admired the way he walked and the way his coat fit over his long torso.

Yup. Get her fucking truck and be gone.

A strange hum tickled her feet as they entered the village. No physical thing, but a tension quivering on a different level of sensation. Kuci was ripe with fear.

No children rushed out to greet them. She’d never been to a traditional village where the kids didn’t hurry to see who had come to visit. That was far more unnerving than Sedge’s warning.

A fur-clad woman scurried from behind a cabin to the long house. As Saskia and Sedge entered the village center, over a dozen men filed out of the main building. Most were young and obviously the warriors of this tribe. No one wore a smile, and all clutched spears.

Sedge’s stride grew stiffer. Clearly this wasn’t the welcome he expected either.

Saskia stood beside him as he stopped in front of the group. With a simple gaze, she could tell none would be more than a bother to her if they were looking for a fight, and all would be fluff on a breeze to Sedge. A sniff also told her that the car thieves were not in the pack.

An older man pushed his way to the front. Gray streaked his long black hair, but his arms were as thick as any of the warriors. He didn’t carry a weapon but neither did he smile. She knew a chief when she saw one.

“Nanuk.” The man held out his hand and nodded, and Sedge grasped his forearm.

“Toklo.” Sedge nodded, and the warriors visibly relaxed.

The people of the north did not bow or kneel to their gods. Respect was shown in other ways like not breaking taboo and making offerings. Saskia found far more honor in this than the western religions. Not that Inuit beliefs could even be compared to any other religion.

Sedge and Toklo spoke quietly in Inupiat—one of the dialects of the northern Natives—and seemingly ignored the rest of the world. Saskia turned her head to glance in the direction of her truck. From her angle, she couldn’t see it, but she’d hear it if someone cranked the engine. Maybe it would be okay if she went to retrieve it now. It didn’t seem as though Sedge was going to introduce—

“And Saskia. The she-bear is mine.”

Her head whipped around to stare at him. Did Sedge just tell the chief she was his? The bastard could not have forgotten she understood Inupiat. She didn’t speak it well, but she recognized her name with the possessive statement of “mine.”

She held back the growl in her throat. To correct The Bear in front of his people? No, she wasn’t that stupid. But he would hear about it later.

“Saskia. Be welcome.” Toklo dipped his head as he held out his hand to her.

Saskia shot one more narrow-eyed look at Sedge and clasped the chief’s forearm. She replied in the best Inupiat she could. “Toklo. Thank you. I am honored by your hospitality.”

Her gaze darted to Sedge to catch a glimpse of surprise as his eyes widened. Good.

Toklo smiled a little, clearly pleased with her response. He motioned to the long house. “Come inside. Food and drink await.”

“I would hear your troubles before the meal. But first,” Sedge said as he gestured to Saskia. “She wishes her truck returned. Your people have stolen it.”

Several men hissed and shifted from foot to foot. Toklo clenched his jaw and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We did not know it was stolen. They told us they purchased it in trade from a hunter. Retribution will be made to the owner and the tribe.”

“They should not have it here at all.” Sedge stated with a curl of his upper lip.

The thieves not only broke the law, but they broke taboo. Which meant they not only disrespected their tribe, but also the gods. Saskia’s heart beat a little harder. And retribution depended on Sedge’s mood. The straining of his jaw muscles told her it didn’t bode well for the thieves.

Toklo turned to walk toward the east side of the village. “The men only wished to take their families and leave swiftly.”

“You make excuses for them?” Sedge raised a brow as he strode alongside of the chief.

“No. I merely state a fact. They are thieves, and they have broken taboo. Justice must be served.” Toklo said it without a change in his expression, but Saskia noted his shoulders slumped slightly and his lips tightened.

She followed Sedge and didn’t look back as she heard the warriors join the parade. No one else joined the procession, though. Where were the women and children?

They weaved between the little homes and rounded a corner to find two men loading furniture and bags into the back of the pickup. A woman stood on the flatbed organizing everything. When she spotted Sedge, she cried out and fell to her knees, pleading for him to just let them go.

The men—their scent named them the thieves—dropped the bags they carried and hung their heads. Neither attempted to run. One, shaking his head, muttered he was sorry, but his family must come first.

What the fuck was going on?

Three children bundled in fur coats burst out of the nearest cabin. The two boys gasped and gaped at Sedge.

The youngest, a girl no more than four, pounced and hugged Sedge’s leg. “Nanuk has come to save us!”

Saskia bit the side of her tongue to keep from laughing. Not at the notion Sedge would save them from whatever was going on, but at a child latched onto his huge leg. She almost expected him to flail and try to kick the kid off.

“Aluki!” The woman wailed from the back of the truck as she tumbled out onto the rocky ground. She scrambled forward. “Forgive her, please. She’s just a frightened little girl.”

Sedge bent over and plucked Aluki off him, holding her up so that she was as tall as he. She didn’t squirm or scream, but gripped his forearms as she held his gaze. He nodded once and set her on the ground. “Aluki, go to your mother.”

Aluki bobbed her head and hopped to her mom, who scooped her up and held her tight.

“Aujaq and Dave. You have lied to your people.” Toklo folded his arms and lifted his chin. “This truck belongs to Saskia.” He gestured to her with a hand. “And she did not sell it to you.”

The juxtaposition of names almost made Saskia laugh, but it was typical in villages. The mix of the old and the new. Dave probably had an ancestral name, but his father or someone else in his family might have had it too.

She said nothing as the thieves glanced at her. Sweat beaded on Aujaq’s forehead as his fingers flexed and curled. “We know our crime, and we do not deny it. We would have returned the truck after we found a new home. But we did not have a choice. The dogs could not move fast enough nor could a sled protect us from—”

“It does not matter.” Toklo’s voice rose. “You have disgraced yourself and your people.”

“Is honor more important than the lives of my family?” Aujaq trembled as he shouted.

Several exclamations and hisses erupted from the warriors. The children cowered against their mother.

“Enough!” Sedge bellowed. Everyone went silent. “Liars lose tongues. Thieves lose hands.”

The woman wailed again, and a sob escaped Dave.

What? Was he really going to do that? Saskia only doubted for a few seconds. Holy fuck. He most certainly would.

“Wait.” Saskia stepped forward between the family and Sedge. “This is my truck. Do I not get a say in the matter?”

Sedge glared at her. “What more do you have to say? We know they stole from you. I saw your anger. You would rip off their hands yourself if I allowed it.”

If he allowed it! Saskia snorted without making a noise. When it came to the old ways, justice was harsh. It had to be when the life these folks lived was equally as unmerciful. It was one of the things she never came to terms with when training to be a Black Shaman. All was black and white to them. But what about the gray?

“I do not excuse their crime, but something has scared them, and I want to know what could frighten your people so much that they would break the law.” And saying they were Sedge’s people said a lot. He’d not give his blessing to anything less than a strong and noble tribe.

“The reasons matter not.” Sedge pronounced each word with fierce clarity.

How many fights did they have that started much like this? Saskia wanted to yell, to punch, to throttle him. She shook with the urge. Could he just not grant her this one thing? If he would only bend a little…

“Jinxioc.” Aluki whimpered.

The girl’s mother hushed her, but one of her brothers nodded and whispered the word. A word Saskia had never heard before.

Glancing at Sedge’s stony face told her nothing. He seemed to have remained unmoved by the ominous declaration by the child. Toklo, on the other hand, rubbed his face with a hand. He was a man worn down, taken to the edge.

“Call everyone to the long house. We will discuss it there.” Sedge turned and marched past the warriors without looking back.

Everyone followed, even Dave, Aujaq, and his family.

Saskia waited until the end of the line and walked beside Aluki’s brothers. She leaned over and asked in a quiet tone, “What’s the Jinxioc?”

“Little people. Bad little people,” the youngest boy murmured.

The other boy glanced up at Saskia with wide eyes. “And they’re trying to kill us all.”

Saskia had never met the little people, but she’d heard many tales from Natives and Azarius. Most of them were tiny, benevolent creatures that lived in the walls of houses. If someone were really lucky, they’d get the helpful ones.

Sometimes they’d become mischievous. But evil? She’d say the children were overreacting if it weren’t for the fact everyone in the village believed it to be so.

The rest of the tribe sat packed in the long house. The building could maybe sit seventy to eighty people comfortably, but there had to be near twice that. And the rank smell attested to the overcrowding. Every head turned to them as they entered and followed Sedge, who took the spot at the head of the main table.

Saskia stayed back by the door and crouched beside the boys sitting on the floor. The fewer folks who noticed her, the better she could watch their reactions to whatever was said.

She unbuttoned her coat and brushed her hair back from her face. Aluki peered over her mother’s shoulder and smiled, pointing. “Girl bear!”

Aluki’s mother shushed her, but the boys gazed at Saskia. The youngest pointed to the tattoo on her neck. “The paw. You are a bear!”

“We’ve never met a girl bear before.” The other boy’s words drew the gazes of several people.

Saskia’s fingers twitched with the desire to cover her tattoo, but it didn’t matter here. The tribe knew the old ways, and being seen as a shifter and a Black Shaman would garner her immediate respect.

“Quiet now lest I take a bite out of you. I want to hear what Toklo is saying.” Saskia winked as she whispered to the children.

They turned their attention back to their chief and Sedge, except Aluki. She continued to stare at Saskia with big brown eyes. Let the kid stare. Probably good for the girl to see a woman in a position of power. Life didn’t have to be about having babies and serving the men. Not at all.

“There are nine missing now. Six children and three adults.” Toklo’s voice echoed through the rafters and off the walls. “All taken by the Jinxioc.”

Murmurs broke out, and Toklo raised a hand to his tribe. “The first about five weeks ago. A boy didn’t return from fetching wood. We searched, but none of us found a body. The second child, her body we did find. Ravaged.”

Saskia clutched her hands within the sleeves of her coat. That was just after the hunters tried to kill Ametta and Lucky. But those were humans. This was something else.

“Then our people started to catch glimpses of them. Small figures, darting between the trees and rocks. Unnaturally quick. When none of us could manage to catch them, they grew bold. The third child was taken from within the village. We attempted to appease them with gifts and meat. But next, they stole a baby from his furs.” A woman’s cry echoed off the walls. Toklo ran his shaky hands over his head. He started to speak again, but stumbled over the words. Taking a few deep breaths, he continued, “We set up traps, attempted to hunt them, but they killed one of our warriors and dragged away an elder, my aunt.”

A few of the women wept, and children began to cry. But it seemed to Saskia that most of the tears had been shed. There was only hollow terror left in their eyes.

“We stay together in here for safety, but we must live. We must hunt and gather.” Toklo clasped his hands together on the table in front of him and stared at Sedge. “I think their numbers grow as they feast on our tribe. It is no small pack. None of us have managed to harm any of them, but they pick us off one by one, each attack more vicious than the last.”

Toklo hung his head. “Many of our people want to leave. But they are afraid to go out.”

So this was why Dave and Aujaq stole her truck. If Saskia was in their position, she’d do the same thing. If Sedge still wanted to cut off their hands, she’d fight him on it. They only wanted to save their family.

“I will get rid of the Jinxioc.” Sedge announced. Instead of cheers, there seemed to be a great exhalation of relief from the tribe.

Then weeping was replaced by laughter and praises for Nanuk. Yes, he must be loving that. The great savior. Hooray for the hero.

Not that Saskia thought he couldn’t do it. He was The Bear, after all. He’d go out there, squish the Jinxioc, eat them, or whatever. Sedge just didn’t need any more fluffing of his ego. Though, really, it couldn’t get any bigger without imploding.

She slipped out of the long house and stood outside, breathing in deep the fresh cold air. Odd things happened in the north. The land held many old secrets. But this? She shook her head as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and wrapped her coat around herself.

The door opened, and the boys slipped out along with their sister.

“Are you going to stay?” Aluki tugged on Saskia’s coat.

“We’re going to have a big feast after Nanuk kills all the Jinxioc.” The oldest boy smiled.

“We get to see him fight!” The younger boy growled and roared, pawing at the air like an enraged bear.

Saskia smiled a little. “No. What you get to do is go back in there with the others and wait until it’s safe.”

“But you’re not inside.” The boy pointed out.

“That’s because I’m strong like Nanuk. None of the Jinxioc could take me on.”

“But you’re a girl bear.” The eldest protested.

Saskia snorted. Maybe she should go with Sedge and exterminate the menace. Let them see a woman was just as powerful as a man. “I can do anything Nanuk does.”

“Well, she is pretty tall,” the littler boy said to his brother.

“And I guess she can turn into a bear.” The elder one nodded, pursing his lips as he debated it.

“She can!” Aluki clapped her hands and grinned.

Saskia held out her hand for a high five from the girl, but all three kids stared at it bewilderedly. Oh yeah. That’s right. Good thing she didn’t hold out her hand for a fist bump. She might have scared them.

The sled dogs howled, sitting on the houses. Were they celebrating too? Funny how no one mentioned any of the dogs had been taken. They’d be easier prey. Saskia walked through the town center to get a better view of the dog yard. The children skipped around her, singing a song about the great Nanuk and his friend Raven.

Something ran by to her left. Did one of the dogs get loose? That would explain the ruckus. Or could it be one of the Jinxioc? Her body tensed as she put her nose up and breathed in. She couldn’t smell anything other than the village and canines. So close to their dog houses, it reeked of them.

The littlest boy screamed, and Saskia spun to see him dragged off by a small figure in dirty dark furs. The Jinxioc.

She sprinted after him, but the other children cried out. More. The chief had said there was a pack. Why wouldn’t they hunt together?

The evil bastards whipped Aluki about by her hood and yanked the boy to the ground. Being closer to them, Saskia leapt in their direction and shifted.

The Jinxioc weren’t as small as she expected. Most were about three feet in height. More gnomes than what most considered little people. The dark skin on their faces was withered and sharpened their rodent-like features.

But all those wrinkles couldn’t disguise their surprise to see a bear lunging at them.

She bellowed and drew back her right paw, swinging it to smack the Jinxioc holding Aluki. The girl crumpled to the ground as Saskia swatted at a second monster.

Like a bulldozer, she trampled another little fucker in order to stop the one that had the boy. She bit the Jinxioc’s shoulder so he released the boy, and then she flung the creature over the roof of a cabin.

Sedge’s roar joined hers as he charged out of the long house. The remaining Jinxioc ran outward, and he gave chase. Saskia’s immediate instinct was to follow, but she turned back to the children. Tenderly, she picked up Aluki by the back of her coat with her teeth and carried her to her brother. She nudged the unconscious girl into her brother’s arms.

As Aujaq dashed out of the door toward his children, Saskia chuffed at the boy. He needed to be strong. Sedge would find his brother. He nodded as if understanding, and she turned to take off out of Kuci.

Sedge and the Jinxioc were out of sight. Those fuckers could move fast, but so could a bear. Saskia easily followed their trail over a rocky hill and toward a patch of woods. Did they think they could hide? They had no clue who they were dealing with.

Saskia chuckled inwardly. Her chest heaved as she ran, breathing in their horrid scent. She’d smile if she had any lips. This was going to be fun.

Snarls and high-pitched cries tumbled out from between the trees. She wasn’t going to let Sedge get them all. The Jinxioc were going to pay for hurting those children.

She barreled into the woods and toward the sounds of the battle. One bastard jumped at her from the side and landed on her hip. It raked her with talon-sharp claws before she smashed it against a big pine.

Hissing through the pain, Saskia kept moving forward, up and onto a pile of big rocks. The scene below knocked the breath from her and froze her to the spot. No. This wasn’t right.

Barely a hint of white fur could be seen beneath a seething mountain of Jinxioc. By a pack, she’d thought Toklo meant six to eight members, but no. There were at least twenty, maybe twenty-five of them swarming Sedge. Like a tornado of death, they ripped into the massive polar bear. Fur and blood flung in all directions.

Sedge.

Saskia didn’t care she had no wings to fly. She leapt off the rocks and into the fray, squishing at least one with her landing.

Raking her claws through the pack, she swept nine off Sedge, allowing him to break free of the deadly horde. His bellow shook the branches in the trees as they stood back to back to fight off the Jinxioc.

Fear surged through her. Fighting gnomes was supposed to be a joke, especially for two polar bear shifters who were also skilled fighters. This nightmare swarm threatened to drown her.

Beady black eyes. Sharp claws and teeth. The fuckers were tenacious.

But as fast as they had come upon Saskia and the children in the village, they were gone.

No sound as they disappeared through the trees. No growls or laughter. Just gurgling from one Jinxioc as it died at Saskia’s feet.

Both Sedge and Saskia stood on their hind legs, panting, waiting for the demons to attack again. But when she heard the sound of a bird in a nearby tree give a hesitant chirp, she realized they were gone. For the time being.

Behind her, a thump shook the ground. She twisted to find Sedge lying on his side. The mighty Bear beaten and bloody.

None of his wounds were mortal, but the number of them was worrying. Most especially the one on his right arm. Her jaw clenched as she shifted back into her human form. “Sedge.”

He groaned and turned toward her, transforming too. The pain clearly great as he didn’t bother with clothing. “Saskia. Don’t…”

“Don’t what? Go after the little fuckers? I’m not going to.” She knelt by his side and unwound her scarf to use as a make-shift bandage. “You’ll need stitches. Several.”

Most of his pale skin was smeared and splattered with blood. Some spots so thick, she couldn’t see his tattoos underneath. And the man had many tats on his glorious body, which shuddered as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Be still.” Saskia told him as she tied her scarf around his upper right arm. The skin and muscle had been shredded by the Jinxioc.

“Don’t… tell… my people.”

Right. Of course he didn’t want anyone to see him as weak. She shook her head. “I have to take you back to get you fixed up.”

Sedge clasped her left wrist. “No. Stay here.”

He was clearly delusional. Maybe he lost too much blood.

“Are you crazy? Those things could be back at any moment.” Saskia stood, pulling away from him, and rolled her shoulders as she shook off her own injuries. She hooked her arms under his shoulders. “Listen to me for once.”

“No.” He repeated more vehemently and tore out of her hold. “They cannot see me defeated. I cannot return looking like this.”

She wasn’t going to leave him alone. And he knew it.

Damn his stubborn ass.

Saskia circled the immediate area of the woods. Big pines swayed with the wind, and rocks glistened with snow. There were no signs of the Jinxioc or the boy. Only blood and dead gnomes. It satisfied her to know they could die. They’d attacked and kidnapped children under her watch. She would rip the head off every single Jinxioc.

Fat snowflakes fell lazily from the sky. The first snowfall of the season. In the morning, there’d be no evidence of the battle.

She returned to Sedge’s side and helped him stand to move away from the devastated bodies. “Let’s sit you up on the rock over there.”

“Snow. It’ll help me heal faster.” Sedge pointed to a small snow covered pile of dirt and nudged her in that direction as he laid his arm across her shoulders. He leaned against her. His heavy weight not a burden, but more a comfort she didn’t want to accept.

Saskia resisted and muscled him toward the rock. “If you want snow, I’ll dump some on you. I need you propped up so I can stitch you together. Stop fighting me and sit your ass down.”

He grunted, and she was certain he would argue with her, but he didn’t. Proof he was hurt worse than he let on.

Sedge lowered himself onto the rock slowly. His arm slipped from her shoulders, but his hand rested on the small of her back. Even through the layers of her clothing, she could feel the heat radiating off him. Not a single goosebump pimpled his skin. The cold was his friend.

“And what will you stitch me with?” He raised a brow.

Saskia straightened and frowned. She opened her mouth to say she’d fetch a thread and needle from Kuci, but the tribe would want to know what happened. Nope, couldn’t go there. The other option was to use her skill as a Black Shaman, power that Sedge had given her. Power she swore she would not use again.

Bastard. Time to go primitive. Saskia lifted her chin. “We’ll do this the old-fashioned way.”

Marching over to one of the pine trees, she pried off a four inch long piece of bark. She peeled more bark off a section of the tree and scraped the sap onto the first hunk. Laying a hand on the tree, she whispered her thanks to it.

“You still remember.” Sedge eyed her as she returned to him.

“I honor all spirits.” And never break taboo. One little slip up, and he’d know. He’d be there so fast to deliver punishment. The old gods rarely took notice of small offenses anymore, but the one time she had forgotten to say thanks to an animal spirit for a meal, he had whisked her away to a cave in the far north.

Her punishment had been… intense. What should have been grueling training under a harsh master turned quickly into ferocious lovemaking. No man had ever loved her as he did those three days and nights. She still ached, body and soul, to have that again.

While Azarius gave her space, drew her away from her life, and made her strong enough to stand on her own, Sedge filled her and made her whole. She didn’t want to be anyone other than Saskia Dorn those three days. Until he declared she would be his mate. He loved her and would die without her.

She couldn’t have anyone rely on her like that. Not after she saw what the loss of her mother did to her family, what it did to her.

Her punishment turned out to be something much worse than she imagined. She left the Black Shamans’ ranks. Left him. And he wasn’t a man used to not getting what he wanted. But she wouldn’t, couldn’t be what he wanted her to be. He’d not see it any other way either.

“One day you’ll forget again.” Sedge didn’t smile as he said it.

“No, I won’t.” Saskia pressed her lips together. She refused to meet his gaze. Not that he could read minds, but with the emotional whirlwind sweeping through her, her eyes might give her away.

That part of her life was over. She must focus on the here and now. On his wounds. The faster he healed, the faster they could hunt.

Glancing at the sap on the bark and then at Sedge, she sighed. “First, clean up.”

Saskia set down the bark and fetched a half-dozen armfuls of snow. He rubbed it over himself, avoiding his bandaged arm. His body heat melted the snow and washed most of the blood away. The ground below him glistened pink in the last bit of the light of day.

She plucked a pinch of sap with her fingers. It stuck as a useless, nearly frozen blob. She blew on it and spit on it, mixing it with her saliva. Much better now.

She knelt beside him and worked first on his left leg. Bites and cuts decorated his muscled thigh. She held the flesh together with one hand and applied the sap with the other. If he made any comment about her being on her knees like this, she’d bite him too!

“There should not be so many Jinxioc together.” Sedge scratched at the scarf and stared into the dark woods.

“Toklo said they hunt in packs.” Saskia fused together a deep cut along his calf. Her work couldn’t be anything other than sloppy, but he’d be unlikely to scar. Well, she glanced at his wrapped arm, at least on his legs.

“Small packs, family packs. They’d kill their own kind just as quick as any other creature.” He hissed as she moved to his other leg and squeezed shut a gash on his thigh.

“So they’ve learned how to cooperate. We find and kill them. That’s the end of it.” And she’d enjoy every second of ripping their heads off. Saskia spat again, mixing up the sap, and applied it to the wound.

Sedge groaned and fisted his hands. “It won’t be that easy. These are Unnaturals. Not created by any of the old gods. Not only are they more numerous, but they’re stronger and faster than they should be.”

Saskia paused and gaped at him. Sedge said something wouldn’t be easy? She must not have heard him correctly. Maybe one of the Jinxioc banged her in the head.

“Oh, I will kill them. Every single one.” He growled. “But charging into the fray is not the way.”

Ah, there was the Sedge she knew. She nodded. “I agree. We’ve seen them now. We know how they fight. Maybe we can find where they live and blow the fucking place up.” Not quite as satisfying as tearing off body parts, but any victory in which the Jinxioc were destroyed was a good one. “Anything else you can tell me about them?”

His breath misted as he exhaled. “I’ve never been troubled by them before. They were few and so were the tribes this far north. They stole meat and sometimes children who wandered too far from their village.”

Saskia finished with his legs and stood. She moved to his left arm. His cuts blended in with the tribal tattoos covering his entire arm. Already, they had started healing. Only one wound required her to seal it shut. “Toklo said this started about five weeks ago. The same time we discovered the totem pole missing.”

Sedge’s brows furrowed. “Yes.”

Her heartbeat sped up. The possibility of finding a token made her feel like a kid on a treasure hunt. The connection between the events was obvious. She was almost tempted to go out and start smelling fox shit again.

“Azarius had a feeling one of the totems was in this area, the fox token. I need more sap.” Saskia walked to another tree, not wanting to take any more from the first one.

He grunted and nodded. “We kill the Jinxioc and find the token.”

Saskia gathered the sap and thanked the tree before returning to Sedge. He sat straighter with his head up. A horde of little cannibals couldn’t hold him down for long. She smiled and reined it in. “All right. Let me have a look at your right arm. Take off the scarf.”

Yanking open the knot, he clenched his jaw and breathed out another long breath. He turned his head away as the fabric tumbled off his biceps. “It’s healing.”

She didn’t need her keen sense of sight to see how ragged the wound was. Muscle damaged and blood still oozing from it. She threw the sappy bark over her shoulder. There wasn’t enough flesh to pull it together to seal. “Shit.”

“It’s not that bad.” He grumbled.

No, not bad at all. They just about tore his fucking arm off!

“You need a whole lot more than a little sap.” She rubbed her palm against her forehead. As much as she wanted to tell him she could handle this, she needed his help. Dammit. “Okay. I’m getting my pickup. We’re going to Galbraith and getting some medical supplies. You don’t have to come into Kuci with me, but you’re coming with me in the truck. You’re not waiting out here alone.”

“I don’t need—”

“Look at your fucking arm!” Saskia wanted to strangle him. Why did guys have to be this way? “If you want to heal to take on the Jinxioc, you need medical help.” And in case he argued anymore, she said, “Or you can just sit this one out. I’ll go handle them myself.”

“You will not!” Sedge rose, his voice like thunder.

“Then let’s go get my truck.”

He snarled at her, but in that same instant, he was clothed. Finally.

Sedge stormed past her out of the woods. Saskia followed with a little smirk. If he ate and got the proper care, they might be able to search for the pack in the morning.

Kill the Jinxioc and find the totem. Easy? Hell no, but it was damn satisfying to be on the hunt again. Not that she’d admit it, but she missed being a Black Shaman. Carpentry filled her in a different way, but the rush of the hunt and the thrill of dealing justice, there was nothing like it.

Nor was there anything else like doing that alongside of Sedge.

Standing beside Aujaq’s cabin back in the village, Saskia held back a scream. No one here was to blame for the slashed tires. Okay, it was partially Dave’s and Aujaq’s fault since they stole her truck. But now they were stuck in Kuci the same as she was.

A fat snowflake landed on her cheek, and she swiped it away. Small prints circled her pickup. Considering they didn’t leave trails in the woods, the Jinxioc wanted her to know they’d been there.

It was tempting to hook up a team of dogs and go, but not at night. Not with Sedge injured.

Aujaq stood six feet away near the rear of her pickup. Gripping the bottom of his parka, he shifted from foot to foot. Even if he hadn’t been declared a thief, dealing with two angry bears was not something anyone wanted to do.

“We’re going to spend the night in your cabin.” Saskia spoke each word carefully so her anger didn’t slip through. Aujaq was a trembling mess as it was, never mind adding her or Sedge yelling at him. “Go back to the long house, be with your family, and stay inside.”

Aujaq’s eyes darted between Sedge and her. “You are welcome in our home, but I cannot… my wife… She’ll be angry if we do not act as proper hosts.”

He hurried away toward the long house before Saskia could tell him not to worry about it. She hissed out a long breath. “I don’t want to kick them out of their own home. But they know they’re safer with their tribe.”

“Yes, but it would be considered very rude for them not to attend to someone who is a guest in their house. Especially me.” Keeping his right arm immobile, Sedge leaned against the truck. “It’s a matter of honor.”

Of course. Saskia sighed as they waited for Aujaq and his family. No one else had seen them return to the village, but now the whole tribe would know. If Sedge didn’t want them all to know of his injuries, he’d better make sure they had some privacy for at least a little while.

Neither of them said a word. She stared at the forest in the distance. Would the Jinxioc return tonight? The possibility made her stomach tighten and stated she wouldn’t be getting much sleep.

It didn’t take but two minutes for Aujaq to hurry back with his wife and children. His two remaining children. Saskia swallowed with difficulty. Their boy was lost on her watch. They should be running her out of the village rather than rushing to host them.

“My wife, Yakone. My son, Silaluk, and my daughter, Aluki. My brother Dave is fetching wood for the fire.” Aujaq touched his wife and each of his children with a trembling hand as he introduced them. A gesture to reassure himself they were still there.

“Please, come inside and be welcome.” With red-rimmed eyes, Yakone opened the door and dipped her head, waiting for them to go in first.

Saskia glanced at the children. Silaluk stared at nothing, eyes hazy like a zombie. Aluki gave Saskia a shy little smile.

Stepping inside the small cabin, Saskia scanned the near empty square main room. All that met her eyes were an unfinished wood floor, a dented wood burning oven, and a stump smoothed by years of use. They lived simply, but with this little? No, wait, most of their stuff was probably still in the back of her pickup. She walked the rest of the way in, and everyone else followed.

“I’ll bring in some furs to sit on. Silaluk, help me.” Aujaq took the boy with him back outside.

Saskia almost protested. The Jinxioc could be waiting, but Sedge didn’t say a word. She bit her tongue and let Yakone fuss as she stoked the embers of the fire in the stove.

“We have only fish, I’m sorry. May I cook you a meal?” Yakone asked. Her arms hung beside her as if pulled to the ground with her grief. The strength it took for this woman to still function, Saskia could barely imagine.

Sedge nodded. “Yes, thank you. It would be much appreciated.”

Silaluk and Aujaq returned with armloads of furs and piled them on the floor. Dave arrived half a minute later with a great bundle of wood for the stove. The family was quiet as they fed the fire and prepared the fish to be cooked. The children helped as much as the adults. Every now and then, Yakone wiped shimmering tears from her eyes.

Saskia stuffed her hands in her pockets so she wouldn’t fiddle. Idle wasn’t a word in her vocabulary, but she’d no doubt it would be bad manners to offer to help. Nor did she know what to say to comfort them.

Sedge sat once the furs were laid, and Saskia could see no other option than to sit beside him and wait. Only a few inches from him, and she could feel his body radiating heat. An invisible rope tugged her to lean into him, but she resisted.

Dismissed from her task of cleaning up the discarded remains of the fish, Aluki plopped down next to Saskia. She opened her fur coat and removed a roughly carved doll. “Do you want to play with my doll? My other ones are packed away, or you could play with the whole family.”

“Thank you, but I’d rather watch you play with it.” Saskia unzipped her coat as the heat rose inside the small home.

“Okay. I will have my doll cook up something for all our guests.” Aluki hummed as she maneuvered her toy about its chores.

“All your guests? More than Nanuk and me? You must mean Nanuk’s tummy. He will eat enough for ten men.” Saskia glanced at Sedge who watched her with an amused twinkle in his dark eyes. He didn’t deny it.

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.”

“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 though 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?

“You will immediately return to the ranks of the Black Shamans, and you will serve until I deem your punishment done.”

She blinked. No. He couldn’t do this. She wouldn’t.

Rage boiled within her. Would she have been as angry if he whisked her away? Or was she mad he didn’t? It didn’t matter. He took her decision to leave the Black Shaman away from her. No way was she going to… Glancing at the people around them, her chest tightened. She had to.

Sedge stepped toward her. “You will also now be under my tutelage. You will go where I go. You will hunt what I hunt. And you will obey me as you did your teacher before me.”

Saskia screamed silently in her head. Her honor would not allow her to run and Sedge knew it. It was one thing to return to the ranks, and it might not have been horrible if Azarius was still her mentor. But to have Sedge as her master?

She leaned in and whispered through clenched teeth, “Cut off my hand and be done with it.”

Sedge’s smile quirked up a little more. He turned to raise his arms and faced the chief. “Today we save our tribe. We will hunt down the Jinxioc and kill every last one of them.”

The people of Kuci cheered, and the circle folded in around them.

Saskia stood stiffly as the tribe welcomed her and gave her their thanks. She remembered to be gracious, but inside, her fury whirled. If this was Sedge’s plan to reignite their relationship, he had another thing coming to him. She’d go where he went, and she’d make certain he was miserable every step of the way.

Saskia whacked at the bushes in front of her with the wooden spear. Let’s bring weapons, she’d suggested. Sedge grumbled they didn’t need anything. She reminded him of the vicious pile of gnomes. He got them spears. What were they going to do? Shish kebab the devils?

When she’d told him there were two rifles in her truck, he made her hand them over to the tribe. The humans needed the protection of the guns more than they did. She couldn’t deny them the rifles, but damn, it would’ve made the hunt a lot easier.

Oh Big and Mighty Bear. Off to take on the Jinxioc. Charging in again. She hit the brittle bushes again.

“Stop it.” Sedge barked. He trudged through the snow using his spear like a walking stick. “What are you doing?”

“I’m searching for the Jinxioc.” Saskia flashed him a tight smile.

He grunted. “Clearly you can see they aren’t in those bushes. Stop making so much noise.”

Like the Jinxioc cared if they made noise. This was their territory. If intruders were about, they’d know it. “I’m looking for a den or cave. The entrance might be under the snow.”

“No. It’ll be more obvious. The Jinxioc—”

“The Jinxioc have become daring enough to kidnap people from within the village, and they have somehow masked their scent. Their pack is bigger than you thought possible, and they attacked two fucking polar bears. Whatever you know about them is irrelevant.” Saskia prodded a hole between two rocks, poked solid ground, and continued on.

“You are supposed to respect and obey me like you do Azarius.” Sedge pointed his spear at her and then himself as he spoke. More than irritation made his words rumble.

She grinned. “This is how I am with Azarius. Did you think I was a humble student?”

He muttered something under his breath and marched on. If this was her punishment, she’d be sure it was his too. Any time she felt herself softening toward him, she’d only have to remind herself that he tricked her. It was possible he knew all along that she’d take the punishment for Dave and Aujaq. That’s why he made it so harsh. He knew he wouldn’t have to carry it out.

“This would be much easier with Azarius. He would never underestimate his prey. In fact, he—” Saskia let out a yelp as she was yanked suddenly upward by her ankle and dropped her spear. The world turned upside-down as she cursed the trap that had snagged her.

“Azarius didn’t teach you to watch where you step?” Sedge stuck his spear into the ground and held a hand up to her. “Let me pull you down.”

“No thanks. I prefer to keep my leg intact.” Saskia reached under her coat and removed her hunting knife that she had retrieved from her truck before they left. “And, yes, he did teach me that. But with the snow…”

She didn’t bother to continue. There was no excuse. She’d been too caught up in her anger to notice the trap.

Grabbing hold of the back of her thigh, Saskia pulled herself up so that she could reach the rope around her ankle. She frowned. Not rope. Was that… human hair?

A wave of fury and nausea rolled through her. “The Jinxioc. They did this.”

“They do not set traps. They’re much more primal than that.” Sedge folded his arms, watching her wiggle in the air.

“The loop is made from human hair.” She sniffed. “I’m pretty certain humans from Kuci too.”

“What?” His chest rumbled as he stepped under her and lifted his nose to draw in the scent.

She was too late to shout a warning. A black shape blurred close to the ground within the fast falling snow. One smashed into Sedge’s side, causing him to stumble to his right. A second flew at his chest and knocked him off his feet.

Jinxioc.

With a roar that started human, Sedge shifted and slammed the two gnomes into the rocks.

Saskia sliced through the snare and twisted so she’d land on her feet. Three Jinxioc were on her before she even touched the ground.

There were no screams as she shifted and nearly tore the head off one. With this many Jinxioc, she couldn’t fight them in her human form. One of the little bastards clawed the left side of her face. She headbutted it against the tree the snare had been in. Fuck, she wasn’t sure she could fight them in her bear form.

It was all she could do to keep them from tearing her open like a piñata. And vicious as they were, there was a sort of sick glee even as their companions were ripped apart.

She backed up, throwing a gnome off her side. Her rump hit something bigger and furry. Sedge. She dared a glance. No mountain of Jinxioc on him this time, but the fuckers were relentless.

Just keep going. Kill them one by one. All they had to do was outlast the enemy.

Blood splattered and soaked into the snow. Gnarly limbs and gnome pieces lay scattered around them.

Claws and teeth. No room to think. Kill. Survive.

Their high-pitched cries were like the shriek of a dying rabbit. Too many going for her eyes and nose. And Sedge said these things weren’t clever.

Behind her, Sedge rose onto his hind legs. She followed suit, swatting at a gnome and sending it flying twenty feet into a huge rock. It hit with a wet crunch and rolled to the ground, snow clinging to its face like a demented version of Frosty.

The Jinxioc seemed even quicker than the other day. And they climbed like damn squirrels. Did it matter she stood on two legs?

So they were faster. Her claws were sharper, her teeth bigger, and her skin thicker.

But where were they all coming from? Like an infinite river of snarling death.

Saskia clapped one of their heads between her paws. Its skull cracked with a great gush of blood, and its black eyes rolled back as it died.

She looked up too late to move fully out of the way. The Jinxioc had her spear, and they charged with it like battering ram. She bellowed her warning and dove to her left. Sedge moved in the same direction, slowing them both.

The spear pierced her right hip and pushed through into Sedge’s thigh. The sudden pain made the world bright, then dark and bright again, matching the beating of her heart.

She tipped to the left, but Sedge kept upright, which forced her to do the same. His roar rattled her bones. No ordinary cry. It was the Bear’s War Cry.

The Jinxioc gripped their ears, keening as Sedge roared.

A hand reached around—a human hand—and jerked the spear out of them. The pain sent Saskia to the ground.

Sedge spun around in a full circle with the weapon in a two-handed grip. Several gnomes fell as he whacked their heads with more strength than she had even as a bear.

Silence. The remaining Jinxioc had fled. As any sane creature would do when faced with an angry bear. Or rather, a bear who was a man with the might of a god. And glorious he was standing over her, poised, in case any of them returned.

A minute passed. Maybe two. Saskia shuddered and whined. She sat up and shifted, placing her hands over his laceration just as he dropped the spear to cover her wound.

Her heart beat hard as they stared at each other. A lifetime passed in a few breaths. She didn’t want to let go.

Her body jerked with another wave of pain. Sedge looked down and clenched his jaw before picking up handfuls of snow to pack against her hip. “Dress. I’m taking you back.”

Saskia didn’t need to be told to conjure clothing. Thick wools and furs from head to toe. Not that it stopped the pounding in her hip. “We’ll rest… go after them again… with a better plan.”

“Not you.” Sedge stood with her in his arms. He dressed in white with not a speck of blood on him. “I’ll take care of the Jinxioc myself.”

Saskia pushed him, attempting to be free of his arms. “Like fucking hell. I’m going too.”

“You are my student. You will do as I command.” Sedge strode through the woods back toward Kuci. His long strides fast and steady.

“I go where you go.” She gave up fighting his hold, but she refused to be left out of the hunt.

Sedge growled and ducked under a branch. But he didn’t say no.

The fact that he didn’t argue only proved how dire their situation truly was.

Somewhere along the way, the throbbing pain drew Saskia into unconsciousness. When she woke, it was dark and warm. Familiar scents calmed her as her eyes adjusted. She noted she was also alone in Aluki’s family’s cabin.

Saskia propped herself up on her elbows. The soft hide of the furs slid against her bare skin. Seemed she was naked and, running her hand down to her hip, stitched up too. The wound radiated heat, but it didn’t threaten to lead her to darkness again.

Flames danced within the stove, but no candles or lanterns were lit. Her eyes didn’t need much light, but it made her wonder how long she had been alone. Where was Sedge?

She smelled him on the furs, on her. Lowering her nose, she breathed in deep. His scent affected her like a drug. She wanted to roll in it and rub it all over herself. More so, she wanted him to rub himself all over her.

In the wild, bears didn’t mate for life. But often, they chose the same mate years in a row. As shifters, they loved deeply and rarely did bears leave their mate once they’ve found them. Her mom and dad were inseparable until cancer parted them forever. She feared her father would never recover after her mother’s death, but after several years, he returned to a semblance of normalcy. He’d lost something, though. He was never the same man to her again.

Saskia walked on the edge of a blade that had only doom for the person she wanted to be on either side. Submit to Sedge and bear his cubs, or never see him again and suffer without him for the rest of her life.

If only he weren’t the fucking Bear. Well, then he wouldn’t be him.

She sighed as she felt the tickle of nature calling. At least there was a honey bucket in the corner.

Business done, she slipped back under the furs just as the door opened. She jerked into sitting position and hissed with the stab of pain in her hip.

Sedge stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He eyed her and set down a covered tray by the stove. “You should be lying down.”

“I was.” Saskia’s nose twitched at the sudden savory scent of meat, and saliva filled her mouth. Her stomach rumbled as she licked her lips. Holy hell, she was hungry. She could eat a whole damn moose.

“Go on. Eat.” Sedge removed his coat. “The hunters brought down four caribou today. They say it is because I am here they are granted extra strength.”

Ignoring her hip, Saskia crawled out of the furs and grabbed the tray, lifting the cloth that covered it. Oh God. Nothing had ever smelled so delicious.

She grabbed the biggest piece and raised it to her mouth. Dammit.

Slowly lowering the food, she asked, “Is it male or female?”

“Female.” Sedge laid his coat down and kicked off his boots. The gift she would offer had to be gender-centric.

“Thank you for bringing me this food and thank you to the brave hunters.” She bowed her head to the meat. “Thank you, great Caribou Mother, for providing us with meat of your children. May your daughter know peace, and…” She glanced around and picked up the needle and thread. “I offer to you these. You may take them with you to the afterlife.”

It seemed a paltry offer, but she had nothing more to give. Spying the little table and chairs, she smiled. “I share this bounty with your friends and mine, the little people.”

Saskia tore off a strip of meat and placed it on the table. Then, with the next few heartbeats, she brought the meat to her mouth and took a huge bite. Oh yeah. Even better than she anticipated.

Sedge sat on the floor across from her, silent as she ate.

Very aware of his gaze on her, she focused on the food. Or rather, she tried to. After Saskia ate enough for three grown men, she stopped and wiped the sides of her mouth with her fingers. “What?”

“I do like a woman with a healthy appetite.” He motioned to the remaining food and smiled. The smile that told her he knew something she didn’t.

She narrowed her gaze as she reached over for another hunk of meat. What was going on in that man’s head? She settled back as comfortable as she could get. The warm juice from the caribou dripped onto her leg, and she swiped it off.

Her bare leg.

Dammit. She was naked.

Saskia conjured a sweatshirt and sweatpants. It was one thing him seeing her nude in battle or taking care of wounds in the aftermath, but she wasn’t anyone’s pin-up girl.

To wipe the look of amusement from his eyes, she asked, “How long have I been out?”

“It’s almost midnight.” His brows furrowed and then softened. “How do you feel?”

“Better. More so that I have food in me now.” Saskia took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. “Does anyone else know I’m wounded?”

“They might suspect it. I told them we killed many of the Jinxioc, but they are not yet gone.” Sedge released a rumbling sigh. “I suggested the tribe go to Galbraith until we made sure all the Jinxioc were gone, but they refused.”

“Well, Nanuk is here. What would they fear when you’ll protect them?” She didn’t mean for it to sound so sarcastic. In fact, the same frustration in his voice about the tribe refusing to leave was felt by her too. These people needed to get away from Kuci fast. But Sedge always put on such a show. They were likely blind to what might happen with him there.

“I should be able to protect them.” Sedge snarled and stood. He paced the length of the room twice and then went to the door. “I need some air.”

“Wait.” No, he wouldn’t want her to comfort him. What he needed was to do as he promised. She nodded. “Don’t wander far. We’ll rest and hunt again at first light.”

Sedge grunted what she guessed was an affirmative reply and left the cabin. She sighed and ate more slowly. Why did things have to be so complicated with him? No, correct that. What he wanted was very simple. The complicated part was her.

Fuck her life.

Saskia set the remainder of the meat down and rolled to lie on her uninjured hip, facing the wall opposite of the door.

The wall she’d set the whittled table and chairs. The chairs in which two little people now sat sharing the hunk of caribou she’d left for them.

Round, brown cheeks were stuffed full of food, but they smiled at her. At eight to ten inches tall, they were smaller than Aluki’s doll and furrier. Or perhaps they wore fur clothes. Saskia wasn’t quite sure without touching them, and that she wouldn’t do. Bad luck came to those who did.

This household was blessed to have little people. Aluki hadn’t been making up stories. Saskia wondered what the family’s life had been like before the Jinxioc and before… Her chest constricted, her heart hurting worse than her hip. Before they lost a child.

She remained silent as the little people ate. They swung their legs as they feasted, very much like children enjoying a special dessert. When they were done, the male—or the one Saskia thought to be male—hopped off his chair and waved to her, motioning her to… follow?

Saskia stood and turned in the same direction they did. The little people scampered to the stove and slipped behind it. They had to understand she couldn’t truly follow them there.

She heard them in the wall, and then there was quiet for a few seconds. The rustle of snow outside drew her to the window. And there they were. Waving at her again.

Conjuring boots and a coat, she paused before going to the door. She hadn’t fully recovered yet. Her limp caused her body to drag and feel heavier than it should. She’d lost a lot of blood. More rest and food was required. She couldn’t not follow them, though. The little people were helpers. What they could be helping her with, she had no idea, but it would be idiotic not to go with them.

Saskia opened the door and moved as quietly as she could, shutting the door behind her. She didn’t spy Sedge anywhere, but he likely went to wander outside the village.

The little people bounced happily to see her come around the cabin. They hurried to a half-covered woodpile, running on top of the snow with feet long and wide like snowshoes. Did they want her to get more wood?

Fifteen seconds later, they emerged from under the snow on the back of a fox. So shocked, Saskia stepped back and gaped. Could it be?

She hadn’t thought to sniff out foxes around Kuci. What if the totem token was right there in the village? Yes, it made sense. The Jinxioc were attracted to Kuci, and maybe they weren’t a huge pack, but several packs. All of them acting strangely because of the totem.

When the fox loped away with the little people, Saskia struggled to keep up with it. Its fur was nearly all white in preparation for the winter. An arctic fox was near impossible to spot with its cloak of snow, but there was no hiding its passengers.

Leaving the village and heading toward the hills, Saskia fell farther behind, the snow and her injury slowing her. “Wait up!”

They didn’t slow, and she couldn’t lose them. She cursed her hip, and though it would bust the stitches, she cast off her human form and shifted into a bear. Her leg might still be hurt, but three good legs were much faster than one.

She closed the distance between the fox and her. So maybe the totem wasn’t in the village, if that’s why the little people wanted her to follow. Why then? The boy. Her stomach flipped.

The little people chose the family to live with. That in itself spoke volumes. They’d want a happy household. One in mourning was not happy. The boy could still be alive. Fuck, please, let the boy still be alive.

Saskia ran faster, but the nimble fox disappeared. No!

She darted after it and didn’t see the entrance of the cave until she was literally on top of it. Her right leg slipped and fell into the hole. She bit back a cry and righted herself. Sniffing, this was where the fox had hopped into.

The entrance was too small for a bear, but shifting into her human form, she could easily crawl through it.

A cave. It could be the totem. Or the boy… and the Jinxioc.

Should she go back for Sedge?

Shaking her head at herself, she shifted and hissed with pain as she lowered herself onto her hands and knees and crawled into the cave. She had to trust in the little people. They wouldn’t lead her to her death.

No matter Saskia’s excellent vision, a dark cave was a dark cave. While she could get along with her sense of smell and touch, if there was something or someone ahead, she wanted to be able to see it.

But she didn’t have a flashlight or even a lighter. And she couldn’t use the trick… Well, she was a Black Shaman again. Not by choice, but Sedge placed her back in the ranks. That meant there would be no penalties for using magic meant only for Black Shamans.

She smirked, then scowled, and groaned. Using the magic was convenient, but it reminded her of her punishment. Good news in the moment, but not for the long run.

Feeling around in the dark along the cold ground, she picked up a rock about the size of her fist and closed her eyes. When Azarius had taught her this trick, he explained the technicalities. Stuff her sister Kinley would be way more interested in than she. Azarius quickly learned his student didn’t want explanations and instead told her to imagine a firefly. The soft green glow which, if one knew how to find it, existed in everything.

She peeked at the rock. Nothing.

Dammit. If only Azarius were here. None of this shit with Sedge would’ve happened. They’d have found the Jinxioc and killed them by now. While Sedge was mighty, his strategies tended to be all brute force. Azarius was far more clever.

That’s what Saskia had to be. She needed to use her brains rather than her brawn. Closing her eyes again, she imagined warm summer nights when the field behind her house looked blanketed in stars. She danced with her sisters from galaxy to galaxy, and always at the center, her mom, laughing and twirling along with them.

She swallowed down her memories. There was no sense wallowing or wishing that Azarius were there. The little people came to her and brought her here.

A firefly. Bright and eager.

She opened her eyes and clenched her jaw. Not only was the rock glowing in her hand, but dozens of rocks shone with a soft green light along the tunnel. The smooth walls glistened with ice. The whole place seemed alien lit by the spell on the stone.

At least it worked. She continued to crawl, following the tunnel on a slope down and around a few curves. The air grew warmer with each foot. Not only warmer, but more humid.

Saskia drew in a deep breath. Ah yes. Rotten eggy as it smelled, she liked what it meant. And with another fifty feet, she came out into a cavern filled with several pools.

Water dripped, but no other sounds. She stood, holding her free hand against her wounded hip, and shone her rock around. Stalagmites sat in rows like a monster’s fangs, and three big boulders dwarfed the pools to her right.

A few arm lengths away, the fox yipped and glanced back at her as it balanced on a ledge. No way could she follow it there. She’d have to make her way around the hot springs.

The little people beckoned to her.

“Yes, I’m coming. Just… let me figure out how to get through here.”

Saskia tread carefully between the pools. Everything was slick, and her balance wasn’t the greatest. Not even a quarter of the way into the cavern, she slipped and fell into a shallow bowl of hot water.

“Motherfucker!” She yelled and struggled to get upright. Her clothes were soaked, and her wound sizzled with pain. Growling, she finally managed to steady herself on her knees and placed her glowing rock beside her on the edge of the pool.

She glanced up at the fox and its passengers waiting for her on a ledge ten feet above. Were they smiling? Goddamn. She’d become the comic relief.

“Give me a minute to get out of here.” Her boots slipped as she tried to stand. The wet clothes weren’t doing her any favors. Imagining being free of her clinging wet clothes, warm and dry, well, warm anyway, the weight of them vanished off her. She groaned as the water lapped against her wound. Bending forward, she rested her forehead against her arms. It might actually do her some good to soak, but this wasn’t the time.

“Saskia!” Sedge’s voice thundered from down the tunnel.

Great. That was the way he said her name when he was incredibly pissed.

With her eyes adjusting to the dim light, Saskia peered at the little people again. Were they smiling and doing a little hooray? What the hell? If they had wanted Sedge to come too, they could have waited back at the cabin.

“Saskia!” Sedge crawled into the cavern. His gaze swept the area until it landed on her. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Clearly I’m having a bath.” She shook her head and snorted. “I didn’t just wander off. I followed the…” She gestured to the now empty ledge. Oh shit.

She stood fast and slid, landing on her rear and jolting her hip. “Fuck.”

Sedge hurried over and offered her a hand, which she batted away.

“No. Dammit. Don’t worry about me. The little people on the fox…” Saskia scanned the area again, but they were gone. There was no way they could have run off that quickly. “Go find them. They have to be here somewhere. Two little people from Aujaq’s cabin. And they rode a fox.”

Sedge straightened and looked around. “I don’t see or smell anything else. Little people don’t ride animals.”

“And the Jinxioc don’t hunt in big packs or go into villages or make traps. It happened.” Saskia slapped the water and huffed. “They brought me here for a reason. And I’m thinking now it must be the fox totem.”

“In a cave with hot springs?” Sedge crouched down and offered her his hand again.

“No!” She smacked his hand. “Well, yes. Not a place to find foxes, I realize, but it doesn’t have to make sense with their nature. It’s the fucking token we’re looking for.”

“I don’t sense it.” He shook his head.

“Who says you have to be able to sense it? The totem pole isn’t whole. This is the fox totem. You’re a bear.”

“I’ll look.” Sedge made his way without slipping farther into the cavern.

Saskia gnashed her teeth. He didn’t sound as if he believed her. She had no patience for someone who was humoring her. The little people brought her here for a reason, and she was going to find out what that was.

Once she managed to get out of the hot springs.

As uncomfortable and embarrassing as it was, she wiggled out onto the side of the pool on her belly. Grunting, she turned over to sit and shivered at the chill after being submerged in the steaming water.

“There’s nothing here.” Sedge returned, weaving between the pools. “The rear of the cavern has one big pool. No foxes, little people, or totems.”

It didn’t make sense. The little people were leading her to something. Did they run off because Sedge showed up? No. They seemed happy he was there. So it had to be this place. But what about this place?

“Maybe they wanted you to take a bath.” Sedge smirked.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll throw you into the water.” Saskia wrapped her arms around herself and sat forward with her forehead against her knees. Why? Why did they bring her here? She was missing something. Something immensely important.

Sedge sat beside her. “I don’t suppose you’ll listen to me if I told you to go back to the cabin.”

“Nope.”

“I don’t want to fight with you,” he said with a huffed sigh.

Saskia turned her head to look at him. “And I don’t want to fight with you. The little people brought me here for a reason. I’m just not seeing it. When you came, they were happy. They wanted you here too. They led me here, and I was the bait to lure you here.”

He grunted and scrubbed at his scruff. “But why?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out.” She watched him scratch at his jaw. Years ago, she’d tug on those whiskers to tease him. And here she was again, alone with him in a cave. Her upper thighs and abdomen clenched. If only she could have a few minutes with him with everything else forgotten.

What if that’s why the little people led her down there knowing Sedge would follow? What if… No. That was ridiculous.

“They wanted us here together.” Sedge stated.

Was he reading her mind? Saskia’s lips thinned. “What do you mean?”

“If they wanted only you, I wouldn’t have seen you running through the snow. They’d have taken you on a route away from me.”

She bobbed her head once. It made sense. Two bears. “What could the two of us together do here that one of us could not?”

Saskia forced herself to her feet and put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the cavern again. Rocks, hot springs… She felt no magic in this place. In fact, they were likely the first people ever to set foot in it.

A pleased purr tickled her ears. She gazed down to see Sedge’s hungry eyes raking up her body. “I can think of a few things we could do together.”

Naked. Right. Part of her thrilled at the thought, but her more rational self conjured clothes. “Start thinking with your head. The one above your shoulders.”

“Think about it.” Sedge stood and placed a hand on her good hip, drawing her closer to him. “Nothing sacred about this space. They just want us together. I have no doubt they know together you and I are good. Better than good. Powerfully good.” He brushed her wet hair back from her face. “Fucking amazing.”

The sexy bass of his voice caused her to tremor in all her sensitive bits. Maybe they could forget the world for a little while and sink into one of the pools together. To feel him inside of her once more. Powerful didn’t even begin to describe what that was like.

Formidable. Strong.

“That’s it!” Saskia twisted out of his hold and raced toward the boulders. She slipped and nearly fell flat on her face, but Sedge snagged her around the waist and held her up. “Together we’re stronger.”

“What are you doing?” He steadied her.

She gestured to the boulders. “Together we’re stronger. We can move the rocks. It’s the only thing…” Wiggling out of his hold, she more carefully made her way over and breathed in. Yes! “There’s another cave through there. And I smell…” She sniffed again and clenched her fists. “Blood.”

Saskia fell on her ass a dozen times as they pushed, but she and Sedge moved the boulders. The might of two bears was exactly what was needed. She couldn’t have moved them on her own, and she doubted Sedge could either. The little people knew precisely what they were doing.

Holding her glowing rock, she stared into the dark tunnel as she breathed heavily. “If there’s anything through there, they know we’re here.”

“Too bad for them then.” Sedge started to march into the tall corridor.

She grabbed his arm. The bastard was just going to charge right in! She wanted to smack him across the head. “They might know something’s here, but they won’t know what and they don’t have to know we’re coming. Let’s be smart about this. Wear some dark clothes, blend in with the darkness. Let’s sneak—”

“Did Azarius train you to be a ninja?” He snorted. “That’s fine for a raven, but we are bears.”

Saskia rubbed her temples and took ten seconds to calm herself before replying. “It’s not about being a raven or a bear. It’s about being smart.”

“So you’re saying I’m not smart?” He leaned in, narrowing his eyes.

Fucking hell. “No. I’m not saying that. You can be damn clever when you want to be. But running right in to whatever is down there is dangerous. Let’s not get skewered again, okay?”

Sedge let out a long hissing breath from between his teeth. His clothes turned from white to black. He wound a scarf around his head and neck. “Ninjas it is then.”

Saskia rolled her eyes and wrapped her head with a scarf of her own and tucked her hair in. There was only one problem. They couldn’t see in the dark. She glanced at the rock in her hand.

“Give it to me.” He held out his hand and nodded when she hesitated. “Better me a target than you.”

She put the rock in his hand and held it there for a few seconds. “You better not get mauled again. I’m tired of sewing you back together.”

Sedge smiled and squeezed her hand. Without another word, he turned and walked into the unknown. No hesitation.

Her chest swelled as she watched him for half a minute and then followed. She wasn’t sure why. No, that was a lie. She knew why. The way she felt about him thrummed through her body and soul, but if she let her heart lead her, she’d lose everything else she loved, including herself.

She wished for Azarius again. When she had left Sedge as a fucking mess, he helped her find a sort of peace, even if it wasn’t under his wing. She admired Azarius all the more that he didn’t try to be overprotective about it. He encouraged her to stay away from Sedge, to be her own woman, and not let anyone else control her life.

Saskia wouldn’t be her mother. Oh, she loved her, but she could never be her. Not someone who was beholden to another, a person who gave up everything to be stuck at home raising kids. She wouldn’t let her death—when it came—be one that destroyed the lives of others.

She wasn’t placing blame on her mom. She died from cancer. Saskia had a cancer scare in her mid-twenties. While it was caught early enough, there’s no guarantee it wouldn’t come back. Only Azarius knew. He understood her fears and never judged her for it.

Unlike Sedge who wanted everything his way without caring how it affected her. Mr. Black-and-white.

Saskia stumbled a few times in the dark tunnel, but she held onto the wall, keeping far enough back from Sedge that the light didn’t reach her. The farther they went the more narrow the corridor and the stronger the stench of not only blood but death.

Her stomach churned, causing her throat to constrict. Nothing had ever made her sick, but this stink came close. Old blood, new blood, rotting meat, and shit.

Ahead, Sedge paused, then dropped the rock, and ran forward. Saskia rushed toward him and came out of the tunnel into another big cavern. No hidden hot springs paradise here. This was a den. She prayed its residents weren’t in.

She kicked the rock farther in. The light shone on Sedge who was easing a human body off a large flat rock. Her throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe. A naked, mangled man. Bitten, cut, and broken. There was no way—

“He still has a heartbeat.” Sedge yanked off his coat to wrap around the poor soul and set him gently on the ground. “There are others.”

Saskia’s heart hammered as she hurried to the nearest body. If one man was still alive, that might mean…

The first body, and it wasn’t really much of a body anymore, was an adult and certainly no longer alive. The second one wasn’t even human.

“No one else is alive.” Sedge returned from a pile of rotting meat and bones.

No. She had to find the boy. She’d tear this place…

There. Soft, erratic breathing.

Saskia ran to a pile of stones and winced as she crouched down to peer in the small space behind them. She could barely see the wide eyes staring back at her.

“Hey now, don’t be afraid.” She unwound her scarf and let her hair fall. “See? I’m not one of the Jinxioc.”

The child whimpered, pushing himself farther back.

“I’ve come to save you and bring you back to your family.” Saskia said in a soft tone. “I talked with Aluki, and I made a small table and chairs for the little people who live in your walls. They were so grateful they brought us here to rescue you.”

At the mention of his sister, the boy quieted. His chin quivered as he reached out a hand. It felt so tiny in Saskia’s as she took it. She helped ease him out of the hole, and before she could stand, he threw himself at her, clinging to her and weeping. She hugged and rocked him, stroking his head.

His clothes had been taken, and he’d been poked and scratched, but the Jinxioc had done no great wounds to him other than to his psyche. She’d rip every single one of those little fuckers apart for this.

“Saskia,” Sedge called to her. He had lifted the man over his shoulders. “We need to leave. The Jinxioc are not here, but they will return.”

“Right.” She nodded and set the boy on his feet as she removed her coat and wrapped him in it. Keep his body heat in. Dammit, keep him alive. “This way you’ll stay really warm.”

“I smell the entrance that way.” Sedge gestured with his head. He turned and walked in that direction.

“We should go out the way we came in.” Saskia stood and lifted the boy into her arms. Sedge didn’t reply, already out of range of the light.

Damn him. Why did he never listen to her? Her heart hammered louder. She didn’t want to split up and leave them both vulnerable. But to go out the way the Jinxioc were going to return was just asking for trouble.

“Nanuk is a stubborn old bear.” Saskia mumbled against the child’s head as she hefted him in her arms more securely and kicked the glowing rock ahead of her. Not that the kid weighed much at all, but with her hip, she didn’t want to stumble with him.

Every one of her senses was on high alert. Walking carefully, prepared for traps, she started after Sedge. Any second the Jinxioc could return. Trapped in the cave, they’d be slaughtered.

“Girl bear.” The boy’s whisper was barely audible, but it made her smile for a few seconds.

“Yup, that’s me. Every bit as stubborn too.” A wind swirled down the corridor letting her know they were closer to being outside. So close. “If any time on our trip back to the village Nanuk and I have to turn into bears, don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you. We’re here to protect you.”

And she wouldn’t fail him this time.

Moonlight dimly lit the rock walls ahead. So close, but she didn’t rush herself. The crunch of snow told her Sedge had left the cave.

Distant drips in the cavern and the creak of trees in the wind. Natural sounds for a place that sheltered Unnaturals. Where were the little fuckers? Not that she wanted to fight them right now, but Sedge and she had waltzed into their den and taken their prey. If the Jinxioc were around, they’d have attacked by now.

Saskia’s breath caught in her throat.

The man had been in rough shape, and the boy in her arms was on the small side. Food was running low. The monsters had left on a hunt.

Oh shit, the village.

“Sedge!” Saskia rounded a craggy bend to find him standing at the entrance of the cave.

Sedge didn’t look back at her. His whisper came tight and urgent. “Come here.”

What the hell? She was moving as fast as she dared. Why did he stop?

Light snow fell and sparkled under the silver rays of the moon. She held the boy close as she hurried to Sedge’s side. “We need to get back fast. The Jinxioc are on the hunt.”

“Look.”

He still hadn’t moved. Saskia frowned and followed his gaze to the right between two birch trees. Under the moonlight, the skinny trunks and limbs appeared as phantoms of trees from long ago. They bent slightly toward one another, framing what stood under them.

The little people waved to her from on top of their fox. They were still here. This was exactly what they wanted. Saskia grinned and wiggled her fingers in greeting to them.

The fox pranced in a circle and then trotted into the woods. It flicked its tail and glanced at Sedge and Saskia as if saying ‘come on!’

Saskia didn’t need any more of an invitation than that. “Let’s go.” She ignored the stiffness in her hip and jogged to catch up. She bent her head to whisper to the child. “The little people have come back. They’ll see us home safely.”

“They’re going in the wrong direction. Kuci is to the east.” Sedge strode beside her.

“Maybe they’re taking a roundabout route to avoid the Jinxioc.” Saskia had no doubt of the little people’s intentions. With their help, two people had been rescued. That was twice as many survivors as she had expected.

Sedge huffed and said nothing more. Though he wasn’t the type to go roundabout anything. He took the straight path and dealt with whatever was in his way. Good thing Azarius taught her there were other ways to doing things.

The ache in Saskia’s hip grew as they continued to walk. The snow was deeper in some spots than others, and with the rocks and fallen trees, she had to move her injured body in ways it wasn’t quite ready for. She uttered not a peep about it. There was a boy in her arms who needed to be back with his family. A child she needed to make certain got there.

Twenty minutes later, they emerged from the trees to overlook a great field. The pristine snow shone and made her squint against the brightness. The fox leapt into the shimmering field and disappeared momentarily under the snow. It popped up five feet away and shook the snow from its fur. The little people no longer rode on its back.

Where did they go?

About forty feet away, a second fox jumped out from under the snow. It wiggled, tracking something, and pounced, vanishing again.

To her left, a third fox. Then a fourth. A dozen. Hopping and diving into the snow.

“What’s this?” Sedge grunted and blew a hard breath out of his nose like a disgruntled bull.

“I don’t…” Saskia gasped when she spotted it. A necklace around the neck of one of the foxes. It disappeared in the snow before she could point it out. “The totem. It’s the fox token.”

Sedge lowered the man on his shoulders to the ground, keeping his coat tucked around the still unconscious fellow. “Where?”

“To the right about forty feet… There!” Saskia laughed as she saw the fox pounce again. There must be a feast of mice under this snow or this was one hell of a show. Whichever way, she doubted it was going to be as easy as plucking the necklace off a frisky fox. It was a game.

Sedge stepped onto the field, and all the foxes froze. Becoming still, he waited until the foxes started jumping around again. This time when he walked forward, none of them stopped.

Of all the horror Saskia had seen in the cave, this was refreshingly comic. She knelt and kept the boy on her lap. “Look at the foxes. Have you ever seen such a silly thing? I bet they’re going to frustrate stubborn old Nanuk really quickly.” She caught sight of the totem again. “To the left now!”

Sedge turned and ran, but the fox was long gone by the time he got there. He spun, searching for the token, and when he saw it toward the middle of the field, he raced to it only to find it had moved again. “Dammit.”

“Behind you!” Saskia shouted, not disguising the amusement in her voice.

Sedge dove for the fox and came up empty-handed. He growled and swatted at the pile of snow he’d made. “You could come out here and help me.”

“But you’re doing so well on your own.” Saskia chuckled. Feeling a small shudder from the child, she peered at him within her coat to see a smile. If Sedge only knew how much more he could endear his people to him with a laugh rather than a bellowed command.

Ignoring her, Sedge ran to the left. Looking in the other direction, thinking to see the fox with the totem on popping out behind him, she instead spied a fountain of blood. One of the Jinxioc had a fox by its scruff and tore open its throat.

“Sedge! They’re here!” Saskia screamed as the boy curled into a ball in her coat and cried for her not to let them get him.

No. Not now. Not when they were so close to getting the token and returning the boy and the man to their village.

“Get out here! Help me get the totem!” Sedge yelled. A black blur raced toward him. He dodged to the side, grabbed the gnome, and used its momentum to fling it into a huge pine. Without pausing, he dug into the snow, swiping at and missing a fox’s tail. “Saskia, now!”

They needed the fox totem. The fate of all shifters rested upon it. Maybe she could hide the boy, but even as the thought entered her head, the screech of an oncoming Jinxioc decided for her. “I have to protect them!”

Saskia stashed the boy between her legs, and in the same instant, shifted into her bear form. The withered gnome leapt at her. She caught it with paws and jaws. She tore it three different ways and tossed the remains over the fresh snow.

“The totem is more important! Get out here now!” Sedge roared as he transformed and smacked together two Jinxioc that attacked him.

The little bastards were slinking in from all sides of the field. The foxes interested them just as much as Sedge and herself. What would happen if the Jinxioc got the token? If their speed, strength, and cunning had already been increased by the totem’s proximity, would they become unstoppable?

A gnome lunged for the unconscious man, and Saskia whacked it away with her paw. She nudged the boy closer to the other victim, but a Jinxioc jumped onto her back and bit into her shoulder. She cried out as she raked it off and pounded it into the ground.

When she turned her head back again, three Jinxioc had dragged the man halfway into the woods as they gnawed on his arms. A fourth hopped onto his stomach and ripped it open.

Saskia stumbled back. Not at the gore, but the vicious manner in which they took the man’s life. The child still bawled. His terror rang through to her very bones. She would not leave him. No matter how important that token, how the lives of every shifter in the world depended on the totem pole being reassembled, she refused to let the Jinxioc take him.

Two more gnomes snarled, mouths twisting and shark-like teeth glinting, and ran at her. She pinned one to the ground and tore off its head as the other reopened the wound on her hip. Fucker! It knew just what it was doing. She spun and hit it so hard it flew into its companions still feasting upon their latest victim.

Standing over the boy, she twisted her head to see Sedge hammer another Jinxioc with the body of its dead packmate. Six, seven, ten more circled around him.

Together, the two of them would be able to handle that many, but she couldn’t leave the child. Though her heart screamed otherwise, she had to trust Sedge to have the power to take care of himself. The boy needed her more.

When the Jinxioc leapt on Sedge, swarming him, a coughed sob escaped her. Fuck. Please, no. Her heart twisted, making it hard to breathe.

A few more of the little monsters got their claws into her sides, but she crushed them with her paws. Yet those digging into the man’s guts decided their feeding was done for the moment. Blood dripped from their mouths as they stalked Saskia and surrounded her like a pack of wolves.

She dared a quick glance at the field just as Sedge fell.

Her silent scream echoed in her head. There was no one left between the boy and the Jinxioc but her. She’d fight them off until her last breath, which didn’t seem very long now.

Sedge had fallen. The totem was lost. Saskia stood, swaying to one side and then the other. She heaved with every breath. The foul blood in her mouth reminding her work was not done.

She’d kill one Jinxioc and another would take its place. Roaring, she milked out another burst of adrenaline and slid in the slushy snow with another hit but managed to keep her footing and not step on the boy.

Wrapped head to toe in black, Death lurked in her periphery vision. She had a minute, maybe two. Would it make a difference for the child in the end? Not likely, but she couldn’t not fight. She would give every ounce of her life for this boy. Funny how she didn’t even know his name.

His family never spoke it. Not after they believed him dead. Superstition.

Saskia raked her claws through another gnome’s abdomen and jabbed another one in the throat, throwing it backward.

How desolate Aujaq and his family had looked mourning their boy. And when they found his body, if they found it, it would be worse for them.

Flattening a squirming Jinxioc against her chest, she crushed it with her arms and bit its jugular. She dropped its still twitching body into the bloody snow.

Would it be the same for her family? Saskia had been gone for many years training to be a Black Shaman. She missed Kinley and Ametta growing up. They were coming out of their teen years when she returned. And her father, Saskia and he had been close before her mother passed away. Only in the past few years had they started repairing that bond.

One thing she knew for certain, Azarius would hunt every last Jinxioc down and wipe them from the face of the earth. If only he were here to whisk the boy into the sky and carry him to safety.

Saskia sank her teeth into the side of a kicking gnome and rent him apart. She spit out its meat and was nearly flattened onto the ground when three Jinxioc climbed onto her back. Her legs quaked. It took all her strength not to fall and crush the boy.

One went for her hip and another her shoulder. She howled as a river of blood cascaded down her neck. Death crooked a thin finger at her.

A war cry rang out from the trees. Every Jinxioc lifted their head and turned toward the noise.

No. Not one shout. Several.

The people of Kuci burst into the field. Spears and machetes in their hands. A burst of light in a storm.

The tribe came, but how? And did it matter? Her heart sang and rocketed to the sky, only to plummet swiftly toward the ground.

The Jinxioc flowed toward the humans in unison like a flock of birds. With her attackers off her, Saskia stood and nearly toppled to one side.

There were more tribesmen than Jinxioc, but they were just human. They didn’t have the speed or strength, and three of them fell under the feral wave fast.

An explosion rang in her ears and then another. No, gunshots. She gave a whoop like a cough and steadied herself. Together they just might defeat the Jinxioc. She didn’t have to do it alone.

A massive roar shook her ear drums, and Sedge rose onto his hind legs. He was alive!

Blood matted his fur, and he seemed more a crimson demon than a polar bear. At his full height, he stood nearly twelve feet tall. Carved as he was by teeth and claws, he tore into the Jinxioc as if he had no injuries at all.

A wave of energy zipped through her. Sedge was alive. They could do this. This time when her heart flew, nothing pulled it down.

One demented gnome with a gash on its left cheek dared to come back to her and dove to reach for the boy. Saskia snapped it up by the neck and whipped it back and forth. Bones cracked as it howled. She didn’t stop until it was silent. Dizzy, she fell onto her side, splaying her legs so she had them on either side of the boy.

The boy who still cried. Scared but alive.

She dropped the dead Jinxioc as the world went momentarily fuzzy and shifted back to her human form. Cold snatched her, and she had enough sense to conjure clothes.

A cheer sounded. Victory.

Saskia couldn’t lift her arms or shout with them, but her heart sang in celebration.

Death passed by out of the corner of her eye wearing a new necklace. A fox charm gleamed in the center of his chest. Walking with unnatural speed, he didn’t even look her way as he disappeared between the trees.

She fell onto her back and closed her eyes. No one else would die today.

The boy’s mother wailed when she spotted Aujaq carrying their son—whose name was Pakak—into the village. She ran and threw her arms around them. They sank to the ground and held one another at the edge of Kuci.

Saskia bit her tongue to hold back the rush of emotion. She’d held out and protected the boy in the woods. The price of victory had been steep, but seeing the family embracing one another reminded her it was worth it. Even more so, it reminded her of how much her family meant to her.

Aluki, Silaluk, and Dave hurried forward to embrace the rescued boy. The whole tribe gathered around, huddled together, laughing and weeping simultaneously. Praises went out to Nanuk who was greeted with much affection. Great loss and victory. A pair to make any sane person sound crazy.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, but morning was near. The snow coating the village seemed so white compared to the killing field they’d just left.

Needing meat and sleep, not necessarily in that order, Saskia forced her legs to keep moving as she ducked behind a cabin. She’d walked all the way back. Only because she didn’t want Sedge to carry her. He’d helped with the bodies of the warriors that had fallen. Those men deserved the honor of Bear caring for them.

Would it have been easier to have been off her feet? Yes, but Sedge was almost in bad as shape as she was. She assumed that just like her, he didn’t want the humans seeing just how terrible their injuries were.

And to have him hold her after believing him lost, the comfort of his strong arms… It was a yearning she pushed deep down within her. The tribe needed him more than she did, and she refused to take him away from them even for a minute.

Now where was Aujaq’s cabin? All the little homes looked alike.

Using walls for support, Saskia walked on until she saw her pickup. Yes, the one with her truck out front. Dammit. She was going to have to get a new set of tires. It would be hell dragging them out to Kuci.

Such a mundane worry. She snorted and entered the house.

Closing the door behind her, she went down on her knees in front of the stove. She stoked the embers and added a few logs before crawling to the furs.

She should be out there celebrating and mourning with the tribe. And it wasn’t as if she didn’t feel their joy and grief. They truly deserved Bear’s blessing.

And Sedge was alive. Her stomach did an odd flip and wiggle. A weird and lilting pant escaped her. Did she just laugh?

Sleep. She just couldn’t go anymore. Never in all her days had she been this exhausted that even the pain from her wounds couldn’t keep her from seeking rest.

Saskia didn’t even bother with her clothes as she slipped under the hides. She lay on her uninjured side facing the wall and smiled to see the small table and chairs. Whispering a thank you to the little people for helping save Pakak, she closed her eyes.

She snapped her eyes open five seconds later when the door opened. All she wanted to do was sleep.

Sedge’s scent wafted in with him. Bear, blood, and intoxicating masculinity. “Saskia.”

She didn’t turn, but instead closed her eyes again. “I need to rest. Go away.”

The door closed with a click, but he hadn’t left. He lowered himself down behind her and lifted the furs. “You need to be stitched up.”

“Not now,” Saskia groaned and buried her face against the soft fur. She didn’t have the strength to endure his heavy-handed doctoring. “It’s clotted. It’ll be fine. I just want to sleep.”

The heat and hardness of his body pressed against hers from behind as he lay down. He wrapped an arm around her middle just under her chest. His breath was warm as he nuzzled the back of her neck.

Saskia should tell him to fuck off, but it felt too good. The tenseness in her muscles eased, and her injuries seemed to throb less. He didn’t push it either as his body settled against hers.

Sleep took her before she could have another coherent thought.

*

A knock on the door woke Saskia from a dreamless sleep. She moaned when Sedge’s warm body rolled from hers, and she curled up farther under the furs.

Sedge opened the door. Female whispers, his murmurs.

Saskia opened one eye and saw through the window the sun was setting. Had they really slept that long? But oh, she needed it. No more screaming pain in her body.

“Saskia,” Sedge said from behind her. “There will be a feast tonight. The womenfolk have come to help you clean up.”

What the hell? Saskia didn’t want to attend a feast. She wanted quiet, meat, sleep, and more meat. Before she could say anything, his footsteps crunched through the snow, and the scent of women filled the cabin. The sloshing of water accompanied them.

Dammit. She sat and rubbed her eyes with her fingers.

Just as she opened her eyes, she was enveloped in a tight hug. She grunted with surprise as Yakone wept on her shoulder.

Behind Yakone, Aluki stood grinning beside a young woman with tears in her eyes.

Saskia patted and rubbed her back until the crying stopped. Comforting people was never her thing.

“Thank you.” Yakone clasped Saskia’s hands. “Thank you for bringing Pakak back to us. He told us how you protected him. You stood alone against the Jinxioc for my son. You are family now.”

Saskia wanted to brush it off, say anyone would do it. But that wasn’t even believable to herself. The truth of the matter was that she’d been the one who should have stopped the Jinxioc from taking the boy in the first place. The poor kid would have nightmares for the rest of his life from what he experienced.

To add to that, she would have been dead and the boy too, if the tribe hadn’t shown up. Savior was not a title she wanted to take on, especially when she didn’t deserve it.

“Well, the tribe—”

Aluki cut Saskia off by flinging herself at her and hugging her. “Sister!”

Saskia winced at a jolt of pain in her hip.

The other woman came and hugged her too. “Sister.”

Maybe Saskia let her confusion show on her face because Yakone smiled and said, “This is Uputsi. She is Dave’s intended. We are all sisters now.”

“But you’re my mom.” Aluki cocked her head and stared up at Yakone.

This made them all smile. Saskia relaxed a little just as her stomach growled.

Aluki giggled, and Yakone extracted her daughter from Saskia. “The feast is waiting, but first we shall help you cleanse yourself of the battle.”

Half of Saskia was still covered by the furs, but glancing down, she inwardly cringed. If she thought Sedge had been sloppily painted by blood, she’d been dunked in it.

The women had brought two large buckets of hot water. Any hope of them leaving while she cleaned was dashed as they removed their coats and wet some rags. While Saskia understood this was a sign of respect and bonding, she loathed being catered to.

After some negotiating, Saskia convinced them to let her wash her own body and they would wash and brush her hair. Aluki chattered on, especially upon seeing Saskia’s many tattoos. She had to know the story behind each one.

“And the black feather is for my teacher Azarius. He is like a big brother to me.” Saskia’s body was warm and clean. Uputsi braided her hair so that it hung heavily down her back and tickled just above her tailbone.

“Just like Nanuk is your big brother now.” From her spot beside the stove, Aluki brushed her doll’s hair.

Uputsi tittered, and Yakone stood to lift one bucket of red tinged water. “Nanuk is her mate, dear.”

Saskia choked on her next breath. She held up her hands when they looked at her with concern. “Nanuk was once my father’s teacher, and now he is mine. Such a situation does not allow us to be mates.”

Uputsi and Yakone exchanged a look and laughed. What? That made sense. So why were… Oh. Even Inuit women had those silent female exchanges which said she knew nothing or that she was deluding herself.

The women took the buckets and carried them outside.

Alone with the child, Saskia let out a long breath. “I think maybe they’re trying to play matchmaker.”

“What’s that?” Aluki blinked her wide eyes.

Yeah, not a conversation she was going to have with the kid. Instead, she lowered her voice and leaned in. “Did you know it was the little people who led Nanuk and me to your brother?”

The girl smiled and nodded. “Yes! They came back and told me you needed help. I told my father, and he told the chief. All the men ran off to help kill the Jinxioc.”

That’s how the tribe found them in time. Saskia let out a little laugh. “They are heroes. They saved many lives. We must remember to leave them something extra special tonight as a thank you.”

“I will leave them a whole cut of meat!” Aluki bounced on her knees.

The women returned, declaring the tribe waited for them at the feast. Saskia took a deep breath and prepared herself. If she was lucky, she could sit in a corner and eat without interruption. Somehow she doubted that would happen.

Toasts, cheers, laughter, remembrance, and tears. Plenty of meat and drink flowed in abundance. Saskia did not escape without ceremony, but Sedge took the spotlight, and for once, she was glad for it.

Sedge had washed and changed too. And damn, he looked amazingly hot in all white. Good thing the children sat with her to keep her attention elsewhere.

Though Saskia hadn’t wanted to go to the feast, a warm sense of well-being filled her being there. When she left the long house to go back to the cabin to sleep, she smiled. Being with family healed body and soul, even if they were an adopted family.

Her smile faded. She wished her phone could get a connection out here so she could call her father and sisters. She had no doubt Azarius took care of everything there, but she worried for them. She had asked Aujaq for a dogsled and a team to go to Galbraith in the morning. She’d call her family then.

Inside the cabin, she stripped down, stoked the fire, and climbed under the furs. Her hip would take awhile to heal. But the rest of her wounds would be bruises and scabs by the morning.

The door swung open before she could even get comfortable. Sedge strode in and shut the door. He motioned for her to get up. “No rest yet. The feasting is done. Now we must go back and find the totem.”

Saskia propped herself up on her elbows. The battle was a bloody blur, but she did remember one thing clearly. “It’s not there. It’s gone.”

“Why would it be gone?” He folded his arms.

He was going to think her bonkers for this, but she said it anyway. “I saw Death walk off with the token.”

Sedge snorted and shook his head. “Get up. Don’t be so lazy.”

She frowned at him. “If you truly know me, you know I’m not lazy. Death was on the battlefield. Dressed in black, supernaturally fast, beckoning to me as I was dying. He took the totem. I saw it around his neck as he left.”

“What would Death want with the totem? You were hallucinating from loss of blood. Come on.” Sedge bent over to reach for her arm.

She batted his hand away. Not that it was a surprise he didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t going to budge. It was the truth. She felt it in her core, and she wasn’t the type to give in to self-delusions. “The token is gone. I know it. I feel it. We lost it.”

“We did not lose it.” He hissed through his teeth.

“We did.” Saskia lay back and glared at him. As happy as she was he was alive, she wanted to kick him at the moment. “I don’t like it any more than you. But it’s the fucking truth. I’m not going out to search for something that isn’t there.”

Sedge growled and slammed a fist on the top of the stove. “We did not lose it.”

With that, he marched out the door and slammed it behind him.

Saskia could go after him, make him listen to her, but it would be pointless. He would go searching for the token no matter what she said. Not that she liked to lose, but he was the worst loser in the great north.

She stared at the door for a minute and then turned away. A heaviness pressed on her chest. How easily he caused her emotions to whip up. Admiration, misery, fury, love, and dismay.

Breathing out with long, slow breaths, she calmed herself. As Azarius instructed her on several occasions, she needed to let all of it go. She couldn’t do battle with things out of her control like Sedge or her heart. What she could do was choose the path she walked.

So it was best she got some sleep. Let Sedge look if he needed to. She didn’t hallucinate Death.

And that thought was way more frightening than the Jinxioc.

If Sedge got any sleep the night before, his sour mood didn’t show it. Both he and Saskia manned a sled team on the trip to Galbraith, which was less than ten miles from Kuci. Saskia felt as if she had stepped out from one century into another. Galbraith had an airport and service center. Not huge by any means, but bustling compared to Kuci. They’d be able to get new tires for her truck and coffee. Fuck, she needed hot coffee right now.

They tied up the dogs, and before she could go inside, Sedge stepped in front of her.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I found the totem?”

She shook her head. The man better move out of the way until she had some coffee. “No. Because you didn’t find it.”

His jaw twitched, and he did not budge. “You saw Death.”

“Yes.” Saskia sighed and shifted her body to rest most of her weight on her good side.

“In the field.”

“Yes.” And to save him from not asking any more questions, she said, “He walked the field, and just before the tribe arrived, he beckoned to me. I assumed I was going to die, but the tides changed. I fell over and saw him leave with the token.”

“Do you know what this means if he has taken the totem?” Sedge’s eyes darkened further.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “I don’t know. Death is a being apart from us all. I can’t even pretend to guess his motives.”

“It means I don’t have the totem.” The force with which he said it startled her. “If I don’t have all the tokens, I cannot mend the totem pole. If I cannot mend the pole, every shifter could die.” He suddenly seemed larger than a man without shifting. “It is my duty. I am the one who must protect all shifters.”

Saskia swallowed and nodded once. Well, fuck. She knew this, but it hadn’t really sunk in. Bear had a heavy duty. It was why he created the Black Shaman.

“We will find all the tokens.” She laid a hand on his chest as she assured him. “I will hunt down Death himself to get that one back for you.”

Sedge grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You will not put yourself in Death’s path again.”

The wind whipped past them as they stood there. The dogs yipped. The fate of all shifters weighed down on his shoulders, and she refused to let him carry the load on his own.

“I go where you go.” She stated, her gaze unwavering.

His grip on her hand loosened as his features softened.

No. They were not going to have a moment.

Saskia pulled her hand free. “But right now, I go where the coffee is.”

She hurriedly walked into the service center. Heaters blew a gust of hot air onto her as she entered. Not that she was really cold, but she stood for a half a minute as she composed herself.

No more dark thoughts. She fetched her coffee, and while it wasn’t great—thanks to Ametta for always buying her the gourmet kind—it was still steaming hot caffeine. Plugging her cell into an outlet since the battery was low, she opened it to find a half dozen texts from Kinley and a voicemail from her father.

“Call as soon as you get this message.”

Shit. Not good.

Saskia clicked on his number and put the phone to her ear. It rang four times, and with each ring, her chest grew tighter.

Her father answered. “Saskia.”

“Dad. Hey.”

“Where are you? Why haven’t you answered your phone?”

“I’m at Galbraith right now. Sedge and I have been at a little village called Kuci. They had a Jinxioc problem.”

“A what?”

“Evil gnomes. It’s actually much more frightening than it sounds.” It did sound kind of ridiculous when she said it out loud like that. “They were taking people, kids. We stopped them. And found the fox totem.”

“You got the token?”

“No. We lost it.” She rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

Her father sighed. “Damn.”

He didn’t need to tell her. Saskia took a sip of coffee. “So did Azarius get the totem there? He’ll be pissed he missed all the action here.”

There were ten seconds of silence. “No, the token was taken by a hunter, the golden eagle shifter.”

“What the fuck?” Saskia nearly spilled her coffee on her as she abruptly stood. “I thought Lucky and Mett killed that bitch?”

“So did they. They’re still sure they did.”

Did it mean there was another eagle shifter? A whole clan of them? Or did Lucky and Ametta make a mistake? The hunter might’ve been able to play possum really well.

Whatever happened, it just fucked up her life even more. Two tokens gone out of their hands. Sedge was going to freak out when he heard.

“Saskia,” her father said her name softly. “There’s more.”

Sedge strode into the service center and over to her. Towering over every man, he drew a few stares. He frowned at her and pointed at the phone with a questioning dip of his head.

She mouthed “my dad” to him. No need to tell him about the lost owl token right here. The building wouldn’t survive his fury.

“What? Are Kin and Mett okay?”

“Yes, but…”

“Good. What else? I’ve got to go get new tires for the truck. If I get them now, I can take them back to Kuci and be on the highway by dinnertime.” Saskia glanced at the clock. Or at least by dark.

Her father let out a long breath. “Azarius. He’s dead.”

Saskia blinked. Surely she didn’t hear him right. “He’s what?”

“Dead, honey. He died fighting the giant out on the mountain. I retrieved… what’s left, for a proper funeral pyre.”

The world fell out from underneath her. She dropped her coffee and fell against the wall, slowly sliding down. Not Azarius. Death could never catch him.

It was like she was thirteen again. Aching, silently screaming, raging against something which she had no control.

“Saskia?” Her father called her name.

Sedge caught her with one arm and took the phone in his other hand. “Kunik? Are you certain of this?”

Saskia lowered the rest of the way to the floor. No. Azarius was the one person who truly understood her. He gave her purpose those times in life when she was lost and kept her sane when everything around her was crazy. She was the person she was today because of him.

Grief’s fangs and claws ripped her open and yanked out her innards.

Her father responded to Sedge, and they exchanged a few more words before Sedge hung up. He sat next to her and pulled her against him, holding her tight even when she weakly attempted to push free of him.

The wound on her hip was but a scratch compared to the gaping hole inside of her. Wetness burned her cheeks. When did she start crying?

“He was my brother too.” Sedge whispered against the top of her head and stroked her upper arm.

Saskia wanted to scream at him, to deny it, to cry that no one would miss Azarius like she would. But it would be a lie.

And knowing Sedge hurt just as much made her sorrow that much deeper.

She buried her face against his chest and clung to him as she let the tears fall. His arms around her were the only things keeping her sane.

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.

Purchase on Amazon.

Release date: October 17, 2016.

Add to read on Goodreads.

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.

Purchase on Amazon.

Release date: October 31, 2016.

Add to read on Goodreads.

TOTEM #4 - Tentative release date: January 9, 2017

TOTEM #5 - Tentative release date: January 23, 2017

TOTEM #6 - Tentative release date: February 6, 2017

TOTEM #7, #8, and #9 release dates yet to be determined.

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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

Many thanks to my team of awesome critique partners and beta readers: T.F. Walsh, Tara Tyler, Patricia Lynne, and Clare Dugmore. You help bring out the best in my writing.

Always, thank you to my dear friend and critique partner/editor/formatter, Cherie Reich. One day, if I become as big as Stephen King, I’ll buy you your own Stargate.

For Untethered Realms, I’m so grateful to be part of this fantastic group of writers. You’re always ready with the poop cannons.

Thank you to my husband and son, my grumpy bear and my baby bear. ROAR!

Finally, thank you to my readers. Without you, the Jinxioc would have gotten me long ago.

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.