Shattered Spirit (Totem Book 4) Read online

  SHATTERED SPIRIT

  TOTEM #4

  Christine Rains

  Shattered Spirit (Totem #4)

  Christine Rains | Copyright 2017

  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: A haunted house isn’t going to stop Ametta Dorn from doing her job.

  Summary: Frustrated that her family has left her out of the search for the missing totem tokens, Ametta Dorn loses herself in her work. She’s offered a dream job of a complete interior renovation of a famous Cremaschi house. Not even discovering the house belongs to Lucky Osberg can dampen her enthusiasm.

  Lucky’s plan to spend more time with her as she works goes awry when the spirit who protects his home tries to murder her. Ametta won’t be scared off, despite being tempted to run and never come back. She was going to flee Alaska and pursue her designer dreams anyway, yet that means giving up on Lucky and the totem that is just within her grasp.

  Cover design: Christine Rains

  All photos came from BigStock. Ametta model – Photographer: kjekol. Background – Photographer: demerzel21. Frost – Photographer: Rafinade. Elk totem – Tattoo by nabyn.

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  Dedicated to paranormal investigators everywhere.

  I wouldn’t want to live in a haunted house,

  but I’d love to visit one.

  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

  Totem Series

  Where to Find Christine Rains Online

  Other Works by Christine Rains

  Untethered Realms

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  When Ametta thought of special orders, she imagined antiques being shipped in from France or a request for a piece from a particular artist. Not a custom-made tree to fit over a toilet so a werewolf could potty train his pups.

  Ametta imagined her sister Saskia bursting out laughing when she emailed that request, but dammit, she would treat this with dignity. The man who sat across from her, Dr. Lonell Sanderson, was a respected physician and repeat client. His family was immensely important to him, and the need for this tree-loo was serious. His three children would not use a bathroom. They only went outside.

  As it was a week into October in Alaska, the bathroom had to be finished fast.

  “I’ll send all this to Saskia,” Ametta said to Lonell as she motioned to her computer screen where she had typed in the job’s specifics. “And she’ll be in contact with you as soon as she can. She’ll come by your house and get the measurements. She’ll know what type of wood would be best to use too.”

  Truth be told, Ametta didn’t know if Saskia would be able to do it. After her sister and Sedge had lost the fox totem last month, they’d been unceasingly on the hunt for the next one. Every odd happening they heard about drove them to investigate. And a lot of weird things went on in the Great North.

  “Thank you, Ametta. It’s truly a pleasure to be working with Dorn Pararenovations again.” Lonell stood and straightened his jacket over his squat body. He held out a hand. “You’ve made our lives so much easier. I’ve already recommended you to the Alpha of the Redwoods pack in California. You’ll have clients waiting when you move down south.”

  At least one person supported her dreams of becoming a famous international designer. And the Redwood pack was one of the most elite in the world. A genuine smile curling on her lips, she came around the desk to shake his hand. “Thank you, Dr. Sanderson. I cannot tell you how much it means to me.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” Lonell squeezed her hand and waved off her thanks. “Just as long as you come back whenever my wife gets an urge to redecorate.”

  And with three young werewolves in their house, it frequently needed redecorating! “Whenever she needs me.”

  “At the very least, whenever you’re back visiting your family.” Lonell chuckled and retrieved his jacket from the rack beside the office door.

  Yes, family. Ametta loved them and she’d miss them, but would any of them speak to her again when she finally left Alaska? Kinley would likely, but her dad and Saskia held grudges, and leaving Alaska was something they couldn’t understand. The majority of Alaskans didn’t understand. More the reason to get away and be among the broader minds of the world.

  “Of course.” Ametta followed him to the door. “I’ll have to come back often lest my dad grumble at me.”

  Lonell slipped on his coat and patted her arm. “It’s a father’s job to do so. Take care, Ametta. We’ll talk soon.”

  “You too.” She held the door for him and waved. “Bye.”

  Closing the door, Ametta turned and focused on the gigantic bouquet from Lucky in the one wide window of the office. Sunlight reflected off the crystal vase and momentarily blinded her. Beautiful as the flowers looked on the sill, with that glare, she couldn’t leave them there.

  It wasn’t as if the office had many other spaces, though. Ametta and her sisters rented a one-room office in an upscale building located in downtown Anchorage. Kinley didn’t often come to town and Saskia not at all. Each of the sisters had a desk, but only Ametta used hers. So the décor was fully hers.

  She picked up the bouquet and breathed in the lovely perfume. Instead of images of spring, Lucky’s handsome face filled her mind. That charming smile, those wide shoulders, and oh yes, everything else about that man.

  He sent her flowers every week with invitations to dinners and the theater. Ametta made certain she was too busy to go out. When he started to come by the office with lunch, her defenses began to crumble.

  Many times she told herself to put her foot down when it came to Lucky, but she liked him too much. Even his irritating smugness was endearing. Yet the fact he was an Alaskan through and through loomed over them. No, he saw no problem. It was she. She wanted to leave Alaska, and he refused.

  She set the flowers on Saskia’s desk.

  No one was going to keep Ametta from her dreams. Not even a gorgeous Kodiak shifter with a body to make even a nun fan herself.

  Maybe she shouldn’t put the flowers on Saskia’s desk, though. If Saskia thought Sedge sent them, it would be World War III. Not that Sedge was the type for such romantic gestures. As one of the old gods, Bear, he was more of a take what he wanted sort of guy. Too bad for him Saskia refused to ever belong to him.

  Kinley’s desk was a better idea. Ransom might send her flowers. With a naughty card attached.

  She so didn’t want to be thinking about that.

  Ametta placed the bouquet on her own desk in the corner opposite of her computer. It didn’t exactly suit her sense of artistic balan
ce, but it would have to do for now. Until she got a new vase that wouldn’t reflect the light.

  Or she could throw out the flowers. That would demonstrate her point to Lucky. He didn’t know when to give up, even when she told him repeatedly she was leaving Alaska and there was no room for a relationship in her life.

  But the thought of tossing the bouquet made her stomach flip. No sense in wasting the pretty blooms. They were expensive after all. He must waste a lot of his fireman’s pay on sending her weekly flowers.

  The door swung open. Speak of the devil. Excited delight zinged through her. She couldn’t stop her smile. And, oh, how hot this devil looked in a suit.

  “Thinking of me?” Lucky grinned as he strode forward with his gaze targeting her.

  Ametta stepped away from the flowers and raised her chin. “Just busy with work. What do you want?”

  “Busy, right.” He chuckled and leaned over to smell the bouquet. “I thought I’d take you out to lunch today.”

  His suit jacket hugged his shoulders and tapered down his body in a perfect fit. Armani? The man must have put on his finest clothes for her. One button held closed the coat and framed his broad chest. The striped pattern of his tie led her gaze up to his strong jaw and sublime mouth. Damn, he looked good.

  “I can’t go right now.” Ametta turned from him and settled into her chair. Anything to keep herself from staring. “A client just left, and I’ve got to get a hold of Saskia. If she can’t do the job, I need to contact our secondary carpenter and accompany him to the client’s house. It’s a rush job, so no lunch for me today.”

  “A rush job? In the reno business?” Lucky chuffed and paused before adding, “I smell werewolf. Lonell was here?”

  Ametta twisted in her chair and tried not to gape. “You know Dr. Sanderson?”

  “Of course.” He nodded. “He’s treated shifters with serious burns. He’s a miracle worker.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. That made sense. Shifters from all over the state came to Lonell for treatment. It was his practice of specializing with shifters that inspired Ametta to start a business that catered to paranormals. It was ideal in a state that contained more supernatural beings than in the rest of the country combined.

  “Well, he needs a new bathroom. Immediately.”

  “So those kids of his must be potty training.” Lucky laughed, and his smug grin widened as there must have been a look of surprise on her face. So he knew Lonell as more than just a doctor? “I can see that as an emergency. I can pick up some lunch and bring it back here then. Chinese?”

  God, she could go for some kung pao chicken right now. “No, don’t trouble yourself, especially when I don’t know how long I’ll be in the office. Go get yourself a proper lunch. You’re all dressed up for it.”

  He held his hands out and did a slow turn. His eyelids drooped in that sexy come-to-me-baby way. “You noticed, hm? Do you like it?”

  Yes! It was all she could do not to drool. “You look very sophisticated.”

  “I see what’s in your eyes, hot stuff. Sophisticated isn’t what you’re thinking.” Lucky winked and slipped his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. “I was going to show you this over lunch, but I have something on here you need to see.”

  Ametta laced her fingers together on her lap and leaned back in her chair. “Best not be naked selfies.”

  “Why would you need pictures when you can have the real thing?” He came around the desk with a steamy look that made her glad she was sitting. He handed her the phone. “I have a potential client for you.”

  “Okay.” Who would he know that wanted to employ her interior design skills? All his buddies were firemen. Maybe it was a victim of a fire, and they wanted to redo the house after the damage had been fixed.

  She glanced down at the first image and gasped, nearly dropping the phone.

  There were a dozen houses on Kodiak Island near Old Harbor designed by Angelo Cremaschi in the 1940s and 1950s. She’d recognize the architecture anywhere. And this was one of those grand houses. The columns, the peaked roofs, the Victorian flavor. She’d always wanted to see the inside of one.

  “Scroll on through. I took a ton of pictures.” Lucky leaned against her desk.

  Oh my God. The inside was just as beautiful. Dated, really dated, but incredible. “It’s a Cremaschi house. Do you know who he is?”

  “Yes. He’s a designer or architect or whatever.” He shrugged. “Would you be interested in doing a total interior redesign? Bring it up to modern times. You’ll probably have to stay there on the island for a while. It’s a big job. I’m certain he’ll let you stay at the house. The gentleman who owns the place says money isn’t an issue.”

  Having studied Cremaschi designs in college, it was all Ametta could do not to leap out of her chair and scream with excitement. She’d fantasized about living in one of those manors. Alaska living didn’t mean settling in a log cabin to her. This was how she wanted to live. Grandly decorated rooms, classic architecture, and sweeping views.

  “Absolutely. Thank you so much. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this since college.” Ametta reluctantly gave him back his phone. He could keep the pictures. She was going to be in that house. “I’ll need his contact info. What’s his name?”

  Lucky’s grin curled up at the edges. “That’s my house, babe.”

  Lucky didn’t answer any of Ametta’s questions except to say he’d fly her out to Old Harbor whenever she was ready to begin. And she wanted to start as soon as possible. Any other work she had could be done via her laptop.

  She stared at him across her office as they ate lunch. Him with that smug look on his handsome face. All this time, she thought… what? That he was just a regular firefighting shifter? She’d never asked about his family and history. They’d talk about current events, her family, and the totem quest, but since she didn’t want to get attached to him, she never asked any personal questions.

  She didn’t know him at all. Who the hell was Lucky Osberg?

  They flew to the Old Harbor airport the next afternoon. Lucky had his ride waiting in the lot. No surprise, he drove a humongous truck. Some gas guzzling Hummer… hybrid. Not what she expected. Nothing about him was what she believed.

  She prided herself on being a good reader of people. It’s why she was so good at her job. So how was she so off about him? Maybe she wasn’t as great as she thought she was.

  “Sit still and enjoy the ride.” Lucky patted her leg.

  Ametta brushed his hand away. “The road is bumpy. Doesn’t this thing have any shocks?”

  Of course it did. The ride was smooth, but she had trouble keeping still. The blue and white buildings of Old Harbor disappeared behind them as they drove into the hills away from the water. No snow covered the ground, but the grass and trees shimmered from a recent rain.

  “Relax.” He rested his right arm on the plush armrest. “I’m not going to—”

  “Don’t you dare say you aren’t going to bite and then add only if I want you to. I’m here as a professional. You are my client. The only biting going on will be my remarks about your décor. Have I thanked you for this yet?”

  Lucky chuckled. “Several times.”

  She twisted in her seat and pulled at her seatbelt to face him. “So. I’m assuming it will be only you I’m decorating for. Does anyone else live with you? Your parents or siblings?”

  “No, it’s just me. Sometimes I have buddies come and stay, but right now, I’m alone in the house.” Lucky directed the truck around a large pothole and flashed her a smile. “And since you’re fishing for information, I’m an only child. My mom was human, and my birth took its toll on her. She lived, but she was frail. My dad died fighting a fire when I was a fifteen, and my mom passed away a few years ago.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” She pressed her lips together as they turned down. It seemed inadequate. She didn’t remember when her mother died as she had only been three, but she remembered the effect it had on Saskia who was a te
en at the time. At least Ametta had her sisters. Lucky was an only child.

  “Thanks. I wasn’t lacking family, though. My dad had eight brothers and all of them still live on the island with their kids and grandkids. Lots of Osbergs. Family reunions are crazy, but in a good way.”

  Ametta snorted. Eight brothers! Sometimes it was tough with two sisters. “How did you come about living in a big house all by yourself?”

  Lucky shrugged. “My grandmother on my mom’s side left the house to her. I offered up the house to a few of my cousins who have big families, but none of them want to live there.”

  “They don’t want to live in a Cremaschi house?” His cousins must be out of their minds.

  “The house has a mind of its own. If it doesn’t like you, then…” He flipped on the blinker. “Here’s the driveway.”

  She ignored his last comment as she turned her attention to the winding drive. So close to the house! Paved and in better condition than the road, the driveway took them around great old Sitka trees with bulging knots. When the house finally came into view, she leaned forward with her hands on the dash.

  The pictures didn’t do it justice. The main tower loomed three stories above the circular drive. The pale gray stone took on a golden hue with the late afternoon sun. The ornate double front doors with a sculpted frame begged for her to run her fingers over them. Big as it was, the house did not sit like a great hulk. The lines, the subtle patterns in the stones, all perfection. It looked regal, esteemed, holding itself straight and proud.

  Ametta started when Lucky pressed her seatbelt buckle to release it. He smiled and motioned to her door. “Go on. Have a look.”

  Could a person fall in love with a house? Without a word, she hopped out of the truck and approached the porch. Her heart fluttered as something she could only describe as greater than awe surged through her. Oh yes. Love it was.

  She said a silent hello as she trailed her fingers over a column and then the stone wall. And the doors, up close, the artistry was exquisite. Each oak panel had been hand-crafted with swirling leaves in the patterns. Even the flaws were perfect. There weren’t doors like this anywhere else on the planet nor was there a house that could enthrall her so.