Death Cache (40 page)

“Amie, I’m going to need a brownie this morning,” Rosie said, attempting to get Amie’s attention off her nonexistent bump.

“Coming right up.” Amie undid the ties to her apron and wrapped them around her front, tying them tighter around her middle as she walked back behind the counter to get Rosie’s brownie.

Gemma hurried across the café and whispered over the dessert case, “You know not to take anything she says to heart, right?”

“Yes, I know that,” Amie said. The mass of bracelets on her thin wrist jangled as she slammed open the bakery case. “But I’m
late
. Gemma, I can’t be pregnant, I just can’t. Drew hasn’t even asked me to marry him. And I don’t know if I
want
to marry him. A baby? What am I going to do with a baby? I’m not ready to be a mother.”

“Stop. It’s nothing.
Nothing
.”

“But you heard her,” Amie’s voice rose in worry.

“Yes, and last Tuesday she told Mrs. Halverson that she’d find cockroaches. This is Fairbanks, Alaska. Have you ever seen a cockroach?”

Amie took a deep breath, closed her eyes and let it out. “Right. Okay, but you know I’ll need to leave early so that I can buy a pregnancy test to put my mind at ease.” Amie put Rosie’s brownie on a plate and took it to her.

Gemma studied Amie’s trim figure. It was just as fit and petite as it was when Gemma had hired her right out of high school. No way could she be over a hundred and ten pounds. She just topped five feet. With her dyed black hair, multiple ear piercings, coupled with her kohl rimmed eyes and dark purple lipstick, Amie fit more into Chinook Books than Gemma did.

The eclectic bookstore used to be hippie central when Siri ran it. Incense had burned at the counter. Brownies could be ordered “organic” instead of the dark chocolate, nut-filled ones Gemma stocked. And customers hung out all day gazing up at the celestial ceiling her father had commissioned for Siri’s birthday. There was still a New Age vibe, and the ceiling still received a lot of oohs and ahhs, but the more years that went by, the more Gemma had lessened the influence. Though she hadn’t been able to get rid of Tarot Tuesday, or what she secretly referred to as Trial Tuesday.

When Gemma’s perky part-timer, Callista, reported to work at noon, Gemma grabbed a book on dreams and hid herself in the back office. She let Callista run the book floor while Amie continued to fret about her possible pregnancy in the café. Siri was too occupied with her Tarot readings to pay attention to what Gemma was up to.

She wished she could just ask her mother what she meant about the Dreamweaver comment, but she’d learned a long time ago not to show too much interest in her mother’s “second sight.” At least medicated, Siri didn’t talk to people who weren’t there and predict the future or the sex of unborn children. Well, as much.

She hoped Amie wasn’t pregnant. Maybe she’d run out and pick up a pregnancy test to put both their minds at ease. Until she could get away, she had some investigating to do. She opened the book she’d swiped on dreams and found the table of contents.

The chapter on “Astral Sex” leapt off the page.

C
HAPTER
T
HREE

“Well, you look awful,” Tern Maiski said, entering Gemma’s little back office.

There wasn’t much room for more than a desk in the closet-like space. Gemma had tried to lighten it up from the multi-colored rainbow arching across the walls her mother had painted to a much more soothing sage green. Though the rainbow still bled through in the right light as if refusing to be covered up.

Gemma planted her elbows on the old walnut desk that had been her father’s, and rested her chin in her hands. “I’m having astral sex.”

Tern sank into the chair opposite. “You’re having
what
?”

“Astral sex.”

“Before I draw any wrong conclusions, explain exactly what astral sex is.” Tern shrugged off her stylish black wool coat that reached to her calves and unwound a hand-painted red silk scarf from around her neck. Tern owned the Arctic Tern Art Gallery just down the street, and they had a standing date to eat lunch together on Trial Tuesdays.

“Here, read this.” Gemma held up the book for Tern, her head still spinning with the otherworldly implications.

Tern took the book and read the passage Gemma indicated. She glanced up. “You’re having sex dreams? What a relief. I thought—never mind what I thought.”

“Geesh, Tern. I’m not even seeing anyone special and you thought I’d—holy balls, just keep reading.”

Tern followed the passage with her finger. “Astral sex—damn but that’s funny to say—is the theosophical belief, belonging to the ethereal region that is believed to exist at a higher level than the material world. Personal auras are said to have non-corporeal sex with astral playmates.” Tern leaned forward, the book cradled to her chest. “So you have a spiritual playmate.”

“Be serious for a minute.”

“I am being serious.” Tern’s Athabascan skin glowed under the harsh fluorescent lights, picking up the auburn strains highlighted in her thick ebony hair. But it was her dark almond eyes looking grave that had Gemma swallowing.

“Don’t tell me you buy into this?”

“Of course I do.”

“Come on, I was counting on you to bring me back to earth.” At Tern’s lift of an eyebrow, Gemma added, “Ground me at least. I need to talk to someone and I can’t tell anyone out
there
.” Gemma gestured wide with her hand to include all the occupants currently in Chinook Books who believed what the pretty painted cards told them.

“Your mother probably has more information on the subject than this book.” Tern held up the Dreamology Dictionary.

“I’ve been trying my whole life to get away from this kind of stuff. Don’t tell me you believe in it?”

“There is a lot I believe in.” Tern’s tone more than the words had Gemma feeling ashamed as she remembered Tern’s close call with death last summer. “There’s so much we don’t understand,” Tern continued. “It’s arrogant to discount the unexplained.”

Wow, nice way to put her in her place. “Help explain this to me then. I’m so confused.”

“Tell me what’s happening.”

“I’m having the most intense, sexual dreams. It’s like he’s there. I can feel him, smell him, hear him until I open my eyes. Then he’s gone and usually before I ...well, you know.”

Tern’s lips twisted into a smile. “No, I don’t know.”

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Yeah, you’re going to need to say it.”

“
Come
on, Tern.”

“Well, I guess that’s close enough.”

Gemma felt the blush heat her face.

“How long has he been ‘visiting’?” Tern asked.

“Three weeks as of last night.”

“Every night?” Those brows of hers arrowed in thought. One brow was split at the apex by a scar giving her a somewhat rakish look for a woman. Very becoming on her and said more than words that she held her own.

“Except two days ago,” Gemma admitted, though leaving out how despondent she’d felt when her dream man hadn’t put in an appearance.

“So you have been having astral sex—damn, I love that phrase—for three weeks and you haven’t orgasmed?”

Gemma’s blush flamed, and she couldn’t respond.

“You might have to help yourself out for your own peace of mind.”

“Forget all that. How do I get rid of him?”

“Your astral partner?”

“Will you quit saying that word?”

“Nope.” Tern shook her head and laughed. This time it was full-bodied, and Gemma couldn’t help being pulled into the magic of the melodious sound.

“Oh my hell, what am I going to do?”

“Figure out why he’s sought you out and vice versa.”

“Me? I haven’t sought him out. How would I even go about doing something like that?”

“Your subconscious has. Maybe you need to have a talk with yourself and figure out what is missing in your life that you’re seeking in the astral plane.”

“Well, the obvious. I must be sexually frustrated.”

“Are you?”

“I didn’t think I was until
he
started visiting me every night.”

“Wait, you said he didn’t visit two days ago. That was Sunday. So why not Sunday? What was happening that was different that night?”

“Nothing really. The bookstore was closed, so I took care of errands and cleaned the house. I did meet up with Cub and had dinner.”

“Oooh, how did that go?”

“Eh. He’s good looking, that’s for sure.” Jacob “Cub” Iverson resembled a Norse god. Cool blond looks with ice blue eyes and muscles that bore witness to his ancestors throwing tree trunks. She should be climbing all over him from the moment he’d moved to town six months ago. “But there wasn’t any spark.”

“No, spark with Cub Iverson? My goldfish lights up when he’s in the room. The man was made for worshiping.”

“Don’t let Gage hear you talk like that.”

“Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate art when I see it. So why no spark? Did he kiss you?”

“Yeah.” Gemma sighed. “It was nice but not as nice as my Dreamweaver’s.”

Tern’s smile fell, and she became very still. “What did you just call him?”

“Dreamweaver.” A shiver skittered across her skin. “Why?”

“Pull up the weather report for the last three weeks.” Tern pointed to Gemma’s laptop. “Come on. Do it.”

Gemma did as Tern instructed while Tern came around the desk to see the results. They quickly scanned through the past weather reports for the last month. Fairbanks had actually fared well for March. Other than the snow storm Sunday night, they’d had cold but clear weather and amazing Aurora Borealis displays due to the record solar flares.

“I don’t want you to freak out with what I’m about to say,” Tern said, slowly retaking her seat.

“You’re already freaking me out.”

“Well, hold onto something then. Your Dreamweaver is using the Northern Lights as a conduit to travel between the astral planes. If you aren’t careful, he’ll snatch your spirit and take you back with him. You need protection.”

“Really? You’d think having astral sex would be the ultimate solution for having unprotected sex. You can’t get pregnant or catch anything.”

“Don’t joke about this. There is so much you can lose.” Tern tightened her lips. “What’s the forecast for the Aurora tonight?”

Gemma glanced back to her computer screen. “Intense.”

“Don’t go to sleep. Promise me.” Tern waited until Gemma promised. “Okay, you wire yourself with caffeine. I’ll talk to Gage.”

“Gage? Tern, no.” Gemma rose out of her chair as Tern stood and hurriedly slid her coat back on. “I don’t want anyone else knowing about this.”

“We’re going to need his help. He works for the Geophysical Institute, remember. He’s an Aurora genius. We need to know what we’re up against if this ‘thing’ is using the Northern Lights as a stream into our world.”

“This sounds like
Star Trek
,” Gemma muttered rushing to catch up with Tern as she exited the office onto the book floor.

“Until I get back with you, it wouldn’t hurt to find out what Siri knows. She might have some other ways of protecting you.”

“I can’t talk to my mother about this.” She’d wished now she hadn’t talked to Tern.

Tern stopped and faced her. “Your soul is at risk. Talk to her. And no sleep.” She held up her finger when Gemma went to interrupt. “No naps either.”

“You’ve got to be kidding?”

“The Aurora is out there even during the day. We humans can only see them at night.” Tern took Gemma by the arm and steered her toward the café. A few tables were taken by regulars who liked to hear Siri’s readings. Siri was currently deep in the middle of another reading for Mrs. Halverson who never missed a week.

“Amie, large coffee with a double shot of espresso for Gemma,” Tern ordered. “I want you to make sure she drinks enough of those to make her twitchy.”

Amie, paler than when Gemma had left her, pointed at Mrs. Halverson. “Did you see Mrs. Halverson’s cockroach?”

Gemma followed Amie’s shaky finger. There on Mrs. Halverson’s pink lapel jacket was pinned a huge emerald cockroach.

Siri stood, holding the moon card in her hand for Gemma to see. “Dreamweaver,” she whispered.

A PREVIEW OF UNDER THE GUN

Book 1 of the Russian Roulette Novels

Tiffinie Helmer

Coming 2014

C
HAPTER
O
NE

He noticed her the minute she walked into the bar. So did every other male in residence, and most of the women too. She didn’t so much as walk as sway in black, six-inch spiked leather boots. Her hips moved to a beat that echoed in his empty heart.

Ivan Kristoff raised his glass and drained the contents. Her eyes connected with his in the mirror above the bar as though he was the reason she’d entered the dive that lay forgotten along the industrial waterfront of Helsinki, Finland.