Nine Tails 6: Spirit Shift

by J. L. Weil

  “How am I to address you then?”

  The blue fabric of his uniform fit him snugly and swished with his long strides. His black boots struck the stone floor in smart raps. “You’re not. We report to Lord Ryker.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. Did this guard know who I was? Ryker had mentioned his staff could be trusted, but that I was to keep my identity a secret. I didn’t think it was worth testing, just in case. Devyn had instilled in me how important it was to hide my identity from other faes. In this, I agreed with Ryker and only this.

  “Are all the guards forbidden to talk to me then?”

  “No, we are not forbidden from speaking to you.”

  “Wow, you’re quite the conversationalist.” He literally had revealed nothing useful, and if this was how all my conversations with the sentinels would go, I could rule them out as being helpful to my escape.

  I swore his lips twitched. “My name is Liri.”

  My mouth opened to tell him I was glad to meet him when from the shadows came a deep voice full of mockery, interrupting me before I got the chance to speak. “Look at you, making friends everywhere you go.”

  That voice. I knew that damn voice.

  My heart hammered in my chest, and Liri’s body went stiff beside me. The sentinel had his blade drawn as he stepped in front of me, a scowl marring his lips. “Show yourself,” Liri growled.

  Kai breezed from around an ivory column down the hall, a wicked smirk on his face when he beheld my wide open mouth. Shadows seemed to cling to his every movement as he sauntered toward us. “And here I was hoping I’d find you chained to a wall … or perhaps a bed.”

  Chapter Six

  DEVYN

  “Mom, I don’t have a choice. You know that I have to go. She needs me.” Even more now that Kai was already at the castle, the bastard. It grated on every nerve in my body knowing he was with her and I wasn’t.

  I couldn’t wait for Kai to send word. The waiting was killing me. If I didn’t leave now, I could lose a day of traveling or more. Fuck it. I would head toward Orangeoland and pray to every god that he had taken her somewhere in his kingdom. If he was smart, he wouldn’t have, but every bone in my body told me she was there. And nothing my mother said was going to change my mind.

  “You were supposed to protect her, not seduce her,” she scolded me in a last attempt to get me to check this insanity that I felt for this girl. It was a waste of breath. My feelings had moved beyond reason.

  “She’s hard to resist,” I muttered, trying to ignore the scowl I saw on her face in the reflection from the window above the kitchen sink. She was worried about me, as any mother would be.

  “Karina does need you,” my mother agreed as she turned away from the dishes she was drying. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. “I just want to make sure that you make decisions with your mind and not your heart. Those lines seem to have blurred for you and the princess.”

  My chest tightened. “It wasn’t planned. I didn’t go to the mortal world with the intention of falling in love with a queen I could never have.”

  “Oh, Devyn,” my mother sighed. “You must be careful. If the Conclave finds out how deep the connection between you and Karina is, you know what they will do.”

  I nodded. She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know or hadn’t contemplated a thousand times over. “I will be.”

  She shook her head. “Your situation is unique. It has been many centuries since the royal family had a Shaman of the opposite gender. It was always believed the gods orchestrated it that way to keep the bloodline pure and protected. Do you love her?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Tipping my chin up, she forced me to look at her. “That’s where you’re wrong. Perhaps it is time the laws of this world changed. Perhaps she is just the queen to do it.”

  Her audacity surprised me, but I refused to let myself hope for such a future, not with the blight and Karina’s capture. I couldn’t think about it. Perhaps one day, but not today. “That’s assuming she ever gets the chance to become queen or even wants to stay here. You forget this isn’t her home.”

  “It could be. Would you follow her if she left? Live in the mortal world where your abilities are only a fraction of what they can be?”

  “I will stay by her side for as long as she will have me,” I retorted with a fire that burned from the bottom of my gut.

  “Even if it means watching her marry another?”

  Must I choose between power and love?

  I shut my eyes to block the vision of Karina dressed as a fae bride, flowers strewn through her dark hair, standing beside a man who was not me, promising her mortal and fae heart to another.

  When I didn’t answer, Mom said, “I believe there is a reason you and Karina were born for each other. Who’s to say this wasn’t what the gods had hoped for?”

  “I say damn the gods and their meddling,” I snarled.

  She smiled as she ruffled my hair. “It is just like you to damn the gods for interfering in your life or hers, for that matter. I believe you would go head to head with the gods themselves if it meant saving her.”

  She wasn’t wrong. I would battle anyone and everyone who thought to do her harm. Kings. Queens. Lords. Gods. Mortals. It didn’t make a goddamn difference to me.

  “I wish you safe travels. Just do one favor for me, other than not losing your head.”

  My brows rose. “What would that be?”

  She gave me a soft smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Don’t take Kai’s head off.”

  “That’s like asking for the sun to stop shining.”

  “Devyn.” She gave me a hard stare. “Your stepfather and I would appreciate it if both of our sons came back in one piece.”

  “What about a hand? Surely, one hand wouldn’t be the end of the world.” I was teasing her. It was my way of trying to combat the worry she felt for us.

  “This battle is one I can’t fight for you. It’s yours and Karina’s, but it's not easy stepping aside to let you go. Send word once you’ve arrived.” Her eyes were bright as the early morning sun streamed in through the kitchen window.

  I nodded. “That I can promise.”

  She pulled me in for a hug. Her arms tightened once before she released me, tears glistening in her eyes. “You were put in a horrible situation. Tell Karina that I am forever grateful for what she did for Holly. She is so much like her mother.”

  With nothing more to be said, I left my home once again, but on a journey so very different from the last. I would still be searching for Karina, but this time, I had more to lose than my home. I could lose my heart as well.

  I had received word an hour ago from my asshole stepbrother of Karina’s whereabouts, along with a message he knew would enrage me. Don’t worry, brother. I’ll won’t take my eyes off her. It didn’t take a genius to read between the lines. He was baiting me and knew how much I wanted to be the one at her side. He would be eating my fist the moment I laid eyes him.

  If he so much as touched her …

  Of all the places in the world Ryker could have stashed Karina, Salvotory Castle was not my first choice. It was so open, which would make it easy for people to see me. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what his motives were for kidnapping her. But I couldn’t dwell on the endless reasons or what he might do to her, not if I wanted to stay sane.

  Knowing Kai was with her only fueled my determination to ride harder and faster. The stallion under me sensed my desperation and willpower, rushing across the land, hooves barely touching the ground, it was almost as if she flew. No rest. Not until I saw her, saw for myself that she was unharmed and unbroken.

  I’d been taught since the day I was born what it meant to be a Shaman to a royal princess. The responsibility. The honor. The sacrifice of such a gift. For years, I hated the girl I was forever tied to. A girl not of my choice. A girl who was half mortal. It made me angry and bitter, but I did my duty. I trained harder than the other sentin
els. I fought with skills my other comrades envied. When I found Wrath and Fury during one of my trial quests deep at the bottom of the Flemmere Bay, I was feared. Sin Eater they called me, and I reveled in the name, in being the best, in being a legend.

  Then word of King Ryo’s death spread throughout the Second Moon, and days later, I received the king’s final order for me to find the mortal princess (now queen) and protect her as was my birthright.

  This was what I had been bred to do, like a thoroughbred stallion for the racetrack. I had been told part of my task would be to help her achieve her nine Kitsune tails, but no further instructions were given to me on how to accomplish such a feat. It seemed simple then, before I knew her, before I truly understood the threat taking root in our world, before I saw her.

  I wasn’t prepared for that first time my eyes landed on Karina in her element. From the moment I stepped into the mortal realm, a thread inside me pulled and led me in the direction of Washington. I had followed that gut feeling until I spotted a girl walking home in Seaside Heights with two of her friends: a girl who could have passed as a life-size Barbie doll, if Barbies could talk nonstop, and a guy who couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her.

  I wanted to punch his teeth out.

  That was the first time I’d ever felt jealousy, the sharp pang and irrational urge to possess. It only took an instant for the lifelong bond between us to snap in place. I only had her name. Karina Lang. And when the blonde called her name, my heart stuttered in my chest.

  I’d spent the next few days following her everywhere. To school. To work. Out with her friends. She didn’t know it, but I had been protecting her then, before we even met.

  Then there was the first time I saw that boy sneak into her bedroom window. Jesse had no clue how close he’d come to losing his life that night. Not because I had mistaken him for an intruder, but because I didn’t want him in her room. Alone.

  Pain like I’d never felt before seared me, and I hadn’t understood at the time what it meant. I’d never had to deal with these emotions before. It took all my willpower to stay hidden in the shadows, to keep guard as I was trained to do. My job had nothing to do with her social life or whom she dated. That personal part of her wasn’t supposed to interfere with my ability to keep the future queen alive.

  I cussed out my insolent and dense commanders. They knew nothing of actually being a Shaman, not to someone like her.

  When she had entered that alley with two Silvermysts, it was true fear I felt, but I also sensed something else in her. Our connection allowed me to realize that Karina was about to have her first shift.

  I didn’t know which one of us was more surprised by her transformation. She’d looked up at me with those blue eyes, and I knew I was in deep shit. It was still weeks until her eighteenth birthday when she was supposed to gain her powers, and I should have known then that my Kitten would never do anything by the book or do what was expected of her. One of the reasons I loved her.

  I did love her.

  More than I should.

  Why hadn’t I told her?

  Regret stung me, but I planned to tell her as soon as I found her. I had to tell her. God, I just hoped it wasn’t too late.

  I didn’t expect it to change anything between us. She had a duty, just as I did, and we both had to abide by the rules, but I’d given up thinking I could live my life without her. This forced separation had given me clarity. I couldn’t be apart from her. Never again. I’d rather walk over hot coals or through fire than ever be separated from her.

  This pain was far worse than being stabbed or whipped bloody. It was indescribable, and her being with Kai only made it a million times harder.

  I’d never believed in love at first sight or soulmates. To me, it just seemed like the gods fucking with our lives. During my years of training, I’d watched my brothers in arms and my friends make fools of themselves over girls and had been glad that my connection to this mortal girl wouldn't be anything but friendship.

  What a goddamn joke.

  Chapter Seven

  KARINA

  All the air went out of my lungs. I stepped to the side, peeking around the broad back of Liri. “Kai?” I whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them, expecting Kai to not be Kai, but someone else.

  He moved with a swagger and a smirk, unafraid of the guard with me. “Who else were you expecting? Certainly not that arrogant, insufferable, boring brother of mine.”

  “I-I just can’t believe you’re here. I’m afraid you aren’t real. That this is a dream or another nightmare. I can’t decide which,” I said, my thoughts spinning.

  He stopped before me with a wide grin. “Take a breath, little queen.”

  He’d called me “little queen.” Was it really him? I blinked again and something deep inside me stirred. My magic gave a low purr, like it recognized an old friend or a lover. Different than with Devyn, but still familiar. “Is it really you, Kai?”

  The golden-haired fae gave a deep bow, his arm sweeping out in front of him in an over exaggerated gesture. “You really aren’t good at listening to instructions.”

  “Oh, my God! I can’t believe you’re here!” A wide smile split my lips. I never thought I would be excited to see Kai.

  He winked. “In the flesh.”

  “How? Why? Is Devyn here?” The questions rolled off my tongue in rapid succession.

  There was such an easy manner about Kai, a coolness that spun around him like the darkness that paired with night. “Perhaps you and I should go for a stroll and get caught up.” He slipped his arm through mine, but before we could take a step, a firm voice halted Kai in his tracks.

  “Kai,” Liri snarled. “You’re not taking her anywhere. This girl is under my protection and that of Lord Ryker.”

  “Right, that old buzzard. I see you’re still slumming it as one of his sentinels, Liri. Such a shame.” Kai clucked his tongue. “His lordship knows I am here. Our fathers are old friends, as I know you’re aware of, Liri.”

  So Kai and Liri were what? Childhood friends? Enemies?

  “Still, I have my orders.”

  Kai let out the fakest groan I’d ever heard. “Don’t you ever get tired of following the rules? Live a little.” Not waiting for Liri to object a third time, Kai tugged me down the corridor, keeping me close. The coolness always present in him washed over me with an unexpected comfort.

  I no longer felt alone. Even though Kai was unpredictable and often rash, he was the link to Devyn I desperately needed, despite the fact that the Shaman despised his guts. “Are you supposed to be helping me or condemning me?” I muttered under my breath.

  An impish grin gleamed in his eyes. “Both. Now, in what room do they keep the future queen in this dreadful castle?”

  I snorted. This place was anything but dreadful. It was downright paradise, and if I hadn’t been captured and forced to be here against my will, I might have enjoyed living at court. “Locked in one of the towers.”

  His brows drew together. “So I was right about the shackles.”

  Everything with Kai was a joke. Was there anything in this world he took to heart?

  I pinched him under the arm.

  “Ouch, you little minx. Watch it. You’re not the only one with sharp teeth. I bite back.”

  Keeping my lips pressed together in a tight line, I tried to wait until we were locked in my tower room before I bombarded him with the many questions looping through my head. I was about to burst from impatience.

  Liri in true, faithful fashion trailed behind us each step of the way. I didn’t doubt he was listening to our every word to report back to Ryker with a detailed account of everything he overheard. The sentinel might have told me his name, but I didn’t trust him. Then again, I didn’t trust Kai either. Not wholly.

  He was a many faced devil, especially with his ability to shapeshift.

  Because I wasn’t comfortable sitting on my bed with Kai, I sat on the window seat that overlooked the city in the
distance once we arrived. Then I pounced. “Does Devyn know you’re here? How is he? Is he hurt? And Holly? Is she okay? Have all the sentinels left Ashland?”

  Kai sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands and stretching his long legs out in front of him. “How the hell does he handle you?”

  I scowled and folded my arms over my chest, trying not to pout. “I’m being serious.”

  “Hell, so am I,” he replied, shoving a hand into his silky sunny locks.

  “Are you done torturing me?”

  “Probably not, it’s been … how many days now since I’ve seen you?”

  “Who knows. There are no freaking clocks in this place. Time doesn’t exist in court other than the rising and falling of the sun.”

  “That is how all time is told in this world. It’s been ninety-two hours, thirteen minutes, and forty-two seconds.”

  I remember reading something in the book about time in the Second Moon. The two moons were equal to two nights, a concept I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. The moons were used to tell in this world.

  “It’s so easy to forget you grew up in the mortal world. I didn’t get what Devyn was saying before, but I do now. There is just something about you, Karina Lang.”

  It had been too long since I’d heard someone call me by my full name. The pang that hit me in the chest was sharp and cruel. It must have reached my eyes.

  His lips turned down, and his voice softened. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Kai sounded apologetic. What the hell was going on? “Sorry. It’s been a whirlwind these last few days. I feel as if I’ve been here for years.”

  “Devyn is on his way.”

  A deep exhale of relief expelled from me. Don’t cry, I told myself.

  “He sent me here to look after you until he arrives. I am to send word of your location now that I’ve found you. It took me a few days to track you down. No one seemed to have any information about your whereabouts. Even here in court.”