Nine Tails 6: Spirit Shift

by J. L. Weil

  A man stood in the center of the sitting room. It couldn’t be. Was it really him? I wanted this to be real with a desperation that hurt. The hole that had remained open in my chest from the moment we’d been separated began to fill with hope and love.

  My heartbeat quickened as I blinked the remnants of sleep from my eyes. “Devyn?” I whispered his name and then swallowed, tears fogging my vision. “Is that really you?” How many dreams had I had just like this where I opened the door and there he was, waiting for me? Far too many for my mind to believe that the man in front of me was really him.

  “Hey, Kitten.”

  That was it. A dam cracked open inside me. Dream or not, the sound of his voice had me launching myself into his arms. “Devyn.” I sighed, burying my face into the space between his neck and shoulder. “You’re here. You’re really here. I thought …” Emotion flooded my throat, cutting off my voice. My joy, my relief, my love for this particular fae overwhelmed me.

  I refused to let go of him. My arms secured around his neck. He seemed to sense my desire to keep him close and picked me up off my feet, walking me into my room. With the sole of his boot, he kicked the door shut, sealing us inside. “I told you I’d always find you.”

  Tears streamed down my face, but they were happy tears. I rubbed my cheeks against his, the unshaven hairs on his jaw scratching my skin, but I didn’t care. This was Devyn. This was the fae whose soul was linked to mine with ageless magic I couldn’t begin to understand. If there was one thing I could thank the gods for, it was that they gave me Devyn. “Don’t let go.”

  He set my feet down on the ground, and I loosened my hold around his neck to look into his face. A lazy smile spread across his lips, causing his dimples to flash. His dark hair was a tad longer than it had been a couple of weeks ago, but overall, he was exactly as I remembered. “How about a kiss hello? God, I’ve missed you.” He dipped his head, and I met him halfway, our lips colliding. My hand came to rest on his cheek, and his arms curved around the small of my back. I melted into him, relishing the feel of his lips moving against mine and drawing in his scent, his taste, but …

  Something was wrong.

  He didn’t taste like Devyn.

  He didn’t smell like Devyn.

  And he sure as hell didn’t kiss like Devyn.

  Pressing my hand to his chest, I tore my lips from this imposter’s and shoved him away from me. I smeared the back of my hand over my mouth to erase the kiss, to burn it from my memory. I glared at the flawless rendition of Devyn. “Kai, you son of a bitch. How could you do that to me?” I spat at his face, Devyn’s face. This time the tears welling in my eyes weren’t of happiness, but of deep sorrow and violent anger.

  I had never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to kill Kai at this moment. How could he screw with my emotions like that? What kind of hateful person would do that?

  It was as if he didn’t even have a shred of humanity within him.

  How silly of me to forget.

  He wasn’t human. He was fae.

  But not all faes were heartless assholes. I just happened to be stuck with one of the worst.

  His mouth twisted into a cruel and bloodless grin. I shivered at the thought of Devyn ever looking at me that way with such darkness. This wasn’t a memory of Devyn I wanted to have stuck in my memory for a lifetime. The way the eyes I loved so much were filled with such sinfulness. My skin crawled. “Impressive,” Kai said.

  “You’re so damn lucky I can’t wield my magic in this fucking castle.” My knuckles had gone white as my fingers pressed into tight fists at my sides. All I saw was red.

  “God, I love it when you get aggressive and talk dirty.”

  “Fuck you, Kai. Get out of my room.”

  In one fluid movement, Devyn’s face shifted into Kai’s. His body thinned a fraction, and his height dropped an inch. Kai’s savage gray eyes bore into mine, and I could see nothing of Devyn in them. Other than his hair that was as straight as a blade, there was no family resemblance. “I was just showing you a possible solution to your future, little queen.”

  “I don’t even want to know what kind of solution you think you’ve conceived of in that sick head of yours that could possibly help me.”

  “It’s simple,” he stated. “You need someone with royal blood to rule at your side—someone who knows life at court, who knows how to deal with the Conclave and the other lords of the Second Moon.”

  “And you think that person is you?” I laughed, a horrible, unstable laugh.

  “I could be,” he said with a quiet calm I found unnerving.

  I turned my back to him, fighting the lump swelling inside my chest. “You don’t have an ounce of royal blood in that cold body of yours.”

  “And that’s where you’re wrong, little queen. Why do you think I’m allowed to stay in Ryker’s court?”

  Only fae with royal blood were allowed at court. That much I’d learned at least. I didn’t want to play twenty questions with Kai, but I crossed my arms as I turned toward him and took the bait. “How is it that you have royal blood then?”

  He rocked back on his heels, his eyes shining. “My mother, of course. She was the youngest daughter of the current lord of Ashland, making her a princess.”

  Was—as in she was no longer alive. I didn’t want to feel sympathy for Kai, not even a shred, but losing a parent, fae or human, had to be devastating, life-altering. If he was telling the truth, then it did make Kai an acceptable candidate for claiming, and I imagined it was another reason why Devyn hated him so much.

  Legally, I could take the claiming oath of fae marriage with Kai.

  The idea made me gag, and I had to swallow back the bile his proposition had brought up.

  Tying myself to Kai for the entirety of my fae life was preposterous. I would never do that to Devyn, and although I’d seen glimpses of Kai having feelings, we weren’t suited in that way. I didn’t love him. I was in love with his stepbrother! “Kai, you know how I feel about Devyn. You can’t be serious.”

  A muscle along his jaw thrummed. “This isn’t something I offer lightly. I’ve never intended to claim someone, and trust me, I’ve had my fair share of opportunities.”

  “Are you suggesting a marriage in name only?” Kai was dark and dangerous, and this would truly be making a deal with the devil.

  He took a step forward. The coolness emitting from his body seeped into mine, and if magic had been permitted within the castle walls, I knew his shadows would have wrapped around me, stroking my own streak of darkness. It frightened me, because in a twisted way, I could see what my life would be like claimed to Kai. Could I allow myself to feel something for this less than trustworthy fae? With Kai, I saw myself turning into someone I wasn’t. Someone without morals or integrity. He had the influence to change me.

  His head angled to the side as he dipped it to murmur in my ear. “Would it be so bad to be claimed to me, little queen?”

  His breath sent a chill down my neck. “That wasn’t my question,” I dodged, not wanting to answer his own because the truth scared me.

  Straightening, he shrugged, letting his eyes roam over my body. “I wouldn’t oppose you taking other men to your bed if that is what you’re asking, but any heir you birth would be mine.” Ferocity coated his voice, leaving no room for negotiation. Kai and I having a child. What a revolting thought.

  What kind of power would our child possess? A double dose of darkness the world might not be ready for.

  I swallowed. “I don’t love you.”

  He grabbed my chin, not forcefully, and held it steady to keep my eyes centered on his. “Oh, but I could make you love me. It would be so easy,” he said with confidence as he once again shifted his features into a picture-perfect Devyn, right down to his brooding brows. “This is what you want.” The fingers grasping my chin softened and began to trail along my jaw in a caress that made my skin crawl like a hundred spiders were scampering over my body. He dipped his head, brushing those full
lips I loved to my ear. “Isn’t it, Kitten?” he purred, taking a nip of my earlobe.

  For a split second, I closed my eyes, allowing myself to pretend, since I was so very desperate to have Devyn beside me, even in this fake way. Was this what it would be like to be with Kai? Was I doomed to accept a clone of Devyn rather than the man? But then I remembered what it felt like to have Kai kiss me, the lack of spark or warmth, the missing fire only Devyn could ignite. Kai wasn’t and could never be Devyn. Perhaps Kai could disguise himself, but he couldn’t replicate the love in Devyn’s eyes when he looked at me.

  And I’d never be able to live with someone who didn’t love me as passionately as I did them.

  I jerked away from his touch, my eyes spitting flames of rage. “Your body might look like his, your voice might sound like his, but you could never be him. Your touch revolts me. Our connection is deeper than lust and the appearance of the skin.”

  “Your connection is precisely why you can’t be with him,” he reminded me.

  “Get out.” My finger flew toward the door, pointing the way out. “I won’t marry you. I’d marry Reilly before I swore myself to you.”

  “Careful, little queen, or you might find yourself forced to promise eternal love to someone far more corrupt than me.” Had I heard a twinge of sorrow in his warning?

  My chin lifted. “Is there such a person?”

  “Stay long enough in this castle and you’ll find out.”

  Was he baiting me? “What does that mean?”

  “It means there are faes who are more immoral than me, if you can believe it. You need me.”

  “Get out,” I ordered again, pointing with greater emphasis at the door.

  “You’ll change your mind and I’ll be waiting for you when you do.” With an eerie grace, Kai gave me an arrogant bow before he swept from the room, leaving me alone.

  I stared at the closed door for another moment. A breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding whooshed out as I walked to the bed and plopped down on my back, collecting myself.

  What the hell just happened?

  I grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and soaked it with water from the glass there. I scrubbed my mouth until my lips hurt, attempting to clean Kai’s kiss off my lips. I might be able to remove the taste of him, but washing the memory from my mind was a different story. The nerve of him, pretending to be Devyn. I might not agree with the ancient laws of the fae, but I understood why some of them had been put into place. In this case, to safeguard bloodlines. Each kingdom of the Second Moon was derived from a god or goddess who had bestowed a fraction of their magic to mortals, turning them into fae. Over the centuries, laws had been ratified to maintain the purity of the gods’ magic. Of course, through the years, the bloodlines had crossed and new powers were granted, which made the faes flourish in the land they had been given.

  But one law always remained true.

  The royal decree that banned me from being able to take that sacred oath with Devyn.

  Depressed, annoyed, and pissed off, I let a million emotions ping-pong in my head. I went to the dresser and pulled out the thick book Ryker had given me. For days, I’d pored over the text, fumbling through the pages, but over and over again, I came back to the same marked page. It pulled at me or maybe it was because this particular piece of history was really screwing with my future.

  Taking the book to the bed, I opened it to the marked section and curled up with a pillow. Reading it again wouldn’t change the words that were written there, and yet, I couldn’t seem to help myself.

  Katsura was given to Eisha, the first Kitsune, whose powers were bequeathed to her from the goddess of wild animals. Goddess Phoebe was a huntress and yet a patroness to all wildlife.

  It was wild to think that a goddess’s power flowed through my veins centuries later, and it was her magic that crafted the first bond between Kitsune and Shaman.

  Eisha was queen of Katsura for many decades before she decided to have a child, an heir that would be able to carry on the goddess’s powers. It was her duty as queen. It is said Eisha had many lovers but had never taken the unbreakable oath of claiming. The business of finding a suitable sire was treated as all other court matters. Interviews were conducted, gifts were brought, but in the end, Eisha picked a fae whom she found most attractive, leading with her heart for once in her life.

  On the day she conceived her daughter, Eisha summoned Goddess Phoebe to strike a deal with her in exchange for her unborn daughter’s protection. No bargain was ever struck with a goddess that didn’t have a price, but Eisha was desperate. She knew her time as Katsura’s leader was only a few decades from ending. The goddess’s powers had lengthened her life, but she sensed her mortality in her bones. Many have said a pixie gave Eisha a glimpse into her future, in which she saw her own death.

  Over the years, tension mounted between the regions, a struggle over power and borders. The king of Thornland was a cruel and greedy fae. Eisha feared for the safety of her unborn daughter, knowing the weight of a crown and the dangers and sacrifices that came with being queen. The goddess granted her wish, giving Eisha a vial. In this small glass bottle was a potion that would impregnate a woman of Eisha’s choice—someone worthy of bearing a warrior, someone strong, fierce, and loyal. The potion would link the two children together, a connection borne of protection. Together they would be born—Kitsune and Shaman—on the same day at precisely the same time. This chosen woman’s bloodline would continue when the next heir to the throne was conceived.

  Eisha could only think of one woman whom she trusted enough to give the vial to, both a friend and confidante. Their bloodlines would be intertwined for the safety of Katsura. And so the royal decree was forged.

  If Devyn and I were to ever have a child, we’d break the cycle. It would be the first time since the birth of faes that a Kitsune would not have a Shaman to protect it. Devyn’s child was supposed to be sworn to protect mine, the next heir.

  Was it wise or selfish to break what has been respected and cherished for centuries? Even for something as powerful and rare as true love?

  Chapter Eleven

  KARINA

  A week had gone by since Kai’s atrocious proposal, and it seemed as if I was never going to leave this castle. I gave Kai the silent treatment for three days, but he was my closest link to Devyn—a-hole or not. I ached to be near Devyn in any form I could get. Not in Kai shifting into Devyn, because that was just epic torture, but knowing he was Devyn’s family—however messed up or distant—made living without the Shaman a smidge easier. Kai was the only other person at court who knew Devyn as I did.

  Bash continued to study, prod, and poke at my magic. His own abilities gave him the skills to dissect how fae magic worked—a strange concept to me.

  But so far, Bash hadn’t been able to deconstruct my powers, which only made me that much more fascinating to Ryker’s heir. My fae powers were an anomaly.

  Just freaking wonderful.

  My level of frustration was mounting, and every time I asked about the condition of the blight, Ryker found some other topic to talk about. I needed to know what was happening outside the walls of this confounded castle.

  I entered the hallway outside my room with tense shoulders. I was on my way to meet up with Bash and Reilly. Two guards shadowed me as I walked, but my thoughts weren’t on them. In fact, I’d grown accustomed to being followed everywhere I went, as sad as that was to admit.

  I had contemplated about a million different ways that I could ditch the guards and escape this castle by the sea, but all of them involved me being able to use my powers. Without them, I didn’t stand a chance against other faes. Perhaps I was underestimating the resourcefulness of my mortal half. Perhaps I needed to stop thinking like a fae and using my magic as a crutch.

  Kai claimed Devyn was on his way, but Kai wasn’t high up on my trust list. Very few faes were. What if it was another trap? Another way to manipulate me into relying on him? What if something had happened to
Devyn?

  I would know if he wasn’t okay, wouldn’t I?

  “Karina,” a light, female voice called, startling me from my thoughts.

  I glanced up to see Isleen strolling down the hall toward me. Her long, angelic hair tumbled over her shoulders, and a faint smile danced around her soft pink lips as her silk, ivory gown trailed on the ground behind her. “Karina, I’m so glad I caught you. You’ve been spending all your time with the boys, so we haven’t had a chance to talk—girl to girl.”

  Her voice was pleasant enough, but something gave me pause. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was about Isleen, but the lady of the castle made me uneasy. Perhaps her fine clothes and the regal way she carried herself made me feel unworthy and plain. “I was actually on my way to see your son,” I replied. “Your husband is very strict about these sessions.”

  “You let me worry about Ryker. We never got to have that walk in the gardens, and I’ve been meaning to have a little chat with you.” She looped her arm through mine, not giving me a chance to object again, and steered me toward the open doors leading to the gardens.

  “I guess I have a few minutes.” My feet moved in time with hers or I risked being dragged along. She had a firm hold on my arm. Isleen was stronger than she let on.

  The castle was old, but well kept, and the gardens flourished with life and vivid colors. Flowers I’d never seen before lined the walkways. “I’m sure Bash won’t mind. You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with my son.”

  Not by my choice. “He’s been studying my powers.”

  Despite the breeze off the ocean, the air was warm as we meandered along the stone path. “Ryker mentioned he hoped Bash would be able to unearth what causes your magic to manifest. Any luck?”

  I shook my head, enjoying the way the sun bathed my face. Although I’d spent many nights alone, locked in my room, I hadn’t gotten around to enjoying lying in the sun or sitting on a bench in the gardens—both things I would have done at home. “Not yet.”