Celestial Shift: A Young Adult Kitsune Paranormal Romance (Nine Tails Book 9)

by J. L. Weil

  I blinked at the Shaman, my gaze running over the sharp angles of his face, right before I vomited. Thankfully, Devyn had the good sense to dart to the left as I folded over and emptied my stomach, not that I had much to lose, but the bile left a trail of hot acid in my throat. Once more I wretched, unable to shake the cold that rippled through me.

  Sitting down, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Devyn sat beside me, pulling me into his arms. Trying to calm my breathing, I laid my head on his shoulder, leaning into him. My body was so damn tired, still shivering, teeth chattering.

  “You okay?” he asked, his voice matching the worry in his expression.

  His strength kept me from passing out, slipping into a different kind of oblivion than the one from which I’d just escaped. Unconsciousness sounded serene after what I’d experienced. I wanted to turn my mind off, forget, but I had a sneaky suspicion that the blight’s touch would follow me even there.

  “It wants me,” I whispered, staring into the dark beyond Devyn’s shoulder. “It wants my power.” It suddenly became clear, if I didn’t proceed with caution, I would end up feeding the blight instead of killing it.

  Kai sat down on the other side of me, his arms resting on his knees. “That’s why it hasn’t kicked us out yet,” he mused, concluding the very same thing that I had.

  It wanted me here. Perhaps it had even lured me because I was an amplifier. With my power, it could bleed its evil into other worlds at a faster rate. It was growing impatient, tired of waiting, its hunger for power aggressive and expanding.

  “Likely,” Devyn agreed, his gaze staring at the spot where my fingers had been. Imprints were left in the scorched earth, separating itself from the corruption.

  Kai also studied the spot. He shifted, letting his hand brush over the dirt. “Word of advice, little queen. No touching.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No shit. I kind of figured that one out on my own. A pre-warning would have been nice though. I could have done without the theatrics.”

  Devyn scowled but agreed with his stepbrother. “For now, I think it would be wise if you didn’t use your magic.”

  I made a mental note. Do not touch the earth, at least not with my magic. Or perhaps not at all.

  As the thought went through my head, the ground under my feet trembled, as if the blight was laughing at me. Although, it could very well be throwing a mini tantrum.

  “Are you hurt?” Devyn asked, flecks of concern shimmering in the center of his sharp eyes.

  “No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Just shaken up. It took me by surprise.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Kai muttered. “I thought my dear brother was about to destroy the world.”

  Ignoring Kai, the Shaman stood, extending a hand to me. “We need to leave here.”

  “As in, leave Katsura or just this spot?” I asked, placing my fingers in his.

  Devyn pulled me to my feet, keeping a hand at the small of my back. His eyes held mine. “I’ve said it before, but gods, it stops my heart each time I lose you…”

  His voice softly brushed my mind. Whether he had actually said it or was just thinking it, I wasn’t sure, our mating bond was still something new to me.

  “I hate to interrupt such a private moment the two of you seem to be having,” Kai offered, now on his feet and brushing the dirt off him. “But we have company.” His lapis eyes went skyward.

  Wings beat the air above our heads and I cast my gaze upward, seconds after Devyn did. The fox within me roared to the surface, an instinct to defend that had become second nature here in the Second Moon taking over me. So much for not using magic. It was an unconscious part of me now.

  My mind went through a list of winged fae. There were many, many that lived here and had wings the size of airplanes. Creatures too, and most of them were not friendly.

  I wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and fall asleep, not have to worry about being abducted, have my magic stolen or siphoned from me. The threats never ended. My heart hammered against my ribs as the beating drew closer, the creature still shielded by the thick smog that hung in the air, making visibility low.

  Devyn unsheathed Wrath and Fury, flipping them forward over his shoulders. The blades sang, creating tingling magic in the air as he stepped in front of me.

  "Should we welcome our company?" Kai asked, a sandy brow lifting mockingly.

  Devyn cursed under his breath.

  "I love a good party, especially kicking out an unruly guest." Kai never stopped, but in a way, his banter had a way of relaxing the tension that tightened my muscles.

  "Isn't that usually you?" Devyn countered, the muscles on his back flexing harshly, their movement visible even over the tunic he wore. Fae fighting attire.

  I hadn’t yet gotten used to the clothing of the fae. Its weight was lighter, despite the material being able to withstand all manners of attacks and weapons, the threads woven with magic.

  Cocking his head to the side, Kai slightly lifted his shoulder. "True. But there is always a first for everything."

  Power circulated in my blood as I rolled my eyes, but I was careful to keep it contained, to not release into the world unless absolutely necessary.

  Listening, I attempted to pinpoint the newcomer’s location. I didn't like surprises, and the more intently I listened, a knot of familiarity threaded in my gut. I couldn’t shake the notion that I'd come in contact before with that winged fae or creature.

  "It's a dragon," Devyn revealed moments before a large body broke through the darkness above our heads.

  He was indeed right. It was a dragon.

  Neither Kai nor Devyn lowered their guard, it hadn't been decided if the creature was friendly or not.

  The three of us continued to monitor the shifter as it circled overhead, scanning the ground below. Wings spread out wide, the dragon soared toward the ground straight at us. Scales the color of amber and cream peppered the shifter's body and again, familiarity tugged in the back of my mind.

  The dragon’s whiskey-hued eyes met mine as he hovered just feet from the ground, those large wings creating a gust of wind each time they flapped.

  “Reilly?” I mumbled, unable to believe it possible.

  Chapter Two

  DEVYN

  Lowering my blades, I waited for the dragon to shift into a man. He did so with a seamless transition, the process nothing more than a few seconds, and if you blinked too long, you might miss the shift entirely. The massive trail shrunk. Clawed hands and feet turned to human fingers and toes, and the scales that normally glittered became fae skin.

  “Reilly,” Karina sighed. She sauntered over to the shifter and hugged him.

  Thank God that fae magic allowed for clothing to shift with those who possessed the ability. It was really up to the shifter whether to transform with or without attire. Although nudity in the Second Moon wasn’t as taboo as where Karina was from, most shifting fae chose to maintain a bit of modesty.

  “Hey, Your Highness,” Reilly greeted, his arms coming around her to return the hug.

  The bond between us rumbled in my blood as I stood beside Kai, frowning. I wasn’t pleased seeing his arms on my mate. A million questions tumbled through my head, my suspicious nature taking root.

  Karina flashed Reilly a grin as she pulled back. “The last time I saw you…” A flash of remorse flickered through her dark blue eyes.

  “It was in the Clove, when I helped you escape,” Reilly supplied.

  I had to give him credit. He was able to keep the lighthearted smile in place, but I saw the slightest tick along his jaw. Whatever happened after Karina and I left Orangeoland hadn’t been good.

  “You were never discovered?” Her voice was hopeful but also suggested she thought the idea was too good to be true.

  My gaze shot Reilly a stern look over Karina’s shoulder, the warning clear in my expression. Lie to absolve her of more guilt. She had enough. Or he would have to deal with me.

  The
bastard ignored my warning.

  “Oh, no. Ryker’s men found me and figured out that I had aided in your escape. Your uncle wasn’t too happy,” the shifter admitted.

  Karina winced. “Do I even want to know what he did to you?” She braced herself for the worst, and I thought about clobbering Reilly right then, but figured it would be best when he least expected it.

  “I’m the dragon heir,” he replied with a hint of superiority that I’d expect from Kai. Reilly wasn’t one to usually throw around his statue, otherwise he and I wouldn’t have become friends. “Despite what Ryker thinks I did, he doesn’t have the authority to touch me,” the shifter assured.

  He spoke the truth, but Ryker, like Talin, didn’t always obey the old laws of fae.

  “There are perks to being royalty,” Kai added, wickedness sparkling in his eyes like tiny stars. “Even for a useless dragon.” Kai had to get in a dig. He couldn’t have just stopped when he was ahead, but it was not surprising, considering there was no lost love between my stepbrother and Reilly.

  “I see you haven’t dumped the baggage.” Reilly glared at Kai, whose grin only broadened. “But some things have changed since we were last together, Your Highness.” His whiskey-color eyes narrowed, shifting to me. “You mated with the Shaman.”

  Karina’s pale cheeks warmed slightly, putting some color back into them, which she needed, but it irked me that Reilly had been the one to put it there. “Um, it sort of just happened.”

  Reilly’s lips pursed into a knowing smirk. “I get it. Alone, on the sea. I can’t blame the Shaman for wanting you. He held out longer than I would have. And you have a few more tails.”

  Karina lifted a brow. “How can you tell?”

  “Your fae aura gives off more power. It is like a shield around you, just waiting in the wings to be unleashed.”

  I slid up to Karina’s side, putting a possessive hand on her back, a movement Reilly caught.

  Just what the hell was the dragon shifter doing here? It wasn’t just to play catch up with my mate. I had mixed feelings about my old friend. He had made it clear early on what his intention was with my mate. Was it true that he would make Karina and Katsura a fair and just king?

  Possibly. Better than Kai sitting on the throne, or worse yet, Talin. But that didn’t mean I’d let him become her partner. Fae rules be damned. I was her mate. I’d made my choice and I’d live with the consequences.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, my expression schooled.

  “The better question is, how did you find us?” Kai posed as he sauntered beside me, boots crunching over the ground. Kai was not Reilly’s biggest fan. They both desired the same thing from Karina—to be her king.

  Reilly had embraced his punk rocker side, a silver stud pierced his brow and another his nose, not to mention the dozen or so in his ears. His golden-brown eyes grazed over Kai and me as if we weren’t important, settling on Karina. “I heard your call,” the shifter replied gently. “It sounded as if you were in trouble.”

  Her call?

  When had she…? Had it been during those long moments the blight had abducted her? I’d never seen anything like it. She had been sitting right in front of me. A heartbeat later, she was gone, nothing but blackness where her body had been, merging somehow with the shadowy world that was now Katsura.

  “She’s fine as you can see,” Kai sneered as he side-eyed my mate.

  “I’d rather hear it from the queen herself,” Reilly challenged, making it known that he didn’t trust a thing from Kai’s mouth.

  All eyes suddenly focused on the Kitsune. “You called him for help?” Kai asked, his voice dripping with distaste, his nose wrinkled like the dragon smelled bad.

  The muscles in her back tensed under my hand. “I don’t know. I must have, but I didn’t do it on purpose.”

  Reilly lifted a brow. “Did something happen?”

  “You could say that,” she mumbled, her wariness coming through our bond. She wasn’t ready to relive those moments again, not so soon.

  “As Kai said, everything is under control now,” I reinforced, getting the point across.

  Reilly’s gaze skimmed over the state of Katsura. “Everything but the welfare of this kingdom. When I flew in, I was startled by how much had been taken by the blight. Never would I have thought to see our capital in such a condition. It is unrecognizable.”

  I nodded but my eyes darted over the barren trees surrounding us. “It is, which is why we need to get Karina to Halcyon.”

  “Halcyon?” Karina repeated, tipping her face up toward mine.

  “Yes, it is what we call the heart of Katsura; the castle where the king and queen dwells.” She’d come such a long way from the high school girl I met those months ago. “But the blight is hindering our journey. It is not safe for us to continue to travel on foot.”

  Reilly winked at the Kitsune. “Then it’s a good thing I showed up.”

  “You’d be willing to take us to the city? Even knowing all the risks?” she asked, leaning back into my chest, her exhaustion trickling in through our connection.

  “I can’t guarantee your safety,” I clarified, stressing that this wasn’t an easy request. He needed to really consider what he offered.

  Reilly’s teasing smile was lost, and he became the warrior and dragon heir. “I’d give my life to save this world and the fae in it. I have a family too that I want to protect. Besides, you’re not alone out here.” Those warm, whiskey-colored eyes brightened and narrowed when he zeroed in on a spot over my left shoulder.

  That was good enough for me. Not that I cared all too much what happened to the shifter. My first and only concern was Karina.

  “Ass kisser,” Kai coughed.

  Reilly shook his head, a ghostly smirk tugging at his lips. “The world is on the brink of ending and you haven’t changed a bit.”

  Kai crossed his arms, grinning fiendishly. “Is that a bad thing?”

  Eyeing the Unseelie, Reilly drew up his shoulders. “I’m not sure.”

  “What can I say? I’m true to myself.” Kai shrugged indifferently.

  “Or delusional,” I muttered, unable to stop myself from taking the shot, and earning me an elbow in the belly from Kitten.

  She didn’t put much force into the jab, however, offering Reilly a smile of gratitude. “I can’t thank you enough. You have no idea what your help means to me.”

  The shifter tipped his head in a small bow. “It is my pleasure, Your Highness.”

  I sensed her blush as she brushed off the title, shifting uncomfortably at such formality. “You have got to stop calling me that. We’re friends.”

  Reilly’s eyes glittered. He knew precisely how bashful she still was about being royal, and all the responsibility that came with it. “Are we?” he posed.

  “Yes,” she stated matter of factly.

  Kai’s brow creased deeply, his eyes regarding Reilly distrustfully. “You expect me to ride a dragon?”

  I threw Kai a scathing look. “If you have a problem with it, you can always stay behind.” I wouldn’t be so lucky, but truth be told, I needed Kai, needed him on our side to help me keep Katsura’s heir alive.

  He knew it too.

  “Like hell. And miss all the danger, destruction, and death?” Kai gave a grin that didn’t meet his eyes. “Not likely.”

  Did he have to be so dramatic all the time?

  Honestly, this was the longest Kai and I had ever spent in each other’s company. Strange that I didn’t find him quite as abhorrent as I used to do. Either Karina was making me soft, or she had changed my stepbrother. She brought out a side of him very few people ever got to witness.

  A long breath blew out of Reilly’s mouth, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, before we leave, I feel I must warn you. Talin is on his way. He has gathered his troops and put out a summons to his dogs.”

  “Shit.” The curse rolled off my tongue. The mention of Talin’s dogs made the hairs on my arms stand on end. I u
sed to be one of his dogs. We all used to be one of Talin’s trusted elite warriors, a select group of fae he used to do his dirty work—work that often balked against fae law.

  Reilly wasn’t telling us information we hadn’t already anticipated. I knew Talin wanted war—and was preparing for it. I just stupidly hoped we’d have more time to prepare. Karina still had to acquire her final tail—the one that counted and would make the difference between life and death in the Second Moon.

  “We expected as much,” I informed dryly.

  Recognition flared in Reilly’s eyes when our expressions remained unchanged, understanding that this wasn’t news to us. “He will wage war against Katsura for the throne.”

  “That’s assuming there is a kingdom left to take,” Karina muttered, her gaze once again glancing over the patch of dead land we could see. Beyond, the air was too polluted with dark fog to see what lay ahead.

  A protective fire rose in me, and I touched Karina’s arm, offering her comfort and encouragement. I hated the doubt that still lingered within her. “Make no mistake, he will still try to take your power, but he will settle for your kingdom. It’s the true prize, to rule over the Second Moon.”

  Reilly’s brows bunched together. “But without her power, he can’t keep the blight from destroying everything.”

  “I’m not sure he wants to destroy it,” Kai countered solemnly.

  Karina’s head whipped toward my stepbrother at his statement, her mind processing. I’d already wondered the same as Kai, knowing Talin and his thirst for power, regardless of how it was achieved. He might very well side with the darkness.

  For a moment, Kai and I conferred on something.

  “Fuck,” Reilly expelled on a shuddering breath. “Can you imagine?” The dragon’s gaze took another look at the world surrounding us, sadness flashing into his eyes.

  “I’d rather not,” Kai replied hauntingly, his shadows rippling around him and sending a tremble of his magic into the air.

  “Ironic, coming from an Unseelie. Are you sure you won’t join him?” Reilly asked tightly. “Perhaps you already have. It would explain why you’ve stayed so close to her.”