Nine Tails Collection 1-3: Kitsune and Shaman novel

by J. L. Weil

  He saw the look in my eyes. “Look, before you take a bite out of me, we need to talk.”

  I grabbed the ends of my sweater and whipped it over my head, leaving me in only a tank. “Okay, but make it quick.”

  He lifted a brow. “Um, I shouldn’t have kissed you. Again.”

  Wow. I hadn’t expected that. Maybe I should have. Out of nowhere, he took back the one thing I couldn’t get out of my head—the one thing I’d been holding on to—our soul-shattering kiss. It was all that made sense in this crazy world. I’d never been kissed the way Devyn smooched. It was as if he had the ability to touch the essence of my soul with his lips, and I wanted to do it again. And again. Hell, I’d be fine with kissing Devyn every second of the day but, apparently, he didn’t feel the same.

  “Oh,” I replied, my hands falling to my side. “Is there a reason we shouldn’t kiss?”

  “Only a hundred,” he muttered.

  “In that case, I’m glad we got that out of the way. It was awkward.”

  “My kissing was awkward?” he echoed, his eyebrows squishing together. “You didn’t seem to mind at the time.”

  His poor little ego was bruised because I wasn’t falling at his feet. Please. I’m sure there were plenty of guys who could kiss my socks off… I just hadn’t been kissed by that many…yet.

  This nonchalant attitude I was trying to convince myself I was feeling was utter bull crap. I was hurt. Devyn had the power to hurt me, and he didn’t even know it. Somehow that made it worse. For someone who claimed he knew me inside and out, how could he not see this?

  And when the hell had he become so important to me? We only met a little more than a month ago, but I couldn’t deny it felt as if I had known Devyn my whole life, like I had with Hannah and Jesse. It had to have been the link. It made sense. We’d been born on the same day, the same time even, and it created a bond, one I couldn’t fathom and barely understood.

  I shrugged. “I’m not the one apologizing. If you don’t like me, it’s fine. I’m not going to beg you to feel something you don’t.”

  Like lightning flashing across a dark sky he moved, invading my personal bubble. “Kitten, I feel too much. That’s the problem. Starting something like this could complicate things for all of us.”

  Disbelief thundered through me. “You’ve said that before. Maybe I’m tired of keeping things simple and safe.”

  His emerald eyes flickered over my face. “Maybe we both are, and if it was only about you and me I’d kiss you right now, but there are people who are depending on us, like your mom.”

  “I don’t understand. What does she have to do with you and me?”

  He shook his head, taking a step back. “You need to be concentrating on getting your powers; without them, we have no hope in saving those we love.”

  I wasn’t the only one at risk of losing someone. Devyn had family, too. Sometimes, I was so wrapped in what I was feeling and what I was going through, I forgot he’d had a whole life before he showed up in mine. “You don’t think I’m trying? I have no clue what I’m doing. And each day, I can see my mom getting weaker.” This wasn’t helping my frustration.

  “That’s why you’re here. So we can figure this out.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “Yeah, well, nothing is working, genius.”

  “I told you it could take time. There’s no easy way to go about this, or every Kitsune in the Second Moon would have nine tails.”

  “I don’t have time,” I shot back, feeling like a broken record.

  “If you quit your job, hell, quit school, you’d have more time.”

  “Oh, that’s rich, Devyn. Whatever. You know what? Screw this. Screw you.”

  His brows pinched. “You keep running away and you’ll never figure out the mystery.”

  That was it. I’d had enough. Coming here hadn’t been such a good idea, not when I was feeling so out of sorts and bitchy. I flipped him the bird as I stomped toward the door, throwing it open, and without another word I strutted out of his apartment.

  I made it home without falling apart, even though my throat was clogged with heavy emotion. Fighting with Devyn hadn’t been on my agenda, but I’d been so frustrated, angry, and sad the last few days, I exploded. Now, I only felt useless and hopeless.

  I couldn’t go inside and face my parents, face the fact I might only be a one-tail Kitsune. Not just yet.

  Laying my head against the seat, I stared up at the sky, praying I wouldn’t see any winged Karuras descending upon me. That would be the icing on the freaking cake.

  I hated Devyn St. Cyr with every bone in my body. Who did he think he was, telling me we needed to keep our relationship strictly professional? He had kissed me. Twice. I’d just been a willing partner. Very willing.

  Who was I kidding? Since the insanely good-looking Shaman came into my life, he occupied my thoughts, my dreams, and my fantasies. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the ache in my chest, but it wasn’t working.

  My bottom lip trembled, and I knew I was going to lose the battle. Dropping my head into my hands, the stupid tears streamed down my cheeks as I lost control. Soon the tears turned to sobs, the kind that shook my body.

  Through the weepy mess, there was a tiny knock on the driver side window. “K? What’s wrong? What happened?” Jesse appeared on the other side, his stormy eyes churning, and then he was opening the door.

  I couldn’t say anything and shook my head. The stupid tears kept falling, and I was afraid they wouldn’t stop. He pulled me out of the car, and I buried my face into his shirt. He let me soak his shirt until the tears had subsided. I lifted my head.

  Jesse took one look at my puffy red eyes and trembling bottom lip and growled, “I’m going to kill him.” I tried to turn away but Jesse wouldn’t let me, quickly enveloping me in his arms again.

  There was no question who he was going to destroy, but what Jesse didn’t understand was it was more than just my spat with Devyn that had me breaking down. That had been the tip of the iceberg.

  I sniffled. “For what? Not wanting to date me?” I hadn’t meant for the words to blurt out, but this was Jesse and it was hard to keep things from him.

  Jesse’s arms tightened around me. “What a fool. He isn’t worth your time, K. There are literally a dozen guys at school who would give their left nut for a single date with you.”

  I let out a soppy giggle and lifted my head. “Really? A left nut?”

  He brushed a finger over my cheek, catching a tear. “It made you smile, didn’t it?”

  Jesse always knew how to make me feel better. I lay my head on his shoulder, wiping the tracks of tears from my face with my palm. “Thanks.”

  His hand ran over my hair. “What are friends for?”

  “Are we still friends?” I asked, looking up at him from under wet, clumpy lashes.

  Jesse eyed me. “Depends. Are you still seeing that douchebag?”

  “Jesse, that’s not fair. Devyn and I had a fight. It doesn’t make him a bad person.”

  He pressed his lips together. “If he makes you cry, it does in my book.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He isn’t the first guy I’ve ever cried over.”

  “Who else? Tyler Blackthorn? That was, like, when we were in fifth grade, and if you remember, Tyler got a split lip.”

  I laughed. “Tyler deserved it.” Silence descended between us, and I was suddenly aware how close Jesse and I were. I took a step out of his arms, running a hand through my windblown hair. “I’m really sorry I acted like such a brat. I never should have shut you guys out like that. I don’t want to lose you as a friend. My life without you and Hannah sucks.”

  There was a pause, but then a smile slipped effortlessly over his face. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  “I missed you,” I told him, tapping my shoulder against his.

  Jesse looped an arm over my shoulder, walking me toward my porch. “I’m still going to kill him.”

  I let it go, hoping he w
as joking. I didn’t have the heart to tell Jesse he wouldn’t stand a minute with Devyn. The Shaman had an unfair advantage of being not only fae, but a freaking badass. I’d seen the guy fight, impressive on so many awesome levels.

  Stop it.

  I scolded myself. No more kissing the ground Devyn walked on. He wasn’t that amazing. He was just a guy, for goodness’ sake.

  Liar.

  Ugh. I give up. I needed to stop thinking about Devyn altogether, at least for the night—a Devyn purge. How long could I survive without a single thought of the dark-haired Shaman?

  I lasted about two minutes.

  Damn him.

  What I needed was something to keep my mind occupied. No thoughts of Kitsune, the Second Moon, or dangers lurking at every corner. And I knew just the distraction.

  Homework.

  As I flipped through my Myth and Legends textbook, a noise from outside broke my concentration. My head whipped up, going straight to the window. I had left it open, letting in the spring air that was hinting at summer. Traces of buttercups and tulips came into the room with the warm breeze.

  I caught sight of something buzzing around the screen. A hummingbird zipped past, its iridescent wings beating in a blur. Setting aside the spiral notebook on my bed I swung my feet over to the carpet, almost forgetting about what had sidetracked me to begin with.

  I listened, waiting to catch the sound again, but the only sounds was Maddie’s high-pitched annoying barking next door and the rustling of branches from the willow tree outside my window. Dmitri was still out there, and it was making me paranoid; rightly so, considering he wanted to kidnap me, take me to the Second Moon, and do God knows what once he had me there. Imprison me? Torture me? Kill me?

  What would it be like to go to another world?

  I couldn’t deny I was curious about the Second Moon. It was a part of me, and maybe it was only natural I wanted to know more about where I had gotten this extraordinary ability to shapeshift. But I’d rather go on my own terms, without being kidnapped.

  How the heck do you even get to the Second Moon? There were still so many unanswered questions. I needed to make a list, ask Mom when she was feeling up to it.

  Tingles radiated up my spine as I tore my gaze from the window to jot down the questions swimming in my head. I went to grab one of the notebooks scattered on my bed, when a dark figure caught the corner of my eye.

  My heart jackhammered in my chest until I realized it wasn’t Dmitri.

  Devyn was leaning against my closet door, looking as if he just committed a crime, dressed in all black, his hands shoved into his front pockets. “Hey, Kitten.”

  “How the hell did you—?”

  “I have skills other than just combat.”

  He was so breathtakingly attractive seeing him squeezed my chest, and I shook my head. “And those skills include sneaking into my bedroom?”

  His grin was downright wicked. “Among others.”

  “You scared the crap out of me, I’ll have you know.” I jumped off the bed, walking to where he stood as his eyes watched my every movement. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?”

  “I wanted to see if you were okay. You left in a hurry, and I didn’t want to leave things unsettled between us. It doesn’t sit well with me,” he ended in a whisper.

  I fumbled with the stone dangling around my neck, its power humming under my touch. “You could have called or sent me a text.”

  “I needed to see you for myself. There’s a shadow of unhappiness in your eyes. I saw it earlier today, and knowing I put it there makes me feel like I should kick my own ass. I still see it. I can feel it.” He rubbed the center of his chest, as if he was in physical pain.

  I was glad he was here. He wasn’t the only one who was feeling disconcerted about how things had been left between us. It was weird. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”

  He shoved off the wall, green flames leaping in his eyes. I knew that look. “You’re kind of hot when you’re angry, but when you’re sad or hurt it’s as if I’m being stabbed.”

  “Devyn, don’t.” Putting my hand on his chest, I stopped him from advancing further.

  His head tilted. “There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t stop myself from coming, from seeing you.”

  “What are you saying? That now you don’t regret kissing me?”

  “I never regretted it, only that I couldn’t keep kissing you.” His fingers raked through his hair.

  “You make my head spin. I’m barely keeping it together. You can’t keep doing this to me. I’m not a yo-yo for you to play with.”

  He reached for me. “This isn’t easy for me, either. You make me crave the impossible, make me want things that aren’t mine to want. There are rules where we come from, but when I’m with you rules don’t seem to matter,” he said achingly.

  I held up a hand, warding him off, and swallowed the lump in my throat. No! I refused to crumble again. I’d already done that. Blinking hard, I would find a way to hold it together without making a fool of myself. “I don’t know what rules you’re talking about. For me it’s black and white. You either have feelings for me or you don’t.”

  “I shouldn’t.”

  Here we go again. “Look, I’m tired. It’s been a long day. We should probably both just sleep off whatever this is.”

  But Devyn wasn’t about to let me walk away. Moving fast, he curled a finger under my chin. “Will you look at me?”

  “No,” I whispered, keeping my eyes glued to his dark shirt as I halfheartedly pushed at his chest. If I looked at him, any resolve I had would be gone. I wouldn’t be able to mask the feelings. I would be vulnerable.

  His mouth was oh-so close to mine. “You’re upset. Tell me what I did. I’ll make it better. Please. I came here to make things right between us again. Don’t shut me out, Kitten.”

  Ugh. Did he have to use that word? Kitten. I hadn’t even realized when the nickname had stopped being annoying, and became an endearment that made my heart patter. I was powerless to stop myself from glancing up, and once our eyes connected I knew my resolve was going to break. A tremor of emotion crossed his expression at seeing the misery in my eyes, and he brushed the pad of his thumb along my cheek, pressing our foreheads together. “My world is falling apart, and I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.

  “You don’t have to be strong all the time, you know. Sometimes you can lean on someone else, let them take care of you.”

  My body was saying yes, but my mind was screaming at me. Don’t do it. He has the power to hurt you. It was as if my brain shut down; I’d lost all ability to make smart decisions. “I don’t need you to—”

  He pressed his thumb to my lips, stopping me from talking, and the effect of his touch was instant. My lips tingled, electricity sparking from his fingers to my lips. I was unable to prevent the burst of craving deep in my soul. I wanted something from Devyn, something he wasn’t willing to give me.

  He leaned closer, capturing my hands between us. “I think we’ve already proven you do need me.”

  His nearness made me catch my breath. God help me. I was about to do something dumb, but an inner voice told me Devyn was worth the risk. He had the ability to make me forget that, an hour ago, I had completely sworn off all things Devyn St. Cyr.

  My mind went blank as I stood up on my tiptoes, but the second I pressed my lips to his a jumble of feelings slammed into me. “I hate rules,” I muttered.

  “Me, too,” he growled, and pulled me closer.

  I blinked, staring into his perfect face. “This isn’t a game, is it? You’re not going to tell me tomorrow that we can only be friends?”

  “No,” he said in a strangled voice as a tremor went through him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He grazed his cheek against mine. “You smell like spring in the Willowland,” he murmured. “Goodnight, Kitten. Sleep well.”

  As if that was possible after a k
iss like that. My fingers fisted around the material of his shirt, keeping him from moving away. “Don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone. Can you stay?” Holy fae overload. Did I just ask him to spend the night with me?

  His eyes searched my face, thought lines creasing his forehead. “You’re bound and determined to test my limits.” He sighed. “Only until you fall asleep.”

  I climbed into bed, turning on my side and tucked my hands under my pillow, facing Devyn.

  He opened an arm and I didn’t hesitate, snuggling up into his arms. “How many guns does your father keep in the house?” he murmured, his fingers running through the long strands of my dark hair.

  I smiled into his shirt. “You’d better sleep with one eye open.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hannah was waiting for me at my locker the next day at school. Her blonde locks were piled into a neat ponytail on her head, unlike my twisted messy bun I hadn’t bothered to comb. She was wearing cute little booties, skinny jeans, and a lacey white shirt a tad too tight in the chest. I felt like a hobo beside her, but I had an excuse. If you counted my alarm not going off this morning as a valid reason for looking like death warmed over. Devyn was nowhere in sight when I woke up, and if it hadn’t been for his lingering scent on my sheets, I would have thought I dreamed the whole night.

  “Hey,” Hannah greeted, her glossy lips giving me a sheepish grin.

  I shifted my books to one side and fumbled with the dial. “Does this mean you’re talking to me again?” I lifted the latch and shoved my books into the metal container.

  Hannah leaned her back against the neighboring locker, so she could look at me. “Depends if you plan on falling off the face of the Earth again.”

  I blinked. “That’s not what happened. If you had given me a chance to explain, you’d know that.”

  “I called you, like, a million times, K. You never answered. Not once. Not even to tell me you weren’t dead, which clearly you aren’t, but that was what I thought when I didn’t hear from you all day.”