Nine Tails Collection 1-3: Kitsune and Shaman novel

by J. L. Weil

  I blinked, wondering if I was more tired than I thought. I glanced over my shoulder, but shook it off and walked inside. “Who? How could you possibly know someone who works in a club?”

  A grin split over his lips. “I got connections.”

  “Expand on these so-called connections.” Music pumped from inside, the heavy beat making the floor vibrate under my feet.

  “Supernova isn’t your typical club. The owner is a Shojo.”

  “From the Second Moon?” I whispered. I had no stinking idea what a Shojo was, but it had a fae ring to it.

  He nodded, giving my hand a squeeze. “The bartender, the bouncer, and half the patrons in here are from the regions of the Otherworld.”

  Oh. My. God. It was a super hangout. “I’m not going to be required to flash my fox eyes for verification or something, right?”

  Devyn leaned close to my ear. “Nah. You’re with me. Now relax. And let’s get a drink.”

  My legs carried me through the hallway that spilled into a large circular room. Blue, purple, and green lights flashed in time with the music. The air was thick with booze, perfume, and sweat. Not an unpleasant scent, but it overwhelmed my Kitsune senses. Tables lined the outer edges of the room, and smack-dab in the center was an oval-shaped bar, with bodies dancing around the perimeter. As we maneuvered through the dance floor, I scanned the crowd, surprised to see so many people around my age.

  Devyn’s smile turned dangerously close to a leer as he watched me take it all in. “You look out of your element, Kitten. Have you never snuck into a club before?”

  “I’ve been to clubs before,” I defended. “But that was before I knew about faes.”

  The bartender glanced up from pouring something on tap, and I was kind of dumbstruck by his roguish face. Silver studs glinted in his nose and brows, along with the numerous holes in his ears. “Hey man, I heard you’d made the jump and wondered when I would see you in here. What can I get you, Sin Eater?”

  “The usual,” Devyn replied.

  The bartender’s gaze roamed over me. “Is this your Kitsune?”

  “Kitten, this is Reilly,” Devyn introduced.

  Reilly was a supernatural. The moment he turned his whiskey-colored eyes to mine, I felt the zing. My fox recognized him as something—I just didn’t know what that something was. Another shifter, maybe? I was dying to ask, but didn’t want to seem rude. “Hey,” I said, keeping it short.

  “You’re far too pretty to be hanging with this thug,” Reilly remarked, sliding a tall beer to the guy on the other side of me.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off Reilly. “Maybe so, but he’s good to have around.”

  “What can I get you to drink, sweetheart?” Reilly asked, winking.

  “Um…” I racked my brain, trying to recall an alcoholic beverage that would make me look cool. My mind plucked the first thing I could think of. “A mai tai?” What am I even saying? Was that really the best I could come up with under pressure?

  Reilly grinned, flipping a plastic cup up on the bar. “Don’t party much, do you?”

  Color morphed into my cheeks. Thank God the lighting sucked in the club. “Is it that obvious?”

  Devyn and Reilly both grinned. “You keep hanging out with this one, and he’ll show you the ways,” Reilly said.

  Devyn didn’t really strike me as a partier. He was so disciplined in his abilities and relentless with his rules, but that just showed how much I didn’t know about the Shaman who knew everything about me.

  “You still have that place up in the Alps?” Devyn asked as Reilly set two drinks in front of us, one being a very bright and colorful dark orangey-red-and-yellow liquid that looked like a sunrise.

  Reilly leaned his elbows on the bar top. “Maybe. Who’s asking?”

  Devyn arched a brow.

  “Damn, you’re going to try to hide her? You know that won’t last. Both Ryker and Talin have scouts tracking her scent.”

  Old news.

  “She isn’t safe here,” Devyn persisted. “I just need a place to lay low for a few weeks. We won’t be staying long.”

  Reilly studied Devyn before saying anything. “Okay. But, it’s only temporary.”

  Devyn nodded, the stiffness in his shoulders relaxing. “That’s all we need. A few weeks at most.”

  And then what? Since I had told Devyn I was leaving after graduation, we hadn’t talked much about where we would go. I’d assumed he would figure it out, and it looked like he had, but was I ready?

  I stirred the straw around in my pretty drink, suddenly not feeling much in the party mood. Leaving Seaside Heights was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

  “The drink won’t kill you.”

  Devyn’s voice knocked me out of my head. While I’d been lost in my own thoughts, Reilly had stepped away to help a trio of girls on the other side of the bar. “Us coming here wasn’t just about celebrating our birthdays, was it?”

  Devyn’s eyes swept the club, and he took a sip from his glass, a crystal liquid tinged with an aqua color that seemed to make the cup glow. “It wasn’t planned, but why waste the opportunity?”

  That got me thinking about Devyn’s past birthdays. What had they been like? Did they have parties and sleepovers in the Second Moon? “How do you celebrate in the Thornland?” I inquired.

  His lips remained curved as Devyn shrugged. “There wasn’t much time for birthday parties. Training in Thornland was disciplined and regimented.” He held up his glass. “This was the only celebration we had.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Getting shitfaced?”

  “Hey, not everyone is a Goody Two-shoes.”

  “I resent that label. I’m not an angel.”

  A lopsided grin teased his lips. “I know.”

  Warmth cascaded through my veins, and it wasn’t the drink.

  By the time I was halfway through my second mai tai, I was worry-free, giddy, and having more fun than I thought possible. I had even managed to drag Devyn on the dance floor. For someone who grumbled and complained, the Shaman could move.

  Breathless, I sucked down the rest of my drink just as a prickle tiptoed down my spine. I lifted my gaze and noticed a guy with icy-blond hair staring at me. Quickly averting my eyes, I didn’t think much of it, until I snuck another peek. He was still ogling me like I was the last piece of strawberry shortcake in the world.

  My hand itched to smack his eyeballs out of his head. Note to self: Do not make eye contact.

  Shit!

  I made eye contact again, and now he was strutting my way. What do I do?

  The sleazy blond slinked up beside, giving me a dirty once-over. “Do you work for UPS? I could have sworn I saw you checking out my package.”

  I snorted, covering the fits of giggle that were threatening to break free. “Sorry, it’s just that it was so small…”

  Devyn was suddenly in the guy’s face, and before I could say anything, his fist struck through the air like a cobra, slamming into the douchebag’s jaw. He stumbled backward, ramming into some poor girl on the dance floor. The two of them went down, hitting the floor with him landing on top of the girl in the sparkly gold dress.

  “Come on, Kitten. It’s time to go.” Devyn plucked me off the stool.

  “Holy shit, Devyn.” I busted out laughing. It was the alcohol, because I normally didn’t condone violence, unless someone was trying to kill me.

  Devyn was scowling as he grabbed my hand. We sidestepped the chaos happening. People were gathering, murmuring and gawking, a few offering to help up douchebag and the unlucky girl who softened his fall.

  “Was he from the Otherworld?” I asked, lowering my voice to what I thought was a conservative volume. It was hard to tell, having to compete with the music to be heard.

  “No. He was just an asshole,” he ground out.

  “Devyn! You can’t punch every guy who has a cheesy pickup line.”

  “Watch me.”

  Inside, I was grinning. He was jealous. That
shouldn’t make me happy, but it did. Then again, I could be overthinking the whole jealous boyfriend angle. It could be he was only trying to protect me.

  Devyn dragged me through the club, down a small flight of stairs and past a door with the words Danger! Keep Out! painted in bold yellow. I tried to dig my heels in so I could ask him about the door, but he wasn’t having it.

  He busted through the exit and into the night, but that was as far as we got. Two Silvermyst stood at the doorway, their skin flashing in the dim light. They wore their trademark black suits. Son of a bitch.

  Devyn planted himself in front of me. “You two look a little overdressed. I think you might be at the wrong party.”

  I tried to peek over his shoulder.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” one of the Silvermyst said, grinning evilly.

  Fancy my left butt cheek.

  “I somehow doubt this is a chance encounter,” Devyn growled. “You guys really know how to interrupt a good time.” And with that note, he launched forward, unsheathing both swords from his back.

  If I didn’t know better, I would think Devyn was enjoying himself, fighting with the two faes. Dancing and dodging each attack, the Silvermyst snarled curses and lunged back at Devyn. The Shaman was playing with them. He could have ended them both already if he had chosen.

  “Devyn,” I more or less whined, asking him to speed things up.

  He got the message loud and clear. “Anything for the birthday girl.” Spinning with a speed I’d come to expect from him, he kicked a Silvermyst up against the wall. Two seconds later, his left blade found its way into the fae’s heart, and Wrath got the reward of eating his soul. The other Silvermyst went berserk, charging at Devyn, his shining shoes pounding on the ground. I opened my mouth to scream a warning, but the Shaman was already in motion. His back was to the advancing Silvermyst, who released a roar of rage, and an instant before the attacker hit Devyn, he thrust both blades under his arms, straight at the man. The sharp tips slid into the Silvermyst’s flesh, and the roar turned into a cry of shock. Poof. He was gone.

  Securing the blades at his back, I watched as Wrath and Fury disappeared. Devyn turned to face me. “Where to, Kitten?”

  I shook my head.

  I gave him directions to one of my favorite spots in Seaside Heights. It had been years since I’d been to the lighthouse, and after all the excitement I’d had so far, I wanted to sit over the water and watch the sunrise with Devyn. I wanted quiet.

  We climbed the wooden spiral staircase inside the circular tower that sat on the edge of a private beach. Why not add trespassing to the list of laws we were breaking tonight? Devyn had his hands on my ass and was more or less pushing me up. When was the last time I had pulled a stunt like this? Freshman year with Jesse and Hannah?

  It had been too long.

  Residual fuzziness from the mai tais threw my balance out of whack, and my foot slipped, but Devyn was there to catch me.

  I giggled. Guess I shouldn’t have had that second drink. I still couldn’t believe Devyn had snuck us into a bar.

  “Whoa there, lightweight, watch your step,” he murmured close to my ear, and I shivered.

  I leaned back against his chest, forcing him to hold us both upright and not topple down the stairs. He could handle it and so much more. I’d convinced myself that Devyn was indestructible. “You’ll save me. You always do.” I tried not to think about my slurred speech.

  “I will,” he said, his hot breath over the back of my neck.

  My body was humming, and although there was a breathtaking view all around us from the panoramic windows, I could only think about Devyn’s hands on me. “We should have sex and get it over with,” I blurted.

  “Is that so?” he chuckled.

  “Then maybe I won’t feel like I’m on fire all the time.”

  “It would only offer a temporary cure. Trust me, the heat comes back.”

  “Are you a virgin?” I heard myself ask. There was no whiting that out. If I had been sober, I would have been appalled by my behavior. Tomorrow I’d lock myself in my room, too embarrassed to show my face. And yet, my mouth continued to flap. “I mean, it’s only fair to tell me. You already know I am.”

  “Oh, Kitten, what am I going to do with you?” he mused, his voice glittering with tomfoolery.

  “Make sure I get home before my parents wake up.” I didn’t want them to think I had run off again. Once was enough.

  “You do feel warm,” he said, suddenly sounding concerned. “Let’s get you some air.”

  I couldn’t agree more. Since my first shift, I noticed that my body temp ran hotter than normal, but the alcohol seemed to amp things up to feverish levels.

  There were gated railings secured around the top of the lighthouse. Good thing. My balance was a bit dodgy, and I would have hated to lose my balance and tip over the edge. Sitting down, we let our feet dangle below, nothing but dark sky and black waters in front of us. “Isn’t this beautiful? It’s like sitting on the edge of the world.”

  Below, the sea lapped against the shore, and the moonlit horizon went on for as far as the eye could see—even further for the fox inside me. It was magnificent. I tipped up my face, soaking in the cool mist carried by the evening winds. The air smelled of sea and Devyn’s woodsy cologne. I wanted to breathe it in.

  “I’ve never seen anything prettier in my life,” he whispered.

  Smiling, I turned to see Devyn staring at me. I wanted to kiss him, to taste the starlight on his skin and the moondust on his lips. My eyes drifted to his mouth. Devyn was a temptation I found I couldn’t forget. “Do you really think we can hide from them?” Them being all the Silvermysts, Karura, and any other fae my great uncles sent to hunt me down.

  “Not forever, but we can buy some time. And when you’re strong enough, we can seek refuge in Willowland. There are people who would help shield you until your full power has been achieved.”

  If I’m able to reach all nine tails. There was no guarantee I would be able to accomplish such a monumental feat. My grandfather had been the last Kitsune with nine tails, and he had been over a hundred when he died. “When do you think I’ll be able to see it?”

  “Traveling between realms isn’t simple,” he said, staring up at the sky. “There aren’t portals you can just step through. If you had been born there, you would be able to move freely from one world to the other, but because you’ve never seen the Second Moon, your ability to jump will have to be earned through an ability.”

  “Can’t you take me?” I asked, wanting something to be simple for once.

  Devyn gave me a sidelong glance. “There are ways, and if I thought you would be safe there, we wouldn’t be wasting our time on Earth.”

  I yawned, and rested my head on his shoulder. My thoughts were spinning faster than I could keep up with them. The very idea of leaving Seaside Heights had panic slicing through my chest. Leaving home meant abandoning Jesse and Hannah. It meant I wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on my mom, make sure she wasn’t getting worse.

  There were so many reasons to stay, but one important reason to go.

  That reason trumped all excuses for me to remain close to those I couldn’t bear to leave.

  I had to do the right thing.

  Chapter Three

  Blood pounded drumbeats through my temples as I dragged myself down the stairs, keeping one hand on the wall. It was a slow, agonizing process, and I was lured to turn around and go back to bed. The sun was too bright. The sounds from the kitchen were too noisy, and my body was screaming at me for staying out last night. The only thing keeping me going today was my birthday. I was expected to show up to breakfast with an excited smile on my face for a day of fun.

  Problem was, I wasn’t feeling up to it. Between the overindulgence at the club and only running on four hours of sleep, I could have been an extra on The Walking Dead, without any makeup.

  “What does the birthday girl want for breakfast?” Dad asked, offering me a boisterous
smile.

  A barf bag.

  On birthday mornings, Dad always cooked a special breakfast. It had been something I always looked forward to. Today was an exception.

  I stood in the doorway with my hand to my head, wondering if the lights in the kitchen were always so blinding. I blinked and croaked, “Coffee.”

  “Just brewed a pot.” Dad was at the stove. The hair at his temples was peppered with gray, but it didn’t make him appear old.

  I shuffled across the kitchen, seriously thinking about grabbing my sunglasses.

  “So what will it be? Bacon, blueberry pancakes, Denver omelet?” Dad listed off my available options.

  My skin turned greener if possible. “No bacon. Definitely not bacon.”

  He ruffled the top of my head. “Happy Birthday, Kit Kat. Blueberry pancakes, coming up.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Opening the cupboard, I grabbed my Sweet and Sassy mug, although I was feeling neither sweet nor sassy at the moment.

  He turned around and studied me. “You feel okay?”

  I ran a hand through my tousled dark hair. “Tired. Turning eighteen isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.”

  Dad chuckled and glanced at me from the corner of his eye as he gathered ingredients. “What’s the big plan for tonight?”

  Little did Dad know the birthday celebration had already begun last night. I was thinking a nap and shower were first on my to-do list. I shrugged, pouring a cup of coffee. “Just hanging out with Jesse and Hannah. The usual.”

  “No Devyn?”

  I was surprised he didn’t choke over his name. My father let his displeasure of the Shaman be loudly known. “Nope. We’re going old school tonight.”

  “Pizza and cake?” he guessed.

  I sat down on a stool and got my first jolt of caffeine. “Am I that obvious?”

  He smiled. “I think there is no better way to celebrate my little girl becoming a young woman.”

  Images from last night flashed in my head, making my cheeks burn. I took a huge gulp of coffee, hoping to erase any lingering smell of sweet liqueurs.

  Sitting at the table, I set down the mug and checked my text messages as Dad worked his magic in the kitchen. There was comfort in the familiar sounds and smells. I had two messages: one from Hannah and another from Jesse, both wishing me a happy birthday.