Nine Tails Collection 1-3: Kitsune and Shaman novel

by J. L. Weil

  “How so?”

  I hesitated for some reason. “I burst into flames.”

  He blinked, dragging a hand through his midnight hair. “Wow, I hadn’t been prepared for that.”

  “You and me both. It’s not every night I dream that I morph into Pyro.”

  He gave me a funny look. It was often easy to forget Devyn hadn’t grown up in Earth. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Surprisingly fine. The fever seems to be gone.”

  “Then I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

  Except I was pretty sure when I woke up, my finger had been on fire. Explain that. “Maybe,” I replied, lackluster. Since he was here and I didn’t want to be alone, I made room for him on the bed. “Will you stay with me for the rest of the night?”

  He took longer to answer than I had anticipated, studying my face. I don’t know what he saw when he looked at me, other than a hot mess. No pun intended. “I’ll stay, but no funny business.”

  I batted my lashes innocently. “You mean like seducing you? Do I look like I am in the position to play temptress? My hair probably looks like a raccoon’s nest.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  I choked. “Are you telling me this look does something for you?” I asked, sweeping my hands down my unicorn night T-shirt.

  His gaze roamed over my attire and down my legs, making me feel far sexier than I had a moment ago. How could he do that? Make me feel beautiful when I was at my worst. It had to be a talent—a really effective talent.

  My skin flushed under his perusal.

  Settling into the bed alongside me, his shoulder brushed up against mine. “I don’t think it matters what you wear or how you look; my attraction to you goes deeper, Kitten.”

  Well, damn. Now I was going to try and seduce him, or at the very least kiss those lips I couldn’t stop staring at.

  Devyn grinned as he caught me ogling him.

  Funny business was about to ensue. My toes were tingling, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. Time seemed lost, and I wasn’t sure how long we stayed just gazing at one another, but the whole thing was intensely erotic.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, as I slipped out of bed and padded across the room.

  I shot a glance over my shoulder. “To lock the door.”

  He lifted a brow, his lips curving. “I like how your mind works.”

  I rolled my eyes and toddled back to him. “Thanks for checking up on me.” There was something in his eyes that stopped me from jumping into the bed, a dark glint of wickedness brewing.

  Devyn’s fingers grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me forward. Startled and overbalanced, I fell into bed, and as my back hit the mattress, he rolled so he was hovering over me. I gasped in surprise. He intertwined our legs, laying halfway on top of me, but kept the majority of his weight on the mattress as if not to hurt me. “I used to wonder what it would be like being here on Earth, guarding you, but I never thought it would be this complicated.”

  “I’d be lost without you. Is it wrong that I’m glad you’re tied to me?” I whispered.

  He ran the pad of his thumb along the side of my cheek. “No. There is no one else I’d rather be tangled with than you, Kitten.”

  Thank God he couldn’t read my mind. If he kept saying things like that to me, I risked falling head-over-heels in love with him.

  I dreamed about this—Devyn alone in my room, the door locked, him looking at me as he was now, like I was the only girl in the world that mattered. I just always pictured myself with better hair and in clothes that weren’t wrinkled and stained with sweat.

  My fingers curled against his black shirt, but they really wanted to dive under and touch his warm skin. God, I was becoming a harlot.

  Devyn leaned forward, bestowing me with a kiss that had the torrent of fire returning inside me, but it was different, thrilling instead of frightening. His mouth moved deeply over mine, carrying me away from the lingering remnants of the dream, and to a place with intense feelings of pleasure. I was vaguely aware of his fingers running up my side, stopping just so his touch grazed my breast.

  My nipples puckered, an ache spreading between my legs. I let my lashes flicker, half-lidded. Watching his face was the most thrilling thing ever; his cheeks flushed and his eyes went dark. I tangled our tongues as we kissed, feeling the urge to take things up a notch. It hit me, and all I wanted was to make Devyn as breathless as he left me.

  He shifted so more of his weight rested on me, and I sunk further into the mattress as the long, hard length of him pressed against me. His lips moved to trace the pulsing vein at my throat, and I moaned, bowing my back as his hands roamed over different points in my body.

  There was something about being with Devyn like this that was so familiar and safe, but at the same time exhilarating and forbidden. The world outside this room ceased to exist.

  Devyn and I had kissed before, but never like this—never this far, and I wondered just how far I was willing to go?

  In the moment, I never wanted him to stop caressing me with his magical hands and sensual lips. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear as he pulled back to look at me with eyes as bright as the Northern Lights. I stared up at him with dazed eyes.

  “Kitten, I will always be honest with you,” he murmured. “This thing between us is something I can’t deny. I don’t have the strength to ignore what you make me feel, but…”

  A gaping hole spread in the center of my chest. It was my experience that a sentence ending in but was never a good thing. “But what?” I prompted, feeling cold.

  Devyn sighed. “I want to be straight with you—clear as to what can happen between us.”

  “Okay,” I frowned, the buzz of passion gradually leaving my body.

  “I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want you in this moment, but I can’t.” He put a finger to my lips, silencing the protest about to spring from me. “I know you don’t understand the laws of the Second Moon, that’s why I am here, to guide you. And until we finish what must be done and return to Katsura, this is as far as things go between us. Do you understand?”

  Could I accept temporary with Devyn? I wasn’t sure I could, but I also realized as I stared up into his face that I would take whatever he offered, for as long as it lasted. I never saw myself as one of those desperate girls that would pine and pant after a guy. How wrong I was. When the right guy came along, there was nothing you wouldn’t do. I reached up, running my fingers through his silky hair. “I’m not going to promise I won’t try to change your mind, that will be your challenge, but I do understand your respect for the laws, even if I think they are archaic. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Devyn leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against mine. “That is something you could never do.”

  Even the slightest taste of him sent a spiral of tingles fluttering in my belly. How were we going to spend weeks together, months even, and keep our hands off each other?

  Chapter Ten

  I woke with the sun in my eyes, a nice change from the gloom yesterday. My life lately had been a series of dark, cloudy days, but maybe that was all about to change today. I was energized and ready to tackle anything the Second Moon threw at me.

  I had Devyn by my side.

  There were no secrets between Mom and I.

  And by the end of the week, my friends would be safe, because I would be gone.

  Okay, that didn’t entice feelings of warm fuzzies, but two out of three wasn’t bad.

  It was still early in the morning, and for once, Devyn wasn’t up before me. He slept on his stomach, which I found adorable. Streaks of sunlight shimmered and shined into the room, highlighting the sharp angles of his cheekbones.

  The biggest decision I had to make today was whether or not to curl back up next to Devyn.

  But the fox inside me wanted to run.

  Where did all this sudden energy come from? I haven’t even had coffee yet.

&
nbsp; I gave one last glance over my shoulder to gawk at Devyn before pushing out of bed. I went to stand in front of my mirror and gasped.

  Holy shit.

  I look like I just tumbled out of a wind tunnel and had a pitcher of gravy dumped down my shirt. “I look like a crazy person,” I mumbled.

  Shaking my head, I shifted, feeling this incredible surge of warmth radiate over my fur, like the rays of sunshine on a summer morning. Tipping my furry head, I checked myself out in the mirror.

  A thousand times better than my human skin.

  Maybe I should just walk around like this for the rest of the day.

  Of course, I could just take a shower.

  A gasp sounded in the room, making me jump like a skittish cat. I lifted my gaze from my reflection, seeing Devyn sitting up in the bed. He was staring at me as if he’d never seen a Kitsune.

  What gives? Was there food on my fur?

  He blinked. “Three. Karina, you have three tails.”

  I—what?

  My furry head whipped around, and sure as shit, there was a third, fluffy white tail standing up behind me. When the hell had that happened? It had been days since I had shifted last, and that hadn’t been any more strange or unusual. With the storm shift, I’d felt the surge, the magnetic energy flowing inside me. Now, I only felt the warmth from the sun.

  The dream. My brain reminded me.

  It could have been during the blazing dream I’d had last night. Had it somehow caused me to attain my third tail?

  I didn’t know whether to jump around like a frolicking fox or huddle in the corner like a frightened mouse.

  It appeared my run was going to have to wait. Besides, the urge to stretch my legs had passed. I shifted back and spun around, pinning Devyn with a look of confusion. “How is this possible?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy, I think, but I don’t understand what I did.” There definitely hadn’t been any heroic action on my part—I’m pretty sure that kind of action would be something that stuck with me.

  Devyn’s emerald eyes sparkled in the bright room. His clothes were rumpled from sleeping in them, and as he lifted a hand to rub the stubble on his chin, a flash of his washboard-flat belly peeked out. “What if it wasn’t you?” he proposed.

  I stood at the end of the bed. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

  A far-off look crawled into his eyes. “Sura,” he hissed.

  That bitch. Fire snapped inside me.

  “She told you she was here to help you,” he reminded me, her words echoing in my head.

  I followed his theory, my mind catching up to his conclusion. “You think she did something to me to make me gain a tail.”

  He nodded. “I’m not ruling it out. She was sent for a reason.”

  My fingers clenched together at my side. “And she has the ability to manipulate people’s thoughts, make them do things.” I was royally pissed. How dare she mess with me and play around in my head. “Oh, my God. What if this is part of her plan, to make me think I have another tail. What if it isn’t real?”

  “Kitten?”

  “What now?” I snapped.

  He inched forward on the bed, coming closer to me, but with caution. “You’re on fire.”

  Huh? Don’t tell me this was a dream again.

  My eyes shot downward, wanting to deny what my mind knew I would see. But it didn’t stop me from having a knee-jerk reaction. I squealed, jumping back and shaking my hands in the air like an insane person. “Get it off me! Get it off!”

  “Stop moving,” Devyn demanded, jumping off the bed.

  Funny, when someone tells you to stop moving, it wasn’t easy to make your body listen when you’re in a crisis situation. In my flailing, I tripped on a discarded tennis shoe and fell on my ass, using my palms to break my fall.

  Big mistake.

  My flaming hands landed on my favorite purple shirt, also on the floor because it would have been too convenient for me to have cleaned my room this week. The pretty material went up in flames.

  I squeaked, and the sparks licking my fingers died out.

  Devyn, thinking far faster than I was at the moment, grabbed the stupid tennis shoe and used it to beat out the fire. He huffed out a sigh of relief. “Stay still a minute. Are you hurt?”

  I took multiple breaths, trying to calm my jackhammering heart, and assessed how I was feeling. I shook my head.

  He offered me a hand and tugged me to my feet. “I guess it is safe to assume your new ability is fire.”

  “Wonderful.” I tried as hard as I could to put some oomph behind it. The full reality of what I could do was sinking in.

  “Hey, it could have been worse. At least you didn’t set your house on fire.”

  I damn near did, I think. I pressed my pink lips together to bite back a sarcastic reply. “You failed to mention that my abilities could be dangerous.” It never crossed my mind I might be the threat—that I would need to protect the people I love from me, but after this display of craziness, it was becoming clear I might need to check myself.

  Devyn curled his arms around my waist, drawing me close. “I hate to break it to you, but the power doesn’t make you evil. What matters is what you do with it, and Kitten, you’re not dangerous.”

  Ugh. I hoped he was right.

  I leaned into him, wanting the support of his arms, but he kissed the tip of my nose and unraveled himself from our embrace. Then suddenly he was moving, rushing through the room.

  “Where are you going?”

  His response was immediate. “I need to find her.” He wrenched open my bedroom window, throwing me a quick glance. “You might not be a threat, but Sura still is.”

  True that.

  “K!” Hannah hollered from the first floor in my house, followed by the quick tap of her feet as she jogged up the stairs. While Devyn was traipsing around Seaside Heights looking for Sura, Hannah and I were doing girl stuff.

  AKA, Hannah was doing my hair and makeup for her graduation party tonight. Her parents were throwing a huge soiree at their estate, and she had insisted on coming over so we could get ready together.

  I think she just wanted to make sure I didn’t show up looking like an extra from the orphanage in the movie Annie.

  Hannah breezed into my room, wearing a cranberry cotton tee, a cute skater skirt and black flats. “Why does your room smell like burned hair?” Hannah asked, laying a large, zippered black bag over my bed.

  The doom dresses.

  Hannah’s parents’ parties were formal, meaning I was going to have to wear a sparkly dress. Being the thoughtful friend Hannah was, she had brought over an armful of dresses for me to try on. She loved nothing more than a good dress-up session. Me, not so much, but there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my friends.

  Even try on itchy, too tight, uncomfortable garments that made me feel like a Barbie doll.

  “Um, I might have tried using the flatiron,” I fibbed, quickly coming up with a sensible excuse, instead of the truth. I set a shirt on fire this morning with my flaming hands. I saw a mental institution in my future.

  “Again. K! I swear. You promised me you wouldn’t use any hair devices without supervision. You’re going to fry your hair off.”

  I coughed. She had no idea how close a possibility that was. I could see myself singing off all my body hair, but not with a flatiron. “So how many people are coming to this shindig?” I asked, changing the topic.

  “Who knows? More than I want there, that’s for sure. Daddy invited half the people at his firm, and Mom all the ladies from the club. You and Jesse are the only people I actually care about being there.”

  Awww. I gave her a one-arm hug. “We’re the only ones that matter.”

  She wrapped her arms around me in a full hug. “I can’t believe I’m not going to see you everyday.”

  “Yeah, it will definitely be weird,” I agreed, trying not to get sappy, but I could feel the emotions sneaking up the back of my throat and wiggling into
my belly.

  “Should I start working my magic before we both end up crying?” she asked, reaching to unzip the black garment back. “Take your pick.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” I said, seeing the tulle, the glitter, and soft pastel fabrics spilling out over my bed.

  Keep your shit together, Karina. The last thing you need is to set one of these babies on fire. How would I explain that to Hannah?

  “Wearing a dress is not going to kill you,” Hannah countered, grabbing a pink dress on top. She held it up to me and tilted her head to the side. “Nope. Not your color.”

  There was no way she was getting me to wear pastels of any shade. “What time is Jesse coming?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time to transform you into a new person.”

  I’d had enough of transformations. It would be nice to just be me. “Great,” I said, attempting to infuse my voice with false cheer.

  She lifted dress after dress, measuring them up against my body. “How’s your mom? Is she okay?”

  I nodded, fumbling with the fabric on a black dress. “No real change. The doctors still don’t know what to do for her, but she always seems better at home.”

  “You’re the strongest person I know, K. There is a never time I can remember where you didn’t put the needs of everyone around you first, which is why today this party isn’t just mine. It’s for you, too. And Jesse. The three of us. We deserve it.” She put her hands on my shoulders and sat me down in the vanity chair, spinning me around to face the oval mirror. “And I’m going to do what I’ve been dying to do for years—do something magical with all this hair,” she announced, lifting the long strands off my neck.

  “I’m putting my faith in you for one night. Don’t make me look like a fifth member of KISS.”

  Hannah grinned. “Ha. I’m insulted. Are you saying that my makeup skills remind you of Halloween?”

  “If the Cinderella shoe fits…”

  She yanked playfully on the end of my hair. “Ooo. You’re going to pay for that.”