by Leia Stone
“Baboom,” Cass sang, and rocketed his hips in one direction, shiny gold blazing the way.
I burst from the ground and whipped my sword the rest of the way from its holster and up in one smooth motion, lunging at the Akuma threatening my dad. The demon spun his head in my direction, but by then I’d skewered him straight through the side. I wrenched my katana free from his abdomen, and while the Akuma gasped in pain, his eyes blazing fury, Brock shot him straight through the head just as he was moving to bring the blade across my dad’s throat.
One quick glance over my shoulder told me that Tianna and Cho had managed to deflect the hold their captors had over them as well. Both women now faced off with an Akuma, the demons palming their obsidian blades that no longer posed much of a threat.
Cass ceased his dancing and ran to my side.
“I’m okay,” I said quickly. “Go help Tianna.” Not that Tianna looked like she needed the help. The Amazonian fae-witch was angrier than I’d ever seen her; even the Akuma seemed nervous as he sized her up.
“Go help Cho,” I told Brock, though Cho’s mouth was moving so fast that she’d have a kill spell ready in no time. Still, I had this demon under control.
Black blood dribbled from the side of his head as he lay weakly on the forest floor, dying.
A lopsided grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Blue … harvest … moon.”
My eyes snapped to the sky, where a full moon glowed.
Oh. Fuck.
I’d forgotten that Calista had been waiting until some special moon in order to be able to open the gate. This was that day. The day that she and her sisters would have the power to open it themselves. But it must be a challenge for them or they wouldn’t have asked me to do it for them in order to release Cass. So maybe I had some time before they’d get it fully open without my help.
“An army of demons are on their way. You have doomed humanity,” the dying Akuma commented coolly.
Like hell I had! I was done with this scumbag.
“I killed one of the triplets.” It was my turn to grin. “And another one of them is sporting a gunshot wound to the gut.” Pressing the blade of my katana against his throat, I pushed slightly.
His face faltered for a moment before returning to a smirk. “Doesn’t matter. Calista can do it herself. She’s”—he turned his head to the side and coughed—“powerful.” He wheezed, black blood dripping from his mouth.
Enough of this shit. I needed to close that gate once and for all. I raised my sword.
“So am I.”
Without hesitation, I roared a final time. With a swift downswing, the motherfucking demon’s head rolled, black sludge oozing from his open neck, pooling onto the ground.
Immediately, I looked to my friends. Cass, Tianna, and Cho were already staring at me, wide-eyed. Even the calm Cho looked shaken, her gaze flicking back and forth to the little construction flag marking the gate. I looked to my dad; his mouth was pressed into a hard scowl and his warm, brown eyes spoke of defeat, though we were surrounded by our dead enemies.
“Now...” He shook his head, his dark shiny hair sliding across his crown. “Now we must prepare for the fight of our lives. We’ll need all the help we can get to protect the gate and push the forces of the underworld back where they belong.”
My dad sounded like he was ready to push every single demon back into the dark pit they came from with his own bare hands, wheelchair be damned.
As if on cue, the first of Brock’s wolves started to arrive. Brock grabbed the first one he saw and pressed his selkie skin into the man’s arms. Following his lead, I took mine off too and added it to the wolf’s load.
“Take another wolf with you and go to the selkie cave in Washington,” Brock ordered. “Return these to the selkie leader with my thanks. And tell her that the gate to the underworld is open, but we’ll do everything we can—”
I stepped forward. “Tell her I’m going to close it.”
The wolf and Brock both looked at me. I tipped my chin high.
Brock nodded. “Tell her Evie is going to close it, and we will report back to her soon with an update.”
If I couldn’t believe in myself, then who could? It was nice to know that Brock was on my side too.
The wolf’s eyes grew large as saucers, but he nodded quickly, turned on his heel, and ran off, grabbing one of the wolves running by him. The two of them sprinted back toward the house and the cars.
Phew. At least we didn’t have to worry about the selkies coming after us for not returning their skins right away.
Now all we had to worry about was the entirety of the underworld unleashing its evil on the world. And I was the only one alive who could stop this.
What. The. Fuck?
I swallowed loudly, bending to wipe the Akuma gunk from my blade before sheathing it. “I guess I’d better get to shifting. I need to have nine tails before I can close this gate.”
“And we don’t have a second to waste,” my dad said, wheeling forward as if looking for a way to help.
Brock stepped forward and held out his hand. “You just shifted yesterday. Two shifts so close together could hurt the baby.”
Sabine stepped out of nowhere. “He’s right.”
Fuck. I loved being pregnant, but it felt like a handicap sometimes. This was one of those times.
At some point I would need to let go of all this fear and just trust my intuition. My gut said that neither my body nor my magic would hurt the baby.
“The baby won’t be hurt. You’re all going to have to trust me on that,” I told them, and started to undress.
“Evie!” Brock reached out a hand to stop me.
My violet eyes flicked up to meet his and suddenly we were locked in an epic staredown.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
I could see the moment the confliction crossed my lover’s face.
“We’ve got company!” Haru cried out from where he stood near the gate. I had no idea when he’d arrived. Molly must be here too.
Brock finally nodded and released my arm.
A flash of light had me spinning toward Tianna. Cass held up his hands and wiggled them, now free of the cuffs.
“You shift, Ev,” Cass said, making his way toward me, Tianna right next to him. “We’ll prepare to kick some major ass.”
“Kick some major ass? I’m in,” Molly said, and I turned to see her smiling beneath her purple head of hair as she appeared between a bunch of wolves, Haru and Reo at her side. The Japanese warriors weren’t smiling.
“What’s that sound?” Haru and Reo asked at the same time, but before any of us could answer, a deafening roar wafted up from the underworld and through the gate.
I knew exactly what the sound was. The demon army was rallying to march on Earth … and kill us all.
20 Peace out, motherfuckers
I stood there for a long moment, nervous for this final shift and the responsibility it would bring. Nine-tailed kitsune, closing the gate. This was a moment I’d been working toward for months.
“Evie! We can’t hold them long,” Brock shouted as he fired his shotgun.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled forward my kitsune magic and let the transformation wash over me. This wasn’t like the other shifts. There was something extra powerful in this final one. The ground shook a little as I slammed down onto all fours. My muscles lengthened and pulled faster than usual, and a shockwave of purple snapped outward away from my body before it dissipated.
On all fours, I peered behind me and counted my tails one by one. Nine tails. I’d done it. I’d completed my final shift and was now a nine-tailed kitsune.
As I turned my head, I discovered what my new and final power was. I now had the ability to automatically know which direction I was facing. I was like a human compass, which was a good thing for a woman who’d always had a shitty sense of direction.
“Okay, Evie. Do you see the gate?” My father had wheeled right up to me and was hopefully going to d
irect me on how to close it.
I glanced up from where I stood and saw that the gate was slowly … opening.
‘It’s opening!’ I shouted to Cass.
He relayed the message to my father. Fucking Calista was doing some witchy shit and I needed to counteract it. NOW.
“Now shift back,” my dad urged me.
What? I just went through all this to become an all-powerful, nine-tailed kitsune!
“Your power will remain with your human body,” he assured me. “You need the katana to close the gate.”
Wasting no time, I started to shift back.
Sounds of a scuffle seeped through the gate, and I knew I had little time to seal it before Calista, her sister, and an army of demons invaded Brock’s land.
A woman once more, I slipped on the sundress Sabine handed me and grabbed my katana.
My father navigated his wheelchair over the forest floor, following me toward the commotion at the gate. “You should be able to see the gate in human form now.”
I looked up. Sure enough, my father was right. I could see the gate to the underworld perfectly, and it was wide open. Calista and her sister stood in front of it. The sister wasn’t as injured as I’d hoped; Brock’s bullet appeared to have pierced her side instead of her gut.
Behind the sirens, demons crawled up the cliff-side to invade Earth. The green symbols on the gate were swirling now, in a fast, dizzying circle. Cho and Tianna held the front line, magically projecting a shield to keep the sirens from breaking through, but it wouldn’t last. Already, cracks were forming around the edges of their protection, suggesting it would soon break.
“What do I do?” I screamed, hating feeling this helpless.
My father took a steadying breath, and I struggled to latch on to the sense of calm he was trying to project. “There are symbols on the front of the gate. One of the symbols is a lock, and the katana is the corresponding key. Now that you have all nine tails, you can place the katana in the lock. Before now, the power would have ripped you apart.”
Oh great. Now he comes out with the truth bomb.
Stepping closer to the backside of the open gate, I studied it more carefully. “The locks are spinning like crazy,” I called out. It was as if a bank vault had been opened, revealing the complicated wiring and bolts—if said bolts were twirling and flashing with bright green light.
“That’s because of the sirens’ magic. You need to try to slow them down.” My father’s voice was steady, but high-pitched in such a way that gave away his nervousness.
“I won’t be able to hold them much longer!” Cho screamed.
“How the fuck do I slow them?” I shouted at my dad, all manners flying out the window.
“Use your kitsune magic and just grab the gate! Physically grab onto the symbols. It’s magic, and you’re magical. You have the control, daughter. Now just use it. Remember your power.”
“Be careful,” Brock warned.
God. I felt like I was cutting the wire to defuse a bomb! Without knowing which wire to cut. Shit!
Chaos erupted at the mouth of the gate. Figures blurred past me, streaks of long-haired green.
The sirens had broken through.
Cass, Molly, and the pack would have to hold them off while I worked to keep the demon army from scampering out onto Earth.
Remember your power, my dad had said.
“Gran, help me,” I muttered, thrusting my arms out and grabbing onto the fast-spinning symbols of the gate. A sharp force jolted through my hands, traveled up my arms, and sliced down my back. I yelped and almost recoiled, but managed to hold on, gritting my teeth as I strained against the magic thrumming through the symbols. They were moving wildly while my hands passed right through them as if I were an insubstantial ghost.
Taking a deep breath and shaking off the electrifying sensation of the locks, I pulled my purple kitsune magic forward, allowing it to flow out along my arms and rest in my palms.
Stop already, you fucker! I cursed in my head, as I pumped my purple magic into the spinning symbols. They crashed against my hand, delivering a deep, vibrating pain with each hit, almost as if they were real, although they looked translucent and spectral.
“Feel the earth beneath your feet,” my father said just behind my shoulder. “Feel the kitsune power, the power of all nine tails.”
My wrists felt like they might snap in half, but the spinning symbols of the gate were finally slowing, becoming legible rather than a green blur.
What I imagined were bodies crashed behind me, and water splashed at my feet. I flinched.
“Don’t worry, Evie. We’ve got your back,” Haru said.
I nodded.
Focus. Breathe.
Shutting out everything outside of me, I pulled, searching for that connection to my magic. Since the day my magic had manifested, it had frightened me a bit. I had a healthy fear of how much it might do if fully unleashed. I’d kept the full extent of my power at bay by only pulling on small parts of it at any given time.
Now I was going to open the floodgates to my magic. I’d need to bring forth the motherload if I was going to close this gate and thwart a war on Earth.
The moment I opened the dam holding back my magic, nausea barreled up my body before sheer power coursed through me, overwhelming the sensation. The baby kicked hard within my uterus; she must have felt it too. But no part of me could ever hurt her. I was sure of it; I trusted my body and its instincts.
With a battle cry, I thrust my hands into the spinning symbols, bleeding so much purple magic that the entire gate was now glowing brightly with the color. A crisp snap punctuated the forest, and the symbols stopped moving entirely.
“You’ve broken the sirens’ spell. Close the gate!” Cho roared behind me.
I risked a glance around the gate. Two large, misshapen demons had just waltzed through it.
Now or never.
Picking up my katana, I inspected the circle of symbols, searching for any type of hole among them that might be a lock I could insert my sword into.
“Feel each one!” my father shouted. He sounded farther away than before. Had someone taken him? God, I hoped not, but I couldn’t focus on him right now. I could only focus on finding this damn lock. Everyone was counting on me.
Running my fingers over each symbol, the tingle of ancient magic spread throughout my body as I caressed this centuries-old gate.
“Hurry, Evie!” Brock sounded like he was in pain, and that caused adrenaline to pump through my system like never before. My hands started shaking as I ran them over each symbol, touching, searching for a crevice or a crack where I could insert my katana.
The fucking gate had a lock in it this whole time! And my katana was the key? I could have tried to close the gate weeks ago!
Frustration washed over me as I scrambled to find the one symbol that contained a hole. I was about to give up and just turn around to help with the fight when I finally felt something. A divot in the edge of one of the symbols.
“I got it!” I shouted triumphantly, my pulse beating excitedly in my ears.
“Now to close the gate, stick your katana inside the lock and turn it,” my father shouted. “Don’t let go until it’s completely shut and locked.”
Easy peasy, baby. This motherfucking gate was about to be closed for business.
A bolt of purple fire flared along the blade of my katana. It was as if my weapon knew what we were about to do. Finding that groove again, I inserted my blade into it and the sword began to vibrate, hard.
Alarm swept through me, but I held firm, and pushed with all my might until the base of the katana slammed flush against the symbol. It was a wonky thing to look at. A gate, invisible to everyone but me, floating midair with my sword hanging out of it. But even weirder was the vibrating. It had spread to my entire body, and even the ground had begun to shake a little.
Maybe this wasn’t so easy peasy.
“Close it!” my father shouted again, and a howl sound
ed in the night. Brock’s howl. I had to hurry.
Pulsing every ounce of my strength into the handle of my katana, first I took two steps, forcing the gate closed, shoving against my sword, which was wedged in the lock. And then I took a third step.
The earth was definitely moving, as if an earthquake were rumbling across it. The amount of energy this gate was pushing off was tremendous, and I felt every little bit of it. It coursed through me like a live wire, but I somehow managed to hold on, just like my father instructed.
Finally, I had no more than six inches left to close to the gate when a female hand came up behind me and clamped over mine, yanking backward, trying to dislodge my weapon.
Calista.
I didn’t have to look back to know. I could smell the saltwater and demon sulfur on her.
“Evie!” Cass shouted.
I didn’t think. I just reacted. Keeping one hand on the hilt of my blade, I released the other and spun, wrapping it around her throat. The amount of power coursing through me made me feel like I was the fucking Hulk. I had the power to rip her head from her body one-handed, that’s how much magic flowed through me in that moment.
“Your time is up, bitch,” I seethed.
A streak of gray sailed through the air, and then Brock’s wolf landed on her back, pushing her forward into me.
“No!” Calista stumbled, loosening her grip on my blade.
I used the momentum of her fall to sidestep and shove her head into the crack in the gate as she fell to her knees in front of me.
The bulk of Brock’s wolf body clung to her back, his nails digging into her flesh, forcing her to remain on her knees. Her hands dug into the shaking earth while her head wedged into the six-inch gap I had left to close in the gate.
“Please! I’ll go back. I’ll—” Calista begged.
But I clutched the hilt of my katana with both hands and dug my heels into the ground, pushing that damn gate with every ounce of power at my disposal. Calista’s plea cut off abruptly as the gate severed her head from her body in one clean slice.
Her head fell into the underworld and her body collapsed at my feet, blood draining from her neck.
