by J. L. Weil
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll be keeping my eye on him.”
I stood up and walked around the desk, closing the gap between us as I gave him a hug. “I have tons of homework to catch up on and a ridiculous amount of reading material. You’d think since it’s almost the end of the year they would lighten up. Not at Seaside Heights High.”
There must have been something in my voice that alarmed him. He stared down at me with concern. “Kit Kat?”
“I’m okay, Dad. You don’t need to worry,” I assured.
He flicked the end of my nose. “I’m your father. It’s what I do.”
Upstairs in my room, I checked my phone and responded to Hannah’s umpteen texts. By the fifth message, she had been threatening to call the FBI. By the last message, she told me not to bother to call her. She was pissed. Today was turning out to be one of those days I wanted a damn do-over.
Hannah, Jesse, and I rarely fought, which made this rift between us difficult. Maybe pushing them away was the only way to keep them from getting swept up in this mess. As lonely and depressing as the idea was I toyed with the notion, but I couldn’t bring myself to cut them out of my life. Hannah would forgive me eventually. She always did.
I had my hand at the hem of my shirt, dying to get out of these two-day-old clothes, when a telltale prickly feeling on the nape of my neck alerted me I was being watched. Half afraid to look, half afraid not to, I glanced out the window and my eyes connected with Dmitri.
Holy crappity-crap
My heart stopped.
What was he doing back? Was he going to try to take me again? If he did, would Devyn be able to save me? Find me?
Alarm had me frozen, turning my blood to ice as I stood locked in a staring contest with the Karura. It was a yellowish glow from the corner of my eye that broke the trance. A light had flicked on at Jesse’s house, his bedroom, and fear gripped my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. Dmitri’s eyes followed mine next door as Jesse opened his curtains.
Oh. My. God.
No. No. No.
Jesse, what are you thinking? Can’t you sense the danger? Get the hell away from the window!
I fumbled with the phone in my hands, frantic to call him or text him, something to send a signal. Jesse’s eyes captured mine, his fingers going to the bottom of the window.
Feeling sick, I pressed against the glass, yelling and motioning him to move, to get back into his room. Jesse’s brows rose, confusion reflected in his expression. My gaze darted back to where I’d seen Dmitri, but the winged douchebag was gone, vanished into thin air.
Son of a—
Where was he? My nose was smashed to the window, fogging up the glass as I breathed heavily, searching the dark sky like a lunatic.
A glimmer of green broke through the darkness, along with the tingles of recognition.
Devyn.
I didn’t know how he was able to move with such speed, arriving back at my house just as the cusp of danger encroached.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen and swiped to answer the call. “Devyn, that thing, that winged-kidnapper with the muscles. He’s back. I saw him from my window.”
“Muscles, huh? Sounds like you want to date him.” There was humor in his voice. How could he be amused?
“Oh, shut up. Is he gone?”
“Yes. I took care of him.”
My shoulders relaxed. Knowing it was safe, I returned to pressing my face to the window, seeing Devyn leaning against a tree in the shadows. “What do you mean by taken care of? Did you, you know, send him back?”
His eyes were glittering like sharp diamonds. “He won’t be bothering you or your family tonight. You can sleep easy tonight, Kitten. I’ll be here, keeping an eye on you.”
The pressure in my chest let up. I don’t know what I would have done without the arrogant Shaman. “You’re going to stay out there all night?” I asked. I didn’t want him sleeping on the street.
A winsome grin appeared on his face. “Unless you plan on sneaking me into your room.”
I choked. Under the current circumstances that was a very bad idea, regardless of how tempting the prospect was. Devyn. In my bedroom. My toes curled. “Uh, can you teleport?” I was more or less joking.
“And if I could, would you let me spend the night?”
My skin suddenly grew hot, the green of his eyes brightening under the stars. “Probably not.”
He chuckled in a way that said I was a liar. “I doubt lover boy next door would take kindly to seeing me scale the tree he used for so long to get into your room.”
Jesse! My gaze flew to his house. Had he seen Devyn? Dread pitted in my gut. When I looked back at Jesse’s window, he was gone.
“Great. Just freaking wonderful,” I mumbled, forgetting I was still on the phone with Devyn.
“Guess someone got his tighty-whities in a bunch.”
“Don’t be a jerk.” I hung up the phone with the sound of his laugh resonating in my ear.
From under the streetlight he smirked as he crossed his arms, still leaning up against the tree. I trusted him when he said I would be safe for the night. He would make sure of it, but Devyn St. Cyr was making a mess of my life. I’d never felt more confused about everything. It didn’t matter at the moment I was responsible for most of the mess. There was something about the Shaman that pushed my buttons.
I stuck out my tongue.
His smirk only widened.
Guess guys from other worlds weren’t so different from here.
Chapter Nine
Two days went by and not a single word from my friends. They didn’t acknowledge me in the halls. They ignored my calls. When I walked into a room, they walked out. I got it. They were still holding a grudge, maybe even giving me a dose of my own medicine, but when was it going to stop?
Hadn’t I been punished enough?
Obviously not.
I couldn’t make them understand. It was too dangerous, so I endured their silent treatment. Eventually they would forgive me, and things would go back to normal… as normal as my life could be.
But the treatment had me at the height of bitchiness by the end of the day.
Yesterday, I had worked at the café until closing, and as I walked out of the school alone the past few days started to come down on me, wearing me out emotionally and physically. I wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in a little ball, binge Supernatural, and pig out on a bucket of cookie dough and Cheetos.
Instead, I had to meet Devyn at his apartment, seeing as the beach was no longer a safe place to practice. He’d better have a bag of Cheetos and be ready for some serious ass-kicking, because I was in a mood to release a mountain of pent-up emotions.
I hopped into my car and weaved through the afterschool traffic, making my way toward the center of town, where Devyn’s apartment complex was located. Some douche behind me laid on his horn when my foot didn’t hit the gas fast enough for him at a light. Could I help it if I was distracted?
Swinging into the parking lot off Elm Street, I parked my little Nissan and entered the building, taking the stairs at a jog. I didn’t bother to knock. He was expecting me. The Shaman had better have some damn pants on, or I might attack him with my mouth. Yeah. I was in that kind of mood, consequences be damned. What more did I have to lose?
I tossed my bag on the floor and slammed the door shut behind me. Sadly, Devyn was wearing sweats and a T-shirt. He was in the kitchen, guzzling a bottle of water, looking like he’d just had his own workout. His golden skin glistening with a sheen of sweat.
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 o
f 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 was 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.”
