Time Shift

by J. L. Weil

“Yes. He could be hurt.” Devyn had never taken this long to save me before, and now I was extremely worried they really did have him tied up somewhere.

  Her little sigh reached me from behind my back. “If that is what you want, I can locate the Shaman.”

  “Thank God. Find Devyn,” I whispered.

  My only hope of getting out of this situation was a five-inch pixie.

  I didn’t like my odds.

  Chapter Eleven

  I watched Belle disappear back into the shadows, and an inkling of hope bloomed inside me. She was my chance at getting out of this mess.

  Reilly and Irim still stood at the mouth of the cave, keeping watch. Night had fully descended, and the only light was the dwindling fire. I had gotten used to being a fox, running on four legs, and all the benefits it came with, but tonight I wished I could sprout wings and take flight.

  Even if I managed to get away from the two dragons, there was still the problem of getting off this mountain.

  I sat huddled in the corner, shivering and debating my next move. Did I stay put, banking on Belle finding Devyn? Did I try to fight my way free against two dragons? Did I do nothing and go along with this marriage? It all boiled down to trust. Did I trust Reilly? How did I know if he’d told me the truth?

  Time ticked by, and the silence was deafening. The fox inside me clawed to get out, and the longer I sat caged inside the cave, the stronger she fought within me. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep her at bay when Reilly turned around and strutted toward me.

  “It’s time to fly, your highness,” he said.

  I scooted back until I hit the rock wall. “I’m not very fond of flying, I’m afraid. I prefer to run.”

  “Cute. The sun will be cresting shortly, and we need to move before the first light hits the horizon.” Reilly snatched my arm and pulled me forward.

  I shrieked. An electric pulse splintered through my entire body, shocking him.

  “What the hell?” he hissed, staring down at where his hand still gripped my arm.

  I cocked my head to the side. “Hands off unless you want to lose every inch of hair on your body.”

  His eyebrows knit together. “Then I guess maybe you would prefer my other form. It’s more or less fireproof.”

  Bastard.

  Can’t a girl get a break here? I was getting pretty tired of constantly being pawed at by faes who thought they could whisk me away. This Kitsune wanted all two feet or four paws—depending on my form—on the ground.

  I raised a single brow. “You shift, I shift,” I challenged, not that it was much of a contest—a little fox against an enormous dragon.

  We both knew I wasn’t much of a threat, but my stalling tactics at least were working.

  I hadn’t expected him to call my bluff, but the hand at my wrist suddenly was coated in murky scales that multiplied until his entire arm was covered.

  Oh crap.

  There wasn’t enough space in the cave for him to fully shift. But I should have known that Reilly had a solution.

  “We need to go,” Irim hissed from the mouth of the cave; he too began to shift.

  “Move it, your highness,” Reilly demanded.

  I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t giving me much of a choice, tugging me around the fire pit toward the opening where Irim crouched in his full dragon glory. Irim took off, disappearing over the edge of the cliff. “Our turn.” Reilly grinned. His face contorted, layering with scales as it elongated, and I knew I had run out of time.

  “You can’t take what’s mine,” a voice thundered from the shadows.

  Devyn.

  My whole body sighed in relief. He was alive. He had found me. Reilly’s muscular form blocked my view, but I would know that voice anywhere. I strained to look around the creature, needing to see the Shaman with my own eyes, but regardless, I could sense him. It would have to do.

  “She isn’t yours,” Reilly growled, only partially shifted.

  “I beg to differ.” Wrath and Fury hissed in the darkness, ready to kick some dragon ass.

  “Ooo,” Belle said in a you-just-got-burned voice.

  “Belle,” I sighed under my breath. She had done it. I wanted to kiss the pixie.

  “You never should have come here, Devyn. The elders have forced my hand. I have no choice but to take her to Orangeoland.” Reilly’s hand slipped from my wrist to my waist and pulled me to him.

  Dragons were really becoming a thorn in my side.

  Devyn’s eyes glowed with murder. Someone was definitely going to die. “I’m kind of insulted by your lack of faith in me. You had to know I would come for her.”

  “How exactly did you manage to break free?” Reilly asked, his lips pressing into a firm line.

  “What happened to being above politics?” Devyn shook his head. “I never would have expected your betrayal.”

  He locked Devyn into an epic stare down. “I guess we’re both full of surprises. I don’t want to have to kill you, mate. You shouldn’t have come.”

  “Reilly, just let us go,” I pleaded, hoping to reach the sane, compassionate part of him, assuming he had such a side.

  Devyn shot me a look between “Are you insane?” and “What am I going to do with you?”

  I shrugged slightly in response.

  “The Shaman won’t let that happen. He can’t. And neither can I. Karina, you know this is the only way to save the Second Moon,” Reilly rationalized.

  “What is he talking about?” Devyn demanded, his eyes volleying between us.

  “Marrying me,” Reilly responded.

  A pin dropping could have been heard in the room. No one said anything. No one breathed. No muscles moved. The world went silent.

  And then Devyn’s shoulders relaxed. “He’s right. It would give you the protection you need and the support.”

  “But I would still need to gain nine tails, if you both haven’t forgotten. And I don’t know how to do that,” I sputtered.

  “My family has very old ties.” Reilly answered. “We might be able to figure out the secret to a Kitsune’s tails.”

  “And you think it is safe to take her to the Otherworld?” Devyn challenged with a sneer. From his body language, clearly he didn’t agree.

  Reilly still had me in his clutches and didn’t seem to be letting me go anytime soon. “With a nest of dragons to guard her and you by her side … yes.”

  Devyn mulled it over.

  I couldn’t believe he was even thinking about it!

  No matter how many times Devyn had told me we didn’t have a future, that us being together would only tangle things, I hadn’t believed him until this moment.

  My heart fissured down the middle, pressure compounding in my chest. “You think I should do this?” I threw at the Shaman, my voice wobbling, and I hated that my emotions leaked out.

  Everything in Devyn’s demeanor changed, and I thought maybe I had gotten through to him. But that wasn’t it at all. “We’ve got company,” Devyn roared.

  A trio of Silvermyst materialized at the back of the cave, turning this quaint gathering into a party.

  I really didn’t need this right now.

  “Get her out of here!” Devyn yelled at Reilly.

  Reilly didn’t hesitate. The arm around my waist tightened as he prepared to shift.

  “No! I’m not leaving you.” I shoved at Reilly’s python arms, struggling to break free, but damn, dragons were strong as hell.

  “Karina,” Reilly hissed in my ear. “The Sin Eater can handle a few silver douches.”

  He was right. I knew he was, but I didn’t want to leave.

  Devyn spun Wrath and Fury in his hand, assuming his battle stance and lunging at the trio. Reilly shifted his hands that were still clasped around me and turned them to claws. His body took up the mouth of the cave, and I fought to get my feet back on the ground.

  “Devyn!” I called out, but the Shaman ignored me.

  I had to do something to help. Odds weren’t in Devyn’s favor.


  Reilly’s wings beat in the air as he began to shove off the ground. I had to act now.

  The clash of swords met my ears. Devyn was fighting to give Reilly time to get me to safety, but I dug my heels in. Couldn’t he sense the anxiety and dread it filled me with?

  A second pair of wings flapped above us, diving toward the cave. I craned my neck upward to see Irim screech, letting a stream of fire expel from his mouth. Reilly spun, shielding me from the flames with his scaled body.

  What is going on?

  I twisted and turned, trying to see what was happening. Two Silvermyst had Devyn engaged, and I couldn’t find where the third one was, making me think Devyn had already taken care of him. He swung his blade in an arc, never seeing the attack from Irim.

  No! No! No!

  Irim struck out at Devyn with his clawed foot, scoring the side of Devyn’s arm, but the Shaman showed no reaction to the pain he must have felt. Devyn spun, jabbing his blade at the dragon, but Irim jumped back as the sword whizzed past his scales.

  Why was he attacking Devyn and not the Silvermyst?

  My mind whirled.

  “Reilly!” I screamed. “We have to do something.”

  Reilly must have been in shock. He hovered in the air, keeping me clutched in his clawed fingers, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

  The tingles of the shift took over as I let the fox finally come out. She’d been dying to get dirty, and Reilly couldn’t hang onto the fox’s lithe form. I slipped through his hands. No sooner was I on four paws than I found myself sailing through the air. Irim had swung his massive tail at me, catching me in the side. I hit the uneven wall with a thud.

  Pain radiated everywhere.

  I’m going to kill that dragon.

  Devyn’s cool green eyes ran over me, surveying for injuries.

  I pushed myself to my paws and gave him a nod.

  He didn’t seem pleased with me, but it didn’t stop him from advancing on Irim. Reilly fought the two remaining Silvermyst as Devyn jumped, landing on Irim’s back and kicking the dragon in the face. Irim let out a roar that echoed off the cave walls. Devyn thrust both blades into the beast’s back, and the dragon fell to the ground.

  Holy shit.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  Was there nothing Devyn couldn’t slay?

  He jerked the swords out of its back—dragon blood dripping from the tips—and rushed to my side. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded and sighed. I was now.

  A movement caught my attention, and I glanced downward, seeing Irim blink his icy blue dragon eyes, and in that split second, I knew the fight wasn’t over yet. My mouth opened to warn Devyn, but there was no time.

  Irim lifted one of his lethal wings. A pang lanced through my heart at seeing Devyn’s shocked face as the talon pierced his chest.

  I shifted immediately, shedding my fur. “No!” I screamed. “Stop!”

  Chapter Twelve

  The world stopped. I mean it literally stopped.

  Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. Except for me.

  It was the most bizarre thing that had happened to me, and at first I didn’t know what to think or do. I was suddenly utterly alone with a bunch of statues. My eyes darted to Devyn, seeing the mortal wound in his chest.

  I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. If Devyn died, I was more or less dead myself, and I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  No. I refused to let him leave me.

  Squeezing my fists together at my side, a barrel of emotions tore through me, rage being foremost. The tingles of the shift whipped through me, and I embraced it, embraced what I was, who I was born to be.

  I recognized the strange sensation accompanying the transformation into the fox. Something odd was happening to me, and under normal circumstances, I would have been afraid, but at this moment, I prayed the power I was bestowed would be able to save Devyn.

  I hit the ground on all four paws, but my mind wouldn’t focus. Everything around me spun at dizzying speeds, flashing by as if I was on a carnival ride that had whirled wildly out of control. What kind of ability was this?

  When it stopped, I stood outside the cabin and my phone was in my hand. What the—?

  “Karina?” a muffled voice called.

  I stared down at the phone, seeing a picture of Mom on the screen. Huh? What was going on? I lifted the phone to my ear. “Mom?”

  “Karina,” she sighed. “I thought something had happened to you.”

  Something had, but I still wasn’t sure what. Where was Devyn? Was he okay? “Mom, I have to go.”

  “Is everything okay?” she rushed in a string before I could hang up.

  “I-I’m not sure,” I stammered, glancing around the snow-covered yard and into the distance. “I’ll call you back.” I disconnected the call and turned toward the house, taking the steps two at a time onto the porch. Through the sliding glass doors, the light from the den glowed a soft yellow. Devyn sat on the couch, scowling at the pixie who perched on his knee. She must have said something to perturb the Shaman, and it brought a teary smile to my face. They were safe.

  But I wasn’t.

  A hand wrapped over my mouth. “Don’t make a sound,” a gravelly voice hissed in my ear.

  Not again.

  It was my last thought before everything went dark for the second time that night. So everything before hadn’t just been a nightmare.

  When I awoke this time, I knew exactly what had happened and why I was here. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t dazed. This time there wasn’t a lump on my head or a cut, but a strong stench lingered in my nose—chloroform.

  The chemical’s effects still lingered, but my brain had cleared enough to know something had happened, something Kitsune related. I had somehow rewound time, giving me a do-over. I wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse. Reilly and Irim were close by, which meant I didn’t have much time to figure out how to prevent Devyn from getting hurt.

  Sitting up, I leaned against the rocky wall, expecting Reilly to enter the mouth of the cave at any moment. He didn’t make me wait long. The sound of thick wings beating in the night grew louder, followed by the dark silhouette of a dragon filling the cavern. Its large clawed feet clung to the edge of the cliff as the beast shifted to a man. Reilly.

  This time my expression remained neutral.

  “Were you expecting me, your highness? And to think I had looked forward to surprising you.” His pinched face showed his disappointment.

  My hand flew through the air before I thought about what I was doing. Open palmed, I slapped him across the face. “That’s for knocking me unconscious. Again,” I added.

  Reilly touched a hand to his jaw and chuckled. “I’m going to have my hands full with you.” Assuming he got his grubs on me. “Tell me again, when was the first time I rendered you unconscious? Let me take a guess. It was the night in the bar when we first met. Mai tai, wasn’t it?”

  I wanted to hit him again. “Since you remember that night so well, you’ll also recall I left with Devyn.”

  “Yeah, about that. You and Devyn … it won’t work out.”

  Should I pretend I didn’t know his intentions? I couldn’t, not with so much at stake. “How can I possibly marry you for protection?” I sneered. “You think I can trust the dragons in your service? I won’t be betrayed again.”

  Confusion clouded his eyes. “What are you talking about? What betrayal?”

  I snorted, not really caring that he didn’t know what was coming. “You’re telling me you don’t know? He’s right under your nose.” How was I to know if Irim was working on his own? What if there were others who would deceive their dragon prince?

  “Who?” Reilly’s eyes darkened, and he grabbed my wrist. “If you know something, your highness, you need to tell me.”

  I jerked my arm away. “Irim.”

  His brows furrowed, golden eyes narrowing. “Irim has been loyal to my father for decades.”
/>   “Loyalties can shift with the right kind of price.”

  He frowned. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because I’ve seen it,” I told him, not cloaking the disgust in my voice.

  “How?” he demanded.

  My chin stiffened. “That’s my business.”

  “And you’re mine. If you know something, if you’re in danger, you must tell me.”

  I tilted my head to the side. “Don’t tell me you’re concerned about me. You are only interested in the crown.”

  “This is about more than power. An entire world is at stake, don’t you get that?”

  “You have no idea,” I grumbled. “But why is it suddenly your problem to fix?”

  He shook his head. “Because while the rest of the Second Moon is trying to kill you, the dragons are only interested in having a future.”

  It was hard to argue with that. “I don’t know that I can trust you.”

  “You should trust no one.”

  He had said something similar to me before, and it only made me more suspicious of him. “So what’s the plan here? You’re going to kidnap me and force me to marry you?”

  “It would be easier on both of us if you agreed.”

  “Probably, but I prefer to do things the hard way.”

  “So I’ve noticed.”

  I decided to try offering Reilly a different option, one that would benefit us both without the strings attached. “What if I propose freedom if you help me? When I’m on the throne, I’ll give you what you desire. Help me, help you.”

  A glimmer of consideration shone in Reilly’s eyes that gave me pause. He even might have agreed if we hadn’t been rudely interrupted. Though really, I should have been expecting it, seeing as I had already lived this once before.

  “Don’t listen to her.” Irim stalked into the cave.

  I scowled at him and his shitty timing. “If you were both smart, you would give me your alliance.” The fox started to surface, changing the pitch of my voice, and I knew my eyes glowed in the darkness.

  “That’s quite a gamble, even with the Shaman by your side. I won’t risk my freedom on you,” Irim hissed.