Flame Shift: Kitsune and Shaman novel (Nine Tails Series Book 3)

by J. L. Weil

  I lingered, giving them both one last squeeze before I drew back and pasted on a small smile. It was time to get my diploma, and what happened after was still undecided.

  The weather was picture perfect, mid-eighties, not a cloud in the flawless blue sky. I fished out my sunglasses from my purse and slipped them on. Walking to the football field one last time was a strange feeling. So much had changed. There was a point in my life when my biggest problem was finding a good seat for the Homecoming games, and now, with each step I took, I expected a Silvermyst to pop out from behind the bleachers. It was ridiculous, letting another world dictate so much of my life, but it didn’t change the amount of nerves bouncing in my stomach.

  As we took our seats, I scanned the crowd, wondering if Devyn was out there. I didn’t sense him, but that didn’t mean much. He had a tendency to be in the shadows without my knowledge. At one time I would have thought that creepy, but today, it made feel relaxed.

  The ceremony was as expected: long, hot, and itchy. The material of my gown was heating up under the sun, rubbing against my skin. I felt a rash coming on. But the ceremony was also exciting, emotional, and filled with memories I knew I would treasure for a lifetime. The best part…I got to share it with my two favorite people in the world.

  Hannah and Jesse found me after the ceremony, bombarding me in a group hug. “We did it, guys!” Hannah shrieked.

  Jesse picked Hannah and me up off our feet, one in each of his arms, as he spun us in a circle. They had no idea how much I was going to miss them.

  I didn’t know how I was going to say goodbye, or if I even could, but I wasn’t going to stress about it today. This moment was for the three of us, and the years we’d gone through to get to this point. “God, it feels like just yesterday we were walking through the doors of high school, three nervous best friends. Remember how huge the seniors felt?”

  Jesse grinned. “Until I shot up that year.”

  I laughed. “That was the year I finally had to look up at you.”

  Jesse ruffled the top of my head. “Hey, not all of us had our growth spurt in junior high.”

  “Oh, my God, remember when we grew boobs in seventh grade?” Hannah so kindly reminded me of those awkward days. “Jesse couldn’t figure where to look at us, his eyes constantly bouncing between our faces and chests.”

  Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, looking at his feet. “Can you blame me?”

  “Seriously, Hannah, you came to school one day a D-cup. I think everyone was looking at you.”

  Her pink lips curled into a pleased grin. “They’re pretty impressive.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Are we going to the Dome for one last round of Pac-Man?” Jesse asked.

  I grinned. “Of course. I need to leave you with something to remember me by when we go off to college, and what better way than kicking your ass.”

  Jesse was sandwiched between Hannah and I, and threw an arm around our shoulders. “Challenge accepted, but you’re going down, K.”

  I snorted. “We’ll see.”

  It felt normal to be joking and hanging out like old times, laughing and being eighteen. This was what my life was supposed to be like, and yet, I couldn’t change what I was. I could only enjoy the moments I was given, and not take the time I had for granted.

  It made me wonder, if allowed the choice, would I go back to being the old Karina with no powers?

  That would mean no Devyn.

  As much danger as came with being a Kitsune, I wasn’t sure I would want to go back to my old life. It wasn’t all bad. And Devyn… His name alone told me how deep my feelings for the Shaman ran. Just as I couldn’t imagine my world without Hannah and Jesse, I couldn’t see a life without Devyn St. Cyr.

  Mom and Dad left for home shortly after the ceremony ended. It had been a big day for Mom, and coming here, watching me walk across the stage, had taken a lot out of her, but I knew she wouldn’t have missed the moment for anything, no matter how sick she was.

  Jesse, Hannah, and I were going to the Dome to celebrate, but I needed to make a quick pit stop first. My shoes clattered on the tile floor as I rounded the corner in search of the bathroom. Mother Nature called at the most inopportune moments. The halls were eerily quiet, which shouldn’t have been too surprising since the ceremony was being held outside in the football field, but still, the silence gave me the heebie-jeebies.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I checked to see if I was being followed and turned the corner. There was no one behind me, but as my glance returned forward, there was someone in front of me.

  How the—?

  Two hands jutted out, grabbing the front of my gown and slammed up against a wall of lockers. I groaned, the impact crashing my head into the metal. Turned out, my intuition had been trying to tell me something. One day, I was going to learn to listen to that little voice inside me telling me shit was about to go sideways.

  Chapter Five

  “Who the hell are you?” I winced, focusing on a pretty face half-covered by a hood from her white cloak. Strands of pink hair poked through and trailed down the front of her black, laced-up crop top. A flash of her taut belly showed before disappearing into a pair of tight leather pants. There was a small dagger tucked into the left side of her hip. My assailant was freaking hot and more than a little intimating.

  “My name isn’t important.” Her raspy voice smacked of impatience, as if I was inconveniencing her.

  I begged to differ.

  Twisting, I struggled against her fierce grip to no avail. Panic set in. Anyone could come waltzing in. “It is if you’re going to try to kill me.”

  Her fingers were covered in black gloves that twined up her forearms, an intricate design woven into the material. They tightened on the front of my graduation gown, keeping me pinned to the lockers. “Talin doesn’t want to kill you. Not yet, at least. He wants to help you get stronger.”

  I bet he did.

  “And he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart? I find that hard to believe. What does he want?” To kill me when I was more powerful, was my guess. What a cunning asshole. My Second Moon family kind of sucked.

  “His reasons are no concern of mine, only the coin I get for completing my orders.”

  Orders? Shit. That can’t be good. “Any chance you’re willing to renegotiate terms?”

  She paused. “You have nothing of interest to me, except one thing.”

  I didn’t have to ask what that was, as she had already made it clear she wanted to help. It was how she was going to help that had me concerned.

  Where is Devyn? He should have been here by now. My eyes volleyed down the hallway.

  “Don’t worry. I made sure we wouldn’t be disturbed,” the crazy bitch said, reading my mind.

  It was my turn to sneer. “You don’t know Devyn then.”

  Her head tilted to the side, a sinister curl to her bubblegum-colored lips. “Actually, I do. We trained together once upon a time. He’s good; I’ll give him that, but everyone has a weakness. I’m betting you’re his.”

  That might be true, and if she had done something to prevent Devyn from getting to me, then I was going to have to come up with something quick to get out of this predicament. “And just how do you plan to help me as you so kindly offered?” I snapped. The longer I kept her talking, the more time I had to think and plot, which was incredibly hard to do when my mind was paralyzed with fear.

  “Let me show you.”

  No! I’m not done distracting you yet.

  Her lips puckered, and for a second I thought she was going to kiss me as she leaned forward so our noses almost touched. She blew a cloud of pink smoke into my face.

  What kind of kinky shit was this chick into?

  I held my breath, because that would totally work and keep me from inhaling the sweet but foreign substance. Too bad I hadn’t taken swimming lessons, because maybe I would have been able to hold out longer than a minute. I bristled, having no choice but to breathe in
the pink mist. “What did you do to me?” I rasped, feeling a heat move down my throat.

  She grinned. “You’ll see. Just give it time. You’ll thank me later.”

  Like the hell I would.

  It didn’t take me long to figure out what that puff of painted fog did. The effects were nearly immediate, the fox rising up inside me. I couldn’t control the urge to shift. It was happening, right in the middle of my high school hallway, with the entire senior class outside the school doors. Anyone could come around the corner and see me transform into a furry, pure white fox.

  She released me, and as my feet touched the ground, sparks of energy refracted in my eyes. “You did it now,” I growled, the texture in my voice vibrating, and then I was standing on four paws.

  The problem was I hadn’t meant to shift. It had come over me all-consuming, and there had been nothing I could do to stop it. What is happening to me?

  My head snapped up, glaring at the one I was positive was responsible for my loss of control, but why would she do this?

  I was about to go ballistic on her evil ass when Devyn appeared at the end of the hall, a scowl marring his features. For two seconds, I had a heart attack, thinking he had been someone I had gone to school with or a teacher. He stalked toward us. “Karina, get out of the way.”

  I didn’t have to be told twice. I leapt as he released Wrath and Fury, the steel blades glowing in a hue of green.

  A wryly grin appeared on his lips as he position himself between the pink-haired floozy and me. “Sura, what an unpleasant surprise.”

  “Devyn, I could say the same. I thought my pets would have kept you occupied a little longer, but you always did exceed expectations.”

  “That’s me, the class protégé. Why are you here?” Devyn demanded.

  I had already asked, and Sura hadn’t been very forthcoming, but she seemed to like to play games. “Doesn’t matter. You’re too late,” she sneered.

  Devyn stepped forward. “It’s not too late to kick your ass.”

  “Just don’t get too close. You might get burned,” she said, a perverse pleasure beaming in her eyes.

  “Maybe someone should sew your lips shut.”

  Her lips twisted in a humorless grin. “I enjoyed my little talk with the Kitsune.”

  Anger flared in Devyn’s eyes at the mention of me. “Are we done here?”

  Sura looked disappointed, but only a second. “For today. I’ll be seeing you, Sin Eater, and your little fox too.”

  His eyes had shut into a blank, emotionless mask. It always took me by surprise, but I recognized it as a defense tactic he was extraordinarily good at. “Don’t think I’m going to let you leave Earth without a souvenir.” He struck out with viper speed, slashing the side of Sura’s cheek.

  She hissed from the sting, her pretty face contorting into something vile. Opening her mouth, she threw her head back and let out a silent scream, spraying the air with her vile pink vomit. It blanketed over her, phasing out her form until she was gone.

  On the upside, my school hadn’t turned into a bloody massacre. That was something, and yet, my troubles didn’t end with Sura’s departure.

  Whatever the witch had done to me, I couldn’t change back into my human skin. It was as if she had put a spell on me, forcing me to remain a fox. Shit-tails.

  My powers were either neutralized somehow, or I was shit at being a Kitsune.

  A locker slammed shut behind me. I flung my head around, staring into Belinda Martin’s gaping brown eyes. How long had she been there? Panic like no other sprung up, gripping my chest. Overcome, I lost all commonsense and took off, running toward the exit. Being outed by someone I had gone to school with terrified me.

  “Kitten!” Devyn called, but I was in shock.

  Before I could second-guess what I was about to do, I took off, dashing from the school and into the parking lot. Some douchebag laid on his horn, the honk echoing in my ears. There were gasps in the distance. Voices. Is that a fox? Catch it. Did you see that?

  I darted across the parking lot and prayed no one tried to run me over with a car. Devyn’s apartment was only a few miles from the school. I just had to make it there, and then he would know what to do.

  I didn’t want to imagine what they saw darting across the school, a freakish white fox with two tails.

  That was me.

  If Mom got wind of the unusual sighting, she would know it had been me.

  My friends. Crap. I had forgotten all about them. My flaky personality was starting to become normal these past few months. I was going to have some serious explaining to do for my sudden disappearance, and just when things had gotten good between us.

  I was so angry and upset. This was unfair. I wanted nothing but to spend a few ordinary hours with my friends, not fighting some cracked-out fae with cool pink hair. There had to be a way I could fix this, I just didn’t know how.

  And unless I figured out how to shift back, I was up shit creek, and until then, I needed to get as far from here as possible.

  I was on the last stretch of road, and a car flew down the pavement toward me, screeching to a halt. It blocked my path. I would have to go around or over it, but before I made a decision, the passenger door whipped open. “Need a lift?” Devyn was stretched across the seats, one hand on the steering wheel.

  Why, yes, I did. I jumped in, the car taking off with enough speed to knock the door shut behind me. He didn’t stop the blazing pace until we arrived to his apartment, and try as I might, I wasn’t able to transform back to my human form.

  Keep calm. Keep calm.

  No matter how many times I repeated the phrase to myself, nervous energy remained.

  I trailed behind Devyn as we got out of his car and crossed to the brick building. By the time we reached his apartment, my anxiety had doubled.

  Devyn threw the keys on the kitchen counter and eyed me, sensing my distress. “You can’t shift back, can you?”

  I stopped pacing and did a snort/sneeze, shaking my head. Our communication when I was in fox form was unstable. There were times his voice was in my head and other times we were flying blind, like now.

  Devyn’s eyes fumed. “That bitch.” He knelt to the ground so we were nose to nose, laying a hand on the top of my head. “This should help.”

  A stream of warmth flowed from his touch and infused every point in my body. From within I glowed. His eyes burned brightly as he concentrated, and once the heat ebbed, I rubbed my cheek against his. The restriction I had felt on my powers was gone, allowing me to breathe easier. Because I was dying to get back into my own skin, I let the tingles of the shift dance through me. The transition was slower than I’d become accustom to and left me in a weakened state.

  Devyn helped me to my feet, the room doing loop-de-loops. He escorted me to the couch, where I crashed, putting my hands on my face as I took a few deep breaths to calm the shakes that wracked me.

  He sat down beside me. “Sorry. I wish I could have made the change smoother. It is a bit rough unweaving one of Sura’s charms.”

  “I’ll be okay. I just need a minute.” He waited patiently next to me, giving me space to get myself under control. “That was intense. What was she?” I asked, finding his eyes as I turned toward him.

  He pressed his lips together. “Sura is a Camirra.”

  How many different faes did the Second Moon have? It seemed every moment I had a second to breathe, something new was waiting around the bend for me. “The mist she blew in my face, it forced me to shift.”

  He nodded.

  “But then I couldn’t return to my human form. I was powerless,” I added.

  “That was what she made you think. She has the ability of persuasion. The smoke she emits can make a person think whatever she desires, even kill themselves,” Devyn explained. “She is a master at mind control. Not someone to be trifled with.”

  I didn’t know why she hadn’t tried to kill me, but I wasn’t going to dwell on the inner workings of a crazy perso
n. “She said she was helping me.”

  Devyn snorted. “The only person Sura helps is herself. She must have been contracted by one of your great uncles. This is bad.”

  He didn’t have to tell me, but if Sura had Devyn worried, then there really was something to be stressed out about. Devyn was the clear-headed one. “How bad? Like she is going to make me think I like broccoli or as in she is going to force me to walk off a cliff?”

  A grimace pulled at his lips. “Funny. Glad to see you managed to keep your sense of humor after being glitched.”

  I made a scrunching face. “That’s what it’s called? Glitched? I thought there would be a more technical name.”

  Exhaling, he tipped his head up and stared at the ceiling. “She’ll be back. That’s what worries me. There are many things I can fight in my world and in this one, but a Camirra is a game changer. I risk being susceptible to her charms if I get too close, and that wouldn’t bode well for either of us.”

  I shifted on the sofa, pulling a leg up underneath the other and angled my body toward Devyn. “Why didn’t you ever mention this before?”

  He shrugged. “It was a non-issue.”

  My hand instinctually moved to my star soul. “And now it’s an issue.”

  “Bingo.”

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  He sighed, and rested his head behind his hands. “My sentiments exactly.”

  I wasn’t about to sit back and wait for the next time she popped up in front of me. “So what is our grand scheme to kill this pink-haired bitch?”

  Devyn regarded me, trouble brewing in his eyes, making me feel uneasy. There was something about his expression then that made him look human. “Just to clear things up, I don’t always have the answer to every problem.”

  I gave him my sulky pout. “That’s disappointing. Way to crush my dreams. I thought you were invincible.”