Flame Shift: Kitsune and Shaman novel (Nine Tails Series Book 3)
Page 11
“K?”
The sound of Jesse’s voice broke me out of my stunned shock. I whirled in his direction, my hands flying to my mouth as I stared at him, waiting for him to freak out. Nothing happened, and I realized Devyn must have turned on the glamour, disguising his movements. Slowly, I took a step forward. “How do you feel? Are you okay?”
He blinked, a confounded expression glinting in his eyes, and I wasn’t sure he had heard me. “I-I don’t know,” he stammered. “Why are we outside?”
I exhaled. Jesse didn’t remember anything, but the struggle to fill the black hole caused a mountain of guilt. His memories had been erased because of me. I hated knowing a fae had messed around with his head, all to protect my secret. He was better off not knowing, I kept telling myself, but I really wasn’t sure if that was true.
Too late now. Sura was gone. And Jesse and I were both going to have to live with the consequences.
“You should go back to Hannah’s,” I said to Jesse. “Devyn can take me home. It’s been a long day.”
For once, he didn’t argue, and I knew he wasn’t himself. Jesse needed to sleep it off, or so I hoped. He shook his head as if to clear a tangle of cobwebs and dragged himself across the parking lot to his truck parked out front. I wanted him go, dread of what was to come growing deep within me.
My eyes shifted to the ground, eyeballing the spot Sura’s head had fallen. Pink glitter shimmered in the weeds. A shadow appeared behind me, and I leaned into Devyn, resting the back of my head on his chest. “They’re never going to stop hunting me.”
Strong fingers rested at my waist and gently turned me around. I looked up into his bright green eyes and shivered, the heat gone from my body. “I will keep fighting for you,” Devyn said in a low voice, intensity pouring off him. “As long as I live, I will be by your side. Whether it takes months or a hundred years, I will always protect you.”
I stared into his eyes and felt that he meant every word. Devyn slid his hands down my arms, pulling me close. I sank into his embrace, burying my face in his chest, glad to let him become my strength and shield against the disappointment and grief.
There was no other choice. My biggest fear had come true. The fae hunting me had gone after someone I cared about. Jesse could have been seriously hurt, or worse, killed. I shuddered.
If anything had happened to him—
No.
I refused to let my brain wander there.
Devyn and I had stopped her. Today, my friends were safe. The same couldn’t be said for me. And the only way to keep them out of danger was for me to be as far from Seaside Heights as I could possible get.
Devyn was right.
This was the only way.
I lifted my head, his glowing eyes lighting up the darkened alley. My hands clenched against his shirt. “I’m ready. We’re leaving tonight.”
His eyes studied my face intently as his brows inched up. Devyn knew how hard it was for me to make this decision. “Are you sure? Whatever you decide, I will be here.”
I wasn’t ready. Not yet. But I would get stronger, more powerful. I had to learn to control my abilities and acquire all nine. For that I needed more time, and it was the one thing I was short of. “If I don’t, I will regret it for the rest of my life, especially if they are hurt because of me.”
Devyn must have sensed my resolve. “If you’re sure?”
He was giving me the opportunity to rethink my decision, letting me know he would support whatever my choice was. Devyn would always be there, protecting me, supporting me, caring for me. I took a deep breath and nodded.
He reached up, his fingers caressing my check and running through my hair, making my spine tingle. “Okay, then. Grab what you need and meet me at my place.”
He was giving me time to say goodbye, but I had already done that in my own way, and if I saw Jesse, Hannah, or my parents again, they could have easily persuaded me to stay, and I couldn’t take that chance. It was now or never. I shook my head. “I want to go now.”
“Kitten?”
A cold resolve tightened in my stomach, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s okay. Really,” I insisted, trying to reassure the gleam of doubt that had crept into his eyes. “This is what I need.”
Ready for the next part of Karina & Devyn’s story?
Grab your next Devyn fix in TIME SHIFT the fourth book in the Nine Tails Series!
Coming May 17, 2018, Click here to preorder
Here’s a preview of the cover (you may need to turn to the next page for it to be visible):
Can’t wait to meet you back in Seaside Heights!
Thank you for reading.
xoxo
Jennifer
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Read more by J. L. Weil
THE DIVISA SERIES
(Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)
Losing Emma: A Divisa novella
Saving Angel
Hunting Angel
Breaking Emma: A Divisa novella
Chasing Angel
Loving Angel
Redeeming Angel
LUMINESCENCE TRILOGY
(Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)
Luminescence
Amethyst Tears
Moondust
Darkmist – A Luminescence novella
RAVEN SERIES
(Full series completed – Teen Paranormal Romance)
White Raven
Black Crow
Soul Symmetry
BEAUTY NEVER DIES CHRONICLES
(Teen Dystopian Romance)
Slumber
Entangled
Forsaken
NINE TAILS SERIES
(Teen Paranormal Romance)
First Shift
Storm Shift
Flame Shift
Time Shift
SINGLE NOVELS
Starbound
(Teen Paranormal Romance)
Dark Souls
(Runes KindleWorld Novella)
Casting Dreams
(New Adult Paranormal Romance
Ancient Tides
(New Adult Paranormal Romance
For an updated list of my books, please visit my website: www.jlweil.com
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About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author J. L. Weil lives in Illinois where she writes teen and new adult paranormal romances about spunky, smart-mouthed girls who always wind up in dire situations. For every sassy girl, there is an equally mouthwatering, overprotective guy. Of course, there is also lots of kissing. And stuff.
An admitted addict to Love Pink clothes, raspberry mochas from Starbucks, and Jensen Ackles, she loves gushing about books and Supernatural with her readers.
She is the author of the international bestselling Raven and Divisa series.
Stalk Me Online
www.jlweil.com
jenniferlweil@gmail.com
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