God of Shifters
Kingdom of Fairytales book 12
B. Kristin McMichael
J. A. Armitage
Contents
1. 18th March
2. 19th March
3. 20th March
4. 21st March
5. 22nd March
6. 23rd March
7. 24th March
Terms used
After the Happily Ever After…
Join us
A note from the author
About B. Kristin McMichael
About J.A. Armitage
The Kingdom of Fairytales Team
Copyright © 2019 by J A Armitage
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited By Rose Lipscomb
Cover by Enchanted Quill Press
Created with Vellum
Kingdom of Fairytales
You all know the fairytales, the stories that always have the happy ending. But what happens after all those storybook characters get what they wanted? Is it really a happily ever after?
In this prequel, you will find out what happens next, be transported back to those lands you fell in love with and be prepared to meet some new characters along the way.
Kingdom of Fairytales is a new way of reading with one chapter a day and one book a week throughout the year beginning January 1st
Lighting-fast reads you won’t be able to put down
Read in real time as each chapter follows a day in the life of a character throughout the entire year, with each bite-sized episode representing a week in the life of our hero.
Each character’s story wrapped up at the end of every season with a brand new character and story featured in each season.
Fantasy has never been so epic!
18th March
My four feet worked just like human feet. I was actually on four feet! Somehow beyond my wildest dreams, I was a shifter. I had never once been able to transform into an animal, no matter how much I wanted to run fast, soar in the skies, or hunt with my wolf friend Nikkan. There was so much about this ability I wanted to know more about. Why did it happen now? What sort of animal was I? Was I part wolf, but no one knew? I’d seen myself as a panther, reflected in the eyes of a wolf, but how could I be a panther? Panthers didn’t live in this part of Elder. I wasn’t actually sure if they lived in Elder at all. I scrambled my brain, trying to remember if I’d been bitten and was actually a wolf, a hallucinating wolf, at that.
I didn’t have time to contemplate my new ability as I rushed over to Grace. She was still lying on the ground, unconscious. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow, but she was alive. I nudged her with my animal snout, but she didn’t move. I was going to have to carry her with me, but I had no idea how to get her on my back as an animal. It wasn’t like my sharp claws were made for picking someone up.
Without me thinking about it, my body shifted back to its human form. If I’d had time to contemplate it, I would have worried that I was standing in the forest nude, but just as I became human, another wolf approached us. It wasn’t Nikkan, and it wasn’t looking to help us.
“Castiel,” Sera yelled at me. Her voice was muted, but I could hear her. “Watch out!”
I quickly turned to see her, and she was waving in the other direction from the wolf that had just shown up. I turned that way to see there were two more wolves, and they were both lunging at Grace and me like we were easy meals. I wasn’t anyone’s easy meal.
On instinct, I transformed to be equal with them, but my new form was larger than they were. I was midnight black, but they could still see me. I was trying to be a giant wolf, but it seemed I made myself a cat instead. My sudden feline appearance made them both stop in their tracks. I hoped it would make them run away like the one did just a moment before, but these two seemed to be communicating as they circled me. There was no way I was going to be able to fight two of them, even as a cat, while protecting Grace.
I needed to be something bigger, something they’d fear. Was it possible to make my animal larger? I mean, I had seen wolves come in all shapes and sizes. I thought their size was a dominance issue, and I felt like I could be larger if I wanted to be.
I felt the magic swirl around me as my body began to vibrate. I wasn’t turning back into a human as I stayed on four feet, but I was changing. It seemed like the magic knew what to do, even if I didn’t. My body was swelling in size, and my fur was getting shaggier. It was doing what I wanted as if the magic could read my mind. I didn’t know how to explain it. It was a part of me, and yet, it wasn’t. I couldn’t cast a spell but I could shift into another form with barely a thought.
As the magic finished with my new form, I was looking down at the two wolves. My new, shaggy form was gigantic, and I had a feeling I was much more massive now than a cat. I’d fear me if I saw me in the woods. They took one look at me and bolted. That had worked, but I wasn’t sure what I was. I didn’t feel like a cat now. My limbs were heavier, not as fluid when I picked them up to move. I had a feeling that if I went through the woods, I’d wake half the creatures in it, nothing like the stealthy hunter my cat would be.
Grace moaned on the ground, and I transformed back into my human self. That seemed to be the easiest part. Being human was like breathing. I didn’t have to think or will myself to change. I was just that, human. It would have been nice if being human included clothing, but that seemed to be a whole other shifter issue I would have to deal with.
It wasn’t that I cared too much about being naked, but Sera was watching from the other side of the wall. I cared if I was naked in front of her. Reaching down to Grace, who had stilled again, I took her jacket off and wrapped it around my waist. Easily, I was able to pick her up, and I brought her to the wall. She hadn’t weighed much before, but since she’d been cursed, she’d become light as a feather.
“What just happened?” I asked Sera, who was pressed against the wall as if she was trying to push through it as I had.
“You freaking turned into a bear is what happened,” she replied. “Now, get your butt back over here, so I don’t lose my head to your mother.”
A bear! Well, that answered my question of if I’d been bitten. No wolf bite could transform anyone into a bear...and no one in any of the kingdoms could shift between different animal forms, at least, not until now.
First off, I wasn’t even sure I could go back through the wall, and second, I looked at Grace in my arms. I couldn’t leave her unprotected. Understanding appeared in Sera’s eyes. She cared for Grace too. We both wanted our friend to be safe.
“Just see if you can,” Sera suggested. “And if you can pass through the wall, then go back and hide Grace for the night and get back to this side where you are safe.”
I hated following directions and hated it more that Sera was right. If I’d had time to argue, I would have, but I wasn’t sure how long we’d be alone before another wolf tried to attack Grace. What I needed right now was time to process all of it. And I wasn’t going to get that.
“Do it now,” Sera almost begged. I could see the worry on her face.
I gently set Grace on the ground and then pushed my hand into the wall. It didn’t budge. I didn’t precisely remember what going through it felt like, but I knew I’d just gone through it. I wasn’t sure how the whole process worked.
“Maybe you need to be angry?” Sera suggested.
I rolled my eyes at her. And why not. It wasn’t like anger was a feeling I could just con
jure up like a magician. The healer was right about me having magic, but I wasn’t a warlock or anything like that. Sera huffed on the other side of the wall, but there was nothing I could do.
“Say something to piss me off,” I suggested, and she stuck her tongue out at me.
Nope, that didn’t get me angry.
“Safety and back,” Sera commanded. Yes, someday she was going to make a great Red. She already had the bossy part down.
I looked down at Grace, now at my feet. She hadn’t stirred at all. How was I supposed to take her somewhere safe and protect her at the same time? I wasn’t sure exactly the best way to transport her unconscious body. I needed to be an animal, but then I couldn’t hold her. It wasn’t like I had arms that could pick someone up once I changed. I had to be smart about it. How could I put her on my back without help?
The noises around me were distracting. While I’d thought it was terrible to be on the other side of the wall, I now knew it was worse to be with the wolves. It was like the foggy wall didn’t just diminish sight but also sound. Wolves were growling, people screaming, moans of pain filled the air. It was like a horrible war zone, but they were technically all on the same side.
“Put her on your back first and then transform,” Sera told me, coming up with the solution I needed without me having to ask for it. Her mind-reading skills were sometimes appreciated. “You don’t change slowly like the wolves; for you, it’s like an instant thing. Magic swirls around you, and you are something else. You don’t have to worry about her falling. If you change with her on your back, then she’ll be there when you are an animal.”
I didn’t have time to ask more as I heard more animals coming in our direction. Leaning down, I got a good hold on Grace, bent over, and put her on my back like we were kids running through the forest. With the snarls of wolves coming closer, I shifted, looking for the magic Sera talked about.
“Not a bear,” Sera complained her voice now louder in my animal form. “You need to be a wolf. Blend in. If you are a bear and walk into camp, even those that aren’t cursed yet will attack you. They’ll think you are coming to hurt them. Be a wolf and stay safe. Please, Castiel. Stay safe.”
I gave her a nod with my now furry head. I would never admit it, but I was glad one of us was thinking straight. All this new shifter stuff or just having magic at all was messing with my head.
I looked down at my wolf paws. I was a deep brown color. No one in the camp would know me, but, at least, they wouldn’t attack on sight. The scraps of Grace’s jacket were at my feet. I owed her a new one.
“Stay safe,” Sera repeated, more quietly this time as she looked into my animal eyes.
I stared back at Sera. It was as if I could feel emotion from her like she was afraid. Sera afraid? Never! That girl looked danger in the eye and didn’t blink. Either it was just the way she was or the power of the Red, but I had never seen Sera afraid once. My wolf, though, was saying otherwise. Sera was afraid.
I nodded my wolf head to her as I couldn’t speak any reassurance. I would stay safe. And I would keep my friends safe. Sera nodded back to me.
The village was right in front of us now as I took off. I didn’t have time to waste as I ran back through it. I wasn’t sure how I was going to find Nikkan, but then it came to me. Somehow my wolf nose knew exactly which scent was my friend. I hurried through the fighting and craziness of the village to find him.
Wolves were fighting wolves; some were just fighting themselves. Snarls, growls, and howls filled the air. Blood and more covered the ground. I had a feeling this wasn’t only from this night’s activities. Part of me was sad when I saw wolves going in for the kill on their fellow wolves. They would regret it in the morning, and I didn’t have the time or ability to help. I wanted to stop it all, but Grace and Nikkan came first. I was saddened not to see Micco in the mix. I worried about the older man.
Nikkan’s scent grew stronger, and I knew I was closing in on him. My friend wasn’t too far away. I could also tell that it wasn’t just his scent from his fur, but his blood I was smelling—fresh blood.
I rounded another home and found what I was looking for. Sure enough, Nikkan’s golden wolf was on the ground. Several wolves were still attacking him, and it looked like he didn’t have sufficient energy to take them all.
‘Nikkan,’ I wanted to shout at my friend.
The blond wolf looked up at me and left an opening for the first wolf to attack a second time. The attacking wolf’s muzzle was covered with Nikkan’s blood as it dove in for another bite. It only took a moment for Nikkan to recognize Grace on my back, and his fighting spirit returned. He rolled over and used his hind legs to push the wolf away. The second wolf then lunged for him, and Nikkan maneuvered this time for the second wolf to hit the first wolf. Yips and growls followed as the two wolves attacking Nikkan now were looking at each other as the enemy. I stepped forward and gave a growl myself, and as soon as they saw me, they both retreated. They seemed to be fighting two against one, but a fair fight wasn’t their concern.
Nikkan let out a low growl. He wasn’t happy with me carrying Grace, but I had no way to tell him who I was.
How the heck was this supposed to work? It wasn’t like I could turn human in the mess that was the wolf village. I would be food for any nearby wolf. The only reason they weren’t attacking Grace on my back was that I had her. I was sure of that. I was still healthy and strong, too much of an opponent for most of them to easily take on, so they left me alone.
I wanted to scream at my friend, Nikkan, it’s me, Castiel.
But it was impossible without being able to talk.
My frustration began to build as Nikkan growled at me and was looking for a way to get Grace from me. How could he be such an idiot? Did it look like I was going to harm Grace? Really? I was carrying her. If I wanted to hurt her, she wouldn’t be on my back.
“Nikkan, stop,” I screamed in my head at my friend. “It’s me, Castiel.”
His growls immediately hushed. I stared at him for a moment before cautiously taking one step towards him.
Images flashed in my mind. Nikkan and Grace were inside a hut, both human, as howls began outside. Wolves beat against the door to the home. Grace was scared, and Nikkan shifted. Wolves broke into the house, and Nikkan defended Grace as she ran. He tried to follow, but it was too much. Several wolves attacked him at the same time.
I was seeing exactly what happened but from Nikkan’s perspective.
‘Can you hear me?’ I asked cautiously.
Nikkan said the wolves could communicate in wolf form, but he never said it was in words. In fact, I think his only reply on that subject was that it was complicated.
Wolf Nikkan nodded his head.
‘We need to get Grace out of here. She passed out by the wall and was being hunted. We need to get out of here now before someone else attacks.”
More memories passed to me. Grace was standing with Nikkan as he begged her to transform. She repeatedly told him no. She was too afraid of losing control. The curse was getting stronger each night. She wouldn’t transform as long as she could hold out.
I figured that much. Grace was pretty stubborn. It was strange to be seeing my friend’s images, but it felt natural like it was how we were supposed to talk. I had no idea how to send him images, but it seemed like he understood me.
‘We need the quickest way out of here,’ I commented, trying my best to get my ideas across to Nikkan.
Wolf Nikkan actually rolled his eyes at me before nodding for me to follow him. I didn’t waste any time and kept close to him as he limped his way out of the village. We made it without any more wolves chasing us. They all probably assumed that Grace was our meal, and they didn’t want to fight two to one.
Nikkan led us further into the wolf territory and away from the wall. I knew Sera was going to be mad at me, but it couldn’t be helped. I was going to make sure my friends were safe before anything else.
As soon as we left the village, w
e slowed our quick pace to a walk. I was thankful for that as it was easier to keep Grace on my back the slower we moved. She didn’t stir at all as we made our way into the woods.
The whole place was quiet and empty. It was strange to be in a forest that should be teeming with life and not hear a peep. It was as if the life of the great forest of Elder had been sucked out of it. It was dead. Nikkan didn’t seem to notice or care as he kept his lead, occasionally looking back at Grace. But I cared. This forest was my life. I didn’t want to see it die.
While I didn’t like it, the quiet forest made perfect sense. No animal in its right mind would want to be around the crazy wolves. I didn’t want to be around them. They were tenacious and fighting, but worse, they were cruel. Wolves in a pack only fought for dominance. Now, it didn’t seem to be the case. I wondered if Micco had any control of his wolves anymore. Did it matter that he was alpha?
Nikkan kept his pace and kept leading us for what seemed longer than possible. The wall had to end at some point, but so far, we hadn’t found it again. I felt terrible knowing that Sera was probably going crazy outside the wall, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I could pass through the wall, and she couldn’t. At least, I hoped I could still go through it.
Nikkan finally slowed as we neared the mouth of a cave. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun was going to rise soon, and we had been up all night, trudging carefully through the woods.
Images came into my mind from Nikkan. He wanted me to put Grace down by the mouth of the cave.
‘Sure thing, puppy,’ I wanted to say back but had no idea how to convey that in images.
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