First Shift

by J. L. Weil

  Devyn shrugged. “I would if I was hunting you.”

  That was so not a comforting thought. “Devyn, you have to do something.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  My stomach pitched as my mind replayed what Devyn had said about being attacked whenever I left my house. Was that the case? “What if coming here was a mistake? What if they come after me while we’re together? I can’t handle it if anything happens to them.”

  He shot me a grin. “That’s why you have me. I’m not pretending to be a badass. I. Am. A. Badass.”

  I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Great. I feel so much better.”

  My hand rested on the table, and Devyn interwove his fingers with mine, his gaze lingering on me. “You should. I’ve saved you twice. And I will do it again and again.”

  I sighed. I knew he would, but I wasn’t concerned about myself, only those I cared about. This whole thing was spinning out of my control. It was one thing to have my world turned upside down, and another thing completely to drag my friends into it. “You didn’t come here just to keep me safe. You’re supposed to help me get my tails and bring me to the Second Moon. I’m not stupid. I realize that your world is depending on me.”

  “Our world,” he corrected me.

  My eyes strayed to our still connected fingers. I had no desire to remove my hand from his, not when his touch offered so much comfort and security. “I’ll do things your way, under one condition.”

  A single dark brow arched on his face. “I don’t think I want to know what it is. And since when did this become a barter?”

  “Too bad. I want you to promise you’ll keep my friends and family safe.”

  “I can’t be everywhere at the same time. Not unless you can make clones, which would be pretty kick ass. I rarely admit this, but even I have limitations, very few limitations granted. Besides, what I do only works because I’m connected to you.”

  My face fell. I understood he wasn’t Superman, but damn if somehow in my head he wasn’t close. Something about Devyn made him appear invincible.

  “Don’t look so glum.” His fist rubbed the spot near his heart as if he felt my disappointment.

  “Can you be killed? You’re not like, indestructible, are you?”

  The pad of his thumb stroked the top of my hand as his lips curved. “I’m damn close, and you don’t need to worry about me. There are other much more important things.”

  Right. Saving my mom equaled saving Katsura, which I needed more power to do. “So, how do I get these other tails?”

  Devyn shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  I choked on my Sprite, spitting some of it onto the table. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “Just that, Kitten. I’m not a Kitsune. The magic of the nine tails isn’t something your kind goes around blabbing about. It is sacred and a safeguarded magic. If everyone knew how it was done, then it would be that much easier for others to stop you. It has been over a century since a Kitsune has been able to acquire all nine tails, and it happened to be your grandfather.”

  Who was now dead. A hundred years? “Fan-freaking-tastic.”

  He scooted closer from across the table, lowering his voice. “What I do know is, the process isn’t science. You can’t just follow the steps like a recipe and boom, you grow another tail. The ability has to be earned; you must be worthy of the gift.”

  “Well, who the hell deems whether I’m worthy or not?”

  A frown marred his still gorgeous face. If anything, it might have added to his attractiveness. “That is a question bigger than me, but some say it is the Kitsunes of the past. You know who could probably answer your questions?”

  “My mom.” I sighed.

  He nodded. “Although she only had three tails at the time of her banishment, it might be a start, because we’re running out of time. We have an impossible task set in front of us, and it usually takes years for a Kitsune to acquire a single new tail. We don’t have that kind of time. Not if we want to save the Second Moon.”

  “Aren’t you just the bearer of good news?”

  His lips twitched. “I hadn’t expected you to be so …” His voice trailed off, leaving me wondering.

  “So what?” I prompted, curious about what he thought of me. Putting myself in his shoes, I imagined he had been quite inquisitive about the girl he was born to protect with his life. The concept was surreal. I wasn’t sure I would be okay knowing the whole reason I was born was to constantly put someone else’s needs above mine. Selfless. I’d never thought of Devyn that way before, but I did now. While I had gone to school and gotten a traditional education, Devyn had been in the Second Moon, training to be a Shaman—a supernatural warrior.

  “Uh, difficult or stubborn. And pretty.”

  “You think I’m pretty?” I asked, angling my head to the side.

  He smirked. “I guess, for a Kitsune.”

  “Oh what? Are Kitsunes not known to be attractive?” I challenged. There was something entertaining about razzing Devyn.

  The devastating smirk slipped from his lips, and his eyes started to glow like green fire. “We need to go.” He bolted to his feet, taking me with him. His hand slid under my elbow, leading me toward the exit.

  I dug my heels in, wondering what kind of bug crawled up his butt. “We just got here,” I argued, tearing my arm from his hold. “Let go of me. You can’t just manhandle me because you feel like it.”

  He shot me a look of annoyance. “You want to keep your friends out of danger? Then move your pretty little ass.”

  “Fine. You don’t have to be such a dick about it.”

  “Well, if you wouldn’t contradict everything I say, we’d already be leading them away.”

  “What are you waiting for?” I spun and went straight for the door, knowing he would be right on my heels.

  “Kitten, you’re going to be the end of me,” he grumbled.

  The evening air washed over my face as we stepped outside together. “Where to, genius?”

  Devyn stood at my side, a calculating light filling his eyes. “As far from here as possible.”

  As Devyn dragged me down the sidewalk, I pulled out my phone and sent Jesse and Hannah a group text, telling them that I wasn’t feeling well and Devyn was taking me home. I’d talk to them tomorrow. “We’re not really going to walk all the way to my house, are we? Maybe we should call an Uber or something.”

  “A what?” he asked. His eyes never stopped scanning the darkness.

  “Uber? You know, like a taxi.”

  He suddenly stopped, throwing an arm out in front of me. “Shh.”

  Did he just shush me? Oh no, he didn’t.

  I opened my mouth to tell him so, but something caught my attention and not in a good way. An evening fog rolled in, surfing the ground like waves hitting the shore. “What is happening?”

  Abruptly, Wrath and Fury appeared at his back and were in his hands in one quick swoop. “The greeting party has arrived: Silvermysts.” Devyn shifted into his fighter stance.

  I didn’t like the sound of that. Party meant more than one. “Who invited them?” I said with a dry humor. No one laughed.

  Devyn stepped in front of me, which I found both annoying and sweet. A part of me wanted to peek around him and check out the assassination party, but the other part of me wanted to cower behind Devyn’s back. But I was no coward.

  “Karina, you’re going to make a run for it as soon as I tell you to. Got it?” he said urgently. “The moment I tell you to, you’re going to shift and run. Don’t look back, and keep running until you get home.”

  Did he have any idea how far that was? I could barely run the mile at school, let alone six miles. Not to mention, I didn’t want to leave him, nor did I want to die. But I trusted Devyn. Nodding, my heart jumped in my chest.

  From out of the darkness stepped five feys, heading straight for us—too many for Devyn to defeat on his own without risking his heart being ripped out. But in the short time
I’d gotten to know the Shaman, I knew he would take on an entire army of fey if it meant saving my life.

  Damn.

  They were tall and lithe with long hair of white silver that reached their shoulders. Their skin glowed so palely that it seemed to shimmer under the moonlight. All of them wore jeans and T-shirts, no doubt to blend in with the human world, but there was no mistaking the weapons in their hands—dead giveaways.

  Try as they might, it was a wasted effort. Nothing could make them look human.

  I sucked in a sharp gasp that shouldn’t have been audible, but Devyn angled his head a fraction of an inch toward me. What struck me the most as my gaze locked onto him wasn’t how incredibly lethal he looked—because he did—but the regret I saw in his eyes.

  It made my stomach drop.

  Standing in a triangle formation, the Silvermyst in front held out his sword across his chest. “Hand over the fox and we won’t harm you, Shaman.”

  “If you know what I am, then you know that will never happen. I have another proposition. How about I introduce your face to one of my blades?”

  The Silvermyst spoke again, but this time in a language I didn’t understand. The words were nothing but gibberish. However, from the deep lines etched on Devyn’s face, he didn’t like what he had to say, because before he finished the sentence, Devyn sliced his throat. Wrath and Fury gave a uniform, greedy hiss before lapping up the fey’s sins like he was the last slice of pepperoni pizza.

  Then shit hit the fan.

  “For once, Kitten, do what I tell you. Shift. Now!” Devyn growled.

  Chapter Twelve

  I felt the rush of air as I shifted into the fox, but not the impact of the Silvermyst until I was flying through the air. One of them charged at me while the others kept Devyn occupied, and I hit the ground with a jarring force, the kind that left little Tweety birds circling my head.

  Black mist swirled around me, surrounding me in inky darkness. I must have blacked out for a minute or two. Blinking, I came to, hearing the sound of Devyn’s voice screaming my name.

  “Karina! Run!”

  I blinked again, but I couldn’t see anything. Only darkness. It was weird. With my enhanced abilities, I should have been able to see through the night. I started to panic. Tingles of fear prickled my arms, and I almost screamed but remembered I was in fox form.

  “Karina!” Devyn yelled again. “Run, Kitten. You must get out of here now!”

  A thread of our bond unspooled inside me, and just like that, the world snapped into focus. My eyes clashed with his, an ice green so sharp it cut like a knife. Wrath and Fury coiled around his wrists, hissing at the Silvermysts who had come for me.

  They surrounded him.

  I took a step backward.

  Devyn twirled both blades in the air. They hummed with power and promised death. Anticipation withered in the beady eyes of Wrath and Fury, the sin eaters. Devyn ducked as a claw swiped the space a mere inch over his head. Wisely he kept low as he sliced at the Silvermyst’s legs and drove him into the ground.

  The wind rose up again.

  The Silvermyst gave a scream, an ominous noise that froze the blood in my veins. Devyn’s voice whispered inside my head, begging me to listen, pleading with me to run. This time I listened. I turned and ran—away from Devyn, away from death, away from the feys.

  I got to the end of the block before I stopped, panting with fear and my heart pumping out of my chest. Cold sweat trickled down between my furry ears as another inhuman cry sounded behind me.

  Devyn.

  A wild mix of fear and elation tore through me as I fought to decide my next move. I could keep on running, see myself to safety, or I could go back there and help Devyn—not that I was positive I would be much help.

  If I ran, Devyn might die.

  In that moment, the clarity of the situation flashed in front of me.

  A terror I’d never felt before rose inside me like an insidious mist, robbing me of air. Devyn couldn’t die. How would I survive without him? How would I stop what was coming? How would I gain nine tails if he weren’t here to help me? I needed him.

  I had to go back. There was no other choice.

  My brain clicked off, and I sprinted back the way I came. The Silvermysts had come for me. I didn’t have a plan, other than to lead them away from Devyn. If I could get one or two of them to chase me, it would give Devyn a fighting chance.

  It worked.

  I catapulted onto a car. The Silvermysts picked up my scent. Seeing them coming at me, my bravado slipped and in trickled fear. Then I caught sight of Devyn. Was that blood leaking from his nose? The sight filled me with a renewed sense of power. I wasn’t just a weak seventeen-year-old girl. I was a Kitsune. Something about Devyn made me feel like I could do anything, even something as crazy as take on a Silvermyst—a fey I knew virtually nothing about, other than they wanted to kill me and take my soul.

  Sounded like a fun time, if you were into living on the edge.

  Devyn was alive. More impressively, only two Silvermysts had survived his onslaught that I could see.

  He scowled at me, and I could see in his eyes that he was furious I hadn’t listened. The Shaman was dying to yell at me, but he would have to wait until we get out of this mess. Something to look forward to.

  I tried to figure out a way to turn my speed into an advantage, but the second Devyn saw me, he hesitated, and I realized my mistake. His concentration was back on me when it should have been on fighting and staying alive. Fool. Elongated jaws stretched around sharp, white fangs as the closest Silvermyst took advantage of Devyn’s momentary distraction.

  I had to do something.

  Throwing myself off the top of the car and onto the Silvermyst, I snapped at him to get his attention and caught his throat. A mouthful of flesh, I felt my eyeteeth snag flesh and blood spurted out. Disgusting. It wasn’t a mortal wound, but it should slow him down, giving Devyn time to recover and get his head back into the fight.

  Only the Silvermyst didn't stop.

  Shit.

  I took off, but he was hot on my heels as I dashed past Luke’s Sub Shop and across the alley behind the Smoothie Bar. Great. Another freaking alley. Maybe I was destined to die alongside someone’s trash.

  Spurred by a hunting rage, the Silvermyst ran faster than I could, even on four legs. If I had more tails, I might have stood a chance against him alone, but with my only ability being to shift, it wasn’t going to do me much good. I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to outrun him. He was catching up to me.

  Taking the corner, I caught a glimpse of his silver hair, and then he lunged. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact. It was like being hit by a stampede of bulls. But the pain didn’t end there. The bastard sunk his teeth into my neck, slamming me into the ground.

  A scream wrenched from my throat, and only then did I realize the Silvermyst had managed to force me to shift after he bit me. Frantically, I struggled to free myself from the hold that pressed my hands to either side of my head. This couldn’t be happening.

  The Silvermyst put a knee into my chest, using his whole body weight to keep me pinned. “Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be. There’s nothing you can do to stop your death.” He released one of my wrists and lifted a strand of my hair.

  My chest rose and fell sharply. Sheer terror spread its way through my veins like a virus. “If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with.”

  Laughing, his black eyes hovered over my face. “You’re a disgrace to the Second Moon. Where’s your fight?”

  I shook my head, my entire body shaking. “Screw you.” My hand rose in the air and whacked the Silvermyst’s cheek, palm open. Oh. My. God. Did I really just bitch slap him?

  Yup.

  And the being wasn’t happy. The muscle along his jaw drummed. “You stupid little fox bitch,” the Silvermyst spat. His head twisted. I heard the crack, before I felt the pain. I screamed as a wave of agony roared through
my face. Shocked, tears rolled down my cheeks. The jerk had hit me. I guess they didn’t have the no-hitting-girls rule in the Second Moon.

  With quick silvery hands, he went straight for my neck and lifted me off my feet. I clawed at the hand around my throat, my fingernails tearing into his flesh. I gagged. Air. I needed air! I couldn’t breathe and had no real hope of getting his fingers off my neck. Then as if I was nothing but a discarded toy, he threw me backward. My head hit the ground first. A fresh bout of red-hot pain lanced through me, leaving me stunned and gasping for air. I stared up at the pitch black sky, watching the stars twirl.

  The Silvermyst solidified over me, a cruel smile forming on his lips. “You’ll never be anything in the Second Moon, nothing but a weak human.” Snatching up my silver chain between his fingers, he caressed the milky charm like it was precious. “This won’t hurt … much.”

  Somehow, I didn’t believe him.

  I went nuclear underneath his weight. Full-blown panic set in as his hand crushed my split lip. Eyes wide, I beat my fists against his chest, but it was wasted effort. He was too strong. Too big. I felt every little pebble dig into my back, every scratch tearing into my flesh, but nothing was worse than the lack of oxygen. His fingers wrapped around my throat, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t breathe.

  I choked on my own tears, each convulsion causing sharp pain to puncture my chest. OhGodOhGodOhGod! This was it. I was going to die. My body went numb, becoming weightless, and I stopped struggling. The energy was gone, and as I lay there, my thoughts drifted to Devyn. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have kept running.

  A shadow loomed over us, and I immediately caught a familiar scent. Hope rose within me like a tidal wave.

  Devyn looked down with murder in his green eyes glowing brightly. They moved from my battered face to the Silvermyst who still had his dirty grubs on my soul. “Not today, asshole,” Devyn roared.

  I’d never been so happy to see a pair of snakes in my life. Wrath and Fury let out a long angry hiss as Devyn sent both blades into the Silvermyst’s chest. And then he was gone, as if he never existed at all.