Wind Shift: A Young Adult Kitsune Paranormal Romance (Nine Tails Book 8)

by J. L. Weil

  I reached the pool in two seconds, diving in straight away. Someone dove after me, which I assumed was Kai, but all I cared about was finding Karina.

  My eyes cut through the water as I willed my rising anxiety to calm down, I had to focus on searching the depths below. With each passing moment, the bond between Karina and I stretched like a rubber band about to snap.

  Where the fuck is she? Where could she have gone?

  Surfacing for air, I dove into the water again, frantically searching and searching until I could hold my breath no longer. I resurfaced and started all over again—only dimly aware that Kai was in the water as well. He cast out his darkness, looking for the Unseelie connection—darkness to darkness. Yet, over and over, we both broke through the surface without an inkling of where Karina was or what happened to her.

  “Devyn,” Kai said my name as he grabbed my shoulders and shook them, water dripping over his face. “She’s gone.”

  “No,” I ground out. “I refuse to believe it. She can’t just disappear.” I refused. Absolutely fucking refused to believe that she was gone. Not any semblance of the word.

  It was impossible.

  I would know. Our bonds were still intact, hanging on by a thread. Both of them, but she was out of my reach, even for my Shaman link. As if she’d gone to another world—one that was blocked to me.

  “She’s somewhere. And I will find her,” I vowed.

  Chapter Ten

  KARINA

  Spinning through a water tunnel of everlasting darkness, I tried to summon my abilities, tried to manipulate the whirling typhoon surrounding me, but my power was no match. My lungs burned, and just when I thought the hands of death would finally take me, I was thrust to the surface, breaking free from the invisible chains that bound me.

  Greedily, I inhaled air in huge gulps, coughing up water through my nose at the same time. It was an unpleasant feeling, choking while gasping for life. I swam through the sea toward the edge, relieved to find shallow ground not too far away. My bare feet hit the sandy floor, shells and pebbles cutting in between my toes.

  One thing was for certain. I wasn’t in the cavern anymore.

  I trudged through the rippling waves, glancing at my surroundings. Confusion gave way to dread. What the—?

  Although the sun was shaded by a vast covering of trees, its warmth still reached me, streaking through tiny holes in the canopy of oaks, pines, maples, and all the trees in between. So much green. It was thick, lush, and fucking everywhere. I’d never seen a vibrant forest like this—a tangle of vines, leaves, branches, and wild bushes.

  Crawling on my hands and knees onto the shore, I collapsed onto my back. Closing my eyes, I breathed, enjoying the fresh air without water burning my throat and nostrils. I needed a moment to steady myself before I dealt with the fallout of what happened, and tried to get back to Devyn.

  God, I couldn’t imagine what he was going through, frantically searching for me, wondering where I’d gone. Hell, I didn’t even know where I was. It had been so long since I’d been on my own. Even when my uncle Ryker had kidnapped me, I still hadn’t been alone.

  Nevertheless, I wasn’t a weak human. Not anymore. I had more power than I knew what to do with, and it was going to get me back to Devyn.

  A shadow passed over my closed eyes, and I opened them, half afraid of what I would see. My eyes scanned the trees, and I blinked. A very large something with expansive wings that seemed to take up the entire sky above me, glided just below the branches.

  Holy shit. Is that a…

  Fucking dragon?

  He or she, I wasn’t quite sure how to tell dragon anatomy, was a stunningly beautiful specimen. The scales papering over its body glimmered in various hues of silver and purple. The magnificent creature circled me, dropping closer and closer as its form slowly descended.

  I shoved myself upright, eyes never leaving the dragon. The ground shook underneath me when it landed not far from me, angling his head from side to side to inspect me. Then I remembered I was just in my undergarments, and they were soaking wet, clinging to my body.

  For the love of fae, why did I have to be nearly naked?

  The creatures’ claws dug into the ground and he opened his massive mouth, flashing rows of pointy, pearly teeth. Instinctually, my powers flared up inside me, preparing to defend my life.

  Holy shit. It is going to roast me. Or eat me…

  However, it wasn’t fire that came from the dragon’s mouth. Limbs leadened, I gaped, staring at the swirling purple mist that expelled from it. It drifted into my face and before I could stop myself, I inhaled.

  Big mistake, Karina.

  Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it now. The massive beast eyed me with watchful violet eyes.

  What kind of dragon is this? No flames? Mist?

  It wasn’t alone. A second winged creature came sweeping over the trees. This one had scales that looked like they were crafted from emeralds and peridots. Its wings beat heavily through the air, and I stared in awe as the newcomer approached the ground. Yet, right before it landed, the dragon shifted seamlessly into a man.

  A naked man, with spiked green hair.

  He walked toward me, a lopsided grin on his lips. I summoned a spark of magic, intending to defend myself if he tried to spit shit as the other had, but he stopped in front of me, staring and waiting. Waiting for what?

  I found out too soon.

  Darkness swarmed me, and it was lights out.

  I woke up to the hushed murmur of voices I didn’t recognize. For a brief moment, I hoped that all those memories slamming into me like an avalanche weren’t real. That I was trapped in some kind of horrible nightmare.

  The cushiony bed underneath could have supported that theory, if it weren’t for the strange voices. I zeroed in my hearing on them, keeping as still as I could while breathing evenly.

  “Who is she?” a female asked. Her voice was sweet and sugary, which intrigued me.

  “More importantly, how did she get here?” This time it was a deep, husky voice that countered the female’s question.

  “I don’t know. As I said, I found her by the lake in Viperus,” added a second male, sounding smooth and sexy.

  “She’s been asleep for hours. Are you sure you didn’t give her too much tranquility?”

  “I’m sure. I only subdued her long enough for her to calm down. Besides, she’s not asleep. Not anymore,” murmured one of the males, but I couldn’t keep track of how many were in the room. Too many.

  “You’re sure?” the female asked.

  How did he know I was awake? The game was over, so I didn’t see any point in pretending to be asleep. Particularly since I had questions of my own. Blinking, I opened my eyes and stared into a pretty face. A warm and genuine smile curled on friendly lips.

  “Hello,” said the soft voice I heard upon waking. It carried an innocence found in youth—found in someone of my age. Yet, an instinct told me the girl belonging to the voice was anything but innocent. Her aqua eyes were kind, and a dusting of freckles dotted the bridge of her dainty nose.

  Tread carefully, Karina. You’re not in Kansas anymore. Correction, not in the Second Moon anymore.

  I was neither in the human world nor the fae realm. So just where the hell was I? I had a hunch Reilly would know, seeing as he was the only dragon I had met.

  Tossing her blonde braid over her shoulder, she smiled. “My name is Olivia.”

  “Where am I?” I rasped, lifting a hand to my head.

  “This is Veil Isles.” She tipped her head, curious expression on her features. “Do you remember how you got here?”

  “I-I…” Was it a good idea to tell her? I didn’t know her. Definitely couldn’t trust her, and revealing I was from the Second Moon could be dangerous. “I can’t remember,” I finally answered, feigning amnesia.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe now,” she assured.

  Sure, so safe you guys drugged me the second you saw me, without
even asking if I needed help first…Who the hell does that?

  “It might take some time to get your memories back.” Olivia had such a trusting face. It made me want to explain everything, but I held my tongue.

  “She’s a Kitsune,” one of the guys revealed in a deep tone.

  My gaze lifted behind Olivia to see an intimidating guy leaning against the wall. His full lips were pulled into a tight line, the angles of his body hard, his demeanor closed off. He was the complete opposite to the sunny girl in front of me. Cold. Aloof. Even with the unapproachable exterior, he was very good looking, with startling light blue eyes, like chips of ice, and silver-blond hair.

  And so damn tall too.

  “How did you know?” I thought about denying it, but I was so surprised. It didn’t occur to me until after I’d spoken.

  “I can smell the fae on you,” he replied sharply.

  I guess he wasn’t a fan of the fae.

  “The land of the fae,” a new guy whispered from the doorway. I hadn’t seen him standing there, and now that I had, I couldn’t look away. He was magnificent—a golden god with dangerous whiskey-colored eyes that melted the heart.

  Although I could appreciate how handsome he was, the stranger wasn’t Devyn. No one could compare to the Shaman in my eyes. The benefits of being mated. All other people, male or female, dulled in comparison.

  “It’s been ages since I’ve stepped foot in the Second Moon,” another one added. This time from the other side of the room. A dark-haired guy lounged in a chair by the corner. He had the most unusual and vibrant purple eyes, such a compelling contrast to his hair and almond complexion.

  How many were there? And why were they all so damn attractive?

  It turned out there were four. Four drool-worthy males and one very pretty girl.

  Swallowing, I glanced around the room at them. Interesting. They all seemed well acquainted and comfortable with each other, but I couldn’t decipher the relationship between the five of them. Not yet. They were all extraordinary, and still, so very different in appearances, which made me believe they weren’t related. Not by blood, at least.

  Would it be rude to ask?

  Perhaps I should wait until I figured out what they planned to do with me, and how I planned to get home before I started asking for personal information. Still, I was intrigued. Extremely so.

  “You’ve been to the Second Moon?” I asked, the one with purple eyes.

  His jaw flexed. “I have. But it wasn’t a pleasant trip. The Lord of Thornland wanted to recruit me. He didn’t take kindly when I denied his offer,” he stated flatly.

  I cringed. “My uncle, Talin.”

  His eyes narrowed. “That would be the one. You’re his blood?”

  “We’re not on the best of terms. He is trying to kill me,” I admitted. If they knew we had a common enemy, perhaps they would let me go peacefully. I didn’t want to hurt them if I didn’t have to, but if one of them tried to stop me… I would do whatever it took to get back to the Second Moon.

  The fourth guy, the one I’d seen shift from dragon to human, stepped closer to the bed. His emerald eyes inspected me with mistrust. “If you really are related to Talin, then you’re a royal fae.”

  I wasn’t just a royal fae. I was the royal fae—the queen of Katsura, but I would not divulge that information. My fingers went to my neck and I felt the familiar weight of my soul star under a shirt. Someone had dressed me, I suddenly realized. It was too late to be embarrassed, yet my cheeks still burned.

  Had they all seen me nearly naked?

  “Who I am isn’t important. I need to get back. I can’t be here.” Shoving off the fluffy blanket, I moved to stand up, but my head whirled, a shooting pain attacking my temples with such intensity that it forced me to sit down again.

  The guy with spiky green hair caught my shoulder. “Whoa, take it easy. Not so fast. Not that I mind when a pretty girl falls at my feet, but let’s not have a repeat just yet.”

  The girl beside him rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched as if she was amused by him.

  He eased me back into bed while I waited for the wave of dizziness to pass.

  “I saw you shift. You’re a dragon.” He must have caught me when I’d promptly fainted. I also remembered I saw him naked. My cheeks flamed again at the memory.

  As if he could read where my thoughts had gone, the dragon shifter grinned and straightened, assured I would not bolt out of bed again. “I’m Kieran. And seeing as you are fae, it makes sense why you weren’t completely freaked out. I was quite surprised to see you in my woods.”

  “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to end up here.” The words tumbled out of my lips in a rushed explanation. “In fact, I don’t know how it happened. I was in a spring… and then something grabbed a hold of me. The next thing I knew, I was stumbling around in the sand.”

  Half naked, I might add. Not my finest hour.

  “What sort of something?” the golden male asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see it.” Not even with my fae eyes.

  “Jase,” Olivia whispered, glancing at the one who had shot his purple mist at me by the lake.

  Jase seemed to understand what she was conveying and nodded, although I had no clue what transpired between them. “I’m sorry, but the portal has been sealed,” Jase informed. “We can’t take the chance of the darkness reaching inside our borders. All ways in and out of the Veil Isles have been closed off.”

  “The blight,” I muttered at his mention of the darkness. “That’s what dragged me here?” But why? Was it trying to get rid of me? Was I getting too close to destroying it?

  “Is that what is attacking our shields?” the icy dragon asked, his glacial eyes pinned on me.

  My fingers fumbled with a thread woven on the blanket beside me. “I can’t be sure. How long has it been here?”

  “It’s been hovering near our borders for days, but only after we found you did the darkness start striking our shields,” Jase informed, and the accusation in his tone was clear. He believed I had something to do with the blight attacking their world.

  A bad feeling twisted my stomach in knots… Perhaps he was right.

  Chewing on my lip, I remembered the warnings. That eventually the blight would spread to other worlds. I just hadn’t thought it would happen so soon. “It’s killing the Second Moon,” I blurted. “It’s darkness it’s destroying the land.”

  A shared look spread across the room. The same doom and gloom expressions I saw on the fae. Bad shit was coming. Kieran crossed muscular arms over a solid chest. “How was the blight able to infiltrate the Second Moon?”

  “If I remember correctly, a powerful Kitsune wielded over the capital. He had an unusual gift that allowed him to commune with the land,” Jase replied.

  Wow. These guys knew an awful lot about the fae. It made me uncomfortable. I felt like I was at a disadvantage since I knew next to nothing about them, other than they were dragons. At least two of them, that was. I wasn’t sure about the others, but I figured it was safe to assume they all were. “Look, I don’t need a portal. I just need to shift, then I can void myself back.” Or so I hoped.

  “Void?” Olivia echoed, looking confused.

  Shit. Okay, it was safe to say I would never make a proficient spy. Hell, I wouldn’t even be a mediocre one. “It’s one of my abilities. I can transport myself, as long as I’ve been there before.”

  Oliva grinned, her aqua eyes widening. “Okay, that is seriously kickass. What other abilities do you have?”

  “Um… I, uh…” I fumbled, racking my brain for a response that wouldn’t give away more information than I was comfortable sharing. “I’m still learning.”

  The four prominent guys in the room seemed to find my answer suspicious, like they could taste the half-truth that rolled off my lips. “Why is it so important for you to return?” Kieran asked from the other side of the bed.

  Meeting his gaze, I allowed him to see the
desperation in my expression. “Because I have to stop it.” I had to make them understand how vital it was that I returned. Each second I spent here, the blight killed another piece of the Second Moon.

  Jase leaned forward in the chair; his fingers folded in front of him. “What happened to King Ryo?”

  My head hung as I thought about the grandfather I never knew. “He is dead,” I murmured.

  “I see.” A glint of understanding flashed through Jase’s eyes. The shifter saw too much. Under his violet gaze, I felt so exposed.

  “See what? I don’t understand,” Olivia asked, looking to him for an explanation.

  His sigh filled with a sympathy that I didn’t want or need. “With the King gone, his kingdom is left vulnerable. Am I right?” he posed at me.

  I nodded, my shoulders dropping.

  “You’re his heir,” the one still lounging in the doorway announced. His amber eyes were like flicking flames, full of heat and sparks.

  “You’re a queen?” Olivia gasped, her gaze returning to me on the bed. She lifted her chin a fraction as she smoothed out invincible wrinkles on her satiny soft pink skirt. “So am I,” she admitted, her lips forming a kindred smile.

  My astonished eyes lifted to her. “You are queen here?” The admission took me by surprise. She was so young, barely twenty if I had to guess. But then again, I was only seventeen. Sometimes circumstances happened regardless of age. Perhaps, that was what happened to her. Maybe Olivia’s parents were dead.

  In another situation, Olivia and I might have been friends. Maybe we still would. I could use a friend, particularly one who understood the burden and obligation of being a queen. I had yet to really fulfill those shoes, but when the time came, it would be nice to have a mentor my own age for support.

  “I am.” The four guys surrounding her grinned, their auras beaming with pride. “You're the first queen I’ve met. Well, who’s alive,” she added.

  I mulled her last words around in my head and decided not to ask for an explanation. As someone who could summon the dead, I wasn’t all too keen about meeting ghosts at the moment. I didn’t need anything weirder to happen. I needed to go home. “I’m fairly new at this,” I admitted. “But I have an entire world who is dependent on me. I can’t let them down.”