Void Shift

by J. L. Weil

  “You can’t hide from me forever,” Madeline snapped, losing the sweetness to her tone. Someone didn’t take rejection well. “You and I have unfinished business.”

  “That will have to wait. Goodbye, Madeline. Go home,” Devyn replied and promptly shut the door, giving her no other option but to leave.

  Devyn spun to face me with burning eyes of steel as he waited to make sure Madeline had left. It was an effort not to squirm under his stare. “Are you out of your mind? You had one thing to do: stay hidden. And yet you chose to play with your powers.”

  “It wasn’t a conscious decision,” I barked back, my temper rising to meet his pulse for pulse. Before Devyn had turned around, I’d been itching for a fight. Perhaps he had been as well. The encounter with Madeline leaving us both agitated and riled.

  “If she got even an inkling of your scent, there’s no telling what she would do,” he pressed on. “Madeline Blackwater is unpredictable. She is wild and hot-tempered and doesn’t think before she acts. In war, it makes her dangerous. You don’t know her like I do.”

  “Clearly,” I said with sarcasm sharp enough to cut through glass.

  His eyes crinkled as he angled his head. “Were you jealous?”

  I threw my hands up in the air, shooting to my feet. “Yes, I was jealous. How could I not be? Other than the fact that she was all over you, she has the freedom to do so,” I hissed. “You and I do not, as you are so fond of reminding me.”

  “Karina.” He spoke my name with regret and anguish, but I wasn’t having it.

  I whirled around and stalked off down the hall, not bothering to respond.

  Was this how Devyn felt seeing me with Jesse? Knowing that my best friend had feelings for me? Knowing that I had a past he wasn’t a part of?

  Well, it sucked.

  Since I’d arrived, my Kitsune had been pestering me to set it free. “Pestering” might be too soft of a word. Hounding was more accurate, and I was pissed off enough to give in to what it wanted. Let’s play, it goaded me like a little kid waiting for me to kick the ball back.

  My Kitsune would be contained no more, the animal inside me longing to feel the full extent of this world under her paws, the sweet-scented wind blowing through her white fur.

  Fine, I sighed.

  I waited until I rounded the corner before shifting, knowing Devyn would be on my tail a moment later. Space. I needed to run, to burn off this insatiable anger and envy that burned inside me like a living flame.

  The feeling of shedding my human skin for my fur sent a ripple of magic dancing down my spine all the way to my toes, stronger than any other shift. Without breaking stride, I headed to the back of the house where I could smell the wind through an open window.

  It was dumb and reckless, but my fox didn’t care. She had been awakened after a long slumber and wanted to claim what was hers. The fae side of me seemed to know precisely who I was and what my birthright entailed—what waited for me outside this house.

  I wedged my nose into the cracked window and weaseled my way through. Foxes were known as sly creatures by nature, so it was no surprise I managed to escape the house undetected. I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going, only that I needed the open air.

  The moment my paws hit the ground, I swore a tremble went through the land and every creature and fae went still. Not even the wind or trees moved, as if the world was assessing this new creature who had unleashed itself upon them.

  What took you so long? the land crooned. You are home.

  Footsteps sounded behind me through the window, and Devyn called my name. Without sparing a glance over my shoulder, I took off, running straight for the woods. My five tails bounced behind me.

  So I had indeed gained another white tail.

  The two moons painted the land with their shimmering light, and I felt the energy from their glow cool my fur. I marveled at my own abilities and let my Kitsune take the reins, giving her freedom and control.

  I entered the woods in under a minute—a feat that would have taken me so much longer in my human form. Here, the transition into my fox body had been as simple as breathing. I dodged around towering trees, leaped over rocks and streams, but made sure to keep within a short distance of Devyn’s home.

  The last thing I needed was to wander too far and get lost.

  But I wanted more.

  My senses were bombarded by so many new things from the dirt under my paws to the pine-scented bushes. I was in sensory overload. I swore I could have flown, soared to the heavens on the surge of magic in my blood alone.

  Faster. And faster. I ran faster than I ever had. The woods became one solid green blur. The misty air in my lungs fueled my fae body. Time didn’t matter here, only this incredible feeling of freedom, belonging, and power.

  My lungs were burning when I slowed down at a nearby stream. The water was crisp and pure, cooling my heated body as I lapped it up. It was just water, colorless and nearly tasteless, but here, in this form, I could pick apart each layer of its makeup.

  Blood pumped rapidly into my heart, but the anger and jealousy that drove me to shift subsided, leaving my bones and muscles tired, but not in the human way I was used to. I had run for miles, but I felt as if I could have gone another thirty or more. There seemed to be no end to my energy level, and it made me wonder about the constraints on my powers.

  I’d never practiced controlling my abilities without Devyn. As much as the Shaman loved to say he would always be there to protect me—and he had been good on his word so far—there might come a time when the only person who could save me was myself.

  What would Devyn think about me using my powers here? Alone?

  I could all but hear his voice whispering in my ear: Don’t do it, Karina. It’s not safe.

  He was always telling me no.

  But he wasn’t here now. He hadn’t come after me.

  Sadness pulled at my heart, but before I let it consume me, I shoved it aside and raised my chin. No. I refused to be dependent on a guy, even one who was born to be my personal bodyguard and looked like he was crafted by my fantasies.

  Gah.

  He was so frustrating at times.

  I had wanted to clear my head, to forget about him and Madeline, to forget the entire fae world. Pretty difficult when you embodied the thing you were running from.

  The forest went eerily quiet—not like before. This time, it made my ears perk up; the skin under my fur tingled. An instinct nudged me. I crept away from the stream, my canines lengthening over my curled lips as I flashed my teeth. A reek of something foul and strong came into my nostrils and slithered along the forest floor. It smelled of death.

  Oily fear coated my insides, and flames gathered in my eyes, burning true and bright. Where are you?

  The silence continued to stretch, reaching past points in the world I could feel. Whatever this thing was, watching me, stalking me, it was old and nothing like I’d encountered before. Not a Silvermyst or a dragon or a Karura.

  I whirled and bared my teeth in a feral warning, unwilling to lead this thing straight to Devyn’s family, but nothing stirred. It was as if the fear of being hunted was all in my head. I slipped back into the trees with slow movements, afraid to draw its attention. Even though I wanted to pretend this creature wasn’t hunting me, it most definitely was.

  And if I didn’t do something, it might very well succeed in killing me.

  Story of my freaking life.

  A dark cloud of mist drifted in from downstream that had the hackles at the nape of my neck standing straight up.

  What the—

  The smoke morphed into a figure of a man. An ugly man. Gray skin drooped off his bones, and pointed yellow teeth cracked his mouth open. The woods, moments ago, had been a place of beauty and serenity. Now something of nightmares made flesh stared at me.

  What the hell are you? The question rung in my head while I took a step back. And another. My eyes darted left and right, looking for the best possible
escape route, my breathing thundering in my ears.

  Damn. Damn. Damn.

  Should I shift and try to talk to it? Should I attack? Scream for help?

  “I’m old,” it hissed through a mouth that didn’t move. “Older than you, Kitsune.”

  How the—?

  The long smoky cloak it wore dragged on the ground, turning into tendrils of mist at the ends, which shifted and churned over the ground with impatience. “I’m an Enenria,” it replied as if answering my internal question.

  This thing could read my thoughts. The unsettling revelation made my stomach leap into my throat. I didn’t want to imagine what it could do with those teeth. Its obsidian eyes had no white part, making it the closest thing I’d seen to a demon. Those pits of hell shifted to the source of my power—the soul star pulsing brightly at my neck. This is getting so old. Let me guess, you want my power. Blah, blah, blah.

  “Your power would be nice, but I’m thinking you would taste even nicer.”

  Well, this was refreshing. Someone who just wanted to eat me. Too bad I wasn’t ready to die.

  My flames hit the smoke fae in the chest, but instead of burning his flesh as I had expected, the thing absorbed the fire, dousing it until nothing but smoke drifted from the spot.

  Well, that was deflating, to say the least.

  Its roar echoed over the treetops, scattering a flock of birds into the sky, and the cry of rage and hunger sent terror sliding into my belly. I needed to get out of the woods. Now. I needed to find Devyn. Only then would I be safe.

  Plan B.

  I burst into a run.

  The mossy ground kicked up behind my paws. Rocks and dirt dug into my soft pads, but I didn’t slow my pace. I shot through the woods, going back the way I’d come. Was it stupid of me to think I could outrun something that was made of smoke?

  Thankfully, I was in my fox form; it made maneuvering under low tree branches and slipping through tight spots easy, but then again, the creature of smoke could twist and morph his shape to his will.

  I was so screwed.

  But I made myself keep going. The smoke consumed the air behind me. It was right on my tail, gaining on me. I didn’t allow myself to look back, but forged ahead, forcing my four legs to move faster and faster.

  Above my head, thunder rumbled, followed by a strike of lightning. I hurled the bolt toward the Enenria, as it called itself. If fire was a no-go, how about a dose of storm? I relied on my senses to pinpoint where to strike without having to risk turning around and prayed my mark was true.

  Lightning flashed again, and from the corner of my eye, I caught a flicker of darkness swirling in the air.

  Shit.

  I couldn’t run forever. And I couldn’t return to the only place I knew in this forsaken world and put Devyn’s family in danger. Think. Think. Think, Karina. What would Devyn do?

  Speaking of the Shaman, where the hell was he? Every other time my life had been in danger, he’d magically appeared. Now, all of a sudden, he decides to give me space?

  Unless it had something to do with the Enenria not wanting my power. Did that have anything to do with my connection to the Shaman? Was he only able to sense when my soul star was being threatened?

  That was a problem I’d have to deal with later. I had more pressing matters . . . like staying alive.

  I veered westward, away from Devyn’s home, and bounded between two large trees. What now?

  There! A few feet up ahead, I spotted a tree that had the trunk carved open. Deep gouges, left by some unknown creature, marred the bark, creating a small opening at the tree’s base. My choices were to take my chances inside the tree or continue to run. Whichever I picked, I needed to decide now.

  Here went nothing.

  I drew the shadows of the forest around me like a cloak of darkness and headed straight for the hollow tree. My steps were stealthy, careful not to make a sound. I was two paces away when a pair of firm hands clamped down on either side of my waist.

  Chapter Eleven

  My claws swiped blindly through the air, striking out around me, but whatever had ahold of me was fast—fast enough to avoid the sharp tips of my nails. The hands closed around my middle and tugged me deeper into the tree. I thrashed, desperate to break free.

  I twisted, shadows still clinging to me, and flashed my fangs. The darkness I’d pulled to myself should have given me the perfect disguise, hiding me from sight. Perhaps some faes could see through the void as Devyn called it.

  “Karina, stop moving and keep silent for god’s sake,” hissed a male voice.

  The fight went out of me immediately at the familiar sound. Devyn.

  Overcome with relief, I lost control of myself, shifting inside the hollowed-out tree. He spun me so my back pushed up against the bark, pressing himself against me. The space was tight, so tight I could feel his heart beating against mine. “Where have you been?” I whispered through my teeth, even as my arms wrapped around his waist. I was never letting go.

  He pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me, his green eyes reprimanding my noise. The cold presence outside the tree grew, coiling over the ground, searching and tasting the air for my scent. Sliding his cheek along mine, Devyn whispered in my ear. “I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I say. Got it?”

  I nodded my head.

  “The shadows won’t be enough to fool it. I need you to void us. Like before.”

  “What if I—”

  His eyes shone bright, filling the space inside the tree. “You can. Just to my room. Think of it as a doorway. The light is on the other side of the darkness. You only need to walk through it.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he did the most unexpected thing. He kissed me.

  His soft lips coaxed mine, tempting me to relax and not to think too hard about what I had to do. The problem was his mouth had a way of making me forget everything. Including myself.

  The coldness trickled into the tree. We were out of time. It was now or never. Concentrate. Open the door. Walk through it.

  Darkness bloomed over us, surrounding Devyn and me in what seemed like an ageless night, devoid of stars and the moons. Wave after wave, the blackness breathed, and within it, I saw nothing, heard nothing, but the rapid beating of my own heart.

  Find the door, a voice reminded me.

  But there was no door, only depthless, impenetrable oblivion.

  If I couldn’t find the door, if I couldn’t fold the shadows, what then? Would I be lost in this nothingness for eternity? This was one place Devyn couldn’t be the hero and ride in on his white horse to save the princess who was once again in desperate need of rescuing.

  Biting down on a curse, I searched the darkness for that seed of light to lead me to the other side. Just to his bedroom, Devyn had said. It was less than a mile away, a short distance, and yet I was lost.

  I closed my eyes and forced myself to take slow, even breaths, exhaling in the same manner. Allowing that calm to distribute throughout my body, I pictured Devyn’s room: the gray color of his walls, the beautiful columns framing the large window.

  Then I ripped through everything around me and jumped.

  I was hurled from the darkness at stomach-churning speeds that made my head spin. Bold colors blurred together, and if it hadn’t been for a pair of familiar arms encircled around my waist, I would have toppled to the ground. Solid. Faithful. And Unyielding. That was Devyn.

  “I’m going to be sick,” I groaned, my belly rolling as if I’d just gotten off the worst roller coaster of my life. Never again.

  Devyn set me down on the bed and pushed my head between my legs. “Breathe,” he ordered me. “Breathe.”

  Taking in oxygen, I centered my eyes on my feet, unwilling to close them. I wanted the light. Needed it. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. My breathing was the only sound in the room.

  Devyn drew circles on my back with his hand. “Good, your color is coming back.”

  I sat up and looked at him. The flush of
heat was gone, leaving behind a chill. “I’m sorry I left like that. I didn’t mean—”

  “To cause trouble?” he finished, brushing aside a piece of my damp, sweaty hair. “I’m used to it. It kind of comes with the territory.”

  “I think we can both admit I’m more trouble than most.”

  A ghost of a smile tipped his lips. “This might be the only time I don’t argue with you, Kitten.”

  My arms wrapped around him, and I pressed my cheek against the side of his neck. “Thank you for always being there when I need you, even when I make it impossible.” Sometimes I wondered why he went to all the trouble of constantly saving me. It had to be exhausting.

  His tense body loosened as his arms slipped to my waist, pulling me into his arms. “You had me going out of my mind.”

  If I hadn’t gotten so ridiculously jealous, none of this would have happened. I’d been so reckless. Not just with my life, but with Devyn’s and his family’s too. In the future, I had to stop thinking about myself and start thinking about my kingdom, about the people in it. “The thing told me it was an Enenria.”

  Devyn released me and forked his fingers through his hair. “A demon fae made of smoke.”

  My back pressed against the wall. “There are demon faes?” I didn’t like the sound of that.

  His features remained solemn. “All cultures have their own demons.”

  My throat tightened while my mind ran away with the idea, imagining all the horrible demon faes I might encounter. “I really want this to be a joke. It said that it didn’t want my powers.”

  “They feed on the flesh of faes. They also need to be summoned, which means someone close by has been praying to the wrong gods.”

  “How do you kill one? Neither fire nor electricity appeared to do much damage.” If there was a slim chance I’d cross paths with the demon fae again, I wanted to be prepared.

  “The best way to kill one is to catch it while an Enenria takes on a form. It is the only time they have a weak spot. Here,” Devyn said, pressing his fingers into my shoulder blades. “If you can hit it at the center of its spine, that is where its core is, and it will shatter its ability to shift.”