by J. L. Weil
Time Shift
Nine Tails Series Book Four
J. L. Weil
Dark Magick Publishing, LLC
Contents
Also by J. L. Weil
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Read more by J. L. Weil
About the Author
Also 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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Time Shift © copyright 2018 J. L. Weil
http://www.jlweil.com
All rights reserved.
First Edition 2018
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.
Chapter One
I’d never been a fan of airports, or planes for that matter, but it wouldn’t be long until I’d watch the ground disappear and Seaside Heights with it. I knew the risks I took by leaving my home, and traveling across the country with Devyn while a trail of fae sniffed at our heels. Still, I had to take them. I had chosen to protect those I loved and save a world I’d never set foot on, or even seen.
I held onto the armrests as the engines of our Delta aircraft roared to life. Devyn laid his warm fingers over mine, giving them a squeeze of reassurance while the plane rolled down the runway—the lights glowing on either side to illuminate the path in the night. Within minutes, the world was splayed beneath me, and once I opened my eyes, the view was almost magical, with dark sapphire waters glittering in the vast darkness beyond.
Tipping my chin up, I held back the tears threatening to burst from my eyes and focused on what was to come—whatever it would be. Unable to watch my whole life disappear behind me, I closed the shade on my window and turned my attention to the ticket clutched in my hand—flight A340, arriving in Zürich, Switzerland at 12:35 p.m.
I settled into the seat with a fleece blanket for the twelve-plus-hour flight. I should have been exhausted, but I found my body refused to give into sleep. Beside me, Devyn’s chest moved slowly in even breaths, his eyes closed, and his hand still resting over mine. At least one of us is able to rest.
I examined the passengers to our right—the pothead wannabe munching on his second bag of Doritos and his companion, a pretty redhead with her earbuds in, listening to a bad drama Jesse never would have approved of on the personal TV.
Agh. The mere thought of Jesse sent another round of sadness tunneling through me. His ear must have been tingling, because my phone buzzed in my lap. I unlocked the screen, seeing a text message from him.
Are you okay? You never came home.
I exhaled, dropping my head back against my seat. I started to type I’m never coming home, but erased the text. What could I say to him? To Hannah? The two people I cared most about in the world besides my parents.
How could I make them understand I had to leave without revealing the truth about myself? Then again, maybe the only thing I could tell them was the truth.
They’re my friends, I told myself. They won’t care that I’m a shape-shifting fox. Hell, they might even think it’s cool. Not the constant danger, of course, but the powers; Jesse would be all over those.
And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The fear of losing them was too great.
I couldn’t forget my parents either. Leaving with no goodbye would crush them, but Mom would understand. She was the only person who truly knew the sacrifices I was making, and the trials that lay in front of me. I had left her a message before getting on the plane, letting her know I was leaving and would call again as soon as I could.
I hadn’t even been gone more than a few hours and I already missed them something terrible. My biggest fear was losing those I loved. I couldn’t let that happen, which was why I sat on a plane with Devyn, flying across the ocean.
My phone vibrated again, and I grimaced, assuming it would be Jesse, but I checked it without hesitation.
Facebook. Marvelous.
The last thing I needed was to see everything I was missing in my old life, but I couldn’t seem to let it go. I tapped the app on my phone and waited for it to load.
Hannah Tisdale tagged you in a photo, the notification read.
I clicked on the link, and there it was, a picture of Hannah, Jesse, and me taken only hours ago at Hannah’s graduation party before everything turned to shit.
I stared at the three of us. Hot tears burned in my eyes, closing my throat up. It was hard to believe how much could change in twenty-four hours.
Devyn shifted in the chair beside me, and I took a moment to distract myself and ogle the Shaman. Silky strands of midnight hair fell off to one side of his forehead. His head tilted toward me, a shadow cast over part of his face. Somehow his presence made me believe I could do this.
I finally closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. We are now preparing for our descent to Zürich International Airport,” the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom. I yawned, my eyes fluttering open. Devyn stretched out beside me. “Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you. Flight attendants, prepare for landing please.”
“Hey, Kitten. Did you get some sleep?” Devyn asked, blinking the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.
I pursed my lips for the millionth time this flight. “Yeah, a little.” I lifted the shade on my window to gaze at the mountainous view below, and the snowcapped peaks. “I’ve only left the country once—Mexico, for spring break a few years ago with Jesse and Hannah. Her parents had chaperoned, which was more or less like having no parental supervision.
“I know this is hard—going to a foreign place—and I wish I could take the anxiety and sadness you’re feeling.”
“You being here is enough.
” Neither of us was really convinced it was enough.
“It won’t be forever,” he assured me.
I looked at him, and my mouth slanted downwards. “I know.”
The plane started to decline, breaking through the clouds to reveal a sprawling city in the sunlight. It landed on the airstrip with a soft bounce before the brakes kicked in, straining me against the seatbelt. Once we docked, I unfastened my clasp and used my phone to gaze at myself in the reverse camera. Sweet baby Jesus. I needed a brush, a bottle of hairspray, and a toothbrush stat. My blue eyes were red from lack of proper sleep and my face was pale, except for two bright pink spots on either side of my cheeks. I tossed my coal black hair into a messy bun, popped a piece of gum into my mouth, and called it a day.
Switzerland here we come.
Hopefully, we wouldn’t leave behind too much of a mess. I would hate to destroy the beauty of the Alps with its sheer valleys, cool lakes, and high peaks.
Devyn stepped out into the aisle, waiting for me to go in front of him. “The cabin we’re staying at is about two hours from here. We’ll rent a car and drive up.”
“I don’t know how you were able to pull all of this together with a few phone calls, but I’m grateful.” I also didn’t know how he acquired his cash. I’d never asked him where his money came from; he didn’t have a job, other than to save me from every nasty fae that came to Earth, hunting me.
“It’s part of the job,” he whispered in my ear, stirring my hair with this breath.
Job. It was a slap in the face. Is that all I am to him? A job?
I knew it wasn’t true—that he had feelings for me, and our connection wasn’t meaningless—but my mind in its current state felt strained and sensitive.
I sighed, shuffling down the line as we filed out of the plane.
Zürich International Airport was a thriving hub with glass windows surrounding us on all sides. Devyn and I searched the signs dangling from the ceiling—a vortex of numbers, letters, and arrows, both in English and German. The extent of my German I’d gleaned from movies—not very much to get me by. Finding the baggage claim shouldn’t be overly difficult, thank God we didn’t have much luggage—only one suitcase stuffed with some of Devyn’s belongings, and a change of clothes for me. We had made a quick pit stop, sneaking into my house last night, so I could grab a few necessities and put on something else, because traveling in a party dress would have been agony.
Devyn promised we would go shopping once we got settled. The idea caused me to smirk, imagining the Shaman at a mall.
“Everything okay?” Devyn asked. “You seem quiet.”
I nodded, looking up from the dark, carpeted floor. “It’s a lot to take in. I still can’t believe we just left like that. I’ve never done anything so spontaneous and reckless in my entire life.”
He grinned. “Welcome to the club.”
The club of fugitives? Because I felt like one.
“This way,” Devyn instructed me, taking the forked pathway to the left with an escalator.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” I asked, glancing around.
His gaze sparkled. “Positive.”
I rolled my eyes, wondering how he could be so confident, but I was too jet-lagged to care if we ended up aimlessly roaming the airport.
We hopped onto the down escalator, moving to the first floor. Then we walked down a hall, and then another. We passed a Starbucks, and I lingered, drooling at the possibility of sugar and caffeine.
I might have sighed, because Devyn shot a look sideways at me and slowed his hurried movements. “Are you hungry?”
I should have been. I hadn’t eaten since the party, but I found I had no appetite. But coffee wasn’t food; it was fuel. “Sure.”
“We could grab something here before we make the drive into the mountains. Maybe a cup of coffee?” he suggested, reading my mind.
I lifted a single brow. “Are you trying to bribe me with caffeine?”
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Yes. Is it working?”
Hell yes it was working. “Maybe.”
Devyn ordered me a cinnamon latte with a double shot of espresso; at least I hoped that was what he said. I didn’t understand half the words that had come out of his mouth. “You speak German?” I asked, completely flabbergasted.
He nodded. “And Japanese, Spanish, French, and a little bit of Italian,” he listed off.
My mouth dropped. What kind of education did he get on the Second Moon? “Wow, I’m impressed.” And a tad jealous. I would have loved to be fluent in another language. How did I not know he could speak multiple languages? Devyn never failed to surprise me.
“Here you go,” the barista said with a smile and a cute accent, handing me a cup.
Devyn gave her a twenty, and as he waited for his change, I chugged my coffee. We stepped onto the moving walkway and I lost my balance, sloshing the rich, brown hot liquid onto the front of my favorite sweatshirt.
Correction, my only sweatshirt at the moment.
Son of a bitch.
If this was how Switzerland was going to go, I was doomed.
Devyn shook his head, offering me a napkin. I took it with a scowl, dabbing at my shirt while trying to keep my balance. I was like a three ring circus. We made it to the baggage claim without further incident, and Devyn swooped up our single piece of luggage from the rotating conveyer belt.
“Let’s go get a pair of wheels,” he said with enthusiasm, gesturing down yet another hall, and with my half empty coffee in hand, I braced myself for the future.
Within thirty minutes, we sat inside a compact sedan, winding down the road. “This is weird,” I said.
One of Devyn’s dark brows shot up. “How many more times are you going to say that today?”
“Until it doesn’t feel weird,” I replied.
His lips twitched.
I turned toward my window. It was impossible to not be awestruck by the landscape stretched out on all sides. The little villages—both old and new—the deep blue lakes, and the mountain-walled valleys were breathtaking. Seeing it during the day was postcard worthy, but I would have also loved to see it under the moonlight.
We passed a row of townhomes featuring cookie-cutter balconies with square patches of perfectly manicured lawns, and little farms dotted the countryside. The further we drove, the more rural the area became, and I found the silence of the land both disturbing and haunting. We were utterly alone, as I soon discovered when Devyn pulled our car up to a wood and stone cabin in the mountains.
This took remote to a new level.
Feeling like Dorothy when she landed on Oz, I opened the car door and inhaled a gulp of the freshest air on the planet—crisp and clean. A cold wind howled as it whipped through the towering pine trees. The ground was blanketed in pure white snow, untouched; only the little tracks of a small rodent marred the powder. No one told me this was going to be easy or that I wouldn’t get homesick from time to time, but this was insane. We stood in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but mountains for as high and far as I could see.
Devyn opened the trunk and pulled out the suitcase. “Welcome home, Kitten.”
For just a moment, the word “home” hung in the air between us.
My eyes burned with hot tears, and I inhaled, blinking as my vision became wobbly. Nothing about this place felt like home.
Chapter Two
I’d never run away before, never been on my own, and the scope of what I had done really started to sink in, and take hold of me. I had less than a hundred dollars in my bank account, no income coming in, and an army of faes hunted me.
My life was a completely fucked up hodgepodge, and I was at a loss as to how to fix it or when the madness might end.
That was the difficult part, not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And the cherry on top? Even when I made it to the end, I would never get my life back—not the one I used to have. That life was gone forever.
Devyn came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist, resting his head on top of mine as we ogled the cabin that would be our refuge. “It isn’t permanent. I swear you will see them again.”
He had this eerie ability to know what I was feeling. Most of the time I didn’t mind, but sometimes it could be intrusive when I was trying to hide unpleasant emotions … like now. I laid a hand over his and exhaled, a puff of cold white air escaping my lips. “You failed to mention how big this place is.” I had it in my head that we would stay in a cozy little cabin tucked into the mountains, roughing it like pioneers, chopping our own wood, cooking over a fire, forgoing electricity. Okay, my imagination was extreme, but who could blame me?
The cabin was two stories, but with the height of the ceilings, it could have easily been three. An equal amount of wood, windows, and stone covered the exterior, but it was the mist curling over the ground that gave it a fairytale vibe. “How about a tour of the place?” I suggested, holding out a hand.
His hand flipped over, interlocking our fingers together and his warm breath blew on my ear. “The big question is, do you want to share a room?”
My lips curved. “Depends on if you snore, steal the covers, or kick in your sleep.” I already knew he did none of the above, but I’d never lived with a guy before. Did I want to share a room with him every night?
Yes. If that guy was Devyn, no questions asked.
I waited on the front porch as Devyn stuck the key in the door and pushed it open, giving me the first glimpse at my hideaway home. Inside, the entryway immediately expanded into a den with a cobblestone fireplace that took up the whole wall. It was furnished with dark chocolate couches and rich floors that gleamed as I walked over them. “Holy. Crap. This place is incredible.”