First Shift

by J. L. Weil

  “Quiet,” he hissed, raising his big hand.

  I lowered my head, my ears going down as I waited for the impact.

  “How about you pick on someone your own size?”

  Mike and Ike both froze in response to the deep, unfamiliar, yet very welcomed voice. Lifting my furry chin, I got my first glimpse of my savior.

  The mystery man stood well over six feet with hair as dark as the sea at midnight. His expressive brows arched over green eyes that glowed in the dim light. He oozed authority. Power. And sexiness. I wasn’t in the position to appreciate his mind-bending attractiveness, but it couldn’t be helped. He had the kind of look that demanded to be ogled.

  It became clear that neither Mike nor Ike were happy to see the newcomer, giving me a glimmer of hope. Maybe I wouldn’t die after all, but truthfully, this new guy was just as much dangerous looking as Mike and Ike were.

  His black T-shirt stretched across his broad chest as he lifted both hands in a crisscross over his head, whipping out two blades that had been strapped behind his back. Dayum. He looked about my age, and I was impressed with his apparent skills to wield not one, but two, blades. They looked at home in his hands.

  And that was when I noticed the snakes.

  I shivered.

  Scaly reptiles gave me a mad case of the willies.

  The handles on his blades interwove with serpents’ tails, extending to coil around his wrists and part of his forearm, making him appear one with the weapons. They hissed with wrath, their heads near the middle of his arm. I’d never seen anything like them. One second they’d been ornaments on the handles, and the next, they were living, breathing vipers.

  “This doesn’t concern you, Sin Eater,” spat one of the odd men, glaring at the mystery man like he was something he scraped off the bottom of his overpriced shit-kickers.

  He moved into the alley. “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s my job to protect her.”

  Protect me?

  I snuck farther into the corner, my tail tucked against the wall. Tail. God, I had a tail! And as I looked to the new guy, I realized I was a whole lot smaller—about the size of a medium dog.

  “You think you can take both of us?” the two chuckled, their cockiness showing in their disregard of the one they called “Sin Eater.”

  A whisper of a smirk pulled at his lips. “Without breaking a sweat. Now, can we get this over with? You’re interrupting my job.”

  The lanky man’s fingers curled into fists. Things were about to blow south, and I needed to make sure I didn’t get swept away. But at the first slash of the Sin Eater’s sword, I found my paws wouldn’t move. Really, where could I go as a … what was I?

  One of them made a low snarl deep in his throat, an animal-like sound. Together, the two idiots lunged toward the stranger. A second before they reached him, the mysterious guy spun, letting his blades whiz through the air. There was a hiss like a thousand snakes at once, and then one of the blades sliced through the abdomen of the one who was slightly smaller.

  As if things could have gotten any weirder, once the blade cleared his flesh, his milky eyes went wide. His mouth dropped open in a silent scream, and then the bastard exploded in a dark cloud of smoke that hovered in the air like thick smog. The head of the snake from the blade that pierced him reared up off the mysterious man’s forearm and opened its mouth. A forked tongue shot out, siphoning the dark smoke from the air until there was nothing left of Ike.

  “Enjoy the trip back to the otherworld.” The strange man pointed his other sword at the other—the one that dripped black gunk. “Your turn.”

  His eyes bounced between the sword and the stranger’s face. He must not have liked his chances. The coward turned and ran.

  The Sin Eater’s lips curved. “Oh good, a runner.”

  He didn’t get more than a few steps. Like a whip, the Sin Eater lashed one of the snakes out at the attacker’s feet. It coiled, tripping him up so he kissed the ground. Black blood dripped from his nose, but he wasn’t about to give up his chance at escape. He scrambled to get back on his feet, but the swordsman was at his side and tossed him across the alley. His body slammed into the brick wall before crumbling to the ground. The impact should have knocked him out, but not this dude.

  “Is that the best you can do?” The attacker didn’t seem to be in a position to talk smack in my opinion.

  “Please. I’m just getting started, Silvermyst.” The dark-haired guy flicked his wrists, spinning the sword in his left hand. With no hesitation in his movements, the Sin Eater slammed the tip of a blade into the gut of the Silvermyst, as he had called him.

  The Silvermyst met the same fate as his partner—the other snake taking a turn at gulping up his hovering ashes.

  I had definitely stumbled into the Twilight Zone or an alternate universe. This kind of shit didn’t happen in Seaside Heights, Washington. We had our share of weirdos, but this took it to a whole new level of strange.

  I was going to puke.

  The assassin sheathed both of his weapons behind his back and came to crouch in front of me. I stared into his green eyes. His thick lashes circled them, and I felt myself drowning in the depths of color. Wariness fluttered in my belly. What was he planning to do? Would he kill me next? Or was it possible he would know how to help me?

  “My name is Devyn St. Cyr, and I won’t hurt you. I’m here to help, Kitten.” He laid a hand on my furry head, and I let out a whimper.

  Kitten? Was that what I had turned into? A little kitten? But that didn’t seem right. I was definitely bigger than a cat.

  If he tried to pick me up, I’d probably bite him. I wasn’t going anywhere with anyone, especially with a guy who played with swords and snakes. But it didn’t matter what I wanted, because something started to happen under his touch. The tingles I felt earlier came back, spreading from my head throughout my furry body, building and building in intensity until it became too much. I’d had enough. The whole situation overwhelmed me. My eyes lost focus, blurring Devyn’s face, and my head sunk, suddenly feeling like it was full of cotton.

  And then it was night-night for Karina, and I knew nothing but darkness.

  Chapter Two

  My eyes fluttered open, and I blinked, feeling out of sorts, wrong. A cranberry knit blanket draped over my body, and a feather soft pillow laid under my head. I stared at the vaulted white ceiling, trying to place where I was. It wasn’t my house or Hannah’s, and it most definitely wasn’t Jesse’s.

  So just where the hell was I?

  The leather couch I lay on squeaked underneath me as I shifted my weight. Soft voices floated across the room from the ridiculously large TV mounted above a roaring fireplace. My eyes scanned the rest of the area. It was one big space that opened into a dining room and a galley kitchen. The only light in the room was the soft flickering of the fire and the TV. The apartment had a college guy vibe.

  And just like that, it all came rushing back: the two guys in the alley, the taste of fear burning like acid in my throat, the warrior with the gorgeous glowing green eyes, the twin snakes wrapped like cuffs around his wrists. And the worst: me. I’d been an animal.

  My breaths came in quick, short pants, a panic attack on the horizon. What was happening to me? Why had those guys attacked me? What did they mean that they wanted my soul?

  None of it could be real. It just couldn’t be.

  In what world did a guy go around with swords strapped to his back? Or snakes that sucked up the remains of the dead? I didn’t know the technical term for what went down, but “whacked” came to mind.

  As I put the pieces together, a terrifying thought dawned on me.

  Holy shit.

  I’d been kidnapped.

  A silent scream caught in my throat. It wasn’t enough that I’d been nearly mugged earlier and could have been possibly raped. Now I was trapped in some psychopath’s apartment, chained to the couch.

  I looked down and exhaled.

  No cuffs, ropes, or chains
. What a relief. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been restrained, but it still didn’t explain what I was doing here … or where “here” was.

  Pushing the throw to my waist, I sat up, the blood rushing to my head.

  Holy smokes.

  “Whoa. Slow down. You’re safe now.”

  I knew that voice.

  It was the guy with the green glowing eyes … and the snakes.

  I suppressed the urge to shiver or slap him across the face; I couldn’t decide which it was. My gaze slid to the front door near the kitchen before returning to his chiseled bone structure. I judged the distance and knew from what I’d seen of him there was no way I’d make it.

  He knew it too. His lips twitched.

  Ugh. Arrogant ass-hat.

  “How did I get here?”

  With cool eyes, he watched me. “I carried you.”

  Dear God. He carried me? My cheeks inflamed as I envisioned myself being swept up in his arms. Just figures I’d be unconscious when a hot guy swoops me off my feet. “Oh,” I said, looking down briefly to hide my candy apple cheeks. Like a skittish cat ready to bolt, I kept my gaze on him as he strutted across the room. The swords strapped to his back were gone, and he had changed into a clean T-shirt. “What am I doing here? Why didn’t you take me to a hospital?”

  He sat on the other end of the couch, the leather cushions dipping with his weight. “You had no need for a hospital. You weren’t seriously injured. What you needed was somewhere safe to recover.”

  I nibbled on my lip, pondering what he said, but the small action brought sharp pain. The hit I’d taken earlier had left its mark. I winced, raising my hand to my cheek.

  Devyn took my chin in his hand, surveying the bruise I felt positive was there. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner.” Regret shined in his eyes.

  But he was too close for me to figure out what I was feeling. Too many emotions conflicting with each other made me feel trapped, and I reacted without thinking. “Don’t make me use my rape whistle.” I backed away from him, cornering myself into the nook of the couch.

  It seemed like no matter what I said or did, I amused him. “Go for it,” he challenged me.

  Jerk. He was trying to call my bluff. He didn’t know me well. “Rape! Rape! Rape!” I screamed, hoping someone heard me. It was a long shot.

  His hand flew over my mouth, muffling my cries. The glower on his face was fierce. “That’s your rape whistle?”

  I bit the inside of his hand, and he released me, scowling darkly. “I had to improvise under the circumstances.” I tried to ignore how close he was to me and the fact that I wasn’t afraid of him as I should have been.

  Devyn blinked. “Was that really necessary? After all, I did just save your ass back there.”

  How was it this guy could scowl at me and I found it adorable? “I’ll do a whole lot worse than bite you if you don’t let me go.”

  “As interesting as the offer is, we don’t have time for a tumble on the floor.”

  Oh my God. Don’t tell me he was one of those guys that turned everything into something sexual. “Did you kill them?” I asked, quickly redirecting my mind to safer territory.

  He gave me a funny look. “No, I sent them back to the otherworld.”

  Now it was my turn to look at him strangely. “I don’t understand. What other world? Why did they attack me?”

  Several dark locks of his hair fell forward as he angled his head to the side. “They wanted your soul—the essence of your powers.”

  “I don’t have any powers,” I argued, once again scanning the room. There was no place to hide. It was all too open. Reality sunk in. I’d escaped two lunatics only to be captured by another.

  He noticed my movement, his lips twitching. Everything I did seemed to challenge him. Shifting his long legs, he ended up somehow closer to me than he’d been before. “Tell that to the fox.”

  “Fox?” I echoed. “Holy shit. I was a fox?” I mumbled mostly to myself, forgetting for just a second that he still sat beside me.

  “Don’t you know what you are?”

  Was this a trick question? “If you would have asked me that a few hours ago, I would have told you that I’m just an average eighteen year old about to graduate high school, but after tonight, I’m not certain of anything. Have I lost my mind?”

  “Shit.” He weaved his fingers through his silky hair, his head falling back against the couch. “Well, this makes my job all the more complicated.” The expression on his face was hard to decipher. Annoyed. Compassionate. A hint of anger possibly, but not at me … I think. “Once you reached the age of eighteen, you shed your human skin for the fox. This is known as the ‘first shift’ or ‘first tail’—the ability to shapeshift between human and fox.”

  “You’re saying I’m a fox?” I reiterated, numb to my core.

  His eyes maintained contact with mine, unblinking and serious. “Not just any fox. A Kitsune.”

  “Kitsune,” I echoed. “Like in Japanese mythology?” My mind splintered off into a million different directions, remembering my mother telling me stories as a child. I’d always been fascinated by the multi-tailed shifting fox.

  “Kitten, this is no folklore. Those bedtime stories your mom told you … they are real.”

  He was kidding. He had to be kidding. Heat burned my cheeks. “Stop calling me that. I have a name.”

  His lips slanted. “I know who you are, Karina Marie Lang, but Kitten suits you.”

  So what if he knew my name? He could have gotten that information anywhere. Obviously he was stalking me. How else would he have been able to show up in the alley in time to save me? I should have been afraid, but for some insane reason, I couldn’t completely dismiss him or what he was saying. I needed answers. But I also needed to disarm him of his arrogant smirk. “You think you’re a hard ass, don’t you?”

  Still smiling, he said, “Let me guess, you don’t.”

  I snapped my chin up. “Jury’s still out. I definitely think you’re a mental case.”

  He chuckled softly.

  I folded my arms, frowning, my eyes narrowing. “I wasn’t being funny or cute.”

  “Glad we cleared that up, Kitten.”

  Screw this. I was out of here. How could I take him seriously when everything was a joke to him? I shot to my feet a little too quickly, and the room went topsy-turvy. I swayed.

  Devyn moved so fast I didn’t see him until he stood in front of me, his hands steadying me on either side of my arms. “Hey, take it easy. The first shift is always the hardest.” His voice was soothing, but regardless of the calming quality, my heart beat faster, or maybe it was because the pad of his thumb stroked up and down my arms in comfort.

  “How would you know?” I snapped.

  He leaned down, our noses almost touching, smelling of dark promises. “I will haul you off your feet again if you don’t listen to what I have to say one way or another, Karina. It’s your choice, but you’re not leaving here until you understand what it is you must do.”

  I swallowed.

  The fire of determination in his eyes slowly relaxed as he stared at me. “I don’t mean to frighten you. This isn’t at all how I envisioned our first meeting. Eighteen years I’ve waited for this moment, watching over you in the shadows.”

  Yup. I was right. Total stalker.

  But my mind balked at the idea. Devyn didn’t come across as a guy obsessed with a girl. He was too fierce and masculine. “How can I be a Kitsune and never know it? What you’re telling me … it’s impossible.”

  “There are many impossibilities,” he said. “But it doesn’t make what you are any less real. You can’t escape what you are or the destiny that awaits you.”

  College. That was what awaited me: a chance to get out of Seaside Heights and see the world. My shoulders sunk. He might be right. I might not be able to ignore the truth, but I wasn’t ready to accept it either. I cast my eyes downward to where his hands had migrated to my forearms. “T
he snakes on your wrist, what were they?” I’d seen a lot of shit today, but I know I hadn’t imagined everything.

  A smile ghosted over his lips. “Wrath and Fury.”

  My gaze returned to his. He had really stunning eyes. I could easily get hung up on them and forget who he was or how I came to be here. “They have names?”

  “How else am I to summon them?” His voice took on a soft, teasing quality.

  I found myself interested. “What are they … like pets?”

  “Sort of. More like companions. They come with the blades.”

  “What is this otherworld?” Like rapid fire, the questions shot off my tongue.

  His hands moved to my waist, keeping me from pulling back as he leaned closer, my chest brushing against his. “You really don’t know anything about who you are?”

  My mind blanked for about ten seconds. “About as much as you know about personal space,” I rebutted.

  His eyes seemed to illuminate. “You’re going to need more than a quick tongue. I sent those two goons back to the Second Moon where they belong. They won’t be able to harm you now, but there are many more creatures who will try.”

  Second Moon? I guessed that was the “other world” he’d spoken of. “Because they want my power,” I muttered. “A power that until an hour ago I didn’t know I had. This is so messed up. And if I don’t want the power, can I just give it up?”

  Like a switch had been flipped, the spark in his eyes fizzled out. “If you did that, you would be sacrificing an entire world.”

  Of course. It couldn’t be simple, not that I understood how I could be directly related to saving an entire world—a world I wasn’t sure really existed. I was only one person—insignificant in the scheme of things. “If I’m a Kistune, what does that make you? Besides arrogant? You’re wicked fast, you fight like a ninja, and you like the dark, considering you keep your apartment like a cave. Please tell me you’re not a vampire.”

  He laughed, tipping his face up so that our lips hovered only inches apart. “I’m your salvation, Kitten.”

  “Wow. Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a jerk?” My eyes had somehow wandered to his lips. Not safe territory.