First Shift

by J. L. Weil

  “Only once a day.”

  I leaned back against the wall, telling myself to stop thinking about his mouth or his hands still on my hips. “Okay, but the truth is …”

  After a moment of silence, he sighed. “I’m a Shaman. Your health and well-being are my responsibility, as well as to make sure the transition into your new life is as smooth as possible.” He flicked the end of my nose like I was his kid sister, but whatever I felt inside was not sisterly.

  “You failed.”

  His dark brow shot up. “You’re alive, aren’t you? I’d say it was a B or B+ performance.”

  I didn’t know what it was about this guy, but everything about him got to me. Maybe it was his dark, but handsome demeanor or the smug smirk that seemed to be perpetually plastered on his lips. “Why did they call you a Sin Eater?”

  His smirk got bigger, and I swore his chest puffed out. “It’s a name I earned during my training because of Wrath and Fury. They are sin eaters—supernatural creatures that meld with weapons and devour the sins of their victims. They chose me to be their wielder.”

  “This has been an enlightening conversation,” I said dryly.

  He took a step back, his hands shoved into his front pockets. “You still don’t believe me. I should have known you would be as stubborn as your mother.”

  I frowned. “What do you know of my mother?”

  “Where do you think you got your abilities from?”

  Now I laughed for once instead of him. “My mom is not a fox. I think I would know.”

  A know-it-all expression crept across his striking features. “Not anymore, she isn’t. Your mother renounced her birthright when she found out she was pregnant and left with your father. She never returned to the Second Moon.”

  What he implied was preposterous. My mother was sweet, nurturing, the ideal housewife, and had been born in a small village outside of Tokyo. “How could you possibly know this?”

  “Like I said, I’ve been training my whole life to protect you. In essence, it is the entire reason for my existence. The moment you were conceived so was I. That is how it works. Let me guess, your birthday is April fourteenth?”

  It would take a whole lot more than knowing my birthday to convince me. “You could have found that information from a number of sources.”

  His smirk returned. “Do you question everything?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Only when I don’t trust someone.”

  His fingers forked through his disheveled hair. “We were born on the same day, at the exact same time. The moment we both entered this world, a bond was forged between us—one that can’t be broken in this world.”

  My mouth dropped open. He had told me that I was linked to him. Forever. This arrogant, sexy Shaman. I didn’t know if it was a curse or a godsend. What I couldn’t deny was the spark between us. It crackled in the air like fireworks on the Fourth of July, vibrant and explosive.

  But I didn’t have time to be a Kitsune. And I most definitely didn’t have time to get mixed up with the likes of Devyn St. Cyr.

  I stepped forward. “I don’t believe this. None of it can be real. I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing, but I don’t want any part of it.” I poked him in the chest. He didn’t budge.

  Devyn snorted. “Fine. Next time I’ll let them have their way with you.”

  “There won’t be a next time,” I barked.

  His eyes narrowed. “And when there is, will you believe me then?”

  My phone buzzed, breaking the silence that I let stretch between us. I brushed past him and grabbed it off the coffee table, seeing Naomi’s name flash across the screen. “Crap,” I said.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Devyn’s body stiffened, his bright eyes alert.

  “It’s my boss. I didn’t show up for work today. I sort of got held up,” I said, giving him a pointed look. “She’s worried.” How could I have forgotten? Ugh. I was the worst employee. “I’ve got to go.” I gathered my stuff and told myself not to think about how nice it was of him to have taken the time to grab the items I’d dropped in the alley. He’d saved me the headache of going back there to search for them—something I wasn’t sure I could have done, at least not tonight or alone. If he hadn’t been so full of himself, I might have thanked him. He had saved my life. But the smug smirk on his lips brought out the bitch in me.

  He leaned a shoulder against the post in the center of the room. “I’ll be seeing you, Kitten.”

  “I hope not,” I mumbled, a little surprised he allowed me to walk out the door. A part of me had been skeptical, still hung up on the kidnapper scenario.

  “You can’t escape fate.”

  With my hand on the handle, I turned to face him. “Fate can kiss my ass.”

  A small smile parted his lips. “What a fine ass it is.”

  I gave him the one-finger salute as I walked through the door.

  He laughed and the sound followed me even after I slammed the door shut.

  Chapter Three

  I walked down the hall and got to a set of stairs when it occurred to me I had no car and no idea where I was. No clue how to get home.

  After having a mini tantrum in the empty hall that included some stomping and a string of f-bombs, I took a deep breath. I had two options. I could wander outside in the dark and pray he hadn’t dragged me to Timbuktu, or I could go back into the apartment.

  Was there a third option? Because neither of those appealed to me at the moment.

  I glanced between the stairs and the door I just left from.

  Fudgesicles.

  Walking back the way I came, I didn’t bother to knock and opened the door to Devyn’s apartment. He lounged on the couch with a smirk on his lips. “Can you give me a ride?” I grumbled, hating that I had to ask him for anything.

  He dangled a set of keys from his finger. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  In the basement of his building was a parking garage, and nestled into a designated space sat a silver sports car. The shiny vehicle gave two beeps as Devyn remotely unlocked the car. I wasn’t surprised he drove something flashy and that probably cost more than my house. To each their own. It was only a means to an end: getting me home.

  I sunk into the plush leather passenger seat, prepared to stare out the window and ignore the overpowering male beside me.

  I lasted thirty seconds.

  Shifting in the seat, I turned my body inward so I could keep an eye on him. But not stare at him, of course. He steered the car effortlessly, moving along with traffic. “How can someone steal my power? Do they have to kill me?”

  Devyn kept his eyes on the road, but a muscle thrummed along his jaw. “No. It’s more complicated.” The car came to a halt at the red stoplight. Devyn reached over and picked up the charm hanging on my necklace. His fingers brushed against my skin, and a jolt of static tingled me at his contact. “It’s in here,” he said, his voice husky.

  Suddenly the car felt too small. I dragged my eyes from the hypnotic pull of his and looked down at the oval pearl framed in a filigree silver setting. The milky substance appeared different in Devyn’s grasp; it moved like rolling clouds. “My power is in the stone?”

  He released my necklace, letting it fall back around my neck. His eyes returned to the road, and he hit the gas, shooting the car forward across the intersection. We were only a few minutes from downtown Seaside Heights where I’d parked my car, and that meant he lived close—a central location between the café, my home, and the high school. I found that interesting. “It would have been given to you the day you were born, and at the moment of your first shift, the stone activated, filling you with the power to shift forms.”

  The necklace had been given to me as a baby, but I had just started wearing it shortly after Mom got sick. Actually, it had been her suggestion. She had made me promise I would wear it always as a reminder that no matter what she would be with me in spirit. Hmm. I wasn’t about to admit that to Devyn. It ha
d to be a coincidence. He made me doubt everything in my life. “And if I throw this necklace into the ocean, will that solve my problems?” Not that I was actually considering doing it, but it didn’t hurt to know my options.

  His fingers tightened on the wheel. “Only if you want to commit suicide.”

  I slouched in my seat, staring at the landscape as it flew by in a blur of colors. “Do you ever have anything uplifting to say or are you only the bearer of bad news?”

  Swinging the car into an empty parking spot, he pulled up alongside my Maxima and shifted into park. “Finding out you have magical abilities is pretty kick ass in my book.”

  I sighed. “And that’s where we differ.”

  He took ahold of my chin in his hand, turning my cheek to the side. A storm brewed in his eyes. “It’s going to leave one helluva bruise.” His jaw tightened, and what I saw in the hard lines of his face sent a warning down my spine. Devyn could be dangerous, deadly even, as I learned tonight. It would be wise for me to remember that. He might have saved my life, but other than that, I knew next to nothing about the Sin Eater. The nickname alone made me shudder, but the guy didn’t.

  Then there was the fact that I wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for him—that much I did know. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “And?”

  I narrowed my gaze at the most unusual and intriguing guy I’d ever met. “You’re off your rocker if you think I am going to thank you for turning my life upside down and kidnapping me.”

  He grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  I shook my head and got out of the car before I said something else stupid. The moment I shut myself inside the comfort of my car, I let myself break down. My brain had a hard time processing everything that had happened tonight.

  I’d been attacked.

  Learned I was a Kitsune (still questionable in my book).

  Devyn was a Shaman born to protect me (again, totally doubtful).

  There was another world.

  And there were creatures who wanted to steal my soul.

  What a joke. How could I trust him? There was no reason I should, except I had really turned into a fox—that much I remembered. It was stamped into my memory: the feeling of my muscles and skin shrinking and morphing.

  Other than shifting—a mind-blowing experience in itself—I really didn’t know what it meant to be a Kitsune. I wanted to believe Devyn had lied about it all, but no matter how hard I tried to block out what happened tonight, I had a sick feeling it wasn’t over yet.

  The tears came hot and fast, streaming down my cheeks like a waterfall. And I let them. I needed to get it all out before I went home and pretended like I hadn’t just had the most life-altering night of my life. It would take an Oscar-winning performance. Hannah had the theatrical bent, not me.

  I sucked at even little white lies.

  This was the biggest secret I’d ever had.

  The moment I pulled the car into my driveway, I steeled myself. Seeing my house sitting there all pretty made me happy to be alive. There had been a few heart-pounding moments I hadn’t been sure I’d ever see this place again. I wanted to kiss the grass and hug the trees.

  Our yard was well manicured, thanks to my obsessive father. He had a thing about his lawn. My father had been in the military and acted like a drill sergeant when it came to certain things in his life. He liked order and discipline, except when it came to me. And Mom. The two women in his life were the exceptions. He doted on us.

  Especially now that Mom had fallen ill.

  My parents met in Japan while my father had been stationed in Sasebo. They fell in love there. Within a year they were married and the rest was history.

  I unlocked the front door with the keypad Dad installed a few years ago and stepped inside. Nostalgia washed over me. So many memories. All the birthday parties Mom had thrown me. The Friday night movies. The late powwows with Hannah and Jesse. It amazed me how a life-threatening situation made you appreciate the little things.

  Speaking of Jesse, as I dropped my stuff in the entryway and moved into the warm kitchen, he sat at the island tabletop, munching on a bag of Cheetos. His sandy hair constantly looked as if he just rolled out of bed. Jesse’s features were too perfect: sharp cheekbones, killer abs, and the most magnetic eyes. They were a combination of gray and purple—stormy.

  “What’s up, K? How was work?”

  “Don’t ask,” I said, dropping into the empty chair beside him.

  I heard his sharp intake of air a second before his hand darted out to take my chin in his gentle grip, much like Devyn had when he dropped me off. “What the hell happened?”

  I jerked my chin out of his grasp. “I’m fine.”

  “That’s not what I asked, K. I’ll kill whoever touched you.” It amazed me how fast his pretty face could turn fierce.

  There was no point lying about everything that happened. I’d stick to as much of the truth as I could and avoid things like shifting, Kitsunes, and Shamans. “I got mugged on my way to work today. They just knocked me down. I’m fine.”

  “Did you go to the police?”

  I shook my head, feeling waves of shame burn my cheeks. “I didn’t have anything to steal. Besides, some guy came by and they took off.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?” he demanded.

  “You’re making a big deal out of this, which is exactly why I didn’t call. I just want to forget about it.”

  He stared at me. I could see the wheels in his head turning. It was his instinct to defend me. He was my best friend after all. Sagging in the chair, the last thing I wanted to do was relive those moments again. “Fine. Have it your way,” he conceded. “Cheetos?” He waved the cheesy puffs in the air in front of my face.

  My stomach couldn’t tolerate food. Not yet. “I need something stronger,” I joked.

  “And I thought I had a rough day getting knocked around tonight at lacrosse.” He got up and went to the fridge, relaxed as if it was his own home. And it was. My house had always been an open door for Jesse. The same for me at his house. His parents adored me, and secretly they hoped Jesse and I would be more than friends one day.

  “You have no idea,” I muttered. He handed me a bottle of water and sat again. I downed half the bottle. “Thanks.”

  “I think there is a plate of leftovers for you.” He wanted to ask me more about the guys who had jumped me in the alley. I could see it in his eyes, but he respected my limits, and I loved him for it.

  There always were leftovers on the nights I worked. “I’m not hungry. Help yourself.” Jesse’s appetite knew no bounds. It was completely unfair that he could eat whatever he wanted, however much he wanted, and still look as if he was sculpted by the gods.

  We sounded like an old married couple. The thought brought a smile to my lips, and I laid my head on his shoulder. Jesse represented the stable life I was used to. He was dependable and normal—two things I craved more than pizza at the moment. “I’m glad you’re here.” I sighed.

  “Me too. You guys always have the best food. Your dad is like magic in the kitchen.”

  That he was. “How’s Mom?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I only saw her for a minute, but she looked better, stronger.”

  I appreciated his optimism. It was good for me. I snatched a Cheeto from the bag and popped it into my mouth. “I need to hit the shower.”

  Jesse sat back down on the barstool, his dimple playing peek-a-boo. “Thank God. You stink.”

  “Oh yeah,” I challenged him, grabbing the back of his head and rubbing my good cheek all over his, transferring my so-called stank onto him.

  Jesse laughed. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “Maybe, but not until after I’ve showered.” I stood and ruffled his hair, knowing how much he hated it.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Jesse asked, concern etched into his forehead.

  I paused at the stairs and looked over my shoulder. “I am now.” However, I might develop agorapho
bia and never leave my house again.

  Upstairs, I tiptoed past my parents’ room, careful not to disturb Mom in case she was sleeping, and continued down the hall. My bedroom was at the end. I walked into the mint-colored room and stripped, tossing the dirty and dingy clothes into the trash. I’d never wear that outfit again, not after what happened. The nightmare associated with the clothes would have been a reminder of a day I wanted to completely obliterate from my mind.

  Digging out my phone, I sent Naomi a text, apologizing profusely for not showing up to my shift. And then I did something I rarely ever did. I lied, telling her the reason I hadn’t called or been to work was because of my mom. Naomi knew she was sick, and I was going to let her think she’d taken a turn for the worse tonight and she needed me at home. Beside myself, I’d forgotten to text her earlier.

  I felt like shit for lying, but the truth … I couldn’t even get myself to say it out loud. No one would believe that I’d shifted into a fox and two creatures from the Second Moon had crossed realms to steal my soul and consume my powers.

  Heck, I didn’t even believe it.

  Padding into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and removed my bra. I reached to my neck and touched my pendant. Glancing down, I stared at the shimmery pearl. I couldn’t believe that this piece of jewelry that had been passed down in my family for generations encapsulated the source of my power, a key to my soul. Part of me wanted to get rid of it, throw it out the window, or hide it away. But I couldn’t. According to know-it-all Devyn, if I lost the pendant or it was stolen, I could die. The longer my soul and I were apart, the weaker I would become, until poof! I no longer existed.

  Lovely little charm.

  I bit my lip and stared at my reflection in the mirror, half expecting something to be different about my oval face, but it was the same: flawless olive complexion, wide dark blue eyes, and heart-shaped lips. Except for the purplish bruise that had formed on my cheek. I ran my finger over the tender skin and hissed. It would be nasty tomorrow morning, worse than it was now. The bastard had hit me, hard. I wanted proof that what Devyn had told me was true, but even as I studied the mark, I couldn’t believe I was something supernatural. What if the shift had only been a fluke, a one-time thing? I was never going to shift again. Not if I could help it.