Nine Lives Caryl Novels & Stories

To strengthen his claim as the heir, Kyle pushed me forward in front of all the elders, showing me off like a trophy. "Elders, this is my mate, Althea. She has been blessed with a divine gift from the Moon Goddess!" he announced, his face flushed with a manic energy. "I have died nine times, and every single time, she was the one who pulled me back from the brink of death!" "What?" "Nine times?" The hall erupted in chaos. All eyes were on me—filled with shock, greed, and a disturbing fanaticism. I wasn't a person to them. I was a rare treasure, a magical item that could grant immortality, to be used over and over.

"I heard that sudden deaths can distort the face, but Sophia loved looking pretty. I'm sure she still looks beautiful now." With that, she eagerly lifted the white sheet. She wanted to expose me at my ugliest moment so that they would be horrified by how I looked. "Don't!" Joel shouted. He squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't bring himself to look at the body. Just then, Yvette's scream pierced the air, "No! That's not Sophia!" Joel's eyes flew open. Beneath the sheet was the body of a man in his 50s or 60s.

“Even though I couldn’t bare to leave you, I had to. The enemies saw through my real identity and I had to go into hiding.” “What do you mean your real identity?” “I was never a wolf. I’m a nine-tailed fox.” My jaw dropped to the floor. Then realization hit me. Shapshifting into Hayley so she could steal the book, Mr. Gream reaper warnings to Lucas. Everything began to make sense like pieces of puzzle being put together. Back then, she was stronger than every other wolf, earning my dad more prestige. I never saw her shift, not even once. I clutched my head tightly, trying to process all the information.

Even though we had married and divorced nine times like a game, I was still the ex-wife. The night grew quiet. The wind outside howled, as if carrying my words far away. After a long silence, Jake lifted his head, attempting an explanation. "Divorcing you… It was my fault. But I couldn't let Carla bear the shame of being involved with a married man." I took a few irritated steps back, unable—and unwilling—to understand. Carla couldn't bear the blame, so that meant I deserved to be divorced nine times?

The paper slipped from his fingers and scattered across the floor. The contract clearly stated: Zoey had been given 99 chances. If he chose her even once, she’d be allowed to stay and marry him. If not—she’d be forced to leave the country and never return. And he… He had chosen Claire. Every. Single. Time. He had ignored Zoey. Let her get hurt. Rejected her. Again and again. What the hell had he done? Adrian leaned against the wall, stunned, unable to breathe. Linda finally spoke.

He was basically the ruler of this world. "What are you thinking about?" Kaelen kissed my hair, sounding a little annoyed that I'd spaced out. I couldn't hold back the excitement in my chest. "Dusty—I mean, Kaelen, what's going on here?" He gave me a little smile and pulled me into his arms. "Because I'm Kaelen, I've got nine lives. Dying once doesn't really matter. I just failed my last trial, that's all. But you can't abandon me now."

The coroner held the notebook up to the bright light, studying every word. After a long pause, he lifted his head, wearing a grim expression that weighed heavily in the room. "In the next life, I don't want to be Mom's daughter anymore." Mom froze, as if turned to stone. "The words in the victim's palm match this last statement. You can see what that 'don't' really meant now," the coroner said sharply. I hovered nearby and let out a quiet sigh.

All I could hear was Jason yelling that I was a liar. Fine. I lied to him. But he was the one who had been lying to me — completely, thoroughly — for nine years. Nine years of my life, and I couldn't even get the title of wife in return. Fine then. I'll be someone else's wife. I made it onto the plane just before the doors closed. We took off right on time. I sat down, put on my eye mask, and tried to rest.