Nine Tailed (Realm of Four Kingdoms, #1)

by Jayci Lee

The world of gods lies like gossamer over the human world—a shimmer in the corner of their eyes. The humans’ stories of gods and beasts weren’t born of wild imagination but woven together from the sudden goose bumps on their arms and the cold shivers down their spines. Human minds can’t grasp the truth, but they also can’t completely ignore the allure of the supernatural—the magic.

Fox spirits were once revered as deities in Korea, but that’s ancient history. Nowadays, most Koreans believe in the myth that gumihos are treacherous demons who turn into beautiful women to manipulate and control men to do their bidding.

Humans in Korea use salt to ward off bad fortune by pelting it at people who come home from a funeral. In reality, salt merely masks magic traces when you’re in a pinch. Like deodorant for stinky magic.

I hardly knew them, but I foolishly let them in because it felt good to have someone on my side for once. I liked belonging . . . and look where it got me. Alone and betrayed. Not caring about anyone, forming no emotional attachments, was never just about protecting others, was it? It was about protecting myself too. And for good reason. People let you down. That’s what they do. Unless you get them killed first.