Taming the Storm

This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright© Avery Phoenix, 2023 All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The publisher is not responsible for website (or their content) that are not own by the publisher. This eBook/Paperback is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook/Paperback may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Cover Design by JoY Cover Design Contributions: Yumoyori Wilson Formatting by: Avery P. Taming the Storm CRIMSON STORM TRILOGY AVERY PHOENIX Contents Taming the Storm Blurb Glossary Prologue: Destiny 1. Lovers But Friends When Sober 2. R.I.P. and Family Expectations 3. Disgrace and Regret 4. Self Pity and Fateful Encounter 5. The Strength To Hold On 6. Crimson Arashi or Storm Yuna 7. Crimson Storm 8. Abandoned and Safe Haven 9. Remnants of the Past and Championship 10. Temporary Home and Withered Relationship 11. Self Comfort and New Lifestyle 12. Adapting to Both Worlds 13. The Power of Healing 14. Embracing Power and Little Token of Love 15. Broken Lover 16. Comfort in Loving Them and Danger 17. Memories and Admiration 18. Instinct and Revelation 19. Fear and Progress 20. Blood Calling 21. Deception 22. Calm Before The Storm 23. Crimson or Storm Yuna 24. Embracing Thy Birthright 25. Betrayal and Facing Death 26. Accepting Death 27. Fighting For Failure 28. Lost and Found 29. Truth and New Resolution Stay Connected About the Author: Avery Phoenix Also by Avery Phoenix Taming the Storm Blurb A mysterious pocket watch, six mage shifters, and one deceased lover... My name is Crimson Arashi and I'm your typical twenty-two-year-old, finishing my Bachelors of Arts degree. Sadly, my father insists I become a doctor, claiming he’d supported my attempts to be an artist for way too long. In this world full of magic and shifters, it sucks that I am the only child of a powerful warlock — my father, and a Kitsune shifter — my mother. I'd disappointed them from birth because I was born a human — neither shifter nor mage. I’d be lucky to be able to light a candle with the snap of my fingers. After one night of drinking to drown my sorrows of being a disgrace to my family, I crash into a thief on the run with six men in pursuit. None of them notice the pocket watch that escapes their grasp, falling to the cold, wet ground. I didn't think opening it would grant me all the power and strength of the previous owner. I also didn't think it would belong to Storm Yuna, the strongest female magician known in our world. Too bad she had been murdered. Now, I'd inherited not only her powers, but her feelings too. Yeah...feelings. It will take all my strength to navigate the storm of power and feelings swirling inside of me. I just hope I can survive the trials that await me. Glossary Japanese Glossary ⎫ HAI – Yes ⎫ SENPAI – Teacher ⎫ HACHIMITSU – Honey ⎫ URUFU – Wolf ⎫ ARIGATO – Thanks ⎫ ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA – Thank You ⎫ YAMERU – Stop ⎫ YAMATO KOTOBA – words inherited from Old Japanese ⎫ TATAMI MAT – Traditional Japanese furnishing/accessories ⎫ WATASHI NO AI – My Love ⎫ WATASHI WA ANATO O YURUSU – I Forgive You ⎫ USOTUSKI – Liar ⎫ NANI – What ⎫ BAKA – Stupid ⎫ KUTABARE – Go To Hell ⎫ CHOTTO – A Little ⎫ KUSOKURAE – Fuck You ⎫ GOMENNASAI – Sorry ⎫ KATANA — Sword ⎫ SHAZAI ITASIMASU — You’re Welcome ⎫ OKAERINASAI — Welcome Home Prologue: Destiny Green eyes. Beautiful gems that glittered under the lamp post at the other end of the alley. They widened, fear taking over them; his body jolted forward into a sprint. I watched as if in slow motion as he made his way toward me; the dark gloomy alleyway looked twice as long now. I could see the desperation in his eyes. His orange-gold strands of hair were bound together by a black gold ribbon decorated with ancient text that began to glow — the sensation of magic in the air evident. But it didn't matter. Something told me my fate had been set in stone and there was nothing I could do to change it. Maybe it was the five magical creatures that burst out of the opened pocket watch that made my hand tremble, making the small piece of machinery feel triple the weight it normally should be. I could see the other five men come into view— all of them sprinting in slow motion to reach me. My eyes looked up at the five magical beings above me as they danced in celebration. Or were they somehow mocking me for setting them free? The magic that surrounded me was suffocating, and I struggled to breathe, leaving me frozen in crippling fear at the over- flow of magical essence. It could potentially kill me— the level of energy stronger than that of my mother or father, who were the most powerful shifters I'd ever known. The creatures crashed into one another mid-air — creating a spinning wheel of colors. Red, white, blue, gold, and pink. I watched in awe; my eyes grew wide as the spinning bundle of colors shot forward — straight into my body . The impact threw me off my feet, the force of magic surging through my body as my legs and hands flailed uselessly as I fell. I couldn't distinguish what drew my attention more — the unbearable pain that coursed through my