My cock twitched slightly and the burn in my cheeks felt hotter. I knew intrinsically that this was the innate magnetic pull of fated mates. Even though he was struggling with his own emotions, River wanted me. And I wanted him, too.
While he was eyeing me up and down, I did the same to him. My gaze roamed down his bare chest, down his flat stomach and towards the crimson line where his scales manifested. His mer tail began, tantalizingly, right above where his cock should have been. But it was out of sight, hidden somewhere inside his tail.
I shivered. Just thinking about it made my omega hormones flare up. Warmth pooled below my stomach and my cock twitched again.
Even at my age, it was difficult to control my arousal, but what was I supposed to do when I was trapped in a room with my fated mate?
I bit my lip to stave off my lust but it barely put a dent in it. Now that the beast was alive, I couldn't shove it back in its cage.
As our eyes roamed each other's bodies, our paths crossed and River's eyes met mine. There was a glazed shimmer in them. Did he feel the same way I did?
My mouth moved on its own without input from my brain. "Your human form. Can I see yours, too?"
River blinked, looking surprised at my request. "Oh. Sure. Not that it looks much different from how I am now..."
I didn't care. "I want to see you. All of you."
River licked his lips without tearing his gaze from mine. "Okay."
His shift was fluid as water. It unfolded like a mirage, or a reflection on the water's surface. One minute his scale-coated crimson tail was there, and the next it was replaced by smooth long legs, slender yet strong.
My mouth went dry. Because between River's thighs lay his cock. And it was half-hard.
I'd never been so glad that I shifted into clothes.
River tossed his hair over his shoulder in a shy motion. "See? Pretty much the same."
With one big difference,I held myself back from saying.
I cleared my throat. "You're beautiful, River. In mer formandin human form."
"Thanks." He ducked his gaze and murmured, "No one's ever told me I was beautiful as a human before."
Seeing as he was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever laid eyes on, I found that impossible to believe, but I knew he was telling the truth. It just infuriated me that anybody could take River for granted.
I couldn't take it any longer. I dropped to my knees and took River's hands in mine, urging him to look at me.
"It's not just your appearance that's beautiful to me, River," I said. "It's everything about you."
He glanced up at me through his long lashes. Despite opening up to me, there was still a flicker of hesitancy in his expression. He was afraid to trust me. He was afraid of getting hurt.
I squeezed his hands gently. "I know you have doubts. That's okay. I only want you to know I'm here for you, and I always will be."
He let out a small laugh. "You're so weird, Castor. Here we are, trapped by poachers, and all you want to do is tell me how much you love me."
I grinned. "I'm a beaver shifter. It's what we do. I can't help myself."
A shadow fell across River's face. He still clung to his worries. "What if we can't escape?" he asked softly. "I don't want them to hurt you, too."
River wasn't a stereotypical alpha, but his concern for me was such an alpha trait. He would rather bear the brunt of the pain, for himself be hurt than me. Of course, I wasn't willing to let that happen.
"We can, and we will," I assured him. "There's always a way."
River regarded me for a moment, his expression on the brink of wariness and trust. Finally, he edged over to the side of trust. He exhaled a sigh and smiled.
"Okay," he said. "If you say so, Castor."
My heart skipped a beat before kicking into overdrive. Warmth flowed through my veins like sunshine. Despite the cold tile floor of the dirty bathroom, and the dank smell, and the dim light, and the fact that cruel poachers were keeping us captive here—I was happy. As long as I was with my fated mate, nothing else mattered.
