Those humans were going to pay.
The world was nonexistent to me as I soothed River. All I cared about was his safety and comfort. He let it all out, crying and whimpering into my chest as I stroked his hair and whispered calming words into his ear. Eventually, he stopped trembling and his breath became steady and rhythmic.
"That sucked," River muttered.
"Yeah."
He sniffled and raised his head. Though his eyes were red and puffy from crying, he looked defiant again. "I'm sick of this."
"I know."
River let out an exasperated laugh. "I mean, I likethis. The cuddling, you caring for me, being treated like the only man in the world…"
I gave him a wry smile. "As far as I'm concerned you may as well be the only man in the world."
He breathed and rested his forehead against mine. "Fine. I believe you, Castor."
My chest tightened. "You do?"
"Yeah. We are fated mates, right? Why else would you still be here caring for me?"
I tucked a strand of silky hair behind his ear. "Because you deserve it. But yes, you are my fated mate. That means I would do anything for you."
River’s eyes lit up as he smiled. Despite the puffy eyes and bruised mark on his cheek, he was still the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.
"Then let's ditch this place. Together." River snaked his arms around the back of my neck and pulled me closer. "I want thiswith you. But not here in this gods-forsaken dirty bathroom."
"Good. Because I have a plan," I stated.
"You do?" The hope in his voice made me melt.
"Yes. But I need your help to pull it off."
River’s bloodshot eyes gleamed with angry determination. "Let's do it, Castor."
13
River
Getting slappedacross the face by a human was the last straw. I was sick of being demeaned and treated like a piece of meat—by shifters and by humans. I wasn't going to take it anymore.
So after the buyer left and the poachers locked us up in the bathroom for yet another night, Castor and I discussed our plan. It was genius on his part. Castor’s idea to hide his human form up until now was the ace up our sleeve. Since the poachers still thought he was a plain old beaver, his plan was to shift and pretend to be a new buyer. Castor obviously didn't have the money they wanted, but they didn't know that. Just like Mr. Z, he would want to see me in person first, and when he did, he'd put me on 'hold' and promise to return with the money. In reality, he'd chew through the flimsy bathroom wall in his beaver form while I chipped away at it from the inside and we would escape.
First, I had to get the poachers’ attention. I was glad they focused all their energy on me and didn't care about Castor at all, since he was just a byproduct of catching me. This was good, since it meant Castor could easily slip away while I caused a distraction, then shift while the poachers weren't looking.
We didn't waste any time. The next morning, Castor touched my arm and asked, "Are you ready?"
I nodded. I knew he was worried after they hit me yesterday. Honestly, there was a chance that they would do it again while I was raising hell, but it would all be worth it in the end. Besides, they'd already done it once. The shock had worn off. If they did it again, they were just asshole bullies who were damaging their own 'product.'
"I'm ready," I said.
Castor kissed my forehead. "Okay. Good luck."
After ripping off a good chunk of the foam panels covering the walls, he shifted to beaver form and hid underneath the dilapidated bathroom counter. He didn't bother with the cage, which was where he should've been, because we figured the poachers would be too distracted with me to care about him. When he was ready, Castor nodded.
I inhaled a deep breath—then screamed at the top of my lungs.
I heard the panic in the poachers’ voices as they immediately swore. Furniture scraped across the floor as they rushed towards the bathroom. I braced myself and kept wailing. Pretending I was injured, I grabbed my arm and threw myself on the ground for good measure. If I was going to get their attention, I may as well put on a convincing show.
