River
It wasa small mercy that the poachers kept their word to Castor after he left. When he promised to return with the money, they left me in the room alone and didn't come back. They were probably happy to be rid of me and the feeling was mutual.
Our rushed, frantic plan wasn't exactly fully fleshed out. Castor had snuck out unnoticed and made the 'purchase'. Now what? Obviously there was no money. And how the hell was he going to sneak back into the cabin?
I sighed and leaned the back of my head against the nasty tiles. I was so, so ready for this to be over. All I wanted to do was melt into Castor’s arms and relax for the rest of my life.
What was my family doing right now? My parents were probably basking in each other's love like they always did. My cousins, too—Zak, Ashe and Quinn had all found their fated mates. Just as I was about to sink into another mental pit of misery, Castor's face flashed in my mind.
That's right. I wasn't alone anymore. Castor, my fated mate, was in my life now.
Hope fluttered in my chest, dashing away the shadows of misery. I sat up a little higher and opened my eyes.
There was no sign of him yet, but I knew he would return. He promised, and I trusted him.
It felt odd to trust someone after pushing people away for so long. But it also felt good. Everything about Castor made me feel good.
Especially the way he felt me up in the tub...
I shivered from both cold and pleasure. I drew up my knees to my chest. Human legs weren't so bad after all. They'd at least saved me from Mr. Z. But I was starting to think my mer tail wasn't so bad either. Castor seemed to like it, and in turn that made me a bit more fond of it too.
I let out a slow breath and let the shift take over my lower half. My two separate thighs, my two knees and two slender legs all merged into one sleek shape coated in glittering red scales. Now that the poachers wanted nothing to do with me, it felt safe to have my mer tail out again.
I hugged it against my chest as I waited.
My eyes drifted off until I heard a commotion. The poachers were mumbling in confusion, their voices gradually getting louder. I heard something about fog, then one of them snapped, "Make sure the bathroom's locked!"
Footsteps thudded towards me. The door handle jiggled but didn't open.
"It's locked."
"I don't trust that thing. Wait."
I winced as the sharp, grating sound of metal shrieked against the floor. It sounded like the man pushed something big and heavy against the back of the door.
"There."
Then the footsteps stomped away in a hurry.
I raised my head and looked towards the boarded window. The wooden planks were nailed shoddily against the glass, so I could see strips of the world outside. Except now I couldn't see anything because a thick, dark fog pushed against the glass like smoke. I shuddered, suddenly feeling a chill.
The men argued loudly and I heard the front door slam as they ran out of it. They seemed just as perplexed as I was about the source of the fog.
I yelped, nearly jumping out of my skin as a rapid tapping came from the window. Castor's face pressed up against it. He was the only thing I could see between the fog and the wooden planks.
I immediately stood up before remembering I'd shifted back into mer form. I swore and flopped over the side of the tub, then quickly shifted onto unsteady legs and ran to the window.
Castor grinned. "Hi."
My heart flipped, happy to see him. "What's going on with the fog?"
"Don't worry about that. Can you tear the planks off? The window’s boarded from inside."
"Um… I can try."
I shot the planks a disdainful look. I generally disliked doing hard labour, but I didn't have a choice. Bracing myself, I grabbed a plank and pulled with all my might.
"You can do it, River," Castor encouraged.
