"I know. The great water spirit."
He said it so casually that I laughed. "Oh. Good. You know already."
Castor let out a chuckle. "We've been so busy trying to escape the poachers, we barely had time to talk about ourselves."
I glanced at the ground. "Yeah. Sorry, I know this is a lot to take in at once."
"It's all right," Castor said, putting his warm hand on my shoulder. "So, you're Nautilus's grandson, huh? I had no idea my fated mate was related to a celebrity."
I shoved him playfully. "Oh, shut up."
Castor smirked. My hand tingled where I touched his skin.
After a moment, we both glanced at the locked and barricaded door.
"Now what?" I asked. "Did Animus say he was going to bust a hole in the cabin or something? Because that would be nice."
Castor shook his head. "He didn't specify."
I wrinkled my nose. The fog was handy for at least getting Castor back inside, but not for much else. "So there's nothing to do but wait?"
"With the door barricaded, I suppose not," Castor said. "Even if I chew the wood, I can't chew through metal." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "But I don't know, River. I know you have a complicated history with Animus, but he seemed insistent on trading us his help for 'fated mates magic', whatever that means. Maybe we should have a little faith in him."
After his wishy-washy treatment of my family, I didn't trust Animus, not completely anyway. But I trusted Castor. Since he was the one who actually spoke to the spirit, I believed his intuition. If he thought Animus was going to help us beyond just the cover of fog, I'd wait and see what happened.
I glanced over at Castor. I was deeply relieved to have him back, but relief wasn't the only thing I felt. Ever since he'd felt me up during our roleplay for the poachers, my cock craved his attention. I wanted—no,neededhim.
I sidled up closer to him, pressing my bare shoulder against his. "If we have time, then..."
I watched Castor's throat bob as he swallowed thickly. He knew exactly what I meant.
"You want to?" he asked. "Now?"
I bit my lip and nodded. Truthfully, I was tired of waiting.
"You teased me too much back when you were pretending," I mumbled. I clutched his shirt and tugged him closer. "Please."
Castor shuddered. Lust glazed his eyes. I knew he wanted this, too.
Suddenly it didn't matter to either of us where we were or what was happening. We were alone, and we craved each other's bodies, and that was all that mattered.
I whimpered as Castor crushed our mouths together in a way that thrilled me. I trusted him enough to let him take what he wanted, and he knew that. Castor's strong hands gripped my back and dipped me gently so he could kiss my neck. I let out soft little moans as he kissed along my throat and collarbone. It felt so good to let go and allow him to take care of me.
A thick, musky smell filled the room and went straight to my cock. I realized it was the scent of Castor's omega slick. He was already wet.
My eyes snapped open. I stared at him. His cheeks were flushed pink and his eyes were half-lidded. He radiated arousal.
But Castor didn't rush. Still pressing his hand to the small of my back, he took the other and slid it slowly down my stomach. He paused at my hips where the skin turned into scales. I shivered at the feeling of his palm there.
"May I?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
I nodded frantically.
Castor's hand slipped down until it stopped where my cock would've been in human form. He gave me a lopsided grin. "You're gonna have to help me out here. This is my first time with a mer."
The kindness in his eyes was overwhelming. The reality of everything hit me. Nobody ever looked at me the way Castor did. Nobody went to the efforts that Castor went to.
With the warmth in my heart spilling over, I leaned up to press a spontaneous kiss to Castor's lips.
