He nodded, already shifting into human form.
As the man gasped and pulled his head out from underwater, he blinked in confusion, as if he was trying to process what just happened.
We had to act fast. No doubt the other man would hear the commotion and would be on his way soon.
I had no time to shift to human form to run faster. Adrenaline coursed through me and my muscles burned with effort as I ran faster than I ever had in my life. River was right in front of me. Despite the shakiness of his legs, he ran with confidence.
I saw the front door. I didn't bother wasting time looking around to see where the other man was. We hurried towards the door to our freedom.
A chair scraped loudly, followed by an angry scream. He'd seen us.
But it was too late.
River pushed the front door open.
17
River
My heart raced with excitement.The moment my hands pushed against the door and it swung open, fresh air hit me. The sight of the outside world lifted a heavy weight off my chest. I was free.
I ignored the burning eight in my legs and pushed forward. I could rest later. Right now, I needed to get to the closest source of water, shift into my mer form, and swim far, far away.
But I wouldn't do it alone. Castor was coming with me.
I didn't see him from the corner of my eye. He was too low to the ground. I knew I shouldn't stop, but I had to know where he was. I risked a glance backward and saw him right at my heels.
"Go!" he yelled.
But with the knowledge that Castor was safely behind me came a bolt of terror. The poachers weren't far behind. One was closer than the other. His eyes were narrow slits and his mouth was twisted into a snarl. He was pissed.
My heart beat painfully. The water. We needed to get to the water.
The footsteps behind me grew louder. The poacher was getting closer. I cursed myself for not practising with my legs more.
"Don’t let them get away!" one of the men screamed.
Desperation dripped from his voice. They were scared now—scared that they would lose their investment. It filled me with smug satisfaction to hear it, but I knew I couldn't get ahead of myself. I wanted to be fully in the clear before we started celebrating.
Even without seeing it, I knew the source of the water in my bones. We were drawn to each other the same way I was drawn to Castor. My intuition didn't lie—I saw the cool glint of the waves just ahead. My heart leapt to my throat, still beating wildly. We were so close.
"Don't stop!" Castor cried.
I didn't. I ran harder.
"The beaver talks!" one of the men snapped. "I knew there was something wrong with it!"
Castor swore. He’d blown his cover. But there was no time to worry about that. If we reached the water, his cover wouldn't matter anymore.
Two startled screams sounded behind me. My curiosity got the best of me and I whipped my head around. Castor had shifted into human form and was bracing himself to hold off the approaching poacher.
"What the fuck? You're that buyer!" the man screamed.
I hesitated. The water was right there.
"Keep going!" Castor snapped at me.
A second later, the closer man—the aggressive poacher—launched himself at Castor. Castor was ready for the impact. He dug his heels into the dirt, his muscles flexing as he pushed back against the man. Castor was slightly taller and stronger, and he was able to hold him back.
