Page 55 of Forging Bonds: Part One

“Take your phone just in case you need us for whatever reason as well,” Griff reminds me like the mother hen that he is.

The giant, grumpy, sexy as fuck mother hen.

That’s a weird analogy. Thanks for that very strange image, brain. It takes me a moment since I’m stuck in my brain thinking about Griff as a chicken, to realize that I probably need to answer him, and he’s sitting there looking at me expectantly.

River

As much as I would like to follow Neith to the gym and help her in her workout, mostly because I just like being around her in any capacity that she will let me, I can’t. I really need to get out into the woods and into my fur. Unlike most shifters, I tend to find it reallyeasy to stay in my human form. I think it’s because I don’t keep the two sides of me separate. I am always using my heightened sense of smell, my claws, everything. I have been able to partially shift for as long as I can remember, and I think that because I hold the two halves of me so close together that I don’t need to shift, I do it because I want to.

It's not good for any shifter to go for any length of time without shifting into their other form, so I try not to leave it too long unless I have no choice. It’s only here that I am able to run with all of my tails free, and so I prefer to run while we’re at home, but I do love to fight in my kitsune form.

“Ready?” Van asks as he steps out onto the back deck and stands next to me. “Are you okay?”

I nod, “Yeah. What does your magic feel like? How does it feel different?”

We start to walk down the steps onto the large expanse of grass that backs onto the surrounding forest.

“Sort of twitchy and amped up,” Evander replies. “I know that sounds weird, but ever since what happened in Ireland and maybe even before that actually, it’s been different.”

“Most sirens don’t have any effect on the ocean do they?” I ask. I’m pretty sure that I already know the answer, but I want to double-check.

Van shakes his head, “No, it’s taught to us from a young age that we need to be really careful in the ocean because although we can still breathe and swim in it and use some of our magic, we can’t control it like we can control the rivers, lakes and any other water. The ocean has its own magic.”

Chapter Eighteen

River

Inod. I remember learning about that at some point, but I just wanted to check that what I was remembering was correct.

“So, the fact that you managed to control the ocean, and so spectacularly really, is a big deal then?” I ask.

Van nods, “Yeah, it is. I’m going to ask my parents about it when we go and see them tomorrow,” he replies. I feel his gaze on me, and he asks, “What about you?”

I shrug, “The same as you, really. I feel restless and like my kitsune needs out a lot more than it ever did before.”

Evander nods, seemingly unsurprised by my words. “Maybe it has got something to do with Neith? Your kitsune is clearly incredibly protective of her.”

I smirk, “Not just the kitsune in me, the man is incredibly protective too, and that’s what fuels the reactions from the kitsune.”

Evander grins, “I think we all are.” He pauses and then glances out the corner of his eye at me.

When he doesn’t say anything else I stop walking and raise my eyebrow at him.

“What? Spit it out,” I grin.

Still, he hesitates, and my smile falls slightly as I wait for him to tell me whatever is going through his mind.

“Have you considered that she might be your mate?” He asks me.

I shut down. I push the thought away, and I cross my arms over my chest. He sees the change in me immediately, and understanding fills his eyes. The mate thing is a sensitive subject for me. When it comes to kitsunes, we can fall in love and spend our lives with whoever we want, but our true mates can only be another kitsune. The level of connection that you have with your mate is so much more and something that I have always wanted.

However, I realized at a very young age that I was never going to be able to have a mate because a kitsune mate has to have the same power level as you, which means that they have to have the same number of tails. I have nine, and that’s not just rare. It should be impossible. There have been no kitsunes ever recorded to have nine tails.

I’m destined to never find my mate.

“No,” I reply bluntly.

Within seconds, I have shifted into my kitsune, and I take off into the trees. Van doesn’t call out after me. He doesn’t try to follow me. He just lets me go. For a while, I just run. I ignore everything else, and I let my feet poundthrough the forest. I’m moving at speeds that I have never reached before, but I’m too busy trying to outrun my thoughts to really take too much notice.

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