Soul Bound

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The rapping on my door comes way too early. I peek through one eye out the window and see the sun is barely up. If I ignore the knocking maybe it'll go away. I pull my blanket up over my head and wiggle deeper into my hammock.

The knocking stops. Maybe I'm just dreaming.

But then there is the burning and the quick shuffle of images through my head. The room is full of his smell. My eyes pop open and River is literally inches from my face.

"Hey," he says, smirking.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," I yell, pushing him away. "How the hell did you get in here?"

River looks so well-rested and awake; it makes me want to punch him. He points up at the skylight. The opening is way too small for him to have fit through. It's barely six inches wide. And it squeaks so loudly when it's opened that I would have heard it.

"Yeah, right. Did Finn give you a key?" I ask, stretching.

River looks puzzled. "No."

"Then how'd you get in?"

"The skylight." His brow creases as he cocks his head to the side.

"There's no way you fit through there," I sneer, hurrying to the bathroom.

I quickly brush my teeth, ignoring the worry that River might've smelt my morning breath, and tie my hair back. There's a weird scratching sound coming from the living room. What the hell is he up to?

"What are you—?" I start, but see no one is there. I check both doors and they're locked tight. I didn't hear the windows open. Where the hell did he go? I look up at the skylight.

Sneaky, Wolf says.

But he couldn't. There's no way he could fit in a form that small.

I rush outside and spin in a circle looking for him. "How did you do that?" I yell.

"Do what? I just shifted."

His voice calls from somewhere above me. I tilt my head back to look at the banyans.

There he is. Sitting in Yan, smiling down at me, swinging his legs back and forth like a kid. Yan's soul is wrapped around him, glowing brightly. There's a hint of jealousy in the pit of my stomach. The souls never come that close to me.

"You shifted into something small enough to fit through that opening?" My tone communicates my disbelief. "You couldn't have. You'd break every bone in your body."

River's smile gets bigger. "You've got a lot to learn."

He closes his eyes and I watch as his body morphs into a red squirrel. He scurries down the trunk and sits in front of me, flicking his fluffy tail back and forth.

I squat down and gape at him. My mouth starts watering and I realize Wolf is encouraging me to make a meal out of his squirrely self. I ignore her carnivorous request and lean forward to check River for any injuries. "Holy crap. Doesn't that hurt?"

He shakes his little squirrel head then shifts back so suddenly that I fall backwards onto my butt.

"Nope," he says, leaning over me. "Your mind is the restrictor, not your body."

The morning sun is directly behind him and all I can see is his glowing silhouette, almost platinum blonde hair shining like a halo. He leans down closer and my heartbeat quickens.

"Can't you shift into smaller animals?" He offers me his hand.

"Can't you stop getting in my personal space?" I exclaim.