chapter 20

Kora shifts and Ares keeps his back to us until she bites his tail, making him spin around. Ares pounces on her and nips at her face before licking her cheek. “Race you,” she says before shoving him over and darting toward the treeline. It feels good being in this form, Kora is carefree and loves the feel of the earth under her feet, the way the dirt kicks up behind her as she zips in and out of trees and jumps over fallen logs. The breeze ruffles her fur, and damn was she fast and lithe on her feet. She slows down, looking for Ares, we could hear him catching up to us when everything suddenly falls silent before he pounces, tackling Kora. Ares jumps off her and darts away, and she gives chase. “She seems excited to be out,” Mateo mindlinks me. “Yep, sucks she can’t shift much,” I tell him, just letting her go and do whatever she wants while she can. “You still want to go swimming, or do you want to wait for Ezra?” He asks me, and I shrug before remembering he can’t see that through th