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She suddenly drops to the ice and I jump to my feet.
“Ade! Are you okay?” I yell in panic. I think I’m the first to react. She sits up, grins and me and gives me a double thumbs up.
“Yeah. Sometimes I fall down just so I can take a break.” My heart is in my throat. Shit she scared the life out of me.
“Ade,” Lumi calls, her tone warning. “Don’t scare them like that. They’re not used to your drama queen behavior.”
Ade giggles and I turn to look at Lumi. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bench with her skates off, chatting calmly to Quilo. She’s not phased at all. I catch her eye, and she smiles sympathetically at me.
“She’s fine. Relax.”
I nod and take my seat but I don’t take my eyes off Ade, who has gotten back up and is happily skating once again.
This time the spin is perfect...until it isn’t. She gains in speed, whipping around and around in a perfect twister, and when she fails to stop, I know that something’s wrong. This time, Lumi must too, because we’re both on our feet when an ear-splitting crack fills the area and rebounds off the buildings surrounding the ice.
We’re both at the rink’s edge when we hear the scream and the splash, and I don’t hesitate. I unleash my bear and shift, diving into the rink-turned-pool to save her.
Beside me, I’m vaguely aware of Lumi doing the same, but I barely register what I’m seeing because my focus is on saving Ade. The weight of her skates is pulling her down, deeper under the water, and I swim faster to get to her. Thank god Lumi and I didn’t have our skates on, not that it would matter with me shifting, but I’m glad that Lumi isn’t going to need rescuing too.
I reach Ade and carefully pull her into my arms, being careful not to scratch her with my claws. I could shift back and carry her, but I’m a stronger swimmer like this.
Lumi reaches us and pulls Ade into her arms, so I grab her too and swim to the surface with both of them. The water is obviously ice cold and I only hope that Whit and Quilo have been smart enough to move and get blankets.
We break the surface of the water and Ade splutters and coughs. Lumi seems fine, clearly shaken, but not even a little out of breath. I shift back and continue to tread water while holding them both. Ade stares at me in amazement.
“You really are a polar bear!” I give her a tight smile. I want to get them both out of this water and checked over as quickly as I can.
“Mama!”
“Ade, baby, are you okay?” Lumi asks, her voice strained.
“You have a tail!”
I glance down and sure enough, my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me under the water. Lumi dove beneath the surface and kept pace with me and resurfaced without even panting because she’s shifted into a…
“You’re a mermaid!” Ade crows and giggles.
“Shit!” Lumi hisses. I feel her...tail brush against my legs and a second later she’s obviously shifted back because she kicks me. It’s definitely a foot that hits me this time.
“Right, yeah,” I say, a little dazed. “Let’s move.”
I let go of Lumi and swim over to the edge of the rink with Ade in my arms. Quilo immediately helps take Ade from me, lifting her out of the water and wrapping her straight in one of the furs from the bar. I climb out and turn to help Lumi but Whit gets there first. I grab a blanket for my own shoulders and one for Lumi, draping it around her as soon as she’s standing on the rubber matting.
Whit is staring at her, a thunderous look on his face, arms folded over his chest. What’s his problem?
“What the fuck?” he growls at Lumi. I’m about to step in to tell him to back off when Lumi answers.
“I can explain, please, just hear me out.”
