~Serah POV~
The river roared louder, foam spraying against my face and the boat rocked so hard that I thought it would splinter. On both banks, red-eyed hounds kept pace, their snarls rattling my bones and torches flickered behind them.... hunters shouting.
"Alive, don't kill her, Lord Veylen wants the child..." My father's voice again cold and commanding.
Tristan shoved the oar deep into the water, straining against the current his jaw was tight, and eyes darting from the rapids to the shadows. "Hold on, we've got one chance through this gorge if you let go, you die."
I gripped the boat's edge, knuckles white and my wound burned, hot and wet. The smell of my own blood filled the air this made Tristan's head snapped toward me for a split second, eyes flashing red.
My stomach twisted. "You're... hungry" I whispered.
"I'm not!" His voice was sharp, controlled, but the veins in his neck stood out. "Don't distract me."
"You're trembling."
