Fray’s face.... He shrank back, deflated, and gods, Ciaran hated it.
Ciaran was torn.
He wanted to take Fray into the water, go freeform and let him decompress. He needed to go speak to Tobin.
But he couldn’t leave Sawyer.
Until he felt Sawyer’s hand on his lower back. “Hey,” he said softly. “Go. You need to go.”
He met his gaze, so fucking torn. “Sawyer?—”
“I’ll be fine. I won’t go into the water. I’ll go back home. You need to go.” He saw Ciaran hesitate, so he said it again, with more conviction. “Ciaran, go.”
Ciaran looked directly at Otis. “You don’t let him out of your sight.”
“On it,” Otis said, moving closer to Sawyer.
Ciaran took off down the dock just as Tobin was closing his door. He grabbed the door and pushed it open wide.
The woman, who was in her early twenties, was by the table. She smiled, bright-eyed. “Hi,” she said. There was an accent, and a backpack by her feet.
Ciaran zeroed in on Tobin. “What are you doing? You know the rules.”
No strangers. No visitors. Not without fair fucking warning.
Tobin looked a mix of angry and miserable. “Oh, so it’s fine for you. You can have someone?—”
“You know that’s not what happened.”
Tobin’s nostrils flared. “She’s only staying one night. I’m taking her to Strahan tomorrow. She needed a lift. And we have free will, yes? Isn’t that what you said?”
“Is okay?” the girl asked. “If problem....”
“No, it’s fine,” Tobin answered, giving her a smile. Then he turned back to Ciaran, that misery back in his eyes. “If we’re done here....”
By the gods Ciaran hated this. “Tobes,” he tried. “Look, Fray?—”
Tobin flinched and shook his head. “No. I can’t. Not him, not that. I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry.”
And he shut the door in Ciaran’s face.
Ciaran stood there for a few seconds, uncertain about so many things, but the pull to go back to Sawyer was gnawing under his skin. He wanted to make Tobin talk to him, but the need to get back to Sawyer was too much to ignore.
And Tobin’s closed door wasn’t getting him anywhere.
So he headed back to Fray’s and was met with concerned eyes from everyone and relief from Sawyer. He went to him first, and the simple act of touching his arm, seeing the love in his eyes, was enough.
Then he went to Fray. Ciaran put his hand around Fray’s neck. Fray closed his eyes and leaned into Ciaran’s touch.
“Tell me what you need,” Ciaran murmured. “You wanna go freeform, we’ll go.”
He gave the barest of nods.
“We’ll take him,” Kellan said.
When Ciaran turned, Aurin, Dylan, Hendrix, and Otis were all there, ready and waiting.
Ciaran was so fucking torn. He wanted to be the one who took Fray, but he couldn’t leave Sawyer.
