It still made his blood thrum.
Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about it.
Just then, a blue arm smacked him upside the head.
He knew who it was without even looking.
What the fuck, dude?
What the fuck, exactly. Look at yourself.
Ciaran looked down at himself, seeing his body, his limbs. Such a vibrant red.
Fuck.
If you wanna ignore this whole mate thing, you need to get better at not thinking about it.
I can’t....
Then you need to talk to him, at least. I mean, have you even said two words to him?
Ciaran hissed at him, blooming an angry and indignant red down every limb.Take a fucking look at me. How do I explain this?
Fray’s laughter ran through Ciaran’s mind.You know about humans and tentacle porn, right? It’s an actual thing on the internet?—
He was interrupted by the distant but familiar sound of Tobin’s boat. Fray’s eyes met Ciaran’s, wide and alert.
Something’s wrong.
For Tobin to be coming by boat? Yes, something was wrong.
And Ciaran had one singular thought. Not his consortium. Not his family.
Sawyer.
Only Sawyer.
Ciaran pushed up, breaking the surface, and was in his human form in one fluid movement, pulling on his clothes before Fray was even out of the water.
He was very clearly about to say something smart until he saw the panic Ciaran couldn’t conceal.
“I’m sure it’s nothing major,” he said, pulling on his shorts.
By the time Tobin’s boat came around the bend and up to the jetty, they had the hut all locked up and were waiting for him.
“What’s wrong?” Ciaran asked, hopping aboard, Fray a few steps behind him.
Tobin gave Ciaran a tight smile. “Hendrix is back.”
Hendrix, Ciaran’s cousin, for the want of a better word. He was young and reckless, but this was hardly bad news.
And it wasn’t about Sawyer. The relief Ciaran felt was immeasurable.
“And?”
“And he’s alone. He was surprised to learn Dylan wasn’t here. He said Dylan left him days ago.”
What?
