Ciaran sighed in defeat.
Tobin was first to stand up. “Leaving in five. Can give you three a lift to the drop-off point if you like? Save you some time.”
“Sounds good to me,” Otis said, standing up.
Kellan paused on his way out. “For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “he seems a very nice man. Smart, funny.”
Ciaran wasn’t sure about funny....
“And he did ask about you,” Kellan added.
“And he’s single,” Aurin said. “Just sayin’.”
Ciaran groaned. He hadn’t even thought about Sawyer not being single....
Otis made a face. “We just had to find out if we needed to get rid of some opposition, that’s all.”
“And he’s hot,” Hendrix said, then dashed out the door before Ciaran could grab him.
When it was just Fray and Ciaran, Fray gave him a rueful smile. “I know what you were doing, suggesting I go with Tobin.”
“I just thought....” Ciaran shrugged. “Just trying to help.”
“I think we can forget it. I think I need to forget it.”
Ciaran frowned at him. “Sorry. I... I dunno. Who needs boyfriends anyway, am I right?”
Fray’s quiet laugh faded. “What’s the plan for tonight, then? Gonna go sit outside his window again, listen as he plays Bruce Springsteen on his record player?”
Ciaran resented the fact that he’d actually done that. Even more than that, he resented the fact that Fray knew about it.
Hehadplanned to do exactly that, but now he wasn’t. “No.”
“You’re not killing the cat,” Fray said. “You know Aurin loves that thing.”
The image of the cat against Sawyer’s chest, all smug and purring...
Ciaran had to stop thinking about the damn human and do his job.
“No,” he said. “I need to make some calls. What time is it in New Zealand?”
Chapter
Nine
SAWYER
Sawyer’s dreamshad been getting weird.
Since arriving in Tenebrae, his dreams had been more vivid and feeling all too real.
And last night...
Well, last night’s dream had been immersive to say the least. Interactive, even.
First it had been Fraser’s back tattoo with the goat-like eyes. Then there’d been the dream where he was underwater. The dream itself had been peaceful and beautiful, serene, but he’d woken up gasping for air because not even dream-Sawyer could breathe underwater, apparently.
Then the next night he was underwater again, light refracting into the dark depths of the bay as shadows danced around him.
