“M-m-mon....” He stared, blinked, swallowed hard, and licked his lips. Then he made an annoyed face. “You’re anoctopus?”
Ciaran’s nostrils flared even though he did his best to rein in his temper. “No. I’m cephamorphic.” He gestured up and down his body. “Human form, see? Not an octopus, but I have the ability to morph into the form of whathumanswould call an octopus.”
Sawyer stared at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and then his tongue caught the corner of his mouth. He leaned against his desk, ran his hand over his face, and stared. “Octopus.”
Ciaran held his breath. This really could go either way, and he needed Sawyer to not freak out. To not hate him, at the very least. “Yes.”
Sawyer narrowed his eyes at him. “Your consortium—” He stopped and sighed. “Jesus. Consortium.”
Ciaran almost smiled. The collective noun... “Yes.”
“So, all of you...”
“Yes.”
“I just thought because there are eight of you,” he said. Then he shook his head. “How... how does it work?”
Wait.
“You believe me?”
Sawyer’s gaze met his, nothing but truth and honesty looking back at him. “Yes. Is it weird? Fuck yes. Does it sound like a joke or a prank? Sure. But do I believe you?” His eyes softened, as did his voice. “Yes. For some reason, I do. I know you’ll tell me the truth.”
Ciaran let out a slow, nervous breath. Because he still had a whole other half of this conversation to tell him. “I can’t lie to you.”
Sawyer nodded. “Should I be freaking out right now? Probably. Should I be concerned that I’m not freaking out right now? Uh, yes. Should I be....” He tilted his head. “Youcan’tlie to me?”
Aaaaand there it was.
Ciaran shook his head. “No.” Ciaran was more nervous about this part of their conversation. “I... I physically cannot lie to you.”
Sawyer stared at him for a long, scrutinising moment. “What do you mean by that?”
It was easier to look at the floor when he said this. “That feeling you mentioned before. Needing to be near me, the pull you feel to me. Well, there’s a reason for that.”
When Sawyer didn’t say anything, Ciaran looked at him.
A slow smile spread across Sawyer’s face. “Are you gonna tell me it’s some biological attraction?” He laughed then. “Like fated mates or some bullshit?”
Ciaran stared at him, his hearts racing, his stomach in twisted knots.
Sawyer’s eyes widened as his smile faded. “Oh.”
“We think so, anyway,” Ciaran murmured. “We can’t be entirely sure. There’s never been a cephic-human mating bond before, that we know of.”
Sawyer blinked rapidly again. “We...?”
“Kellan has been trying to research it.” He shrugged. “On my part, I know the answer is yes. What I feel for you, the need to be near you, to touch you, tells me what this is. But the human reaction to such bonding is unknown.”
“You feel for me,” he whispered. He slow-blinked and shook his head, clearly trying to process. “Need to be near me and touch me?”
Ciaran nodded, his mouth dry. “Yes.” Christ, why was this so nerve-wracking? “I tried to stay away. I tried to deny it.”
Sawyer’s breaths were hard and fast now, and he opened his mouth to speak but could only manage a whisper. “You don’t want this?”
Ciaran sucked back a breath, his gaze lasering in on Sawyer’s. “I do. But you... you won’t....” He had to clear his throat so he could speak but couldn’t bring himself to say the next part.
“I won’t what?”
