Hmm.
Soulmate.
Is that what they were?
He supposed it was the closest thing.
They were so much more than boyfriends or “partners.” They weren’t married in the religious sense. They were tied to each other in an inexplicable way, and to give that a name felt... inadequate.
Sawyer would have to ask Ciaran what term he was comfortable with.
Was there a cephamorphic term they used to describe it? “Mates” didn’t feel right either. Mates was an everyday term to describe a friend: workmates, teammates, best mates.
It was different in the animal kingdom, though, wasn’t it?
Sawyer almost laughed at the ridiculousness of having to consider such a thing. He was soulmates with a nonhuman who had the ability to change into an animal. It was absurd and incredible—and a total mindfuck.
But it felt right and, somehow, completely and utterly normal.
There was a splash in the water, and Sawyer turned toward the sound to find a red tentacle holding up a rather large fish. Then Ciaran’s freeform face appeared, his big red head and large copper eyes, and... he grinned.
Sawyer burst out laughing, and he could have sworn Ciaran laughed too. He put the fish on the pier and, in a blink, hauled himself out of the water in full human form.
Fullynakedhuman form.
He was still grinning as he came over and shook his wet hair, spraying Sawyer with water. Sawyer laughed again and pulled Ciaran down on top of him. His skin was cold, he was very wet, and he was so gloriously happy, it made Sawyer’s heart full.
He leaned up and kissed Ciaran’s lips. “Feel better after your swim?”
Ciaran nodded. “I’ve never felt better than I do right now.”
“Me either,” Sawyer said. Then he glanced over at the fish. “Remind me to never make fishing a competition with you.”
Ciaran laughed. “It’s very fresh.”
“Why isn’t it moving? How did you kill it underwater? Did you punch it?”
Ciaran snorted, but then he made a face. “No. I have... ways.”
Hmm. That was a weird reaction.
“What ways?”
A gust of wind whipped down the river, and the sun disappeared behind the clouds, making the temperature drop almost instantly.
Ciaran got to his feet and pulled Sawyer to his. “How about we get you inside?”
Ciaran pulled on his trackpants, and Sawyer draped the towel over Ciaran’s still-wet hair, ruffling it affectionately. “You know you can tell me anything,” Sawyer said. “Anything about your freeform self. I won’t ever think differently of you.”
Ciaran’s eyes flashed with something Sawyer wasn’t sure he liked before he nodded slowly. Then he was quick to grab the fish, and they went inside.
Sawyer was more intrigued now. Not by the subject, but by Ciaran’s reaction.
Sawyer felt.... No, Sawyerknewthere were secrets and things Ciaran wasn’t telling him. And up until now, he could understand why.
Ciaran and his consortium had one helluva secret to keep.
But things were different now.
