Chapter Six
Six
Reece
The soles of my slides slapped along the pavement as I walked down the street and up to the front door of Leviathan Fitness. I wiped my clammy hands on my shorts before reaching for the door handle.
Why the fuck was I so nervous?
Oh, right. Because I was taking my sister’s mate up on his offer after being a total dick to him and his friend.
“Damn,” I murmured under my breath when I stepped inside. My eyes scanned the space, taking it all in.
It was nothing like the rec center of my childhood.
Sure, I could tell from the brick walls and open space that we were in what used to be the basketball court, but for the most part, it was unrecognizable.
Weightlifting machines, free weights, and racks were set up on the first floor, positioned in front of tall mirrors so you could watch your form while lifting. The scuffed wood of the basketball court had been replaced with springy rubber flooring, perfect for rebounding dropped weights.
Because the ceilings were so high, Atlas had added an open second story. Cardio machines like treadmills, bikes, and StairMasters now overlooked the first floor.
It was nice. Modern. Clean. Well lit.
And to think I could have been working out here instead of in my garage this entire time.
Atlas stood behind the front desk, his ears perking up when he noticed me. His body started to sway, that massive puppy dog tail wagging behind him.
I had to give it to my sister. The tail-wagging was pretty damn cute.
“Hey, man! How are you this morning?” He smiled, the sharp tips of his teeth showing.
“I’m good,” I lied. Certainly not anxious about being here. Not one bit.
“Come on over and we’ll get you all set up. Tegan is super excited you decided to join.”
Was she? Or was he just saying that to make me feel better?
“I, uh, I appreciate you doing this for me,” I said. “I really need to work on my swim time.”
Atlas slid some papers and a pen across the counter to me. “It’s no problem at all. We’re family.”
I gave him a sincere smile.
What could I say? He was growing on me.
I scribbled my signature on the forms and handed them back to Atlas.
“Welcome to Leviathan Fitness!” He grinned before turning around to dig through a cabinet. “What size shirt do you wear?”
“Uh, extra large, please.”
He passed me a black T-shirt with the Leviathan Fitness logo in the corner.
The tentacle and the weight.
It all made sense now.
Cyrus was the inspiration behind the gym’s logo.
The two of them had to be close.
Knowing that I’d upset one of Atlas’s best friends made me feel like even more of an asshole.
Atlas was acting normal and I hadn’t received any angry text messages from my sister, so I guess Cyrus had kept our awkward interaction on the down-low.
For the time being, I was in the clear.
Now, if I could avoid running into him.
“Let me show you to the pool,” Atlas said as he walked around the counter.
I slung the T-shirt over my shoulder and followed behind him, doing my best to keep up.
Gods, he was massive.
If his equipment matched the rest of him, how did he and my sister even work?
My face scrunched up at the thought.
Don’t think about your sibling doing the deed. Fucking gross.
“Here we are!” Atlas said as he pushed open a door labeled Pool.
It opened to reveal a bright room with glass panels covering the ceiling and a shimmering Olympic swimming pool smack dab in the center.
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. “This is really nice.”
The pool had been completely refinished with shiny white tiles, and dark blue tiles marked the swimming lanes.
Atlas let out a deep, rumbling laugh, which roared through the open space. “Thank you. It’s salt water, too. None of the smell or sting of chlorine. I wanted the gym to be state of the art.”
He pointed a clawed finger to an area labeled Locker Room. “You’ll find the showers in there.” He looked down at his watch. “I have to get back to the desk, but after your swim, I’ll give you the full tour. How’s that sound?”
Movement in the water on the opposite end of the pool caught my attention.
Shit.
“Oh yeah. Cyrus is here for a swim,” Atlas added. “If you have any questions about the facility, he should be able to help.” Atlas gripped my shoulder affectionately, and I had to force myself not to shy away from his touch.
“Uh, sounds good. I’ll catch up with you later about that tour,” I said quietly, watching the blue-green kraken glide through the water.
Atlas gave me a nod and headed back through the door.
I puffed out a breath and ran my fingers through my hair.
This was just my luck.
My first day using the pool, and of course Cyrus was here, because why wouldn’t he be?
Stepping into the locker room, I sat down on the bench in the middle of the aisle and rubbed my hand along my beard.
It wasn’t like I could leave. I just got here. Atlas would think something was up. And I really did need to work on my swim time.
I mean, we’d be in the water. We’d both be focused on swimming.
It wasn’t like there’d be a ton of time for idle chitchat. If I stayed in my own swim lane, maybe he wouldn’t even know I was there.
“Motherfucker,” I grumbled as I pulled my T-shirt over my head and threw my shit in a locker.
Deep breaths, Reece. Deep breaths.
I strolled out to the pool and stood by the ladder for a moment, my eyes scanning the water, looking for Cyrus.
He was near the bottom of the pool, his tentacles undulating and propelling his body through the water with ease. He seemed to glide along fluidly, becoming one with the water around him. I was mesmerized, and for several minutes I stood there and watched him.
Not once did he come up to the surface to take a breath.
I would have been content to stand there and watch him forever, but I had to be at work in an hour and a half. I needed to get my ass in the water.
The metal of the ladder was cold on my feet as I lowered myself into the water. I hissed the moment my dick bobbed beneath the surface. The water was chilly, but compared to the lake, it felt like bathwater.
I made a mental note to do more research on open water triathlon swimming and dove in.
With my eyes closed, I focused on my technique, kicking my feet and using my arms to drag my body through the water. Swimming was the only time I found my muscular body to be a hindrance to my performance. I didn’t have that lean swimmer’s physique, and that made this so much harder.
My hair stuck to my face while I swam, making the periodic visual checks I should have been doing nearly impossible. Like a dumbass, I’d forgotten my swim cap and goggles.
I was almost to the opposite end of the pool when my body slammed into something soft yet solid.
FUCK!
Cyrus’s voice.
I’d heard his voice in my head.
I splashed and sputtered, trying to tread water and catch my breath and being simultaneously terrified.
Cyrus popped out of the water and stared at me. “Are you all right?” he asked in that fucking British accent.
“Yeah,” I said, flipping my hair out of my eyes. “Are you?”
“I’m fine.” He was floating in the water without issue, his tentacles open in a wide parachute below his waist.
Wild.
“Did you, uh, did you talk to me in my head? Was I imagining that?” The words rushed out with a light spray of salt water as I began to panic. “Can you read my mind?” I blurted out.
Cyrus stared at me for several beats, his eyes unblinking and his mouth a thin line, but then the corners of his lips turned up slightly and his fins began to vibrate with laughter.
Heat spread over my cheeks and I slapped the water, splashing Cyrus in the face. “You fucker.”
Beads of water rolled off his slick skin as he smiled, revealing sharp teeth that looked like something you’d see on a piranha.
It was slightly terrifying, but not nearly as terrifying as the prospect of him being able to read my mind. If that was the case, he could have heard everything I thought about him at the party—everything I thought about everyone at the party.
Relief washed over me when he said, “I can’t read your mind.
But I can communicate with you using my mind.
Telepathy.” He tapped his temple with one of his webbed fingers.
“It’s theorized that my kind evolved the trait in order to communicate underwater.
It also comes in handy when I’m trying to let Fallon know I’m ready to leave the bar. ”
I tilted my head in confusion. “Are the two of you, like, a couple or something?”
Cyrus barked with laughter as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
“Ah, shit, mate. That’s hilarious.” He sighed and caught his breath. “We’re roommates. Not lovers. I’m into men, but he isn’t my type.”
I bit my lip and nodded.
So, Cyrus was gay, too.
An uncomfortable silence stretched out between us. I wasn’t sure if I should mention what happened at the party and apologize for my behavior, or pretend like it never happened and not bring it up.
It was Cyrus who bridged the gap in conversation.
“So, uh, how is training going?” he asked. “I see you forgot your goggles.” He raised the bumpy protrusions above his eyes that I assumed were a kraken’s version of eyebrows.
“Yeah, and my swim cap.” I laughed awkwardly. “So I’d say it isn’t going well.”
“I saw you watching me,” he said with a smirk.
Fuck.
I might as well fess up to it.
“I mean, I was. You make it look so easy. And it must be when you’re built for swimming. I drag ass through the water.”
“I was watching you for a bit before you ran into me.” He looked away from me and smiled. “You’re a shit swimmer,” he mumbled under his breath.
I grunted and swam over to the side of the pool, crossing my arms over the edge. Treading water while we talked was exhausting.
Cyrus swam up beside me and used his tentacles to haul his body out of the water with ease. I was in awe as I watched them ripple and writhe in a swirling mass of blues and greens. His coloring reminded me of a raging sea, which made sense for a kraken, I guess. It really was pretty.
He positioned himself so he was sitting on the ledge, his tentacles dangling into the water.
“You know, I may not be an expert, but I could train you,” he offered. “Help with some of your mechanics. If you’d take the help, that is.”
I looked up at his alien-like face, his fins lightly flapping, and those unblinking eyes. “You’d do that? Even after what happened at the party?”
He dipped his head, almost like he was ashamed. “I’m sorry. For touching you without your permission. Sometimes my tentacles have a mind of their own.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
He was apologizing to me?
When I was the one who acted like a complete and utter dick to him?
“No, I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I shouldn’t have acted that way.” I lowered my voice, even though it was only the two of us in the pool. “Sometimes I’m weird about touch and, like, affectionate gestures.”
Cyrus raised his head and stared at me. “I completely understand.”
“I just, um, I appreciate you not saying anything to Atlas.”
“I heard from Atlas that the two of you got off on the wrong foot.”
“We did,” I said. “But I’m trying.”
“I know you’re protective over your sister, but I can tell you from experience, Atlas is a great guy. One of the nicest I’ve met in my seven hundred years. After all he’s been through, he deserves happiness.”
“Tegan does, too, and I’m starting to realize that they found that in each other.” I sighed and squinted up at Cyrus as salt water dripped down my forehead and into my eyes. “Look, if the offer still stands, I could really use some help in the swimming department.”
A wide grin spread over his face. With those sharp teeth, it was almost menacing—almost. “Well, Reece Rollins, you’ve got yourself a swim coach.”