Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
SAWYER
They didn’t talk much while they waited for the boat to turn up. They were busy packing, cleaning up, and airing out the hut; the smell of sex was strong, even to Sawyer, and he could now appreciate why the consortium had mentioned it a few times.
The silence between them wasn’t strained at all. It was just that they had an important conversation coming up and shit to do first. Sawyer doubted they’d ever have a strained conversation again, given this new bond between them.
It was difficult for Sawyer to put into words. What he felt for Ciaran could hardly be described.
It was as if the marrow in his bones had been replaced with the need for Ciaran, his brain rewired, his blood, his whole entire core now inexplicably linked with him.
He was his compass, his direction, his purpose.
Oh, Sawyer was still himself. He was probably more himself now than he’d ever been.
He was still his own person, had his own free will, his own mind.
But Ciaran was a part of him nonetheless.
Like he was the earth and the moon, and Ciaran was the sun.
Or maybe Sawyer was the sun, and Ciaran was every planet in the solar system.
They were intrinsically joined—separate but moving parts of the whole.
Ciaran was the sum of Sawyer’s parts, the—
“Sawyer,” Ciaran said to get his attention.
Sawyer startled, surprised to see Tobin’s boat coming up the river.
“You okay?” Ciaran asked, fixing Sawyer’s collar against the cold.
“Yeah, I was just thinking,” Sawyer murmured. “About us. About what we are to each other.” He felt stupid for admitting that.
Ciaran put his finger under Sawyer’s chin and lifted his face, copper eyes scanning his. “We are everything,” he said. “Are we not?”
“We are,” Sawyer agreed, smiling now. “I was getting all sappy in my head.”
“Wanna share?” Ciaran’s crooked smile made Sawyer’s body react, heart thumping, blood singing.
He nodded to the boat pulling up at the jetty. “Maybe later.”
The boat slowed to a stop, and Sawyer was surprised to see it was Fray driving and not Tobin. His grin was huge. “Your chariot awaits,” Fray said over the noise of the engine.
Ciaran threw the duffel bag aboard before holding his hand out for Sawyer and helping him onto the boat.
“Thanks,” Sawyer murmured to him, then said the same to Fraser. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he replied, but his gaze went straight to Ciaran’s. “Everything okay? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until tomorrow. Did you.... Are we...”
“Everything’s fine,” Ciaran said, clearly trying not to smile. He linked his fingers with Sawyer’s, and then he gave in and smiled like a newlywed. It was the sweetest thing. “Yes, we did, and yes, we are.”
“Oh yeah,” Sawyer agreed. “We absolutely did. Many times.”
Fray was clearly delighted by this, his grin blinding. “Love that for you guys.” He pulled the boat away carefully from the jetty. “I was concerned when you called, that’s all.”
“Sawyer wanted to go back,” Ciaran said.
“Wanna try a real bed? Shower sex, maybe?” Fray asked, still grinning.
“No,” Sawyer replied. “We’re going back to the Cove so he can tell me everything he knows about this threat that’s coming, which may or may not be the actual fucking kraken, and we’re going to figure out a way to stop it.” He shrugged. “Or something.”
Sawyer didn’t miss how Fray’s eyes went to Ciaran’s. He was clearly surprised. “Right, then. No secrets, huh?”
“None,” Sawyer replied.
Ciaran slid his arm around Sawyer’s waist and leaned against him, humming contentedly. “I thought Tobin was coming to get us,” Ciaran said.
Fray rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well...”
“Still being a moody prick, huh?”
That earned a long sigh from Fray. “Yep.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Ciaran offered.
Sawyer wasn’t quite sure what that was about, but he could feel the heaviness in Ciaran’s heart. Or hearts, as the case might be.
That was still something he had to get used to. Like everything he was still getting used to. Most of it, he took in stride. The fact that cephamorphs existed? Fine. Shapeshifting into actual octopus? Awesome. Superpowers? Even better. Fated mates? Fuck yes.
But knowing the kraken was real? Well, real, kind of, as Ciaran had said. That was a lot. Giant fucking sea monsters that were a possible threat to the man he was soul-bound to?
Sawyer couldn’t get his head around that.
He’d just met Ciaran. It felt as if his soul had wandered this earth for a thousand years and had finally found its other half in the last minute, and now there was some threat coming for him?
Absolutely fucking not.
“You okay?” Ciaran murmured, his hands now on Sawyer’s face, his eyes wide with concern.
Sawyer nodded, but given Ciaran could feel Sawyer’s emotions, there was no point in lying, so he shook his head instead. “I just found you.”
“We’ll be okay,” Ciaran said, trying to smile. “It might turn out to be nothing.”
“You can’t lie to me,” Sawyer said. “I can feel your trepidation, Ciaran. Your worry. I can feel everything.”
Fraser snorted, and Ciaran sighed.
Then Fray laughed. “So, do I get any details on the sex? Make it as graphic as possible, thanks.”
“No,” Ciaran shot back at him.
Sawyer leaned around Ciaran so he could see Fray better. “It was so fucking hot. Like hot, hot. Lava hot. His tentacles—”
Fray let his head fall back as he gripped the wheel. “Ughhhh.” Then he righted himself and the look he gave Ciaran was comical. “You fucked in freeform? Dude!”
“More like a half shift,” Sawyer explained.
Fray gawped at Ciaran, obviously impressed.
“Please don’t encourage him,” Ciaran begged.
Fraser burst out laughing, eyes still wide. “Oh, come on! It’s been so long for me. I deserve all the details. A half shift? That’s freaky and fucking awesome.” He put one hand to his chest. “I’ve never been prouder.”
Ciaran buried his face in his hands. “Jesus Christ.”
Sawyer chuckled, pulling Ciaran’s hips to his, and whispered in Ciaran’s ear. “He’s right. It was fucking awesome.”
Ciaran laughed, resting his forehead on Sawyer’s shoulder for a few seconds before Ciaran gave Fray a look over his shoulder. “Tell anyone, and I’ll kill you.”
Fray laughed long and loud, his grin devilishly wide. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Ciaran’s eyes met Sawyer’s, his shoulders sagging. “That secret is not safe with him. Everyone will know before your bag is unpacked.”
Sawyer chuckled, feeling a bit better now that they’d laughed a little.
But what Ciaran had said made him realise something.
.. “Uh, so here’s something we probably should have talked about at some point over the past couple of days.
Uh, where exactly am I unpacking my bag? Like, who’s place? Mine or yours?”
Ciaran smiled and made a low, happy rumbling sound. “I like how that sounds,” he said. “Mine, yours, ours. It doesn’t matter. Either, or both. Wherever we feel like staying that night.” His shy smile was adorably cute. “As long as I wake up next to you.”
Sawyer chuckled and, kinda forgetting they weren’t alone, ran his hand down to Ciaran’s arse—
“Jesus Mildred Christ,” Fray whined. “Did you guys not just fuck for two days straight? Can you give me a break? I’m dying over here. I told you it’s been too long for me.”
Ciaran chuckled but made no attempt to put some distance between them. “I really need to talk to Tobin for you.”
Fray’s smile died, and he groaned. “Yeah, no. Of all the things you’re not gonna do, you’re not gonna do that the most.”
Wait...
“Fray and Tobin?” Sawyer asked.
Ciaran rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fray wishes so, but....” He made a face.
“Oh.” Sawyer felt a little sad about that.
“Tobin also doesn’t know,” Ciaran added. “Fray’s more of a suffer-in-silence, yearn-from-afar kind of romantic.”
“Hey, Ciar,” Fray said, making them both look at him. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his middle finger. “And don’t get any ideas about telling him anything. You also mispronounced ‘Thanks for coming out to get us. You’re the awesomest best friend ever.’”
“Thank you for coming out to get us,” Sawyer said. “Well, me. Thank you for coming out to get me. Pretty sure Ciaran could swim it easily enough.”
Ciaran chuckled, pressing his lips to Sawyer’s shoulder. “Thank you, Fray, for coming out to get us. You’re the awesomest best friend ever.”
Fray made a placated sound, but his smile won out. “Just as fucking well,” he said as they neared the Cove and he slowed the boat down.
Sawyer really couldn’t help but like Fray, and he loved that he and Ciaran were close. Sawyer could guess that being the leader of the group might be alienating sometimes, and Ciaran had admitted to shouldering the responsibility, so Sawyer was grateful for Fray.
“Anything happen in the past two days I should know about?” Ciaran asked, taking the mooring rope and expertly rounding it off over a post.
Fray concentrated on edging the boat as close to Tobin’s jetty as possible as Ciaran tied off the rope, and Fray cut the engine. “Kellan spoke to Beau,” he said.
Ciaran stopped and stared, clearly not expecting that news. Sawyer had no clue who Beau was or why he could feel Ciaran’s surprise and distaste.
“Fuck,” Ciaran whispered, scrubbing a hand over his face. He looked out at the Cove, the pier, the picturesque little town. “Do you know what about?”
“Beau called him. Said he was sorry for how things played out. They’ve relocated to somewhere on the coast of Queensland. He said half of them aren’t happy and things are tense.”
Ciaran made his own unhappy sound. “Hm, yeah well,” he said. “I guess that’s something.”
“Kinda feel bad for them,” Fray said. “Dirk’s such a piece of shit.”
Ciaran frowned, and Sawyer could feel his mixed emotions.
“You okay?” Sawyer asked.
Ciaran nodded and released a sigh. “I just... I don’t blame him. I mean, I do. He’s a fucking coward. But I also get his need to protect his consortium. He’s just doing what he thinks is right for his family.”