Chapter Three
Three
Cyrus
The beanbag flew out of my webbed hand and careened toward a cornhole board emblazoned with the Leviathan Fitness logo. With a loud thud, the neon green bag dropped into the hole, giving me another three points.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Fallon groaned from the other end of the yard where the cornhole boards were set up. “When you said you’d never played before, I didn’t expect you to be this good.”
I blinked my wide eyes, giving the griffin an innocent smile. Although I’d never played, my kind took to new games easily. You’d think Fallon would know this after fourteen years of friendship. There was a reason I wasn’t allowed to join in on game night.
“Hmm, maybe it’s the tentacles or something,” I said with a shrug. My grin widened as one of the thick tendrils in question uncoiled from where it was wrapped around my forearm and gave Fallon a playful wave.
He shook his head and trotted over to me. “I’ve had enough getting my ass kicked for one day. Let’s grab a drink and mingle.”
Initially, I’d been hesitant to attend the party, but Atlas and Fallon were both adamant that I should be present.
I knew my appearance could be unsettling to humans, and I hated the thought of any of Atlas and Tegan’s guests feeling uncomfortable.
It wasn’t every day that you saw an ancient blue-green sea creature shuffling around on six tentacles.
I resembled something you’d see in a Guillermo del Toro film, not a guest at a backyard barbecue.
Fallon led the way to the cooler and I scuttled close behind him, my tentacles rolling and writhing over the grass to propel me along.
“Water for you, Cy?” he asked, digging through the cooler with his scaled talons.
“Please,” I said, scanning the crowd around us. It was a mix of humans and monsters, locals and small business owners engaging in companionable conversation.
Fallon used his talon to pop the cap off his beer, and just as he was about to speak, Atlas called out to us.
“Hey, guys. Come here for a second. I want you to meet someone.” The wolven shifted his giant body, and that’s when I caught my first glimpse of him.
The rays from the sun caught his hair, illuminating the light red strands in a fiery blaze of color.
His face was handsome—chiseled and masculine—with a thick mustache above his lip and a beard covering his jaw.
A light dusting of freckles coated the bridge of his nose and cheeks.
Forest green eyes accented with tiny flecks of gold assessed me, watching my every move as Fallon and I neared the small group.
“This is Tegan’s brother, Reece,” Atlas said, his body swaying slightly. “He’s the head of the Parks Department here in Briar Glenn.”
I’d heard all about Tegan’s brother from Atlas. His bravado and alpha male posturing when it came to his sister’s relationship. What Atlas didn’t tell me was how ridiculously hot he was.
Fallon waved a talon in Reece’s direction and ruffled his feathers. “Fallon. Nice to meet you, bud.”
Reece paid him no attention and instead kept his vibrant green eyes focused on me.
This was exactly what I was afraid of.
I was a tentacled creature of the sea making the brother of my best friend’s mate uncomfortable.
“Hello,” I muttered. “I’m Cyrus. Cyrus Jennings.” I extended a hand to Reece, my tentacle gripping my arm tightly, almost cutting off my circulation.
Reece stared at my outstretched palm for a moment, his handsome face set in a wary scowl.
It was like he was judging it.
Judging me.
Right when I was about to pull away and die from embarrassment, Reece placed his hand in mine.
His skin was soft and warm, and as we shook, he locked eyes with me. “Pleasure,” he said in a rich baritone voice, which sent warmth spreading through my body.
As we stood there, it felt as if everything in the background became muted and faded away. But him—I could see him bright and vivid. Like I was seeing color for the very first time.
For a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, it was Reece and I shaking hands, staring into each other’s eyes.
But then it was over.
Reece cleared his throat before pulling his hand away and wiping it on the fabric of his khaki shorts.
His reaction surprised me. I wasn’t wet and slimy like an octopus. My skin and tentacles were smooth and cool to the touch, but they didn’t leave behind any residue whatsoever.
Maybe his palm was sweaty?
A small frown tugged at the corners of my lips.
Atlas must have noticed and attempted to break some of the tension.
“Reece is training for the Briar Glenn triathlon. He needs to work on his swim time, so we’ll be seeing him at the gym.
” Atlas clapped Reece on the back and he had to brace himself to avoid stumbling forward, obviously caught off guard.
“Yeah, about that…” Reece started to say before Atlas cut him off.
“None of that,” Atlas said. “We’re family now. The pool is there, use it. You’ll probably see Cyrus there from time to time, too.”
I loved Atlas like a brother, but he could be oblivious at times. I was sure that the last thing Reece wanted to do was spend time with his sister’s mate and his friends.
“Uh, yeah. I use the pool quite a bit.” My tentacles clenched tighter around my forearms with each word that came out of my mouth. One conversation with an attractive man and I was a ball of nerves.
“Hey, Atlas!” Tegan yelled from across the yard. A raging inferno was coming from the grill in front of her. “Can you and Fallon give me a hand with this?”
“Holy shit,” Fallon chirped. He and Atlas bolted to help her, leaving Reece and me standing alone.
Reece bit his lip, scowling at the scene unfolding in front of us.
“That got out of control rather quickly,” I commented.
He chuckled awkwardly as we watched them trying to get the fire under control. “My sister was never much of a cook. Apparently, all her food-related skills went to baking. I hope Atlas knows his way around the kitchen or he’ll be eating out five nights a week.”
My mouth hung open in disbelief. “Five nights a week? Really?”
Again, he laughed, but this time it was warmer, more genuine—like he was finally starting to relax in my presence. “Oh yeah, like a fucking college kid. Freaking college kid—sorry.” He scrubbed a hand through that gorgeous red hair before turning away.
“No need to be sorry. There are actually studies that show people who swear are more intelligent.” I gave him a thoughtful smile, admiring the way his expression brightened over my words.
“No shit?” he said with a laugh.
I chuckled, the soft fins along my neck fluttering as my body vibrated.
They caught Reece’s attention and he cleared his throat, the jovial nature of our conversation ending right then and there.
My tentacles shuffled beneath me. I needed to think of something to fill the uncomfortable lull in conversation.
“So, uh, you work for the Parks Department?” Stick to your guns, Cyrus. Go with what you know.
“Yup,” Reece said, his full lower lip popping the P.
“That must be an interesting job.”
He shrugged, his muscular shoulders straining against the fabric of his shirt. “It’s all right. We maintain the baseball fields and keep the parks clean. I get to spend most of my time outside, so I can’t complain. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m an artist. Oil paintings mostly but—”
He cut me off and stepped closer. “You make a living off of that?”
I tried not to be offended. That was the usual response I received when I told someone I was an artist.
“Well, it’s sustained my lifestyle for the last six hundred years, so I would say so.” I restrained myself, but it still came out quite snarky. What I really wanted to say was that most of my pieces sold for well over six figures and my bank account was flush with cash.
All the color seemed to drain from his face, and his thick mustache pursed down over his lip. “Shit. I’m sorry. I fucking knew that was a stupid question.”
As if of its own accord, one of my tentacles unraveled and snaked around his forearm. It was one of my breeding tentacles, my hectocotylus, and the moment it made contact with his skin, a little electric jolt ran up my tentacle and—I almost came.
Oh gods, no!
That was a male kraken’s mate bond response.
There was no way that this was happening.
The three hearts inside my chest thumped rapidly, and I fought to get my words out, to do anything to hide the fact that Reece Rollins and I were mates.
I tried to play it cool but blurted out the words in one breath. “I-it’s fine. Really.”
Reece looked down at where we were attached before wrenching his arm away. He stared at where the frond had gripped him with a panicked expression.
“I gotta get going,” he mumbled under his breath before stalking off, presumably to talk to anyone other than me.
As I watched him walk away from me, it felt as if I’d been punched in the gut. Of course a man like him would find a monster like me repulsive. And of course out of all the beings I’d met in my long life, that man was my mate.