Tentacles & Triathlons (Leviathan Fitness, #2)

by Ashley Bennett

Would I ever be worthy? Would I ever find that type of love?

Maybe Jimenez was onto something. Atlas had been nothing but a gentleman—gentlewolven—to my sister. According to my mother, he even went out of his way to make sure she’d be safe during the full moon. Tegan was happy with him. She was cared for. That would have to be good enough for me.

I blinked my wide eyes and gave the griffon an innocent smile.

Cyrus is so cuteeee

I knew my appearance could be unsettling to humans and I hated the thought of any of Atlas and Tegan’s guests feeling uncomfortable.

:(

“Hey, guys. Come here for a second. I want you to meet Tegan’s brother.” The wolven shifted his giant body, and that's when I caught my first glimpse of him.

As he spoke, it felt as if everything in the background became muted and faded away.

For a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, it was Reece and I shaking hands, staring into one another's eyes.

One conversation with an attractive man and I was a ball of nerves.

“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.

I curse like a sailor...

And as for my accent, I spent the majority of my life in a seaside town on the coast of England. It’s likely you’ve never seen one of my kind before because there aren’t many of us left.”

We love a monster with an accent:)

The three hearts inside of 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.

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.

:(

What in the ever-loving fuck was wrong with me?

Yeh... Kinda an asshole surr

But swimming at Leviathan meant that I’d run into Cyrus at some point. And when I did, I’d have to apologize for my behavior at the party.

Yes tf you dooo

These monsters were important to her, though. Therefore, they had to be important to me.

Atleast he's being considerate and caring

The griffon simply leaned closer and nuzzled his beak against my shoulder. “Don’t you ever say tha’, Cy. You’re beautiful. Tha’ guy is an asshole.”

Awwww, two cute bestfriends… they might kiss

“Thanks, Fal.” I ran a tentacle through the downy feathers along his neck.

Their so cuteeeee

For the first time in months, I felt inspired. I had to paint him.

And tonight it had in the form of a fiery-haired god.

Two worlds separated by vast differences.

Would my mate ever look at me that way?

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.

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.

His coloring reminded me of a raging sea, which made sense for a kraken, I guess. It really was pretty.

Fucking Fallon and his big fucking mouth.

lol

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.”

There was nothing in the world worse than being rejected by your mate. It was likely I wouldn’t survive it. And, to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would want to.

Coaching Reece would give him an opportunity to get to know me better, and perhaps with time, he would develop feelings for me.

He shrugged, his talons making the gesture look ridiculous. “What can I say? Summer will be over before we know it and then it's cuffing season.”

I stared at him, tilting my head in confusion. These kids and their slang. “What in the goddess's name is ‘cuffing season’?”

Lmaoooo

Fallon was right, though, I did need to do some painting. And thanks to my new muse, my well of creativity was practically overflowing.

Reece Rollins. My mate.

I hit send and stared at my phone, still in shock that somewhere in Briar Glenn, Reece was choosing me of all people to message.

Time with my mate.

“You’d have to be out of your gods damn mind not to want what they have. Man or monster, who gives a fuck. Love is love.”

My mind drifted back to my mate. All I could think about lately was Reece.

You would have thought he hung the stars and named one after me.

Had my mate just asked me out?

“Oh, fuck off. Don’t even compare me to that giant chicken.” I rolled my eyes. “Get in the car.”

“Yes, poor Reece. Getting picked on by a monster. That must be very difficult for you.” “I really am trying, you know.” My voice was a shy whisper. “Hey,” he said with a kind smile. “I know you’re trying. I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

There was so much about Cyrus, and about monsters in general, that was a mystery to me. And for the first time in my life, I wanted to learn more about them.

Gods, he was interesting.

I could feel my cheeks turning red. What the fuck was happening here? One little compliment from Cyrus and I was blushing like a fucking schoolgirl.

“Sorry about the wait!” she said, setting the plates of sushi down on the table. “That’s quite alright. We’re not in a rush, are we Reece?” “No, not at all.” I shook my head and stared at Cyrus as he beamed up at the waitress. Gods, he was so fucking kind to everyone he met.

This fucking kraken was doing things to me—and I didn’t hate it.

Gods, he was adorable,

*eye emoji* *lips emoji* *eye emoji*

👁️👄👁️

I laughed and shook my head. Fallon was too much. But, I guess it made sense that I was tentacle daddy if Atlas was wolf daddy.

Lmaooo

For the first time in a long time, I had hope. I had a sense of purpose. I had something—someone—that made my life worth living. And that felt pretty damn amazing.

It was Cyrus.