Tentacles & Triathlons (Leviathan Fitness, #2)

by Ashley Bennett

We were on our monthly father-son camping trip at the campground that sat on the edge of Briar Glenn. The monthly camping trip I dreaded because it meant alone time with my father.

And as much as I hated that monster, I hated my father more.

Everything in my life had become boring. Repetitive. Bland, even.

Some days I truly enjoyed being a kraken, but others, I felt like a total abomination. Even by monster standards, I was quite odd.

With a sigh, I set my phone aside and submerged myself under the water, allowing the warmth to wrap around my body.

I tsked and ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair, brushing the light red strands out of my eyes. That was right, my sister was having a little get-together this evening. She wanted me to meet the wolven that mated her within the first week of knowing her. My awkward silence was a dead giveaway of how I felt about the situation. “Reece.” My mother’s voice was laced with tension. “C’mon, Mom. I didn’t forget. I’ll be there.” “You better be on your best behavior, Reece Michael. Atlas is wonderful and we want him to feel comfortable around our family.” “Well, I’d feel more comfortable if he kept his sharp monster teeth away from my sister’s pus-” “Reece!” she bellowed, cutting me off. I couldn’t help but laugh.

It had been twenty-five years and I’d yet to have another experience like that with monsters. 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 knew Atlas was tall, but holy shit. At six-foot-four, I wasn’t used to other people towering over me. The wolven was easily seven feet.

For being a naturally designed killing machine, he was surprisingly gentle.

Krakens were mythical creatures even among mythical creatures.

As if by 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—I almost came. Oh, gods no. That was a male kraken’s mate bond response.

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.

Why did he have to touch me? And why the fuck did I have to react that way?

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

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.” I tried to fight off a smile. Even if he was annoying and drunk, Fallon was a good friend. And he was right, Reece was an asshole. A handsome asshole, but still an asshole. “Thanks, Fal.” I ran a tentacle through the downy feathers along his neck.

It was wishful thinking. All the things I’d dreamt of laid out on canvas. Would my mate ever look at me that way? I’d never be a handsome merman.

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.

The kraken 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.

FUCK. Cyrus’s voice. I’d heard his voice in my head. I splashed and sputtered, trying to tread water and catch my breath while being simultaneously terrified. Cyrus stared at me, his wide blue eyes unblinking. “Are you alright?” he asked in that fucking British accent.

“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.

He dipped his head. “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 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 heard from Fallon that you don’t like monsters.” Fucking Fallon and his big fucking mouth.

“I know you worry, but I’m a grown man, Fallon. One that is centuries older than you are, in fact. I’ve just lost my way a bit. It feels like everyone else around me is growing and changing, and I’m stuck in the same place.”

Despite the fact that I’d been around for a long time, I wasn’t always certain of everything, but I was certain that Reece Rollins was one of the prettiest men I had ever seen. With his machismo exterior, he probably wouldn’t want to hear that, but it was the truth. You could be masculine and pretty. They weren’t mutually exclusive.

“Stop it. Stop it right now. I don’t want to hear about any freaky cartoon porn or how you think that Cyrus is hot.” Jimenez looked over and flashed me a shit-eating grin. “I didn’t say he was hot. That was all you, boss.” “Jimenez! I did not!” I barked. I didn’t think Cyrus was hot, and I didn’t need my employee busting my balls about it.

“Boss. Reece. Times are changing. And I mean no disrespect, but you’re gonna need to change too. Monsters are a part of our world now. They’re not bloodthirsty killers, or here to run us out of town.” He took another sip of his coffee. “Gods, Reece. Your sister is marrying a monster. You see how happy they are. You’re telling me that if a monster brought you that kind of happiness you’d push them away?”

“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.”

Realization dawned on me. What in the goddess’s name had I done? I was going to exhibit a gallery full of paintings of Reece Rollins and hope that no one noticed?

Had my mate just asked me out? I mean, technically, it was a platonic lunch date. But the fact that he asked and that we’d be spending time together outside of training was enough to make my hearts flutter.

My fins flapped as I laughed. “Reece. I’m a sea creature. Fish eat other fish all the time. Sushi is perfect.” His face turned pink as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck.

For the next two hours, Cyrus sat on the edge of the pool and gently criticized me for how much of a shit swimmer I was. And that whistle. That fucking whistle. There was a part of me that wanted to shove it down his throat, but there was another part of me that appreciated how seriously he was taking this.

I wondered what was underneath that parachute of tentacles. How did he go to the bathroom? Did he have a cock? What the actual fuck? Was I really thinking about Cyrus’s cock?

Fuck. He was totally checking me out. I didn’t blame him. I looked fucking good. But still, we had an agreement as coach and trainer. I didn’t need shit getting weird.

Atlas looked at where my hand gripped Cyrus and raised his eyebrows, his muzzle curling up in a sly grin. Gods dammit.

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.

“So, you’re a painter?” I asked. “We didn’t really get to talk much about that at the party. Ya know, because I was a jackass.” Cyrus crossed his arms and leaned over the table. “You keep dwelling on that bit. I told you it’s fine.” I huffed and shook my head. “It isn’t, though. I saw the look on your face, Cyrus. My reaction hurt you.” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the vinyl of the booth, my eyes fixed on a family of harpies at the rotating bar. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look at Cyrus. Maybe it was embarrassment over my behavior at the party. Maybe it was because I hated how easily he forgave me, and how willing he was to help me. “It did hurt me,” Cyrus said calmly, his voice low and soothing. “But you were a strong enough person to admit you were wrong. You’re a strong enough person to want to grow and be better. And look at you, you’re accepting help from a monster. You’re out to lunch with a monster. You’re making leaps and bounds already.”

I huffed and rolled my eyes. He acted like that was some impressive feat rather than me using him for my own benefit and then trying to make up for it. I was a piece of work who didn’t deserve his kindness. “You’re so fucking positive, you know that?”

What the fuck was happening here? One little compliment from Cyrus and I was blushing like a fucking schoolgirl.

“Ah, yeah. The tongues freak people out a bit, but they’re actually quite helpful. Especially for certain things.”

Never in my life did I think I’d be out to lunch with a tentacle monster, hearing him talk about how good his tongues were for sucking dick.

Gods, he was adorable, and it was so easy to get him riled up too. Some light flirting and the discussion of my unique anatomy, and Reece flushed bright red.

Sure, I felt like his father most of the time, but I did really enjoy Fallon’s company. He’d made the last few years of my life less lonely. Even if he was an annoying prick that didn’t know how to cook or clean up after himself.

Tears welled up in my eyes and my hearts thumped wildly in my chest. This had to be some sort of dream. Reece Rollins, my mate, wanted to spend more time together.

I clutched my phone against my chest and cried, letting the tears drip down my face and over my fins.

This couldn’t be happening. I’d had a wet dream. About Cyrus. I didn’t even know where to begin when it came to unpacking this. I mean, these things happened to guys all the time. I’d had plenty of wet dreams about my friends when I was in high school and even fantasies about weird shit. But maybe Dream Cyrus was right. Maybe it was the tentacles. It was always the tentacles.

Fuck. This was happening. It wasn’t just the tentacles. It was Cyrus.

He looked down at his feet and shook his head, his cheeks reddening slightly. “Nah, I wouldn’t do that. I have a race to prepare for.” He meant that he wouldn’t do that to me. It was all starting to make sense now. The way that Reece looked at me, the shy smiles and blushing cheeks, asking me out for coffee. Was it possible Reece was interested in me?

It was hard to let go of misconceptions, to grow and change as a person. Developing feelings for a monster when you’d previously feared them—that was a lot. Yes, I wanted to be close to my mate, but if he needed space to process things, I was happy to provide him with that. I’d waited centuries for him, and I’d give him as long as he needed to work through his feelings.

Oh, hey Cyrus! Nice tentacles you’ve got there. Wanna shove them up my ass?

Cyrus was scary when he was angry, but he was also sort of hot. Was I really going to do this? The answer was a resounding yes.

The party. The tension. The dreams. So much had led up to this moment between us. A moment that a month ago would have seemed like an impossibility. But there we were—kissing, touching, dry humping one another like we couldn’t get enough.