Page 36 of In Your Light

Fascinated by him.

Attracted to him.

He could admit that to himself. The way Hadeom had looked at him, the way he’d smiled, and then the way he’d looked at Fyn in faun form.... His pupils had blown out, his breath caught, and colour stained his pale cheeks. Then he’d called Fyn beautiful. That memory was burned into Fyn’s mind forever.

And what Fyn liked the most about it was that if Hadeom was staying at the hut to heal, then surely a smile was a sign of life under the rubble of whatever plagued him.

It made Fyn feel some kind of way.

Some kind of way he’d never felt before.

So yes, today had been a very good day. So far, anyway.

He stopped in the trees behind the small white school building at the end of the village, taking a moment to catch his breath. The run from the hut had been easy, but coupled with his excitement and happiness, he was a little breathless.

He shook away his horns, morphing into his full human form, and quickly pulled on his pants and shirt.

The village seemed quiet. Fyn couldn’t see anyone out and about. The clouds were low, and mist seemed to hover over the edges of the cove, but it wasn’t raining. It smelled like salt, seaweed, and something fresh he couldn't quite name. He could hear the water lapping at the pylons, but there were no people.

He hadn’t considered that he might arrive to begin his new life and find the place empty. Even if all the water-dwelling folk were in the water, Sawyer wouldn’t be. He’d said he couldn’t go in because of the plaster cast on his arm that he said could not get wet. And if Sawyer was around, then Ciaran would be too. Not exactly who Fyn had wanted to meet first up, but Sawyer had said Fyn was welcome, and Ciaran had agreed, so Fyn knew he would be...

But still, he’d rather have seen Aurin or Salem first. He liked them both and considered them his friends.

So, with a deep breath and a leap of faith, Fyn walked out of the forest. He’d only got a few yards when a door opened in one of the buildings, and two men walked out, laughing.

Tobin and Fray, if Fyn remembered correctly.

They spotted Fyn almost immediately and only paused for a moment before heading over to meet him.

“Hello again,” Tobin said, loud enough for Fyn to hear.

He grinned. “Hello.”

As they got closer to each other, Fray looked at him curiously. “What brings you this way again so soon?”

“Um….” Fyn hesitated. “I was hoping to see Aurin and Salem or Sawyer. They said if I needed a place to stay...”

They were clearly surprised.

“Oh,” Tobin said. “Sure. Of course.”

Fray pointed his thumb back toward the row of buildings. “Come this way.”

Fyn joined them, and they walked toward the building with a vehicle parked out the front. A vehicle with a blue checkered stripe and bright yellow⁠—

“Hey, Sawyer,” Fray yelled. “Get your arse out here.”

Oh.

Fyn wasn’t sure what to make of that. He didn’t mean to impose⁠—

“Ignore him,” Tobin said quietly. “He has no manners.”

Fray laughed, his grin wide, as Sawyer came out.

“I have a taser, and I will use it, Fraser,” he said, then stopped when he saw Fyn. “Oh, hey!”

“Hello,” Fyn replied.