Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter One

I t was a strange sensation, being constantly watched. Tess’s skin prickled as she curled her fingers around the teacups she was rinsing. She tried to focus on her task but couldn’t resist glancing through the porthole in front of her. In the narrow channel where her boat was moored, the water rippled in a large V-shape. Something was moving below the surface, probably to keep her in sight.

The hair on the nape of her neck rose as she dried the cups and put them away in a hatch beside the sink. The secret to living in an old houseboat? Always keep it tidy. The vessel was small and narrow, its helm situated on the front left-hand side of the saloon, which was a grandiose name for the cramped space acting as the main living area. At the rear was her sleeping cabin and a tiny shower room. There was no door between the saloon and the cabin, so she’d tie-dyed a cotton sheet and hung it up as a curtain to separate them, giving a touch of colour to the otherwise drab décor.

The boat was multi-coloured on the outside, too, although it needed a touch up. The once bright purple sliding canopy covering the saloon was now a washed-out lilac, and the yellow petals around the windows and portholes looked closer to beige. The letters spelling out the boat’s name, Yew Dreamer, had faded from black to grey. She’d considered refreshing it many times, but the original artwork had been painted by her parents before she was born. She couldn’t bring herself to change it.

Behind the helm in the saloon was a two-seater dining table, with a tin jug of fragrant wildflowers in the centre and faded red seats on either side. Her dog Mocha was curled up in her wicker basket under the table, her fuzzy head resting on her paws and her eyes half closed.

Tess rolled her eyes. “Such a hard life, isn’t it? An hour of cuddles with Freya, then straight back to bed.”

The little brown terrier snuggled under her blanket, obviously content with her morning, which had consisted of a visit by their new friends, Freya and Severin. Well, Freya was definitely a friend. Sev was more aloof, but Tess had decided that this was down to his tiger nature rather than any social inadequacy on her part.

A real-life sabertooth tiger monster. She shook her head wryly. It had been several months since she’d discovered the existence of monsters in her world, and she still struggled to believe it. Freya had laughingly said she felt the same, despite being in a relationship with one.

While the two women chatted aboard Yew Dreamer , Freya’s monster beau Severin had stayed on land, trying to get the attention of Tess’s mysterious observer. He’d had no luck. Perhaps it was because, unlike Severin, the creature in the water had no alternative human form. At least, Tess assumed he didn’t. She’d only seen him once, five months ago, when he had joined the fight against Freya’s abusive ex-husband. Along with a mass of tentacles, she recalled dark, fathomless eyes that for a moment had stared directly into her soul. She had been terrified, scrambling to save Mocha and herself from the water, yet the instant she’d met his gaze, she’d felt safe. Protected.

Quelling a shiver at the memory, she opened the porthole above the sink.

“You could have spoken to Severin before he and Freya left, you know,” she called out the window. “He’s a friend. You can also speak to me, anytime you want.”

For five long months, she’d tried her best to be friendly and welcoming. Every day she’d made a conscious effort to chat aloud so he could hear, rabbiting on about her life, her childhood, her dreams and aspirations, random things she’d heard on the news, anything and everything in the hope that something would spark his interest. That day hadn’t come. He continued to keep his distance, his presence only revealed by a few ripples or splashes in the water as he watched her from afar. It was both infuriating and frustrating, especially as he was technically a guest in her home.

Westhorpe Marina had been owned by her family for over fifty years. The freshwater harbour was one of several in the Broads, a network of rivers and ancient peat lakes criss-crossing the English county of Norfolk. The main river was nearby, connected by a wide, manmade channel that split into several smaller ones, splayed out like the roots of a tree. In the marina’s heyday it had been a beacon for tourists, offering overnight mooring spots, bathing facilities, a shop, and a cafe. Several boat maintenance companies occupied the large sheds dotted around the channels, making it popular with local boat-owners, too. Its acclaim had been its undoing, as it struggled to keep up with growing demand on its space and facilities. Around three years ago, her family opened a larger marina farther downriver, and the original one closed for good.

After her father passed away the previous year, Tess had inherited Yew Dreamer and snagged a mooring space at the new marina, but found herself out of place in the modern, innovative surroundings. She returned to the old one in the capacity of an unofficial security guard, finding comfort amongst the familiar setting, despite it being a broken shadow of its former self.

Every time she looked around, she knew she couldn’t stay forever, yet she couldn’t bear to leave. Her mother had died when Tess was an infant, so her father had been her entire world, and his memory was everywhere. The vacant maintenance sheds still contained pieces of rusted equipment that he’d loved tinkering with. Although the café and shops had long-since been demolished, she could still taste the warm cocoa he used to buy her and feel his calloused hand squeezing hers as she’d begged the café owners for bread to feed the ducks. She had drifted apart from him over the years, but her treasured memories remained, playing in her mind like a timeworn melody on an old piano.

The sudden rev of an engine made her jump. Mocha leapt out of her basket with a torrent of barks, leaping onto the seat and then the table, barely missing the jar of flowers. Scooping her up with a soothing murmur, Tess peered out of the window. As a familiar black car pulled to a halt next to the boat, she bit back a groan.

Placing Mocha on the seat, she wagged her finger. “Stay put. You know she doesn’t like you.”

Tess exited the saloon via the three front steps that led up to the curved bow. Hopping ashore, she attempted a welcoming smile as her stepmother picked her way across the weed-covered gravel. Camilla Goldwood’s pink lips were downturned, her grey hair pulled up into a sleek bun that emphasised her sharp cheekbones and flaunted the diamond studs in her ears. Her blue-eyed gaze swept disapprovingly over Tess’s raspberry pink jeans and baggy t-shirt covered in rainbows. Ironically, Camilla’s spotless blouse was a similar shade of purple to the dyed streaks in Tess’s hair.

She didn’t bother trying for a hug; Camilla didn’t like them. The silver fox strolling beside her would have accepted one if he’d come alone, but not in front of Camilla. Julian Perry, her family’s longtime business partner, had always been kind to Tess, whilst making it clear that his loyalties lay with her stepmother.

She inwardly grimaced as she spotted the wedge of papers in Julian’s hand. Her one relief was that the driver kept the car engine idling, indicating that they weren’t staying long. She hid her feelings as best she could, maintaining her bright smile even when her jaw started to ache.

“Good day, Teresa,” her stepmother said with exaggerated politeness. “I hope we haven’t caught you at an inconvenient time.”

“Not at all.” Tess tried to keep her response light and breezy. “How can I help you?”

“You haven’t answered our calls or emails. I was worried.”

Tess hid her scoff. Camilla didn’t give a crap about her. She never had, from the moment she’d married Tess’s dad when Tess was twelve years old. Tess had been packed off to boarding school at thirteen, which she was certain had been Camilla’s idea. Tess had taken the hint and stayed away even after she’d finished school, choosing to travel the world rather than come home. Only her dad’s sudden illness had drawn her back.

“No need to worry,” she replied. “I’m fine. Just busy.”

“Too busy to respond to important correspondence?” There was a sharpness to Julian’s quip that made Tess flinch.

“I read the emails,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “You finally found a developer for the marina.”

“We had a developer all along,” Camilla snapped. “One keen to turn this junkyard into a thriving housing development. However, a certain boat fire and dead body discovery caused our investors to slam on the brakes, as well you know, and created a mountain of red tape. All because you decided to take the night off, rather than act like the security guard you insisted on calling yourself when you came here.”

That wasn’t the real story, of course. Tess had been very much present on the night in question, when Freya’s ex-husband met a grisly end at the tentacles of Tess’s protector. Severin utilised his mercenary contacts to recover the body and clean the scene, making the death look like a tragic boat fire and giving Tess the alibi of being away that night. Everyone had been fooled, including the police, but the story still made headlines that impacted on the Goldwood family and their investors.

“I’m sorry for that,” she mumbled. “I should have been here.”

“Indeed.” Camilla smoothed an invisible wrinkle from her skirt. “The delays have cost us a fortune. Fortunately, thanks in no small part to Julian, we’re ready to begin work on the development. All we need is your signature on a few documents.”

Oh, this wasn’t good. Tess had inherited shares in the old marina when her father died. Nothing could be done with it unless she signed the contracts. What could she say as an excuse? She could hardly tell the truth.

Sorry, stepmother dearest, I can’t sign off on this because I don’t want you to find the monster living in the water.

At Tess’s silence, two red blotches rose on her stepmother’s cheeks.

“I’ve had enough, Teresa,” she snapped. “You owe it to your father to get this development on the move. He’d expect nothing less, after you abandoned him for so long.”

Guilt hit Tess like a slap in the face and she stepped back involuntarily.

Camilla closed her eyes. “I didn’t mean that. This has been a challenging time for me, as I’m sure you can appreciate.”

Julian patted her arm. “Camilla, don’t upset yourself. Go back to the car. Let me speak to her for a minute.”

Camilla marched back to the car in silence. Watching her go, Tess forced back her own tears. She hadn’t abandoned her dad. She’d stayed away because she wasn’t wanted. She’d stayed away because they had sent her away…

“Teresa.”

Tess focussed on Julian, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Yes?”

“Tell me why you won’t sign, dear.”

She shrugged. “I haven’t read the contracts properly. I should get my solicitor to look them over, too.”

“Hmm.” He stroked his chin, a tiny smile playing about his lips. “So it’s nothing to do with whatever entity is lurking in the water, then?”

Her jaw dropped.

Julian’s smile widened. “Oh yes, I know all about it. While the police swarmed all over this place, I sent a couple of my own people down, disguised as investigators. They found a hint of something… otherworldly. Any idea what it could be?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do, sweetheart. Whatever happened that night, it was involved, wasn’t it?”

She couldn’t speak. Had no idea what to say. Even her muscles felt numb. How could he know?

“I assume, as you haven’t fled in terror,” he continued, “that it has tricked you into thinking it’s harmless, and you feel obligated to protect it. Teresa, there is no such thing as a harmless monster. You’re lucky not to have been killed. Mercifully, I’m here to resolve things.”

“Resolve things?”

“Of course. Your father was my friend. It’s my duty to protect you in his sad absence.” He held out the documents and she took them on autopilot. “Read them through, then sign. Don’t worry about the monster. It will be dealt with in the next few days.”

He rotated on his heel before she could reply, climbing into the car with a careless wave in her direction. The vehicle turned in a tight circle, stones skittering in its wake as it drove away up the track that led back to the main road.

Tess stayed frozen next to Yew Dreamer . A breeze caressed her hot cheeks, its coolness a reminder that autumn had begun. The corrugated iron roofs of the maintenance sheds clanged, and the trees bordering the marina rustled and swayed. A mallard called from the water and another one answered, its blaring quack reverberating in Tess’s ears.

“Tess? Are you all right?”

At the soft call, she turned to find Freya emerging from the treeline, hurrying toward her with Severin a few paces behind.

“I thought you left?” Tess said in bewilderment.

“Oh, well, yes.” Her friend flushed, tucking her short blonde bob behind her ears. “We went for a walk first. You know, to get some exercise.”

Tess glanced at Severin, whose possessive smirk made it obvious what they had been doing in the privacy of the wooded area. He sobered when he met her gaze.

“How do you know Julian Perry?” he asked bluntly.

She blinked, glancing at the sheaf of papers she’d forgotten she was holding. “He’s my stepmother’s business partner. How do you know him?

“By reputation. I’ve never met him in person, but he’s infamous enough that it’s in a monster’s best interests to recognise him.”

“Is he a shifter, like you?” Freya asked.

“No, he’s human, but he’s well known for being a danger to monsters. If one of us disappears, Julian Perry is often in the vicinity at the same time. Unfortunately, as so many of us travel inter-dimensionally, it’s impossible to keep track of who is actually missing.” Severin looked at Tess. “I presume he’s aware of your tentacle friend?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know how he knows, but yes. He said he’s going to deal with him, whatever that means.”

“It means nothing good,” Severin replied shortly.

Freya made a worried sound. “Sev, we must warn him. Tell him to escape while he can.”

“He won’t listen to us, princess. He’s made that clear. The best thing we can do is get out of the way.” Severin’s green-flecked hazel eyes bored into Tess. “It’s up to you.”

“Me?” she said in alarm.

He nodded. “For some reason, he’s appointed himself your guardian. He won’t leave unless you dismiss him. So whatever you have to do to make contact, do it. His life is in your hands.”

Tess stared into space for a while after Freya and Severin departed, long enough for Mocha to poke her head over the gunwale with an inquisitive yip.

Frowning, Tess waved a vague hand in the dog’s direction. “Stay there for a minute. I need to talk to our friend.”

Climbing back aboard Yew Dreamer , she chucked Julian’s documents into the saloon then stepped to the edge of the bow. The water lapped against the hull, its gentle melody blending with the birdsong from the trees as she tried to peer beneath the surface. Her reflection stared back at her, the ripples distorting her short, curvy physique and worried blue eyes.

“I know you’re there,” she said quietly, “and I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

Nothing. Just the whistle of the wind as it blew through the abandoned sheds, hollow and lonely.

“Are you listening?” She raised her voice. “You’re in danger.”

The silence was deafening. Shivers ran over her skin, and she knew with certainty that she was still being watched. Watched all the time, yet completely and utterly alone.

He had to talk to her. He had to. She wouldn’t give him a choice anymore.

Firming her chin, she took a deep breath—and leapt into the water.