Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Two

T he frigid cold surged into Tess’s bones the moment she plunged under the surface. She sank like a stone, keeping her mouth closed by sheer force of will. Instinct took over and she forgot everything except the frantic need to survive, thrashing wildly, her lungs screaming for air.

Something slithered around her torso and yanked her upward.

She gasped in a breath as she was lifted clear of the water. Only the monster’s tentacle could be seen, stretching out to place her on Yew Dreamer ’s bow. Mocha tore over to her, barking madly as the limb slipped away.

“Oh no you don’t,” Tess croaked.

Staggering to her feet, she half-jumped, half-fell straight back into the channel.

He grabbed her again, tighter this time, and was that a hint of annoyance in his movements as he lifted her clear? Coughing uncontrollably, she grasped at the greyish-blue tentacle around her waist. It was smooth to the touch, wet and sleek under her fingertips, with rows of undulating suckers on its base.

“Wait,” Tess panted. “Wait, please…”

The creature tugged his limb free of her hold and slid back toward the water.

“No!” Pushing the anxious Mocha out of the way, she clambered over the gunwale and dove headfirst into the channel again.

She barely hit the surface before the monster caught her. Twisting her the right way up, he slammed her, none too gently, back on the boat.

“Stop it! I’m trying to help you.” Taking a wheezing breath, she crawled back to the edge. She couldn’t stand, let alone jump, so she rolled off the side and let gravity take her.

This time, she didn’t even touch the water.

Wrapping around her torso, the tentacle whipped her upward with enough force to expel the remaining air from her lungs. Suspended in the air with her hair plastered to her face, she tried to catch her breath as the creature spun away from the boat in a burst of speed. Helplessly, she beheld Yew Dreamer getting smaller and smaller behind them. Dread snaked through her as Mocha’s frantic barks faded. What if Julian were right and she’d misread this situation? Had the monster been stalking her these last few months? Was she going to be taken to a lair and eaten?

Struggling was futile. She was held up in the air, her arms trapped against her sides. Shaking her head to get her hair out of her eyes, she tried to get her bearings and finally realised where they were heading.

The island.

The small, circular patch of land in the wide channel that led to the main river had been used as a roundabout for boat traffic during the marina’s busiest periods. Tess had treated it as a playground when she was a kid, regularly rowing or paddleboarding over to play on it. The weeping willow trees lining the banks had grown huge and wild, their crooked boughs bent over the water and their leafy vines dangling above it. The monster swam underneath the vines, but Tess, suspended above him, found herself entangled until he yanked her out.

Spitting leaves out of her mouth, she squirmed. “Put me down. I mean it, I’ll start screaming in a minute.”

The monster placed her on the muddy bank, keeping his suckered limb wrapped around her. The rest of his body was hidden in the water, amongst the pockets of reeds and pondweed marking the edge of the bank. She was sitting on a small bare mudflat lined with nettles, brambles, and ivy. The air smelled musty and damp, tinged with the sharp scent of the plants. The vines swayed in the wind, like a thick green veil keeping the rest of the world at bay.

Tess took it all in, desperately trying to think of an escape plan. Glancing at the water, she stifled a scream. From just under the surface, a pair of dark eyes stared back at her. Neither of them moved and even the sounds of nature quietened, as if the world had stilled around them.

It took her three attempts to speak. “Please let me go. You’re scaring me.”

His grip lessened, and she took a grateful gulp of air, trying to shuffle backward.

Slowly, the monster broke the surface, and her breath seized in her throat.

His oversized skull was completely hairless, and his large eyes sat above two tiny holes, which she assumed were nostrils. Beneath the holes were three tentacles that fell to his chin, like a long dangly moustache that hid his mouth. He rose farther out of the water, droplets snaking over his muscled chest and torso. His greyish-blue skin melded into a pale amber colour with faint green rosettes—to match the colours of the willow vines, she realised in awe. He could camouflage himself, just like a real octopus. In place of arms, he had two long thick tentacles, one of which finally uncurled from her body. More tentacles floated around him as he crouched in the shallows.

Pulling her knees up to her chest with a shiver, she dragged her gaze back up to his face. She’d wondered about his form every night for months, but never imagined he would possess such otherworldly beauty.

“You wanted to talk.”

She was so distracted by his appearance, she struggled to process his words. “I beg your pardon?”

“You wanted to talk.” His voice was deep, accented, and hoarse enough to suggest he hadn’t used it in a long time. “Didn’t you?”

He wasn’t going to kill her. That was good. Now she needed to deliver her warning about Julian.

Silence fell, broken by the faint sound of Mocha barking and a flock of sparrows chirping somewhere in the branches above them.

“What’s your name?” she blurted out.

The monster blinked. “That’s what you needed to say with such urgency?”

“No, but please tell me anyway. You know my name, I assume?”

“Tess.” He intoned her name quietly.

She nodded. “And you are?”

He hesitated. “Bale.”

“Hi Bale.” She beamed at him. “It’s nice to meet you properly.”

He didn’t reply, his alien features unreadable, and she shrank back. Her assumption that this guy would become her friend may have been too optimistic.

“That man Julian, who came in the car today,” she said haltingly. “He says he’s going to get rid of you. You need to leave.”

“I cannot.”

“Swim downstream.” She motioned in the direction of the main river. “You’ll end up at the North Sea coastline. Assuming you can swim in saltwater as well as fresh, you can go wherever you like from there.”

“I cannot,” he repeated. “I must stay here.”

“They’re going to turn this place into a housing development. The river will be blocked off and the channels will be filled in. There won’t be anywhere for you to hide.” She met his gaze. “Why won't you go? Is it because of me?”

“No.”

“Oh.” The hurt she felt at that was ridiculous and she mentally brushed it off. “Then what is it?”

“The portal.”

Tess’s mind blanked. Freya had mentioned something about portals during their chat earlier. That was how monsters travelled around different dimensions. “There’s a portal here? A door to another world?”

“To my world. In the water, yes.”

“So use it. Go home.”

“It won’t let me through. And I am unable to leave via the river, as you suggested. I am trapped.”

His despair was palpable. She reached out to comfort him instinctively, brushing her fingertips over his powerful shoulder.

Anguish flashed over his face before he jerked away as if her touch seared him.

She stood up, her cheeks burning as she pretended that she hadn’t noticed his rejection. “Well, there are worse places to be trapped, I guess. It’s been a long time since I came to the island. It was part of my stomping grounds as a kid . ” Her saturated clothing squelched, and she fought back a shiver. Trying to keep warm, she jumped over a patch of nettles. “I even built a little den somewhere—oh, there it is!”

At the top of the mudbank, a gnarled hazel tree grew lopsided, half of its spindly roots sticking out of the ground. Planks of wood leaned against them in an upside-down U-shape, to create crude walls and a roof. A moth-eaten purple blanket was laid out on the base of the den, half-hidden under twigs and dead leaves, and a tattered skull and crossbones flag drooped against the entrance.

“My secret pirate hideaway.” Tess chuckled as she made her way toward it. “I spent hours in it… ow!”

A sharp pain pierced her hand as she brushed past a large bramble clump. With a muted roar, Bale burst out of the water. Whipping a tentacle around her, he yanked her back to his side.

She landed flat on her back, mud splattering underneath her and pain rocketing through her bones. As she tried to catch her breath, he crouched over her, tension emanating from him in waves. A rasping snarl reverberated from his chest and his black gaze darted in every direction.

“Bale,” she wheezed.

He looked down at her, his face twisted in fury. “You are injured.”

When she finally caught her breath, she studied her palm, where a tiny cut welled with blood. “It’s just a scratch from a bramble.”

“Humans are frail and weak,” he growled. “You die so easily.”

“Not from a bramble cut. The thorn isn’t even stuck in it. See?”

She showed him her hand. He stared at it narrowly, maintaining his tight hold around her waist. There was no way she could wriggle from his grip, not until he chose to let her go. A fluttering sensation unfurled in her belly, and when she realised what it was, she froze.

No way. This wasn’t desire; it couldn’t be. She was just lonely. It had been far too long since she’d been pressed up against someone, that was all.

“I’m okay, really,” she said feebly. “Let me up.”

“I will, I swear...” He closed his eyes. “Please, allow me a moment.”

Two more of his tentacles crept up to stroke her bare arms, drifting over her forearms and toward her shoulders, creating delicious quivers across her skin. He smelled good, too. Rich and chocolatey, with a hint of salt.

Keeping his eyes shut, he traced the tips of his tentacles over her hair and a look of sheer wonder appeared on his face. He moved on, lingering over the stud in her nose and the large hoops in her ears before stroking her throat.

Tess swallowed. This was insane. He was a monster, for crying out loud. A bizarre, aggressive alien creature with actual tentacles for limbs, but he was touching her like she was a precious jewel, protecting her as if he would die if anything happened to her...

He stiffened and raised his head, his gaze growing distant. In the next moment, he unravelled from her and surged back to the water. Then he was gone, diving into the depths and leaving only ripples and shuddering reeds in his wake.

Trembling, she rose up on her elbows. “Bale?”

Panic licked along her nerves at his apparent abandonment. Visions of her emaciated skeleton being found after decades trapped alone made her bite her lip. She knew she was being daft. She could see the marina from her vantage point; she wasn’t on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific. Still, where had he disappeared off to? Had he freaked out about touching her, the same way he’d done when she touched him? Maybe he found her gross and repugnant. After all, they couldn’t be more different in appearance. He probably had a beautiful partner back in his dimension, one with matching serpentine tentacles and mesmerising eyes, who he protected with the same fierce devotion he’d demonstrated a moment ago…

Okay, that better not have been a hot flicker of jealousy in her chest, because that really was daft. She needed to get off this island before she spiralled hard.

Mercifully, the water splashed, the willow vines rustled, and a tentacle reappeared above the waterline, carrying a very wet and bedraggled terrier.

“Mocha, what happened?” Sitting up, Tess opened her arms.

The little dog skittered to her, wagging her tail as Bale emerged, frowning. “Your canine jumped into the water. It has about as much self-preservation as you.”

Tess hugged the soggy dog against her chest before putting her back on the ground. “She hates getting wet. She must have been worried sick.” She glanced at Bale. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head.

Mocha scampered off to sniff the surroundings with interest, unaffected by her dunking. A sudden gust of wind blew over the island, making the reeds dance and sway under the willow vines. The dog and the octopus didn’t seem to notice, but Tess shivered, her sodden clothes clinging to her damp skin as she hunched into a small shape.

“Whilst I appreciate you bringing her over here,” she said hesitantly, “we really need to get back to the boat.”

“I will take you at nightfall. It’s not safe for me to reveal myself during the day.”

“You did just now,” she pointed out, her teeth starting to chatter.

“I had no choice, unless I were willing to let you or your canine drown.”

He was right. He’d risked a lot by rescuing her when she jumped, then doing the same for Mocha. Although the marina was private, joggers and dog walkers occasionally passed through, and paddle boarders and kayakers sometimes came exploring from the main river. If anyone saw Bale, she couldn’t even imagine what would happen.

She hugged herself tighter as she debated and then rejected the idea of swimming back to Yew Dreamer . She was too damn cold. Sunset was hours away and she couldn’t stop trembling. How long did hypothermia take to set in?

Bale frowned. “You need to be warm.”

“Yeah. These soaked clothes aren’t helping. I’m sorry, I’ll have to strip. There’s an old blanket in my den I can use.”

Trying to peel off her wet jeans and t-shirt without flashing the monster was impossible. Even with him politely holding the purple blanket up as a curtain, she accidentally mooned him at one point, which made her bite her lip against a hysterical giggle. She should have felt more vulnerable, trapped on an island with a hulking creature from another world, but instead she was filled with an odd sense of reassurance in his presence, one that lessened the awkwardness of the situation.

Finally, she was wrapped in the ancient, tattered blanket as best she could. There were holes in various places and it smelled musty and foetid, but at least it was dry. She sat down, wincing as a twig dug into her backside. Her teeth continued to chatter and she looked around for Mocha, hoping for a warming cuddle. The dog had gone into full terrier mode and was digging near the hazel tree’s upturned roots.

“Do not go down any holes,” Tess said sternly. “I refuse to scramble naked down a tunnel to rescue you when you get stuck. In fact, leave that and get over here. Mocha, come.”

Burrowing furiously, Mocha ignored her.

Tess rolled her eyes, entire body racked with trembles. “Holy shit, it’s cold.”

“May I be of assistance?” Bale spoke hesitantly, his diffidence at odds with his intimidating appearance.

“Um…sure. If it’s no bother.”

“It is no bother. I do not want you to fall ill.” With that, he hoisted himself fully on to the bank.

She tried not to stare, especially after the respect he had shown her when she stripped, but it was impossible to tear her gaze away. He had eight tentacles in total, not counting the smaller ones on his face. One pair was in place of arms, and another pair looked similar to legs, thickly muscled on the thighs and calves. Four more limbs flared out from his hips, two on each side. All of them transformed to the green-rosetted amber colour to match his upper body, camouflaging him with the willow vines and vegetation as he crawled to her.

She kept her eyes averted from his crotch, focussing instead on the way his leg-like tentacles curved at the ends to look like feet. Did that mean he could walk on land? She was working up the courage to ask him when he wrapped two of his limbs around her. He was hesitant enough that it was obvious he expected her to bolt. Instead, the unexpected heat emanating from him made her sigh with relief. She shuffled, hoping he would take the hint and pull her in closer.

He took a shuddering breath and tightened his hold. Two more tentacles slipped under her thighs, lifting her until she was in his lap, protected from his wet skin by the blanket. The angle caused her to rest her head on his powerful chest. His heart thumped in a comforting rhythm beneath her ear, and his rich, chocolatey scent filled her nostrils. Warmth spread through her body, and slowly, she relaxed.

“I’m going to help you, Bale,” she said against his chest. “I’ll figure out how to get you out of here before Julian comes back. He said we have a few days.”

“A few days seems optimistic, little flower. I have been trying for half a decade.”

“You’ve been here for five years?” She raised her head to meet his eyes, her pulse skittering at his use of a nickname for her. “That means the marina was still in use when you arrived. How did no one spot you?”

He shrugged. “I stayed hidden in the water and this island. I can conceal myself adeptly.”

“What did you eat?” She almost asked how he’d managed to stay in such great shape but stopped herself.

“Fish, mainly. And I foraged for edible plants on the riverside under cover of darkness. I wasn’t seen. No one knew to look for me, anyway.”

Tess glanced around the cold, barren island. Through the shuddering vines, she could make out her boat, and the buildings beyond. From here, he would have been able to sit and watch as a little part of the world went on without him. Poor guy.

“I’ll ask Freya and Severin for help when we get back to Yew Dreamer ,” she said determinedly. “Sev has contacts everywhere. He must know someone who can fix your portal.”

He sighed, the sound hollow in his chest. “I will not dare to hope, but I am grateful all the same.”

“I’m the grateful one. You rescued me today, and you saved me from Freya’s ex when he tried to kidnap me.”

His low growl skimmed across her skin. “That wretched human deserved a lengthier death than I gave him.”

They both fell silent, and she wondered if he was reliving the events of that night. For her part, she usually tried not to think about how she’d been duped by smooth lies and a charming smile, like a trusting fool.

The solid heartbeat against her ear drummed in time with the swishing vines and lapping water. A woodpigeon cooed in the willow branches, and an aeroplane droned overhead. Her eyelids drooped, the adrenaline from her escapade in the water dissipating. Sheer exhaustion rose in its wake, and before she knew it, she was lulled into slumber.