Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Three

A gentle breeze tickled Tess’s skin, and she hummed low in her throat. Cocooned in a warm bubble, everything felt delicious. Her pussy throbbed, her nipples tingled, and heat pooled low in her stomach as she rubbed herself against something between her legs. Oh yes, this was a good way to wake up, with desire thrumming through her veins and an orgasm building inside her. She licked her lips, squeezing her thighs together.

Someone’s breathing hitched, distracting her enough that she blinked open her eyes.

Reality returned like a crash landing.

She was still cuddled up with Bale, wrapped in his sinewy limbs. The blanket had fallen to her waist and her tits were on show, her nipples pebbling for the world to see, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

There was a long, thick tentacle trapped between her naked thighs.

She beheld it in silent horror. She’d clearly been grinding on it for a while because it was wet and slick from her attention. Her chest caved, and it felt like she was moving in slow motion as she looked at Bale. His expression was set, his eyes half-closed. Every muscle in his body seemed locked in place. Her gaze drifted down until she reached…she bit back a gasp.

From some sort of slit in his groin, another appendage had emerged. Long, slim and tapered, it was a beautiful shade of indigo, with rows of lighter-coloured suckers on the underside. It was also rock hard, with a bead of glittering moisture at the tip.

“I’m so sorry.” Struggling out of his grip, she yanked the blanket up to cover herself. “I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of the day. I don’t know what happened.”

“You do not need to explain.” He backed away into the water until his lower body was hidden. “It is nightfall now. I should return you to your vessel.”

Her cheeks felt like they were on fire as she nodded and slipped on her soggy trainers.

He hesitated. “May I pick you up?”

She cleared her throat. “Sure. Let me grab Mocha.”

The terrier was crouching next to the hole she had dug under the tree root, covered in mud and looking pleased with herself. Scooping her up with a grimace, Tess grabbed her pile of wet clothing with her other hand, using her elbows to keep her blanket in place. Cautiously, Bale curled a tentacle around her midriff. A shudder ran through his body as he tightened his hold, and Tess’s thighs clenched, making her curse under her breath.

What was wrong with her? Surely she wasn’t attracted to something so alien?

No way. She was just deprived of physical contact. She’d seen the way Severin looked at Freya, and it had made her crave the same thing. She hadn’t had sex in over a year. As someone who enjoyed it very much, no wonder she was horny.

But horny for monster cock? What was that all about? Why was her mouth watering at the mental image of being fucked by a creature from another world? No, she needed to nip this in the bud, right now. It probably wasn’t even reciprocated. Even if he had found himself aroused by her, that didn’t mean he wanted to do anything about it…

Oh hell, she was tying her mind into knots. It was a relief when Bale finally brushed aside the willow vines and swam out into the channel, holding her high above the water like a figurehead on the prow of a boat. The evening’s chill made goosebumps rise on her naked skin. The sky was a carpet of darkness, clouds hiding the moon and stars from sight. An owl hooted somewhere near the abandoned maintenance sheds, and a moorhen’s alarm call came from the reeds. The outline of her boat was barely visible until they were right beside it.

Using his spare tentacles to climb Yew Dreamer ’s side, Bale placed her on the bow. He unwound from her immediately, returning to the water without saying a word.

“I’ll contact Freya, as we discussed,” she called over the side, relieved that it was too dark to attempt eye contact. “We can figure this situation out together.”

Leaving her wet clothes outside, she hurried down the steps before he could answer, with Mocha at her heels. Before she closed the saloon door, she heard a splash as he submerged.

Putting her hands over her face, she leaned against the helm and gave a silent groan. What had come over her? She finally made friends with her reclusive protector, and the first thing she did was hump his tentacles in her sleep. Talk about awkward.

Choking back a mortified laugh, she switched on the boat’s interior lighting and headed for the shower.

After giving the dirt-covered Mocha a quick rinse, she showered, dried herself and threw on a pair of fleecy pyjamas. Returning to the saloon, she poured some kibble into Mocha’s bowl then grabbed her phone and started a new message to Freya.

TESS: Hey! Spoke to our guy. He’s trapped. Portal broken and he can’t leave the area. Can Sev help?

FREYA: So glad you made contact! I’ll get S on the case. PS: what’s he like?????

Tess choked back a laugh. Should she mention the humping incident? She typed and deleted several times before settling on:

TESS: Reserved but v protective. Kind of sweet.

FREYA: Sweet, huh?

A winky face followed. Tess sent a rolling eyes emoji in return.

TESS: Let me know what S says. We don’t have long.

FREYA: He’s on it. Don’t worry

Feeling better already, Tess brewed a calming cup of chamomile tea, adding a teaspoon of Norfolk honey for sweetness, then took the tea and a plate of sweet chilli crackers into her cabin. Mocha wandered in behind her, licking kibble crumbs off her fuzzy beard before hopping on to the bed and flopping down with a deep, contented sigh.

Tess followed suit, crawling into bed with her tea, snacks, and phone. Forcing herself to focus, she loaded her groceries app and made an order for tomorrow, planning to collect it while she took her dirty clothes to the launderette. She then tried to watch a movie but couldn’t concentrate. Memories of the thick tentacle between her legs were too strong, desire mixing with embarrassment to create a confusing situation in her frazzled brain. Not to mention the fact that because she’d slept for so long on the island, she wasn’t the slightest bit tired.

Wide awake, confused, oddly aroused—the temptation to grab her trusty vibrator was strong, but it had a loud buzz, and the thought of Bale hearing her was excruciating. She needed to invest in a manual dildo. A quiet, discreet toy, perfect for when there was a monster within earshot who must already think she was an oversexed libertine.

She couldn’t prevent her snort of laughter. Could her situation get any more bizarre? And she thought living on a boat would mean a quiet life. Not that she’d ever really been one for quiet, but surely there was a happy medium between total solitude and whatever she had going on right now. How to find it—now that was the question.