Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Four

T ess didn’t remember falling asleep, but she must have done, because she awoke to the sound of Mocha’s whining bark. Blunt claws pattered across the boat as she looked at her phone groggily. The screen said 9am and she swore, leaping out of bed and scurrying to the saloon.

Mocha was waiting by the door, looking irritated. As soon as Tess let her out, the terrier hurried up the steps and over the dog-sized wooden ramp to the bank. While she rushed off to do her business in the bushes, Tess did the same in her own bathroom. Grabbing a pair of black leggings, a pink vest top and matching sweatshirt, she dressed in a rush, agonising over whether to greet Bale. In the months since he first made his appearance, she’d called good morning religiously, despite him never replying. If she didn’t do it this morning, would that come across as weird? Well, it also felt weird to give a cheerful greeting to a monster she’d dry-humped the day before, so she really couldn't win either way.

After feeding Mocha and making herself a bowl of porridge sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon, Tess hurried to the boatshed that stored her glossy purple bicycle and its two-wheeled trailer. Designed to carry toddlers, it worked equally well for transporting groceries and laundry. Attaching it to the bike, she pushed it over to Yew Dreamer so she could chuck her dirty laundry and some empty shopping bags inside.

Whistling for Mocha, she spotted a V-shape in the water and inwardly squirmed. Pretending to be focussed on placing the excited terrier in the basket attached to the handlebars, she swung her leg over the crossbar.

As she wobbled away, she called over her shoulder, “Morning! I’m going into town to do my laundry. See you later.”

Prickles ran over her skin as she steered around a puddle, and she resisted the urge to look back.

The narrow track from the marina to the main road was overgrown with weeds and full of deep, water-filled potholes. Tess puffed as she cycled, envious of Mocha who had her little front paws up on the edge of the basket and her pink tongue lolling out. When the marina’s battered welcome sign came into view, Tess gave a silent cheer. Then a wave of nostalgia hit her as she remembered running under that sign, giggling as her dad chased her.

An unexpected wave of grief washed over her, and she forced the memory away. Focussing on the route ahead, she picked up speed, joining the tarmacked road at the top of the track. It was a thirty-minute ride to the launderette. She stayed on the cycle lanes as much as possible, joining the traffic when needed and passing all the familiar landmarks from her youth. Westhorpe, a busy market town with Roman roots, wasn’t a bad place to grow up. Touristy and expensive in places, old and rundown in others, it had a relaxed, welcoming vibe. Although the October sun shone down pleasantly enough, there was a crisp autumnal nip in the air. The tall trees lining the roads were changing colour too, their leaves tinted red and orange against the cool blue sky.

After paying for a service wash at the launderette, Tess headed to the supermarket to pick up the groceries she’d ordered the night before. As usual the staff in the collection area cooed over Mocha, bringing her cocktail sausages, which she accepted like a queen bestowing favour on her subjects.

Whilst Mocha was her normal cheerful self, Tess found herself less eager than usual to engage in conversation. Her mind kept drifting back to the octopus monster waiting back at the marina. Was he thinking about her? Would he ever speak to her again, after the embarrassment of yesterday?

She stayed lost in thought during the cycle back to the launderette, turning absently into a cobbled side street and almost hitting a random traffic cone in the process. Swerving around it, she caught sight of the shop across the road. Lust and Lovers , Westhorpe’s ‘premier romance boutique,’ was a popular purveyor of lingerie, erotica, and of course, sex toys.

Before she could second-guess herself, Tess clambered off her bike and wheeled it over to the shop.

“Good morning!” The welcoming smile of the dark-haired woman behind the till widened as Tess entered with Mocha in her arms. “Oh, what an adorable little dog. I used to have a terrier when I was younger. Aren’t they fun?”

After chatting about the joys and pitfalls of terrier ownership for a while, Tess handed the delighted Mocha over to the lady to be fussed over and wandered off to browse. The shop smelled of earthy patchouli and was decorated in light and airy colours. It was also much bigger than it seemed from outside, consisting of two whole floors. Downstairs was mostly lingerie, books, and gifts, including an entire shelf of naughty foodstuff that made Tess grin as she climbed the spiral staircase to the next floor. Wondering idly if she should treat herself to some penis-shaped pasta, her eyes widened when she reached the top and surveyed the myriad of dildos, vibrators, fetish gear and more. A sign above one shelf caught her attention, and her pulse skittered.

‘MONSTER AND ALIEN DILDOS FOR THE CURIOUS MINDS. TAKE YOUR PLEASURE OUT OF THIS WORLD…’

She walked over like a sleepwalker, staring at the examples on display. One was heavily ribbed and rainbow-coloured, with a folded card sign saying, ‘for the unicorn fans.’ Another was silver and futuristic looking; Tess choked back an approving laugh when she read ‘your very own robot lover’ on the sign. The ‘triple-cocked beast’ made her eyes water, and a bright green one with separate ‘alien eggs’ was so intriguing that she almost picked it up. But it was the dildo at the end of the row that was irresistible.

It was in the shape of a tentacle. Blueish green in colour, with thick ridges and rubber suckers on its underside, it immediately made her think of sliding up and down on Bale’s sinuous limb. Trying to ignore her sudden breathlessness, she grabbed a box before she could change her mind.

The woman’s professional demeanour didn’t falter as Tess returned to the till and placed the box on the counter, but her eyes twinkled. “They’re getting more and more popular, particularly this one. A definite bestseller.”

Tess could do nothing except smile in return. What was she supposed to say?

Yeah, monsters are hot. I humped a guy’s tentacle only yesterday, actually.

Biting back a laugh, she left the shop, hurriedly tossing her new purchase into Mocha’s basket before any passersby spotted it. After returning to the launderette to collect her clean clothes, she headed for home. It was lunchtime, and her stomach rumbled as she cycled along the streets. The sun was now hidden by grey clouds and the scent of rain hung on the wind. Tess shivered in her thin sweatshirt, pumping the pedals as fast as she could. Mocha seemed equally unhappy, hunkering down in the basket. She didn’t even bother to look out when they turned into the marina driveway and had to veer around several greylag geese pecking at the weeds.

The birds’ alarmed honks and hisses faded as they reached the end of the track, and Tess beheld Yew Dreamer with relief. The sky darkened further as she pulled up next to the boat. Bale was nowhere to be seen, so she threw a cheerful “hey, I’m back,” in the direction of the water.

She unloaded the trailer as fast as she could, almost tripping over Mocha at one point. The little dog had jumped out of the basket, holding something in her jaws and growling. More concerned with the approaching rain, Tess focussed on unpacking her groceries before finally poking her head out to investigate. When she realised what the dog was chewing, her heart stopped.

“Oh my gods.” She rushed outside. “Oh no, Mocha, no! Bad dog. Drop it!”

Tess leapt on to the bank and lunged for Mocha. The terrier sidestepped her nimbly, the silicone tentacle she’d ripped out of its cardboard packaging clamped between her jaws. She shot away, her tail wagging furiously.

“I’m not playing, Mocha! Bring it back right now.”

Tess chased after her, praying that Bale couldn’t see what the dog was holding. No wonder she had been so quiet on the journey back; she’d been chewing up the box containing the dildo. Tess had chucked them both in the basket without thinking. And now the bloody terrier was playing a delightful game, running in circles with Tess and shaking her head furiously like the dildo was a rat.

Tess pulled up short, panting. “Mocha, baby, please bring it back. I’ll give you sausages, cheese, whatever you want. Are you listening? You can have cheese .”

At one of her favourite words, Mocha’s ears pricked up. She swivelled to regard Tess before trotting a few paces toward her.

“That’s it.” Hurriedly, Tess pretended to reach into her pocket as if the food in question was close at hand. “Bring it to me and I’ll give you some cheese.”

The terrier hurried over, but as Tess reached down to take the dildo from her mouth, she changed her mind. Dodging sideways, she shook it again with a growl, just as Tess grabbed her around her wiry stomach.

“Got you, you little madam—oh no. ”

Mocha had yipped when Tess picked her up, causing her to drop the dildo. Frozen in place, Tess watched in horrified slow motion as it bounced once, twice, then fell with a plop into the water.

“No,” Tess moaned, Mocha squirming in her grip. “Oh no, no, no…”

As the dildo sank, telltale ripples moved in its direction. Bale was coming to help.

“Don’t worry about it,” she called desperately. “Please, it’s nothing, just leave it...”

She ran back to the boat, her cheeks so hot they throbbed. Was it possible to spontaneously combust from embarrassment? If so, she could really do with that happening right now.

???

Tess stayed on board Yew Dreamer all afternoon, thankful when the rain fell in earnest so she had a reason to hide. Somehow, she found the will to put away her clean laundry and even did some cooking as the afternoon drew on. Sat at her table, she nibbled half-heartedly at her green pesto pasta, watching the streaks of colour in the sky darken and fade as the sun disappeared.

Mocha had sulked after the dildo incident but was now cuddled up against Tess’s thigh, having clearly forgiven her for spoiling her fun. Tess wished she could forget as quickly, although her initial horror was now mixed with amusement. She bit her lip against a giggle as she recalled running around after Mocha like a headless chicken. Had Bale listened when she told him to leave the dildo alone? She hoped so. What with that and yesterday’s humping incident, he must think she had a tentacle fetish. Which she didn’t, she was simply curious…

Her meandering thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing loudly. Frowning at the withheld number on the screen, Tess accepted the call with a wary hello.

“It’s Severin,” the voice drawled.

“Oh hi, how’s it going?”

“I need to ask your octopus friend some questions about the portals in his dimension. I assume he’s skulking around watching you?”

Tess cringed. “Probably. I’ll get him.”

Switching on the floodlights attached to the bow, she donned a jacket and trainers and opened the door. It had stopped raining, and the scent of sodden vegetation filled the air. The night seemed muted, subdued by the downpour.

“Bale?” She raised her voice, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. “Are you there?”

“I am.” The deep voice came from a few metres in front of Yew Dreamer , near the old boat launch slope.

Hopping ashore, she hurried over, skirting around the rainwater puddles. He swam to meet her in silence, his eyes glinting in the floodlights.

She gave him an awkward smile. “Sorry to disturb you on such a wet night. Although every night is a wet night for you, huh? Anyway, I’m babbling. Sev wants to talk to you.”

She held out the phone. After a moment, a tentacle rose to curl around her hand. Hiding her shiver, she released the phone into his grip.

He held it gingerly near the side of his head, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do, then said, very quietly, “Yes?”

Although she couldn’t hear Sev’s response, he must have gotten straight down to business, as Bale responded with “no, not blood-bound or time-limited.” The conversation continued, with Bale’s monosyllabic answers about the portal in the water combining with Severin’s inaudible questions. Tess shifted from foot to foot, shivering every so often as the evening breeze ruffled her hair.

Finally, Bale handed the phone back to her. The tiger had already hung up. Evidently monsters didn’t do small talk. Not those two, anyway. She’d met a third, more loquacious one the night she’d encountered Severin and Freya for the first time, an eagle named Jax whose favourite pastime seemed to be winding up everyone around him, particularly Sev. According to Freya, he was dating her sister, who was a zookeeper at the nearby Frinkley Wildlife Park. The odd couple were apparently on holiday, somewhere deep in a rainforest accessible only by eagle monster. Lucky them.

Bringing herself back to the present, she realised with a flush that she’d been staring mutely at Bale. Putting her phone in her pocket, she cleared her throat. “Did he have any news, or just a bunch of questions?”

“He asked whether my world’s portals have restraints or rules around when they can open. I told him they do not, which makes my situation even more confounding. He’s not familiar with my dimension but will try to reach out to my people. He’s also contacted another local monster, a reptile of some sort, who is experienced with different types of portals.”

“That sounds promising. Good old Sev.” Silence fell again and she edged away. “Well, I guess I’ll head back.”

“Wait.”

She hesitated. “Yes?”

A tentacle arched toward her. “I retrieved this for you.”

Her breathing seized as she beheld her missing dildo. “Oh, for crying out loud.”

Now she saw them together, the silicone tentacle was slimmer than his own, the tip narrower and covered in canine teeth marks. His face was expressionless, his gaze flicking from her back to the dildo.

She snatched it. “Okay, fine. Thanks for bringing it back. I’m not embarrassed. Healthy curiosity is normal and I don’t appreciate being judged for it. In fact, the lady in the shop said this was their bestseller so I’m not the only one who finds tentacles interesting, or a bit sexy, or whatever. So make fun all you want, I don’t care.”

As she took a much-needed breath, Bale gave a slow blink. “It is yours? I thought it was your canine’s toy.”

“Oh.” Tess stared. “Well, yeah. That would have been a plausible explanation.” Her last word ended in a snicker. She clapped her hand over her mouth, then gave up and burst out laughing, chucking the dildo away.

“Oh, fuck my life,” she giggled, bending with her hands on her thighs. “Honestly, fuck it.”

A sudden splash made her jump. She looked up to find Bale halfway on to the bank. Droplets of water snaked down his thick chest, glinting in the light of the boat lamps.

“Tess?”

“Hmm?” She straightened and dragged her gaze back to his face, her shoulders still shaking with laughter despite the odd hitch in her breathing.

He indicated the dildo on the ground. “What do humans use that for?”

“Gods help me.” She rubbed her temples. “It’s for…personal use.”

“Personal use?”

She threw her hands up to the sky. “For masturbatory purposes, okay? Surely you know what that means?”

“It is for pleasure?”

“Yes, pleasure. At least it would be, if Mocha hadn’t nabbed it first.”

He was silent, frowning at the dildo like a scientist studying a new species. “It can no longer be utilised?”

She made a face. “I don’t think so. I might just let her chew it to pieces.”

“In that case”—he bowed his head—“I offer myself in its place.”