Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Seven

T ess awoke the next morning with a dry throat, a pounding headache, and a hard knot in her belly. She’d barely slept, spending most of the night staring at the ceiling, straining her ears in case the drone came back. Mocha snored from the end of the bed, and only a few brave chirps came from the birds outside. She squinted at her phone screen, then groaned. It wasn’t even 5am. She must have had an hour of sleep at the most.

Flicking to her messages, she re-read the conversation between her and Freya last night. Tess had texted a jumble of misspelled words in a panic, her thumbs unable to keep up with her frantic thoughts.

TESS: Drone just flew over think it julian doing a flyby has sev heard backm form his mate yet??? Freakin out a little bit

FREYA: Oh no really? He’s in the shower, give me a min. Try not to panic

TESS: Easy for you to say!

FREYA: He said Raukra will be over ASAP. Once he’s looked at portal we’ll know more. Sev can come help if needed. Sit tight and tell your friend to stay hidden. Be careful xxx

Tess pinched the bridge of her nose. Although she appreciated Freya and Severin’s help, it was taking far too long for her liking. There had been no sign of the mysterious Raukra yet. Whoever he was, he needed to get a move on.

Closing her eyes, she willed herself back to sleep, but her stubborn brain wouldn’t allow it. She was still reeling from the events of the previous night, and her worry on how to help her new monster friend. Her heart ached at the thought of Bale selflessly protecting his soldiers from the booby-trapped portal, sacrificing himself in the process. A lump grew in her throat as she recalled his whispered admission that he’d decided to end his life, saved only by her arrival, as if she were some sort of transcendent deity.

But what good was she, really? She’d known about his predicament for over twenty-four hours, and was still twiddling her thumbs waiting for someone else to save the day. What if the drone was an indication of an imminent attack? If so, what was she doing about it? Nothing. What could a na?ve, foolish girl who lived on a boat do to help anyone?

Her next thought hit her like a lightning bolt. She leapt out of bed, causing Mocha to let out a surprised yip. Flinging the curtain aside, Tess hurried through the saloon.

“Bale?” She opened the door to the bow. “Where are you? I have an idea.”

“I am here.” The quiet, watchful voice came from next to the prow.

She leaned over the side. “You couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“I won’t sleep with this threat hanging over us, flower. Whatever dangers may come, I will guard you until my last breath.”

Her heart ached at the conviction in his voice. What had she done to deserve his devotion? Bugger all, but maybe if she helped to save him, she’d be worthy of his high esteem.

“They’re not coming for me. It’s you we need to look after.” She squinted until she saw the sheen of his eyes. “I’ve had a brainwave. It’s too close to dawn to try it now, but tonight, we’re busting out of here.”

???

The day passed in agonising slowness. Tess spent it on tenterhooks, trying and failing to distract herself by painting her nails an assortment of colours, and playing games on her phone. She ignored the temptation to chat to Bale, deciding that it was best for him to stay out of sight below the waterline. Occasionally, she spotted ripples close to the boat. He was lying low, yet ready to protect her if necessary, which made her feel curiously gooey inside. There was something about this intense, protective, strangely sweet monster that caused her insides to do somersaults. It felt like more than physical attraction, but she really, really didn’t want to examine her emotions too closely. Not yet, anyway.

The drone didn’t return, nor did anything else out of the ordinary happen. It was a crisp autumn day like any other, and as Tess washed up her utensils from the chicken noodle soup she had for dinner, she found herself thinking about moving on from the marina for the very first time. There were plenty of places to go. Her dad had left her a generous inheritance when he passed away, which meant that she didn’t need to work unless she wanted to, at least not for a few years. She was aware how fortunate that made her, and always tried to give back where she could. Perhaps she could go abroad and do more volunteering. Or stay local and help in one of Westhorpe’s charity shops. Either way, it would be nice to have a base in her hometown. She could look for a riverside cottage with a mooring area for Yew Dreamer , and a discreet, private channel where a certain octopus monster could stay when he visited.

Oof, no. She barely knew the guy. Better not go down that road. It usually led to nothing but heartbreak and abandonment.

She glanced out of the porthole. The setting sun cast vermilion streaks across the darkening sky. The nearby river, although popular with boaters during the day, would be deserted at night. Perfect for what she had planned. She was done waiting around for Severin’s mysterious friend. It was time for her to step up and save the day herself.

A couple of hours later, nighttime brought with it a cool wind and the fresh scent of approaching rain. After donning some pink jogging bottoms, a thick tie-dye shirt and a pair of neon trainers, Tess went outside.

“Bale,” she called. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?” His hesitant voice came from right beside the boat.

“To fix your predicament. Come aboard.”

Slowly, he rose from the water, his tentacles grasping at the bow to pull himself up. She hurried back inside, turning the key on the helm and making sure the throttle was in neutral. With a choking rumble, the boat’s engine juddered into life. Tess flicked a switch, and Yew Dreamer ’s floodlights illuminated the channel in twin beams, creating distorted shadows across the water.

The octopus entered the boat diffidently, his long limbs pulled tight against his body as he hefted his bulk through the door. Water dripped from him, creating little puddles in the gangway, and he rubbed at them clumsily with his foot-like tentacle.

Tess smiled at him. “Don’t worry about that. We have more important things to focus on tonight, like the brainwave I had earlier. You can’t swim out of the marina yourself, but I’ll bet my inheritance that you can be… drumroll please… transported by boat!”

Her grand reveal was a bit premature. It took several minutes to unplug Yew Dreamer from its mooring station in the dark, before they could set off. Even using her torch and switching on the security light attached to the nearest shed, she fumbled with the cables for quite a while before she finally disconnected from the electricity and water points. After untying the ropes, she hopped back aboard as the boat drifted away from the bank.

When she re-entered the cabin, Bale was standing next to the dining table behind the helm. Mocha was on the table, wagging her tail and rubbing herself against one of his tentacles like a cat.

“I think she likes you.” With a giggle, Tess put the terrier in her basket under the table, then grabbed her lifejacket from a nearby hatch and zipped it over her coat.

“I would never let you drown, flower. You do not need a flotation aid.” Bale sounded distinctly offended.

“I know, but my dad drummed boat safety into me from an early age, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Okay, it’s time to get going. Freedom, here we come.”

With that, she pushed the throttle and sent the boat into motion.

She piloted with practiced ease, keeping their speed low as they negotiated the channel and circled the island. The patch of land looked menacing in the dark, a true pirate hideaway with twisted, shadowy trees standing guard around the banks. She shivered, feeling thankful when they reached the main waterway and turned downriver. The boat’s floodlights illuminated the swaying reeds on the banks and the glint of animal eyes peeping through them. Even over the chugging engine, she recognised the eerie screams of Chinese water deer as they fled.

“How far did you get before you had to stop?” she asked Bale.

“The bend up ahead,” was his quiet response from her shoulder. “I reached that point and could go no farther.”

“Okay.” She increased their speed. “Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Breathing shallowly, she uttered a silent prayer to whomever would listen as they reached the bend. Yew Dreamer didn’t slow, and a whoop escaped her throat.

“We’re gonna make it!”

Tess blinked. Her voice sounded echoey and distorted, like she was standing in a tunnel. And why was the boat slowing when she wasn’t even touching the throttle? Frowning, she pushed the lever to its full extension, but nothing happened.

“What the hell?” she muttered.

A resigned sigh came from the monster behind her as they rumbled to a slow halt. For a moment, she thought they’d caught the propeller in weeds, but when she pulled the throttle down, the boat reversed with no resistance.

“Dammit.” Forcing the lever up, she tried again.

The same thing happened. They reached a certain point, and it was like something held them immobile until they backed up.

“Tess,” Bale murmured.

She made a shooing motion without looking at him, not wanting to see her mounting despair reflected in his eyes.

“We’re not giving up,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s try the other way, upriver.”

She performed a deft U-turn in the centre of the waterway, then went into high gear, passing the entrance to the marina before speaking again. “How far did you get this way?”

“Tess…”

“How far?” she repeated stubbornly, without looking at him.

He sighed. “A little way past this point.”

At that moment, the boat shuddered and slowed. Muttering a curse, Tess forced the throttle to its highest point, but nothing happened. They didn’t even drift forward, remaining motionless in the river, trapped by the invisible barrier.

“Shit.” She banged on the helm. “Okay, we can do this. We’ll get a proper run-up, smash our way through it—”

“Tess. It’s all right. You can stop.”

“No, this has to work. It’s the only plan I have.” Switching off the boat’s engine, she whirled to face him. “I need to do something. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“I’m not afraid. I will go to my death with my head held high, knowing that someone as perfect as you deemed me worthy of compassion.”

She stepped into his embrace, blinded by the tears welling in her eyes. “I just want to help.”

“You already have.” His tentacles closed gently around her. “More than you know.”

She swallowed, looking up at him. “Stay with me. Stay for the night.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. “Tess…”

“Stay,” she burst out, throwing her arms around his neck. “Be with me, do whatever you want—”

Before she even finished her sentence, she was slammed against the wall with such force, all the air whooshed out of her lungs. A tentacle wrapped around both her wrists, pulling her arms above her head. Two more slithered around her ankles, keeping her legs apart. His hungry stare held her spellbound as he pressed up against her, then his head dropped to the crook of her shoulder and he inhaled deeply.

“You are a goddess,” he groaned against her skin. “Your scent, your voice, your kindness, you overwhelm me. The things I wish to do to you…”

His tongue lapped at the pounding pulse in her throat, and she gasped.

“Bale…”

“My name on your lips is euphoria. I want to hear you scream it. I want you to be mine forever, knowing I will keep you safe, and you don’t…”—his tentacles twisted around her lifejacket—“need…”—he tore it apart at the seams—“ this .”

Flinging away the ripped remains, he spread his tentacles over her upper body.

“Mine,” he rasped. “My human, no one else’s. All mine.”

Her shirt was too thick to feel him properly, and there wasn’t enough room to strip. She cursed, and he nipped at her neck as if he were as frustrated as her.

“Bed,” she gasped out. “Bed, Bale, please, now…”

He picked her up effortlessly and she cuddled into his damp chest, dropping a kiss on his muscled shoulder. Brushing aside the makeshift curtain separating the cabin from the saloon, he placed her on her feet, then frowned at the floor.

It took Tess a moment to realise why he looked so unhappy. A snort of laughter escaped her as she spotted the little terrier who had followed them into the cabin, looking up at the monster expectantly.

“She really does like you,” she said with a giggle. “Hold on, I’ll get her a chew to distract her.”

Bale stopped her. “I’ll get it.”

Tess directed him to the hatch by the kettle, with Mocha skipping after him. Tess watched in amusement as he warily offered the tiny dog a long cylindrical chew, which she yanked off him before carrying it to her bed. A determined chewing noise filled the boat as Bale returned to Tess.

“I do not know how something so small can be so intimidating,” he muttered.

Tess stifled her giggle, beckoning him to her. He suddenly looked unsure, his movements slowing.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He gave a shaky sigh. “I’m concerned you’re going to do something you’ll regret, in the name of pity.”

“I don’t pity you. I like you, Bale. Yes, I’m upset and afraid for your safety, but I’m here with you because I want to be. Trust me, it’s entirely selfish on my part. Now, tell me what you want.”

“What I want?”

She nodded. “I already told you, you can do whatever you want tonight. So, what do you want?”

“I want…” He inhaled then spoke in a rush. “I want you to remove your clothing.”

It was her turn to take a breath. “Okay.”

Tess had grown up with the same insecurities as anyone else, but extensive travelling had given her a different outlook on life. She’d stopped obsessing over her round tummy, chunky thighs and love handles after seeing for herself the vast array of beauty standards held by different people and cultures around the world. The knowledge had enabled her to walk with her head held high, confident in her own skin. She’d performed strip teases for previous partners, proudly, joyfully, knowing she was sexy as hell and delighted to show it. But, as she undressed in front of this silent monster, whose hungry stare was trained on her unblinkingly, she was hit with an unfamiliar flutter of vulnerability.

“Say something,” she said, trying to laugh but only managing a croak. “Please.”

“What do you wish me to say?”

“Anything. Distract me.”

His gaze lingered on her breasts as she unclipped her bra with shaking hands, then he finally spoke. “I hardly noticed any details about human bodies until you came to the marina. I never gave any of the other humans a second glance, other than ensuring I was invisible to them. But you”—he stretched out two tentacles, circling her nipples until they hardened under his touch, drawing a husky moan from her throat—“from the first moment I saw you, I couldn’t tear my gaze away. You are exquisite. Luminous. The most beautiful creature in all the worlds.”

She opened and closed her mouth several times, lost in the sensations he was sparking as she tugged her leggings down her legs.

“During the summer,” he continued in the same intimate tone, “you wore a tiny set of swimming garments, do you remember?”

“A bikini?”

“I do not know the term. It was multi-coloured like a rainbow, revealing your stomach, and barely covering the parts you like me to touch.”

She huffed a laugh. “Yeah, that’s a bikini.”

“You fell asleep in the sun one day, and I wanted more than anything to touch you while you slept. To give you pleasure while I peeled the garments away and explored every inch of your beautiful body. Every curve, every fold.”

He stroked the rolls on her stomach as he spoke, and her self-consciousness returned like jumping beans inside her. She began to wrap her arms around herself…

“No,” he snapped. “I want to see you. All of you.”

She swallowed. “Bale—”

He trapped her gaze in his. “You told me to do whatever I want. You are mine tonight, and I will look upon what is mine.”

Wrapping two tentacles around her wrists, he pulled her arms away from her body. Two more limbs twisted around her ankles then crawled up her calves, curling into her underwear and tugging it down until she stood naked and trembling in front of him.

“Good little human,” he said in a low, greedy voice, as if he hadn’t even realised he’d spoken. “ My little human. The gods of the deep dark seas made you just for me, I swear it.”

His hot gaze swept her up and down, and her discomfort melted away at the craving in his eyes, the devotion in his expression. He adored her, truly adored her.

Straightening her shoulders, she stood proudly, letting him view his fill until his chest quaked. Suddenly, he wrapped another tentacle around her torso and lifted her effortlessly, placing her on her back on the bed.

He kept her arms over her head, releasing her legs but leaving his body between her open thighs. He caught her gaze with his own, his mouth stretching past the tentacles on his face. She blinked. Was he smiling?

“Have I achieved the impossible?” he murmured. “Have I rendered you speechless?”

Her giggle turned into a gasp as he pulled her nipples into his suckers and tugged hard.

“You like that, don’t you?” There was a knowing, possessive edge to his tone, so different from his uncertainty of before. “I am pleasing you.”

She couldn’t speak, so she nodded, arching her back with a mewing noise.

“What else pleases you, I wonder? I know touching you here makes you wet.” Her hips jerked as he circled her clit with the tip of his tentacle. “And pushing inside you makes you cry out my name.” The tentacle moved, teasing her labia until she groaned with frustration. “But what else? You have another hole, don’t you? I could fill them both up at once...”

“Oh, fuck ,” she burst out, her insides melting at the image conjured by his wicked words.

“Mmm.” He caressed her thighs. “So many options. But first, I want to taste you.”

Her eyes flew open as he shuffled his bulk down the bed and pulled her thighs farther apart. Her body seized, her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe.

His gaze met hers from between her legs. “Yes?”

“Yes, oh yes. Please…”

His head dipped, and his hot breath gusted against her skin. He licked her inner thighs, and she tried to arch upward, but he kept two tentacles wrapped around her calves to hold her in place. Another limb kept her wrists anchored above her head, not that he needed to trap her. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not a chance.

“Beautiful.” His deep, hungry voice reverberated through her. “Intoxicating. Keep still now, and let me eat you up.”

His tongue slipped inside her, and she cried out. However long was it? How deep could he possibly get?

“Bale,” she panted. “Oh my gods, Bale, oh my gods, that’s so fucking good.”

Her words became a moan as the suckers on his tongue rippled against her pussy walls, and another tentacle settled over her clit. It pulsed gently, bringing a yelp of delight from her throat. He released her hands and she clutched at his skull desperately, pushing his tongue even farther inside her as the sucker throbbed against her clit.

Her toes curled, the vibrations from the undulating suckers surging through her body. Her orgasm was building already, molten heat swelling in her veins, but something felt weird. A liquid heaviness throbbed in her lower belly, almost like she needed to pee. It was so intense she almost couldn’t bear it. She nearly pushed him away, scared that she was going to wet herself, but he kept licking, sucking, pulsing inside her and over her throbbing clit. It felt like she was sinking into a trance, becoming a puppet under his command, her trembling body no longer hers to control.

He pressed even deeper with his tongue and the sensations multiplied, spreading outward in an unstoppable wave of need, so fast— too fast. Splaying her fingers, she pressed her palm above her pubis, breathing so rapidly she felt dizzy. What was happening?

“I’m gonna come,” she sobbed, writhing in his unyielding grip. “Bale, I’m gonna come, but something’s different, I don’t know…”

The orgasm hit her with all the force of a tsunami rushing to the shore. Her mind shattered into pieces and she screamed, her hips jerking as she squeezed his large head between her thighs. The ecstasy kept coming, rolling through her relentlessly until something gushed from her pussy and he made a surprised grunt.

Her rapturous cry changed into a whimper of shame at the dawning realisation that she had squirted directly into his face. She closed her eyes, shuddering half in bliss, half in mortification, the incredible high still flowing through her limbs even as her mind shrieked the reality of what had happened.

He sat up and met her gaze. There were tiny droplets all over his face, and she cringed so hard she thought she would faint, until she realised how delighted he looked.

“You honour me,” he said softly. “To let me taste so much of you. To give me everything I demanded and more.”

His long red tongue flicked out to lick the droplets from his cheeks and her thighs clenched together. Never in her life had she squirted before. She hadn’t even known she was capable of it. But what else could a girl do with an octopus tongue in her pussy and a sucker on her clit?

“Delicious,” he mumbled, like he was talking to himself. “Nectar and lilies. If I am to die, let me do so with the taste of her on my lips.”

Her embarrassment faded, tempered by his genuine glee as he licked her juices off his face. Slowly, she relaxed, stretching out on the bed to study him. He really was an incredible specimen. Each muscle was sculpted and defined, each tentacle was long, thick, and perfect. His skin had changed colour again, the same pale blue as her bedsheets, and it made her smile.

He gave her a questioning look.

She gave a sated sigh. “I was admiring how beautiful you are.”

“If I am beautiful, it’s because I am in proximity to you.”

“Such a smooth talker.” She reached for him.

“What are you doing, my little flower?”

“Returning the favour, of course.”

His eyes widened as she pushed at his chest. For a moment, she thought he was going to resist. Then, slowly, hesitantly, he laid back, allowing her to clamber up until she sat on top of him with her knees resting on either side of his torso. Her own body purred with satisfaction as she bent to kiss his thick chest. He quaked underneath her.

Glancing up, she quirked her brow. “Is this okay?”

“Your lips on me?” he replied disbelievingly. “Yes, little one. This is okay.”

Giving him a sultry smile, she returned to his chest, kissing his pecs before moving down to his stomach, feeling him shudder in response. Shifting downward in a trail of kisses over his stomach, she reached his pelvis and studied his groin in fascination. The slit was similar in shape to her own, except shorter, and with a fully erect penis emerging from it. Curious, she drifted her fingertip across the damp slit, and a choking cry escaped his throat. Moving up to the slender indigo cock, she played with the bead of dark silver precum perched on the tip and suddenly remembered the tentacle that looked similar. She glanced over. Yes, there it was again, standing erect and darkening from blue to purple, unlike the rest of his sinuous limbs.

She spoke fast before she lost her nerve. “Bale, do you have two cocks?”

“Cocks?”

She gestured between his groin and the stiffened tentacle.

“Ah. Yes. Is that bad?”

“Hell no. It just leaves me with a difficult decision.”

He looked wary. “Which is?”

She winked. “Which one to deal with first.”

Bending her head over his groin, she kissed his cock. The muffled cry that escaped him made her smile as she licked the precum from the tip. It was sweeter than she expected, with a hint of salt, similar to his delicious scent. She made an approving noise as she swallowed. Harsh breathing was his only response as she moved to kiss the slit itself. She flicked her tongue along it and he groaned a word she didn’t recognise, but it sounded like a plea. Trailing her lips back up over his cock, she wrapped her mouth around the tip and glanced up through her lashes.

His face was slack and dazed, two of his tentacles gripping the bedsheets tightly. She turned her attention back to his cock, enjoying the feel of the suckers tickling her tongue as another tentacle slithered into her hair, pushing her down so she took more of him into her mouth.

Controlling her breathing, she grasped for his other cock. When she took it into her palm, he groaned. It was slick with precum, easy to stroke at the same rhythmic pace as the one she worked in her mouth. Could she fit both in at once? Well, she was nothing if not a trier.

Pulling it gently toward her, she opened wide and took it inside, next to the other. She heard him make a hissing noise, as if fighting to control himself.

“My flower,” he said in a choking voice. “You truly are a goddess.”

It was rude to talk with a full mouth, so she simply batted her lashes at him and ran her tongue over both cocks until his eyes rolled back in his head.

A rumbling, scraping noise came from beneath them.

They both froze as Yew Dreamer shuddered. Mocha barked from the saloon, and realisation hit Tess like a sledgehammer as she jerked back from the octopus.

“Shit, we’re drifting!”