Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Ten

A growling noise registered in Tess’s mind, making her realise that she’d drifted into a doze. She stretched, feeling deliciously achy and sated all at once. Rubbing her thighs together, she grimaced at the stickiness but couldn’t bring herself to care all that much. The best sex was usually messy. And that was definitely the best sex she’d ever had. Would her monster be up for round two? She sure as hell was.

As the growling intensified, she saw the empty space beside her in the bed, and her brow furrowed.

Sitting up, she spotted Bale, crouched low next to her tie-dyed curtain. Mocha was beside him, the source of the growls, but they weren’t directed at the octopus.

“What are you two rascals up to?” Tess asked teasingly.

Bale glanced her way. “There’s someone out there.”

She tensed. “Raukra?”

Bale shook his head.

Rising to her knees, Tess peeped out of the porthole. The first touches of dawn had beaten back the night and a sepia glow tinged the retreating shadows in the slivers of mist. A song thrush trilled from the roof of one of the sheds, but other than that, the marina was quiet. It took Tess a few moments to spy a hazy figure, standing next to one of the other channels.

“It’s probably a jogger,” she whispered. “They get lost around here sometimes.”

Bale frowned. “It’s early for a human to be out exercising.”

“Either way, I’d better go speak to them.”

A tentacle wrapped firmly around her wrist. “Stay inside. I will go.”

“No way.” She unwound herself from his grip. “What happens if it is a random jogger?”

“What happens if it isn’t?”

The whispered argument continued for a while, and next time Tess peeped out of the window, the figure was closer to the boat. Much closer.

She glared at Bale. “This is my marina, and I’m in charge. Stay put. Keep Mocha in here with you, too.”

He scowled. “I don’t like this, flower. It feels wrong.”

“It’ll be fine.” Hurriedly, she threw on her pyjamas and a pink hoody. “I’m sure it’s innocent. I’ll sort it out.”

Slipping on her trainers, she tiptoed through the boat’s interior to the bow. Opening the door, she looked around for the intruder, who had moved away from Yew Dreamer and was peering into the shed where Tess’s bike was stored.

Hopping on to the bank, Tess cleared her throat. “Um, can I help you?”

The stranger turned with a jump. “Oh my gosh. You scared the life out of me.”

She was tall, slender, and pale, with chestnut brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her outfit consisted of black leggings and a yellow sports top underneath a padded bodywarmer. She had a pedometer attached to a strap around her upper arm, and her running shoes looked expensive but well-used. Tess relaxed, throwing her an abashed smile.

“Sorry,” she said as she headed to her. “I saw you out the window. Are you lost? I hope you’re not in the middle of a race.”

The jogger slapped her forehead with her palm. “I’m not racing, but I’m definitely lost. I took a wrong turn by the river path near the park.”

“You’re not the first to lose your way around here.” Tess pointed to the exit. “If you follow that track, you’ll end up back on the main street. Take the next two rights then go straight for a bit and you’ll find the park again.”

“Great, thanks.” The woman cocked her head to the side. “Do you live here alone?”

“Sort of. I’m the unofficial security guard.”

“Huh. Does it need one? Remote, isn’t it?”

Tess grinned. “You’d be surprised.”

The jogger smiled back, but the sudden iciness in her brown eyes made Tess stiffen.

“I don’t know about that.” Her drawl was cold, too. So very cold. “Where’s the demon?”

“The…I beg your pardon?”

The stranger rolled her eyes at Tess’s stammering reply. “The demon that’s been skulking around here. Monster, alien, freak, whatever you want to call it.”

Oh no, no, no…

“Who are you?” Tess demanded.

“Sabine Sinclair.” The woman gave a mocking wave. “Here at Julian Perry’s request.”

“Well, I’m not sure what he’s told you, but there’s no monster here. So if you’re a myth hunter looking for your next podcast subject or something, you’re out of luck.”

Sabine raised her brows. “Is that so?”

“Yep.” Tess crossed her arms, trying to hide the fact she was shaking like a leaf.

“Mind if I look around, to corroborate your story? My drone didn’t quite get the job done.”

Tess put her hands on her hips. “Unless you have a warrant—and since you’re not a police officer I highly doubt it—no you can’t look around. And flying a drone over private property is illegal, so go away before I call the actual police.”

The woman gave her a long, hard stare. Tess forced herself to glare back, praying that Bale stayed hidden.

Sabine broke into a knowing smile. “You’ve fucked it, haven’t you?”

“Excuse me?”

The woman reached into her bodywarmer, then pulled out a familiar, chewed up tentacle dildo. Tess stared in dumbfounded silence, cursing herself for leaving it discarded on the gravel.

Sabine tossed the dildo away. “Look I get it. Weird loner with a penchant for freaky monster sex toys, living on a boat in a creepy-as-fuck marina. Actual monster comes along and pretends to be your friend, so you offer yourself on a silver platter. It takes full advantage as they always do, and you lap up the attention like the pathetic loser you are. Did I miss anything?”

“Get out of my marina,” Tess snapped, her eyes smarting from the effort of holding back her tears. “I mean it. I’ll have you arrested—”

The slap came out of nowhere, Sabine’s palm cracking across Tess’s cheek like a bolt of lightning. Tess staggered back with a cry. Pain seared through her head as the woman grabbed her hair…and Bale burst on to Yew Dreamer ’s bow.

“No, get away,” Tess shrieked, grasping at the woman’s hands.

Bale paid no heed, launching himself across the gravel. Mocha emerged behind him, barking furiously.

Releasing Tess’s hair, Sabine turned to face Bale. Metal flashed in her hand; Tess gasped at the sight of the dagger she’d been hiding somewhere in her clothes.

As Tess scrambled away, Sabine and the octopus met in a clash of tentacles. The woman kicked him in the groin, and Bale’s breath rushed out in a grunt. Using one of his limbs like a whip, he took her legs out from under her. She yelped as she hit the ground but swung her legs like a gymnast and leapt up to lunge with the blade. Bale dodged, lashing out again and missing her by a stone’s throw.

“Evil motherfucker,” Sabine hissed.

Bale said nothing in return, but his eyes burned with rage. He was out of his element on land, that much was obvious. However much he denied it, the wound in his shoulder was slowing him down as well. He probably could have subdued a regular human easily, despite his injury, but it was clear that Sabine wasn’t a mere civilian. Her actions were smooth, fast, and lethal, her gaze cold and calculating as she dodged and weaved, leaping forward to slash with her knife then darting away.

Mocha yapped from the sidelines, and Tess crab-crawled to her, pulling the dog into her arms. Where was Raukra? Why wasn’t he coming to help?

The two opponents had moved out of each other’s reach, closer to the water but with Sabine blocking Bale’s path. Both were breathing heavily. Bale’s mouth was twisted in a snarl, his body tense and coiled to attack again.

Astonishingly, Sabine turned her attention to Tess.

“You fucked that ?” she sneered. “You really are a freak.”

“Screw you,” Tess retorted.

Too late, she realised Sabine’s plan.

Distracted by Tess’s voice, Bale had glanced at her—and Sabine took full advantage.

Jumping into his space, she plunged the dagger into his chest.

Tess’s scream mingled with Bale’s choking roar. Sabine yanked out the blade and rolled out of reach as Bale staggered forward and fell like a stone into the water. For a moment, he floated on the surface, his tentacles twisted around him.

Then he sank.

“Bale,” Tess sobbed.

She stumbled toward the water, then pulled up short with a cry as Sabine clutched her hair again and held the bloody knife against her throat.

“I don’t think so, freak,” she hissed. “You stay right here.”

Using the tight grip in her hair, Sabine forced Tess to her knees on the gravel, then stepped back. Mocha barked in Tess’s arms, and Sabine jabbed a finger toward her.

“Shut that rat up, or I’ll snap its fucking neck.”

Tess held Mocha tightly, murmuring soothing words and trying to project calmness even as she felt like the ground had plummeted from her feet. All she could see was the blade plunging into Bale’s chest, over and over again…

“Reconnaissance turned into a skirmish. Target neutralised, if you’d like to join us.”

Tess finally spotted the tiny earpiece in Sabine’s right ear. Judging by the way she was speaking into her bodywarmer, there was a microphone, too. She’d come here prepared, ready to fight, and with backup. Tess had approached her like a newborn lamb skipping over to a wolf, and Bale paid the price for it. He shouldn’t have even been on the boat. He should have been safely hidden underwater all night, waiting for his portal to open. Tess was the reason he’d been exposed. She’d forced him to stay with her. Stupid, so stupid.

She closed her eyes, tears trailing over her cheeks at the image of him sinking below the surface. The sound of an engine made her tense up, and she opened her eyes to find a familiar black car slowing to a halt nearby. She watched blankly as Julian climbed out of the driver’s side. For once, he’d left his chauffeur at home. And he must have been waiting nearby, for Sabine to return with information. Instead, he’d gotten something better: a dead monster.

He strolled over, flicking lint from his spotless grey suit. Mocha growled, but Tess hushed her. Sabine straightened her shoulders and saluted, but Julian’s gaze was fixed on Tess.

“Teresa, dear,” he said, his voice gentle as he helped her to her feet. “I hear there was a little scuffle. Did the beast hurt you?”

“He would never ,” Tess flared, “and you two have no right to attack him. Bale was leaving, he just needed a little more time.”

Sabine snorted. “Time to do what? Fuck some other desperate loser?”

Julian’s brows raised. “Good grief, Teresa. What would your father say?”

“Don’t you dare talk about my dad. What would he say about this situation? You were his friend for years.”

“Which is why I took the steps I did, to protect you.”

Julian’s reply was so matter of fact, Tess wanted to scream in his face. “I didn’t want or need your protection. You did this solely because Bale was in your way.”

His lips thinned. “You can think what you like, but at the end of the day, monsters would rule this world if it weren’t for people like me. I am part of the invisible barrier stopping humanity from becoming prey in our own damn dimension.”

“Amen,” Sabine muttered.

Julian stepped away from Tess, as if the conversation were closed. “Talking of dead monsters, Sabine, where is it?”

The woman jerked her head at the water. “Got it in the heart. I think it died before it sank, but we’d better arm the divers, just in case.”

“Divers?” Tess echoed.

Julian glanced at her. “We’re hardly going to leave a demon corpse here, are we? What would the contractors say when they block off the river and drain the channels?” He turned back to Sabine. “Water monster, I assume. Tentacles?”

“Affirmative, sir. Appeared to have amphibious respiration but looked like a cephalopod of some kind.”

He made a disgusted noise. “What were you thinking, Teresa? Anyway, no matter. You are going to forget all of this ever happened. Sign the papers, sail your boat out of here, and move on with your life. Understand?”

Rage and grief burned like lava inside her. She clenched her fists, but a sudden splash from the channel next to Yew Dreamer made her heart skip a beat.

“Fuck.” Sabine stepped in front of Julian. “It wasn’t as dead as I thought. Get out of here, sir.”

Julian reached for Tess. “Come on, Teresa.”

Tess dodged from his grip, keeping tight hold of Mocha, and heard him gasp. For a moment she thought he was impressed by her agility, then her jaw dropped.

The waters in the marina were churning and roiling in the dim pre-dawn light. White-frothed waves broke against the walls of the channels, making Yew Dreamer strain against its mooring ropes. Alarm calls echoed from around them as songbirds and waterfowl fled. A tentacle burst out of the water, then another a few yards away. Then three appeared in a different channel on the other side of the marina, and four more after that.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Sabine’s gaze darted around the channels. “I can’t handle that many at once. We need to retreat, now.”

Tess stared blindly, her heart pounding as she tried to figure out how and why a multitude of octopus monsters were suddenly swimming in the marina.

There was only one answer. The portal was open. Bale’s people were pouring into her world.

And they were seriously angry.