Demon Waters (Apex #4)

Chapter Twelve

Later that day

“A nd he attacked her after she grabbed me, but she had this knife and then I distracted him like an idiot…”

Tess was held in Freya’s arms, babbling the story for the fourth time in a row. The day had come and gone in a blur, and evening had fallen upon the marina again. After Julian and Sabine left, Raukra had stayed for a couple of hours, using Tess’s phone to give Freya and Severin an update on the situation. Freya had driven over immediately to take over from the crocodile, who left via the water. Sev had leapt into action too, arranging for some contacts to keep Julian and Sabine under surveillance for a while. Apparently Sev knew of Sabine, who was a notorious monster hunter, although he hadn’t realised her connection with Julian.

Tess had wept for hours, alternating between hugging Mocha and Freya. As she finished the story again, her tears finally dried up. Her eyes stung, and her throat was as dry as sand. Her body felt heavy, like grief had dragged her to the bottom of the ocean.

The bow door opened, revealing the familiar visage of Severin in his handsome human form. Mocha yipped a greeting, snuggled by Tess’s thigh.

He looked between them, then smirked at Tess. “I hear I missed all the fun.”

“Sev,” Freya said in a hushed tone.

He raised his brows. “What?”

“Bale, the octopus.” Freya hugged Tess tighter. “He died.”

“Did he?” Severin leaned against the doorframe. “That’s weird, because there’s a visitor outside.”

Tess’s chest tightened. Pulling out of Freya’s arms, she rose so sharply that Mocha fell on the floor. She didn’t even stop to put her shoes on, pushing past Severin and rushing on to the bow. Amber streaks filled the darkening sky, and a gentle evening breeze wafted around her. Raukra was there in the rippling water, bobbing beside Yew Dreamer , and beside him was a shadowy figure with a mass of tentacles…

With a whoop of joy, Tess jumped off the boat.

The icy water took her breath away as she went under, but she didn’t care. Coming up coughing, she swam clumsily toward the octopus, her hair plastered to her face. As she got closer, a tentacle curled uncertainly around her waist.

Tess blinked, studying the octopus, who had tiny wrinkles around its dark eyes. Unfamiliar eyes. An unfamiliar scent, too, sweet and fresh, like berries and cream. This wasn’t…

Oh no. Freaking no. She’d jumped into the arms—well, tentacles—of a stranger.

“This is Bale’s mother,” Raukra said, his tone edged with amusement. “I went back through the portal to check on him. Once she was apprised of the situation, she asked to meet you.”

“Check on him?” Tess’s mind spun. “You mean, Bale’s alive?”

“Of course.”

“But… I asked if he’d gone and you said yes.”

Raukra blinked. “I thought you meant gone through the portal, not gone dead.”

“ Raukra !”

The crocodile raised his claws in supplication. “He was badly injured and unconscious, but his people heal quickly, especially in their own world.”

As Tess tried to take in his words, the female octopus spoke.

“My son lives,” she murmured. “Your name fell from his lips when he awakened.”

A vice clamped around Tess’s heart, and a sob escaped her. Before she even thought about what she was doing, she enveloped the octopus in a hug.

Bale’s mother froze, then her tentacles closed tightly around her.

“We thought we lost him years ago,” she said, her voice cracking. “The report on his fate was vague at best. After the war ended, a delegation was sent to look for him. The portal was sealed shut, and no one knew where it had been redirected to. I know firsthand the desolation you must have felt when you thought he was dead. I also understand, from what he has said, that you are the reason he survived to come back to us.”

A shiver racked Tess, hard enough to stop her from replying.

The octopus frowned, rubbing Tess’s upper arms in a motherly fashion. “You’re freezing. You should not have jumped into the water.”

“She does that a lot.”

Every muscle in Tess’s body seized at that deep, quiet, oh so familiar voice.

Bale swam to them, his skin pale grey and tinged with pink lines. Tess’s vision blurred, her breathing harsh in her ears…and then she was being transferred from one set of tentacles to another. She clung to him, sobbing.

“You died,” she wept on his shoulder. “You got stabbed and it was all my fault. I’m so, so sorry, Bale.”

He murmured inaudible things, hugging her tightly, and she didn’t realise she was being carried back to the boat until she was lifted from the water and wrapped in a thick towel provided by Freya. Sniffling on Bale’s lap, she realised that everyone had backed away to give them some privacy; Bale’s mother and Raukra gliding to the other end of the channel, with Sev and Freya debarking the boat and following on land. Only Mocha remained, wagging her little tail and licking the water off one of Bale’s tentacles.

The thin wound on Bale’s chest was sewn up with silver thread. She ran her fingers over it in concern. “You should be resting.”

“I will rest here. With you.”

She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Sev has Julian and Sabine under surveillance, the portal is open, and the war in your world is over. You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to. Look what happened the last time I made you stay with me.”

“Tess, I chose to be with you last night. Even if you hadn't asked, I would’ve remained close. I don’t blame you for what happened, any more than you should blame yourself. And now, I will stay by your side for as long as you wish.”

She sniffed. “I’m not sure I want to be here much longer. I think I’m finally ready to move on.”

He hesitated. “Where will you go?”

“Don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll go travelling again.” It was Tess’s turn to hesitate. “There are a lot of watery places in this world. Oceans, rivers, lakes; many of them very remote, very private. Perhaps when you’re better, we could explore some of them together.”

He stroked her hair. “I would love that.”

She glanced into the dark water. “What about your mother? What will she think?”

“Of the human who helped return her lost son to her? Tess, she has already made it clear to anyone who will listen: you are now part of our family.” Amusement entered his voice. “As is the crocodile, much to his bewilderment.”

Her heart swelled. “She sees me as family?”

“She does, and she is excited to know you better. As am I. If that is all right with you?”

She pressed her forehead against his. “It really is.”

Mocha yawned, stretching her front legs in a bow. Looking up at them, she gave an imperious yip. After a moment, Bale wrapped a limb around her and lifted her on to Tess’s lap.

“I hope it goes without saying,” Tess stroked the dog’s wiry head, “but wherever I go, Mocha goes too.”

“Of course. I always like to take a snack when I travel.”

After a stunned beat, Tess leaned back to stare at him. “Did you just make a joke?”

Bale’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps.”

“A joke about eating my dog? We need to work on your sense of humour.”

He drew her back against his chest. “I look forward to it, flower.”

THE END