Page 45 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
Mai’s tail coiled more firmly around him, and her arms slipped beneath his, circling his torso. He embraced her, letting his chest press against her breasts, feeling the quick, shallow movement of her breathing.
He was growing erect beneath his genital flap. Soon the scales wouldn’t be able to hide his length; it would nudge out, seeking the corresponding slit in the widest part of her tail. He would pull away before that happened, before this strange suction between them changed their connection forever.
Just one moment more he let himself stay entwined with her. And then, very gently, he loosened his tail from hers. But he kept hold of her hand.
“I’m going farther down,” he said, “to see if I can find the bottom. You shouldn’t go any deeper. Wait here.”
He was worried about the pressure of the ocean on her small body. They were already so deep. Flay had said the lagoon connected to the sea—but how deep did it go?
Mai stayed where she was, surrounded by glimmerdust and passing schools of silvery fish. Her tail moved gracefully in tandem with her arms. Rake was struck again by the simplicity and brilliance of her theory. He was glad she’d been right, that the belts had the opposite effect on humans. If she’d been wrong, it might have been tragic, or messy. Or nothing might have happened at all.
He dove, reveling in the sensation of seawater flowing along his body. After being on land for so many hours, swimming was bliss. His large eyes adjusted to the deep dark, pupils widening to make the most of the scant light filtering from far above him.
Something black and lumpy lay below. Had he reached the bottom?
He swam toward it, straining his eyes.
And then… the black, lumpy thingmoved.
Rake whiplashed backward, holding in the scream he wanted to voice. But his sudden motion had caught the attention of the Thing at the bottom of the lagoon, and it moved again. Ponderous bent legs hooked upright, one after another. Jointed like the limbs of a crab they were, with a flat armored body between them. Lights winked on along the length of the creature, and Rake nearly screamed again as tentacles shot from beneath the rigid carapace and barreled toward him.
He swam upward as fast as he could, casting glances down. More lights sprang on, more jointed bodies wriggled and crooked legs scrabbled. He saw beaked mouths opening, their maws ringed with teeth.
He streaked past Mai, catching her wrist and pulling her with him. He’d fled from danger more times than he could count. He was fast.
But the creatures in the lagoon were swimming upward with terrifying speed. Their raw squawks reverberated through the murk, and their lights drew ever larger, ever nearer.
Rake burst through the surface, dragging Mai to the shore. The horrible bright sunlight pierced his dilated eyes and he gasped with the shock of it. “Out of the water!” he roared. “Go, go!”
Baz and Corklan scrambled ashore, while Rake threw Mai, tail and all, as far as he could onto the beach. He hauled himself into the shallows and rolled onto the gravel just as two of the great monsters lurched out of the lagoon in an explosion of spray, each beast a hurricane of clawed legs and whipping tentacles. Their beaks snapped on air, and they plunged back down under the surface.
“Sucking bilge-rats.” Mai was shaking, wide-eyed and wet on the beach, the goggles and breathing device in her hand. Through the soaked chemise, Rake could see the outline of her chest perfectly. Her breasts were much smaller than Kestra’s, but strangely alluring, and sharply pointed.
“You need to take off the belt and get dressed quickly,” he said. “We should get clear of the monsters before they decide to crawl up here. We have to tell Flay about this. He would not have sent us here if he knew there were monsters.” He looked to Corklan for confirmation, and the sailor nodded. “Which means these monsters are recent arrivals. And that may mean something for the Meridian Games.”
13
To Mai, the trek through the city back to theWind’s Favorfelt interminable. She was desperate to tell Flay about the monsters in the lagoon.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell anyone about transforming into a mermaid, much less share how she’d twined herself with Rake under the water. That bit felt too delicate, too private—a surreal, sensual moment between the two of them. She’d felt her mermaid body reacting in the most scientifically fascinating way. A genital opening in her tail, in the area where her hips should be, had widened a little, and a rush of glittering heat had spiraled through her body.
No, there was no way she could tell anyone about that. It would be far too awkward.
When they finally reached the ship, Flay had already left for his outing with Kestra. Mai groaned aloud, but Rake only said, “We’ll tell him about the monsters tonight.”
“And we’ll tell him about you turning into a rutting mermaid!” exclaimed Corklan. “Gave me a turn, it did!”
“Gave me a tickle in me nethers, I won’t lie,” added Baz. He kicked sheepishly at a coil of rope on the pier.
“No.” Mai reached out, gripping each of their wrists. “Please, boys—could we keep this our secret for now? Please?”
Corklan stared at her, then swallowed hard and nodded. Baz flushed under his freckles and his sunburn. “Of course, Mai. Anything you want.”
“Thank you. Thank you both, so much. I need this quiet, just for now. We all have enough on our minds.”
They both nodded again.
“I think I’ll swim the bay and check out the competition,” Rake said. “Perhaps I can see what kind of boats the others are building for the Race.”
