Drowning in Him (The Monstrous Ball Book 2) Read online

  Connecting to the sea is one thing; taking a sea monster police chief as a lover is quite another.

  Mara doesn’t know why she’s on the ferry to Monster Island, but she knows that a job is waiting. She goes through orientation, meets the local police chief, and is taken to her assignment and residence. She’s going to be a waitress.

  Tyron has spent thousands of years waiting to find a human to act as mate. When he meets Mara, he senses that she has a lovely spirit with a longing for the water, but that’s it. Arabella identifies her as a likely candidate for Tyron, so he made sure to put her where he could find her at his restaurant.

  On her day off, he gives her an invitation to the ball, but being uncharacteristically impatient, he proposes a date before the full moon.

  Can a woman who can’t remember her past consider a future with a monster classified as ancient and terrible? Of course. At least she can see this monster coming. It’s purple.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Drowning in Him

  Copyright © 2021 by Viola Masters

  ISBN: 978-1-989892-99-2

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com and other eBook sellers.

  Drowning in Him

  Monstrous Ball, Book 2

  By

  Viola Masters

  Chapter One

  Mara stepped off the ferry, wondering what she had done with her luggage. A man was there to greet them, and he smiled politely at the group.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, you have all obtained work visas for Monster Island, and I am here to help you find your training centres. From there, you will be escorted to your lodgings and then your places of work.”

  Mara looked over his neat uniform and upright posture. The small rank icons on his shoulders said that he was a member of law enforcement if she missed his straight gaze and direct assessment. She had seen guys with cop-face before.

  Their group was herded together, and they walked through the city with a mix of ancient and modern architecture and entered the administration building.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Monster Island. I am your coordinator, Mineer. I am here to answer questions that you have and to get you to your assignments around the island. Some of you have placements in the city, and others are in outlying areas.”

  The man had a pleasantly open face, and he went through their uniforms, casual clothing, shopping opportunities, and entertainment on the weekends. It was a fairly thorough breakdown of their situations and the expectations that were had on the island.

  “Now, as for socialization. Yes, there are monsters on the island, and once a month, we have a ball. We invite humans here on visas, and while attendance is mandatory, you are not required to act in any other way. You show up, dance or not, make small talk with the person who issued your invitation, and then you go home before dawn if you are not interested in the monster who invited you. They aren’t going to look human that night, and freaking out is an acceptable response.”

  Mara cocked her head. “Why are you telling us that?”

  Mineer smiled. “You won’t remember anything from the ball if you don’t form an attachment. You will remember this briefing and wonder if you have been to a ball, but you won’t remember anything. It is part of the enchantment of the island.”

  She nodded. “Fine. Are we housed near the places we work, or is there a commute?”

  Mineer grinned. “You are housed near where you work if you are out of town. Within town, you are within walking distance to everywhere.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” She sat with her hands in her lap, and the bright eyes of the officer were on her.

  The information session continued, but she jerked when she heard her name. “Mara Hendrix, you are being posted at the Outlook. Commander Tyron owns the restaurant and the lodgings you will be at.”

  She looked at the lovely man with the dark hair and blue-green eyes so bright they nearly glowed. “Um, okay.”

  “We can get going now, and I can answer any questions that you have about your duties.” He extended his hand to her, and some of the other women sighed and whispered.

  Mara nodded and stood up, shaking his hand and letting it go. “Pleased to meet you.”

  He grinned, and his teeth were remarkably sharp. He nodded and gestured to the door. “This way. It is a twenty-minute walk, but we will stop and get you a link.”

  “A what?” She walked toward the door, and he walked next to her.

  “A link, like a smartphone. You can play music, do research, make calls, check schedules, anything that you could do with a smartphone, except Wi-Fi. It only works on the island.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Is it normal for the business owners to pick up the new hires?”

  “Absolutely. It will help you settle in if I introduce you to your coworkers.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Getting the link was simple, and it was easy to work. They even gave her a crossbody bag to carry it in. She settled it on her and looked at Tyron. “Which way, sir?”

  He gestured down the central walking area, and he said, “This way.”

  “There aren’t any vehicles.”

  “No. Some of us can move quickly when needed, and everything else is a reasonable distance.”

  She nodded as they walked out of the town, and they passed a bunch of small businesses, cafés, and other service industries. “This is all make-work, isn’t it?”

  He chuckled. “Some of it. Mostly the citizens are enjoying the socialization. With every ferry, there is a chance that one or more of us will find a partner. Many of us have been waiting a very long time.”

  “So, you are one of the monsters.” It wasn’t a question. She knew, and he knew.

  “I am. A level nine. My other form cannot be mistaken for human, close or at a distance.” He chuckled.

  “Oh. Um, okay.”

  “Do not worry, Mara. None of the monsters will be exposing themselves to you randomly. If you gain an invitation, you will see them on the night, and if they and you get along, they let you keep the memory. You might be invited to another ball, or you might not, but your time here will pass, and you will be on the return ferry before you know it.”

  She blinked. “I can’t refuse an invitation?”

  “No. Once it has been issued, attendance is enforced.” He was deadpan about it.

  “Enforced? Is that what you do?”

  “Yes and no, the other peacekeepers and I break up fistfights. The island itself enforces the invitations, with its own methods.”

  “That is very vague.”

  “That is all you will get today. You will be working at the restaurant on the cliffs, overlooking the water.”

  She smiled. “I can do that.”

  “Do you know what you did on the mainland?”

  “Something to do with watching people.”

  He chuckled. “Interesting. Well, you will have plenty of folk to watch.”

  She nodded, and they kept walking up the slight incline until they were at the top of a hill with water crashing against the rocks below. There was a chalet-style building with a wraparound porch and tables and chairs. There were a few serv
ers visible, but the customers looked like they were all regulars enjoying the view.

  “Mara, welcome to the Seaside.” He smiled and walked her into the building. “I will leave you with management, and they will show you where you are staying.”

  She looked back down the path they had used to get there. “That is considered a long commute?”

  Commander Tyron chuckled. “We are not trying to make things more difficult; we are just looking for citizen candidates to help our population. This seemed like the best way to go about things in the modern age.” He grinned. “We do pay very well.”

  She nodded. “Right.”

  They entered the building, and he made the introductions when the manager arrived. She met the human staff and Mokilon, the manager. By the time one of the ladies had grabbed some keys and showed her the cabin that was waiting for her to live in, Tyron was gone and the breakfast rush was over.

  When lunch started, she was in the uniform of a pair of sneakers, a soft knee-length skirt, and a sleeveless blouse. It was surprisingly comfortable, but when she was shadowing one of the servers and the skirt flared and clung to her, she got the point. It might be basically respectable, but it had the potential to be a little naughty. They were certainly comfortable.

  Lolly handed her the slip. “Can you take it to the kitchen?”

  “Sure.” Mara smiled and walked the order to the kitchen and waited while Mokilon called it out. The rest of the staff got to work on it, and she saw that one of the ladies was busy, got her order, and brought it out, smiling at the patrons and asking who had what before setting it down, nice and hot.

  She returned to Lolly and checked on her then asked Megan if she needed a hand. She started delivering orders, and the kitchen was soon striving to keep up with her. She smiled at the clients, made her rounds, and left the socializing to the regular staff. When everything was caught up, she bused tables and then reset for the evening rush.

  The girls were standing around when she finished, and Lolly grinned. “You are going to blend in just fine.”

  Megan had a cuff on her wrist, and Mara asked, “What is that?”

  Megan blushed. “It is an invitation to the ball tonight. I will be leaving in a few hours.”

  “Where do you go?”

  “Uh, just outside the building. They just want me to leave the restaurant, and I will just disappear. Tonight is the full moon, so only the monsters with dates will be attending the ball while the other are laying low. They are probably going to be shopping for a date for the next full moon.” Megan was still blushing.

  “So, your date is one of the regulars?”

  Megan nodded. “We have been dating off and on for a few weeks, but tonight, I see his monster.”

  Mara paused and laughed. “That’s what they all say.”

  Megan blinked, and she chortled, looking relaxed. “If I remember, I will let you know.”

  “Thanks, but you can keep that tidbit to yourself. I am new here with a year to go. I can embrace a bit of the mystery.”

  The other ladies laughed, and Mara knew she was fitting in. She always did. Until she didn’t.

  She kept a smile on her face and got to work. She had signed up to be useful, and she was going to be useful.

  Mara took a long walk through the forest near the cliffs. It was actually a very calming way to spend her time off, and she enjoyed it.

  After two months on Monster Island, she was settled into the routine of the place. The restaurant wrapped up service at sunset most nights, which meant that the work group could close the place up and do karaoke, play games, or plug in a projector and watch a movie.

  During her days off, she preferred the great outdoors. There was no way down to the water for her, but she could stand near the cliff and look out over the water.

  There was fear in her when she looked at the water. A terror that she didn’t understand, so she stared out at the water every chance she got, hoping that her memory would tell her why she had that fear. After two months, there was no answer when her soul called out for an answer.

  She was going to keep asking.

  “Why do you keep coming here?” The commander spoke from a few feet away.

  She turned her head and wished she could see what was behind that pretty face. She had the feeling it was stuff of nightmares, but she had heard stories about his methods during arrests, and you definitely wanted to be a restrained human. He was brutal with the monsters. Limbs were left behind when the monsters were hauled off. If she had to guess, they grew back.

  She looked at him and shrugged. “Something happened in the water. It scares me now, and I don’t think it did before.”

  He was sitting on a rock and leaning on a nearby tree.

  She turned and started walking downhill.

  “Don’t leave on my account. I was just noticing that you have come here every time you have a day off.” Tyron remained seated.

  “Um, are you watching me?” She paused fifteen feet from him.

  “Occasionally. Mokilon speaks highly of you, and he told me where you go. We occasionally have jumpers, so he was relieved when you came home.”

  She blinked. “Oh. Well, I am glad I didn’t disappoint him.”

  Tyron stood up, and he walked over to her. “I would like to invite you to the next—”

  Mara’s eyes went wide, and she bolted down the hillside before he could finish his invitation.

  Arms came around her and lifted her off her feet. She squeaked as he caught her up. The commander turned and walked to the rock he had been sitting on, and he settled with her in his lap.

  “No eluding law enforcement on this island.”

  She wrapped her arms around herself, and she winced when he closed his hand around her left wrist.

  Mara looked down at his hand as he said, “Now, as I was saying, I would like to invite you to the next Monster’s Ball.”

  “Um, what if I don’t want to?”

  He chuckled. “Then you will go anyway and not remember anything the following day. I am allowed to ask you twice more after that.”

  “Why a limit of three times?”

  “Because after the third time, they worry about our becoming fixated on our partners, but we are allowed the second request because the first one can be ruined due to nerves.”

  She bit her lip, and he moved his hand. There was a dark green band with gold flecks floating in it on her wrist.

  “Oh. This is the invitation. What day is it going to be again?”

  He chuckled. “Next Thursday.”

  “Um, right. So, why didn’t you ask Megan? She stares at you as you move around the restaurant.”

  He sighed. “She isn’t my type. A friend’s mate identified you as a match. She was most specific in your suitability, but I thought it would be best if you had a few months to settle in. It isn’t like I didn’t know where to find you.”

  She blinked and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you knew pretty much where I would be all day and night.”

  “Yes. I was told to offer you answers to any questions you have about me... personally.”

  She turned and met his ocean blue eyes. “Like... questions about your other shape?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Um, fine. What do you look like?”

  “Well, I am a sea creature. I have gills and fins, four arms, two have joined fingers, and the other two have crab claws. Instead of legs, I have a tail.”

  “Um, what is the texture of your skin?”

  “Slippery. I make my own lube to help swim.” He grinned. “Prolonged contact with it has an aphrodisiac effect.”

  She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. “Ah. I see. Well, since I am guessing that you need an underwater date, I don’t see things going much further. Wait. Where is your... uh...”

  He chuckled. “She said you would ask that if the rest of my body wasn’t terrifying. I can assure you, it is.”

  “
Who said?”

  “The mayor’s wife. Arabella. She has just rejoined her husband and child after her recovery from the rites of citizenship.”

  “What are those rites?”

  “Classified.” He smiled. “Now, I believe you were curious about my reproductive organs.”

  “Well... yeah. Pretty curious, considering you have hinted at the rest of you being fairly aquatic.”

  He chuckled. “I have an armoured closure, and inside is a gathering of tentacles with an ovipositor. First, I would have to be lucky enough to catch you in a receptive phase, and then, I would snag the egg from you via suction... then the next month, I would put the gestating egg back into you with my own contribution to help it grow healthy and strong.”

  She stared at his lovely face and tried to imagine his other form. “I am not going to forget this, am I?”

  He shrugged. “No.”

  She bit her lip. “So, no penis at all?”

  He laughed. “The tentacles do the job, or so I have been assured. The ovipositor is a little... thick, but my personal lube does a good job of getting it in where it needs to be.”

  “Do you have kids already?”

  “No. The higher level the monsters are, the less likely they are to find compatible lovers.” He chuckled. “Not that you would know it from the way the mayor is carrying on. He and Arabella are together constantly, and it does not seem to be dulling their passion for each other. Their new daughter is adorable and very loved.”

  “And you want one.”

  “Of my own? Yes. I do not want to try and steal one.”

  “So, after you play pass-the-egg, the female brings the child to term?”

  “And I primarily look after it from that point onward. Yes.”

  “Oh. Wow.”

  He grinned. “Is there anything you would like to see?”

  “Um, it is rather sudden, so I am going to say no.”

  “Then, may I try a kiss to see if you and I have a connection?”