Taken by Tentacles by Jessie Snow

Author:Jessie Snow [Snow, Jessie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Captain? Can you open your eyes for me?”

A voice disrupted his peaceful oblivion.

“Come on, open those eyes. I’ll let you sleep after I assess your mental status.”

Forget it. He grumbled and turned over. The pull of darkness was too powerful to ignore. Whoever was calling him could wait.

There was a chuckle. A hand rubbed his shoulder. “Wake up for me. You’ve been asleep for hours. I have the test results from the sample I collected, and I think–” Audible swallow. “You’ll want to know what I found.”

His eyes opened. Sunlight blinded him, pain stabbing his eyes. He pulled the pillow over his head.

Sick.

The boat rolled on the waves. Vertigo assaulted his senses without preamble, uncaring of the chill settling into his bones. He didn’t have a fever yet, but he would. Enough bouts of the flu had taught him the warning signs.

“You with me?”

He peered out from under the pillow. Dr. Carson was situated on the edge of the bed, worry deepening the creases of his brow.

“Results?” Liam asked, curtly.

He didn’t mention the tentacles, exam, sedation, or even the collection of his own semen, though the doctor would pay dearly for that stunt. Instead, he hid behind his professional façade. That of sea captain, commander of the Alex Rose and any crew or passengers aboard.

If Dr. Carson disobeyed him again, his tone stated, he’d be reported missing before they motored back to shore.

“I ran the creature’s sample and tested your hormone levels. It seems the octopus is a nondiscriminatory specimen regarding the gender of its mate. Advanced biology has allowed it to implant you with spawn. As far as I can tell, this spawn shares the same accelerated development.”

Liam’s schooled features morphed into disbelief. “I’m pregnant?”

“Not only that, but a couple months along, if we’re to judge by the average incubation time of six or seven months. You should give birth within the next few days.”

“Oh, God–” he choked out. Anxiety overwhelmed him, even as he felt his telepathic link with the creature activate. It was a static-fueled radio station, coming in clear. Frequencies saturated the airwaves to calm him. Low murmurs, soporific in pitch, called to him and slowed his frantic heartbeat.

It didn’t dull his nausea.

“You’re wrong,” he said thickly, shaking his head. “Your tests are flawed. I’m not pregnant, because it isn’t physically possible.”

“Captain–”

“No! I want you off my boat.” He threw the covers back, noting that he’d been redressed in clean sweatpants. “I’m raising the anchor and taking you back to town.”

Something slammed into the hull.

He was knocked off his feet, elbow cracking against the floor. Dr. Carson fell against the bed where he’d just slept, fists gripping the comforter as the boat was hit a second time.

“What the hell?” he yelled.

The bilge alarm went off, blaring over unmistakable thuds.

Stumbling to his feet, he threw himself into the hall. He half-ran, half-crawled to the alarm panel in the engine room. Another impact made him cling to the railing, knuckles white. The boat heeled once more, and he closed his eyes against the dizziness threatening to make him pass out.

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