Page 42 of Fed By Fear

Gator’s neck is thin, stretching several feet. His face is an absolute nightmare. Glowing white eyes, an elongated bumpy snout, and dozens of overlapping fangs.

He is absolutely enormous. More of a fucking dinosaur than a creature from a swamp.

The lazy path he swims sends him back and forth beneath my feet. I don’t want to take my eyesoff him, but I have to take a breath. I gasp, catching sight of Madness and Hunt in the process. They’re both smiling. It’s unsettling.

Back beneath the water, Gator has disappeared again. By the time I spy him, he’s already grabbed hold of me. His taloned back foot wraps around my thigh, dragging me as he swims back toward the cabin.

I’m completely submerged again. My clawing does nothing to slow our travels. We pass through the entrance and straight to the door on the back side of the wall.

I’ve never been in here. Trying to gain my bearings while being dragged around by Godzilla’s mutant cousin is a struggle. I can tell this room is massive compared to the cozy size of the main cabin room.

Gator releases me without warning. It’s too far to try and make it back through the cabin and into the swamp. Swimming to the top of the room is the only choice I can make.There better be some air up there. Relief spins through me as I find a three-inch gap between the water and ceiling. I grip a nearby chain, using it to hold myself in place while I suck down air. Gator circles me.

His tongue sweeps along my feet and calves with each pass.

The next time his body rolls near the surface, I spy a new part of him. Deep red and corkscrewed, with a star-shaped ring of webbing around the tip. Gator’s cock matches the size of his insane body.

Of course he’s aroused. He’s nearly drowned me twice now. I’m terrified and he can sense it. Taste it, even. That’s what they do, isn’t it? Feed off of fear.

The realization that he’s enjoying himself at my expense shifts some part of my fear into anger. What am I going to do? Sit here until I either drown or he decides he’shad his fill and eats me? No. I’m going down fighting like hell.

The next time he swims by, I thrust my leg out, connecting my foot with the side of his face. Barely. The water slows my movements, making them ineffective. Something changes, though. The water begins to recede.

A few inches drop. It’s enough for my whole head to break the surface. The next drop lowers the water all the way to my stomach. I’m able to pull my body out long enough to really strike Gator when he swims past. Slamming my heel straight into his eye causes a flurry of thrashing. He rises to the surface, floating like a crocodile. One eye blinks rapidly.

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to do. Especially after I let some of the water out.” Gator’s good eye narrows.

“You let the water in here in the first place,” I argue. “So don’t act like you’re doing me any favors.”

His smile is predatory and unnatural. “Is that what you want? A favor?”

“I want the water gone and I want out of here.”

He floats closer. The near proximity squashes some of my bravado. One bite and my face will be gone.

“I thought you liked to be scared?” Leather hands encircle my hips. I grip the chain tighter as Gator rolls me until I’m facing away. He whispers, tongue flicking the shell of my ear. “Are you sure you want the water to disappear?”

“Yes. Don’t you have ears in your scary lizard form?”

Gator actually laughs. “So spicy. Let’s cool that temper of yours.”

A hand grips the back of my head, shoving my face underwater. From this angle, I have a clear view of the door out. A door that’s open and occupied.

Hunt swims through first, his snake bodyrippling as he enters the room. Madness follows, not swimming so much as moving forward, almost as if he’s the dark water itself. Their gazes lift.

Gator yanks my head above water. “You’re right. It’s time we drain the room. The others have been so patient.”

Madness

“We thought for certain you’d be Gator-stuffed and squealing by now.” We can’t stop our laughter. Githany frowns.

“I’ve said it before”—Gator smirks—“I’m more patient than you two.”

“And he was waiting for an audience,” Hunt adds begrudgingly. We think he’s still sulking. Githany escaped his domain before he could catch her. Hunt is the only one who hasn’t had his fill of our ghost girl yet. She’s got Gator’s scent all over her.

Technically Gator cheated by stitching his domain to Hunt’s. We did the same earlier tonight. Which means Hunt has multiple reasons to be pissed.

“Get me out of this room,” Githany demands.