A black horse with a fiery red mane comes into the fray and rears back, shaking off what looks like floating ropes of tar.
‘What the hell is that?’I wrinkle my nose in disgust. Instead of a beautiful, soft coat or the watery effect that JP has, this thing is all tar-like with strips of thick black ropes trailing off its body.
‘Damn, baby. You’re looking good as an Each-Uisge,’JP purrs as he makes a claw motion with his hand towards the horse.
‘What’s that?’Rez asks, moving closer and running her hand over Zeke’s mane.
‘It’s a vicious and dangerous shape-shifting water spirit that’s carnivorous, eating its victims completely except for the liver,’JP explains, and Rez pales as she pulls her hand away from Zeke.‘It’s a good thing he’s on our side, huh?’
‘Okay, guys,’Levi calls out, unraveling himself and proving that size does matter.‘Since we’re all here, let’s get going. Does anyone know which way to go? I can’t find a Ley line down here either.’
I look around, gauging everyone else's mannerisms, and realize it’s going to be harder to read them in these forms. I sure hope we don’t have to actually fight like this, because if we do, we’re fucked.
‘Nope,” I confess while looking around. JP hesitates before he raises a finger with an uneasy smile. “I’m assuming you get to lead us through the vast ocean, huh?’I guess, and try to move, only to find I’m still stuck.
‘I’ll try, it’s not like I’m an expert on this power. I don’t know how to explain it,’JP speaks up timidly.‘I know it sounds weird, and I’ll have to dive into it later, because now is not the time,but we need to head North.’JP nods in the direction we need to go.
‘Sweet, we at least have a direction. Onward, Chestnut!’Moni yells before plastering herself to Chester’s tail.
I turn back to my ball and chain and growl,‘Mind helping? Because right now you’re dead weight.’
Knots rolls his eyes but tries to move, and for the first few moments, we struggle to get down a rhythm to snake our way through the water. Thankfully, we’re not the only ones trying to get used to our bodies. But we are the worst and the ones who slow up the entire party.
CHAPTER 45
Watered Down Good Guys
JP
It’s funny how Lynx asked if I was Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea, when it’s believed that Felix, the guy the myth was really about, was a Nix that overstayed his time on Earth. He enjoyed his time playing God and hid away in the ocean until his death, they say. For all we know, he’s still there. It’s another tale we will never know, but it’s a great story to pass on at least.
It takes everyone a few minutes to learn how to move in their bodies, me included. Although having been in this form before, I’m finding it easier to accept my new embodiment. I already know what I look like and how my body reacts around water, and I already feel comfortable in my form. Now, I can’t say that’s what happened the first time I shifted. Nope, I was balls deep in my woman for the first time, making her come.
‘What are you thinking of that’s making the tips of your ears turn pink?’Zeke asks, bumping into my shoulder. He winces at the black sticky substance he leaves behind.‘Shit, sorry about that. Still trying to figure this stuff out.’He dips his head so his mane hides his eyes.
‘Hey, it’s okay,’I tell him, reaching for his head and pulling it back up.‘See?’I wipe the tar easily off of me and send it floating to the ocean floor before smiling.‘And you caught me thinking of the first time I was in this form.’I chuckle at myself.‘It was Rez and my first time together, and I shifted. Talk about a surprise.’
‘Yep, he was a sexy smurf,’Rez reiterates as she swims past and somehow slams into a coral reef.
‘Damn it. Where’re the brakes on this thing?’she whines, trying to untangle her hair from a polyp skeleton.
‘Here, let me help,’Ryker offers as he sails past me and to where his tentacles make short work of untangling her hair.
‘Thanks. I’m still trying to learn how to use this tail,’she admits bashfully.
‘At least you’re getting some distance,’Knots grumbles. I turn around and find the double trouble eels wiggling like a sidewinder snake as Lynx hums an annoying tune that you couldn’t go to a nineties party without hearing it blasting from the speakers.
‘I’m electric. Wiggle wiggle, wiggle,’Lynx belts out, shaking his body so hard that it gives Knots whiplash.
‘No, we’re not,’he snaps, but it doesn’t affect Lynx at all as he continues to sing.
‘Ohh, we’re shocking!’
‘I love this song,’Moni chimes in.‘Your electric!’she sings and wiggles her little seahorse body to Lynx’s tune.
‘But you know I’m here, near, lear, and ready to spear.’Lynx tries to do a thrusting motion, but all he does is whip Knots back and forth again, and I swear, the green around Knots’ head turns a sickly yellow.
‘We’ve got a mission,
