THE NEXT DAY MUTTER refused to get out of the tank. The blood from this last change had dirtied the water so much he was positive that as long as he stayed away from the sides she couldn’t see him, and there was no way he was going to let her see him. He’d starve first. His face was a mess, all mouth and rows of sharp teeth. He truly was a monster now.

On the third day, Ableson succumbed to Sweet’s pleas and allowed her to drop food into the tank. Mutter’s resolve to starve faded as the meat drifted past him. He snapped his jaw, snatching a hunk of meat and chewed, but his teeth were different. They couldn’t grind the food. He tipped his head back and swallowed. It was dry and tasteless. He let the rest sink to the bottom.

He wasn’t sure how many days passed. Ableson and Conguise constantly scribbled in their notepads and talked in whispers outside the room. He refused to listen. Nothing they said mattered anymore. Sweet continued to attempt to coax him out of the tank. She would eventually drop the meat into the water and then sit by the side, crying. He hated being the cause of her tears, but if he let her see him it would be worse.

A ripple in the water drew his gaze upward. Something dangled above. He drifted toward it, saliva pooling in his mouth. This was food, alive and filled with blood. His body almost vibrated with the urge to attack, but he had to move carefully or it would escape. He studied it from below. It was small and skinny, legs splashing in the water as it clung to a rope over the center of his tank. He moved closer. The splashing increased. His muscles tensed and he flew upward breaching the water and wrapping his arms around the creature. A scream pierced the air as he pulled his dinner from the rope and into the water.

“Mutter, no. Let him go!” Sweet pounded on the glass. “He’s just an old Servant. Let him go.”

He looked at the creature in his grasp. It was a House Servant, but he hated Servants, except Sweet. His eyes darted to her. She continued to scream, slamming her fists against the tank. He released his hold and his prey swam to the surface. Sweet grabbed the old Servant’s hands and dragged him out of the water.

The Servant ran across the enclosure and grasped the bars of the cage. “Please, let me out of here!”

The professor nodded and Laddie opened the door, letting the Servant out, before quickly shutting it again. Mutter’s stomach rumbled and he swam to the bottom and ate the rotting meat. It wasn’t too bad.

After that, he dozed in the water. He’d found a small shelf where he could stick the tips of his flipper-feet to keep him from floating to the surface.

“Mutter,” called Sweet in a whisper. “Ableson’s sleeping. Come to me. I miss you.”

She was looking over the edge of the tank. He could grab her in an instant and pull her under, but she hated getting wet.

“I saw you today and I don’t care about your face. Please, come out of the water.”

He didn’t believe her. It had all happened so fast that she couldn’t have gotten a good look at him.

“You will pay for this.” She jumped into the water.

She was inside his tank. Here he was power. He swam past her, letting his large body brush against her feet so she’d understand how helpless she was in his domain. Then, she’d leave. Instead, she ducked under the water her hands brushing across his leg.

She resurfaced, gasping for breath. “Mutter, stop playing and hold me.”

Hold her. Hold her. The words echoed through him and he drifted up until only his eyes and top of his head were above the surface.

“Please. I can’t swim well.” She held out her arms.

He would let her see his face and give her the chance to flee although he wasn’t sure that he could let her go. He emerged, head and shoulders, from the water. She gasped and horror filled her eyes, sending a lance to his heart. He started to sink, to hide when she splashed over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

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“How many times do I have to tell you that I love you? You!” She slapped the side of his head. “I don’t care what you look like.” She clasped his shoulders, trying to shake him, but he didn’t budge. “Don’t make me tell you again.”

He nodded. Words were hard now.

“Are you going to hold me, or are you going to let me drown you stubborn fool?”

He rolled his eyes at her dramatics as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Her heart beat was soft and fluttery, his large and pounding, but hers held all the power. He rested his face against her neck. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like this, but soon, she began to tremble. The water was too cold for her. He used his tail to move them to the side.

“No. I won’t leave you.” She wrapped her arms tighter around him.

He tapped his chest and motioned toward the top.

“You’re getting out too?”

He nodded.

“And you’re okay out of the water? I don’t want you to get sick.”

He started to smile but stopped. She hadn’t seen all his teeth and he had a lot.

She leaned forward, her fingers lightly brushing over his lips. “I don’t care.”

She kissed him quick and then again, deeper. He pulled her close, kissing her back.

“Mine,” he rasped.

“Mine,” she whispered against his lips.

Mutter and Sweet fell into a pattern over the next few weeks. She would toss him the meat and he’d let it rot a bit before eating it. It wasn’t what he wanted but it curbed his hunger and made her happy. What he wanted was the House Servant who the Almightys stuck on a rope and hung over the top of his tank. For her, he refused to take one but he couldn’t help looking. He’d float just underneath them, waiting. Sweet would tell them that it was safe, that he wouldn’t hurt them, but they never believed her. He didn’t blame them. He was never sure whether he would grab them like he needed or let them go like she wanted. Eventually, they’d drop from exhaustion. Her voice would rise slightly as she’d tell them to swim to the side, and remind him that he did not want to hurt them. She was right. He didn’t want to hurt them; he wanted to eat them.

After each escape, he’d swim in circles, his stomach aching and his mind grumbling. The food had been right there. Why had he let it go? Later, she’d call and he’d leave the tank and rest in her arms. That was when he remembered why he listened to her. She was his everything. Nothing else mattered. Not his desires, his hunger or his life. Only her.

Today, he floated in the tank, waiting for the Servant, his food, his offering. Maybe this time, the Servant would drown and he’d be able to satisfy his hunger.

When the professor entered the room, Ableson took one more glance at his notes and stood. “I need to speak with you.”

“Then speak.”

“Not here.” Ableson shot a glance at the tank.

“He is well past understanding a word we say.”

“I think you’re wrong about that.” Ableson held the door open for the professor and they both left.

Mutter glanced at Sweet who sat with her ears tipped toward the door as she sharpened her claws. He moved toward the front of the tank.

“He listens to her, so he has to understand us,” said Ableson. “She is the reason that he’s not eating the…what we offer him.”

“You could be right. I’ve never seen one wait this long to feed. The little meat that we give him can’t be enough.”

“It isn’t. He’s getting thinner. Too thin.”

Sweet glanced toward the tank, concern in her pale eyes.

“Stop feeding him,” said the professor.

“What? He’ll starve.”

“Or eat what we give him. Or kill her,” said the professor.

“We don’t want that. We are learning so much from these two, more than the others combined.”

“Yes, but we need to push it. We need to know if hunger will break the bond. You don’t want to have one under your command and find out too late that a few hunger pangs will cause it to turn on you. We need to know how far these bonds will stretch before breaking.”

“I agree, but not like this.”

“What do you propose?” The professor’s voice was clipped. He did not like having his ideas questioned.

“We should bond with her and then add her to the project.” Ableson lowered his voice. “If she is loyal to us, and he is loyal to her…”

Mutter swam to the top of the tank and pulled himself half out. Sweet was looking up at him, her face pale.

“If they turn me, I could be with you. Truly with you.”

He shook his head. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again, but not like this. She was too good to be turned into a monster.

“We could escape and live at the Lake of Sins.” She smiled. “In the Lake of Sins.”

The Almightys’ voices rose slightly, drawing their attention back to the door.

“I’m sure that turning her is the answer,” said Ableson.

“No. Not yet anyway.”

“Why? We can’t wait much longer or he’ll starve, unless we increase his food.”

“No. No more food. He will eat what we send him, her or nothing,” said the professor.

“I think you’re making a mistake.”

“Perhaps, but it is my project.” The professor’s voice softened. “You picked well when you found him. We are learning a lot and I don’t want to lose him, but you have to remember that these creatures are exceptional hunters with voracious appetites. He won’t be able to withstand the temptation much longer. You’ll see.”