Page 11 of Guarded By the Vodnik

Because when I ran my thumb over one before, he bolted.

That was another thing that bothered me while also making me insanely curious. For a person who hadn’t said a word to me, Vodyan expressed a lot, except, I had no idea how to interpret his behavior. He seemed cold and professional, and yet, he was so shockingly skittish. Or did I overstep somehow? Was that why he’d bolted when I thoughtlessly ran my thumb over his sucker?

A blush crept up my cheek. Sucker. Why did an anatomic term sound so dirty somehow? And why did I keep wanting to touch it?

Well, I knew why. I was a tactile person. I learned and made connections with other people through touch, but this didn’t seem like the best way to start a professional relationship with my bodyguard.

“And, um, how long do we have to stay here? Before we can go lower?” I asked, hoping to finally coax some words out of him.

The skin at his throat fluttered, a faint green glow lighting there just as a soft, inquisitive sound made its way to me. But the sound stopped, the glow extinguished, and Vodyan shook his head.

Oh my God. Was he… mute? No one had told me if he had any disabilities, and now I was completely embarrassed and afraid to ask him.

Because maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe it was a cultural thing I didn’t get to during my brief research.

Gosh. I probably came across as a total oaf, uneducated and human-centered.

Though I knew about the voice sacks, of course. I read about them. Vodniks had vocal cords that worked in a two-fold way: similarly to human ones so they could speak on land, and also in a way that redirected the sound into the voice sacks in their throats. That allowed them to speak comfortably underwater, but the speech was supposed to sound different because they didn’t form the words with their tongues and lips, but with a specialized voice apparatus in their throats.

I’d been really eager to hear him speak when I learned about the voice sacks, but now, I was afraid he couldn’t.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, squeezing his tentacle gently.

He jerked, his mouth opening, which briefly revealed the tips of his sharp, white teeth. A small flurry of bubbles flowed out. His tentacle twitched in my hold, and I cringed. Right. Skittish.

“I shouldn’t do that. Got it.” I smiled with contrition.

He blinked, watching me intently. His gaze felt like a physical pressure, making me ramble. I usually eased tension with talking.

“Thing is, I was told only yesterday that you’d be my bodyguard, and I knew so little about vodniks before. Which is really uncool of me. I usually go out of my way to learn about all the sentient species, especially because I teach—well, used to teach before all this happened—in a co-ed kindergarten. So I learned everything I could to support all my pupils equally. But I have to admit, we never had a vodnik kid. Though it’s not surprising, obviously. Since you guys stay in the lakes. Do you have kindergartens down here?”

Too late did I realize I asked him a question, which was insensitive of me if he couldn’t speak. But Vodyan nodded curtly, and I breathed out in relief. At least it wasn’t an open-ended question.

“So there you have it,” I said with a smile. “But I’m open to learn. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Believe me, I’m determined not to make this difficult for you. I just… I just need a while. To adjust. And maybe stop panicking. This was all sprung on me so suddenly, though I’m grateful, of course. With the other witnesses having been… Uh. Nope. I can’t talk about it. Shouldn’t even think it. Sorry. I’m sure I’ll feel better soon. Though, I wish you could tell me how long until we get to the safehouse. Maybe being indoors will help some.”

Vodyan cocked his head to the side, studying me. With a gentle flex of his tentacles, he swam closer. I gulped, watching as they undulated. It was a strangely beautiful sight, so synchronized and hypnotic. They shimmered, too, just like his torso, and the effect was utterly enchanting.

Until Vodyan’s face appeared so much closer as the tentacle I held slackened in my palms. This was incredible, too. He’d barely moved, yet that small movement propelled him across the distance between us with shocking speed.

We were very close to each other. His face hovered right opposite mine.

I saw the exact shape of his irises in his deep-set eyes that partly hid under his prominent brow-ridges. They were almost round, but not quite—a bit more elongated than human ones. His eyes had no whites.

His nose was flat, with two narrow slits at the sides, and his mouth, which had seemed kind of lipless from a distance, looked utterly sensual from up close. It definitely wasn’t lipless, but the color of his lips was the same as the rest of his face, which made them less visible. His upper lip didn’t have a bow, but there was a softness and flexibility to his mouth.

“Oh. Hi,” I said, my stomach twisting.

I really hoped it wasn’t nausea. The idea of puking underwater was utterly unappealing.

The soft skin on his throat glowed briefly, fluttering, as he made a deep, rumbling sound. It wasn’t a word—at least, not one I could understand, so I frowned and moved closer, as if that would somehow help me hear him better.

Vodyan recoiled slightly, and I pulled back.

“Right. Sorry. I thought you wanted to say something, but I didn’t get what,” I explained, desperately trying to suppress that weird feeling in my stomach.

Vodyan pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowing as he looked aside. Finally, he nodded once and looked at me again. Slowly, his hands settled on my waist, his expression losing some of its harshness. I thought he seemed questioning.

“Oh. You… You want to hold me?” I asked, nonplussed and suddenly too hot in my suit.

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