Page 31 of Guarded By the Vodnik

For a moment, I stared after her, my arm half-raised. Then I dropped it with an angry huff and hurried to my room to get ready. If what the lamia said was true, we had very little time left.

Fifteen minutes later, we were both in the lock while water sloshed around our feet. Zoe stood next to me, her arms by her sides, her shoulders tense. Her eyes behind the clear goggles were wide, the lines around her mouth deeper than normal.

“It will fill up soon,” I said over the sound of rushing water. “Can I lift you now?”

I caught it because I suspected it would be there. Her face crumpled in relief, and she nodded frantically.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, gently picking her up until she settled against me, her arms wrapped around my neck, her legs squeezing my waist.

“For what?” she asked, pressing closer until her breasts were completely squished between us.

Heat poured down my spine with the awareness of how soft her body was. How warm. How it molded to mine. I held myself in check with adrenaline alone, knowing we’d be much more exposed out there than in the safehouse. I had to be alert.

And yet, I still felt the pleasure buzzing underneath the watchfulness. She felt so fucking good.

“Doesn’t matter,” I replied when water reached Zoe’s legs, and she gasped from the cold, instantly shivering. “I just am. Hold on tight.”

“You c-can hold me, too,” she said, laying her shivering head in the crook of my neck. “However is m-most comfortable.”

I paused while water reached up to her lower back, where my arm was, pressing in under her air tank. What did she…

And then I understood. Slowly, I let my arm fall until I settled it under her ass, my forearm becoming a ledge for her to sit on. Zoe made a squawking sound, and I pulled my hand away, fingers spasming in the cold water.

“It-t-t’s all right,” she said, shivering. “J-just c-c-cold.”

I exhaled as water reached up to my neck, and settled my hand back in place, refraining from grabbing her ass with my palm. But it was tempting. I’d stolen glances at her during our time together, and I knew every curve of her beautifully rounded behind. I just bet it was squishy like her breasts were.

The lock filled completely and I braced myself, banishing all inappropriate thoughts. We swam out, and Zoe sighed with relief, her hold tightening around me now that she stopped shaking.

Another small pang of guilt shot through me. I could have kept her warm through the transition. There was a hormonal mechanism that allowed me to raise my bodily temperature in certain circumstances. But then, it wasn’t proper.

Though I was close to deciding that being proper wasn’t as important as keeping her safe and well. That realization made me tense, because it was a clear sign that my judgment was compromised.

That was exactly why boundaries shouldn’t be crossed. Personal feelings muddled the image and made me less reliable at my job.

By caring for Zoe, I became less able to protect her effectively. It was quite ironic.

I exhaled, pushing away from the bottom while she clung to me, her fingers gently stroking my scales in a mindless, probably self-soothing way.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice sack pulsing.

She stirred, her legs tightening around me until I fancied she pressed her core to my torso with a faint sigh. Electricity skirted across my spine.

And now I was really distracted. Fuck.

“I’m good,” she said, her voice distorted through the plastic. “By the way, I watched your fight on the security screens. You were amazing. So ruthless.”

I barked out a surprised laugh. “Amazing? It was fucking slaughter.”

Zoe murmured something so softly, I didn’t really catch it. It sounded a bit like “ten points”, but that didn’t make any sense.

“Well, I assume they tried to hurt us, so it’s good you dealt with them,” she said, sounding unsuitably appreciative.

To be honest, I would have expected her to be horrified or scared if she saw the whole thing. If I had known she watched, I would have strangled both lamias. It was the least gruesome and very efficient manner of death.

“They were trying to kidnap you,” I replied, which made her hug me more tightly.

“And you prevented it, so I’m grateful. You know, a few months ago I might have been horrified, but Carver changed my outlook on things. If I could get him, I’d kill him personally. Someone who sells children into sex slavery deserves to fucking die, and everyone who works for him deserves that, too.”

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