Page 34 of Guarded By the Vodnik

“I’m fine.”

I didn’t let go, and he held me firmly, absorbing my shivers. I gulped deeper and deeper breaths until I remembered about boxed breathing and switched to the right rhythm as my heart slowly calmed. Vodyan kept running his hands over me, his tentacles slithering against my legs, and the caresses soothed me.

“We’re trapped, right?” I asked when I was almost completely calm.

He hummed in confirmation, the soft glow dispersing the darkness.

“This is good news, Zoe. I should be able to dislodge the stone with my jet gun. We just have to wait for them to leave. They might put up a guard or two, but that I can handle.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

And I really did. Some fear was still there, which was natural, but it was a far cry from the panic when I first hit the lake. Because now, Vodyan was here to keep me safe.

I pressed closer. It was probably time to climb off, but I was so entangled in him now, I wouldn’t be able to if he didn’t let go of me first. And even though my muscles ached, I was loath to stop when he touched me like this.

Vodyan seemed reluctant to let me go, too. When he pressed his face to the top of my head, my breath hitched in my throat. This seemed different.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “It’s the adrenaline. I need a minute to make sure you’re safe and well.”

“It’s okay,” I said, my voice growing breathy as my heart sped faster. “Do what you need.”

I was shaking, but not from fear now. His voice sounded like that again. Ragged and hoarse, and just so deliciously intimate.

I flinched when a tentacle slithered across my buttock and up my back. Another one followed, and another, suckers pressing to me as he slowly wrapped me up in himself.

My body woke up with bursts of heat under my skin. I pressed closer, wishing I could see it, and yet grateful I didn’t. The darkness made it all hidden, and if it was hidden, it was allowed.

I exhaled sharply when a tentacle slithered under my abdomen, so low, it was just above my pubic bone. It pulsed gently, squirming between our bodies with small movements, as if he was rubbing himself against me. All his other limbs did that, too. I was surrounded by friction, and in the complete darkness that even my goggles couldn’t penetrate because there was no light here, my sense of touch grew even sharper than normal.

Tingles chased down my spine, my skin blooming with sensitivity. My breath grew shaky, each pass of his tentacles or hands building something hot and wanting inside me. I was surrounded, sinking into darkness and touch, and my throat burst with a moan that wanted out so desperately, I was afraid I’d fall apart if I didn’t release it.

But I held it back. I was terrified Vodyan would stop once he realized how into this I was. For all I knew, it was a completely innocent procedure vodnik bodyguards did. Fuck, I didn’t know. But I wasn’t about to make it awkward.

Something nudged the mask over my lips, and Vodyan released a bubbly breath through his mouth.

He stilled, just holding me close, his body surrounding me from all sides. My breath was fluttery and fast, and my fingers spasmed where I held him. I desperately wanted to rub myself against his torso, or maybe ask him to touch me, but he was evidently done with this strange caressing ritual.

And it was for the best. If he kept going, I would indeed moan and more, and it would probably cost me my dignity.

Slowly, he untangled himself from me until only his arms held me to him. I felt each limb that fell away like an acute loss to be mourned.

“I will let you go now, okay?” he said softly. “But you can touch me if you need. I know it’s scary.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, my voice too high-pitched for my comfort.

I was so far gone and half-delirious with need. My pussy clenched greedily, and I bit back the disappointed whimper that wanted to tear free when his hands slid off me, and my feet touched the bottom.

It was good that he let go, I reasoned with myself. Distance would do me good. I had to cool down. Get my bearings.

Yes, I absolutely needed to get a fucking grip, because if he did that again, I would grab his tentacle and ride it or something, and that just couldn’t happen.

Down, girl.

While I chided myself in the privacy of my mind, Vodyan hummed softly, emitting enough light to make the walls of our cavern visible. He swam over to the entrance we came through and gently poked the edges, pushing at the stone that blocked it.

“We’ll wait a bit longer,” he said, coming back to my side.

The cavern was large enough for us to keep our distance, but Vodyan was so close, his tentacles brushed against my shins. I gulped, realizing what a prolonged stay here would mean. I was already thirsty, hungry, and my bladder was full.

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