Page 36 of Guarded By the Vodnik

He shook his head, watching me with a tight expression.

“No. I’ve been at this fucking stone for hours. It won’t budge. There are a few spots I want to blast more tightly, but we’ve run out of time.”

I blinked a few times, wishing I could rub sleep out of my eyes.

“What do you mean? Are the lamias back?”

Vodyan clenched his jaw, releasing bubbles through his nose. Finally, he came closer with a gentle push of his tentacles and held my shoulders with both hands.

“No, Zoe. But the air in your tank will run out.”

Chapter 13

Vodyan

I could tell she didn’t understand me at first. She was still sleepy, and I was glad she managed to rest. As for me, I’d been painfully aware of every minute that passed since we got stuck in this fucking cavern.

It was all my fault, but at the same time, it had also been the only choice at the time. Zoe would have got hurt if I fought so many instead of letting myself be herded into the trap. I knew that, and yet, the guilt weighed in my chest like a stone.

The moment Zoe’s eyes widened with fear, I had her in my arms, my body wrapping around her in comforting layers. That tightness in my throat that was there at the start of our acquaintance was back, but this time, it was because I knew exactly what I had to say to her.

Yet I lacked the necessary language. Because how was I supposed to say a thing like that? It was wild, impossible, and it would sound like a lie.

All of this would have been so much easier if I hadn’t developed personal feelings for her. It could have been professional then. Clean.

But I’d allowed myself to grow attached, and because of that, it would all be a huge mess.

Zoe cried, her goggles fogging up with hot tears. I stroked her back and arms, my tentacles sliding down her legs and caressing her nape soothingly. Following that instinct to touch her came naturally. It was like by denying myself that comfort for days, I grew this powerful need that now guided my limbs.

When she shook harder and harder, I realized my silence hurt her more than any words I could possibly say, so I tried to coax her to listen.

“Zoe. Please, you have to stop crying. Zoe, I have to tell you something.”

It was no use. I wasn’t even sure she heard me, she was so lost in the terror of her looming death. I cursed myself quietly. Of course, I handled it all wrong. Once this was over, I would take some fucking course on socializing or something.

Not that it would be worth it if she wasn’t by my side.

“Zoe. Come on. Stop crying.”

When that didn’t work, either, I pushed gently away and lowered myself until my face was level with hers. I held her head in my palms and called her name until she opened her eyes. When she finally did, I told her what I should have said right from the start.

“Zoe. You won’t die! There is a way for you to survive without the air tank. Do you hear me? Give me a nod.”

A sob fell out, and then a hiccup. She finally nodded shakily, and I returned the nod with emphasis.

“That’s right, pretty human. You won’t die. You will be okay. Yes? Do you understand me?”

She sniffled and then grimaced, realizing her mask was filled with tears.

“Did you just call me a pretty human?” she asked in a wobbly voice.

I grunted in embarrassment. “I did. I’m sorry. Okay, are you with me? Can you listen? Because we have to talk. We have exactly forty-six minutes left, but it would be better if we got it done in thirty, just to stay on the safe side.”

She blinked at me uncertainly. Tears stuck to her eyelashes, and the tips of my tentacles tingled with the need to wipe them away, but of course, her goggles were in the way.

“Have you kept track all this time?” she asked incredulously.

“Of course I did,” I said, mildly offended. “It’s my job to keep you alive. I kept track of time from the moment you took the first breath from the tank.”

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