Page 68 of Guarded By the Vodnik

Just as he was about to enter, there was a gasp from above and a childish voice screaming, “Mama! Mama!”

Vodyan stopped, his jaw clenching as the smirk slid off his face. He seemed uncomfortable. I looked up to see a vodnik woman emerge from the apartment above, looking annoyed by the child’s calls.

“What, Kipka?”

“The scary man brought a human! Will he eat them?”

She jolted and looked down, flinching when her eyes met Vodyan’s. Oh. Was she afraid of him?

“Don’t talk nonsense, Kipka,” she said without speaking a word to us.

Vodyan tensed further. I didn’t know what the deal with his neighbor was, and he evidently wasn’t about to say anything, so I laughed as loudly as I could, drawing the vodniks’ attention.

“From one lady to another,” I said, looking at the woman with a conspiratorial grin, “I very much hope your hot neighbor eats me. Good day!”

Vodyan made a soft, surprised noise, and the woman’s eyes widened before her lips stretched in a reluctant smile.

“Mama! Why isn’t she scared?” Kipka asked, her voice hushed but still loud enough to hear.

“Because he’s a very kind, amazing man!” I shouted while Vodyan pulled me into the apartment.

The door closed behind us, and he tugged me in deeper, passing through a doorway covered with a curtain of something that looked like bluish fronds.

“Hope she has fun avoiding the kid’s questions about what I meant,” I said with an evil grin.

Green and soft golden lights lit up as soon as we entered, revealing a space filled with plants. All of them swayed as we swam in, woken by the current. It looked like a jungle in here, except the plants were mostly blue, red, pink, white, and purple.

“Wow,” I breathed, looking around as more details stood out to me.

A huge, jet black screen was embedded in a wall. Thin, intricate ornaments hung from the ceiling, turning gently and reflecting the lights. And deeper in the room, another doorway with a curtain of bioluminescent blue plants led into another room.

“Thank you, Zoe,” Vodyan said.

When I looked at him, I realized he must have stared at me the whole time I was taking in his apartment. His eyes were intense, face serious.

“For what? What did I do?”

He snorted softly and stroked the back of my head. “When I told you I don’t have friends, it was true. Even my neighbors are afraid of me. I can’t… I don’t smile at people. I rarely speak to strangers. And you… You just shine. I appreciate what you did.”

My heart wrenched with pain at his admission, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I smiled, throwing my arms around his neck.

“I only told them the truth. You’re a kind, amazing man, and you’re very, very hot.”

“Yeah?” he asked, that cocky smirk back on his face.

I longed to kiss it, so I took off my lower mask and pulled him closer. He caught me deftly until I straddled him, our lips meeting in a messy kiss, cool water sliding between us. Vodyan kneaded my ass, a deep groan coming from his voice sack. I squirmed against him, shamelessly seeking friction, until he pulled away.

“We can fuck downstairs.”

I barely nodded while he already moved through the house, fast and eager. In the next room, there was a trap door that opened after he pushed a button. We fell into a cylindrical lock, much like the one in the safehouse, except this one was jet black and dotted with pretty green lights.

The water pumped out fast, and Vodyan kissed me through it. As soon as the water level dropped enough for my suit to stop operating, I realized he was hot around me, his tentacles and arms already there to shield me from the cold.

“You’re so good,” I choked out when he kissed my cheeks and jaw, the tips of his sharp teeth gently scraping my skin. “And so hot. So strong. And you make me laugh. And I just love…” I broke off, realizing what I almost said and terrified of spoiling the mood for him. “I just love the way you fuck me. You’re so perfect.”

His lips curved in a smile against my jaw.

“Told you it would come to you.”

---