Page 9 of Guarded By the Vodnik

Irrationally so.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Do you…” She stopped when her voice broke. She cleared her throat.

“Is this supposed to be like this? Are we… You need to hold me? Because no one mentioned it, but like, it’s fine. I know I get clingy when I’m nervous. God, I’m sorry. I’m usually quite rational, I promise. It was just, well, everything. But the cold was the worst. I jumped in and I couldn’t breathe, and then, even though the suit warmed up, I couldn’t stop panicking. But I’m already better. I think.”

Ah, so she did have a problem breathing, but it was resolved now. And she held on to me because, what, she was startled? I didn’t quite understand the logic in that. All I knew was that she waited expectantly, no longer holding on like her life depended on me, and it was time to let go.

Slowly, finger by finger, I loosened my grip. My tentacles vibrated with that need, and I pushed it away, my annoyance growing. Not just with her, but with myself, too. What was I doing?

Finally, I detached from her enough to pull back. She made a squeaky noise, her limbs sprawling as if to grab onto something as she sank lower.

I wanted to tell her to stop jerking around and just feel the water, but I didn’t trust my voice. Something taut and hard lodged in my voice sack, and it felt full even though it was currently empty, pulled flat against my throat.

When she struggled harder, I lost my patience. My tentacle shot out, coiling around her waist to hold her still. She squeaked again, wrapping those hot fingers around my limb, which made me shudder.

What was wrong with me?

“I’m sorry,” she choked out, seeming upset or embarrassed. I wasn’t sure. “God, I… don’t know what I’m doing, do I? I promise I’ll get better as soon as I get used to all this. I’m not a diver. Like, not at all. And I told them, and they said the benefits outweighed the risks, because they really don’t want me to end up with my entrails dragged all over an underground parking lot, and… Oh my God, another one. Okay, breathe.”

She fell silent, her lips pursed as she took in a deep breath through her nose and held it, then released slowly. She forcefully gripped my tentacle that was still wrapped around her middle as she continued breathing with focus. My muscles tensed, reacting to the strength of her hold and her heat.

She seemed distressed, so I didn’t dare let go, even though the onslaught of confusing emotions made me angry. But my principal’s survival always came before my comfort, and so I endured the chaos in my head and her bruising touch.

My tentacles were strong but very sensitive with the amount of nerve endings they were equipped with. And as it turned out, touching something as hot as a human body made odd sensations travel through those nerves, overloading my brain even more.

I focused on my own breathing, the gills at the sides of my neck fluttering gently as I held us afloat at the right level. My principal’s eyes were closed, her nostrils flaring with every inhale. I watched, mesmerized, as the plastic of her mask cleared when she breathed in and fogged when she breathed out.

When her eyes opened, I flinched. I was staring.

“A panic attack,” she said with a small smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d get them again. They ended, oh, seven years ago. I’m thirty-one, you know. Way too old to have panic attacks.”

When I said nothing, simply looking at her, she winced.

“Not that age has anything to do with that,” she added, looking aside as her mouth worked. “That was unkind of me. Stupid, really. I know better. I’m so sorry. Again. I know I’m rambling.”

She looked up with another soft smile. She still held on to my tentacle coiled around her waist, though her grip relaxed. When her thumb ran over my skin, I jolted and sprang away, uncoiling so fast, I knocked her aside.

She squeaked and flailed her arms.

“God! I’m sorry! I just don’t know what… How am I supposed to…”

I gritted my teeth, took a long, calming breath, and extended a tentacle for her to hold. She grabbed it with a frustrated sound and righted herself. We watched each other, her face so small and so fragile behind that mask, her body so breakable and so utterly dependent on tech.

She was already at a disadvantage down here because of her species. And now, it became apparent she couldn’t control her fear and other emotions, either.

This was going to be a very long month.

Chapter 4

Zoe

“How much longer are we supposed to wait here?” I asked after an uncomfortable silence that could have lasted anywhere from fifteen minutes to half an hour. I had no idea. Time ran differently down here, where water pressed at me from every side, and my only guarantee of survival was the suit I wore.

It suddenly seemed so flimsy and inadequate.

My bodyguard’s eyes flicked to me and then to his wrist. Glowing numbers appeared on his skin when he turned his hand. He had a watch implant.

---