Page 80 of Guarded By the Vodnik

She let go, sinking slowly. The lamia tried to get her with his tail, but I caught it in a tight grip, turning sharply to end him so I could get Zoe again.

We struggled. He bit my tentacle, and I lost precious seconds pulling it free, then when I had my gun ready, he managed to slip his upper body out of my grip, making aiming impossible. I grunted, fury welling, because every moment I wasted on this fucking snake was a moment I couldn’t protect Zoe.

Finally, I got a tentacle around his gills, slowly suffocating him. When he stilled enough for me to blast him, I shot his brain through his eye.

Pushing the limp body away, I dove down, humming to light the area so I’d see her at once.

But Zoe wasn’t anywhere in sight. She was gone.

Chapter 26

Zoe

I sank slowly, looking up as Vodyan fought with the lamia. I worried about him, my heart beating somewhere in my throat when I saw tentacles, a snake tail, and clawed arms clash in a vicious fight, and at the same time, I had this deep conviction Vodyan would come out on top.

He was so strong, so utterly focused and dependable. He would win in no time and come back for me, and so, I didn’t even worry about myself.

Until a forearm snaked around my throat from behind, choking me. The lower half of my mask was ripped off my face, and my shocked scream turned into bubbles.

“Now, that’s better,” Carver’s cruel voice spoke in my ear as he tugged me through a hole in the cage surrounding the shipwreck.

I struggled, trying to grip the edge of the cage to resist him. Carver snarled and pressed harder at my throat, hitting my temple with something hard. My vision darkened for just a moment, my fingers slipping free. He huffed with satisfaction and dragged me into the shadow of the ship’s hull, my body buoyed by the water.

“Alone at last,” he said, turning me until my back was pressed against the ship, the air tank digging into my spine. “Move and I’ll cut your throat.”

I forced back the urge to swallow, feeling the edge of the blade pressing into my windpipe. Carver was right in my face, grinning so widely, he looked psychotic.

My heart beat faster and faster until I wanted to hurl. With my lower mask gone, I couldn’t speak. I could only shake, and hope, hope, hope.

Hope that Vodyan would come in time.

“I lost everything because of you,” Carver said, that grin still on his face even though his voice was furious. “And now you’re here, about to get what you deserve. Tell me, how does it feel?”

I tried to glare, but my face was numb from fear, my head dizzy from the hit he served me. Blood rushed in my ears, fizzing with adrenaline.

Carver laughed, rolling the blade across my throat. I whimpered against my clenched teeth, and he leaned closer.

“I wish we had more time together.”

He pressed in with the knife. I squeezed my eyes shut, begging the universe Vodyan would survive without me, when suddenly, the knife pulled back. My heart wrenched with hope.

I opened my eyes, but no one was here to save me.

“On second thought, I think I’ll enjoy watching you drown,” Carver said with a smirk. “It’s poetic. Don’t you think?”

I gaped at him, uncomprehending. How did he want me to drown when I had the ability to breathe underwater?

When he ripped the mask off my face and cut it off with a slash of his knife, bubbles from my tank flowing in a steady stream through the broken tube, I finally understood.

He doesn’t know. Of course.

Desperately, I reached for my mouth mask, knowing this would be my first step if I was really drowning. Carver laughed, whipping me around until my face flattened against the rusty hull of the ship. He tore the tank off my back, cutting where it was connected to the tubing inside my suit.

I held my breath, determined not to give away that I could breathe. Blindly, I scrambled toward the hole in the cage, but Carver grabbed me by the arm and threw me to the bottom. A cloud of silt rose, and I took a quick breath, struggling and writhing as best I could. I didn’t know how death from drowning actually looked, so I did my best to feel into the desperation of not having air.

“I will enjoy the next minute, Zoe. I will enjoy watching you breathe water into your lungs and drown, knowing you couldn’t save that fucking abomination or even yourself. And when I finish you off, I will rebuild, while you will stay here, not even getting to rot. That’s justice.”

With a wide sweep of my arm, I disturbed the sand again, giving myself cover to take another breath. I was on my hands and knees, doing my best to seem like I was growing weaker as I tried to stand up.

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