Page 82 of Guarded By the Vodnik

“Looks all right, but I want to get you checked out. Malgeri has a doctor on the boat, just in case,” Vodyan said, gently taking my chin between thumb and finger. “Do you have any other injuries?”

I shook my head, wincing when that made a wave of nausea roll through my gut.

“Come here.”

His arms came around me, his tentacles holding me close, and I sank into the familiar, strong touch, tension seeping out of me in waves. Yes. This was safety, right here.

This was home.

I kept my face buried in the crook of his neck when he swam quickly toward the surface. My shivers subsided, and even though Carver’s maniacal grin still sat under my eyelids like a haunting vision, I knew I would be fine.

With therapy and time, this would become just a memory. It wouldn’t stop me from living a long, happy life.

When we broke the surface, Vodyan kept me warm while I coughed out water, heaving and snarling. This was definitely my least favorite part of being able to breathe underwater, but then, who was I to complain? I was alive thanks to Vodyan’s gift.

In a feat of acrobatic strength, Vodyan put me aboard a large boat and heaved himself in right behind me. A dark-haired man wearing a white shirt rushed over, guiding us to an area at the back of the boat, where he quickly checked me out and tended to my palm, asking me a series of questions. I was pronounced healthy, my head injury not dangerous.

“I’m so glad,” Vodyan said quietly, wrapping all around me as soon as the doctor released me.

It was cold, and I sank into his heat with gratitude.

Movement further down the deck caught my eye, and I sobbed with relief, seeing Azahl hauled in by a bigger, meaner version of him—an adult abomination man. Both stood on the deck, their black carapaces dripping, before the doctor approached them. The adult abomination waved him away, laughing throatily.

“God, he’s alive! But why won’t he let Azahl get seen?” I asked under my breath, outrage coiling in my gut. “Come on.”

“Azahl,” I said softly when we came over, the boy sitting on a bench, the adult’s arm around his shoulders. “Hello. Are you hurt anywhere?”

A pair of black, impenetrable eyes focused on me as the boy slowly shook his head. I swallowed tears, feeling wrecked and inadequate. I wanted to apologize so badly, but I didn’t have the words.

Because how did one say sorry for something like that? He trusted me, he came to me for my help, and I failed to prevent his suffering.

When it felt like I couldn’t hold back sobs any longer, Azahl spoke, his voice quiet and inflectionless. Abominations didn’t express emotions the way humans did.

“I knew you’d get him, miss Zoe.”

I gaped, taken aback. Didn’t he hate me? I was convinced he would. Emotions roiled inside me, but it was unfair to burden a child with them, so I swallowed everything and forced a tremulous smile onto my face.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” I said, and then winced at the way it came out. “I mean… Yeah. I’m glad you’re okay. Physically.”

“He is okay in every way,” the other abomination spoke up, his voice deep and gritty, something like amusement ringing in the back of his throat. “He was only kept in a cage and mocked for a while, and then almost drowned. It’s nothing.”

It took me a few seconds to comprehend what the man just said. A wave of anger pulsed in my gut, his mocking voice drilling into my head. How dared he reduce the child’s suffering that way? I shook with anger, but Azahl was there, looking at me, so I forced myself to speak calmly.

“What you described is a traumatic experience, mister…”

“Phantom,” he interrupted, raising his grinning skull to look at me. “And it would be traumatic—for a human. I already talked to him. He isn’t disturbed, and he wasn’t hurt in a lasting manner. He’ll be fine.”

My anger boiled hotter, until I felt I would spit fire if I could.

“How the fuck can you say…” I began, but the man raised his hands, each finger encased in matte, black chitin, and gave me an even wider grin, his skull’s expression shifting disturbingly.

I broke off, staring. I didn’t know how he did that. Azahl didn’t smile or move his face much, and he was the only abomination I knew until today. I got used to the fact he didn’t move his mouth to speak—I read abominations projected their voices onto the bone structures of their faces, whatever that meant—but the ability to shape hard bones into expressions was uncanny.

“Lady, I know who you are. The boy told me. You hug kids and sing them lullabies, and it’s all fine for you mammals, but he’s an abomination. We’re made tougher than you.”

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, refusing to believe that a child of six could be held captive and almost drowned and not experience any trauma.

“But he’s six years old!” I exclaimed, shaking so hard, Vodyan put more limbs around me until I was encased in him.

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