Page 112 of A Dance of Water

The rain grew louder, and she was alone, no touch to anchor her. The threads tugged, and she tangled her fingers in her hair and pulled, feeling the silk of her blindfold—her cage.

Her heart thundered in her chest, and the sounds of fighting grew louder, strangled curses and thumps, the thud of flesh against flesh.

She whimpered, knees going weak as she fell in a heap to the floor. Her body curved inward to protect herself against the violence and pounding rain.

A crescendo of feeling built and built inside her—and finally, it popped.

"Stop it!" Luella screamed, and shefeltthe water in the fountain as it surged upward, as if she were sharing her senses with the water and had become one with it.

Currents of ice roared above them all, and she shivered, curled into a ball on the floor, unable to stop it.

Hands gripped her shoulders, tugging her face away from where she had tucked it into her shoulder. Like a doll, she moved easily.

"Luella. Luella, listen to me.Listen!"

It was Vale who implored her so desperately.

She shook her head, trembling at the thought of the water she could feel poised above them all, ready to drown them.

Saltwater in her lungs, a hand on her throat…

She sobbed. "N-no."

She could feel the roaring waves undulate in the air, and mistcoated her skin and frizzed her hair. It sounded like she was behind a waterfall.

Bastian’s cold hand tugged hers from her hair; her scalp throbbed. "Listen to us, Luella. You have to calm down," he said soothingly.

"I can’t," she nearly wailed.

Vale’s touch pulled her away from that distant place. "You can, and you will."

His insistence, his demand, made the Binding mark on her chest burn, and she had no choice but to answer his command. Willed by his order, the power inside her shrank. It was painful, unnatural. Her soul felt like it may crack as it was forced back, deep within her.

She felt the water recede, dribbling back into the fountain as if nothing had ever happened. The air grew quiet but held a dampness. Her clothes were mist-covered, water on her skin.

"It’s gone?" she whispered, even though she knew the answer, could feel it.

"It is over," said Vale. She felt him right before her. Robbed of sight, it made things easier, in a way, knowing she couldn’t see their disappointment or anger.

Bastian and Vale both helped her stand, but Vale did not release his hold on her. She felt him against her side, possessive and smoky.

She trembled, body aching at the power that had been forced back inside her. She did not know what to say or do.

"Thatis why I made the deal." Tharen’s tone was severe. She turned her head to the sound. "She is volatile. One mistake, and she could take all of us out. Right now, her emotions are a force of nature, and everything will bend to her will if she so much as breathes the wrong way."

"The weather is tied to her emotions. If she could do something on such a grand scale without thought, what do you think she would do if she had full control?" Vale announced from her side. His voice rumbled through her.

"She won’t have full control for some time. If ever," Tharen said.

"She’s not ready for this," Graves mumbled, Bastian echoing the sentiment.

They were talking about her like she wasn’t standing there. Thunder rumbled.

"Iamready," she said, but her voice shook.

Their eyes burned against her skin, and she shrank into Vale’s side. He spoke of her like he wanted to be rid of her, yet his body language told a different story—pulling her in, keeping her safe with greedy touches.

"You are not ready, Luella, and we cannot waste time with your desperation. You may have ended us all by taking matters into your own hands," said the King.

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