Page 127 of A Dance of Water

Azgorath stood so violently that the table cracked as his fists slammed down onto the surface.

Vale barely paid it mind, focused entirely on a shivering Luella. Her hair was slowly drying, hanging in thick, white curls around her shoulders.

His hand shot out, wrapping loosely around Tharen’s neck, not tight enough to kill—never tight enough to kill—but just enough to remind him that he could fucking ruin him if he so willed it.

Take it.

Stolen, stolen.

Steal it back.

They can’t have that.

Mine,the dragon hissed.

Ours.The words echoed throughout Vale’s head.

A long, onyx tail flicked out, wings scraping the bars of his cage.All of ours.

And at that, Vale blanched.

For not the first time, his dragon staked a claim on her for them all.

I do not share,said the dragon,but only for her.

You’d be willing to share her?Vale asked.

The dragon’s tail flicked out, talons clacking along as he paced. Finally, he said,Shareher, but not herpleasure. Mine.

Tharen pinned Azgorath to the wall with a crackling circle of fire; the flames licked at the demon’s skin but did not harm—couldn’t harm.

Luella tried to stumble out of Tharen’s lap, but the mage kept her trapped against him. Vale braced his other hand on her shoulder, and she lifted her head, searching for him.

Azgorath bared his teeth, struggling against the fiery chains. "Godsdammit, Tharen! Let me go. Why would you do this to her? You know she doesn’t know any better." Every word was punctuated with the slam of his head against the wall and the battering of his fists as he struggled. "You took advantage of her!"

The drizzle of rain grew louder. In the distance, a faint rumble of thunder.

Luella cried out softly, her words nearly drowned out by the sounds of violence in the room. "It was my choice. He didn’t trick me."

For her to agree to the deal of her own accord… Vale doubted it, but it wasn’t impossible.

His dragon only hissed louder at the thought she would willingly give away her body.

The King found Graves’s eyes, a question lingering between them. Slowly, Graves cocked his head, neither to confirm nor deny Vale’s silent query.

He redirected his focus to Luella, where she struggled on Tharen’s lap. The mage didn’t let her go, uncaring as he kept her pinned against him and her lover pinned to the wall.

Azgorath spat obscenities in her honor.

His dragon roared lowly in his chest,agreeingwith the demon.

And Vale snapped.

His fingers flexed on Tharen’s neck, tightening, tightening. The mage gritted his teeth.

Tharen merely laughed. "Go ahead. You want to kill me?" The mage lifted off his seat, still holding onto her so she wouldn’t fall.

"No, I don’t want to kill you. I want to make you pay for stealing her away from me." Vale squeezed harder.

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