Page 140 of A Dance of Water

An arm was thrown over her chest, keeping her trapped. A hand rested casually against her breast, fingertips brushing over her hardened nipples every time she breathed. Her body felt as though it held an ocean of electricity. Restless, she turned her head, inhaling a scent of spiced bergamot, thick and rich like blood.

Bastian rumbled as she moved against him.

He nuzzled against her neck. "What a way to wake up, pet."

She shivered from the overload of feelings. Why did she feel like this?

"The lightning nearly struck you. Your power is begging to be rejuvenated, so to speak," Bastian answered her question out loud. He pressed a kiss into the hollow of her throat. "And what better way than a bit of pleasure?"

"Oh," she managed. A shudder wracked her frame, and her toes curled against the silken sheets. Bastian trailed kisses up to her jaw, holding her face tenderly. "But I cannot…"

"Hm?" Bastian’s fangs brushed against her, andshe was so aware of the quietness in the room, the faintest, lazy drizzle of rain against the windows. "You cannot what?"

"The bargain," she supplied. "I cannot feel that way. Not with you. Not with anyone." Her breath hitched as he brushed a finger over the silken edges of her blindfold, turning her head on the soft pillow to face where he lay. His breath ghosted over her flushed cheeks.

"The bargain does not say you are never allowed to feel pleasure, pet. Only that your first be given to Tharen."

Luella nodded, feeling a stirring in her belly as he continued to lavish soft, wet kisses on her flushed face.

She felt for him, fingers curling against hisbarechest. His muscles were smooth under her, his skin cool. She swallowed thickly.

"And I will never give him that piece of me. You know this, Bastian," she murmured.

"Why?" he asked. All the sensuality had evaporated from his tone, leaving only a probing seriousness.

"I… I will not give in to him," she whispered. "I will not give in to what he wants."

Bastian breathed her in. In the darkness, her hands tangled in his hair, holding him to her. Her seductive, almost mercurial protector, taunting her in the forest with images of her fears, and then begging for forgiveness with gifts left in the quiet. She could never quite figure him out. But perhaps that was what she liked about him. He was softly enticing, where the others were not. Elegant and sultry.

"What if by not giving in, you’re doing exactly what he wants?"

"What do you mean?"

The bed dipped as he shifted, and she felt his hands by her head, holding himself over her.

"What if I told you, you had power still," he murmured.

"What if I told you, you were wrong," she murmured back.

He laughed against her skin, and she felt his lips on her neck.

"You can use your deal to your advantage, pet. You don’t have to give him yourself if you don’t wish. He knows this, so show him what he cannot have."

Bastian’s hand skimmed down her side. Her thin gown hadridden up to her hips as she slept, and his bare hands touched her hip, clad only in lacy undergarments. She blushed.

"Who changed me?" she couldn’t help but ask, knowing the lace she wore was not what she would have chosen for herself.

He nipped her neck; she felt his fangs prick her skin. Not breaking it, just flirting with the temptation—he was good at that, teasing.

"Don’t try to distract me. You know my words have merit," Bastian said.

"I don’t know how I have power when… when all of it has been stolen from me," she revealed.

"Don’t allow yourself to falter." He held her face between his hands. "Not anymore."

Suddenly, her mind was filled with images that felt familiar to her, but altered.

She was seeing herself from a different view—his.

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