Page 143 of A Dance of Water

Or would she continue to let him think her weak?

Her hand fluttered to her chest, feeling the warm amulet nestled between her breasts.

"I don’t beg. And certainly not you," Luella whispered.

He merely hummed in response.

She felt him pull away from her, and the air shifted—emptier, colder without him. She snapped her thighs shut and tugged the hem of her gown down, quickly righting the fallen strap.

A rustle in the room, a soft trickle of liquid being poured, and the faint fizzing of potions.

There was a loud silence, and she wished for something to break it.

Finally, he spoke: "Any dreams?"

Her fingers tightened around the amulet, only then realizing she was still holding it. "No," she said, grateful for a change in topic. But she would never miss the taunting layer underneath his words. "I’ve been so tired lately from training. I wanted to ask you about it…"

She hated revealing she relied on him for anything, but the Prima held centuries of intelligence behind his icy eyes. She was not so proud as to ignore such a source of knowledge.

"That’s probable. Though, we’ll continue to watch it. If you remember any dreams, no matter how inconsequential they seem, youwilllet me know."

Her lips parted, poised for a rebuttal to the demand in his tone, but she thought better of it and gave a soft nod.

She heard the grin in his voice as he said, "See, you can behave."

They were gaining on her. She felt the threads in her soul and heard the sound of their footfalls over the roar of the rain.

Her boots kicked up mud and leaves as she skidded to a stop, hands digging into the side of a tree.

"You can’t hide, Princess," Tharen called out.

They had been taunting her, deliberately working her up to get a reaction out of her. And with every passing day of endless training, she refused to give in—save for the display of lightning, the only time she had let her feelings get the better of her.

And she feared this time, she would have no choice but to give in.

Everything was different. The rain was harsher, the storm more violent. And her hunters were not going easy on her.

If I catch you, maybe I can have a taste again,Bastian’s words echoed in her mind.

Her pace faltered. She ignored him.

Crackling embers made her heart thunder. The King was close.

And she swore, over the sound of the rain, she heard footsteps, trailing closely behind her—a silent watcher. A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Tharen’s voice was the loudest of them all. "Come out, little lamb!"

A deep rumble of thunder resounded in tune with cracking bolts of lightning.

Her chest ached, and she whimpered as she tried to keep the power within her locked away.

She was scared, so scared to give in, to feel powerless. A need for control forced her to shove it down, lock it away.

The pounding footsteps grew louder. "There you are," a voice said right behind her.

And she gasped.

Strong arms locked around her waist and hoisted her up. "No!" she pleaded.

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