Page 152 of A Dance of Water

Her legs trembled as she stood, swaying slightly before rolling her shoulders back, steeling herself as the soft rain misted her skin. It was no longer a raging tempest. She was spent after so many days of ceaseless training. But the air was still that of winter—frozen and biting. Her bare arms pebbled from the intense chill as a sharp gust of wind blew through the clearing of trees, making the leaves rustle.

"I will not give up…" she repeated. "Not if I am to defeat the Tenebrae."

She had a greater understanding now, after her dreams. But that did not mean she would share her revelations with the others.

Venomous green eyes burned in her mind. And as if summoned by the thought, Vale’s voice rang out:

"Do not think you can win, Princess Luella. Not against him."

The fire-woven thread between them crackled.

Distrust made her wary. She chose her words carefully. "How am I to know if I do not try?"

Bastian brushed against her mind, and she froze, lips parting.

She tried to build walls, but against him, it was no use. Every time she placed a brick around her thoughts, he knocked it down.

She felt him, then, inside her.

What are you hiding?he whispered.

If you are so curious… see for yourself,she taunted. She knew she could not keep secrets forever, not from him, and not here. She wanted them to come out whenshewas ready.

The presence in her mind seemed awed, as if proud of her resilience.

A cold finger stroked over her neck, and she shivered as Bastian pressed his lips to her cheek, moving his plush, warm mouth to brush against her ear as he whispered, "All in due time, pet. The best secrets are the ones most… incendiary."

Then he pulled away from her.

Luella’s skin tingled, hypersensitive, and aching from more than mere power—but desire. She remembered what Bastian had done with her, his mouth against her chest. A place she had no idea could feel sosensitive.

She wouldn’t give in, scared that if she did, secrets would unravel like her barely held control.

Vale gripped her elbow. She staggered from exhaustion as he pulled her to him.

"Luella." The King said her name like it was the answer to every question he had ever had, but also the question itself. "Why are you suddenly so intent on defeating the Tenebrae?"

She could not see Vale’s green eyes, but she knew they were there, watching her.

"I-I…"

His thumb brushed over the crook of her bare arm, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into him, let him tell her that her assumptions were false.

But if they weren’t…

That was what made her hold her tongue.

Enora’s screams echoed in Luella’s head as she managed, "I want to have p-purpose. I want to be more than I have always been."

Her words faltered in her fear, scared that he would push thematter further and rob her of her will. The Binding mark pulsed, just once, as if in reminder of the power he held.

In the distance, she heard the faintest talks between the others, a low whinny of the horses, the drip of rainwater as it fell from curled leaves and trickled to the forest ground.

Vale’s breath stirred her hair. "I meant what I said. False beliefs would be your demise." He pulled her closer, her chest brushing against his. "Against him, you do not stand a chance."

"I thought you wanted me to best my enemies," she countered. "Isn’t that what you said? In the rose gardens?"

"Not with might, Luella."

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