Page 181 of A Dance of Water

She blinked. Blinked again. Let her vision focus.

Tharen’s face was the first thing she saw. The sharp line of his jaw, the severe hollows of his cheeks… His icy blue eyes seared into her with intensity.

A small gasp fell from her lips, and her eyes watered from the burn of morning light, even dim as it was with the thick cover of clouds. Birdsong carried to her, and she followed the sound with tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

The gardens were damp, puddles on the ground and petals dripping, heavy with droplets. Wind rustled through the treetops. Through blurry eyes, she saw the red, ripe skin of the apples in the distant orchard. Tears fell harder.

"I’ve missed this," she breathed.

Tharen’s thumb swiped over the tears on her skin, catching a droplet.

Her fingers curled in the silk blindfold on her lap, loathing it, resenting it. But without it… she would not have ever known what she was capable of.

Entranced, Tharen roughly smoothed over her cheeks, spreading the wetness from her tears onto the corner of her mouth. His finger lingered there, on her lips, and her breath hitched. Words became hard, knowing she would see the consequences of them.

"Don’t shy away from me." Tharen stared at her tears. He seemed to look everywhere but her eyes—fingers sifting through her rain-soaked white strands, swirling patterns in her skin that mingled with tear tracks. "Princess," he mused.

And something about his tone?—

"Why do you say that as if… as if it is the first time you truly realize my title?" The rain echoed the beat of her heart.

Tharen finally met her gaze, and she was arrested by the emotions inside his eyes.

"Perhaps I have."

He stood and took her hand, tugging her to her feet. It was a relief to see where she was being led, and no longer having to rely on her hands to guide the way. They stepped out from underneath the safety of the gazebo. Immediately, the rain drenched them. Her head tipped back, letting the rain wash over her, rid her of memories of darkness as she reveled in the crisp bite of water on her skin, the sight of it as it fell in thick, swift drops from the dark clouds in the sky.

She never wanted to be so vulnerable again.

Swirls of water danced all around them.

"Come back to me when you actually want to use your magic, Princess."

PART III

PLEASURE

59

THE WAVES WATCH… SO DOES HE

LUELLA

Luella’s bare feet dangled off the edge of the balcony. Her cheeks pressed into the stone columns of the railing, fingers gripping them tightly as she peered over the side. Her skirts bunched up around her calves, and her legs swayed back and forth in the roaring winds.

A soft rain misted her skin—nothing more than a slight drizzle this afternoon. But the sky was dark, thick towers of clouds ready to burst. The roaring tempest of days past had abated, if only briefly, after her sight had been returned to her, leaving the kingdom in a haze of humid fog and dampness.

Sighing, she leaned against the stone, eyes greedily absorbing the sights before her.

She kept touching her face, feeling the skin around her eyes, reminding herself it was not a dream. She had her sight back. She couldsee.

And what a glorious sight it was.

The balcony off her room gave way to the sloping cliffside, the ocean waves crashing against rocks below, seafoam curling against mottled greys, and shadows created by hollows.

Fear coiled tightly inside her, an awaiting serpent, poised to strike.

She swallowed, hands numb from the cold as she gripped the railing, looking down,down, down…

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