Page 231 of A Dance of Water

Mine, mine.

Take her.

Protect.

The words of his dragon swirled in his mind, leaving him no peace.

Talons ran along the bars of his ribcage, rattling.

Remember,Vale seethed.I cannot keep her safe if you take over and burn it all to ash.

"Vale? Vale, are you… alright?"

He barely heard Luella over the incessant noises in his head, the tug inside him as his dragon demanded to be let out, spurred on by the mere sight of her, drowsy and cozy in his arms.

But the soft cadence of her tone made the beast inside him pause, hanging on to her every word with reverence. She was like a balm—and he chased the relief she brought. Vale pressed his brow to hers, ignoring the weak noise of protest she made. He breathed her in.

Strawberries laced with faint notes of creamy roses cooled the embers in his lungs.

"V-Vale, what’s happening?" she whispered.

He held her head still against his, cupping the back of her skull. "Just—just a moment."

The dragon’s possessive chants quieted to a low hum instead of a pounding drumbeat.

But amid the raging desire to whisk her away, a clear command rang out:

Protect her. You must.

Vale inhaled sharply and replied,I will.

And the death grip on his ribs relented as the dragon curled up, smoke dissipating as he continued to relish in her scent, in her nearness. Inher.

Luella whimpered, and Vale realized he was still holding her tightly, fingers digging into her head. He released her, and she shoved away from him, scooting back against the headboard as she sat with her knees pulled close to her chest.

No.

Smoke choked him.

"Do not pull away from me," Vale ordered. "Come."

Her hand pressed against her chest as she winced, forced toreturn to her spot, but this time without languid unknowing; her body was lined with unease as she settled next to him, the tendons in her neck straining as she tried to keep herself as far away as possible.

But he was soothed by her again.

It was worth using the Binding mark to get what he wanted.

Vale laid his hand flat against her chest, right over the mark. He knew he must go, but he could not tear himself away from her.

"What will happen to it once this is over?" she whispered.

He traced the lines of the overlapping circles. When this was over…

"The Binding mark is dissolved by the Prima. It would be as if it were never even there."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

He found he hated it, the thought of this mark no longer on her skin, unable to command her.

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