Page 246 of A Dance of Water

The cliff she teetered over seemed higher than ever. Would her bones crush from the force of the fall?

In a simmering moment of silence amid their desire, Tharen caught her eyes. Ice chips on her skin. He smelled like standing amid a snowstorm, winter’s chill burning her flesh until it was numb and stinging.

Tendrils of warmth brushed over her temples. Tharen’s eyes flicked up to where the stardust skimmed over her face, before disappearing into her hair.

She tried to take a full breath, but couldn’t quite get there. Stilted, as it caught in her chest.

"I’m s-scared of falling," Luella managed.

Silence lingered.

Tharen opened his mouth, but promptly closed it with an uncharacteristically soft shake of his head; the ends of his white hair brushed her collarbones from the movement.

Whatever he had truly wanted to say evaporated.

"Let go," he finally said. "There’s no stopping this." Cool air brushed against her as the hem of her gown rode higher. He didn’t touch where she burned most, but his calloused fingers traced over the junction where her thighs met her core.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to fight it. But a gasp was torn from within her.

Hot breath teased her jawline as he whispered against her flushed neck:

"Don’t fall, Princess. Fly."

His fingers worked her right over the edge.

And she broke.

Pleasure consumed her like thick, foam-tipped ocean waves. Stole the breath from her lungs. Made her head light. In the haze of novel carnality, she was dimly aware of something tangling around her ankle.

Shallow breaths ratcheted out of her lips.

Tharen continued to stroke her, seeing her through it.

Fissuring tendrils of pleasure consumed her. It rose higher. Growing hotter. Burning deeper.

In a litany of sparks, she exploded, back bowing and toes curling as the soft flesh between her thighs grew wet with a rush of damp heat. Aftershocks rippled through her, leaving her breathless with each lingering spasm that brought her down from her high.

As the remnants of her release faded, a thick, unimaginable pain replaced the pleasure, making her head swim from the shift in feeling.

Her eyes shot open. "W-wait!Tharen?—"

Fire licked up her spine, so intense that the very mountain they were in shook.

Her hands fumbled, seeking safety in Tharen’s large body. His icy eyes were wide with fear. Lips moving, but she couldn’t hear him over the roaring in her head—or maybe that was her. Was she screaming? Her mouth was open, vocal cords aching as the pain in her back grew, making tears leak from the corners of her eyes.

Her very insides were being rearranged.

The fall hurt. Ithurt, and her bonesdidfeel like they were being crushed. Splattered on the stone floor.

Maybe that would hurt less. Less than… whatever this was.

Over the roaring of blood in her ears, a ragged scream tore through the noise—hers. Tears raced down her cheeks as whatever was inside her tore outward in a burst of blood and flayed skin.

Ripped apart.

The agony and intense pressure at her back made her bolt upright in a flurry of tears and scarlet, staining the grey stone under her and the pure white of her gown. As if she were trying to run away from it. But no, she couldn’t run. The pain followed her, growing starker as she found herself pressing her cheek against Tharen’s chest, her legs curled up, tangling with his. His thigh wasstill between hers, pressing against her damp heat. Pleasure had left her, a dim memory, replaced only by this torture.

The threads inside her reached out with abandon, desperate to be saved.

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