Page 266 of A Dance of Water

Az stopped her with a warning look and a large hand on her elbow.

Tharen went to the other side of the bed, walking on his knees across it until he sat on his haunches at her side, staring at her bandage-wrapped torso and white wings covered in blood. "No fresh blood," he noted. "That’s a good sign. You’re acclimating well to the… intrusion. Your body was meant for the wings."

His knuckles brushed the edge of her right wing, making her gasp sharply. Az threw him a warning look, but the mage merely rolled his eyes in response, resuming his careful perusal of her body. His touches grew lighter, however.

As Tharen gently peeled away the bandage wrapped around her torso, Luella asked, "How do I have wings? How could they be m-meant for me?" Her breath hitched as Tharen wrapped the bandageback around her, the base of her wings twitching. Pain radiated down their bond as her perfect teeth dug into her lower lip.

Over her nearly naked body lying between them, Tharen and Az met eyes.

Az brushed a white curl away from her face. "I swear to you, Lu, we will tell you, but not yet." Bending down to press his lips to her ear, careful of his horns, the demon whispered, "Trust me, my angel. For now… let me help get you cleaned up."

82

ALWAYS

LUELLA

Az held Luella in his arms like a babe, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips as she kept herself steady with her arms thrown around his neck. This close, she could see the faintest freckles scattered across his tanned skin. She had never noticed them before; they softened his features even more, endearing her to him. The tip of her nose brushed his jaw as she blinked up at him.

His arms tightened around her thighs, careful of her back. "Do you want me to go into the water with you?"

At the mention of water, she tensed in his arms.

The thread between them pulsed with waves of comfort.

"I won’t let you go, Lu," Az vowed.

Her eyes dipped to the small mark of his vow over his heart—the tiny red circle, a testament of his promise to keep her safe, no matter what.

Perhaps it was that that made her say:

"Okay."

Vale’s bathing chambers were larger than hers, the tiled floors woven with gold webbing among the dark stone. The bathing pool was a large circle set into the center of the room. Steam drifted, the scent rich and masculine.

A floor-to-ceiling mirror curved along the expanse of one wall, the edges beveled with golden filigree.

She couldn’t stop herself.

Luella looked into the mirror, lips parting at the sight that greeted her.

"Oh."

Az was a fearsome beast, all smoldering strength—a striking contrast to her delicate frame. Her pale skin looked even starker against the dusky heat of his. His horns curved high from his mess of dark curls. His palms splayed over her thighs, large and warm against her skin, streaked with blood. The remains of her gown hung in tatters, baring the entirety of her back as it pooled above her hips, leaving her exposed, trembling, and aware of every point where their bodies touched.

And the wings…

Folded against her back, the white was more red than anything, caked in blood. They fluttered, unbidden, and she gasped into Az’s skin, watching as they moved. It was strange. She knew they were on her back, but they still felt foreign, not yet a part of her. Bandages were wrapped around her midsection, dotted with blood.

"Can you stand, angel?"

She huffed softly at the endearment, ripping her eyes away from the mirror and peering up at him. She wiggled her toes where they hung in the air.

Could she?

"Just don’t let me go," she pleaded.

"Never."

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