Page 31 of A Dance of Water

They clashed in a flurry of male pride and pent-up anger.

Vale sighed and rested his head in his hands as he watched the pair. Azgorath swung at the mage, his neck muscles straining under the weight of his demonic strength. He wasn’t well-versed in the ways of his magic. Even though he had preternatural strength, he was no match for the Prima.

Tharen didn’t duck away from the punch.

It landed with a loud thud against his cheek, his head whipping to the side, a few white braids hitting his cheek from the sharp movement. He pressed a hand to his cheek, half-bent as he stared up at the demon with violent glee. He pulled his hand back. It came away wet with red blood. His lip was split, the skin around his lower cheek and jaw already swelling.

Vale looked to Bastian, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. The vampire was used to blood by now, and with his age, could control the urge to feed—usually, that was. Vale knew the vampire had not been feeding as regularly as he should.

The taste of blood is not appealing, knowing I have a fae Vincire. All I want is to see if she tastes like berries, too,the Advisor had shared with Vale a few nights prior, when he had expressed his concerns.

He knew the demon didn’t mean grave harm or death, or else the hit would never have landed. That was the only reason why he allowed them to continue.

This was good for them. Theyneededthis.

"Godsdamn, that felt good." Tharen rolled his shoulders and volleyed back with a punch of his own. His fist hit right against the demon’s temple, making him stagger back into the wall.

"I’ll give you another," Azgorath hissed, charging forward and knocking the Prima back.

They fell in a heap of muscles and large limbs on the floor, and Bastian swiftly shot out of his chair, barking, "Don’t get blood on my floors!"

Graves tapped a gloved finger on the stone of his amulet, and Vale still had not picked his head up from where he held it in his hands, watching everything with half-lidded amusement and the desire to join the bloodshed.

The thud of flesh against flesh and masculine growls filled the room, the tang of iron and sweat quickly blotting out the faint tinge of watered-down strawberries that lingered on Azgorath’s skin.

Graves sighed. "Should you call it?"

"It’s not getting any earlier. I have an engagement with my bed and a bottle of wine, and I’d like to leave before I have to wake up for the morning’s duties and help prepare for Solstice." Bastian’s words rushed out of him with weariness. The vampire had reclaimed his chair while the two had been fighting, and he, too, rested his head in his hands, long, pale fingers still pinching the bridge of his nose.

His eyes shone red, and Vale knew he wanted to do much more than drink wine and sleep… What had Tharen said,the company ofhis hand…

Bastian huffed a laugh from beside him, and Vale glowered at the vampire. "I thought I ordered you to tell me when you use your Mind magic on me."

"Oops," the vampire replied.

Vale resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Kill him,his dragon hissed.

That’s an overreaction,Vale hissed back, stamping down the violent urges of his beast.

"Enough!" the King boomed.

Tharen sighed but disentangled himself from where he sat atop the demon, a hand loosely fisting his neck as flames flickered upon his fingers, licking against Azgorath’s dusky skin and leaving dark ash in its wake. His nostrils flared as Tharen pushed himself off of him, the demon brushing the ash from his skin and standing.

"You two are a sight," Bastian commented.

Blood streaked their skin, their clothes were in utter disarray, and twin black eyes marked each of their faces.

Vale wasn’t worried. They healed fast. He just didn’t want a certain innocent Princess to stick her little nose where it didn’t belong and ask questions.

Tharen took his seat, and this time, when he propped both legs up on the table, Bastian did not shove them off.

The demon resumed his pacing; however, his jittery edges had been quelled by the short display of violence, and no longer did his hands fidget and eyes flit over the room in agitation. The set to his shoulders was less tense, but he was still on edge.

"Shall we try this again?" Vale asked. "What happened?"

This time, his question did not go unanswered.

---