Page 50 of A Dance of Water

It was time for the first true night of the Winter Solstice.

Tradition demanded she attend to him, be his personal servant. Usually, Vale never cared much for tradition, but just this once, he found himself looking forward to having her at his beck and call.

The air in the room was still, and he hated to disrupt it, but as he walked toward her fully and loomed over her sleeping form, he couldimagine how the soft, innocent look on her face would soon be shattered by his mere presence.

Vale leaned down and brushed a strand of her white hair away from her face. Her skin was soft under his fingertips. He traced his pointer finger over the curve of her cheekbone. Like silk. He crouched down by her side, content to watch.

The call was loud in his chest. He cupped her cheek; her eyelids fluttered, her brow scrunching as her limbs twitched.

Vale saw the exact moment she grew to be aware of him.

Luella sleepily clutched the blanket to her body. Her face screwed up in muted pain as the action pulled the healing tattoo on her chest.

Vale sat on the edge of the bed, resting his arms on his knees. The golden flames in the room made her skin appear warm and rosy, not at all like the cold, untouched paleness it had taken on.

Wind rattled the glass.

She braced a hand under her, a sharp puff of air leaving her lips. "What are you doing?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Vale’s voice was a whisper, as though he was afraid to disrupt the lazy quiet. "I’m waking you up."

"You didn’t have to be so…youabout it," she commented softly, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and scooting to the edge—far away from him.

"Some?"

Luella stood, wrapping the blanket around her slim shoulders. "You. You know? Brooding and…" She trailed off.

Vale stood, as well, hovering by her side.

She turned her head. The pure white from outside filtered in through the cracks of the dark drapes, making her appear snow-touched. Her hair was rumpled with sleep. Her lips were swollen, and cheeks slightly puffy. He felt the twisted thing in his chest jerk, and he had to dig his heels into the ground to stop himself from stealing her away.

"How do you feel?" Vale inquired.

Her steps wobbled, and he reached out a hand to help, but she shrugged him off.

"My chest hurts." Luella walked to the windows and pulled backthe curtains, revealing the evening light, barely touched by the fall of the sun, from how pristine the snow was. It could very well be midday. "And I’m angry." This was said low, but his keen ears caught it.

"Good. You should be."

At that, Luella turned. Her side profile was aglow, and the snow outside picked up into a swirl of white.

"We’re not done yet. It is only the beginning," Vale said as he stepped toward her. "It is tradition for the Chosen to attend to the King." He took another step forward; she took a step back. "You will stay by my side for the duration of the Solstice." He was standing right before her now, and she could take no more steps away from him—he had her cornered. Vale leaned down and put his face right by hers. Her skin radiated the cold, and he breathed in chilled strawberries as he said, "And you will see to me as a servant would."

"What does that mean?" In her wariness, her small hands fumbled against the blanket, causing the edge to slip away from her shoulder.

"It means, Princess Luella, that you are mine." Vale pulled away and relished in the frazzled sight of her.

Pebbles of hard ice pelted against the windows, and he smirked. She truly hadn’t realized it yet. He hated to see the day she understood how much power she truly held…

To be ours, she must be powerful. We don’t deal with weak.

For once, Vale agreed with his dragon.

"Follow me."

Vale led Luella to his bathing chambers, a dimly lit, atmospheric room with a large pool of heated water sitting directly in the center. Steam curled from the water, and the room was pleasantly warm, especially compared to the unnatural frigidness that had befallen the castle.

The stone floor warmed his bare feet, and he couldn’t wait to disrobe and fall into the water’s embrace.

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