Page 62 of A Dance of Water

The same could be said for her, too.

After Graves had whisked her away to Vale’s rooms, she had not been able to look him in the eye as she bid him goodnight, the door closing softly and trapping her alone in the King’s quarters, needy and desperate—but not desperate enough to follow the raven shifter’s instructions.Thatinformation she tucked far in the recesses of her mind. Luella had curled up on an armchair in Vale’s sitting room, where she had fallen into a fitful sleep, oversensitized.

Whatever she had dreamed haunted her.

Shattered glass. Yelled words filled with so much pain, her head ached with the memory. Hands against bare flesh, flushed and yearning, before those sounds of passion turned to hurled insults coated in rage.

But as she had awoken to the sight of her demon looming over her, the memories of her dream had grown fuzzy, and she foundherself wondering how much of it was true and how much she had conjured up in a bid to make some sense of it on her own.

Luella blinked, coming back to herself.

The throne room was icy, and her dress was blessedly thinner tonight but no less gorgeous. Soft white silk adorned with blue lace. A thin, fluttering cape was clipped around her neck, falling over her bare shoulders and trailing against the ground with every step she took. Her white hair tumbled freely around her shoulders, and Ina and Osa had applied scant beauty products to her face, save for a deep rouge on her lips.

Leached entirely of color save for the splash of scarlet on her lips, she felt like a sculpture made of ice.

Az held her gaze. "Always."

"Always," she breathily replied.

He was without chains or manacles. She wondered how he felt about it, to be here amid court without iron shackling him, caging him.

King Vale sat upon his icy-decorated throne and beckoned with the mere crook of his finger. Az honed in on the action.

"It seems you are wanted," the demon rumbled.

"It appears so," Luella said. She looked up at him, fingers gripping his so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Come with me?"

He looked down at their joined hands and wordlessly led her to the dais upon which the King’s throne loomed.

"Happy Solstice, Princess Luella." The King notched his chin on a hand, and the few steps that separated them forced him to stare down at her. The imbalance was a physical manifestation of their power difference. He owned her. The mark on her chest was just another reminder. His stamp was all over her, weaving into her like a sickness. "No well wishes for the King?"

"H-happy Solstice." Luella bit her lip, tacking on a soft, "Vale," when a golden brow arched in taunting waiting.

Vale waved a jeweled hand, ignoring the demon at her side completely. "Go. Celebrate," he ordered. "Drink, dance. But don’t find anyone to fuck. You will save your pleasure for me and me alone. I think a certain vampire wishes to collect on a deal you two havemade?" The King gave a prideful half-smirk, and all the blood pooled to her feet at the reminder of her deal with Bastian.

Vale’s green eyes fell to her chest, taking in the trio of interconnected circles. Could he see Bastian’s mark on her chest, too? The small red circle was barely the size of her fingernail, but suddenly it seemed larger than the Binding mark.

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. Az’s hand gripped hers, grounding her.

"That will be all. For now." Vale steepled his hands and peered down at her. "I will call for you later, so don’t run off,Chosen."

She was saved from responding by Az tugging her away. He threw a glare over his shoulder toward the King as he pulled her to the edges of the room.

"I know his moods. Better to leave in good graces than take a chance of risking his anger," the demon shared as they came to a stop in the ice-tipped shadows.

The nearby window was cracked open, letting in swirls of thick snow and wintry air. She could hear the crashing waves from outside, and she allowed her eyes to drift closed momentarily. She wished she could drown herself in the ocean waves. Flee and never return.

But how else would I get my kiss?Cold fingers danced over her exposed shoulders.

Az let out a warning growl.

The vampire was regal. His state of dress was not the usual Solstice fashion but a sultry, silken look with a dark blouse with undone laces, baring the pale inked skin of his chest, and dark high-waisted pants. The shimmering blue dust of the enchanted chandelier coated his skin in a sheen of iridescence. He glimmered.

"I’ve come to collect, pet. I don’t like to be kept waiting. It is time to give me what I’m owed." Bastian wrapped his long fingers around her fluttering cape and used it to tug her into his side. Az tightened his hand on hers, causing her to wince from his unrelenting hold. "Say goodbye to the beast," Bastian directed, lifting her other hand and using it to give a limp wave to Az.

Az’s amber eyes grew dark with a promise of violence. "Hurt her, and I will find a way around this godsdamned curse keeping us fromshedding blood." He lifted his fingers from hers, one by one, and stared down at her. "Call for me, Lu, and I will be there."

She barely had the chance to nod before she was pulled away.

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