Page 77 of A Dance of Water

"Caliban?" she breathed.

The male’s features hardened. Shadows crawled up the sides of his face like malformed veins.

A smile overtook his lips, dazzling like the sun yet tainted like the darkness. "I’ll give you a head start."

What?

"Run," he urged, hands leaving her.

Her blue eyes grew wide, and she bolted.

The snow melted against her hot flesh, and her chest ached from the force of thatthinginside her, growing and growing and growing…

The threads sang a pleading call, and she felt curiosity niggle at their ends, turning to starkly sharp fear in answer to her own terror.

She didn’t get far.

Shadows curled around her ankles and tugged. She shook them off, knowing it was only because they allowed her to. They were playing with her, toying with her.

A jagged cliff face stood up ahead—the end of the shoreline.

Now she saw why Vale felt safe to leave her here. She was trapped.

Breaths left her in sharp exhales, her bare feet slipped on the snow, water splashed with every footfall. A large wave crashed against the shore and made her pitch to the side as it receded.

She stared out at the endless waters and dove for the surface before she could think it through.

Water splashed around her, going up past her ankles, to her knees, her thighs, tugging her gown as it grew heavy with wetness.

The waves roared, white sea foam tickling the skin of her chest as she ventured further, deeper.

Loud splashes resounded behind her. She looked over her shoulder, the water at her neck now, and saw the fae male; he walked with resistance as if the very water did not want him inside it.

As Luella turned back around, she was met by a large wavelooming over her. Her mouth opened with a gasp, saltwater sprayed her skin—she barely had time to take a full breath before the wave crashed over her, and she was forced under the dark, cold depths.

Water enveloped her.

Swirling, caught in the darkness of the ocean. An underwater dance.

She kicked out her limbs, trying to break free and swim up. Her cheeks puffed with held breath. It was dark. She couldn’t tell up from down, but she thought she was going in the right direction.

Disoriented, she spun, the water gripping her fiercely.

A crashing ripple and a face appeared before hers, hands grabbing for her throat and squeezing.

The male had caught her.

She kicked and clawed, limbs splaying out as she gave a valiant effort against her attacker. His hand squeezed so harshly she felt like her head may burst.

In her peripheral vision, white hair floated around her, and she held the hand against her throat, struggling—to no avail.

Luella’s lungs seized. She couldn’t breathe.

Her body ached. Something sparked to life inside her, like the cool drip of ice.

With a silent scream, her mouth opened, but she could make no sound.

The Umbra’s face was looming above her as he held her under the water.

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