Page 97 of A Dance of Water

Whenever she looked at him, she remembered ice cubes, flushed skin, and dark spaces. A tinge of pink stained her cheeks as she looked away.

Bastian broke the strained silence. "Are you okay with being alone with him?"

"Do not pretend you have power over me, Advisor. There is nothing you could do, no matter which way her answer falls." Vale splayed his hand over her chest. Through the fabric of her gown and cape, the Binding mark pulsed under his palm. As if to fortify his words with action, he commanded, "Come, Luella."

The soft awareness of the mark turned to an aching beat with every moment she failed to obey. Her feet stumbled as she walked onward, features tightening with a wince. She would do anything to make it stop.

Vale gave a low, prideful laugh, leading her with her hand tucked into his elbow.

He was warm next to her, and his body was hard and strong. She found herself leaning into his side as they walked up the steps, the end of her cape trailing behind her.

At the top of the marble stairs, without turning his head, Vale called to the watchers below, "You’ll never win against me."

But she was not as willful as the King. Luella could not ignore the urge to look back. One thread was sated by Vale’s nearness, but four more yearned.

She looked down at them, standing in the middle of the foyer, expressions drawn and filled with anger.

Graves’s jewel-toned eyes seemed to glow within the folds of his cloak; the hard lines of Tharen’s jaw ticked with held-back emotion. Bastian hung his head; the promise of sunlight that filtered in through the windows caught the many jewels in his ears, making them sparkle.

Az rubbed a hand over his clothed forearm, thick fingers pressing deep as if he could rub away some haunting memory. Her brows knit together in the shape of quiet understanding. He was in pain—not just for her, but for this moment, for himself.

She didn’t want him to inflict pain upon himself again.

Her feet stalled, and Vale looked at her with curious green eyes. The Binding mark throbbed.

Watch Az, she called softly, hoping the thoughts would find their way to the vampire.

You have my word, Bastian replied.

And with that promise, she gave in to the pain of the mark and let her feet take her to the King’s rooms.

Alone.

31

TO WATCH YOU DREAM

LUELLA

The double doors to the King’s private sitting room slammed shut as Vale cornered her. She stepped back, but he closed the distance.

He crowded her against a large lounge, looming closer and closer. She was forced to arch her back, balancing on the balls of her feet so she wouldn’t topple backward—or fall forward into his chest.

The scent of crackling embers filled the room, and she wracked her brain… Had she ever been alone with this male before?

Luella swallowed thickly.

Vale’s eyes dipped to her throat, and he trailed a finger over the side of her neck, where the bruising had been.

"He will never be able to hurt you again," said the King. He was an enigma, promising safety at one moment, then lording his power over her the next.

Her lips parted as she stared up at him. His thighs bracketed hers; he took one last step forward, and she could no longer hold her odd position.

Luella toppled back onto the softness of the lounge, a noise of protest tearing from her lips as her white hair fanned out, a hand falling by the side of her head. She stared up at the ceiling, tracing the gold filigree that bordered the walls.

Vale stood over her, bracing his hands on the side of the cushions. Her knees brushed his legs, and the ice around herheart melted as he folded himself over her, wrapping her in his dragon’s heat. The green of his eyes shimmered like emeralds mixed with grass in the summer.

She blinked, seeing a perfect bed of grass in a meadow, two lovers lying upon the blades, bodies flush as mouths and hands roved in languid exploration.

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