Page 117 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

ALWAYS

LUELLA

A z held Luella in his arms like a babe, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips as she kept herself steady with her arms thrown around his neck.

This close, she could see the faintest freckles scattered across his tanned skin.

She had never noticed them before; they softened his features even more, endearing her to him.

The tip of her nose brushed his jaw as she blinked up at him.

His arms tightened around her thighs, careful of her back. "Do you want me to go into the water with you?"

At the mention of water, she tensed in his arms.

The thread between them pulsed with waves of comfort.

"I won’t let you go, Lu," Az vowed.

Her eyes dipped to the small mark of his vow over his heart—the tiny red circle, a testament of his promise to keep her safe, no matter what.

Perhaps it was that that made her say:

"Okay."

Vale’s bathing chambers were larger than hers, the tiled floors woven with gold webbing among the dark stone. The bathing pool was a large circle set into the center of the room. Steam drifted, the scent rich and masculine.

A floor-to-ceiling mirror curved along the expanse of one wall, the edges beveled with golden filigree.

She couldn’t stop herself .

Luella looked into the mirror, lips parting at the sight that greeted her.

"Oh."

Az was a fearsome beast, all smoldering strength—a striking contrast to her delicate frame.

Her pale skin looked even starker against the dusky heat of his.

His horns curved high from his mess of dark curls.

His palms splayed over her thighs, large and warm against her skin, streaked with blood.

The remains of her gown hung in tatters, baring the entirety of her back as it pooled above her hips, leaving her exposed, trembling, and aware of every point where their bodies touched.

And the wings…

Folded against her back, the white was more red than anything, caked in blood.

They fluttered, unbidden, and she gasped into Az’s skin, watching as they moved.

It was strange. She knew they were on her back, but they still felt foreign, not yet a part of her.

Bandages were wrapped around her midsection, dotted with blood.

"Can you stand, angel?"

She huffed softly at the endearment, ripping her eyes away from the mirror and peering up at him. She wiggled her toes where they hung in the air.

Could she?

"Just don’t let me go," she pleaded.

"Never."

Az set her down carefully, her legs sliding down his body as he kept her flush against him. The moment her bare feet settled on the stone floors, she hummed at the pleasant warmth the dark stones emitted. Convenient.

Without his body keeping her gown upright, it slipped from her front, revealing the soft curve of her breasts. Air whispered over her nipples, hardening them.

Az turned his head away, jaw ticking.

She melted. "Az"—she placed a hand on his lower stomach—"it’s okay. I trust you… I don’t want to hide from you."

"Lu, are you sure?" He still did not look at her.

"Yes," she whispered.

Az’s amber eyes settled on her small breasts, and if not for having to hold on to him to keep herself from falling, she would have shielded herself with an arm. Her skin warmed. The muscles in her back twinged as her wings fluttered.

"You are beautiful," Az whispered to her.

"I…" Luella looked toward the water, heart clenching at the steady ripples. "So are you."

His laugh rumbled through her. "We need you to be able to walk, at least a little bit, for our plan to work," he started.

Her brows furrowed at the mention of a plan. She knew the others were in Vale’s room discussing their next steps while Az helped her clean up, but she felt fear kindle low in her belly.

This reprieve could not last.

Az kept her upright with his large, strong hands on her waist, and she slowly stepped away from the heat of his body, wobbling dangerously. But he didn’t let her go.

She was tugged backward by the weight at her back, her center of balance off as she almost fell. Az grabbed her wrist, tugging her back upright and into his chest.

The ruined gown was in tatters around her hips—the only thing keeping her lower half decent. She kept it on as Az led her into the water, his steps patient and slow.

Her chin trembled as the water rose to her ankles, further to her thighs, then her waist. She felt it brush the tips of her wings, making her shiver from the strange feeling.

Throughout it all, Az never let her go—and never stopped sending calmness and fuzzy adoration down the thread between them, making her forget all about reaching hands and saltwater burning in her lungs.

She knew she was far from fixed. If not for his hands on her and the way his emotions soothed the roiling inside her mind, she would have broken.

When the warm water lapped against her navel, her back to him, she uttered, "Can I get m-my wings wet?" It was strange to claim them as her own…

A pause, then:

"Tharen says it’s fine. The warmth should help ease the pain in your muscles, too."

Az helped her deeper into the water, and she sat facing him, her wings trembling behind her as the water tickled the delicate feathers.

The sensation was so odd; she felt the nerve endings in her wings tremble as the water lapped against them, but she could not bring herself to move them of her own accord.

The wings stayed tucked closely to her back, protecting her.

Trying not to focus on the shadowed water around her, she stared up at Az’s face.

"You truly are beautiful, my angel," the demon said reverently, cupping water in his large palms and trickling it over her back; her wings fluttered, the warmth making the knots on her back loosen. "I could live a thousand lives and never deserve to have you."

Her breath hitched as the water turned red around them, the blood washed away from his meticulous touches.

Her shoulder blades twinged as she lifted an arm and cupped his cheek.

"In every life, I would find you, and in every life, I would tell you, over and over again, that that is not true.

" She licked her lips, skin tingling as she recalled the warmth of the stardust against her skin as she had lain under Tharen on the altar.

"If the gods have done one thing right, it is giving me you," she murmured, drowsiness softening her words.

Az’s hand came up to settle over hers, keeping it against his cheek. After a moment, he turned his head and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist.

The only sound for some time was the faint trickling of water as he washed away the blood from her, achingly careful not to touch her wings.

When she had soaked well enough, and her skin and wings were clean from the blood, Az reluctantly helped her stand.

"We can’t stay here all night, as much as I wish we could."

The tattered remains of her gown were left in the water, leaving her entirely bare, wings tucked close to her spine, and water trickling off her pale skin. She crossed her legs with shyness, unsteady with waves of exhaustion. Az’s eyes never strayed from her face.

As the air of the bathing chambers hit her wet skin, she shivered. Az reached blindly for a fluffy towel and held it between them. "Can I dry you, angel? "

She nodded, trusting he would never take advantage of her sleepy state.

The soft towel was like a taste of the Above against her skin. A question lingered in his eyes as he held the towel over her breasts, and she tried to convey the trust inside her with only a look, urging him to take all of her, see all of her, touch all of her.

Pleasure wasn’t a mystery to her anymore. She had felt it, and the memory lingered in her bones. Tempting her.

And now that she knew she could chase after it freely without fears of disappearing, she wanted to discover that with her demon. Not now, when her limbs trembled with exhaustion and her eyelids drooped, but one day—soon.

The soft fabric brushed over her nipples, and her head tipped back. Wavering, she relished in the pleasure coursing through her, just from that one brush. Az steadied her, eyes burning, burning, burning, pools of deep amber she wanted to dive into and drown.

Her eyelids fluttered as she huffed a soft laugh.

Drown.

She would be willing to relive the torture of nearly drowning if it were in him and him alone.

The towel traveled over her stomach, avoiding her back entirely.

Warm air brushed over her navel, making her jump.

Az knelt before her. This strong demon, on his knees with humility.

Her eyes burned as she stared at him.

The towel paused by her ribs, and he made a tortured sound.

"What is it?" Luella breathed.

"I vowed to keep you safe with my life, and I could not even manage that." Az looked up at her, the points of his horns brushing her stomach. She swallowed, slowly reaching forward to brush away an errant curl.

His tone was reverent, amber eyes flicking to the white wings tucked close to her back. They twitched in acknowledgment at his stare, as if preening under his attention. It made her grimace from the dull shock of pain at the use of the muscles in her back.

She shook her head. "My demon. My protector.

" She tangled her fingers fully in his hair, relishing in the softness of his dark curls, fingertips running over the base of his horns.

He shuddered at the touch, mouth parting.

"It’s not your fault. I do not blame you for any of it.

" She licked her lips, shyness cresting over her.

"If it… If it was not for you, I don’t think I would have made it this far—would have wanted to make it this far.

" The implications of her words were loud, hanging heavy between them.

"Don’t say that, Lu. You’re stronger than you realize. You could have done this without me. I’m nothing?—"

Anger made her press a finger to his lips, stifling his words.

"Never"—she bent, eyes flicking between his—"say that, ever again.

You are everything." She rubbed the pad of her finger over his soft lips, taking a steadying breath.

She could do this. "I have not said it, yet, Az, but I…

" Her chin quivered with thick emotion, but she shoved it down. He was more important right now.

So, Luella moved to cup his cheek, one hand still tangled in his hair, which she used to tilt his head up. He went easily, beholden to her. The notion was empowering—this fearsome demon, on his knees before her.

"I love you, Az."

A singular tear spilled over his lashline, and she leaned down—she didn’t have to lean far, he was nearly her height, even kneeling—and pressed her lips gently to it, kissing it away.

"Say it again?" Az all but begged.

"Always," she replied. "I love you." Her lips skimmed his cheeks as she murmured the words against him, each one echoed by rumbles of thunder.