Page 36 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

Not the first time she had seen such a transformation, but it still robbed her of her voice.

Onyx scales overtook flesh, clothes tore, and the dragon grew before her very eyes. She stumbled back, Graves pulled her away, Az fitting himself in front of her .

The screams grew louder, joined by victorious cries. The sounds of battle.

More than one dragon call filled the night. But none was as fearsome as the beast before her.

The onyx dragon tipped back his head and let loose a thin stream of fire, sparking the frigid night and melting the ice that clung to the walls.

From the steady stream of light, everything was clear to her. Quiet beings prowled about the room. Males and females coated in thick, sludge-like darkness. It clung to their skin and dripped from their hair. Beings shifted in the shadows, crawling out of their depths.

Everything was happening too fast for her to keep up.

Graves gripped her forcefully, peering down into her eyes. "Go with him. He will take you somewhere safe."

"But what about you?" The words were torn from her lips.

Tharen gave a barking laugh. He was half-crouched, facing out at the shadowed room as he gave her his back, protecting her.

Vines shot from his fingertips, the ends growing barbed with long, spindly thorns. He pressed his hand to the roots, and flames burst to life, shooting down the length of the vines and wrapping around the ankles of the Umbra like fiery whips. Bodies turned to charred flesh, melting to ash and dust.

The putrid scent penetrated the air, and she gagged.

Torn-apart limbs, thrown asunder, blades stabbing through stomachs. Magic alight in the room.

The enchanted air grew soaked with the stench of violence, the floor coated in gore.

Through the shadows of his hood, Graves held her eyes. "Go."

Talons wrapped around her waist, a large claw scooping her up like she was nothing.

"Wait, no," she gasped.

The dragon lifted her, wings beating, air rustling her clothes. She struggled against his hold.

Careful or he’ll drop you , Bastian warned in her mind. She found the vampire amid the chaos of the room. His eyes were closed in concentration. A female by his side swung out a hand drenched in shadows, clouds of air like a cyclone before her.

"Watch out!" Luella screamed.

Before her words were even finished, the female dropped in a heap. Dead.

The dragon’s wings flapped, and his whole body jolted as he lifted away from the ground, carrying Luella with him.

For the briefest of moments, Az met her fearful gaze as she was whisked away; he threw a deadly punch against a male’s stomach, blood splattering out from the force of the blow.

And he looked away from her. The demon grabbed an Umbra’s neck and twisted, took the heads of two more, and smashed them together, skulls caving in from his preternatural strength.

Vale flew higher, the skylight loomed, and his talon-tipped claws cupped her closer to him, keeping her safe. Glass shattered around them, but she felt no bite of pain.

Cold air kissed her skin as they broke free into the night.

Wind roared around them, swirls of flurries dancing amid the ocean waves that crashed against the shore. Snow fell in a thick white blanket against the sand, melting as it touched the water that lapped along the shoreline.

The dragon released her on the snowy beach, her slippers sank into the sand and snow.

Hot breath melted the flurries around them. Luella turned and stared at the onyx-scaled beast before her.

Green eyes with slitted pupils took her in. He leaned his head down as he nosed the air before her. A low grumble emitted from deep within his chest.

She swallowed. "Vale?"

The dragon’s wings beat roughly at the sound of her hesitant voice, another grumble roaring to life. Smoke wooshed from his nostrils as he huffed, stirring tendrils of her white, windswept hair.

Those powerful, beating wings made the snow swirl harsher around them, carrying him away. Then, he left .

And she was alone on the snow-coated beach.

Luella watched as the onyx dragon flew back over the wall, headed straight for the battle that waged on within the castle. Screams carried to her on the wind.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around her midsection tightly.

The King had left her here, alone, adrift, and cast out.

The threads tugged against her soul, growing taut and thin from the distance between them; power swelled inside her, an ocean of feeling.

But one thought rang throughout, a startling realization that made her feel as light as a raven feather drifting in the wind: she was alone.

She could be free.

Slowly, she walked along the beach, slippers sinking into the snow, so she took them off, leaving her feet bare for traction. Her steps picked up, elation made her feel weightless. Snow dusted her hair, and she reveled in the chill, the sight of the ocean, never-ending and full of possibilities.

Luella ran.

A sound of delight fell from her lips and was stolen by the swirling flakes.

Snow and sand kicked up around her feet as she bolted along the shore, water lapping against her feet. The snowfall picked up, thick white flurries disrupting her line of sight.

That’s why she didn’t notice it at first.

Shadows yawned, growing larger. A thrum pierced the air, but all sounds escaped her save for that of her pounding heart and strained breaths.

Something hard shoved against her back, and she stumbled forward, falling on her hands and knees.

Luella looked up, hair hanging around her, only just realizing how dense the air felt, the shadows that teemed and pulsed.

Hands gripped her hair and yanked, forcing her head up.

A male stood behind her, looming over her.

She saw golden hair and gleaming golden eyes. Sparks of light danced over his arms, coupling with the thick, sludge-like shadows stuck to his clothes and skin .

"No," she nearly moaned.

Thoughts of freedom fizzled away, leaving nothing but hopeless dejection.

"Hello, Princess Luella," the Umbra whispered against her nape.

He jerked her to a stand. She felt strands of her hair rip from her scalp from his punishing grip. Spinning her around to face him, the male kept a firm hold on her hair, his other hand gripping her elbow.

Golden eyes and arched ears. He was one of her own—but no, wait. She wasn’t a Solis fae, but a Luna fae. She still felt a sense of familiarity as she stared at the male. He leered down at her, and she noticed his eyes were without the usual shadowed tint that the Umbra held…

"Please, don’t," she whispered.

The male laughed harshly. "Why shouldn’t I?

" He jerked her closer to him, and his hands roved against her body.

"I’ve waited for this moment for years. The moment I could teach the little heirus Princess a lesson.

Tucked away in your castle, you never knew your parents were to blame for the wars. How does it feel, to be tricked?"

She didn’t correct him, that they were not her parents. She assumed it would have been obvious with her white hair and blue eyes.

"How does it feel to be a traitor to the fae?" she countered, searching his eyes for any hint of shame or disgust. "Are you even an Umbra?"

"Do I look like one of those possessed freaks? No. I’m doing this of my own accord." His spittle hit her cheeks, and the repulsiveness made her shudder.

She shied away from him. "Don’t you see what you’re doing is wrong?" pleaded Luella.

"Who’s to say what’s wrong and what’s right… We’re all just trying to survive." Something raw flashed in the male’s eyes before they hardened once more.

An idea flashed, and she grasped it. "Is the T-Tenebrae hurting someone you love? We can help you, I can help you."

"What could you possibly do? You’re a captive yourself.

" The male shook his head as if to do away with hope entirely—she knew the feeling well.

"I have a message," he said. "Caliban is coming for you.

" The shadows around them grew thicker. Tendrils left his skin to snake up her arms, mingling with the sparks of sunlight that flickered between them.

A jolt of electricity shocked her where his hands gripped her bare arms, and she gasped.

"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 that thing inside 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 wave looming 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.

Her movements grew feeble. But the roar grew stronger.

Finally, it all… snapped.

Her back bowed as the thing inside her swept outward. The ocean held her like a lover but turned its vengeance against her attacker. Tendrils of water shaped like odd fingers gripped his arms and legs and pulled him up and away from her, leaving her shaking and desperate for air.

Bubbles escaped from her mouth, and her head pounded. She was going to pass out .

Weakly, she kicked to the surface, the water almost lifting her as she broke free with a loud gasp, greedily inhaling air.

As she whipped her head around, searching for the male, her wet hair stuck to her cheeks and mouth.

She finally saw his motionless body on the shore.

The threads cried; her eyes burned. And a large shadow was cast upon the snow on the sand.

Wingbeats.

A twisted version of a knight in shining armor she used to read and dream of, Luella stared as Vale came to her rescue.

The dragon crashed against the shore, and he shifted back into a male. She saw flashes of skin in the dark, and she swam for the beach, lungs aching and body sore as she finally felt sand under her and could stand fully, feet trudging onward.

Water dripped from her skin, her dress clinging to her body.

For the first time in what felt like years, she was cold.

Shivers wracked her frame as she left the water’s embrace. Listing to the side, a small wave swelled against her back and gently pushed her forward, helping her to the shore.

She fell to her knees, blanketed by the snow.

Vale stormed toward her, nude and uncaring. She didn’t even have the faculties to avert her eyes, glimpsing a flash of gorgeously tanned skin before she met his piercing green gaze.

The call in her soul swelled like ocean waves, and she saw the others running with abandon toward the snowy shore.

Vale knelt by her side, a hand against her shoulder as he supported her. "Luella. Are you alright?" he asked. Or she thought he might have if she could’ve heard him—sounds were distant.

Her lips were blue, skin deathly pale.

With aching lungs and trembling limbs, not just from exhaustion but from power , she could only say breathlessly, "I think I used my magic."