Page 48 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

NOTHING COMPARED TO YOU

AZ

A z knew he should not be in Lu’s room, but her face haunted him, blue eyes wide with hurt—the way she had lain among the soft cushions in the King’s sitting room, unresponsive.

Tharen had closed his eyes as he worked, hands waving over the soft rise and fall of her chest as she dreamed.

The Prima’s words had made Az want to dig the knife a little deeper into his wrists, if they were true.

His icy eyes had grown dull as he stared at them all, proclaiming, Her spirit feels dead.

If Lu died, so did Az.

His bare feet thumped on the ground as he paced—never soft and gentle, like she was.

His fingers pressed into the skin of his wrists, a habit he had taken up to remind himself of all the ways he wasn’t good enough for her.

He promised her he would not hurt himself again, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t imagine it, pretend that under the worn sleeves of his shirt, fresh lines were cut into his skin.

It was quiet and still within her bathing chambers.

She had been in there for a while, he mused.

The glass doors of the balcony rattled as thunder boomed. The snow on the grounds was melting, leaving puddles of white sludge mingling with dirt and ash .

He huffed, the sight reminding him of them. He was the dirt and ash that would mar Lu’s pureness if he dared to touch her.

And that was why he had pulled away from her when she reached out to him for comfort.

Az scrubbed his hands over his face, the weight of her looming over him—a burden, but a welcome one. He didn’t have to touch her, kiss her, do more with her, to keep her safe.

A sudden crash resounded from within the bathing chambers, and Az jolted into action.

Thinking of nothing but her, he ran to the door and threw it open, heart in his throat at what he might find inside…

Lu, his Lu, lay nude and shivering on the floor. Her eyes were closed, limp fingers dipping in the surface of the water as she lay near the edge. Her pale skin seemed to reflect the soft glow of the candles in the room, playing with the blue ripples over the bathing pool.

"Lu," Az called. He did not remember kneeling by her—everything was a blur—but he must have, for his hands held her slim shoulders gently as he bent over her. The fabric of his pants was soaked by the puddles of water on the ground. What had happened here?

"Angel, Lu. Please wake up. Don’t do this to me," he pleaded, hands smoothing over her body. She was cold. He held a hand over her nose and mouth, feeling her soft but steady exhales.

Finally, her striking blue eyes opened, and he could breathe again.

Bleary eyes, half-lidded and confused, blinked up at him.

"Az?" Luella mumbled. Her fingers were skimming along the surface of the water, and the surface seemed to respond to her touch, gently lapping against her hand. "What… happened?"

He found a towel lying over the back of a stool, and he took it, wrapping it around her nude frame. He patted along her shoulders and stomach, drying her off. "I don’t know. I heard a crash."

Her small hands curled around the towel, pulling it tighter against her as she shivered. She made no move to get up, no sign that the cold floor bothered her—but it bothered him.

Az gathered her up, tucking the towel around her small waist and thighs as he held her against his chest. She let out a pleased sound as she curled into him.

Her eyes drifted to the bathing pool, and a soft tremor ran through her. A bolt of lightning crashed outside, the strike sounded as if it were right outside the walls.

She shook her head, a damp strand of hair falling into her eyes.

"I think I… f-fainted," said Luella.

"Do you remember what you were doing before you fell?" Az tried to distract her from the crescendo of thunder and lightning that pierced their fragile quiet.

Gods, he had missed touching her.

"I was trying t-to take a b-bath." Her chin quivered, eyes welling with tears. Her nose and cheeks were flushed with cold, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head, careful of his horns.

He eyed the bathing pool. The surface rippled, yet nothing disturbed it. Tiny waves reached for her as she sat near the edge. She was careful to keep her toes away from the water, he noted, curling them close to her body as she shivered.

Her hand absentmindedly brushed over her delicate neck, and he felt his own eyes burning with tears at her obvious pain.

"What’s wrong, angel? Why do you cry?"

"I can’t do it." Her voice broke.

Az brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, relishing the soft feel of her skin against the rough pads of his fingers. Gods, he could break her without a thought. He would bring nothing but ruin to her. "You can’t do what?"

"Get in the w-water…" she cried.

All at once, Az understood what tormented her. He knew her better than his own soul, after all. She owned him; he was utterly and unequivocally hers. And nothing of his would hurt.

"Lu," he murmured, "have you…" How could he ask her this without embarrassing her? "What happened on the beach, does it make you fear the water?"

Her eyes squeezed shut, and she burrowed into his chest, nose pressing against his neck as she breathed him in. Softly and quickly, she nodded as if the action pained her .

"Yes," she whispered, still not looking at him.

And his heart broke for the fragile female in his arms.

If Az must touch her, he would make it worth something, would help her through this.

"How can I help you, Lu?" Az mumbled into her hair. She smelled of strawberries and faintly of saltwater. Had she truly bathed since the disastrous end to the Solstice celebrations? She shook her head, unable to answer. "Let me help you, you don’t have to be afraid of the water. Not with me."

The demon reached forward and gently dipped his hand into the bathing pool, feeling mellow warmth against his fingertips. He took his dripping hand and trailed it over the line of her shoulder, letting the droplets wet her skin. She shivered against him, but her eyes opened. Beautiful blue.

"It’s just water," Az said. "And I would never let anything hurt you."

She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, shifting against him. He was acutely aware of her—small and soft—pressed against his large, hard body. The call of the Vincire bond was melodious; he wished it were always like this. Quietly calm and quietly sweet.

"C-can you stay with me?" Luella shyly peeked up at him, lashes casting shadows on her pale cheeks.

He swallowed thickly. "If that’s what you need, it’s yours. Always."

"I do need that. I want you to stay."

"Okay." He could barely hear his voice over the sound of his thundering heart.

Az kept her close as he stood, steadying her. The towel was thin and clung to her misted skin, revealing hints of soft curves.

She clenched the edges of the towel so hard, her knuckles were white. "Will you go in the w-water with… me?"

Az hated that she reverted to the meek, stuttering female he had first met in the dungeons. "Of course, angel. Do you want to keep this on?" He ran a finger over the thin towel against her chest. She nodded fervently, a small flush on her skin—more than embarrassment or shame, but desire .

Fully clothed, Az stepped into the water with her in his arms. Her hands locked around his neck as she held on, legs hooked around his waist. He sat gingerly, letting her get used to the water’s warmth.

Though her eyes were red and shiny with tears, limbs quivering, she didn’t seem like she would faint again, so he settled back against the side of the bathing pool. She sat on his lap, soft and trembling.

He let a hand graze over the water and brought it up, droplets trickling over her skin, soaking the ends of her white hair, turning them a deep silver. She shook, but a quiet resilience shone.

Luella took his hand and pressed it against her chest. "There’s this… invisible burn in my lungs from the water, and I feel robbed of breath—even though I know it’s all in my head." Az rocked her amid the warm water, letting her talk. "I’m broken, Az."

Gently, the demon pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and placed it over his forearm, where the faintest lines once were, now healed; though, the memory hadn’t left him. "So am I. We can be broken together."

She traced over his arm, pushing up his wet sleeve. "Was that the first time you had inflicted pain on yourself?" Her voice was strained.

Az owed her honesty. "No," he said, and she tensed against him.

"I was shunned in the Below because I was weak and soft.

I wanted to forget their words, to feel something even if it was pain…

To pretend like I enjoyed suffering like my brethren.

But I found release in the pain. A momentary respite. "

Luella turned, throwing a leg over his side as she straddled him. The water made her form murky underneath, but he saw indecent flashes of pale skin. Her small hands cupped his cheeks as she pressed her forehead to his, breathing him in.

"You can find solace in me. Use me for respite, if you must, but never pain," she whispered, her breath tickling his cheeks.

His hands tightened on her waist, eyes dipping to her mouth as her pink tongue came out to wet her bottom lip.

Fuck, it was wrong to feel desire for her in such a vulnerable moment, but she was so pretty.

He ached for her, aware of how good she smelled, how soft her thighs were, how wet the water was around them, her hands on his neck and thighs gripping his waist .

The air was charged. Lightning crashed, but he barely heard it. The water was scorching around them, nearly bubbling.

Her half-lidded eyes fell to his mouth, and slowly, as if to work up the courage, she closed the tiny space between them and pressed a hesitant kiss to his lips.

It was over before it truly began.

She pulled away, not meeting his eyes. "Sorry," she murmured.

And the thin grip of control Az held broke.

He surged forward and claimed her mouth. Their second kiss, but she didn’t know that.

It was a soft, gentle thing, hot like the water around them. A stolen moment of sweetness, yet it rivaled the intensity of her storm outside. The rain picked up, pounding against the side of the castle. He placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heartbeat in tune with the rumbling thunder.

Her movements were unskilled, but he loved it, loved learning her and seeing her blossom. And he would blossom with her, discover intimacy and pleasure as one who had never lain with anyone before. He could give her the one piece of himself that remained untouched—in time.

But not now.

As his mouth slowed against hers, he gave a soft lick over the seam of her lips, soothing the heat that surged through their veins before pulling away, breathless.

Her chest rose and fell in quick movements, and her lips were slick and red. She shifted. He groaned low at the ache in his cock, her right over it.

"Was that momentary respite good enough?" she asked shyly.

Az laughed, running his nose over the length of hers. "More than good enough." And it was.

They both became aware of the uncomfortable heat baking their skin. Her arms were red from the water, and she turned her head, looking at the softly popping bubbles on the surface, diminishing in intensity with each steadying breath she took.

"This is my doing," she whispered as she stared at the steaming water around them. There was no question in her voice—only certainty .

Az ran a hand over her heat-flushed, pink skin.

"Yes, angel, it is." His tone was reverent, not fearful. He cupped her face and pressed a kiss to her lips, his breath mixing with hers. "Your powers… I’ve never seen anything like it. They have no idea what you’re capable of, but they will. And I can’t wait for you to finally show them all they are nothing compared to you. "