Page 58 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

LUST OR LOVE?

LUELLA

I t was quiet in the bathing chambers, and Luella rubbed the edge of her blindfold sleepily, unsteady on her feet. Her thin robe did nothing to ward off the damp chill within the room. Her chest ached from the overuse of power.

She could almost feel the inviting steam that wafted from the bathing pool, but the invitation was not one she wished to accept. Her hands shook as she imagined the water of the bathing pool to be dark and murky, hands crawling from its depths to drag her under.

She did not know how long she stood there, but a hand against her shoulder jerked her from her hazed stupor.

"Lu," Az mumbled behind her. His chest pressed against her back, and she leaned into him, resting her head against him. His hands cupped her shoulders, and he swayed them from side to side. "My Lu. How are you feeling?"

She swallowed. "Tired." And she was, desperately so.

Even after she had awoken in her bed, wearing nothing but a thin shift and no undergarments—the thought made her blush, wondering who had changed her while she was unconscious—she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

Perhaps her drowsy state was why she contemplated a bath.

Or because she felt dried streaks of mud on her body, caked under her fingernails. Her skin was itchy and dry.

Az swept her hair away from her neck and pressed his lips to her shoulder. She shivered but stepped away from him, abashed as she said, "I probably smell like wet dirt."

Az cupped her cheeks. "You smell like you, Lu. Strawberries and creamed sugar," the demon said, pressing his face into the crown of her hair and inhaling deeply. "My favorites."

She curled her hands into his chest. "You’re my favorite, too," she confessed.

Pleased, he grumbled softly.

Lavender and vanilla permeated the humid air of the bathing chamber, and she felt her robe stick to her skin. She remembered the last time they were alone here, and her thighs quivered, mouth growing dry.

"I cannot… go into the water alone," she hedged, "so will you bathe with me again? Like last time?"

"Of course," Az said, fingers trailing over her robe.

"I want to keep it on for now," she murmured.

A pause, and she went over what she had said— for now . As if there would be a time she would bathe with him nude. The idea was not unpleasant. She trembled again, but not from fear of the water. From something greater.

He cleared his throat gruffly. "As you wish."

With Az’s hands on her, directing her, Luella entered the water.

A breathless sound escaped her lips at the first lick of warmth against her toes. She sank deeper, feeling tiny bubbles against her bare calves and thighs.

When the water was up to her waist, she felt him move behind her. The water shifted around her as Az sat, pulling her between his spread legs.

She braced a hand on his chest—bare. When had he removed his shirt? She settled back against him, shifting to get comfortable.

He groaned. "Stop moving, angel."

"S-sorry," she stammered.

He held her waist to still her movements. She sighed at his hands on her. Her robe clung to her body; it felt like nothing was between them.

Just like last time, Az softly trickled water over her collarbones, letting it drop down her chest and wet the swell of her chest, falling over her arms and her neck. With him by her side, she got used to the water. Salty terror was replaced by something entirely different. Fragile and burning.

"You’re trembling," Az muttered, voice thick with something deeper than worry. His lips brushed against her arched ear.

"I’m cold," she lied.

He made a knowing sound that vibrated through his chest, making her shiver, anew.

She shouldn’t get distracted. They had much to discuss. She forced herself to ignore his warm hands on her body and the awareness between her thighs.

"Az," she started, "when I was in the library, I saw Nyx."

The demon hummed in acknowledgment, continuing to stroke over her curves, fingers tapping along the impression of her ribs.

"It made me think of the"—her breath hitched when his hands dipped lower, skimming over her upper thigh—"the Compendium of Fates . I lost it."

Az stilled against her. He exhaled harshly against her neck.

"I think it was lost somewhere in t-the… b-battle." It was hard to get her words out as the memories threatened to drown her. The water enveloping her was no longer welcoming and warm.

The crunch of bone. Bloody maws. Howling. White fur.

She pressed her face into Az’s bare chest, and he cupped the back of her head and drew her closer to him. She wished they could become one, wished she could fit herself inside him and never leave.

"Angel, we will figure this out. Lost does not mean forgotten." Az tapped her temple. "The words of the prophecy are up here." He pulled away from her slightly, and his fingers skimmed over the edges of her blindfold. "No more talk of this for now. Okay?"

She sighed. "Okay."

Az had a way of righting her mind, turning something dreadful back to safe. She knew he was concerned, could hear it in the edges of his voice. But he was right, what good would worry do?

His hands resumed their leisurely caress on her skin. His sugary scent made her dizzy. The water was warm, but the heat in her body was warmer.

She did not know if she would ever be able to bathe without him by her side. He was taking something born of desperate fear and turning it into something else—hungry and yearning.

Luella turned on his lap, facing him; though, she could not see him, her hands reached up and traced delicate lines over his face, feeling his cheeks, the line of his jaw, tangling in his hair. She was learning him just as he was learning her.

Her breaths were soft, and his were deep, stuttering as she reached up and traced her fingers over the base of his horn.

Az’s groan was low and sinful. "Angel."

"Is t-this not okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"It’s more than okay. Horns are sensitive to a demon."

"Oh," she managed, feeling her cheeks warm.

She wanted to pull her hands away, scared of this new territory they were entering, but his patience and gentleness kindled her desire, made her want to force another masculine sound from his lips.

Her hands trembled as she traced along the side of his horns, following up the curve, feeling the texture under the pads of her fingertips. Softly rough. Just like him.

Az groaned deeply, fingers tightening on her waist.

"Can I kiss you?" he all but growled.

"Yes," she replied breathily.

And so he did.

Az pressed his mouth to hers, hands framing her face. It was just as good as she remembered.

Luella whimpered against him as he lightly bit down on her lower lip, soothing the bite with his tongue. It was soft and sweet, and she ached all over, most intensely between her thighs.

With every brush of Az’s lips on hers, every pass of his hand over her back, she felt a strange wetness gather between her thighs, different from the water around them.

Her lower belly throbbed with an unfamiliar emptiness.

Luella pressed a hand against her stomach as she kissed him. She was still untrained, but she was learning, and what better teacher than the demon before her?

Every time she nibbled on his lower lip or hesitantly traced the tip of her tongue over his, she felt his reactions, the way he tensed under her.

His shoulders were taut, and her thighs bracketed his as she sat upon his lap.

Their moments made the water ripple. She felt how hard he was under her, the lines of his body unforgiving—but soft only for her.

She sighed against his lips, feeling the need to breathe as she pulled away. She licked her lips, tasting him, feeling how swollen they were.

He rested his forehead against hers. "I could kiss you for eternity."

A pleased sound fell from her lips. "That sounds like all I’ve ever wanted."

Passionately, he kissed her again, devouring her like he was starved.

The thrum of feeling between her thighs only grew, and she whimpered louder against him.

Az trailed kisses from her lips to her cheeks, nuzzling against her ear. "What is it?" he asked.

"What is this feeling?" Her voice was light as air, thick as water.

"What feeling?" the demon mumbled against her cheek, lips roving over her jaw, sucking gently.

Luella’s words shook. "I feel like I might burn alive."

"Where? Show me."

She took his hand and moved it under the water, holding his palm against her navel.

"Here," she whispered, "and l-lower…"

A blush burned her skin, but it had nothing on the heat flowing through her veins.

He chuckled deeply. "That’s desire."

"Like l-lust?" she inquired meekly, thinking of lecherous acts in flickering candlelight, bodies moving together amid a glittering throne room.

"It can be, but what I feel for you is more than mere lust." Az pressed his lips to the shell of her ear and whispered into it, "I desire your heart, not just your body, Lu."

Dazed, she nodded. She felt that for him, too, but she was too scared to say it. So she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips, and he took control, turning it from tenderly searching to all-consuming.

The throbbing sensation between her thighs only grew heavier, and the air buzzed around her.

Luella pulled away from Az, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I think—" Her head swam. "I think something’s wrong."

The words no sooner left her lips before she fell into nothingness, hands slipping away from Az’s warm body as she tumbled gracelessly onto something hard and uncomfortable.