Page 81 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

TO BE SO VULNERABLE

LUELLA

A fter a deep sleep—Luella’s second night wrapped up between her demon protector and vampiric mind thief—she had not awoken in either of their arms, but held closely to Graves’s chest. At first, she had thought him a dream, conjured by the enticing scent that stuck to his cloak, which she held close to her nose all night. But it was not a dream.

She had felt his chest under her hands, her cheek pillowed by his arm. She wondered how long he had been there, at her side.

Without a word, he had left, and she had lain in bed until Ina and Osa helped her prepare for the day.

The mourning period was over. It had been a fortnight.

Tonight, the Winter Solstice would continue.

She was awaiting the Prima’s verdict.

Had she proven herself? In his eyes, was she worthy?

She knew the answer…

So, she found herself wandering, walking among the rain like a confused phantom as her hands fumbled before her, knowing she had not proven herself.

A small part of her roared at the notion of pleasing others. She had made herself proud. That was enough.

On her walk to where she had hoped were the gardens, she had slipped and fallen in a slick puddle, and her gown was drenched, sticking to her body uncomfortably, much like her hair .

Rain pinged off the metal rooftop of the gazebo, and she sighed, the sound drowned out by the harsh rainfall and distant crack of thunder and lightning.

He found her in the gardens.

She did not hear his footsteps, but she felt the tug in her soul. She held her breath, knowing what was coming.

The wooden steps creaked under his heavy boots, and she turned her head toward the sound.

It was quiet; he did not speak, and neither did she.

Her hands shook as she smoothed out her drenched skirts, but with every passing moment he did not acknowledge her, she felt the tension ease from her limbs.

This was the first time she had ever felt something akin to comfort in his presence.

Finally, Tharen spoke:

"The Solstice continues tonight."

She nodded.

"You’ve had a fortnight to prove yourself worthy, Princess . Do you think you have?"

Her chin dipped toward her chest, unable to answer him.

Tharen’s boots thumped against the wood as he came to sit beside her. The bench groaned under his weight. She was utterly aware of him.

"Do you think you have?" the Prima repeated.

"To whom?" she said softly.

"Our deal stated you would prove yourself to me. No one else matters, lamb."

She swallowed. "That’s not true. If… If the six of us are Vincire, then we all matter. Especially now."

"It’s not a matter of if . We are Vincire—you’re right about that."

She was right about more than that.

"I have proven myself in my eyes." The rain drowned out her words.

Tharen hummed.

Her fingers were pruned from being in the cold rain, and he took her hand, tracing the lines of her palm .

"I look a sight, I’m sure." She gestured to her rain-soaked appearance.

He hummed again.

She felt a tug on her hair as his fingers combed roughly through the strands.

"In some ways, you have proven yourself to me. But not all. You may think you want this, but you don’t.

" Tharen pressed his palm over her chest, snagging on the chain of her amulet.

"The head and heart are different. Just as the body and soul.

Your soul yearns for destiny, but your body is scared.

You have to want your magic. If one part is against you, then you are not ready. "

His words stung.

"I… All of me wants this," she lied.

His palms snapped up from her chest to grip her chin. "Really?" he asked against her parted lips.

Water rushed around her, icy pinpricks in her hair and on her skin. Tharen’s Aqua magic assaulted her. She felt wetness against her mouth, tendrils of controlled water trying to drown her.

Luella jerked her head away, but he held her firm.

She whimpered.

Slowly, the water stopped.

"This fear you have of water, you must overcome it and align yourself with all elements, the sun, and the stars, to even have a chance… You can’t let fear control you."

"I cannot help but be scared of it," she revealed. "All I see, all I hear, all I feel… is the moment when I almost drowned."

"Fear is a powerful motivator. In time, I believe you’ll figure out how to use those memories for your gain instead of letting them dictate how you choose to live."

His calloused hand gripped her face, and she felt his fingers curl into her blindfold.

"You believe so?" she whispered shakily, knowing what he was going to do.

There was a flare of warmth as he held her face between his hands. Her head grew light, limbs filled with electricity. She felt his fingers move behind her head, tracing along the silk.

He lifted the blindfold away .

The light was blinding.

She winced.

Tharen placed his palm over her eyes. "Adjust slowly."

One by one, he lifted his fingers away, letting the light seep through the cracks, until nothing was keeping her safe but her tightly squeezed lids.

He brushed a finger over her eyelids. "Open up. Look at me."

And Luella opened her eyes.

She saw nothing but black dancing spots as she acclimated.

She blinked. Blinked again. Let her vision focus.

Tharen’s face was the first thing she saw. The sharp line of his jaw, the severe hollows of his cheeks… His icy blue eyes seared into her with intensity.

A small gasp fell from her lips, and her eyes watered from the burn of morning light, even dim as it was with the thick cover of clouds. Birdsong carried to her, and she followed the sound with tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

The gardens were damp, puddles on the ground and petals dripping, heavy with droplets. Wind rustled through the treetops. Through blurry eyes, she saw the red, ripe skin of the apples in the distant orchard. Tears fell harder.

"I’ve missed this," she breathed.

Tharen’s thumb swiped over the tears on her skin, catching a droplet.

Her fingers curled in the silk blindfold on her lap, loathing it, resenting it. But without it… she would not have ever known what she was capable of.

Entranced, Tharen roughly smoothed over her cheeks, spreading the wetness from her tears onto the corner of her mouth. His finger lingered there, on her lips, and her breath hitched. Words became hard, knowing she would see the consequences of them.

"Don’t shy away from me." Tharen stared at her tears. He seemed to look everywhere but her eyes—fingers sifting through her rain-soaked white strands, swirling patterns in her skin that mingled with tear tracks. "Princess," he mused.

And something about his tone? —

"Why do you say that as if… as if it is the first time you truly realize my title?" The rain echoed the beat of her heart.

Tharen finally met her gaze, and she was arrested by the emotions inside his eyes.

"Perhaps I have."

He stood and took her hand, tugging her to her feet.

It was a relief to see where she was being led, and no longer having to rely on her hands to guide the way.

They stepped out from underneath the safety of the gazebo.

Immediately, the rain drenched them. Her head tipped back, letting the rain wash over her, rid her of memories of darkness as she reveled in the crisp bite of water on her skin, the sight of it as it fell in thick, swift drops from the dark clouds in the sky.

She never wanted to be so vulnerable again.

Swirls of water danced all around them.

"Come back to me when you actually want to use your magic, Princess."