"Van..." I said in a deep, disapproving voice.

"Yes, My Zira?"

"There was no fey was there?"

"I got you in the water." He smirked. Gold eyes dancing.

"You're deeply awful."

"Oh...So much worse than that." He agreed.

I had my arms hanging about his neck and was looking at the water surging around us worriedly. "How are you not being washed away?"

"Look below the water."

I peered over one shoulder and stared down. Seeing that the water separated in a bubble around his legs. Leaving him untouched.

More of his magic.

What all can he do?

"You're about to see." He tossed me up into the air.

I squawked in objection but as I flailed, fearing falling back into the icy water I found I hovered above him. Looking down I saw him flexing the fingers of one hand. He slowly rotated it and my body turned in rhythm to his motions.

He moved his fingers in a playful dance and my clothes unraveled and unfolded from my body. Floating over my head and slipping off my feet to move in a haunting dance, as though they, themselves skipped to the bank.

I laughed at the strange sight of my clothes skipping along as though they were children playing in the dark.

My gaze fell to his face and saw the great pleasure he took from my laughter. When did he begin looking at me like that?

"Like what, Zira?" He asked somberly. His hand falling and sending me plummeting naked back to his arms.

***

I panted from the excitement. Still grinning so widely that I felt the deep dimples pinpointing in my cheeks. Something that rarely happened.

I've rarely had reason to smile. Much less laugh so heartily.

"When did you start looking at me like I'm something special. Rather than just prey."

"You're both." He confided. Pressing another strange, soft kiss to my temple.

He set me atop the surging water, and I gasped at the sudden cold. My back lifting as I tried to escape the violent chill.

"Ssh." He put a finger to his lips and pressed a palm under my spine. As if balancing me on his hand.

And from the center of his palm, I felt heat bloom. Like licking flames travelled down his fingertips to embrace me on a bed of warm currents.

I sighed in pleasure at the comforting heat.

His other hand moved over me in a gesture like covering me with a blanket and the water rose over me in slipping waves. Pouring over my legs, belly and breasts to rise to my neck. Sending the warmth tossing over the front of me as well as the back.

***

In the distance, Zel watched. A demon disguised as a man. Drawn to the woods by the explosions of dancing gold light and the freeing laughter of a woman. Upon slipping through the trees he glimpsed one of his favored minions, Vandiel. Sending flickering bits of gold starlight reflecting off the river like skipping stones and reflecting over everything in the area.

Sending fey retreating deep into the woods to avoid the misery of the blinding brightness.

In the center of the lightplay was Vandiel standing waist deep in a surging river. Utterly focused on the woman resting atop his palm. Bits of magical string rolling beneath her back to cradle her as dark spills of water washed over her.

Her breasts swayed in the motion of the water. Dusky light brown nipples floating along the surface as they hardened to tips that were so hard one could easily flick them. Her belly was flat. Naturally slim from her living on little food and doing much exertion to earn it. Or from Vandiel's work. Zel knew.

Her hips did have a delicious swell to them. Her pelvis indented in a way that would welcome a man's weight atop her. And her thighs were narrow and slim making it impossible for her to keep a man out even if she closed them. One would clearly be able to skid between and enter her without much effort.

She was made to be had by men. Zel noted all these things he was certain Vandiel would've assessed in the first few seconds he saw her. Knowing it would've taken him about as much time as that to mount her after seeing her, Zel chuckled mirthlessly.

But his laughter ceased when he realized something was happening with the woman's pale skin. She already glowed in the dark but suddenly there was luminescence coming from just beneath it. Pressing through her pores to surround her in a halo of brilliant white light.

Absorbing Vandiel's golden lights and transforming it into something else, until she glowed nearly translucent. Her skin becoming almost invisible. Every tiny blue vein in her flesh became painfully prominent and her dark eyes suddenly seemed hollow in the smoothness of her round cheeks. The red of her lips a bright splash of color over the dancing white, blue and gold lights.

It was all giving Zel a pounding headache. He squinted against the brilliance of it.

"Where is all my darkness?" Zel asked worriedly. His face hardening.

Typically, Vandiel was the best at leaving blackness in his wake.

This, this was something dreadful.

"He has to be stopped." Zel whispered. Dragging long fingernails roughly over the bark of the tree as he blinked away the brightness and retreated into the trees. Wanting to get further away to formulate a proper plan.

A plan to bring Vandiel back to him.

A plan to destroy the wretched woman.