What are you going to do?

"Well either way, you can't make me get in that… pool," I retort, wrinkling my nose at him in the most blazon manner that I dare to- which must seem exceedingly petty to him. Not that I care.

Devil or not, and regardless of whether he saved my life, I am not willing to even entertain the idea of him seeing me buck naked, wading into a pool of purple water that may or may not poison me on impact. As grateful as I am for him, the risks of it seem too great (mostly the expense of my dignity), that and the fact I have not fully come around to trusting this place, not yet.

This entire place may be littered with traps, perhaps even standing in this room is a risk to my mortal vitality, there simply is no way to tell.

But Valerian, rather annoyingly, does not let up. Instead he puts a steady hand on my shoulder, gesturing once again for me to get in, the promise that he 'won't look' still swimming in his eyes. Firmly, I shake my head.

"Nope, nuh-uh. No fucking way. I'm not going in. You can't make me."

"Or what? What will you do to stop me from putting you in that pool?" Valerian smiles, stepping closer and closer, like a dance, his body swaying rhythmically, his eyes twinkling with an amorous delight. There is something fantastical about the way he moves, his body, his words, as though each motion transforms everything around him into something of heart wrenching beauty. Creatures like him are devastatingly beautiful, painting the world with colours that are far more superior to the sullen, sombre hues that my mother once orchestrated. Even with the tricks and prodding flirtatious remarks, I find myself enjoying the thrill of it all, drawn into the game like a mouse to a trap.

Another step closer and everything about him suddenly leaves me breathless, my mind a chaotic turmoil of thoughts and feelings, rendered helpless by the mere flash of his smile, and the gentle endeavour of his words. I almost forget about the situation with the lake until I am backed right up against it.

Teetering on the edge of the water, I glance backwards, a fine sweat lacing the top of my brow. My heart pounds in my throat, wild and frenzied. One more step back and I would have toppled straight in, tumbled down into those lilac, watery depths straight to the bottom.

Devastatingly beautiful… yes. That works well.

"Or I will-"

His hand closers around mine, his body pressing so close that if I had had the right frame of mind to listen, I might have heard the steady thrum of his heart against his chest, and endless beat that will never be struck from its immortal pedestal of life.

"What will you do, chérie?" he whispers daringly, fingers slipping into the spaces between my own, warm and soft, the hands of a lover, not a thousands of years old immortal demon. The sensation of his skin against my own sends shivers rocketing down my spine, each touch magnetised with every subtle, impassioned murmur that trembles from his lips.

"What are you going to do? Or what?" he dares, leaning in closer, his lilac eyes scanning me with curiosity, testing me to see what I will do, how rashly I will act. Irritably, I puff out my cheeks, raising a free hand.

"Or I will burn you," I say, sniffing, flames flickering up from my palm in sudden sparks of smouldering heat. The air shimmers with warmth between us, ruffling the ends of his mussy raven hair, glinting hues of purple and blue under the influence of the light, just like a raven, the harbinger of death.

I don't know what I was expecting from Valerian- maybe to draw back, to remove his hand from mine, reconsider the course of his actions to an extent. I was expecting something, but that something certainly was not a laugh.

"It seems you have forgotten," he says, giving a soft laugh, then stops abruptly, shaking his head, before continuing on.

Forgotten..? What have I forgotten?

"My dear Elowyn," he chuckles amusedly, that strange look gone from his features as he reaches up to close his other hand over my fist, extinguishing the flames within my hand with a shock of cold. My stomach drops to my feet.

"Those flames you have is little more than a party trick for a demon like you. You have barely tapped into the surface of your powers to harness that, and I am afraid no matter how hard you try, those flames could not hurt an inch of my body," he warns, rolling his eyes, but not out of spite. "That is why I have you here, after all, to train you to use your powers. Then you might actually have a chance of doing some damage to me," he grins, winking. For a moment, I frown, but that frown quickly transforms into a malicious grin. Curling my fists into balls, I raise up my hands a bit, indicating exactly what I would like to do to him.

"Oh I know what I can do to hurt you," I snicker, glancing down into the region in which I would aim my blow, sizing up my shot. The devil gives me an exasperated look.

"Chérie, I invite you to try, but you would only be insulting yourself by doing so. Now, if you would please, do you mind getting into the water?" he urges, gesturing to the expanse of shimmer purple water behind me, a deadpan expression over his face. Sucking in my cheeks, I fold my arms over myself, sticking my ground.

"Or what?" I echo his words with a jabbing mockery. "What are you going to do?"

I should have realised that was a bad question to ask from the moment it left my lips. Because here I am, standing in front of an ancient ruler of a kingdom that most people don't know the first thing about, an unknown array of powers under his belt and a reputation for being notoriously, well, devilish, and I have the nerve to dare him to make me do something. He could chuck me headlong in the pool if he wanted. Nobody would stop him.

Honestly, what was I expecting to happen? For him to walk off and call it a night? Fat chance.

Instead, the devil raises his brows, spreads out his wings in a glittering array of raven feathers, and grabs onto my wrist, his fingers clenching tight. Fleetingly, I look down.

"What the-"

The next second his wings are beating down upon the earth, and my whole body is being lifted into the air by the firm grip of his hands upon my wrist, my stomach lurching in my insides. Screaming, I scramble to get him off me in mid air, but the devil only smirks, lifting me higher and higher, my feet dangling meters above the water that glitters with a pearly opalescence below us. Pausing for a moment, Valerian hovers mid air, craning his neck to look down at me from where I hang in his arms. His lilac eyes twinkle with a reckless glee...