The "Mermaid" plunged into the water, and the icy splash drenched Shade's entire front as he stood on the ice floe. He heard silvery laughter, laughter brimming with emotion and tenderness.
The demon on the shore took a step back, only to find that it could retreat no farther. Shade also wanted to step back, but he forced himself to remain where he was.
He wiped the water from his face and heard the woman's laughter beneath the surface drawing nearer, making the blood in his entire body boil.
Splash~
Ripples appeared across the pitch-black water, and Shade's gaze turned toward his feet completely against his control. A woman's head with beautiful long black hair had already emerged from beside the firelit ice floe.
Droplets slid down skin as pale as milk. Her facial features seemed like a blend of the finest qualities of every beautiful girl Shade had ever known, while her purple eyes, almost identical to Luvia's, looked at him with a smile that made his scalp tingle and his soul tremble.
It was as though she could see directly through Shade's soul.
A strand of black hair and her lower lip were lightly caught between her white teeth. Her voice was somewhat husky and lazy, yet utterly intoxicating:
"It has been a long time, interesting soul."
Even now, Shade swallowed instinctively. Though this was not his first time seeing Desire, just as before, he had no resistance at all against that charm which surpassed the mortal world.
The only thing he could do was confirm from the corner of his eye that the demon on the shore had not left.
The night remained profound. The firelight from the trees along the shore swayed across the water and ice floes, and across the woman's profile as well. A