Page 61 of The Dark Mage
She spread the plants out, explaining which parts she’d harvested and how she planned to use them.
He leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead. “You’re amazing, Ren’wyn,” he murm ured.
She blushed, waving him off. “It’s not hing.”
“You are,” he insisted, running his fingers along her hairline. He took a deep breath in. “And you smell like fresh air, wildflowers, and soil.”
His touch traveled lightly to her neck, and goosebumps followed in its wake. He leaned closer, his warm breath tracing the line of her jaw as his hands slipped gently around her w aist.
“Ren’wyn,” Fael whispered, his voice barely audible against her cheek. “You’re amazing, and I... I love you.”
Ren’wyn had never heard the earth sigh before, never felt the rush of a thousand kisses in a summer breeze, not until that moment.
As Fael whispered those words, the strange twining of their magic tugged under her skin, a mix of fire and ice coursing through her veins.
Time seemed to slow, the world holding its breath, waiting for her resp onse.
She pressed the thrum of her magic toward him, letting it flow through the connection they shared. Fael’s body tensed in her arms, and he gasped heavily, like he was breathing for the first time. Brown curls brushed against her neck as his lips found her shou lder.
“I love you too, Fael,” she sighed, gripping the back of his tunic as their magic threaded together, tiny flickers of fire and curling wisps of shadow dancing over her bare fore arms.
His smile lingered warmly as he kissed her collarbone, his hand bracing lightly against her t high.
“Fael,” she groaned. “Don’t teas e me.”
“That doesn’t sound in the least bit like a request I want to follow,” he rumbled, his voice full of misc hief.
She wrapped her arms around his back as he leaned down, his lips tracing her shoulders and neck.
Gasping and shuddering, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, her fingers curling into the soft, glossy brown strands of his hair.
Through the waves, she glimpsed the swirls of his imperial tattoos.
She kissed his head again, breathing hi m in.
His mouth found hers once more, and he gently lowered her onto the soft ground of the small clearing. Holding her securely in the circle of his arms, his tongue teased at her lips. She opened for him, responding with fervor as their lips and tongues tangled passiona tely.
“Ren’wyn,” Fael said roughly. “Every part of me aches for you.”
His hands traveled slowly down her sides, stopping at her hips, where he tilted her gently toward him.
“I think I know how to fix that,” she whispered, her voice husky as his hands slid back to tighten on her w aist.
Fael’s fingers moved deftly to the bodice of her dress, untying it as their magic surged between them.
Smoke and fire, shadow and heat mingled and broke over the ferns.
They found release, one after the other, clinging to each other with hands, lips, and skin.
Afterward, as their breathing slowed, they stayed entwined, their faces close as Fael caressed her cheek, both overwhelmed by their shared happi ness.
When they returned to camp, they could hardly let each other go, their touches lingering with every step. But Ren’wyn eventually parted from Fael to check on Lia, finding her in the tent with Avo nlee.
“I wanted to ask something in private,” Ren’wyn said carefully. “Lia, have you bled since your capti vity?”
Lia shook her head. “No, not yet. I’m not expecting it for another week, though. I’ve been taking a contraceptive. Esrin made sure we all knew how to mak e it.”
Ren’wyn sighed with relief, tension melting from her shoul ders.
“Good,” she replied. “Will you let me know? I want to make sure you’re taken care of prop erly.”
Lia’s eyes shone with tears. “Thanks, Ren’wyn. Yes, I’ll let you know.”
Ren’wyn turned to Avonlee, who sat close beside Lia. “Avonlee, make sure you’re getting some rest too. If you need anything to help with sleep or nerves, I know a few different herbs that might help—each with varying effects and side eff ects.”
The two women exchanged a glance, then looked back at Ren’wyn, their faces soft with grati tude.
“Thank you,” Avonlee said qui etly.
Ren’wyn left the tent, glancing back as Avonlee curled onto the cot beside Lia, resting her head in the crook of Lia’s shoulder.
They had found something precious, Ren’wyn realized.
She knew very little of either of their stories, but it was clear they were healing together.
Hope for their future ached within her. Nothing could be better than for their shared love to chase away the shadows left by the cruelties they had end ured.
The sounds of sparring drifted from the clearing on the other side of camp, but Fael was nowhere in sight. Ren’wyn wandered to the fire, where Esrin sat with a mug of tea, stirring the coals with a stick. She took a seat beside him.
“You showed the women how to make contraceptives?” she asked, breaking the q uiet.
Esrin grinned. “Hello to you, too, Ren’wyn,” he teased. “Yes. Sorya and Relya picked it up easily, but Lia and Avonlee… well, they were raised in places where no one taught them about contraceptives. They deserve to have that choice for themse lves.”
Once again, Ren’wyn felt a swell of pride for Esrin’s quiet goodness. She wished she could get him to Ishvaen and Rena, wished she could undo the loss of his father. Esrin would make an excellent governor, and she silently vowed to help make that happen one day.
“Thank you,” she said, bumping his shoulder lightly. “You’re a good man, Esrin, and we’re lucky to have you.”
A short silence followed as he sipped his tea and stirred the glowing c oals.
“So you and Zev aren’t going along to fight the imperials?” Ren’wyn asked after a moment. “Is that typ ical?”
Esrin regarded her thoughtfully. “One or more fighters always stays at camp with whoever remains. That’s almost always Avonlee and usually Sorya and Relya too. I imagine Lia this time as well. She’s still healing, and honestly… I don’t know if she’ll ever be the same as she was be fore.”
Ren’wyn thought about her own moments of breaking, about the jagged pieces of herself she’d struggled to hold together and the ways she was healing into something new.
“Probably not,” she said quietly. “Wounds, especially deep ones, change us. Sometimes they sharpen the edges of who we already are, making us truer versions of ourselves. Other times, we shatter completely. And when that happens, we’re left piecing together what we can, filling the gaps with the new self we cr eate. ”
Esrin let out a slow breath. “That’s… a hell of a way to put it.” His voice lowered. “How many gaps do you c arry?”
She gave him a sad smile, a bittersweet expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The dark creature inside her still prowled, waiting for her to feed it with her a nger.
“I think Avonlee and Lia will make a lovely pair,” she said after a pause. “Hopefully, they can heal toge ther.”
Sadness flickered in Esrin’s smile as he nodded. “I hope so too.”