Page 65 of The Dark Mage
S unrise painted the horizon in hues of orange and pink against the black silhouettes of cottonwoods and oaks.
Birds whistled to one another, and chipmunks chirped in the underbrush.
But in the cart, the world was silent and cold.
The unyielding wooden floor jolted with every pit and stone the wheels encountered on the road.
Hollow. Broken. Quiet. Death trailed like a dark specter in the wake of the cart, and the small berserker’s absence loomed as a phantom in every shadow cast by the tree-lined road.
“I’m sorry, love. We have to keep going,” Fael said from the front, his tone apolog etic.
He drove the cart steadily, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but Ren’wyn’s gaze lingered behind them.
In the distance, a thin column of smoke rose from the boy’s funeral pyre, a faint smudge against the pale blue of early morning.
Wisps of clouds blurred it further, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Watching the last trace of the boy’s life fade into the sky felt important—an acknowledgment that he had lived and mattered.
Only when the dark pillar disappeared entirely did she allow herself to look for ward.
A few hours down the road, Fael pulled the cart to a stop and began tending to the horses.
He unhitched them, rubbing them down before tethering them in the long, sweet grass near a bubbling stream.
Soft whickering accompanied the smooth motions of his muscular body, the horses submitting to his tender care.
The cart shifted as Fael climbed into the back, the wood creaking softly under his weight. A faint rustle of his leggings and the swish of his tunic accompanied his movements, the breeze stirring through trembling leaves over head.
“You’re not sleeping,” he said quietly, his hands brushing over her upper arms with the same tenderness he had given the ho rses.
She couldn’t manage more than a shake of her head.
A strange restlessness left stray tears dripping from her eyelashes.
Sleep had eluded her during the ride, and she ached for the comfort of Fael’s arms. His hands moved to her face, cradling her cheeks with whisper-soft touches.
When she finally opened her eyes, he kissed her so ftly.
Grief, rage, regret, and horror welled up as dark, desperate need in the wake of Fael’s tenderness. She grabbed his neck, pulling him closer, but Fael tensed, gripping her shoulders to hold her back.
“Ren’wyn,” he said ge ntly.
She ignored him, crushing their mouths together, needing the taste of him to drown out the pain.
“Ren’wyn,” he said again, firmer this time, pushing her away enough to meet her tear-filled gaze. “You’re exhausted and hurt.”
“Give me something true and right, Fael,” she begged, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I just want to feel whole with you. I want to forget. I want to love.”
A rough, guttural sound escaped him as her words cut through his resistance. He stopped holding her back, lowering his head to kiss her deeply, his lips a mix of demand and submission. He surrendered to her need, his teeth biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw a gasp.
“Then let it all go with me,” he ordered hus kily.
She gasped and sobbed, gripping his hips to pull him against her. She moaned aloud at the hard press of his body against hers, the heat of him igniting something wild and ur gent.
Fael moved with startling speed, his raw strength breaking over her.
He yanked at the waist of her black britches, pulling them free in one swift motion before tearing off his own leggings.
Crushing down against her, he ground his hips into hers, their bodies connecting in a frenzied rhythm.
His gasp of pleasure sent a thrill through her, and she grabbed his backside, her thighs brushing the rough wood beneath them.
Hunger—hot, sweet, and wild—burned away sorrow and pain.
She shoved him back, her movements fierce, and stripped off her tunic and undershirt, baring her breasts to the cool morning air.
The river rushed softly in the background as the breeze kissed her flushed skin.
Fael’s head dipped, his lips finding the sensitive tips of her breasts.
He sucked and sighed, his need matching her own, biting hard enough to bruise in his feverish hu nger.
“Fael,” she moaned, her thighs clenching around him as heat surged through her veins. She reached down, her hand finding him through the soft fabric of his undersh orts.
Fael tipped his head back, a deep, primal groan breaking from his chest as her touch set him al ight.
He moved quickly again, roughly tugging her underwear down, then discarding his own.
Gripping her thighs, he pushed her back until her head bumped the cart’s wooden wall.
Ren’wyn barely had time to register the press of the hard surface before Fael pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the taut muscles of his abs and c hest.
His hungry stare swept over her bare body, and she bit her bottom lip, heat rushing through her.
Slowly, deliberately, he crawled over her like a predator closing in on its prey.
Every inch of her burned with fire, sparks of electricity surging through her veins.
She wanted him to consume her, to own her as she would own him.
The soft curls of his hair brushed her stomach, trailing up to her breasts, and she writhed beneath him, pleasure curling low in her abdomen.
The heat built into a deep, thrumming ache, resonating through every part of her.
When his face hovered over hers, Fael settled his hips between her thighs, groaning as his hard arousal met her wet heat.
He thrust savagely, and she cried out, her head bumping the cart wall—the slight pain only heightening her desire.
Shadows licked over his body as she threw her arms around him, urging him closer, ha rder .
Their pace was frantic, wild, all-consuming.
Fael’s hand cushioned her head from the cart wall as he drove into her unrelentingly.
Ren’wyn’s hips rolled to meet him, her body filled with fervent need.
Shadows and frost boiled beneath her skin, merging with the fiery punishment of his movements.
Fael’s powerful thrusts sent waves of pleasure crashing through her, the bruising grip of his hand on her thigh matching the intensity of his hips.
Sweat dripped from his brow, mingling with hers as they moved together in a symphony of gasps, cries, and clutching h ands.
Every touch was fire, every kiss a spark.
Fael’s fingers skimmed her sensitive skin, dragging pleasure across her frame.
Ren’wyn arched beneath him, her hips shifting ever so slightly.
The new angle pressed him against her favorite spot, and the sensation unraveled her completely.
A frantic, spiraling climax tore through her, her thighs trembling and her nipples tightening almost painfully.
She screamed as she came, surrendering fully, her release triggering a burst of smoke and shadow that enveloped them both.
Fael followed moments later, thrusting deep as his own release broke over him like a storm.
He swore softly, his arms wrapping around her, pressing her close as his body shuddered.
Fire and shadow mingled, consuming them entirely until they lay together on the rough wooden cart, their sweat-slicked bodies entw ined.
After a few moments, Fael rolled off her, his breathing heavy and uneven.
He grabbed clean blankets from the top of the cart and gently tucked them around her.
Ren’wyn didn’t move, still trembling from her release, but she turned and nestled into his warm body.
Fael buried his face in her hair, his naked form pressing against hers protecti vely.
“We need to get some rest,” he whispered, his lips against her temple. “A couple hours at least before we travel a gain.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, already succumbing to exhaustion. She didn’t fight the sleep that claimed her, carried away on the br eeze.
Fael set a relaxed pace as they traveled for the next three days.
Ren’wyn was grief-stricken, still feeling the loss of the berserker boy, and worried for the small empath.
She reassured herself that Sorya and Relya would help care for him until she arrived.
Along the road, other travelers began to appear, and Ren’wyn climbed into the front of the cart next to Fael, letting his arm drape over her shoulders for com fort.
For two days, Fael alternated between sweetness and teasing, working tirelessly to ease the hollow ache of mourning with laughter and fond memories. Ren’wyn responded in kind, determined to help lift the darkness from him as well.
When they stopped the second evening, he scouted a picturesque stream for their camp, nestled into an overgrown trail surrounded by switchgrass and asters. Wildflowers lined the banks, and tiny fish darted beneath the sur face.
While Fael brushed down the horses, Ren’wyn stripped off her travel-worn clothing and stepped into the cold water.
It rushed over smooth stones under her feet, rinsing away the layers of exhaustion, pain, and sorrow.
The sweet scent of wildflowers mingled with the soothing melody of the stream, and the chill eased her bruises and aching mus cles.
The sound of a splash made her turn—just in time to catch a fleeting glimpse of Fael as he submerged himself, surfacing a few feet away with a sweet, boyish grin. She bit her lip at the sight of him, the rippling water accentuating his muscular form. His grin turned sultry as he caught her b lush.
“First,” he began, dipping his head into the water to rinse his hair, “I wanted to talk since we have some pri vacy.”