Page 85 of The Dark Mage

And then she saw Esrin standing at the edge of camp, arms squeezing a load of firewood so tightly she feared he might splinter the whole thing.

His eyes—pained and shadowed—met hers for a moment before he dropped the wood with a thud and stalked off into the trees.

Ren’wyn’s stomach twisted with self-loathing.Without thinking, she dragged Fael toward the tent they now shared.The Void churned in response to her inner turmoil, a cold mist clinging to herfeet.

“That wasn’t fair or kind,” she said, rounding on Fael as soon as they were inside.

His eyes widened.“What?”

“It wasn’t fair or kind,” she repeated, anger and regret clogging her throat.“Esrin didn’t deserve that—not in front of his group.”

Fael’s expression darkened with disbelief.“You truly think that little of me?”he growled, his voice sharp and hurt.“You think I’d taunt him with you?You think I see you as some...prize to flaunt?”

“No!”she insisted, mortified at her assumption.“No, Fael, I don’t.You’ve never made me feel thatway.”

She reached for him, but he stepped back, and the movement felt like a knife in hergut.

“I didn’t even see him,” Fael continued, clearly struggling to contain his frustration.“I didn’t know he was there.To taunt him—even when I’m jealous—would be cruel.And I’m not cruel.”

Jealous.The word sank into her.He was jealous of what she had shared with Esrin, of a past that lingered between them like an apparition.

“Please,” she whispered, her fingers trembling as she reached out again.“Please, Fael.I’m sorry.I was wrong.I made a mistake.”

His gaze softened, though pain remained.

“You’re worth more than I could ever deserve or earn, Ren,” he told her, his voice rough with emotion.“You are not a prize to win.You’re a fortress—a queen—and you choose who you let in.You’re not someone to be claimed in battle, but someone to serve and honor.”

She lifted a hand to stop him, her throat closing.“No, Fael,” she whispered.“I’m not...I’m not what you think I am.I’m nothing.I mess everything up.”Her voice cracked.“I’m just...small and simple.”

Fael’s mouth captured hers in a fierce kiss.She gasped when he bit her bottomlip.

“Don’t say that again,” he chided against her lips.“I see you doubt yourself in every question, every hesitation.But you need to see yourself as I do.”He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his thumb brushing her cheek.

“You command the Void,” he said.“You are an unstoppable force—living and breathing death—yet you’re gentle.Your gift with plants is brilliant.You’re brave and strong.You never gave up, even when you thought...even when you thought everything you hoped for was gone.You were strong enough to run, Ren’wyn.Try to trust your strength and let the rest go.”

Fael pressed her face into his shirt, his hand smoothing over her hair as her lungs filled with the smell of stone and smoke andhim.Resting his cheek on top of her head, he whispered, “You make me feel seen and known in a way I never thought possible.You make me dream formore.”

Tears welled up again, but this time, they were filled with warmth and light.

Ren’wyn lifted onto her toes and kissed Fael softly.His arms came around her, his knuckles stroking her spine.They kissed again, his hands running over her back, hers on his shoulders.Perhaps this was the only true thing in this broken world—not perfection, but the wholeness they found in each other’sarms.

Outside the tent, someone cleared their throat loudly.

Ren’wyn stifled a laugh—it was unmistakably Alen.“Lunch is ready whenever you are,” he called.

Fael rolled his eyes, his smirk returning.“We should probably go eat before they think we’re up to something scandalous inhere.”

Ren’wyn laced her fingers through his, laughing.“Probably.”

They stepped out of the tent, and Ren’wyn finally felt ready to face her friends with this beautiful man at herside.

“Tell me about your mother, Ren’wyn,” Fael murmured into the dark as she snuggled into his arms in their tent after supper.

“My mother?Lyr’ren?”she asked, caught off guard.

“Yes,” he said softly, twirling a lock of her hair aimlessly.“What was shelike?”

Ren’wyn closed her eyes, trying to sort through the memories and emotions that always came with them.“She was a dark mage, like my grandfather.Good, but...always sad.As a little girl, I didn’t understand why.She tried so hard to be happy for me.Sometimes, when it was just the two of us or when my father was away, she was.But most of the time...she wasn’t.”