Page 43

CHAPTER 43

SERENNA

“ F enn!” Serenna shrieked, clutching his armor as he abandoned their packs and scooped her up. “Don’t you dare—”

The world twisted into shadow, ripping away the rest of her protest.

They plunged into turquoise depths with an explosive splash. For a heartbeat, everything dissolved into silence, a world suspended in liquid light. Bubbles spiraled like scattered gems, rising toward the sunlit veil above.

Following the golden rays, Serenna kicked upward and burst from the pool with a gasping breath. Surrounded by serenity, palms and ferns framed the spring as she drifted. Cool water kissed her skin, a balm against the desert’s unyielding sun.

A sudden thrashing shattered the surface. Claws churning wildly, Fenn’s limbs scrabbled in an uncoordinated frenzy, spraying water in every direction.

“Come here, you floundering leviathan,” Serenna scolded, snatching one of his flailing arms.

“Just…testing the depth,” he spluttered, frantically flapping to stay afloat.

Giggling at his graceless efforts only made Serenna choke on a mouthful of water as she tugged him toward the shore. His sheer height and miscalculated movements tangled them further. The more he struggled, the more ridiculous it became, until she was laughing too hard to swim properly.

It had only taken a handful of portals for the Wastes to melt into an ocean of sandy dunes. Weathered columns bristled intermittently across the desert, twisting skyward like petrified bones. The stream they had been following had withered to nothing, swallowed by the cracked earth. But Fenn’s sharp eyes had caught a glimmer on the horizon—a silver thread woven into the arid expanse.

He’d skipped opening another portal, transporting them to this oasis in one warp.

Cool water swirled around them as Serenna kicked forward, hauling Fenn closer to the slender reeds swaying along the shallows.

The moment his boots scraped the sandy bottom, he gave her a playful shove. “Looks like you’re finally getting that bath you’ve been grumbling about all week.”

Serenna swatted a splash right into his smug face. He wasn’t wrong, but she’d rather swallow sand than let him gloat. She freed her drenched braids from their bindings and dunked her head under again, letting the strands tumble loose.

“Yes, I appreciate that,” she said dryly when she resurfaced, wiping her eyes. “Though I would have preferred not to soak the only clothes I have.”

Fenn, already knee-deep in mischief, waded to where the water lapped at his waist. Loosening his hair, he raked his talons through the cascading length and shot her a wink over his shoulder. “Then take them off.”

Serenna blinked as he began unbuckling his weapons and armor. Boots and scabbards sailed through the air on wings of force, landing neatly on the shore. Turning to face her, he reached over his shoulder and gripped his tunic at the nape of his neck. With a smirk, he dragged the fabric over his head in one fluid motion, the act sending her heart into a reckless flutter.

Serenna’s pulse kicked up when the muscles banding his torso flexed. Sunlight dappled along the ridges, glinting off the silver rings decorating his chest. Water slipped over every sculpted groove, darkness gleaming like midnight after rain.

She tried to look away—she really did—but her eyes refused to obey, tracing the shifting lines of his abdomen. And when Fenn stepped out of his trousers, Serenna ripped her gaze to his face, a desperate retreat.

The crystal clear spring was no ally. Its waters offered no veil, no mercy—baring every inch of him in the glittering pool.

“You’re staring.” Fenn’s chuckle dripped with amusement, eyes smoldering with roguish delight as he caught her gaze wandering lower. “Not that I mind.”

Heat bloomed high in Serenna’s ears as she wrenched her attention away again, suddenly fascinated by the swaying palms on the bank. Tiny blue birds flitted around the fronds, their songs threading through the air in warbling notes.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy now,” Fenn all but crooned, knowing exactly the effect he had on her—no thanks to the bond. He started wading closer, each step languid and unhurried.

Serenna gathered her courage to meet Fenn’s stare, pointedly ignoring the warmth kindling low in her belly. But no heat could burn away the cold truth creeping into the back of her mind—the fact that she’d spent the previous night with the prince.

“We should probably scout the perimeter,” she suggested before Fenn got carried away any further. Or before she did.

“Lykor would be so proud,” Fenn drawled, stopping just in front of her. His claws traced the damp leather at her shoulders —a lingering touch so casual that it shouldn’t have made her shiver.

But it did.

“I mean…” Serenna cleared her throat as Fenn unbuckled a clasp, flicking it free. “This oasis might serve as a good resting point. Or even a base of operations to portal back to.”

“You want to discuss strategy?” Fenn huffed a quiet laugh. “You do realize this is the first time we’ve been alone—truly alone—since that first night together?” Eyes flaring, he tilted his head, waiting.

Serenna’s cheeks flamed as molten memories of them in the volcano’s heart rushed back, her pulse speeding up. “Have you been counting the days?”

Fenn’s mouth curled at the edges as he sent a piece of her armor flying toward the bank. “Obviously.” Leaning down, his breath grazed her skin a moment before his teeth tugged at her earlobe. “I’ve never known a slower torture.”

A broken gasp escaped from Serenna’s lips before she could catch it. She willed herself to step back, to resist instead of giving in so easily. It wasn’t Fenn’s fault, but she shouldn’t want this—not when it had been the prince’s mouth on her last night.

She lifted a hand, not to pull him closer, but to stop him. She at least needed to tell him. But when her lips parted, no sound came—only a sharp inhale as he dragged his fangs down her throat, stealing the confession before it could form.

Serenna’s knees weakened instantly, hands splaying against Fenn’s chest as he nibbled her neck while deftly unfastening her trousers. Her thoughts splintered as his fingers tightened against her bared waist, claiming her in this moment where no one could intrude.

He grinned while he watched her wrestle with her words, his satisfaction a charged storm before he crouched in the water, palms gliding down her thighs and calves. His talons curled lightly around her before he lifted each of her legs, dragging off her boots.

“So cooperative all of a sudden,” Fenn said as he peeled her clothes away, every one of his movements unraveling her thread by thread.

He rose, his attention never straying from her eyes, never drifting elsewhere. Without sparing her shed garments a second glance, he ignited a burst of Essence, sending her boots and pants flying toward the shore.

Fenn skimmed a single talon over the remaining cloth binding her breasts, lingering just long enough to send a spark of heat shuddering down her spine. Eyes igniting, he grazed the sensitive peaks as he slowly freed her from the last of the linen.

“You know…” he mused, sending the material to join the rest. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re letting me have my fun.”

Stripped bare, Serenna’s breath came shallow, her skin prickling under the heat of his gaze. “Fenn—”

“What?” he interrupted, tracing the curve of her spine. He curled a claw around the base of her neck, fingers tangling in her damp hair. “Are you convinced or are you still inclined to go scouting?”

“Scouting,” Serenna whispered. But even to her own ears, it was a feeble lie. Hardly persuasive.

Fenn snorted. With a slow tug, he tilted her head back, angling her face toward his—not a demand, but an invitation. “It seems like you’re more concerned with touching me.”

She was. Her greedy hands were already running over the planes of his chest, her body yielding without hesitation. She was pressed against him, aching for more. Heat licked her skin and pooled between her thighs, every fiber burning beneath his gaze.

Fenn’s mouth hovered over hers. Not a kiss, but a brush of warmth—a promise that left her wanting more. When she didn’t move as he edged closer, his lips quirked. “Curious.”

“I think…” Serenna released a soft whimper as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, his fangs scraping across her throat.

Fenn’s smirk deepened against her skin. “Say it.”

Serenna’s heart slammed against her ribs. She couldn’t deny it—she wanted this. “I think you’ve swayed me,” she admitted, the words a breathless rush.

A low, satisfied laugh rumbled through Fenn’s lips—knowing and indulgent. The deep sound curled through every part of her, threading heat along every nerve he hadn’t yet claimed.

But even as his mouth swept along the hollow of her throat, even as her body arched into his, something inside Serenna recoiled—at herself. A lingering shame burrowed into the shadows of her mind, twisting her heart. She couldn’t be with Fenn, not when…

“I—I was with the prince last night.” The truth spilled out, dread curling tight around her ribs as she pulled away. Wild and frantic, her heart pounded, each beat thick with confusion and guilt as she braced for Fenn’s reaction.

He went still, studying her, tracking her every breath.

Serenna’s stomach knotted as silence stretched between them.

Then he tipped his head, the corner of his mouth curving just enough to reveal the point of a fang before asking, “Is that a challenge to catch up?”

Serenna blinked. “What? No. I mean…” Her pulse stammered erratically and she dropped her eyes, staring at the small silver fish darting around their feet. “I just thought I should tell you. In case… I didn’t want to hide it from you.”

Fenn tilted her chin, the touch so light it barely registered as a demand. “You don’t have to tell me every time you’re with him.” There was no anger or accusation as he searched her face. “But if it matters, I was with Koln at—”

“I know,” Serenna interrupted, her cheeks flushing. “Well, I—I assumed that’s what you were doing when you went to the lake.”

A smirk slowly pulled at Fenn’s lips, but it wavered on the edges, not settling in the confident way it usually did.

“I’m not going to pretend I don’t feel anything when you’re with him,” he said, a quiet acknowledgment.

His claws drifted over her shoulders, lingering as they skimmed down her torso and settled firmly at her hips. He tightened his grip, tugging her against him. “And right now…” His voice sank lower, rougher. “I feel like it’s my turn.”

In a blur of movement, Fenn swept her up into his arms.

Serenna squeaked, her legs locking around his waist as their bodies collided beneath the water.

Fenn’s arms curled around her back, dragging her flush against him as his mouth claimed hers. The kiss seared through her, leaving only fiery desire in its wake.

Serenna clutched his face and moaned against him, arching into his touch. Sucking his lip ring into her mouth, she steered him deeper into the kiss, demanding more. A growl rumbled through his chest and into hers—a sound of approval, surrender, and something darker.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, guiding him closer until every gap between them disappeared. The bond crackled where they touched, heat and lightning curling between them, a space charging between breaking clouds.

Unhurried, Fenn waded toward the shore, savoring her. Every brush of their lips, every stolen breath, deepened with his stride.

Reaching a lush patch of grass beyond the water’s edge, he lowered her slowly, gliding every inch of her body torturously down his. Her bare skin burned where it met his, but Serenna shivered as Fenn settled between her thighs.

Anchored beneath him, she traced the lean contours of his chest, the muscles flexing under her touch. Her palms roamed lower as she followed the trail of his thundering heart, exploring the expanse of him.

Fenn’s claws skimmed paths down her body in return—talons charting every curve. He circled her breasts before palming her sensitive skin, thumbs teasing and tormenting.

As he rolled her budded peaks between his fingers, Serenna moaned, pleasure spiking. Leaning in, his breath fanned against her throat before his fangs grazed over her pulse. Not a bite like she wanted, but enough to make her convulse.

She writhed against him, hips arching, seeking friction. The moment she trapped his heavy arousal against her center, the pressure made her breath stutter, her body strung too tight with senseless want.

Fenn didn’t match her urgency. His movements were slow—excruciatingly controlled and measured. Each leisurely rotation of his hips was delicious agony, a restraint that left her panting.

“Still thinking about scouting instead?” Fenn asked against her throat in a velvet purr. “Because right now, it feels like you’re mapping out something else entirely.”

Serenna’s answer came in a gasp when he lightly nipped her pulse. Body jolting, she clenched her legs around his waist, caging the hard heat of him between her thighs.

Fenn gripped her hips, grinding against her with enough force to make her whimper, his breath a ragged growl against her lips. “It certainly doesn’t feel like you want to leave.”

“Because I don’t,” Serenna hissed, the needy roll of her hips a silent plea, every shift sending sparks of pleasure racing up her spine. Aching for more, she raked her nails down his back, urging him on.

Fenn growled as he devoured her mouth, the sound primal and demanding. The kiss was rougher this time, stealing the air from her lungs. He shifted, the hardness of his arousal sliding through the slickness between her legs, the teasing friction nearly making her combust.

His lips skimmed the curve of her jaw, his breath tangling with hers when he pulled back and asked, “Do you know the moment I became yours?”

Serenna tried to grasp a single thought, but the tilt of his hips shattered it. He aligned himself with her, the thick head of his length nudging at her entrance, lingering at the edge.

Weaving his fingers through hers, Fenn pinned her hands to the earth and hovered above her, waiting for an answer. Serenna arched toward him, a desperate offering, but he pulled back.

She huffed, though Fenn’s restraint was fraying just as swiftly as hers. His control cracked—just slightly—as he dipped inside. Barely the crown of him, yet enough to leave her gasping at the stretch.

Fenn’s mouth found the hollow beneath her ear, a place he must’ve memorized by now, the slow kisses disarming her completely.

“I think you had me,” he murmured, voice rough against her skin as he rocked into her the slightest amount, “that moment you brazenly stole my knife and valiantly tried to gut me.”

A disbelieving laugh escaped her. “But we’d hardly been in each other’s presence for a minute.”

Fenn shrugged, the motion causing him to sink into her another inch, the steady slide making her moan. “I was already gone.”

Mind clouded with pleasure, Serenna tried to corral her thoughts, but her words slipped away as he wedged in further. Memories flickered like candlelight—small moments between them, unnoticed at first, but now burning too brightly to ignore.

Her fingers tightened around his as she fought through the haze of desire, wanting him to know. “I think you had me when you fought for me,” she whispered, her breaths coming in shaky bursts as he rocked his hips the smallest amount. Plunging and retreating. “When you tried to fight that band of reavers. I saw something in your eyes that broke my heart.”

Fenn stilled, his gaze latching onto hers. His playfulness ebbed, leaving behind something exposed. Releasing her hand, he gently brushed away a stray tear from her cheek.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, she-elf,” he said, his touch reverent.

Steering her thoughts away from how he’d nearly been taken from her—more than once—Serenna swallowed the tangle of emotions swelling in her throat. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she clung to him, his presence a steady anchor to quell the storm.

A different memory surfaced, tugging a smile from her lips. “But I think a close second would be when you showed me the stitches on your backside.”

Fenn chuckled. “And that was a work of art.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Serenna threw her head back, surrendering as his fangs elongated against her throat. “Please,” she whimpered, every part of her trembling. “I need all of you.”

Fenn snarled, the sound full of hunger and possession. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself completely, just as his fangs punctured deep.

A shriek of pleasure tore from Serenna’s throat as every sensation collided at once. A trickle of venom numbed the wound, but then heat bloomed in its wake. It seared through her veins, turning every nerve to molten want.

Serenna dug her fingers into Fenn’s shoulders as a wave of his emotions crashed over her—desire and care so strong that it stole the breath from her lungs. There was no more place for words, only the language of touch. The glide of skin against skin, the tandem beating of their hearts.

Fenn moved with unyielding intent, every stroke deliberate, every kiss another promise. Knowing what she needed before she even tried to chase it, he angled his hips, the grind of his length striking where pleasure burned hottest.

Breathless and undone, Serenna’s thighs shook around him, the tension coiling unbearably tight. Every roll of his hips, every thrust, sent her spiraling higher—until there was nowhere left to go.

The friction, the urgency, the devastating slide of him sent her tumbling into oblivion. His pace crested her to the brink and she shattered with a cry, white-hot pleasure detonating like a collapsing star.

A desperate, wrecked sound tore from Fenn’s throat as his rhythm disintegrated, his body surging into hers with wild abandon. Pursuing her over the peak, he buried himself deep and shuddered, dissolving in her arms.

Fenn rested his forehead against hers, their chests colliding with every rise and fall. For a moment, they simply existed, heartbeats thundering in time.

Slowly—reluctantly—Fenn withdrew, leaving Serenna gasping at the loss. Without a word, he gathered her against his chest, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him.

Serenna didn’t know how long they lay in the cradle of the oasis as the sun traveled across the sky. She absently traced the scars scattered across his chest as the hush stretched around them, palm fronds rustling lazily and water lapping gently against the shore.

But it felt too quiet.

Serenna strained her ears. The birds—there’d been a flock of them chattering earlier.

Glancing at Fenn, she noticed that his breathing had begun to slow. She propped herself up on an elbow and hesitated before nudging him.

With a groan, he cracked an eye open and dragged a claw across his face, mumbling about earning a nap. Her lips twitched as he stretched dramatically, then sat up and set to the task of rebinding his tangled hair.

Serenna’s fingers skimmed over the fang marks he’d left behind, realizing they’d have to face the others when they returned. Rubbing her eyes, she tunnelled through the bond. The prince was realms away, likely still in the jungle.

Fenn caught her eye and grinned—pleased and entirely unapologetic. Something in that look washed warmth all over her again. And since he didn’t seem inclined to stop looking at her that way, Serenna lunged for him—intent on pulling him back down.

“Ouch!”

She flinched and slapped a hand to her neck before she reached him, a sharp sting spreading beneath her palm. Her stomach clenched when her fingers collided against something thin and soft.

Bracing herself to face whatever insect had decided to make a meal of her, she plucked the offending culprit free. She frowned at the silky mass of bright feathers shimmering with iridescence.

But it was the needle nestled between the delicate plumes that made her heart lurch. Her eyes whipped around the oasis, scanning for any sign of movement.

Serenna turned back to Fenn as a violent chill struck her. Ice slithered down her spine, sinking in its teeth. Her ribs seized around her lungs as a web of frost wove through her blood, numbness twining tight. Mind turning sluggish, her thoughts oozed away, the dart tumbling from her fingertips.

Fenn’s eyes burned with a feral fire. His mouth was moving, but his words never reached her ears. A ringing hum swallowed everything, her heartbeat slowing to a steady drumming in her skull.

The world tilted. Or she did.

Weighted by an invisible force, Serenna sagged into Fenn’s arms. Another dart struck her chest, but she barely registered the thud.

Fenn’s claws wrapped around her, his radiating warmth losing the battle against the encroaching cold.

Falling, flying—she felt like she was doing both at once. Serenna struggled to keep her focus on Fenn with the oasis bending, the palms spinning around the hidden pool.

Scanning the trees, Fenn’s fangs extended. He gently lowered her to the grass, but she was too busy floating to feel the earth.

Beyond Fenn’s shoulder, something moved. As tall as him, a figure emerged from the dappled light, its silhouette a dark smear against the harsh glare of the sun.

And then another.

Serenna’s heart staggered, each beat slower than the last. She tried to call out—to warn Fenn as he rose to his feet—but her tongue was thick and useless, bound to the roof of her mouth.

The cold sank deeper, curling around her chest. Stubborn and heavy, Serenna’s eyelids drooped as she fought to stay awake.

Her head lolled to the side, the grass cushioning her cheek. Somewhere, metal rattled and Fenn snarled.

A shadow loomed above her, reaching. Warm fingers snapped something around her neck—a trap sealing shut.

Her link to Fenn vanished.

Serenna’s pulse shuddered, a weak flutter against her ribs. Darkness crashed over her like a tidal wave, dragging her under.