Page 60 of The Dark Mage
She stepped backward—and collided with something solid.Someone.
Off-balance, she tipped sideways toward the door, but a hand clasped her upper arm—strong and sure—righting her before shefell.
“Ren’wyn, what are you looking for?”Fael’s voice was low in her ear, tickling her skin and making her head tilt back.She bumped into his shoulder, and her cheeks flamed at the contact.
Turning to face him, Ren’wyn met his gaze.His mouth quirked into a half-smile, his eyes glinting mischievously.Up close, he was tall and solid—the way only a trained berserker could be.His warm hand remained on her arm, gentle yet firm, as though he feared she might be dizzy.
“Are you feeling all right?”he asked into the too-long silence, his expression softening with concern.
She blinked twice.Where was her tongue?What was she doing?
“Fine,” she rasped.Her throat was dry.“I’m fine.Where were you?I didn’t expect you to be gone so early.”
She reached for their typical rapport—a tether to normalcy.But her face heated again, her stomach tightening as his hand remained on her arm.They were so close—a slight shift would brush her breasts against his rib cage.So close she could imagine what it would feel like to fit herself into the planes of his body like a puzzle piece.
She realized her gaze had fallen, and she was staring at his slender waist andhips.
She jerked her eyes back up.His smile widened, but something else flickered in his eyes.This time, there was no teasing.His gaze lingered on her mouth, then her neck, and she wished—ached—that he would look lower.Wished he would askher…
“I was out practicing in the woods,” he said finally.He stepped back and leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms over his chest, relaxed and comfortable.Cold air swept into the space between them.“I thought you could use a morning to sleep in.I worked through the Passage, then swam in the river to cooloff.”
Damn her treacherous mind.She swallowed hard as an image formed—Fael sweat-slicked and panting, stripping down to bathe.She could see him leaning his sheathed sword against a sycamore, pulling off his clinging, wet shirt.His hands would push through his dark hair, brushing it from his eyes before unbuckling his pants…
“I thought maybe you’d join me today?”Fael’s voice interrupted her vision.“I could use help canvassing.I’m hoping these larger southern cities will give us more chances to connect with people.It could be a good opportunity to see what we can do—together.”
He hesitated, then spoke in a rush, as though the words had to escape before they betrayed him.“I’m asking because when we’re together, my power is stronger.I sense more—feel more.”His eyes shone, clear and bright.
“Do you?”His next question was a whisper, low and soft.Was that hope in his voice?
Her traitorous heart thundered in anticipation.
“Do you feel it when I’mnear?”
The question was dangerous ground.Something more than magic lay behind it.
Ren’wyn opened to the Void, sensing Fael’s power.It burned like the sun—pure and bright—ringed with golden-white intensity.She blinked, clearing her second sight.
“I do,” she said softly, nodding.“I feel you as near as my breath,Fael.”
His name was a song—a song she longed to sing until it filled her body, soul, and spirit.It danced on her tongue like fresh, clear water.Like starlight.Like freedom.He was freedom and home and steady friendship.Somewhere along the way, he’d become the center of her world, and it both thrilled and terrifiedher.
One step, and he was against her, sweeping her into his arms, clasping her tightly.Unyielding.She’d been right—her body fit into his like two sides of the samecoin.
“Ren’wyn,” he breathed, her name laced with unspoken questions.“Ren, I…”
She reached up, threading her hands behind his head, meeting his eyes.Then, she pulled his mouth down to hers as she whispered,“Yes.”
Their lips met.His fire and power burned through her as she grounded them both with her darkness.A dam burst inside him—he clung to her desperately.Deep kisses, soft lips, searching tongue.Fael’s hand swept low to grip her backside, and she gasped into his mouth at the heat flooding her head totoe.
She was acutely aware of his hard length pressed against her stomach.An ache pulsed between her thighs—hot, strong, and sweet.Fael’s deep, rumbling laugh sent her spiraling further, her toes curling as her legs squeezed involuntarily.
Pulling back, she stammered, “I want you,Fael.”
The words she couldn’t say burned between them:I love you.You steady me.You’ve taught me to find my own bravery.I love you, and I needyou.
Fael reached behind him with his foot and kicked the door shut.The soft click of the latch made her shiver.Her spirit had already entwined with his—sure and steady, their magic interwoven like fate.The desire in her body mirrored that connection, fed from it like dry kindling catching flame.It ran like lines of fire up between her legs, and she was burning and burning.
He spun them, breaking the kiss as he pressed her against the dresser, the wooden edge a hard line against her back.His hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head as his lips found her neck.The wood creaked beneath their combined weight.He gently bit the sensitive skin above her shoulder, groaning into herneck.
