Dark Eros

18

The rain continued...as did Fumnaya's intense need. Ife woke underneath him, his face buried in her neck as he slept. His arms locked around her waist. She attempted to turn, to stretch but the very attempt made her flinch. She was sore. She was tired and she felt rundown.

She groaned, the sound waking Fumnaya. He shifted on top of her and she froze. Her heart pounding. His hand trailed down her back, roaming over her backside before he lifted her hips. He started to move between her legs but she slapped his hand away, twisting under him so that she was lying on her back.

If he had meant to punish her, he had succeeded. If he had meant to for his frenzy of desire to lessen his grief...he had failed.

Her tears had not taken his mind off of anything. Punishing her had been the same as punishing himself. Though he had had found bodily pleasure, it had not reached his mind, or his heart as it usually did. But still, he reached for her.

She brought her knees up and snapped her legs tight together, denying him. He froze, his eyes meeting hers. She placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away. "No." She said hoarsely, conviction in her voice.

He leaned back, no longer touching her. His face suddenly twisted and he ran his hands down his face, releasing a deep, shaky breath.

She watched him as he did so, burying his face in his hands. For a long while he stayed that way, barely making a sound. With the last of her strength she leaned up, snatching his hands away from his face. There was sorrow painted there, grief in his eyes.

She touched his cheek gently, her fingertips meeting his soft brown skin. She met his eyes and saw all that he felt: anger, sadness...fear.

He was angry for the loss of his father. He was angry at the loss of the little freedom he had. He was saddened for the loss of a great king. He was saddened fort he grief his people felt, his family endured. He was afraid of what lay before him. Afraid of the future.

He was king now and it frightened him.

In her eyes he saw comfort. Understanding. Affection. His breath caught and then for the first time since his father's death he cried. Tears welled in his eyes, pooling there until they spilled over. He cupped her face in his hands, his forehead pressing against her as he allowed himself to truly grieve. He shoulders shook with the force of his emotion.

His feelings so raw that they were almost tangible. He held her close, a hand in her hair as he cried. And she let him, her cheek against his, her arms around his waist. She comforted him in her silent embrace

It was in that moment that he knew he truly wanted no other. That his lust for her had far transcended said plain. He knew that his craving for her would never end. It was in that moment that he knew that loved Ife with every piece of him.