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“Is he… truly…?” The question died on Tav’s lips as she beheld Dame Aylin’s desecration of Ketheric Thorm’s body, Myrkul’s Chosen nothing more than bone fragment and viscera.
Eager to be far away from the horrors of Moonrise Towers, the party limped toward the portal with arms around shoulders for aid and stability. Gale, having taken on the secondary necrotic forces, sustained more superficial wounds than the rest and held Tav soundly while they teleported, reminding her of the other reason to sigh in relief.
Not only had they defeated a vital enemy and the curse that shrouded the town, but Gale lived.
A relieved sob wracked Tav’s body when they emerged back in the Moonrise entryway to victorious Harpers and tieflings. The days of uncertainty, of longing to be able to convince Gale not to sacrifice himself for his goddess, were behind them. He had chosen life. Peering up at him through tearstained eyelashes, Tav grinned, burrowing her face in the crook of his neck and inhaling deeply.
She remained at his side all night, from the immediate celebrations and passing of wine bottles to the distant discussions at camp while healing potions and spells were distributed, her fingers intertwined with his, her skin desperate for contact to continue convincing herself he would not be lost. By the fire they all discussed next steps in Baldur’s Gate, Wyll desperate to find his father, Karlach determined to kill Gortash, and Gale finally cutting in to describe the crown that sat upon the elder brain. His stilted words as he explained the Netherese origins of the device set Tav suddenly on edge, realization slowly dawning upon her. But as he kept an objective tone, she did not speak or question him until they finally retired to his tent.
“Netherese… Do you think Mystra knows?” Tav asked as she sat upon her knees while Gale conjured a dim arcane light.
Even in the flickering aura, Gale’s withering look was potent enough to make her stomach drop.
“She not only ‘knows,’ but I can assure you, she knew. The vague order sent to me by Elminster was calculated, praying on my remorse to keep my curiosities—” He cut himself short, closing his eyes and taking two deep breaths.
“Is it the orb?” Tav reached out anxiously, hoping that the charm used to quell its hunger hadn’t been redacted by Gale’s forsaking of Mystra’s will.
Her fingers splayed over where she knew the imprint to be, even when covered by his sleep clothes, and with a newfound calm, Gale covered her hand with his. “I am well,” he said evenly. “It’s been a long day; let us rest, my love.”
They eased down on the bedrolls, her back settled comfortably against his chest, and he pressed a kiss into her hair before dismissing the light. Tav stared ahead, reckoning the depths of Mystra’s deceptions until sleep finally claimed her.
Merriment flowed through the party the next day despite the difficulties ahead, their joy at watching the curse melt away palpable to even the stoic and troubled among the group. While absentmindedly clutching her hand, Shadowheart still joined in recounting the highlights of their battle, and Astarion, though fearful to return to his master’s domain, found the levity to list his favorite haunts in the city while disparaging those of the Baldur’s Gate natives. Bubbling with laughter, Tav turned to Gale to share her revelry, only to see the crease in his brow and the intensity of his look into the middle distance.
Before she could ask after his wellbeing, he sensed her gaze and took the same two deep breaths from the night before, then offered a reassuring smile and joined the group’s gaiety. In the true light of day, Tav could tell it wasn’t a physical discomfort that had displayed on his features but rather troubling thoughts. It didn’t take Gale’s intellect to insinuate what occupied him, but she didn’t pry in front of the group, reassuring herself that he rarely contained his emotions before and would open up in time, likely once he finished processing.
What she hadn’t expected, however, was just how much had been kept from Gale until Raphael revealed the crown had been welded by none other than Karsus.
No deal had been struck with the devil, leaving many uncertainties for their path forward. Yet as the party dispersed at Sharess’ Caress to indulge or seek other goods throughout Wyrm’s Crossing, Gale hadn’t made it far from Raphael’s room before stopping in place, hands clenched in tight fists at his sides.
“Gale,” she said hesitantly, but he did not respond, breathing harshly through his nose. Tav saw the sign to the nearby room, and knowing it to be of the missing worker, she made quick work of opening the door and gesturing for him to enter. “Let us speak in private.”
He finally followed her inside, and she locked the door behind them. For Gale to not comment on the décor of the so-called Elminster’s Library, Tav knew him to be lost in fury.
“I presume Raphael was referring to the same Karsus as—”
“The one who threatened Mystra once before, yes.” He released an angry sound from deep in his throat, then turned and paced until he finally rested his hand on the nearby wooden banister.
“So she purposefully tasked you to destroy it under a vague title, not caring that your life or the countless innocent lives around you would have been sacrificed as well, to protect herself,” Tav said as calmly as she could manage.
Gale turned sharply, his fiery stare nearly enough to make her wilt. “Please. You needn’t explain this to me. I have come to my own calculated conclusions, thank you.”
Before he could turn away again, Tav stepped toward him, her own irritation igniting.
“I know you have, but you’re… you’re bottling it up. She used you, Gale. Let it out!”
Mere inches apart, she could see the internal battle behind his eyes, the way he fought to keep control.
“Does it not infuriate you?” She challenged. “Is your blood not boiling?”
His hand went to her shoulder with restrained insistence. “Yes,” he said, the word heavy with emotion. “But… I have shouted at the void long enough in my tower.”
“My love,” Tav began, shaking her head slowly, “you are not alone in your tower. I am here beside you.” She placed her hand atop his and squeezed tightly around it, hard enough to extend an ache down to her shoulder. “You are safe to feel with me, to channel your anger through me. Now, I’ll ask you again – Does it not infuriate you?”
Nostrils flaring, he nodded. Her fingers trailed up his clothed chest, nails raking his throat to feel his pulse wild beneath her.
“Is your blood not boiling?”
“Gods, yes,” he growled, turning and pushing her against the wood before descending his mouth upon hers, devouring her lips. The hand at her shoulder moved down, gripping her right bicep, and his other arm rose so he could grip her left, each hard enough to bruise. He exhaled through his nose, the hot air only adding to the scorching heat between them, her chest against his, his tongue pressing past her teeth to taste her aggressively.
Gale brought a hand to her hair, pulling it to expose her neck, where he nipped and sucked at her soft skin, marking her, claiming her. She moaned and writhed beneath him, deliciously trapped between his towering body and the barrier behind her, it digging between her shoulder blades. With his free hand, he began pulling at each of the ties of her outfit, loosening armor, shirt, and pants while he brought his head up to kiss her roughly until her lips were red and swollen.
Tav’s mewls were swallowed by his mouth until he pushed back, separating himself from her, breathing raggedly. She did not mask her excitement, hoping to encourage him to continue, and watched as any tentativeness turned to dark fire in his eyes. Gale undressed her completely, then yanked away his robes and undershirt, revealing damp chest hairs that met her sternum as he smashed his body against hers once more in a bruising kiss. Anger swirled in his passions. Hands that were once before so gentle with their caresses palmed her breasts urgently before rolling and pinching her nipples between his fingers inciting her hiss, their teeth clashing.
A deep laugh could be felt through him, vibrating against her. “You do not know what you’ve awoken,” he said, wrapping his hand around her throat to hold her still but never block her airway, then swirling his tongue around her nipple. The cool air of the room paid her no mercy, causing the bud to harden while he gave the same attentions to her other nipple. “I will devour you.”
His mouth descended the plains of her body, from between her breasts to her ribs and stomach, detouring torturously to her hips with his last offering of gentleness before he gripped her roughly. Then, he shouldered his way between her legs, inhaling her almost lewdly, his nose bumping against her clit and eliciting a shudder. Tav’s eyes had fluttered shut, so when she felt his hand wrap around her calf to throw one leg over his back, her other foot barely making contact with the ground beneath her, she gasped loudly.
“Your lips will produce a symphony; I’ll be sure of it,” Gale said before bringing his mouth between her legs.
He was relentless, his tongue lapping at her while she cried out above him, her knuckles white as she held onto the paneling for support. Sweat dripped down her back and pooled behind her knee where it rested against his burning skin, and while Gale moaned against her, her entire body quivered at the sensation. She thought the heat might consume her, his spark stoked to ravaging flames that licked at her voraciously. A hand moved down to her backside, kneading the flesh, and forcing her even tighter against his mouth.
The friction, oh, the exquisite drag of his tongue and burn of his beard. Her hips sought more, thrusting against him, and Tav could feel Gale’s wicked smile. Bringing his lips around her clit, he sucked hard, and her hand went to his head, pushing him even harder while her fingers tangled in his dark brown locks. Legs trembling, the almost suffocating weight of her approaching climax threatened to throw her off balance, but Gale’s fingers at her waist dug into her skin, keeping her locked in place. Rutting like an animal devoid of propriety recklessly seeking her undoing, Tav let go of her inhibitions and gave in to the earth-shattering orgasm, crying out his name. Her back arched, waves crashing over and over, yet Gale did not relent until she begged, nothing more than a shaking mess above him.
With another laugh, he sunk his teeth into her inner thigh, then ran his tongue over the mark before finally bringing her leg back to the ground and rising before her. Tav’s short pants were silenced by a crushing kiss, his mouth slick with her, the salty musk of her release shared between them both. When he broke away, her eyes glanced down to his evident arousal, and her hands reached out to free him from the confines of his clothing.
“No,” Gale said sharply, and her movement froze. “Go to the bed.”
Swallowing, she obeyed, stepping toward the mattress and turning to sit upon it.
“I didn’t say you could rest,” he chastised, tutting. Taking slow steps while working at the clasps and ties of his pants, he flashed another dangerous smile. “Turn around. Hands on the mattress.”
Tav did as she was told, her knees pressing against the soft sheets while the bed dipped under her palms. The air hit the wetness between her thighs as she separated her legs in anticipation, and a shiver rolled over her. From behind, she could hear the rustling of fabric, and she turned her head over her shoulder to behold the glorious sight of her lover, lithe and lean, completely naked.
“I don’t recall granting you permission to watch,” he warned her, and she turned back, submitting while heat climbed her neck to her cheeks. “You wanted my ire. You wanted to unleash me.” Footsteps approached, and she felt his firm grasp on the back of her neck as he bent over her. “Then you shall have all of me.”
He thrusted into her roughly, completely, filling her with every inch of him before pulling out and repeating over and over. Tav’s hands gripped the bedding, gaze unfocused as she took him. It was rough and raw, guttural noises rising from Gale’s throat as he pounded into her.
“Let me see you,” she pleaded. “Let me gaze upon your fury.”
Gale released the hold on her neck, and Tav turned to find his hair having fallen wildly into his face, lips separated to release each labored breath, and his pupils nearly having overtaken his irises. “Are you satisfied by how you affect me? Your hold over me?” He asked, never breaking his feral pace.
“Not until I’m the only one,” she choked out, awakened by his words. “I want to be the only one to embolden you this way, and I never want you to hold back again.”
His forehead grazed against her back as he let out a strangled whimper, driving harder. She would be content with this alone, being filled by him until he could finally think clearly, fill his lungs fully, but Gale had other plans, bringing his fingers against her clit so that every slam of his hips rewarded her with a stroke of white-hot pleasure. Not even when spurred could he be selfish with her, and Tav relished his generosity, meeting every thrust until her walls tightened around him and her legs shook, overcome by ecstasy.
With a shout of her name, Gale emptied himself inside her, claiming her as his with the hot spill of his seed. Their heavy breathing filled the silence, the scent of sweat and sex permeating the air, but all that mattered in that moment was the feeling of his lips kissing along her spine as they came down. He became all tenderness, easing out of her and guiding her to lay upon the bed while he traced the marks on her neck with a guilty expression.
“I will wear your brand proudly,” Tav said, looking Gale in the eye with sincerity, “just as you should embrace your anger. Whatever troubles you – you can unburden it with me so that I may help you overcome. Let me be the partner you deserve.”
Wrapping his arms around her, Gale kissed her softly, then pressed his forehead against hers. “Only if you’ll continue to let me prove my worth and gratitude to you… and if we agree to never speak of this room to Elminster.”