LONG ROAD AHEAD

11

Morning came quickly. They slept in shifts, but the night was thankfully quiet. They were on the move first thing in the morning after a quick bite and something to drink. The sun was not as hot as the day before. Clouds had begun to roll in from the west, coming in over the very mountains they were headed towards.

            After some rest and food, they had both regained their strength and speed. They kept a steady pace as they pushed forward. Craven was impressed by how well Phoenix kept up with him. They hoped to make it to the mountains before the weather turned bad. The clouds above were growing darker, threatening a storm. Storms were rare and far between in the wasteland, but when they came, they were truly terrible. It was best to hunker down in some shelter somewhere than to be out in the open.

            They had jogged through the foothills, and they reached the valleys of the mountains’ edge. The sky above them had turned dark and the clouds black. “We should find shelter before the sky opens up on us,” Phoenix said when they stopped for water.

            “We should look for a cave in the face of the rocks. Something in the high ground so the rain won’t flood it,” Craven looked around, trying to decide where the best place to start looking for shelter might be. To the right was a steep cliffside that appeared difficult and dangerous to climb. To the left, the mountain sloped gently with what looked like a crumbled accent roadway. It was possible that before the wars, people had lived in the mountains, or at the very least, travelled through them with frequency.

            The mountainsides were littered with fallen dead trees and massive grey rock. If the rain was hard enough, it was possible it could cause a landslide. If so, the valley would be a very bad place for the two of them to be. They should follow the roadway up the mountain. There was a good chance it could lead to some shelter.

            “I say we head up that way,” he suggested. “Find ourselves a place to get out of the rain,” they started up the mountain following the demolished and decaying road as it twisted its way up the slopes.

            They had been fairly quiet all day, each lost in their own thoughts. Ever since they shared those intimate moments, there had been an awkward silence between them. Craven was unsure how to bring back the comfortable ease they had once shared. He had come to enjoy Phoenix’s company very much, but this blasted silence was driving him nuts. He did not know how to bring back her spirit, that fire she had in her belly.

            The trek up the mountain was long, and the sky had become terribly dark. They reached a place where the trees had been cleared, and the found the remnants of a demolished log cabin campground. Happy to have found shelter, they proceeded to investigate the grounds attempting to find a cabin which roof was still intact. Craven found a cabin that still seemed in decent condition. All four walls and roof still standing. It even had an old wood stove.

            “We should gather wood before it rains,” Phoenix suggested. The wind had picked up, whipping their cloaks violently as they used their swords to hack down dead branches while they gathered as much wood as possible. The wind had become bitter cold. Phoenix had begun to pile some of the wood they had collected into the old wood stove to build a fire and heat the cabin.

            Craven had gone around to the other cabins and salvaged some old thin mattresses that he dragged back to the cabin they had taken refuge in. “These should make the night a little more comfortable,” he said, dropping the second mattress near the wood stove. The closer they stayed to their heat source, the better their chance at warding off the cold.

            Phoenix had gotten the fire burning and added some twigs and wood to build it up while Craven shut the door against the cold. “This fire should warm the room soon,” Phoenix said, coming to sit on the mattress and pulling her cloak tightly around her for warmth. She was shivering, rubbing her small hands together to warm them.

            Craven got down on the mattress beside Phoenix and wrapped his cloak around them both, drawing her close against him. Their bodies together would warm each other until the heat from the fire filled the room. The rain had begun to fall, beating against the roof and windows. Phoenix still trembled in his arms from the bitter chill. He rubbed her arms briskly, using the friction to create warmth.

            They sat in silence, listening to the crackling of the fire burning only a few feet away. It felt so good to hold her in his arms once more. Holding her close stirred his blood, visions of the night they had shared flashed through his mind. “Feeling warmer?” He asked softly, trying to distract his thoughts.

            “No,” she shivered. “That wind is terrible,” she said through chattering teeth as the wind howled outside. “May I ask you something?” Phoenix asked, turning her face up, so her gaze met his.

            “Yes, you can ask me anything,” he said, gazing into her smoky eyes. She was so close, those plump lips called to him, tempting him.

            “Why did you bring me with you?” She asked quietly.

            He could see the question in her eyes. She was unsure of his motives. “You know why I brought you,” he answered. He had been clear at the time of their acquaintance. “You watch my back, and I watch yours. I must say I’m glad you have been at my side. You have saved my life, and without you, I’m sure I would not have eaten so well. You have proven yourself a useful companion,” he said, trying to set her mind at ease. He had not agreed to bring her for any nefarious reason. His motivations had not been prompted by any base urges.

            “You have saved mine as well,” she smiled. It was good to see her smile again.

            “It’s good that we have each other for this journey. We may not have made it alone.”

            “We haven’t made it,” she corrected him, “not yet.”

            “We will,” he promised, smiling down at her.

            She turned her face away from him. “You know I only learnt about the book because he wanted me to go with him,” she confessed, her eyes turned toward the wood stove. “He saw me and liked the way I looked. He thought I would be his Eve to his Adam. Tempt the pretty girl to his bed with the promise of paradise.”

            “And you would not let him tempt you.”

            “Oh, I was, he tempted me, but not the way he had intended,” she smiled.

            “So, you trick-rolled him and ran off with the map to seek out paradise alone.”

            She went quiet for a moment as she hung her head. “But then you took the book, and I couldn’t be left behind,” she paused. “The other night…”

            “No,” Craven answered before she finished her thought. He placed his hand on her cheek and turned her face towards his forcing Phoenix to look him in the eye. “I didn’t want s*x when I agreed to bring you,” but that did not mean that he had not changed his mind. She was beautiful and spirited, and she excited him. Craven leaned in, his lips grazing over hers. So silky soft, so plump and kissable, he could not help himself.

            A soft, timid kiss, he could feel Phoenix holding back, afraid to give in. They were not inebriated tonight. There was no excuse to blame for their actions this time. Craven’s fingers slid slowly down over her beautiful neck, caressing her radiant skin. His hand stopped over her shoulder, pulling her fully against him. His mouth captured hers in a demanding kiss. His tongue slipping passed those beautiful lips, coaxing a response from her, desperately craving her submission. 

            With a quiet sigh, Phoenix gave in to his seduction, her hand touching his upper arms as she returned his kiss with eager hunger. Craven could feel the fire in her kiss. A blaze of heat and passion igniting between them. Craven removed her cloak and then his own, letting them both fall to the mattresses. On their knees face to face, Phoenix and Craven tore away the holsters and weapons, the leather belts and armoured vests, tossing their small arsenal into a heap on the floor.                  

            Craven knelt before her bare from the waist up. Her hands roamed over his chest, her fingers tracing the lines of the muscles as they moved lower inch by inch. Phoenix took hold of the waist of his jeans and pulled them open, freeing his arousal from the restricting confines of the fitted fabric. Craven lifted Phoenix’s shirt off over her head with haste like a child tearing into a gift eager to expose the treasures beneath the wrapping.

            Craven kissed Phoenix once more, his hand caressing her perfect breast. Her hand glided down over his abdomen and closed firmly around the shaft of his manhood. Craven gave a soft groan at the contact. A moan escaped his lips as her firm grip began stroking him in a long slow motion. Her ministration was sweet torment. Craven grew painfully solid beneath her hand. He could not take much more without losing his control.

***

            He felt large and stiff in her hand, solid rock beneath silken flesh as she fondled his manhood. Phoenix felt such a rush of power as she held him in her hands, drawing soft tormented moans from this powerful man on his knees before her. Craven’s head lowered, his mouth capturing her n****e between his teeth, nibbling gently, sending shudders of pleasure throughout her body.

            Phoenix did not release her hold on Craven. Her pace increased, causing him to rest his forehead against her shoulder and groan out loud. “Am I hurting you?” She asked, pulling her hand away, concerned that she had been too rough. She had little experience with men.

            “No,” Craven said, quickly grabbing hold of her hand and guiding it back to his throbbing arousal as he kicked off his jeans and laid back against the mattress. “You are doing great,” he assured her, closing her hand around him once more. He took her other hand and guided it to the tender, heavy sac of flesh between his legs. Craven pressed her hand between his legs, cupping the heavy sac while he guided her other hand up and down his thick shaft. His eyes fell shut against the building pleasure. “I’m at your mercy, sweet angel,” he whispered, releasing her hands. “Don’t stop.”

            Something was intoxicating about having Craven completely at her mercy. His handsome features racked with pleasure as she stroked and toyed with him. Sexy, sensual, erotic, the sight of him losing control beneath her touch lit a fire within her. Phoenix leaned over, placing a trail of hot kisses along his chest and belly, wondering what it would be like to kiss him where her hands had been.

            Phoenix boldly placed a kiss along the shaft of his rigid member, and it jerked slightly in response. Craven sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers plunging into her hair at the back of her head. Phoenix kissed it once more and ran her tongue along the shaft and heard. Craven groan with pleasure. With a pleased smile, Phoenix did it once more, and Craven pulled her away, rolling her back against the mattress beneath him.

            He smiled down at her pinning her wrists playfully against the mattress so she could no longer touch him. “Any more of that, and I won’t make it to the next round,” he said softly as his mouth went to her neck. His hand moved down over her belly and opened up her shorts, pushing them down off her hips and over her thighs. Craven skillfully removed her shorts and tossed them aside.

            His mouth moved down her body, licking and kissing every inch. His hand pushed her thighs apart as his hand slipped between her legs stroking and caressing her womanhood. His touch burnt her up until she thought she might die without him. As though he could read her mind, Craven moved between her legs. His unyielding arousal pressing against the entrance of her slick s*x, he sunk deep into her, filling her.

            Craven looped his arms under her legs, pulling her up. The adjusted angle allowed for deeper penetration. He took her slow and steady. His mouth worshiped her body. The fire absorbed them, engulfing them in flames of passion. Their bodies rocked and moved together in a rhythm as old as time. Sensation building inside her threatening to break the thin thread of self-control she had left.

            Ecstasy swept over Phoenix like a wave. Her body shook and trembled as Craven brought her to climax. She clung tightly to Craven, a lifeline to reality as the world faded away, and all that was left was the two of them. The sound of the rain was replaced by the sound of their hearts beating as one. She felt his body quiver and tremble as his climax washed over him.

            Craven collapsed on the mattress next to Phoenix, pulling their cloaks around them to keep them warm against the cool night air. The wood stove had warmed the small cabin a bit, and their little tryst had certainly heated things. Craven lay beside her, his hand rubbing his injured shoulder. The strain of bracing his weight above her had aggravated the injury. They really should have changed the dressing, but they had nothing left to bandage it with.

            “Is your shoulder in great pain?” She asked, rolling onto her side to face him.

            “Only a little,” he smiled. “It’s nothing that won’t fade with some rest,” he promised her.

            “You shouldn’t have put so much pressure on it,” she scolded.

            He grinned at her, the wicked glimmer in his dark eyes caused her to smile. “It was well worth the pain,” she could feel her cheeks blushing red. “There is no Scotch to dismiss our actions this time.”

            Phoenix sat up and reached for her clothes. She did not know what had come over her. She had never felt such longing, such a sense of inhibition, a loss of self-control and all her better senses, as she did when she was with this man. The way she behaved with him was reprehensible.

            Craven reached out, stopping her from dressing. He pulled her back into his arms against the mattress, holding her close beneath the cloaks. “Don’t pull away,” he whispered. “There is no shame in what we have done. Stay with me,” he asked softly. “There is no need to turn away.”  

            Phoenix could not help but tense up. Men and intimacy had always made her uncomfortable. She had never been a big fan of either. Every man she had ever know had tried to use her for their own disgusting purposes. She would have never even considered travelling with Craven had it not been for the destination, and intimacy had never been pleasurable the way it was with him. This man had some strange spell over her.

            She lay awkwardly in his arms, unable to relax. Craven smirked and kissed her neck, sending shivers through her body. “Must I make love to you again to make you relax?” His words held such promise she trembled with desire and smiled. “There is that beautiful smile,” he grinned, propping himself up on his arm.

            He flinched with pain from the pressure. Phoenix sat up, clutching the cloak to her breast. “We should tend that wound,” she said, coaxing him upright.

            Craven let the cloak fall around his hips as she tried to move his arm. “I am fine,” he assured her. “I’ve had worse.”

            “All the same, we should keep an eye on it,” she said, carefully removing the blood-stained dressing. It appeared to be closed nicely. The bleeding had stopped. As long as they kept it clean, it should heal. “We should put a new dressing on it.”

            “And what do you suggest we use? My shirt is gone, and yours is already in tatters?”

            He was right, but they had to find something. Phoenix reached for her knife and began to cut away at the hem of her cloak, cutting off a long strip of fabric. Phoenix knelt beside him and carefully wrapped the strip of wool around his shoulder, fashioning a crude bandage. She pulled it snug so it would not shift when he moved, and he grunted from the pain. “That should hold.”

            “Where did you learn to be such a good field medic?” He asked, inspecting her dressing.

            Phoenix smiled, “I have gotten a few of my own bumps and bruises in the past.”

            “Like this?” He asked, running his fingertips over the scar beneath her ribs. Phoenix tensed and grabbed her cloak, clutching it to her breast. “What happened?” He asked, moving closer to her, his dark eyes were soft.

            “After I ran away from the brothel, I tried my hand at picking pockets. My skill was not what is now. I was slow and clumsy. I pilfered the purse of a mercenary, but he caught me. He assaulted me, then when was done, he took his dagger and plunged it into my body — punishment for what I had done. I might have died there in the street, but a priest found me and brought me into their sanctuary. They tended my wounds and nursed me back to health. They taught me archery and how to fight to survive on my own in this world.”

            “A priest taught you to fight?”

            It was a strange skill for a man of peace. There were not too many religious people in the wasteland. Only a rare few still believed in a deity. “He too, had been a mercenary before he found God and joined the monastery. He taught me what he knew,” she said with sadness. “But I was afraid to leave. Scared that I wouldn’t make it on my own.”

            “So why did you leave?”

            “The monastery was sacked by a gang of thieves one night. The priests were killed, and the building was burnt to the ground. I barely got out alive.”

            Craven was quiet. There was no sense in expressing condolences for her dead friends. Horrible things happened every day in the wasteland. People died terrible deaths. If you were lucky enough not to be murdered or eaten by something, you usually died of radiation and starvation. No one grew old in this world. Death was just the other side of life.

            Craven reached for Phoenix and pulled her against him as he laid back down, sheltering her in his arms. Phoenix pulled the cloaks up around them to stay warm. “Let’s get some sleep,” he said, resting his chin against the top of her head. “We should leave early in the morning,” Phoenix listened to Craven’s heartbeat steady. The rhythm was soothing and almost hypnotic. She closed her eyes in the hopes that sleep would find her soon.