Theo embraced her then, and in her brokenness, Lyra allowed it. It wasn't the comforting embrace of her mother or father, but in her pit of despair, even this was a sliver of comfort. Her tears ran unbidden into Theodore's shirt as she pressed her weary body against him. Foolish girl igniting the flames that would burn her alive. She didn't understand the extent of Theo's longing, didn't understand how fanning the embers he held in his heart could lead to a devastating fire. She was too busy sobbing into him to think about that, too lost in her gasping tears to even realize what Theo was feeling or what he wanted to do to her in the crevices of his dark mind.<br/><br/>She felt his hand trailing lower then, fought the urge to associate it with Engel's hands on her own skin because Theo was a friend, wasn't he?<br/><br/>Lyra didn't know it yet, but Engel had planted a dark seed inside of Theo's heart. Even in the supposed safety of his servants' quaters, Engel was there with his snakelike grip. He'd dug his talons into the both of them, even if they didn't see it yet.<br/><br/>As Theo held onto her, Lyra's tears lessened. However, what started as a gentle hug turned into something else. Somewhere down the road, Theo had morphed his sorrow into a burning hunger. He crushed his lips against hers and suddenly Lyra was pinned between his body and the chair. If he pressed into her, he could feel her body through the thinness of the night gown's fabric. Caught off guard and lost in disbelief, Lyra merely pressed her hands against Theodore's chest as he took what he wanted.<br/><br/>She pushed him lightly then, but did he feel her distress?