She hit her crescendo one last time as she felt him explode inside of her.  Alice let the feeling wash over her and allowed herself to bask in the pure bliss of it.  She stayed on top of him for a moment, even after he released her and the let her body fall next to him on the soft sheets of the bed.  Breath escaped her in ragged pants and her thighs quivered with the remaining pulses of her spasming muscles.  When Emlyn finally spoke, she nodded.  He had not expected to end up in his bed tonight, though she had really not expected any part of her experience so far.  For a moment, she wondered if she should gather her clothes and return to her room, uncertain if this experience was just the meeting of a need, or something more than that.<br/><br/>He answered the question before she could ask it a moment later, as he tucked her body against his.  Alice's head settled against his chest and the soft ticking of the metronome that lay where his heart should be lulled her slowly to sleep.  The rhythm of it felt familiar and comforting, even if it was odd to have the source of it be inside another being.  She slept peacefully through the night, no errant dreams or nightmares interrupting her sleep.  As the sun rose, she woke in a similar fashion to find that Emlyn must have already been awake.  She had been here only a short time but she vaguely remembered that Azure had said that Emlyn was consistently an early riser.  Alice shifted in an attempt to sit up and move from the spot on the bed, only to have pain remind her of the rough edge of their lovemaking the night before.<br/><br/>It was not all consuming, but it was uncomfortable.  A dull but persistent ache within her core that seized up whenever she moved.  Alice pushed through the pain wrapping one of his sheets around her form to cover herself.  She moved gently toward the door, her steps small and precious as she did.  For a moment, she wondered if she had some Tylenol or Advil in her purse, but then her weary brain reminded her that she did not have her purse or any of her other possessions here.  She could only hope that this magical world had some sort of painkiller.  Otherwise, she would likely spend the rest of the day in bed, recovering from the intense night before.  Even with the aches, she did not regret what had happened.  It sparked a hope in her that maybe she could find some happiness here, that maybe Emlyn was a good man, or at least one that would care for her and not use her as the cultists had intended.