Lydia woke to a pressure against her forehead. Images of frolicking in a meadow of red flowers and lying on a quilt with sunlight bathing her made her reluctant to find the source of the pressure.<br/><br/>“Mmmmm,” she murmured. So secure, she felt so secure, cradled in warmth that was neither overwhelming or threatening. She snuggled closer. A frown creased her brow, but she didn’t open h. Eer eyes. She wasn’t alone. Even breathing caressed her ear. Lydia’s mind tried to work out where she was, what day it was, what duties faced her upon awakening, but for some reason, a deep peace had flooded her and was carrying her on its waves.<br/><br/>Raising her hand but still with eyes reposed, she slid her fingers up to the face close to hers. A light beard rasped against her touch. She had slept with a man, then, she thought. A tiny spark of shock at her wanton behavior tried to ignite her to action, but Lydia snuggled closer still to the source of heat close to her.<br/><br/>“Shenyo?” she murmured, resting against his body and intertwining her leg with his. She could now identify the touch of his tail and she took comfort from that touch.<br/><br/>“What time is it? Has ought happened while we rested? Is the world still on fire?” She whispered, tracing his lips with the fingers of a blind woman.<br/><br/>“If I open my eyes, what then? You are all I have left of the world as I knew it. To what purpose?” she whispered again, but opened her eyes to see the moonlight shining through the broken board<br/><br/>Lydia placed her hand over his heart, feeling the steady rhythm bumping against her palm.<br/><br/>“You are vital, feral, alive. When you touch me, I have hope. I find my center. Is it your magic that feeds me?”<br/><br/>The bed shifted around them as if enfolding them in security, cradling them.  Lydia wondered if the house was enchanted. She vaguely remembered the sense of the house from Hansel and Gretel’s tale. A house made of candy that appeared sweet but contained an unseen threat.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>