"Flame flickers a soft light
Born from the midnight
Strokes slowly to her side
Secrets sworn concealed tight"

Penryn.

I could feel the blissful heat coming from her body even though there were layers and layers of clothing between us. I tried to control myself, to be reasonable, but my brain seemed to have a life of its own, always going back to her. I imagined what it was like to have her in my arms, her body pressed against mine, the feverish feeling of her skin against brushing against my own.

I gritted my teeth. This shouldn't be happening. Penryn was a daughter of the man; she would always be out of reach for someone like me. But she… she was striking. And annoying. And beautiful. Not to mention talkative. And persistent. It's hard to believe I had hated her when had we first met. Wait, I still hated her…. right?

God, what was I thinking? I had only known her for two days! And I still didhate her. Just because Penryn had saved my life twice, it didn't make her a heroine. Besides, she was just using me to get her sister back. Although, I knew what it is like to lose something important; the bandages around my torso proved that. Penryn needed her sister just as much as I needed my wings. That's why I needed to take her to the aerie. Penryn needed to find her little sister. I owed her that. It was a suicidal mission, of course, but I realized Penryn needed more than a frustrated – suicidal, actually - plan to make her give up.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I forgot where we were. Penryn, lying across from me, shifted, the blanket she was holding falling onto the floor. She must be freezing, I thought. I didn't feel cold, but I knew this bad weather had an effect on monkeys – humans, as Penryn would say. That was confirmed a moment later, when she began to shiver. I considered for a few moments if I should help her. Shrugging, I bent down to retrieve the blanket when I heard Penryn call my name. I froze. Her whisper was so, so soft I thought I had imagined it at first, but then she called me again. My breathing stopped.

The corners of her lips were turned down, as though she was upset about something. Her whimpers became more frequent, the distress obvious in her voice. I didn't know what to do; I had never been with a human before! Should I wake her? Should I ignore her? I just wanted to stop it! I ran a hand through my hair in despair, trying to think of something. Make her stop, for Christ's sake!

Okay. On TV, when a girl was having a bad moment – okay, not a bad moment, but a very terrible moment - what did people do? My mind filled up with tons of different situations that so often happened in movies and tv shows. None of them helped. Damn!

Penryn tossed and turned and I still didn't know what to do. Exhaling heavily, I looked over at her, an idea popping in my head.

"Shh, I'm here" I whispered softly in her ear. Her whimpers stopped gradually, but she was still shivering. Now, that I could handle, I was looking forward to it actually. I laid beside her and wrapped my arms around her small frame... And Penryn was in my arms! She sighed contently, as though she was happy to be there. Maybe she was? Was it possible?

I could feel every delicious curve of her body pressed against my own, her warm, sweet breath fanning my skin. My own breath hitched as Penryn stirred and snuggled closer to me.

I shouldn't be enjoying this. I shouldn't be enjoying this at all. I ran my hands over her face, that smooth skin of hers feeling like silk beneath my fingers. I couldn't think of anything but the fact that Penryn was in my arms.

I was in heaven.

A/N: Miami Horror is awesome and I think Soft Light is a very nice song to listen to while you're reading this story. Okay. That's all I have to say.