Firestorm

Chapter 30

The hazy, pale morning light was what finally drew Lilith from a deep, untroubled slumber. For a long time, she lay on her back with her eyes closed listening to the quiet morning sounds of the forest, already bustling with life all around her. She heard the soft swishing of the long grass, as it was stirred by the gentle morning breeze. A symphony of calls and chirps of birds as they rustled through the branches above.  She was sure, that should she open her eyes, she would see dewdrops glistening in the morning sunlight upon the lush green grass of the meadow in which she lay. But she was reluctant to do so. The morning air was crisp upon her exposed skin but lying in the moss and fern nest she had constructed, she felt cozier and safer, than she could ever remember being before in her life. She wished for nothing more, than to spend the rest of the day lying in her self-made nirvana, untroubled by all the challenges and woes she knew she had yet to face.

It was a sudden movement beside her, that finally made her peek open her eyes against the watery morning light. She was met, with a view of Flynn's closed eyes, his long thick eyelashes firmly pressed together. His face so close that their noses were almost touching. He was clearly still enveloped in a deep, untroubled sleep. His breath washed upon her skin, warming it against the chilly morning air. His face was peaceful in sleep, unmarred by the tasks that lay ahead of them both. She noticed the lines which even in sleep, had begun to show upon his clear, now sun darkened skin. They stood as reminders of all the trials he had faced to save her. His black hair though disheveled by sleep, caught the morning light like the black feathers of a raven, framing his handsome face. Upon his strong jaw line, stubble was clear to see, which she was sure, would be rough should she trace along it. It was then she noticed the reason for why she was untroubled by the cool morning air. She lay within Flynn's arms. Her head lay upon his shoulder and his arm draped lazily but firmly around her. Their legs intertwined with one another's. Her hands lay pressed against his strong bare chest, even just flexing her hands slightly, she could tell how his lean muscles had tightened and hardened during his all of his travels.

Where their skin touched, Lilith noticed how hot his skin felt against hers. How, as the more she noticed, that heat began to slowly build. Her skin tingled where his skin met her own. As she became more and more aware of just how close he was, a blush began to rise upon her skin and her breathing came more rapidly as a warm aching feeling began to spread from the pit of her stomach. 

Lilith felt overwhelmed, she had heard of how it felt to long for another's touch in this way but to Lilith, these feelings were a mystery. For the longest time, survival had been her one and only priority. Alone and pursued by murderous beasts, she had never craved anyone as she suddenly found herself doing now. She had felt the touch of a man once before, she remembered with dread how awful it had been. Years ago, a year or two after she had lost her family. Before the last remnants of humanity had been wiped from the face of Eirnmore, she had met other small groups of survivors.  In isolated places they huddled in the dark, desperate, hiding from the monsters that stalked their dreams and every waking moment. She remembered how bitterly cold and harsh that Winter had been. Starving and half frozen to death, she had staggered for days through the deep snow drifts, desperate to find some form of shelter from the deathly cold. One dark night, she came across a small encampment nestled deep within a thick wintry forest.  When she saw the faintly glowing light between its crudely hewn together wooden fencing, camouflaged between tightly packed spruce and fir needles, it was as though the gates of heaven had appeared before her. Mustering the last of her strength, she had rushed to its rough-hewn gate and beaten upon it with all she had, pleading for sanctuary. 

She had heard hushed voices from behind the grainy weather-beaten wood, the shelter's occupants clearly arguing amongst themselves as they decided her faith. Finally, after a few desperate moments, the gate was slowly pushed aside. She had been met with the wild and distrustful eyes of two men peering out at her from within the small space. Their clothes had been tattered and covered in filth. Their hair and beards were long and matted, clearly unwashed for a long time. Grim and soot had coated their skin, further enhancing the whites of their half-crazed eyes. She had been afraid, but desperate as she was, she had no other option that to ask them to let her inside. At first, they had welcomed her, leading her into their small refuge so she could sit by the small fire and warm her frozen body. They had produced waterskins, clearly filled with something other than water. The strong scent of home-brewed ale wafted off the men's unwashed bodies, filling the air in the cramped space in a heavy cloud. In the soft glow of the fire, Lilith saw that the men's faces had the tell-tale flush of intoxication beneath the sooty layer of grim. The men chuckled amongst themselves as they dined upon stringy dried game. Lilith's painfully empty stomach had loudly grumbled with unspoken longing as she had watched the men feast. She saw the men glanced between each other, a shared glint in their eyes and cunning foxlike smiles playing upon their beard-shrouded lips. After a few maddening moments of torture, the leader of the three finally gave Lilith a choice. For food and shelter from the killing cold, a simple price was required. Sex.