m hit at

anes of the East Wing, shak

, a storm meant leaks. It meant the

ilk pajamas, part of the "wardrobe"

t was wide enough for two, but she stuck to th

she muttered to the c

back to him and

CK-

e close. The room lit up

her body jerkin

which meant it was soft and slightly fluid. Her

id bac

lided with F

the first. Panic overrode logic. She turned and buried her face in his shoulder. She thr

had forgotten the shape of a human touch. Now a weight pressed against him. Soft curves. Trembling limbs. A liv

as sh

distant and cut cleanly through the stati

d across his neck. His brain, starved of input for what felt like a lifetime, s

her voice thick and slurry, hanging somewh

mm

to something heavier. A strange, protective ache took shape insi

him, a desperate and silent roa

nd squeezed him tighter. Her hand pressed fl

seemed to jump from the air

O

ght hand. Every ounce of willpo

n, it h

x finger

asm. But against her palm, i

. Her eyes s

room was dark, lit only

" she w

red at

," she begge

d. One mi

hand lay as s

d laughed at herself. "I'm losin

away. The storm was

ead back down

ispered. "Thanks for the twi

mo

fire through dry brush. A savage, bl

epened, and steadied aga

night, a silent se