***

Her mouth sought mine in the sliver of moonlight that breached the empty room. It was useless to resist, and animal instinct drove me to sate her. Pinned to the wall, certain I could control the moment, I moved in to envelop her. Breasts heaved for air as I held her, seeking the lips that called for me. Poison skin was only a faint memory in the face of such beauty.

My skin decayed, sloughing from my muscle, bone, and sinew like condensation spilling down the side of a glass. Pain splintered my thoughts, dragging memories from the storehouses of my brain and sending them spiraling through her, a bullet on fire. I vaguely felt her cry for help, but it was all I could do to hold on to her and overcome the defeat of my cells.

Death loomed over me like a nightmare. Adamantium separated from bone, tearing me to shreds. Chunks of black hair drifted to the floor, feathers on the wind. Still, her lips like brown sugar and thick blood, melted over my tongue, filling me with instinctive passion. Her cries wilted to whimpers, the small sounds of helplessness. Were I to die here, would I remember the sound of her fear?

Some reserve of strength battled within me, crushing the defeating sensation of pain and filling me with something more illuminating. Darkness gave way to light, as warm as tea against my lungs. I slid a hand into her hair, soft and smooth between my fingers, silk and satin. She murmured, and the sound vibrated against my ears. The tenderness of her skin brushed my face as she rubbed her nose against mine, seeking out my lips again.

***
End.