Flame She lay in the bed watching the fire flicker through half closed lashes, the half light throwing strange shapes on the wall, shapes that didn't bear looking at too closely, shapes of entwined bodies, legs and arms thrown about in passion, shapes that reminded her of things that she wanted to forget, her hurt threatend to engulf her once again, so she forced her mind away from things too close to the pain. Her Grandmother had once told her that fires were dangerous, that strange things happened to people who stared too long at the fire, they saw things that weren't real, heard things that weren't real, she snorted under her breath, if that was the case then why hadn't she seen anything, staring at the fire had been her favourite way of falling asleep when she was young, she dreamed whole lands in the fire, peopled by flickering sprites of flame, her friends. She could not believe that the fire was dangerous, not to one who was its' friend, after all she and Dan...no, she turned her thoughts away from the rememberance of naked bodies clothed in flame, the heat and sweat covering them with an oily sheen, their passion surpassing even the heat of the fire, many times she saw the flames rise higher, growing with their passion until it overflowed and their cries filled the room with their primal screams of sheer animal joy and release. No, she could not beleive that the fire was dangerous. Slowly she drifted off to sleep, the tears still wet on her lashes as she stared at the fire, in the fireplace the fire slowly died, all but one small section which glowed cherry red, growing in intensity, one small patch of brightness in a sea of dead, warm ashes. She woke with a certainty that someone had called her name, dragging her up from the depths of dream infested sleep, sitting upright in the bed it was some seconds before the fact that the room was bathed in a warm red glow, registered on her, some further seconds later the fact that she was looking straight at the fire place and its' warm dead sea of ashes, also penetrated her dream fogged mind. FIRE!!! Instantly she was awake, alert and looking for the source of the warm, red glow, the adrenalin pumping through her system blinded her at first to the realisation that the room wasn't on fire, slowly she looked around, noting for the first time the diffuse hazy quality of the redness, and the way it seemed to pulsate, as if in time to someones breathing, or heartbeats. Her own heartbeats sounded harsh in her ears, and her breathing ragged as she fought down the sense of panic that was threatening to overcome her, her breathing quietend and her racing pulse slowed down as nothing happened to her, she sat quietly, sure in her own mind that she was still asleep, and having a very vivid waking dream. "No-one will hurt you" The voice insinuated itself into her mind, panic died aborning as a feeling of warmth and calm swept over her, and her fears were banished with a soft gentle caress of her mind. "I will not hurt you, I have watched you for many years" She tried to speak and felt a momentary stab of fear as she opened her mouth and no sound emerged. The voice urged her to forget her fears and listen. "I know you know the flame, the burn of passion, the pain and exquisite agony of the release, the cold aching death of ashes, the death of hope and delight. The glow of firelight on naked bodies, worshipping the flame, making us strong, giving and sharing, feeding us and being fed on, you have known these things". Quietly and passionately the voice went on, explaining, she knew these things were true as soon as he spoke them, she knew these things, she knew the lore, her Grandmother was right, but danger was a two edged sword. "Come to me, walk on the edge, for I AM the edge" "I am the flame" Strong hands pushed her back on the bed, hands that caressed and stroked her body, there was no protest, her eyes shut of their own accord, her hands lay folded across her breasts. Every touch, every stroke, burned and enthralled her, his hands gentle on her body, she could feel the flame, trace the burn of his fingertips as he caressed her skin, she cried out in soundless passion as his mouth engulfed her nipple, the exquisite pain, the pain that burned and soothed, that freed her from the ordinary to somewhere far removed. Her body arched on the bed, as his mouth traced streaks of fire down her belly, hands firm under her lifted her up towards his seeking mouth, the fire in her nipples and breasts was nothing compared to fire between her legs as his tongue sought entrance to her innermost secrets, impaled on a rod of fire she hung there, burning from the inside. Again and again his stabbing tongue sought out the tender depths of her womanhood, his fingers strumming across her tender clit, her mind fought against the pleasure, agaisnt the pain, finally surrending. Pain upon pain and pleasure, she felt his encompassing heat press down upon her, as he pleasured her with his ultimate gift, filled to the core with an unrelenting fire, it burnt and seared as he filled her up with his seed, the seed of pure flame, of pure untouched copper red flame, she cried one more time, arms reaching out to encompass him, press him closer, take him into her, somehow, she didnt know how she knew, but she knew that he smiled, he gathered her into his arms. "We are one" No, she could not beleive that fire was dangerous.