Quinn had fallen to sleep in Talon's arms, warmth flowing through her relaxed muscles, and not a nightmare in sight. The only thing she had in mind when closing her eyes was that the man would surely not lay by her side in the morning.

Oh, how wrong was she: while the morning light passing through the window was touching her cheek, she woke up feeling her body being tightly held by Talon himself. It was the first time in her life she experienced such an awakening, and she wasn't disappointed at all by the feelings it ignited in her.

Talon's nose was resting in the crook of her neck, regularly blowing warm air against her sensitive skin. They were both still naked, their limbs tangled in the sheets and wrapped against each other. Her heart was beating steadily and regularly, far from the erratic beat she had been suffering every morning before. Their moment was pure comfort.

Quinn couldn't know if Talon was still asleep, as he was not making any other sound than his breathing. His chest heaved against her back, rubbing his skin against hers, and his arm was protectively draped over her flank. Quinn didn't want to utter a single word, afraid to lose the instant. A small thought formed itself in her mind, but maybe he was trying to make the moment last, too.

A few distant steps resonated in the stone staircase, Quinn froze. Three loud knocks echoed against the thick wooden door, and in a second, Talon leaped out of the bed, grabbed his blade by the side of the bed, and leaned against the wall behind the door. He was absolutely silent, and his face had lost any relaxed expression it had worn before. His eyes were cold, and absolutely focused.

Quinn was lost in the contemplation of the man who was by her side just a second ago, and their eyes crossed. The person behind the door knocked again, more impatiently this time.

"Quinn!"

It was Lux. Her voice had a pleading tone, and Quinn immediately recalled their last exchange, when she had rejected her a bit coldly.

"Yes! Give me two minutes!" Quinn loudly answered.

She found the nightgown the young woman had offered her, and slipped back in it. While she felt slightly awkward to appear in this attire, she knew it wouldn't seem out of place. She examined the fabric resting on her skin: it was not stained, but slightly crumpled, as it had spent the whole night on the floor.

Talon expertly gathered his clothes and pushed them under the bed. The long sheets protruding down to the floor would easily hide them. He only put on his breeches, held his blade, and climbed out the window. Quinn's heart lurched when she saw him get out with such ease: the tower her bedroom was in was high above the ground.

She ran to the window, passing her head through it, and saw Talon standing on the cornice. He appeared to hold his balance easily, his fist tightened around the vines solidly growing on the tower's walls, and standing flat against them.

Quinn wished this would be over fast. She passed her hand over her ruffled hair and sniffed the air around her. Her smell and Talon's were probably merged into the room, but she wasn't able to tell if it was strong, since she had spent the whole night soaked in their scent.

She opened the door calmly, not letting any sign of distress show. Lux was standing there shyly, a red tint on her cheeks.

"Sorry to disrupt you, Quinn."

Quinn yawned.

"It's okay. I slept in anyway, it's a good thing you woke me up!"

"You had a bad night?"

"Yes, I had trouble falling asleep. Probably the most evil night in my life." Quinn hoped Talon could hear her, and that her small innuendo would make him at least smile. She wouldn't go too far, of course, but she could afford a little playfulness.

"My poor Quinn! You do seem like you didn't close an eye. This mission really hurt you more than I thought." Lux appeared truly sorry for Quinn, but she didn't know how far it had impacted her life.

"It's okay, I'm sure it'll be getting better with time. I'm sorry I was a little rude last time, I was unwell."

"It's okay, I'm not angry at you or anything." Lux encouragingly smiled. "I wanted to ask you if you would like to come to the ball tomorrow night, you didn't answer me last time. I'm a bit scared to go, and I thought, well... It could make you think about something else."

Lux was now a fierce shade of red. Quinn knew it was hard for her to express such a wish, knowing Quinn didn't enjoy social gatherings at all. This ball had nothing special, and she usually never attended them. Quinn cringed at the thought of wearing a dress in front of so many people, and embarassing herself for being a poor dancer.

"I..." Quinn didn't know what to say. "I will think about it. I promise."

Lux made a half-hearted smile. "It's okay if you say no, I know you're not fond of such events."

"I'm not, but... you're right! It could be a change of air for me. I'll tell you at lunch."

"Lunch has already passed!" Lux winked at Quinn.

It was Quinn's turn to redden. It was not in her habits to wake up so late, but the night had surely been sleepless.

"Oh... I see. Sorry for that."

"It happens to me all the time, it's okay!" giggled Lux. "See you around, Quinn!"

Quinn awkwardly waved at Lux, bidding her goodbye for now, and closed her door by key. She exhaled loudly after hearing the steps going down the stairs, and Talon silently came back in.

He wrapped his arms around her from her back, invading her with his intoxicating warmth again. His scent was all over her, and a shiver of pleasure ran along her spine.

"Nothing to worry about." she whispered to him.

He hummed in silent agreement, softly caressing her stomach and hips with his free hand. His other hand was still clasped over his dagger, but Quinn couldn't help but feel comfortable around it. She knew it was wrong and dangerous, but the tip of the blade was carefully pointed away from her, and soon, Talon disposed of the blade on the top of the bed.

"Don't worry." calmly said Talon. "I wasn't going to slit the throat of your little friend."

Quinn chuckled at his joke, knowing that he could have done it easily in other circumstances.

"I hope so! I forbid you to kill her!" she playfully answered, turning around to face him.

"Oh... Such a shame if I were to do it." he lowly taunted her. "You wouldn't be able to stop me."

She pushed him on the bed, a smirk displayed on her lips. Unsettled by her sudden confidence, Talon let himself fall on the matress on his elbows, intrigued by her sudden playfulness.

"I could punish you, you know..." she said while laying a hand on the thin line of hair below his navel.

"Now the little bird wants to hurt me." he said in a ravenous smirk.

Quinn's fingers drew small circles on his skin, rubbing closer and closer to the rim of his breeches. She let her hand slide carelessly over the fabric, finding his hardness there, and then sliding back up. Talon repressed a low rumble in his chest, his eyes already darkened with desire.

"You know, I should punish you for all the people you've murdered." Quinn temptingly drawled.

Talon's blood rushed even more at this delicious threat from her.

"A lifetime wouldn't suffice, then." Talon huskily replied.

Quinn bit her lip when her eyes fell on Talon's intense gaze. She held her false facade of confidence and straddled him, still clad in only her light gown. Talon's hands quickly took hold of her hips, he pressed his thumbs gently against her skin.

"So you think this night was evil?" he darkly said.

Quinn blushed and felt liquid hotness surge in her body again. She nodded, and watched Talon under her heavy lids. She could feel him hard under her weight, aware that her little hint when she was speaking with Lux hadn't gone unnoticed.

His hands easily found their way under her almost nonexistent piece of clothing and caressed the upper part of her thighs, dangerously close to a more intimate and burning part of her body. His fingers sent little jolts of electricity through her veins. Then, suddenly, he grabbed her below her haunches, and flipped her around. She fell hard on the bed, and he pinned her arms above her head.

"Can you even fathom what evil truly is?" he rasped. "No, I don't think you can yet." he said again when she didn't answer.

Quinn couldn't control her limbs anymore. Her body had entirely surrendered its control to the man pressing heavily against her, and she wouldn't change a damn thing. She knew she was entirely at his mercy, a real first for her. And this man was precisely the wrongest person possible. Quinn fought this idea snaking its way in her mind, for it was only making matters worse. Trembling under him, she could only wait for him to torture her.

"I will show you how evil I can be..." Talon hoarsely said while slightly raising up to fetch something. Quinn couldn't see from where she was, but soon felt a piece of fabric being laced against her wrists.

"Don't move."

A heavy thud resonated against the wooden panel of the bed. She lifted her head, and saw Talon's blade pinned on the fabric above her wrists to keep it in place. Her heart began beating faster. She felt vulnerable and absolutely helpless. Still wearing only her nightgown, she was overly conscious of her core being exposed to Talon's will just under the light fabric resting above her thighs.

"What are you..." she began, then swallowed hardly. Talon was slowly going down on her, not breaking visual contact even for the batting of an eye.

"It's daytime, little bird. You'll need to be silent as a grave." he playfully smirked.

"B-But... How can I..." she couldn't finish this sentence either. Talon had so softly caressed the inside of her thigh that she choked on her own words and heat. She was about to whimper, when his hand came to cover her mouth. Having his warm skin pressed against her lips made this sudden heat travel across her body like lightning.

His hand slowly slid away, but only his thumb rested against her lips, like asking for permission. The temptation was too great, and Quinn shyly let it inside her mouth. She sucked on it, and twirled her tongue around it. It seemed to only turn Talon's gaze darker. He pulled his hand away, resulting in a repressed whine from Quinn.

Talon watched her with evil satisfaction, then lifted the lower hem of her gown. He brought his face close to her most private part, his breathing touched her skin and sent shivers in all of Quinn's body. He laid one, two kisses just an inch away from her lower lips. Quinn squirmed, but couldn't do much about the sensations it sent to her core.

"Remember, not a sound", taunted Talon before diving on her in one long lick.

Quinn thought she would die of the eruption of heat caused by his tongue. He held her thighs apart, pinning her pelvis in place. Talon's chin was covered by the most imperceptible stubble, it rasped gently against Quinn's fragile skin. He tasted her upwards, downwards, and he made sure she remembered every visit of his tongue.

She tried to maintain her lips pursed, but his torture made her want to scream his name at each motion of his. She couldn't bite anything other than her lip, and Talon noticed it with pride. He licked the inside of her thighs, as well as a trail up to her navel, but never rewarded her with a kiss on the mouth. He was truly driving her insane.

"P... Please..." she pleaded at last.

"What did I say?" Talon growled, and nibbled at the inside of her thigh. Quinn writhed at the bite. She felt like she was going to explode from the inside.

Talon had a gesture which completed his order. He plunged two fingers inside of her while ravaging her with his tongue, resulting in a whine she couldn't suppress. This sweet torture was erasing bit by bit every thought of the outside world she had. Soon, only she existed, and her torturer.

With a devilish chuckle, Talon watched her come apart under his touch. The utter passion she experienced for him was contagious, and he had to keep himself from jumping up and getting lost in her.

A strong shudder ran through her body, and Quinn began uncontrollably rocking her pelvis. She couldn't keep an exhale of ecstasy locked up in her lungs. Talon kept on sliding his hand between her wet thighs, but he came at her level, and deeply kissed her.

Her taste was all over his mouth and tongue. Quinn gently bit his lip while she came to keep herself from whimpering, which made Talon harder than ever before. He relished the state he put her in, knowing her body and mind were all his. After a minute of contemplating her exhausted form below him, he freed her of his dagger. He plucked it out from the wooden panel, and laid it beside them.

"That... That was truly evil..." she managed to say.

Talon kissed her again, not getting enough of tasting her deeply with his tongue. He caressed her hair slowly, noticing how soft it felt against his calloused hands. In the morning light, he could see how silky her skin was. It was perfect compared to his own, more tan, scarred in every place. Quinn's scouting gear usually hid her femininity well, and it was the first time he truly witnessed it.

He adored her curvy hips and thought they were perfect for being grabbed. Her thighs were so soft to the touch he wanted to devour them. And her lips were the most beautiful he had seen on a woman: thin and thick in all the right places. Just looking at them filled him with an urge to pull them between his teeth.

Quinn propped herself on her elbows, still groggy from the sweet torture he had just given her.

"Talon... Will you stay with me this morning?"

"This afternoon, you mean." he said.

She watched him with pleading eyes, but he knew he had no right to make a mistake there. He couldn't risk being caught and losing her forever.

"I'm afraid not, my little bird." Talon answered, seeing her heart break a little. "I will come to you as soon as I can."

He began dressing up in his assassin gear, but Quinn stayed on the bed, watching him with longing.

"You should clean yourself," Talon said, "the whole castle could smell me on you."

Quinn nodded.

"You're right."

Before Talon escaped by the window, she called him again.

"Talon!"

He turned his head towards her.

"Thank you... For finding me." she blushed.

They both looked at each other one last time, before Talon disappeared swiftly again. Quinn didn't run after him, trusting him on escaping safely down that wall. They didn't take the time to talk, and Quinn wanted to know what had happened to him while she had been living a half-life. But this time, she knew he would be back very soon. A part of her felt like he was still there between her burning thighs.

[A/N: Life has been quite harsh, but I found the time to update this story. Feel free to drop a review, give this couple some love.]