Nikolaus woke slowly, the aches in his body coming to his attention before anything else.
He stopped trying to move, getting his tired and muzzy brain to function enough to rationalize where the pain was coming from and why.
His thoughts seemed dim and hard to come by, and it seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to come up with any memories at all.
There was heat and scent and sweet surrender. Soft cries and a writhing body. Sharp pleasure and gentle stroking upon his skin.
Tanya…
He forced his eyes open upon the realization that his arms were wrapped tightly around another form. The surge of joy was tamped down then as his senses grew. The body he held was too hard, to be his Tanya.
And Tanya could not be here. She was dead.
The pain burst upon his mind with a whirlwind of
