Against the Black Night
She awoke in the dead of night, dead afraid. There was no moon; it was far and away, on the other side of the sky. There was no light; the street lamps were out. She felt a heartbeat against her back, a chest that expanding with every breath; they slept curled about each other, spooned. "Baby? Are you there?" "I'm here, Kati," came the murmured reply, the soothing feeling of his arms around her. His arms were magic: they could form a barrier that halted any distraction from the outside...