Satin Bruises

Raleigh had finally stopped vomiting, Micah brought her from the bathtub and laid her on the couch, wrapped in a thick blanket. She was shivering uncontrollably, sweating, and felt fatigued. Micah fetched her a book she had requested and was now reading various passages to her.

Raleigh pondered her stomach, when is the last time she had been sick? Even Reilly had the constitution of a horse. The reading dragged, and Micah's voice rolled over the top of her, murmuring like the ocean around her. She curled up, her insides balling up on themselves. Miserable and pale, Raleigh stewed in Micah's warmth. Her mind began to wander away from Micha's voice, contemplating her illness. Suddenly, it dawned on her. Aleksi had put a drain on her!

"That lowlife son of a bitch," Raleigh whispered against Micah's stomach. The leopard stopped reading and looked down at her curiously.

"Say what?" he asked.

"I'm not sick!" Raleigh mumbled, sitting up slowly, trying to be outraged.

"Really? I beg to differ."

"No, this isn't sickness, this is psychic vampirism! Mother fucker, trying to drain my powers and life force."

Raleigh tossed back the blanket and struggled off the couch as Micah helped lift her up and steadied her. She quietly shuffled into the bedroom, careful not to wake Conner and Nathaniel, and rifled through her bag. Moments later, she withdrew a dog eared little diary and shuffled back into the living room, plopping down on the couch. Micah watched as she flipped through the worn pages, searching for something unknown to him.

"Here we go," she muttered softly to herself. Her lips moved as she read the words to herself, then she looked over her shoulder at the tiny table next to the door where her purse sat. Micah, without being told, grabbed her purse and brought it back to her. She put the book down on the table, pointing to an incantation and some symbols.

"I need you to draw these. This one goes on my forehead, this one over my heart, this one on my left wrist and this one on the right one," she explained as she pulled out the familiar bruise purple lipstick. Micah took the tube and regarded it as if he had never seen it before.

"Why lipstick?" he asked, Raleigh shook her head.

"It's not the lipstick, it's the color. Purple is a very powerful color for spells. Plus, it looks fabulous on me. Now, when I say the first line, you draw the first symbol. I say the second line, you draw the second symbol. Not really rocket science."

Micah nodded and took the book from his girl's hands. She recited the first line and Micah carefully drew the first symbol. A few minutes later, Raleigh was laying on the floor, recovering her energy. During her cleansing breaths exercise, someone began banging on the door, jolting her out of her meditation. Furious, she stormed to the door and tore it open. On the other side of the threshold stood Richard, for once, he wasn't seething. The wolf actually seemed demure as he looked at Raleigh.

"Can I help you?" Raleigh sighed, trying to be mean...and failing miserably. Richard smiled at her, kind of, and asked if he could speak to her. Raleigh shrugged and took a step back, inviting him in.

"I'd actually like to speak to you out here," Richard mumbled. "It's personal."

"Alright," Raleigh said hesitantly, then she looked over her shoulder to Micah. He shrugged slightly and waved. Raleigh walked into the hallway and shut the door behind her. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched the wolf, who was now pacing nervously.

"Richard," Raleigh said, concerned at this point. "What is it that you needed? I guess it might be something important since you came to me...of all people."

"I want to marry Anita," Richard said in rush. Raleigh blinked rapidly at him, confused.

"Okay, still failing to see where I come in with all this."

"She would never marry me with this...this disease."

"Then you shouldn't marry her," Raleigh replied. Then it dawned on her, she knew why he was here. He knew. "Richard, you can't be serious."

"Raleigh, please. This is the only way!"

"Uh...no it isn't. You could just... I don't know...not marry her."

"Raleigh, you don't understand!"

"No Richard! You don't understand! You don't realize what goes into that! If I take your beast, yeah you'll be human again, but then I am a werewolf! Are you really so self-centered that you will dump this on someone else?! The 'disease' you hate so much," she said harshly, tauntingly.

"I hate it because it was forced on me. You have a choice."

"And I choose to say no."

Richard's eyes darkened. "What about Micah?"

"Micah has nothing to do with this."

"Don't tell me that you don't look at him differently because of what he is."

"Apparently, you don't know my list of ex's."

"Would you do this for him?"

"I love him, I hate you. Difference."

"So you would take Micah's beast if he asked?"

"In a heartbeat. But Micah...Micah knows who he is. I don't want him to change, though I know he would do it for me," Raleigh said, smiling softly.

"Even though I'm less than human, don't I deserve the same happiness as everyone else?" Richard asked her lowly, looking ashamed. Raleigh was surprised to find that she actually felt sorry for him.

"It's a complicated ritual..." Raleigh started, before looking down the hall. Reilly was walking toward them, her elegant business wear lightly spattered with blood. She was very easy in her body, and looked incredibly satisfied about something. She grinned, and winked-actually winked-as she walked up to her sister from behind the wolf.

"Mr. Zeeman," she greeted Richard. He nodded looking tense. Reilly was immediately at attention.

"Did I miss something?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

"Nothing..." Richard started, looking sheepish. Raleigh cut over the top of him.

"Richard wants me to take his beast," she said, sounding annoyed. Reilly rocked back on her heels, looking between the two.

"If I had known you were just holding it over my head, I would never have come," he snarled, disgusted. He turned to walk away, but a delicate hand on his bicep stopped him.

"Mr. Zeeman, please understand, we are more than willing to do this for you, but we need a willing vessel to take the energy. It will take some time to find someone..." Reilly insisted, eyes emphatic. He paused, looking into her drowning green eyes. He hesitated, looking between the girls.

"God, I'll do it," Raleigh said, sounding cross. Her sister raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, there ya go," Reilly said dryly, releasing the were. He stepped back, and surprising both girls, hugged Reilly.

"Thank you," he said feelingly, and then walking away. Once he was out of earshot, Raleigh turned to her sister.

"Sure, I take his beast, and you get the hug? How is that fair?" She griped. Reilly looked at her steadily.

"I'm not going to ask you if you're sure-you wouldn't have volunteered otherwise, but why? I know you dislike him, and you never expressed the want to be a wolf. I thought Micah....?" Raleigh grinned.

"This way, Micah will be forced to make me a leopard first. I can be a true nimir-ra," she said, turning on her heel, and practically bouncing to the doorway.

"Raleigh," Reilly said, a different note in her voice. Raleigh turned, looking a question at her twin.

"This is decent of you, you realize that, right?" Raleigh just laughed, and went in to Micah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What?!" Micah yipped, yes...yipped, in outrage. "You want me to do what to you?!"

"Micah, darling, listen to me," Raleigh replied, grabbing Micah's hands in hers and clutching them to her chest. Micah calmed down slightly to try comprehending what Raleigh was trying to tell him.

"Honey, if you don't want to, I won't force you. If I take Richard's beast, I'm going to be the alpha of his pack. You know the rules, if I'm the leader of another pack...I can't be your Nimir-Ra, no matter how many times you say I am."

"But Raleigh," Micah whispered as he untangled his hands from hers and cupped her face. "Sweetheart, I don't want to hurt you. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you and it was my fault."

"Nobody's going to blame you for anything Micah," Reilly piped up from the couch. Her sister looked at her while Micah just kept his head down.

"This just looks like a no win situation to me," Micah mumbled. "If I don't do this, I lose you to a wolf pack. If I do..."

"If you do you'll always have me," Raleigh whispered in his ear. Micah raised his head and made him look at her. Then she said the words his heart ached for. "Either way, I'll always love you."

"I love you too," Micah whispered, grinning like a fool and trying to fend off a barrage of tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reilly turned into the abandoned parking lot of the warehouse. Raleigh sat in her passenger seat with a cigarette stuck in the corner of her mouth. The twins exited the car at the same time and slammed the doors shut in unison.

"So what's all this about?" Raleigh asked, taking a deep drag off her cigarette and staring up at the building.

"The boys got me a present," Reilly answered excitedly as she unlocked the massive padlock on the door.

"A warehouse?"

"Even better."

Raleigh fought to keep up with her sister who was practically flying up the stairs. When she finally caught up with Reilly, she was standing in front of a door with a smile on her face. Raleigh shot her sister a catty look and finished off her cigarette, then she flicked it onto the floor.

Reilly pushed the door open and revealed her present. Haven still laid on the floor, his wounds were healed but he still had dried blood all over himself. The floor had been pressure washed clean in preparation for another vicious onslaught. He raised his head slightly and looked at the twins.

"Oh shit," he growled, letting his head fall to the floor with a thud.

Reilly smiled and hugged her sister. Raleigh lit another cigarette a smiled. "Maybe we should make him take Richard's beast."

"He's not strong enough for that," Reilly said, disappointed.

"Physically or mentally," Raleigh retorted as she stepped into the room. Reilly followed her and shut the door firmly.

Reilly sat a chair in front of the lion, then plopped into it. Raleigh stood beside her with her cigarette and stared down at Haven.

"I must tell you Reilly, he is a very good present." Reilly giggled like a schoolgirl, and went to the far side of the room. A stainless steel worktable stood against the wall, silver bladed implements shining malevolently in the harsh lights. In a more serious tone she continued with her sister, running her hands over the knives before her.