Satin Bruises

The twins entered the basement of the Circus, a line of weres in tow, all carrying several bags. Raleigh and Reilly were still spattered with blood, but nobody, not even the cashier at the store, bothered to ask them why. Once all the weres, and Jean-Claude and Asher, were in the basement, Reilly turned everyone's attention to her sister.

"Alright!" Raleigh said loudly. "If you have black candles, you're on the left side, put four candles on each shelf. Red candles on the right, same number. White candles right in the middle, same thing. Now, if you have paint, you're painting this symbol EXACTLY the way it sits."

Raleigh pointed to the floor. A series of runes were drawn on the floor. "I'm coming back in an hour and a half. That's ninety minutes. If, by some freak accident, something is not exactly the way I told you it needed to be, I will throw the biggest bitch fit in history and you will have to do it all again."

Raleigh left the room and Reilly took charge. Her voice could be heard down the hallway as she gave unnecessary orders to the more than capable were's. Raleigh started sluggishly climbing the stairs when someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned her head and locked eyes with Jean-Claude.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" he asked. "This does seem very dangerous."

"I appreciate your concern but," Raleigh paused to take a breath. "I've already discussed this with Richard and Micah. It's the best solution."

"Does Monsieur Callahan, your Nimir-Raj, really feel this way?"

"No, but he knows it needs to be done. I don't want to take Richard's beast, but the screening process takes several months, even years! Richard doesn't have years."

"Is he dying?"

"Dying to marry Anita," Raleigh mumbled.

Jean-Claude smirked. "You just want them out of your hair don't you?"

"God, shut up," Raleigh sighed, heading back up the stairs to her room...to Micah.

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

Ninety minutes later, as promised, Raleigh returned to the basement. She had showered, changed and was now limping noticeably. A bandage could be seen bulging around her thigh underneath her jeans. Reilly looked at the bandage, then at her sister who just shrugged.

"Well, it's done the way you wanted it," Reilly sighed. "It's all prepped for the spells and charms."

"Fantastic. So, everyone clear out. We need to get busy."

Everyone, including the vampire duo, left the twins to their own devices. "So when is this actually going down?" Reilly asked.

"Night after tomorrow. Tomorrow is the full moon and it'll be my first shift so the leopardess will permanently take."

"Makes sense."

"Yeah," Raleigh mumbled. "Let's get this over with. I'm fucking tired."

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

It was well past midnight when Reilly crawled into bed between her two vampires. Jean-Claude was laying there, calm and complacent. Asher sat against the headboard, absorbed in another book by an obscure German author. Reilly, exhausted both physically and emotionally, slid between them and laid her head on Jean-Claude's chest. Asher took his eyes from the pages in his book and looked at the petite woman. She sighed heavily and shut her eyes.

"Tired my dear?" he asked as Jean-Claude stroked her hair. Reilly nodded the best she could and mumbled and inaudible response. The two vampires chuckled as she fell into a deep sleep. Several floors above them, Raleigh walked into the apartment to find Micah on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

"Micah...honey, what's wrong?"

"I...feel horrible," the leopard mumbled. "I didn't want to turn you, but I had to. I just..."

Raleigh laid down on the floor with Micah, being careful with her thigh. "You just what honey?"

"Nothing."

"Micah, don't lie to me."

"I just want you to love me despite the fact that I'm diseased," he said in a rush, avoiding Raleigh's gaze. Raleigh's eyebrows furrowed, she gently grabbed Micah's chin and turned his head to face her.

"Silly kitty," she teased softly. "I would love you even if you were normal. I don't care."

"But now you're infected."

"Because I wanted to be closer to you. That's how much I love you."

"You're an idiot," Micah replied, trying to mask a smile. Raleigh smiled and climbed on top of him.

"But I'm your idiot," she replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was six thirty-four in the evening, the twins hadn't been seen all day. They had locked themselves in the basement, enforcing the charms. Jean-Claude and Asher were planted outside the door when Micah came down. Inside the room, Raleigh was laid out on the floor in pain. She could feel the beast inside her pushing against her bones and skin. Reilly opened the door and poked her head out, eyeballing the trio that had accumulated in the hallway.

Micah stretched around to look into the room. Jean-Claude and Asher remained composed. Reilly stood in front of Micah, trying to block his view. Micah glanced at the petite woman and tried to push passed her. Reilly stared at the leopard, not moving.

"I don't think you should see her," Reilly whispered. Micah changed his expression from an empty stare to a fierce glare. The older twins heart fluttered and tried to keep her face as stoic as possible.

"I turned her," Micah growled.

"She's my sister," Reilly whispered.

"Reilly, you need to move or I will move you. Don't think for a second that I won't."

"You aren't going to move me," Reilly retorted, starting to bring up some energy in case the situation went south. A tortured scream erupted from the room behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw her sister doubled over in pain. She returned her gaze to Micah, her heart sank. His green eyes were filled with sadness.

"You're her sister, you know her better than anyone else and you've been with her through everything...but do you really think you're the right one for this particular situation?" Micah said pathetically.

Reilly sighed and looked over Micah to Jean-Claude, begging for a reason to stay in his way. She found nothing from Jean-Claude, she looked at Asher. The blonde vampire looked at Jean-Claude and Micah, then he looked at Reilly and shrugged. The twin winced as her sister screamed in pain again. Micah groaned and pushed passed her into the room, kneeling at Raleigh's side.

Raleigh was feverish and covered in sweat. She clawed at her skin as the clear ooze coated her body. Micah watched as her bones snapped and relocated themselves. Tears rolled down her face as she reached out and grabbed his wrist. Micah pulled her into his lap, stroking her hair and trying to avoid her green eyes.

"Micah," she gasped. "It hurts."

"I know baby," he replied, still stroking her hair. Minutes crawled by slowly with Raleigh screaming in Micah's lap, Reilly had been watching until Jean-Claude pulled her aside and shut the door, leaving the lovers alone. Finally, the transformation was finished. In front of Micah laid a leopard, much smaller than his beast. She was covered in thick white and grey fur, her spots a smokey charcoal and her eyes a steel grey. Micah held his hand out to her. Raleigh flicked her tail curiously, sniffing his finger then licked his palm with her rough cat tongue.

The door opened softly and Reilly poked her head in. Raleigh spun around, her teeth bared, the hair on the nape of her neck stood on end. Reilly stepped back quickly and Micah pet Raleigh's haunch. The leopardess sat next to her Nimir-Raj, her tail still flipping back and forth, and began cleaning one of her paws.

"Wow," Reilly breathed. "Look at her. She's beautiful."

Reilly found it hard to believe that the snow leopard in front of her was actually her sister. The cat stared at her, licking it's other paw and cleaning her face. Raleigh looked at Micah and plopped her snowshoe like paws on his leg. Micah rubbed her ears and her head, wearing a bittersweet smirk.

"I think she's hungry," he mumbled. Raleigh's ear laid back, then perked up again. Her tail flipped around wildly when she stood up. Micah smiled widely and stood up with her.

"What do we feed her?" Reilly asked. "People food or...raw steak...chicken?"

"Well, I like steak," Micah stated. "We can start there and work our way around."

Reilly and the vampires moved as Micah made his way out, Raleigh padding along closely behind him. Her long, fluffy tail brushed against Reilly's bare leg, sending shivers across her skin. The company trooped upstairs to the kitchen. Jason met them on the stairs. Startled, he retreated a few stairs up.

"Who the hell is that?" he asked as the leopard sniffed the air around her.

"It's Raleigh," Reilly answered quickly.

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

Aleksi Romanov reclined in a plush velvet chair and watched the fire crackled cheerily. The grey wolf whimpered at the piece of meat dangling from his master's hand. The vampire tossed the meat, sending the beast after it. He was thinking much too deeply to be distracted by the animal. Now that Raleigh had been so...vilely infected...she was stronger than he would like her to be. Her sister, the insufferable bitch Reilly, was also very capable of destruction with Jean-Claude and Asher at her side. A soft pattering sound roused his attention.
His new set of psychics, a set of twins with golden hair and caramel eyes, entered the study meekly.

"She broke the spell," Aleksi stated, masking his anger. The twins cast their eyes to the floor and fidgeted with their hands.

"We tried to make it stronger," the older one explained.

"But she has more experience than us," complained the young one. "She knows things we do not. They come from a family of psychics!"

Before this particular twin finished her sentence, Aleksi had set upon her. With a powerful blow from the back of his hand, he sent her reeling to the floor. He towered above her, terrifying and full of wrath.

"Do you think I do not already know this?!" Aleksi bellowed. "She's my creation for God's sake! She wouldn't be this powerful if it weren't for me! I ask you to do a simple drain and you two fucked it up!"

He snatched the other twin up by her throat and tossed her against the far wall. Both twins wisely stayed on the floor and didn't dare to glance up. Aleksi regained his composure, straightening his tie and smoothing his dress shirt.

"If the two of you fail me again," he whispered. "You will leave me no choice."

One of the women dissolved into tears as he left the room, his wolf companion following along beside him. He needed these women eradicated and he would have to do it himself. Son of a bitch.

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

"I'm just saying that since we know the situation is going to devolve so far, we need to start preparing now," Reilly insisted, running a soothing hand up Jean-Claude's arm. The master of the city sat, with his head in his hands, kneading a murderous headache.

"She's right, mon ami, besides, a war council is already established somewhat," Asher said persuasively, admiring the light on Reilly's long hair. The two smiled at each other over Jean-Claude's head.

"I just want to live in peace," Jean-Claude whined, fingers digging holes in his temples.

"The council seems to want otherwise for you, darling," Reilly chuckled, moving her deft hands to Jean-Claude's neck, and massaging sensuously. The vampire moaned.

"We do have some time to prepare," Asher continued, picking up and re-reading a piece of very fine stationary from the desk.

"And the fact that they sent a request to us, asking for permission to stay, shows that they're taking this succession business very seriously. This can only work in our favor, they're cautious of Raleigh and I."

"Besides," Asher said, voice growing deeper, "we have more important things to take care of right now." Reilly grinned in agreement, and leaned down to trail kisses down Jean-Claude's neck. Asher leaned in, and cupping Jean-Claude's face between his hands, gave him a burning kiss. The vampire gasped, then moaned as two sets of hands set about unbuttoning his shirt and pants. Asher released him, and keeled between the desk, and Jean-Claude's chair to kiss down the master's bare chest.

"I can see that neither of you are taking this at all seriously," Jean-Claude murmured as Reilly's delicate hands ran down his ribs, and over his stomach.

"Shhh," she answered, taking his earlobe between his teeth, as Asher nibbled the space where the pants ended and Jean-Claude's body began.

"You two will be the death of me," Jean-Claude whispered as Reilly bent his head back for a kiss. It was then that Asher's mouth found his manhood, and Jean-Claude wasn't equal to speech anymore that night.