Satin Bruises

Reilly laughed at her son's exuberance, he nearly pulled her over on their way to the bumper cars. They hit the line, and he bounced maniacally up and down as the poor young woman at the gate counted tickets. Raleigh grinned at her twin as Conner rocketed into the ride. He looked back at them expectantly.

"We'll watch from here baby," Reilly called, waving him on, "I'm still winded from the roller coaster!" He didn't need any more encouragement, and started attacking other cars with abandon. Reilly looked over to her sister, laughing at what she saw.

"You're doing it again," she said simply, indicating Raleigh's clenched fists.

"It would be ok if I could just smoke!" Raleigh exploded. "Fucking amusement park with their fucking non-smoking signs!"

"Tonight is going to go off without a hitch, the ceremony is going to be very straightforward-"

"It's not the magic!" Raleigh muttered. "When have I ever doubted your spooky power stuff?"

"Well, care to share then?"

"It's the pack! What if they don't like me?"

"Oh ho! Big bad zombie raiser is scared of a few shape shifters? I didn't realize your self-esteem was so low, sibling," Reilly teased. Raleigh glared.

"It's not just that...it's the politics. The pack is huge. If they don't like me...If I can't hold it together...This is such a keystone to holding the city...." Raleigh trailed off and fidgeted more. Reilly was serious now.

"All you have to do is contend with Richard's second-in-command, if she acknowledges you, you're fine. If not...kick her ass," Reilly shrugged.

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me," Raleigh said wryly.

"I'm surprised you don't," Reilly said, kissing her sister on the cheek. "Now come on, the spawn is back, and I'm betting he wants some ice cream." The two women laughed as Conner barreled toward them.

"Mom!" He shouted gleefully, pulling on Reilly. "Let's get some ice cream!"
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Reilly regarded her son affectionately as she tucked him in. The amusement park was an excellent idea, he was so worn out he hadn't even reached the car before slipping off to sleep. She brushed back his baby-fine hair, and gently kissed his cheek before stepping out into the hall. Jean-Claude and Asher were waiting for her there.

"And where do you propose we sleep? There is, after all, a child in our usual boudior," Asher teased, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Reilly's ear. She leaned into his touch and smiled.

"I guess we're just not sleeping tonight, my love," she said with a laugh, starting off toward the common area of the circus. There was already a crowd gathered when the trio arrived, Raleigh and Richard stood in the center of the only open space, looking amused and uncomfortable respectively. The rest of the space was packed with preternatural beings. What looked like the entire wolf pack had turned out to see the event. Vampires lingered at the edges of the room, curious and attempting crowd control. Several other weres from the coalition smiled and waved to Reilly as she moved toward her twin. There was one person conspicuously absent, however. Anita Blake was no where to be found.

"Let's get this over with," Richard grumbled as Reilly moved to shake his hand. Her smile didn't waver.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Richard?" She asked intently. "We will never be able to replace the beast once it is gone. You will have to be re-infected if you ever want to join the two-natured again."

"Like I would ever go back to this?" Richard snapped, gesturing at himself. "I'd rather die." He said tonelessly. Some of the weres in the crowd hissed in displeasure. Almost as if she were in his head, Reilly could hear Jean-Claude begging for some tact from the alpha wolf. She grinned to herself, and turned toward her twin.

"Let's get this show on the road," Reilly said.

"Saddle up," answered Raleigh with a smirk.

The crowd pressed back against the wall as Raleigh moved into the chalk marks, Richard mirroring her. Reilly moved amongst the crowd, pulling wolves randomly from the on lookers to stand on the out most rim of the circle. When five had been chosen, she moved into the exact center, facing Richard.

"There may be some mild discomfort," she warned him. He didn't answer. Reilly reached out with her magic, and the circle around her ignited with power. Those watching gasped as the chalk glowed golden beneath their feet. The weres in the circle all echoed that as then were slowly lifted upward. Only Reilly, her twin, and Richard remained on the stone. Jason from his position cast a worried look down at the witch. She smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry Jason, neither you, nor your packmates will be at all harmed. I just need your bond to channel Richard's wolf. It wouldn't answer me, but for five other alphas? It will come."

"Enough chatter," Raleigh called, impatient as always, "summon the wolf." Reilly nodded, and cast her left hand out toward Richard. Her power roared through him, starting with his fingertips, and burning its way slowly inward. He could feel the wolf being burned out of him, from the outside in. He screamed, and Raleigh echoed it, feeling the energy begin to pour into her as it left him. In the middle of it was Reilly, eyes wide, but glazed over with the pure white glow of the magic in the circle. On her right, Jason howled, an encouraging noise. Sylvie, the second in command, took up the sound inside of the circle with Jason. One by one, every wolf in the room started the eerie sound.

Richard doubled over, clutching his stomach, aware that the only thing keeping him upright was Reilly's magic. Across the circle, through all the runes, he could feel the animal leaking out of him like vomit, and if it hurt less, he would have shouted for joy. Raleigh threw her head back, and accepted the tingling wash in her body, welcoming it like a lover. The burning had long since stopped, and all that washed over her now was power. Pack memory flashed through her head like a wolf running on leaves. She could feel the cat inside her lift its huge head and growl, a challenge and a welcome. The wolf came crashing down into her, and the leopard purred as fur met flesh met soul. Unable to contain it anymore, Raleigh filled her lungs, and howled in concert with the pack. The wolves responded to her anew, their otherworldly beings filling the room.

Hours, or maybe days later, he wasn't sure, Richard collapsed to the stone floor, heart pounding as the last wrench of magic was pulled out of him. The wolf had gone willingly, sensing a body that embraced it. The tall man was shivering violently as he looked around him. Slowly, Jason, Sylvie and the others returned to the ground, all laughing and talking animatedly at the incredible rush the energy had given them. They moved outside of the circle as the spell winded down, rejoining the pack, and waiting for the two witches to move forward. They remained frozen where they were however, power still seeping from the two of them. Raleigh hadn't even shifted skin yet.

Jean-Claude moved forward from where he was watching to stand at the edge of the chalk circle.

"How does it feel, mon ami?" He asked Richard, extending a sympathetic hand.

"Amazing," the man replied, gripping the vampire's palm. Jean-Claude lifted Richard gently to his feet, never taking his eyes off of the two women. Their eyes still hadn't returned to normal, and the runes around them were as bright as ever.

"Do you think-?" Asher asked, stepping up behind Jean-Claude. He too, was fixated on the still entranced witches.

"I'm not sure," he answered in a murmur, letting Richard stand on his own. The rest of the room went silent, eyes on the tableau before them. Many could sense that something wasn't right with the casting. The women were too still, barely breathing. Micah, Jean-Claude, and Asher all started forward at the same time, reaching the women with seconds of each other. Jean-Claude reached out to touch Reilly, Asher's handing brushing the silk on his back. Micah took Raleigh's shoulders, and the magic snapped around the men with an audible crack. Jean-Claude and Asher were thrown back, landing ungracefully on their asses, momentarily stunned. Micah was both forced back and made to change. Before him stood a huge auburn she-wolf, and an incredibly stunned witch. Reilly looked down at the vampires at her feet.

"You interrupted the spell work," she giggled, swaying on her feet. Behind her, the wolf that was Raleigh was also unsteady on her paws. Jean-Claude and Asher exchanged looks. The vampires stood in that incredibly fast movement that was so characteristic of their kind. The she-wolf let out an unusual wheezing noise that could have been a laugh, and the stumbled into Reilly. The two collapsed to the floor in hysterics, tears streaming down Reilly's face as she laughed. The assembled looked around at each other, perplexed. Micah padded forward on his paws, rubbing a questioning nose against Raleigh's side. The wolf began laughing again, playfully batting at Micah's nose. He stepped back, snuffling.

"Mon Dieu," Asher sighed, stooping to disentangle Reilly from her sister. The witch wrapped her arms around Asher's neck, and cheerfully proclaimed to the whole room that she was so in love with this man. Jean-Claude trailed behind the two, shaking his head and laughing to himself. The women were power drunk out of their minds. Micah, with the help of a few select pack members, and all of the pard got Raleigh to her feet and pointed her in the direction of the sleeping rooms. The rest of the group broke up slowly, discussing what they had just seen.

As they all began to disperse, Reilly could be heard from below alternately singing and exclaiming, "Oh Asher! You are so amazing! I am so in love with you, do you know that? You know that I'm in love with you." To a chorus of laughter from the two vampires.

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In the wee hours of the morning, Reilly wandered into the kitchen, ravenous. She clicked on the overhead light and found her sister seated at the island, stuffing loads of food into her mouth. Raleigh froze with a fork between her lips and hid a slice of cheesecake when she noticed her sister eyeballing it.

"Where'd you get that?" Reilly asked good humoredly.

"None ob yer buniss," Raleigh replied, shoving another forkful of cake in her mouth. Reilly sat across from her.

"Now don't be stingy," she said, grabbing a fork from the counter. Raleigh blinked at her absently.

"I'm not, I'm just sooooooo hungryyyyyyy."

Reilly laughed, stealing some of the cake. When Raleigh asked her to pass the bowl of chicken Alfredo, she willingly obliged. The were twin shoveled the pasta and meat into her mouth at a speed that normal people would have choked on.

"So..." Reilly began. "How are you feeling?"

"Fucking great! I've got so much freakin' energy. And I spoke with Sylvie and Jason a few minutes ago."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I have made them the appointed Alpha's. Of course, I told them that I wanted to still be included in the politics and all that jazz. They seemed to be really into it," Raleigh paused to take another bite of the food. "Especially Sylvie, she was crazy excited, but she tried to hide it. I think she'll be fantastic. Do you want a Vodka-Cranberry?"

"Raleigh...I don't drink hard liquor before or after a spell...you know that."

"But...but I want some liquor. I can't drink by myself...you know that," Raleigh pouted.

"Get Micah to drink with you."

"He already did. He's asleep on the floor."

"You out drank a seasoned wereleopard?!"

Raleigh paused, her mouth open, fork poised with a load of lettuce covered in ranch dressing and thought for a moment. Then, she shoved the fork in her mouth and shook her head.

"Nuh uh, I can't out drink him."

"So why is he sleeping on the floor?"

"I dunno, he sat down and fell over."

"I see."

"Yes...as do I."

Reilly chuckled to herself and daintily took another bite from her slice of cake. Suddenly, Raleigh dropped her fork and slammed her hands on the counter making Reilly jump. Raleigh shoved her seat across the floor and bolted out of the kitchen, Reilly quickly followed her. The younger twin ran up the stairs to her and Micah's apartment. She kicked the door in, angry and ready for a fight. Sitting on the coffee table was Aleksi Romanov, his feet propped on Micha's unconscious body.