#bhwocweek

“She’ll do,” Kali says, holding back her own excitement.  She doesn’t want Kate to get too full of herself.

“She’ll more than do,” Kate hisses through a mouth still curved into an artificial smile.  Her sharp nails dig into Kali’s shoulder, leaving welts right below the strap of her tank top.  It’s a stupid, childish move and Kali leans in even closer, until her lips are nearly brushing Kate’s.

"Take your hand off of me, or I’ll bite your tongue out of your mouth.”  

Kate sneers at her, but she still slides her arm out from behind Kali.  Kali glances back at the woman quickly, just long enough to make sure that she's still sitting in the same spot, still playing with her glass.  When she turns back to Kate, she can feel Kate’s eyes locked in on her throat, like she’s thinking about ripping it out.  

Kali doesn’t doubt that Kate could do it, but she’d like to see how much of Kate’s face she could rip off before she bled out.

But that’s something she’ll ponder more later, if the mood strikes her.  For now, they have a target and Kali isn’t going to let this one slip away.  It’s been too long since they’ve had a good kill.  

“Come on,” she says, reaching down and squeezing Kate’s hand as hard as she can, “before she gets away.”  

Kate doesn’t say a word, but she doesn’t have to.  The smirk that spreads across her face and the spark that appears in her eyes tells Kali everything she needs to know.

&.

The woman’s name is Jennifer.  She’s even more beautiful up close and she smells like expensive perfume and chalk.  She teaches English at the local high school, she was stood up by her date and she’s definitely more than a little drunk.

While she does protest at first, it’s only a few moments before she lets Kali buy her another drink.  After they bring her back over to their booth, Kate buys her a second one.  By that point, Jennifer is completely wrapped around their fingers.  She laughs at the jokes Kate reels out (jokes Kali has heard a dozen times), she blushes at the suggestive comments they both say and, over the course of the hour, she seems to constantly find excuses to touch them, whether it’s brushing her long fingers over the back of Kali’s hand or laying her head on Kate’s shoulder when she gets laughing.  

Kate moves first.  She doesn’t give Kali any warning or sign but the next time Jennifer turns her head, Kate turns and kisses her.  Even over the noise of the bar, Kali can hear the tiny moan that slips from Jennifer’s mouth.  When Kate pulls away, Jennifer’s eyes stay closed and her lips stay parted.  Kali makes her move; she slides closer and drops her hand to Jennifer’s knee, bare under the hem of her skirt.  Jennifer turns towards Kali, fingers reaching for her face, but as delectable as Jennifer’s pink mouth looks, Kali twists at the last second, brushing her lips against Jennifer’s pale cheek as she leans in to whisper.

“How would you like to get out of here?”

Unsurprisingly, Jennifer nods rapidly.  Kali grins and brushes a finger along the curve of Jennifer’s cheek and when Jennifer turns to lay a kiss on the back of Kali’s hand, Kali catches Kate’s eye.  With just that glance, Kali knows exactly what Kate is thinking.

 She’ll be so pretty when she bleeds.

Kali completely agrees.

&.

The hotel room they’re renting for the night is a twenty-minute cab ride away.  Jennifer sits in the middle and not a moment goes by where she isn’t touching one of them.  Kali and Kate give as good as they get.  They both trail their fingertips up the inside of Jennifer’s thighs, they both lay kisses along the long, unmarred line of her throat and when they catch each other’s eyes, they both grin.

Not long now.  

Jennifer leans on them both as they exit the elevator.  Her heels are dangling from her fingertips and when they step inside the hotel room, she tosses them to the floor with a loud thud.  She sits down on the edge of the bed, cheeks pink, bare toes brushing the carpet.  Kali can hardly keep her composure; when she looks at Jennifer’s neck, she swears that she can see the woman’s jugular throbbing, begging to be torn out.

“I’ll be right back,” she says in her best seductive voice.  Jennifer grins at her before turning to Kate, who is just shedding her jacket.   Kali slips into the bathroom, pulling the door half-closed behind her.   She lets some water run while she opens the medicine cabinet, retrieving the razor sharp filleting knife stashed on the second shelf.

When Kali closes the cabinet again, Jennifer is standing behind her, holding a knife of her own.

“Well, what are you up to?”  Jennifer’s voice is different now; it’s biting, with a cruel edge.  Her face is different too.   There’s no more blushing or soft eyes; her mouth is twisted into a snarl and her gaze is dark as flint.  

“Where’s Kate?” Kali asks as calmly as possible, switching the water off without looking away from Jennifer’s reflection.  

“Occupied.”  Jennifer holds her knife up higher, turning it so that the light reflects off the polished blade.  “Don’t feel bad about falling for the sad little drunk girl act.  It works every time.”  Kali can definitely see why; Jennifer is one hell of an actress.  Award worthy, even.  

“How many times have there been?” Kali asks, turning around and tightening her fingers around the handle of her knife.  Jennifer shrugs, mouth furling into a smirk that’s almost the twin of the one Kate likes to plaster on.  

“Twenty, give or take.  Now, would you go sit beside Kate?  I didn’t expect a two-for-one deal tonight, but I’ve got plans for the both of you.”

Kali looks from Jennifer’s knife to the door leading into the other room.  She can’t see Kate but based on Jennifer’s words, she assumes that Kate is unconscious.  If she listens to Jennifer, if she does what she’s told, Kali knows she’s signing her death sentence.  But she sees other options available to her.  More than that; she sees an opportunity.  

“I’d like to propose a deal,” Kali says, tossing her knife into the sink behind her.  Jennifer raises an eyebrow but, after a moment, she nods and throws her own blade into the bathtub.  

“I’m listening.”

&.

Two hours later, Jennifer and Kali are covered in blood.   It’s streaked through their hair and across their clothes and clumped under their fingernails.  They’re in the forest outside of town and the air smells like damp earth and smoke from the fire they just lit.  The glow from the flames flickers off Jennifer’s face and Kali thinks she looks like the most dangerous person she’s ever met.

Felisha crouched deeper into the shadows by the side of the road. She’d been gone for about two days now, and had covered a lot of miles. Her injuries slowed her down but she thought she’d gotten pretty far especially for being on foot. She was never going back, she’d die first. The sweep of headlights made her drop down even further. The sound of a car coming to a halt, had a low growl coming from the girl.

Heavy boot steps came closer and she prepared to bolt, but the night was suddenly filled with howling. She scrabbled out onto the highway just as the beam from a flashlight hit her. She threw a hand up blinded by the light. The man was on her before her sight cleared. She flinched back from the hand reaching for her.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. My names Andrezj Stilinski. I’m a deputy in Beacon Hills,” even as he assured her, he stepped back giving her space. “It’s a little late for you to be out here by yourself. Do you need a ride home?”

Felisha’s night vision finally returned and she blinked up at the man. He was tall, ruggedly built. But he had a kind face, a little worn but his eyes were bright. He was smiling gently at her offering her his hand again. She backed up a little and he stilled. “Do you want to see my badge?” he offered.

Felisha rocked on her heels, bare feet barely registering the cooling heat of the highway. She hadn’t had much to do with humans. But the howls were coming closer. She’d come too far to turn back now. “Okay,” she muttered, inching past him towards the car.

“You’ll have to sit up front, Grzegorz car seat and things take up the backseat.”

For a moment she thought about running, but glancing back over her shoulder, she could see eyes glowing in the dark. She yanked open the door and clambered inside. The deputy was quick to follow. He hadn’t said anything but his gaze was darting around the darkness as if he too could sense what was out there. Not that a human could.

As the car started pulling off the shoulder she turned to look out the rear windshield, eyes flashing.

An excited squeal startled her and she turned wary eyes to the child in the car seat. His own amber eyes almost glowing as he stared up at her. “Wolf,” he yelled. “Wolf, dad. Like form 10th Kingdom.”

“I thought Wolf was a man,” the deputy said, tone indulgent.

“So, she’s a she wolf,” was the indignant response.

Felisha could see the laughter the man was holding in and the fear that had begun to grow faded a bit. She slumped down into the seat. The myriad of scents in the car somehow relaxing. It smelled of little boy, vanilla lilacs and the man’s warm scent.

“Does our wolf have a name?” The deputy cast a quick glance at her before he turned back to the road.

She shifted uncomfortably, head dropping.

Deputy Andrezj Stilinski knew the girl was in trouble. Her clothes were beyond worn, showing evidence of recent hard use. Her shoes were missing and there were fading bruises ugly against the gold of her skin. But he also knew she was beyond skittish. He didn’t want to push her into bolting the minute they got back into town.

“I believe our guest is a wolf Rumpelstiltskin,” Andrezj teased slightly, a careful smile offered. “Shall we guess, kiddo?”

With that the little boy was off. His excited prattling of names was filled with a thousand different asides. Felisha was unexpectedly entertained she hadn’t known children that young knew that much or could talk so long.

“I think she needs something strong,” murmured Andrezj. He knew what it took to leave a bad situation. To run. Which he had no doubt she was doing.

“Xena,” shouted the little boy.

“Not quite buddy,” he demurred, gaze flicking over her constantly. She could almost feel it. “Something that means change. That empowers. That liberates.”

The pale green eyes met her dark ones for a long moment. “Kali,” he said so quietly it was almost a whisper. It was like being hit by lightning. She could feel the spark of it deep inside. 

“Kali,” she growled.