Kierra

I shrug with only a slight wince as she goes through the doctoring box.

"I don't mind the scars, but I don't dare be bare around any family aside from you. I wouldn't be able to explain anything."

My eyes go back to her as I picture the ones on her. She'll end up having more trouble than I will since she likes more open clothes. Tank and tube tops, skirts, summer bikinis, and the like.

I feel a pang at the thought of that, not like she'll be tanning anymore. Not wanting to feel any more sadness or pain, I stiffen my spine.

"We'll talk to Ava, see if she can do some cover work for us."

Her blond head nods absently, a look of concentration on her face. I nudge her while pulling on a long, loose t-shirt. She responds while looking through pads and patches of gauze.

"The Mistress at the bordello, think I figured out why she has the tattoo she does."

"Oh?"

She nods. This whole scene bringing a deja vu moment from just before this all started.

"Her whole back is covered in a leopard pattern, it's actually really pretty. Not sure if I want my spots tattooed onto me though."

"Aww, why not? Could give you the nickname of Puddy-Tat Spot. Huh, huh? Get my pun there?"

I get an unamused look, but I smile anyway as I pull out a pair of underwear. While putting them on, she pulls my shirt up higher till she takes it back off. My turn to purse my lips.

"You know, you just made the whole point of putting that on kind of redundant."

"Not my fault. Besides, you're in a house full of animals, they don't view nudity as we did as humans. Learned that from my time at the brothel."

I shake my head at her till she raises her face to look at me.

"Those are Shifters, Weres start out human, so therefore still view it as a human."

She shakes her head at me as if I'm slow.

"Not the older ones. Young ones can't control their body's reactions, but it's natural when it happens and as long as no one makes a problem out of it, nothing comes of it."

I shake my head back at her as if she were the one being the dunce.

"You were also in a place that sex is the draw. The animals there are of course going to see nothing of nudity since it's an everyday part of life there. They're also all submissive, so any attractions they have are probably kept quiet. The animal within us all may not mind nudity, sure, it's the human in us all that creates problems with it."

She stops and thinks about it, then gives her answer.

"Agree to disagree."

I give her that with a head incline before she speaks up again.

"Once I learned I could turn into my cat, I stayed that way for days, only changing back to talk to a girl that became my first friend there. She also helped me by letting me feed from her since she was the only one who I talked to. I'd say trust, but I can't go that far, not at that point."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I lean to the side so she can doctor while telling me her tale. Heavy chest moving to the side feeling all sorts of awkward even with an arm raised.

"I was able to talk her into carrying me around so I could get out of the room I was kept in. That's when the kitchen became my haven."

She smirks, gold eyes glittering in memory. We were both in our own hell's, but both of us found something that could make us happy.

"To the shock of everyone there, I bitched right to the Mistress's face about how she wasn't taking care of those that she was the caretaker of. So as my payment to her for damages I caused to...three rooms, I think by that point, I was given the job to provide decent meals for all those who could eat."

Looking at her, my eyebrows raised when she mentioned damages to rooms. She smirks as she catches my look and elaborates.

"Whenever I could, I would dart out of the room and cause trouble for both Anthony and Nicolaus."

I see the pang in her eyes for just a second, but it causes my heart to stutter.

No...

"I was always caught by Anthony and taken back, but I'd make him pay for it. I made him bleed each time. The rooms I 'damaged' were rooms I'd gotten into a fight in, either with him or the Vampire that lost half his face."

She pauses, then keeps going, the patch forgotten in her lap as she traipses through memories that I'm not sure I want to know, but listen anyway.

"It was so weird. While in cat form, Nicolaus had been almost normal, different. When he first grabbed me, he was insane, no denying that. While I refused to go human, he became softer, calmer. Things got so confusing. I actually started to like him. He kept me safe from others, helped me when I was wounded."

She looks down into her lap, the gauze pad getting twisted in her hands, face showing confusion and guilt. My own eyes close as I put it together.

"I had gotten really close to him, then I went through your fight with that Vamp with you and I made the mistake of saying your name aloud. It was then that I learned he was sending people after you, to kill you while he smiled in my face."

Her voice is filled with tears as she admits her perceived shame.

"I retreated from him, going back to avoiding him whenever I could. Able to bury myself in the job I'd been given to help those around me who needed it more than I. That kitchen became my safe zone, where I could bury the knowledge that I was a prisoner, but then things changed again."

Actual tears fall from her now. Sitting up, I pull her into a hug. My nudity gets totally ignored as it has no bearing here. Arms go around her as she sits stiffly.

"I had sex with him Kie, willingly. Even after everything he'd done. Things got so messed up in my head. I hate that I have feelings for him, but I can't help it. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Her tears shred my heart, the knowledge that she fell in love with the one who took her and used her going over and over in my head. I keep my eyes closed so she can't read it.

Stockholm Syndrome. Just in this case, warped with a Vampire Maker's bond.

My own tears escape, which make hers worse when she feels them fall. Twisting so I'm facing her, ignoring the protests in my side, I pull her closer to me. Her stiff body goes limp as she sinks into me.

I don't blame her for anything. No, I'm not happy that she had fallen in love with him, but there's nothing I can do about that. I'm upset that it happened that way, but it did, that can't be changed.

"It's okay. I know it's confusing, it probably always will be. Weird things happen. You have to follow your gut. Your heart and brain can lead you astray, but your gut will always tell you if something is good or bad."

Pulling back, I pull her face up and look at her. Luminous gold facing liquid green.

"I still love you. This doesn't change how I feel about you at all. I wish I had answers for you, but I don't, other than that I will try to understand your choices. Don't fault me for not being able to accept him, for I'll never be able to. I can't even apologize for that, but you know what you want more than I do."

Using my thumbs, I sweep the falling tears away. Can spout all the words I want to at her, but I won't be able to understand fully. I know it's something to do with the brain and all, but that's not all of it.

She said he protected her from others, but he himself was and is a threat to her. If I ever come across him again, I will try to kill him. Won't feel bad about it in any way. The only way I would stop is if she stood between us.

I'd back off then, but there will always be other chances. Kissing her forehead, I ask something that's been bugging me about him 'protecting' her.

"Chicky? Don't take this the wrong way, but why was he chasing you? That was no game of friendly tag, he was enraged."

Blood fills her face so fast I wonder if she gets dizzy. My head cocks in curiosity as she tries to look away. More surprises.

"He had found out that I was with the Mistress."

"I take it when you say 'with', you don't mean platonic tea time that he was jealous over."

She shakes her head, face so red I'm starting to worry. I can't help it, even with all the seriousness going on, I grin. I've always been told I don't have normal reactions to things.

I also have delayed reactions that will mimic shock, but isn't. Like when family members pass, I won't say I feel 'nothing', I just don't have the same reactions as everyone else does. When I start mourning, it will be hours to days later.

Usually, I end up having to force emotion so family members don't take things the wrong way. Or hell, when a family member is in pain, and all I can do is laugh. It's not that I find it funny, I just react to things weirdly.

Right now, I know she isn't in 'pain', but she's clearly feeling so awkward that all the blood in her body is in her face. I can't let this one go though.

"So I take it when you saw her back tattoo, it wasn't by a low backed dress."

She shakes her head. I'm quite enjoying myself at this point by just making her squirm. Think she catches onto it by her face hardening, her embarrassment turning to annoyance.

Either emotion is better than her feeling guilt or shame though for something that she can't help. Biting my lip, I have to push it just one more time.

"Sooo... Are you a bottom or a top?"

She makes a sound of disgust and stands. Can't hold it back anymore, so I start laughing. The built-up emotion from the last couple days has me laughing way harder than necessary.

Unable to resist it herself, she joins in with me. I can just imagine what the animals out in the living room think by hearing us going back and forth. Her blush starts up all over again when I waggle my brows at her.

Able to slow to a grinning idiot chuckle, I attempt to talk.

"Well, about time. Just about every other female in our family is bisexual or bi-curious. Knew you was fruity."

I get gauze pads thrown at me as I start laughing again. Doing so really starts to hurt, which annoyingly, just makes me continue longer. Couple minutes later, I'm finally able to stop, groaning in pain as I lay a hand softly over it.

"Serves you right you damn jackal. Why do you have to be so weird? Everyone else gets a normal sibling, and I end up with you."

"I'm so telling mom on you."

She snorts, still smiling.

"Go ahead, she'll just agree, she always does."

I chuckle, but it brings home some things. Not to mention complications. Our combined scars and injuries, the inability to see her youngest outside during the day... Eating.

The changes to our hair coloring and eye changes, even my lack of glasses can be explained easily enough cosmetically. Until my eyes change in front of her that is. Even my weight loss is easy enough to explain away.

Just about everything else? I sigh, all traces of laughter gone. Faline finishes covering my side up and doing her usual over-taping job. I won't be able to keep it on long, too much chance of the gauze sticking then healing into the wound.

"We'll work on getting your windows covered and Bastion's things can come in here. First chance I get I'll go pick up some clothes for Maii. More pants for the flirt out there as well. Last thing we need is mom having a heart attack from seeing that walking around here in the nude."

Her eyes glitter as she smiles, switching to telepathy since voices carry.

"How do you not jump on him? I saw Benjamin in your memories too, that is so unfair. You get all the dangerous and deadly and I get the insane and crazy."

I burst out laughing, pulling on a pair of sweats. Replying back the same way.

"Trust me, it isn't easy. At least until he opens his mouth, then it's pretty easy. As for Benji, that was a very, very embarrassing accident. Besides, what about that lion? He's quite easy on the eyes."

The look she gives me is priceless.

"Orion? Are you serious? He may look cute, but he's worse than your dogdeer. Well, not the flirting part, but the annoying part. When at the bordello, it seemed every time he came around, something embarrassing happened. He's what I'd imagine a brother would be like. He's really smart though, so don't pass him over just 'cause he looks like a lunkhead."

I smile, glad she had that type of person in her corner. Not to mention he doesn't look at her like that at all either, which is a big relief. He looks at her in fondness, but just like she said, as a sibling, nothing more. I switch back to speaking aloud.

"That reminds me. Is it just me, or are all male animals ridiculously big? Damn long ass legs and all buff like."

She nods and shrugs with a laugh. Tigger pulls himself out from under my bed and lets us know it's past dinner time.

"Aw, hell. I lost another pair of boots."

I make a sound of disgust. Boots, pants, shirt, and body jewelry. Granted all can be replaced, it's just annoying to keep having to do so.

Making our way back to the living room, we get weird looks from all the animals and Bastion. We just look at each other and start laughing all over again. Xavier scrunches his nose at us as he turns to the boys sitting at the table.

"And that, dear fellows, is why females are weird. Professional flip-floppers of craziness."