I finished the orange juice Gigs handed me.  She'd
thought I was looking a 
little drained.  I DID feel a little better now. 
More alert, or to be more 
accurate...aware.  I suspected that my third was
giving me a boost of her 
lycanthropic energy through the marks we share with
our master, Asher.  
Scents and colors seemed almost tangible, like they
had texture to them as 
well.
 
Caleb came back and was helping Gigs mix drinks when
I took a tray prepped 
for the guest of honor, Luce, out into the main
tent.  I wasn't sure, but I 
thought I'd caught her slipping something into his
drinks all evening.  
Didn't seem to be having any effect on him though. 
He was his usual, 
unfathomable self for all I could tell.
 
Suddenly I got a flash of images from Gigs through
our link.  Caleb licking a 
spilt drink from her bellybutton...then Lyza
throwing him across the room, 
straddling the tiger and biting into a tender
breast.  My own breast throbbed 
with the shared pain.  But the most puzzling and
alarming thing was that Gigs 
seemed to be getting off on it?  
 
'What the hell?' I thought.  Even Asher had given up
on trying to persuade 
Gigs or myself to pleasure him at the same time.  We
simply did NOT find 
pleasure in another woman's body or attentions.  I
sensed Asher flying 
towards the bar tent right behind me.  He whooshed
past and nearly took the 
separating curtain with him.
 
I heard him practically roar, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
His emotions were a 
turmoil of both rage and worry.  He too sensed
something not quite right in 
the sensations we were getting from Gigs. 
 
I burst into the bar area seconds behind my master. 
Gigs lay sprawled atop 
the bar, drenched in liquor, and with two neat
little puncture marks in her 
breast.  Lyza was climbing off of her.  A leopard
huddled beside the bar, fur 
wet, lying in a puddle of goo, and looking pitifully
at Lyza.  Asher stood, 
eyes a blaze of icy topaz.  He was so angry he was
starting to glow.  I 
quietly laid a hand on his arm, and he instantly
regained some of his 
composure, although the anger was still there. 
 
Lyza had a smile on her face that dripped sex and
said that she was VERY 
pleased with herself.  She glided right past the two
of us with that smug 
expression, the leopard slinking at her feet
submissively.  Ash she passed 
through the curtain heading for the backstage area,
she threw back over her 
shoulder at Asher, "Teach your Pussy how to keep her
paws to herself and I 
won't feel the need to prove what's mine. She wants
to play, tell her to ask 
FIRST!" 
 
I kept my hand firmly on his arm to keep him from
going after her.  "We'll 
figure things out later, Asher...tonight is for
Luce's party," I whispered to 
him.  Looking back over, I saw Gigs was sitting up,
looking a little dazed.  
She shook her head vigorously and seemed a little
more clear-eyed after that 
little exercise.  "You okay, hun?" I asked her.

"I think so," she answered.  She was giving Asher a
rather lascivious look.  
She hopped down off the bar and stalked towards him.
I caught a whiff of the 
booze Caleb had poured on her.  
 
Reaching out a hand, I stopped her from advancing. 
"You might want to clean 
up a little first," I suggested.  Liquid fire
crawled up my arm from where my 
skin touched hers.  'Shit!  That almost feels like
the ardeur!' I thought 
frantically.  'We've got enough sexual tension in
the air tonight without 
adding THAT to the mix.'
 
Gigs must've seen the shock on my face, because she
ceased trying to reach 
Asher and jerked away from me quickly.  Mentally,
she told me, 'You need to 
wash your hands immediately, Tam...I don't know how
this stuff might effect 
the baby.'
 
Keeping the conversation mental, and shielding like
crazy from Asher, I 
asked, 'WHAT stuff?  Gigs, what have you been doing?
Is this whatever you've 
been slipping into Luce's drink all night?'
 
'You saw that?' she asked.  I just looked at her. 
'Yeah, Branwyn's Tears.  
I've been slipping it to him nearly full strength,
everybody else is getting 
very diluted doses.'
 
'You've been slipping that stuff to EVERYBODY?  No
wonder Asher had such a 
strong reaction to what happened with Lyza!' I
nearly screamed out loud.  'Go 
wash off NOW, Gigs...I'll tend the bar until you get
back.  Scoot!'
 
She headed for the facilities to clean up.  Asher
was about to follow her, 
when I laid the hand I'd touched her with against
his cheek, smiling up at 
him.  Stopped him in his tracks.  He gazed down at
me with a mixture of worry 
for Gigs and a lustful heat in reaction to the Tears
on my hand.

I stretched up and kissed him lightly, pulling back
before he could deepen 
the kiss.  "She'll be all right, mon ange," I
reassured him.  "Why don't you 
go back and enjoy the party.  I'll be back out once
Gigs gets back from 
freshening up."
 
Asher smiled down at me, trailing a fingertip along
my jaw line.  "It is a 
shame that you are not performing as well tonight,
ma rose," he purred.
 
I gave a snorting laugh.  "As if!  Belly starts
rounding out and YOU think I 
should show it off!"

He returned to the party tent, chuckling.
 
Gigs returned shortly after I'd shooed Asher away. 
After finding Nathaniel 
and getting him to cover for me on serving drinks, I
snagged my costume where 
I'd stashed it behind the bar and headed for the
dressing rooms.  I had 
almost backed out of dancing at Luce's stag party. 
As it was, Gigs and I had 
managed to keep the possibility of me dancing a
secret from Asher and 
Jean-Claude...didn't want any interference just in
case I did go through with 
it.  Although it was looking like Jean would have
been the only possible 
protester after Asher's remark.
 
Sarai was able to help me get into the outfit. 
Thankfully it still fit.  I'd 
had it made a few months ago.  I was now nearly
three and a half months 
pregnant with Jewel Celeste and was just starting to
show.  I loved the 
fabric of the costume...it was a rich midnight blue
velvet.  But, when the 
light hit it right, it shimmered with green and gold
highlights like a 
peacock's feather.  The entire ensemble was made of
it...even the thigh high 
boots.  The rest of the outfit consisted of a
bodysuit cut high at the 
hips...the bra section made of separate halves held
together by a gold chain 
set with a huge white topaz.  Six gold and topaz
chains held the bra up, 
connecting to a wide neck guard/choker.  Detachable
panels in front and back 
formed a floor length slit skirt.  The sleeves were
detached and slit open to 
billow around my arms, held in place by a narrow
elasticized band at upper 
arm and four inch wide cuffs at the wrist.  The
sleeves were temporarily 
covered and encased by arm length gloves held up by
gold chains connected to 
the neck guard.  My hair was pulled back in a
ponytail, high on the crown of 
my head and held in place with a gold band.  A
hooded velvet cloak completed 
the ensemble.
 
I had Sarai let Chrys know I was ready to go on and
moved to wait behind the 
silvery curtain to the stage.  The song I'd selected
was Is This Real by 
Lisahall.  Percussion very like a heartbeat began,
joined soon by eerie 
synthesizers.  I stepped through the barrier and
into the spotlight, only my 
velvet boots showing beneath the cloak.  I swayed
seductively to the hypnotic 
rhythm.  The marks must've been open somewhat...I
could almost scent desire 
on the air.  An electronically distorted voice began
to sing....
 
Twisted at this feeling
Walked out of shape
So tired of revealing 
The moves that I make
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
 
I lifted gloved hands to unfasten the cloak, then
threw the hood back and let 
the garment slide to the floor in a puddle of blue
velvet.  I smiled and gave 
Asher a wink, pleased that I'd been able to surprise
him.  He quickly masked 
his reaction, but not fast enough to hide it from
me.
 
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
 
As I swayed and dipped in my slow slinky dance, I
reached up behind my neck 
and undid the clasp that held the gloves in place. 
With deliberate slowness 
I peeled them from my arms to free the sleeves
beneath.  I trailed one glove 
across my master's face before dropping it.
 
Feeling it closer
Would drive me insane
Flesh to blood to bone to love
Twisted
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
 
Spinning around gracefully, I headed back up the
stage towards the curtain.  
On the way I unhooked and shed the skirt panels one
at a time.
 
Twisted at this feeling
Flesh, blood, bone, love
Twisted
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
And I know
Yes I know
But is this real?
 
Before I could turn fully back to my audience, Asher
was just...there, behind 
me.  His hands played down my sides.  His lips
caressed my bare shoulder and 
up to nibble at my ear.  His hands finally settled
to the bare flesh at my 
hips and pulled me back against him, joining in my
dance.  I raised one arm 
up and behind me to tangle my fingers in his silky
hair.  Without warning, 
Jean-Claude joined us, sandwiching me between the
two vampires.  He pressed 
against my front, his own hands laying atop Asher's,
smiling sultrily down at 
me as the song neared it's conclusion.
 
Flesh to blood to bone, my love
Twisted, twisted
Is this real?
 
The song ended and the lights came back up.  I saw
Anita snatch a drink off a 
tray Nat had been carrying and down it in three
quick swallows.  The look on 
her face was somewhere between jealousy, anger, and
naked lust.  I quickly 
disentangled myself from my dance partners and
slipped back to the bar.
 
Gigs grinned at me.  "Great show, hon!  I peeked
through the marks."
 
Nathaniel made it back with the empty tray.  "I need
a fresh drink for Luce, 
Anita grabbed his and drank it before I could stop
her," he said.  Gigs 
handed him the glass she had just finished
preparing.  He left, to take it to 
the guest of honor.
 
I pulled Gigs aside for a moment.  "You realize that
Anita just drank an 
undiluted fae love potion?" I hissed. 

"Oops," she didn't look the least bit repentant.  
 
Shaking my head, I took the tray of drinks waiting
to be delivered and headed 
back to the main tent.  I stopped short, nearly
dropping the tray once 
inside.  

Anita stood straddling Jean-Claude's legs, one hand
tangled in his hair, 
forcing him to look up at her.  His hands were on
her thighs, the expression 
on his face one of pure hunger.  The things that
startled me the most, 
though, was the fact that she was completely
topless.  She wore nothing but 
her jeans, Nikes and the wrist knives.
 
I felt Gigs' mental chuckle.  She was very pleased
with herself.  I shot off 
a half hearted scolding through the marks. 'BAD
tiger...bad bad tiger!'  She 
just laughed harder.