All Hail the Shifter King
Title: Behave
Word Count: 956
Crossposted here at runaway-tales
Note: This takes place immediately following Escalated. I <3 Rebekah so hard. One more section to come after this for the next prompt, and then this scene is done!
Rebekah was deeply engrossed in her novel when she felt, more than heard, the sizzle of electricity across her skin - like a prolonged shock, it caused her fingers to spasm and drop the book into her lap, the gold cuff around her arm heating uncomfortably. Pursing her lips she leaned half-off the bed to peer through the window at the backyard, but when she saw nothing except the faint glow of the patio light and the encroaching darkness beyond the garden she growled in annoyance and pushed herself out of bed.
She'd known it would come to this. It had been obvious all evening, the way Eli had been so short with her during dinner, the way he fretted and picked at things in the kitchen afterward without actually cleaning anything. The weight on him was so heavy it burdened her, as well, and as his frustration had grown with each hour that passed she knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped. She'd hoped - and felt rather guilty for it, now - that it wouldn't be herself or Katrina he lost his temper on, herself because she would be very likely to take his head off his shoulders and Katrina because the young woman likely couldn't take much more drama.
"Bekah?" She paused in the middle of the stairs at the sound of her name, and turned to find Katrina in the hallway above her, her eyes red and face tear-streaked. "Is everything alright?"
"Possibly," she replied. It was the most honest response she could think of.
"Did you want me to come with you?"
It made Rebekah smile slightly, her admiration of the girl's spirit enough to keep her from asking the very obvious question of what value, exactly, Katrina's company would provide.
"I'll only be a moment," she assured. That much, at least, she was certain of. "Go back to bed, dear heart."
She didn't wait to see if Katrina went back to her room, instead quickly making her way out onto the patio. The heavy air assaulted her as soon as she stepped onto the patio - a storm brewing, and likely soon, she thought absently - and beneath the distant buzz of insects and the trace crackles of energy in the air she could hear faint, amused murmurs. Though difficult to pick out, the apparitions at the corners of her vision were obvious enough, and she managed a quick glare in their direction as she crossed the stone patio in her bare feet.
"Eli?" she called. "Love?" She saw the angry red glow of his bracelets before she could pick him out in the dark, and rather than feel any measure of concern for his well-being she paused mid-step and sighed heavily. "Elijah," she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. "Was that really necessary?"
Ryder was picking himself off the ground, using the stone wall for assistance, the skin of his stomach a mess of light burns and angry bruising. He met her eyes briefly when she crouched beside him and looped her arm around his waist to help him up, and she chose for the moment to ignore his obvious annoyance in favor of not letting him trip over his own feet. She knew far too well how disorienting the magic could be.
"Ryder," Eli said quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"
"Not now," she told him, gently but firmly.
"It was an accident," Eli continued, his voice taking on the desperate edge of a child trying to make amends. "I really didn't mean to -"
"Eli," she said. "Hush."
"Like fuck you didn't," Ryder snarled under his breath as he eased himself onto the wall. Several of the stitches across his back had torn, and blood dripped in tiny beads along his skin.
"You too," Rebekah told him, boosting herself up onto the wall so that she could kneel behind him. "Lords and Ladies, you're grown men," she admonished as she rubbed her palms briskly together, setting her palms aglow before she pressed them to the wounds. He flinched at her touch, arching his back slightly. "Perhaps you can act like it for a few minutes?"
"Tell him that," Ryder muttered, lighting up a cigarette. Just as he pinched it between his lips she reached over his shoulder and deftly snatched it away with her bloody fingers.
"I'll not have smoke in my face, thank you," she told him, jabbing the cigarette into the ground beside her. "And don't think I can't see that lovely welt on my husband's face, Mister Athari." She lifted one hand, checking for further bleeding, then scrubbed her hands clean on her shorts before pressing them into place again. "Either of you mind telling me what this mess is about?"
"I told him that I'm sending Katrina back," Eli told her, sitting on the wall several feet away from them. "He didn't take kindly to that."
"Sending her back?" Rebekah shot him a confused look, rocking back on her heels. "Back where? To the camp?"
"Exactly."
"He wants to get her killed," Ryder spat.
"I'd much rather not see anybody else get turned into guinea pigs," Eli countered.
"A noble enough cause," Rebekah agreed, "but -"
"Or, at least, the ones who are smart enough to avoid it."
"And that took a turn for the decidedly ghastly," she added, grabbing Ryder firmly by the shoulders when he snarled and tried to shove himself away from her. "Sit down," she ordered, and when she felt the all-too-familiar hum of building energies in the air she added, "So help me, I will tie you both to stakes and feed you to the Old Gods myself."
Word Count: 956
Crossposted here at runaway-tales
Note: This takes place immediately following Escalated. I <3 Rebekah so hard. One more section to come after this for the next prompt, and then this scene is done!
Rebekah was deeply engrossed in her novel when she felt, more than heard, the sizzle of electricity across her skin - like a prolonged shock, it caused her fingers to spasm and drop the book into her lap, the gold cuff around her arm heating uncomfortably. Pursing her lips she leaned half-off the bed to peer through the window at the backyard, but when she saw nothing except the faint glow of the patio light and the encroaching darkness beyond the garden she growled in annoyance and pushed herself out of bed.
She'd known it would come to this. It had been obvious all evening, the way Eli had been so short with her during dinner, the way he fretted and picked at things in the kitchen afterward without actually cleaning anything. The weight on him was so heavy it burdened her, as well, and as his frustration had grown with each hour that passed she knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped. She'd hoped - and felt rather guilty for it, now - that it wouldn't be herself or Katrina he lost his temper on, herself because she would be very likely to take his head off his shoulders and Katrina because the young woman likely couldn't take much more drama.
"Bekah?" She paused in the middle of the stairs at the sound of her name, and turned to find Katrina in the hallway above her, her eyes red and face tear-streaked. "Is everything alright?"
"Possibly," she replied. It was the most honest response she could think of.
"Did you want me to come with you?"
It made Rebekah smile slightly, her admiration of the girl's spirit enough to keep her from asking the very obvious question of what value, exactly, Katrina's company would provide.
"I'll only be a moment," she assured. That much, at least, she was certain of. "Go back to bed, dear heart."
She didn't wait to see if Katrina went back to her room, instead quickly making her way out onto the patio. The heavy air assaulted her as soon as she stepped onto the patio - a storm brewing, and likely soon, she thought absently - and beneath the distant buzz of insects and the trace crackles of energy in the air she could hear faint, amused murmurs. Though difficult to pick out, the apparitions at the corners of her vision were obvious enough, and she managed a quick glare in their direction as she crossed the stone patio in her bare feet.
"Eli?" she called. "Love?" She saw the angry red glow of his bracelets before she could pick him out in the dark, and rather than feel any measure of concern for his well-being she paused mid-step and sighed heavily. "Elijah," she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. "Was that really necessary?"
Ryder was picking himself off the ground, using the stone wall for assistance, the skin of his stomach a mess of light burns and angry bruising. He met her eyes briefly when she crouched beside him and looped her arm around his waist to help him up, and she chose for the moment to ignore his obvious annoyance in favor of not letting him trip over his own feet. She knew far too well how disorienting the magic could be.
"Ryder," Eli said quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"
"Not now," she told him, gently but firmly.
"It was an accident," Eli continued, his voice taking on the desperate edge of a child trying to make amends. "I really didn't mean to -"
"Eli," she said. "Hush."
"Like fuck you didn't," Ryder snarled under his breath as he eased himself onto the wall. Several of the stitches across his back had torn, and blood dripped in tiny beads along his skin.
"You too," Rebekah told him, boosting herself up onto the wall so that she could kneel behind him. "Lords and Ladies, you're grown men," she admonished as she rubbed her palms briskly together, setting her palms aglow before she pressed them to the wounds. He flinched at her touch, arching his back slightly. "Perhaps you can act like it for a few minutes?"
"Tell him that," Ryder muttered, lighting up a cigarette. Just as he pinched it between his lips she reached over his shoulder and deftly snatched it away with her bloody fingers.
"I'll not have smoke in my face, thank you," she told him, jabbing the cigarette into the ground beside her. "And don't think I can't see that lovely welt on my husband's face, Mister Athari." She lifted one hand, checking for further bleeding, then scrubbed her hands clean on her shorts before pressing them into place again. "Either of you mind telling me what this mess is about?"
"I told him that I'm sending Katrina back," Eli told her, sitting on the wall several feet away from them. "He didn't take kindly to that."
"Sending her back?" Rebekah shot him a confused look, rocking back on her heels. "Back where? To the camp?"
"Exactly."
"He wants to get her killed," Ryder spat.
"I'd much rather not see anybody else get turned into guinea pigs," Eli countered.
"A noble enough cause," Rebekah agreed, "but -"
"Or, at least, the ones who are smart enough to avoid it."
"And that took a turn for the decidedly ghastly," she added, grabbing Ryder firmly by the shoulders when he snarled and tried to shove himself away from her. "Sit down," she ordered, and when she felt the all-too-familiar hum of building energies in the air she added, "So help me, I will tie you both to stakes and feed you to the Old Gods myself."