Sleep wafted over her as she tried to sleep in the oppressive heat. It rode in on the coat tails of a thunder storm that finally spent itself out around midnight. Trickles of sweat beaded on her cheek and silently slid down to her throat. She sighed and flipped over, allowing her leg to drop off the side of the bed. Her elegant face showing just a hint of irritation over the buzz of the fan.
Her toes flexed in response to the slight chill as the fan made its futile attempt to cool off the heavy air of the room. It danced with the light lace curtains framing an open window. The curtains seemed to beckon the outsider, teasing him with the promise of easy entry. The outsider moved in from across the street, warily watching for those who may be watching. Sticking to the shadows he moved up the street watching the tease of lace calling to him from the window.
Her face highlighted by the shadow of the moon kissing her from clearing skies, fretted once then smoothed out. Her high cheek bones glistening in the steamy night belied her strength. Her skin, the color of alabaster a stark contrast to her bright red hair, she stood out in these parts known for dark beauties. Her brow furrowed and she slid over on her side, the heat just too heavy, she woke. Lying in bed trying to follow the trail of the wonderful dream that danced just beyond her consciousness, she heard a slight noise.
He moved closer to the window, trying to be as silent as possible. A passerby headed home from a local bar had just pushed past him and glared at him full of drunken menace. He was now nearly just under the window. The rain had drenched him and his coat was soaked muddied by all of the slinking about. The curtain danced and called to him, it whispered of clean things and of a beautiful woman. It hinted at the promise of riches and wealth if only he could muster the strength to take it.
She was falling back to sleep, the horrible humidity finally succumbing to a post storm breeze. The skin on her exposed arm prickled with the coolness of it, she pulled the sheet up to her neck. Finally comfortable, she drifted back off to sleep. Her breathing slowed and became peaceful, her arm relaxed and settled under her chin. The sheet drooped a few inches exposing her bare shoulder. She did not even hear the soft “thud” as he climbed up to her window.
He stood there watching her, his green eyes narrowing as he drank it all in. Would she scream? Would she fight back? Could he take it? The voice in his head spoke calmly and told him to do it. He fought the urge as long as he could. He hopped down off the window sill, knocking the fan over as he went. He ran to the bed and took a flying leap landing square on her chest.
She woke up to the sound of a crash. Her sleep hazed eyes could only see a blur as her fan went akimbo and something struck her midsection hard, then there was pain, nothing but pain. As she shook off the heavy mantle of sleep she focused on the weight on her chest and looked down. There he was a soggy dirty, skinny little thing hanging on with every one of its claws. It was piteously crying as its filth soaked into her soft linen night gown.
The woman’s heart broke. He looked at her with the deepest green eyes she had ever seen and she knew he was hers. She took him to the bathroom and cleaned him up; he was a deep tawny colored that spoke of his mixed parenthood. After she helped him clean up, she took him to her room where they both crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep. She now utterly exhausted snored lightly in the pre-dawn light, and he purring contentedly for the first time in his life.