Title: Devil's Kiss
Fandom: The Mentalist
Rating: PG-13
Length: 200 words
Content notes: Spoilers for 6x01. Be warned.
Author notes: A double drabble. Written for the October 2013 Monthly Challenge on Paint It Red and the transformation challenge on fan_flashworks. The reference to the prompt is the change in appearance of one of the characters, though it's only hinted at.
Summary: You watch her as she lies still, and a dim memory stirs in your mind.



You watch her as she lies still, and a dim memory stirs in your mind.
When you were a kid you found a young bird that had fallen from its nest; you held it in your palm, a beautiful little thing whose life rested literally in your hands. You didn’t kill him though, the notion that you had such power over a defenseless creature was more than enough.
You don’t want to kill her either, you probably never did; you developed a fascination with her because she was your enemy’s partner, but now your feelings have turned into something deeper than you ever expected.
It would be so easy to ghost your mouth over hers, get to know the sweet taste of her lips; you choose to restrain yourself instead, her heart already belongs to another man and you can’t change this simple fact.
In another life you would have enjoyed wooing her as you did with your red-haired lover. In this life, however, the rules are different; you’re playing a dangerous game, and you can’t stop until it’s over.
You still decide to indulge yourself and mark her as yours in the only way that is familiar to you.