That was what finally brought them all back to reality. "What the hell was that?" Roman asked angrily, clearly not liking anything he had seen.
Isaiah got up to go after him as Roman stood up, stomping away, but Roman shooed him. "I need to be alone," Roman announced, making Isaiah turn back to Hyacinthe. It was just as well. There was something he had noticed in all those visions that he needed to speak with Hyacinthe about, alone.
"Hyacinthe, I think you and I need to speak about something," he whispered, sitting back down across from her, not breaking his gaze. He was not leaving without answers.
"I was hoping you wouldn't catch it," Hyacinthe admitted.
"Well, I did catch it," Isaiah told her. "I saw Roan, looking like he was going to break out at any moment. What is going on, Hyacinthe?"
Hyacinthe sighed, knowing the jig was up. She was going to have to let him in on the severity of the situation the witches were in.
"I tried to tell you that I was desperate to have Annalise back. This is part of that. What you saw is the prison where we keep some of our worst criminals. Roan is not the only one in there, but he was the most recent. He is also one of the only ones put in there directly by me. I do not want to bore you with the details of the prison world we use, but it is a dimension created entirely by the magic of the mind. You could see how if someone's magic is failing, this might become a problem. As the leader of the coven over the years, I have been temporarily granted the power to keep this coven and the territory alive. That power has been taken from me now that Annalise is of age to take over. The very earth around us is losing power, and I am using all the resources I have in my own power to keep it going," Hyacinthe admitted, annoyed by having to reveal a weakness to the leader of the pack. She doubted Isaiah would ever allow it to be used against her, but it was the principal of the thing.
"I wish you would have told me this from the beginning. I would have done more to get Annalise back here, whatever I had to do. She would not want this to happen to her coven, I guarantee it." Isaiah stood up and walked away, not even asking to be transported back. Perhaps he did not want to see her use up any more of her magic.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Isaiah knew he needed to get angry. He knew that hurting her feelings was the only way he was going to get Annalise out of there and back to her coven. The prospect of him marrying Tamara was not enough. She thought she could just be near and still move on, but that was putting her coven, unknowingly, in danger. He would have asked why Hyacinthe did not just tell Annalise why she needed to return, but he kind of understood. It was a huge responsibility, and her heart needed to be in it. Hyacinthe wanted Annalise to want to come back and be the leader. It was unfortunate it would have to be pain and anger that would do it.
Isaiah knew how Annalise would feel if the coven was weakened or lost because of her. He wasn't going to let it happen.
Isaiah let himself feel all the things he had locked up inside when he had decided he was going to marry Tamara. He was angry, he was hurt, and he wanted a life he could never have. Tamara could never give him the kind of comfort and understanding he needed, even if she was an understanding person. She was not that person for him. Annalise, however, could challenge him and understand him. She knew him in ways he didn't seem to know himself.
He was not in love with the person that he should be, and it made him sick that the world and his duty as the pack's alpha, could do that to him.
Most of all, he did not understand why Annalise continued to torture them both by sticking around. Many times, she should and could have left, knowing nothing would ever happen between the two of them. Instead, she stayed, acting like they could just pretend nothing had ever passed between them at all.
Isaiah was revved up as he finally approached Roman’s house, the only place he thought he would find her. He did not find her there, however, but he could smell her; the scent of her wolf form leading him into the woods. She had shifted at some point and gone for a run, most likely. Or maybe, she was just enjoying her wolf form away from the stress of being around Roman right now. It didn’t really matter.
He turned himself, knowing it would be easier to find her that way, and he followed her scent, leading straight to her. She seemed to be watching two squirrels running around in the trees, playing some kind of game. He bumped his shoulder into her and then turned to face away, knowing she would be unclothed when she changed back.
He could sense the difference in her scent slightly, as she became human. Once she cleared her throat, he knew it was safe to turn back himself. He remained facing away out of respect until she was able to use magic to clothe him as well. It was very convenient to have someone around who could do that instead of hunting for where you left your clothes when you were ready to be human again. It was only one small thing he was going to miss about having her around. Isaiah took a deep breath and looked at her, holding that anger in the tension of his muscles.
Annalise had a smile on her face until she surveyed him, noticing that he looked upset about something. Isaiah had not explained what they were going to see Hyacinthe about exactly, but she knew it had to be serious for them to go see her in the coven's territory. Had they found something out they didn't like?
"Is everything alright, Isaiah?" Annalise asked, treading lightly. They were alone in a possibly emotional situation. That was never healthy for the two of them.
"No, everything's not alright," Isaiah growled, making Annalise back up an inch or two in surprise. "Why are you still here?" he asked, sounding just about as cruel as Roman had when he accused her of being there when she didn't belong.
"I am here to help with the hybrids, Isaiah. I am here because there is a part of me that is wolf; that is always going to be wolf now. I have just as much of a connection to this territory as I do to the coven's," she defended, slowly approaching him. "Maybe this is not the time. You are clearly upset. Maybe you should go back to Tamara and see if she can make you feel better.
The next words that came out of Isaiah's mouth were practically a bark. Annalise did not know what had gotten into him, but he was seriously angry. She hardly recognized him in this unabashed rage. This wasn't like him. "How can I allow her to comfort me when you keep sticking yourself in my face by being here? How can she make me happy with you still around?"
Annalise could feel her emotions bubbling up. She had been pretty good about keeping them under control since she learned he was going to marry Tamara. That was a bond much deeper than just being mates for a few years. She knew better than to interfere with it, and she had assumed he had begun to love Tamara. It at least seemed on the outside like Tamara loved him.
Annalise didn't know how to tread lightly any longer, as she looked at the pure loathing on his face. It was as if he hated her. All she had to defend herself with was the truth, which was only going to make it that much more painful for the both of them. She would not be surprised if this fight ended with him banishing her back to the coven. She would never be able to step foot on that ground again. Even the hope of friendship would be gone. "I stay because you need me," she cried, tears streaming down her face, without her permission. "You need me, and I know it, and you know it. I know you, and I am the only one here that seems to, despite the fact that you have grown up with these people."
She had never said it out loud, how she felt about the two of them. Of course, there were complications on both ends when it came to the possibility of them being together. She had never had any answers as for how they would navigate that, but it didn’t mean that she didn't feel she was a better fit for him than anyone else in the world.
"That's the problem. You know me, and you know I cannot take you being here if I am to do what’s right. A visit is fine, but living here, seeing you every day; I just cannot do it anymore, Annalise. You need to go back to your coven. They need you, and Hyacinthe is having a harder time over there than she will ever admit to you," Isaiah told her, through gritted teeth. He betrayed no similar em
otion to hers, but he was probably holding back something. Annalise suddenly wanted to hit him with a proverbial sledgehammer and open the flood gates. If this was the last time, she would see him, she wanted to purge the illness they had given to each other, like projectile vomiting.
But it wouldn't change anything, would it? "Just a little longer, and I will go, if that’s what you want," she whispered. “I just need a little longer." Annalise turned to look the other way, into the woods that surrounded them. She hadn't had the feeling of disappearing into them for a long time, not since she and Hyacinthe were fighting over her duties. She felt it strongly now.
TWENTY ONE
Isaiah should have walked away right then and there. That was the best answer he thought he was going to get out of her. He could tell, he had succeeded in truly hurting her. Yet, by doing so, he had hurt himself a little, too. He knew he was harsh, but didn't he have to be? The problem that was nagging at him was. He would have naturally come to see her after he and Roman were done with the visions because he would want to get it off his chest. Annalise always knew what to say, and she was the one who knew so deeply of his pain and anger over Orson. She was the one who had killed him and who had found out she was the only one who could. It had made him angry, in the beginning, but now, he could not think of anyone more suited to make that choice.
"My mother was a witch, Annalise, and my brother killed her." It came out of Isaiah’s mouth before he knew what he was doing. He stumbled forward, feeling defeated in his own emotion. Orson was still a burden he was carrying on his back, despite the fact that he was long gone. He should have kept his stupid mouth shut, but he couldn't. He was not the strong alpha that his father was, or that anyone else would have been. He was just a self-righteous wreck.
Annalise turned around, her sadness turning to confusion. She was trying to process what he meant by that. Her mind instantly jumped to Roman, considering the state they had both returned in, from the coven's territory. However, Annalise felt in her gut that despite Roman’s recent behavior, he could not kill a family member. The only one she knew capable of such a thing, had died at her hands, not so long ago. Though, it felt like it had been years.
"You mean Orson?" she asked, already realizing the answer. It was not a shock to her because she had felt from the moment when she protected Isaiah, and did not find Orson anywhere, that Orson was nothing but evil. She couldn't imagine it was so simple for the remaining brothers. It was one thing to stage a coup and another entirely to kill your own mother.
"Yes." the answer came out dry and scratchy like the very thought was making him sore. "I do need you, Annalise," he admitted, hoping that the woods around them could keep a secret. "But there are more people that need you, and they aren't here." There was no conviction when he said it, even though it was the truth. He didn't dare say who needed her more, because either way, it would seem like a lie.
"I know that," Annalise said softly, approaching him and placing her hand gently on his arm. Isaiah could tell she was holding back. Whether it was for his sake or her own, he had no idea. "How do you feel?" she asked.
That was the wrong question. Something broke open inside of Isaiah, and he didn't know if it could be closed or not, but he couldn't control it. "I feel like, at this moment, the only thing in my life that makes sense right now, is being with you."
Annalise’s breath caught in her throat with a gasp as he said it. It was not what she was expecting, and before she could do or say anything, his lips were on hers.
Annalise thought she was going to cry again from all the passion, pain, and love that had been balled up inside of her for so long, as it escaped. She never knew something as painful as wanting something or someone for so long, and then finally getting it. It was the biggest irony she had ever encountered in the universe.
She kept expecting Isaiah to pull away and run off, solidifying the need for her to leave and never return. But he didn’t. His lips crashed against hers again and again until she placed her hands on his cheeks, almost holding him there like she couldn't let him go.
Isaiah let his tongue slip into her mouth tasting her in the way he had wanted to from the moment they began throwing witty quips at each other, in the cabin. His hands needed to feel her body. He needed her closer. He could feel the animal inside of him, begging for her body in that wolf way, at the same time his heart was thumping loudly in the most human way it could.
His hands were suddenly in that hair of hers that shone in the moonlight, with its shimmery darkness. It felt like strands of silk as he let his fingers grip and run through it like a waterfall. Part of him knew that this was insane, knowing all he knew about the coven and about what it meant to be alpha. But for one day, he needed to not give a damn. He was never going to be able to give himself to his job, to his wife, or to his future children, with the what-ifs still hanging in the air where Annalise was concerned. The only problem was, once he touched her, was he ever going to be able to let her go?
Annalise was only mildly aware that they were not severely deep into the woods. They could be heard and seen if they were not careful. But how could she ever let go of him now? His hands in her hair felt like Heaven, and that was only the beginning of what she was imagining would happen.
Boldly, Annalise slid her hands down his face and neck until she reached the buttons on his shirt, his tongue still dancing around her mouth. She slowly began to unbutton his shirt with shaky hands; shaky because of anticipation and fear that this was all some crazy dream she was having.
His shirt was unbuttoned now, and Isaiah helped her by shrugging it off, letting it fall to the ground below them. Her hands went straight to his bare chest, needing to feel it to know that he was really there, and they were truly together in those woods. It was the way they always should have been. The only good thing Orson ever did was putting the two of them on a collision course, even if it would send them to hell in the end.
Isaiah's chest was perfection. It was magic, like someone had made him that way just for a woman to touch.
Annalise felt cold as Isaiah pulled away, but then he tugged her shirt over her head, forcing her arms in the air. A sort of frenzy was beginning, and even though Annalise wanted to enjoy every sensation and every second she could, she knew the wolf inside, may not let her.
Before she knew it, her skirt and panties were also on the ground, nothing hiding her body from him anymore. She watched as he looked over her, expecting to see the glazed eyes of a werewolf in lust.
That was not what she saw at all. His eyes were sparkling, looking over all of her, before landing on her eyes. She saw her own feelings reflected right back at her. Though she had always known it in her heart that he felt the same for her, now, with the look in his eyes, her soul was certain.
Annalise did feel a tear drop, as she pulled him back to her, pressing her body up against his, savoring the warmth she found there. His pants were next, and she let him do the honors. She was too far gone to have steady enough hands for that.
Annalise closed her eyes as he laid her down on the ground, body jittery in the anticipation of it all.
Isaiah began to kiss down Annalise's thin and beautiful body, tasting every inch of her, like it would be a new flavor, with each spot his lips landed on.
His whole body was buzzing like an electrical current was running through it, and he had a feeling there was going to be sparks once he connected with her.
Isaiah slid back up her body, letting himself rest on her thigh while he sucked on her bottom lip, focusing on her face, yet again. He could feel her heart beating underneath him, and it was racing. Her breath would catch and then speed up with what he was doing to her, and it only served to push him onwards. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
Isaiah was gentle, sliding himself inside of her center as slowly as he could. He watched as Annalise’s eyes shot open at the sensation, giving him the perfect view of those bright blue orbs that had him hypnotized since he first looked into them
. There was nothing more intimate he could think of, than making love while looking right into each other. It was a whole conversation without a single word.
Annalise did not know how long they were entwined with each other, feeling their way around each other's bodies and souls, but she knew it was almost over as she gasped in response to the building of a sensation stronger than she had ever felt in her life.
It was its own kind of magic, working its way up and down her nerve endings, as if she had been struck by lightning. She wrapped her legs around Isaiah in response, as she began to shake, her mouth opening wide in a moan. She did not take her eyes off of him the whole time, as her body exploded in the most pleasure it had ever felt.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Hyacinthe wrestled with the prisoners yet again, trying to contain her emotions on the outside with the loud screams of the caged on the inside. That was one of the greatest burdens of being the leader of the coven, even temporarily, was being the keeper of the prison. The prison was something entirely of the creation of the coven leader. The realm was originally one space, only created for the very first prisoner. When a coven leader died, a true coven leader, the prison pieces of their making were sealed, and their powers passed on through the land beneath Hyacinthe's feet, all the land that encompassed their territory. That was always the way of it, but something was going wrong. She knew it had to do with the fact that she was not the rightful coven leader; only at second best, a replacement. It had never bothered her before, but this strong, independent woman was beginning to feel burdened beyond belief.
Hyacinthe sat down on her chair outside her home and calmed her thoughts, knowing she would need to have tea that very night in order to sleep without nightmares. Her visions had gotten out of control, forcing her to reveal a little too much weakness to Isaiah. The only good thing that could come out of that was getting Annalise there faster. He would be concerned enough to send her running, and Hyacinthe could guess that within the next couple of days she would be there, training with her to take over everything, the prison included.
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