Word Count: 2151

~Avia

I'm nearly asleep. Nearly.

My curtains rustle in the night breeze. It's cool, the blanket's wrapped around me as I watch the way the fabric undulates, thinking. I should have gone to the compound, but I couldn't drag myself rom the bed, couldn't force clothes over my limbs. Most of all, I can't face Kadrick, or Malin. And even I changed my mind, it's far too late now. Easily past midnight.

I'm not sure what compels me, but I stand, deciding laying in that bed, staring at the moving curtain any longer is going to make me lose my mind.

For awhile, I just pace. Eventually I approach the curtain, brushing it out of the way as lean out to close the window.

A glimpse out across the formal lawn reveals a figure wading through the darkness, heading out towards the forest. They have a hood pulled over their head, but it's painfully obvious who it is. I can tell by their height, but their stature.

Isaiah.

He walks on almost the exact path I do when I sneak out. There's a cut through the forest that leads down the hill, to a road. It takes you straight to the nearest town. But why would he want to go through there? He could take his own car, or have someone else take him...

I chew on the edge of my lip. I shouldn't go. I should close my curtains, and clamber back into the bed, even though there is no chance I will be able to go back to sleep.

Or I could follow him. See where he is going and why he feels the need to hide it.

I mean, it's my job, right?

Sighing, I rush to the dresser, forcing some warm clothes on, pressing my feet into shoes before heading down the stairs, trying to keep my steps quiet. Rubbing tiredness out of my eyes, I emerge outside, ignoring the bite of cold. Damn, I should have worn gloves.

I fall into a run, knowing I have to rush if I want to catch up to him. Being that I'm so familiar with the path, it doesn't take me long until I catch up with Isaiah. I stay far enough behind, slipping from tree to tree in case he decides to turn around. I want to see where he is heading before I ruin anything.

We walk for awhile, toward the city.

Wariness starts to seize me the deeper we go. It's harder to remain inconspicuous in the city. No one seems to be bothered with Isaiah, meaning his hood is enough to conceal his identity. Why would he risk coming out here when if someone was to recognise him, they would tear him apart in an instance.

Eventually, we cut down a cobblestone street that is unoccupied, so I keep to the shadows, continuing to tail the Alpha.

And then he stops.

I duck behind a large mental bin, keeping my head low, looking through the gap to keep any eye on him. He's leaning against the wall now, tapping his foot impatiently. That is, until another figure appears from around the corner, pulling their own hood off at the sight of Isaiah.

It's a woman. I've never seen her in my life, although it is obvious Isaiah does, he greets her kindly, albeit tightly. He seems anxious, glancing over his shoulder.

"This is getting dangerous," the woman exclaims.

She almost sounds amused. I lean closer, as if it will reveal more about their relationship. Are they secret lovers? Despite the strange feeling digging into my stomach, I know it can't be true. He has Elise, but he doesn't want her...He wants me, allegedly. But he could entertain more lovers.

I shake my head. What does it matter?

"You know what I want," he murmurs lowly.

The woman reaches into her coat, pulling out a folded wad of papers. "I don't have much. People are getting nervous, especially with all the rebellions, with the murders."

Murders...No one else has mentioned the murder to me aside from Elise. People speculate it's Mari's family, which would reflect terribly on Isaiah. That still doesn't answer the question as to why Isaiah knows this woman, and who she is. I silently gather a physical profile of her in my mind for future reference, to feed back to Malin.

Not too tall, although has a powerful air about her. She is in a position of power maybe, perhaps an investigator...Her hair is straight and brown, her eyes a light green. Those eyes trace all across Isaiah as he speaks, making note of his body language. She is smart, clearly. Important to Isaiah.

"What do people know of the murders?" Isaiah asks, shoving the paper into his trousers. I make a mental note to try get those from him if the chance arises.

"I haven't met anyone yet that knows anything directly, but I will give you names when I have answers," she explains.

He nods surely. "Good."

"Isaiah," the woman says uneasily. "The rebellions..."

"Don't. I have it all under control. Nothing will affect my position, understand?" He sounds so sure of himself, and yet so lost. The woman nods mutely, although she looks worried. Does she work with Isaiah? Are they both worried about the rebellions taking over? They speak so vaguely, suggesting they must meet often, familiar with each other enough to converse as if knowing what the other is saying it without actually saying it.

"Yes, of course," she assures him.

Isaiah leans forward, talking lowly to her in a way I cannot here. There is no chance for me to get closer, so I back off, sneaking down the alleyway until I am back on the main street. I'm not going to garner anything else from that conversation, so I rush home, not looking back once.

When I make it back, I rest on the steps leading up to the back door, calming myself. Who knows what hour it is, but I'm not tired anymore. So I just sit, and wait for Isaiah to return.

And he does, eventually.

He emerges from the darkness of the formal lawn, approach the house with silent steps. He physically flinches at the sight of me, sitting, freezing cold despite all my layers, clearly waiting for him to return.

"It's quite late," I breathe. I don't mean to sound accusatory, but I'm ice cold, and have been waiting here for over an hour.

"What are you doing out here, Kenna?" he asks gently. He doesn't look guilty, although hasn't managed to quell the surprise written all over his face. His cheeks are flushed red, his eyes bright as if the lack of sleep doesn't bother him.

"I saw you leave through my window. I've been waiting for your return," I exclaim.

I've considered for the past hour what I would say to him when he finally came back. Obviously I can't tell him I followed him. The point is he's meant to trust me, with this one moment of me waiting just a subtle reminder to him that I'm watching, that he can't get away with everything while I am here.

"It's hard to leave during the day when you don't have a reason to," he admits. At least the part is true, I've noticed. If it isn't Elise asking him all sorts of questions as the days go by, it's his advisors, or those waiting to be advised.

Were he to leave, even for a moment for himself, there would be an uproar.

"What were you doing?" I ask softly.

Lie to me.

If he lies to me, then there will be something unaddressed between us that isn't just on my side. My wariness about divulging much about myself can be attributed to his own lack of clarity. He will be more willing to believe I'm not hiding something, when he is hiding something from me. That's why I hope, at least.

"Just going for a walk through the forest," he explains, glancing out toward the darkness as if he can't bare to look me in the eye when he isn't being truthful. "It's cold up here, let me walk you to your room."

He approaches, waiting for me to stand. Eventually I do, when I can command my limbs into movement. They are so stiff, the cold numbing almost every part of me. I'm eager to be inside, but I can't walk away from him. Not yet.

"Is everything okay?"

He nods, looking over me as if he can see the cold haunting me. "Of course, I just needed a break from the manor."

"It's not Zire is it?" I ask. Not that I ever see them arguing. Clashing maybe, over small things, but the next time they cross paths, the ire between them has vanished. It's a more light-hearted friendship than Malin and I's tumultuous one.

"No, of course not," he shakes his head, licking his lips. They look so red and full. "What's going on between you two, anyway."

I bite the inside of my cheek, smothering a smile. There it is. He's smiling, like it's a question he's asking only in passing, but I can see it's been on his mind for awhile now. Most of the times Isaiah walks in one Zire and I, I can see the hint of jealously in his eyes, like now, that he won't dare speak of. It's not always purposeful, but I see nothing wrong with creating a rift between the two friends. It will make everything easier when his reign crumbles.

"Nothing. Honestly we only end up speaking when I'm bored with not much to do," I tell him, nudging him playfully.

He seems relieved, although I note to tension still lingering in his shoulders. "Should I be worried?"

"You don't want me to sleep with him?" I ask boldly.

Isaiah's eyes flare slightly, surprised by how blunt my question is. But then that surprise is gone, and an almost primal look glazes in his eyes, as he takes another step closer, until we are almost touching. I don't dare even breathe.

"You can do as you please," he murmurs quietly, although I get the feeling, by the way he glances at my lips, that it's not true. "But just know you have other options, for your boredom."

I almost gasp. Another blatant invitation for me to sleep with him. All it would take would be for me to lean in, so grab him and kiss him with enough ferocity that he would lean he wouldn't even have to take me all the way up to the bedroom, despite the cold.

"I could be convinced." I run the palm of my hand down his front. Even though it's covered by many layers, I can still feel his heart rapidly beating. His fingers twitch by his side, like he's moments away from grabbing me and claiming me without anymore words shared between us.

Would I even stop him?

"You are the most intoxicating woman I've ever met. The things I would do for a few moments in a room alone with you," he says lowly, leaning down so I can feel his breath fanning along my lips.

I shrug. "No ones around."

He seems to come to his senses, glancing back inside the glass door where someone scuttles by. He doesn't move though, at least not for a brief moment.

"Staff," he concludes. "But feel free to join me in my room at any point you desire."

He backs away, gaze locked on mine. It's so tempting to grab his hand and let me lead me up there. I just know he would be a good lover, which is part of the problem. Sleeping with him to gain his trust is one thing, but sleeping with him and enjoying it is an entirely different thing. That would be betraying Kadrick, after everything he has put up with.

"I'll think about it," I assure him, smiling in a way that lets him know that I truly am thinking about it.

But I just stand, as he walks inside, wondering what I'm going to do now.

🤎••🤎

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***

I have a brand new story called IMMORTAL PRINCE now available on Radish, and soon on Wattpad (:

"Tomorrow, we don't have to speak of this again." I hardly know what I'm asking. I just know I want whatever it is.

He watches me with an intensity that I know only he is capable of. "Put my hand where you want me to touch you."

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