"Resolutions and lovers in the kitchen. Love is Clueless and Destiny is wishing. This is my heart, it's on the line, Selene."

-Imagine Dragons, Selene

The Murderer and The Witch

'Do you have any idea what you have done?'

Sakari took a deep calming breath, though it did little to ease her fraying nerves. Upon hearing the truth about her mother's execution she had demanded an audience with her sister, certain that the truth would lay the horrors of the last few months to rest. She had been wrong to think so.

'Do you have any idea what you have done Chenita? Not only did you kill my mother and then tell lies about what happened, you shed her blood after she uttered a curse! The blood of a witch! You sealed her curse! And then you lied about it!'

The warrior swallowed, hesitant. Chenita had promised to be honest, but she hated to hurt her sister for any reason, but it seemed the damage had already been done.

'Kari please try to understand. You had just gotten married, our people were celebrating the prospect of peace between our two tribes. The last thing they needed was a panic. Father thought it would be best if we kept the truth of her death silent, didn't want to cause an upset. Your mother was powerful, feared -'

'With good reason!' The young woman snapped, and for a moment the wind blew the door wide open, the entire room assaulted with power as the storm blew around them. 'Even in her death our people are dying by the hour because of what you did!' Sakari shook her head, completely disgusted by her sister's actions. 'Would you have even told me the truth if you didn't fear that your were next?'

'Of course I would have! I was just waiting for the right time-'

Sakari snorted in disbelief, rather unladylike. 'I can't even look at you right now. Get out of my sight.'

Chenita exhaled slowly, wondering when she had become the softer half of the two women. She laid her peace offering at her sister's feet, wondering if Sakari would even accept her gift. Upon hearing the news of her sister's pregnancy she had travelled many days to find them. The lilies were rare, white, and it was something of a tradition between them, had been for years. In the past, they had never parted ways without Sakari uttering a protective enchantment over the warrior, and Chenita had never returned from an expedition with the other warriors without a flower as a gift.

'I really am sorry Sakari. I didn't mean to hurt you.' she said, wondering if the words sounded as hollow as they felt.

Her sister did not acknowledge the words.

'Well?'

Jared Cameron's eyes snapped up from the floor, though his feet did not stop shuffling from side to side. He really hated being the bearer of bad news. 'They said no.'

'Of course they said no.' Sam sighed.

'No shit.' Paul added, only looking slightly embarrassed when a passing nurse shot him a dirty look. 'Don't know why the fuck the Council even thought it would work.' He muttered under his breath.

Ignoring his grumbling Third, the Alpha turned back to watch the woman lying motionlessly on the other side of the glass panel. He wondered, briefly, if his face looked as empty as he felt. Exposing his weaknesses so openly had done more damage to the pack than Jacob's ultimatum had. His pack was practically imploding, alarmed and panicked, and though no one would admit it to his face, he knew he was doing a bad job of handling it.

'Break it down for me.' Sam said sternly, soldiering through. 'I need to know exactly what they said.'

Jared exhaled a long shaky breath, while Paul paced slowly in semi-circles.

'We did everything exactly as you ordered, to the T. Quil and Brady tagged along, you know, to pull a bit on the heartstrings, and it seemed to work some. Seth definitely misses home, but Jake…' the Second sighed, 'not so much. He's committed to seeing this through. He was… weird about it. Pretty chilled if you can believe it. I don't think he really understands the gravity of what he's done, not really. It doesn't seem like the separation's affected them as much as it's affecting us-'

Paul snorted.

'But his wolf's definitely unhinged. He felt… dangerous. I don't think there's any hope for him rejoining our pack.'

'We don't want him.' Paul grumbled.

Jared exhaled, exasperated with the interruption. 'He said when this is done he just wants to head back to the wild. He thinks that things can be like they were before, for the rest of us.'

Sam frowned. 'He's not counting on Bella getting out of it alive?'

Jared shook his head. 'He's not stupid.'

Then why do this? Sam wondered.

'He's stubborn.' Paul answered the unspoken question. 'And a pain in the fuckin ass.' When the Alpha shot the young wolf a warning look Paul rolled his eyes. 'Excuse my French.'

'Paul give us a moment.' Jared snapped, having far less patience for the Third then Sam did. Grumbling, the ill-tempered wolf walked away, shaking. He'd been pretty unhinged himself lately.

Jared waited until he couldn't hear Paul's footsteps before he dropped his voice to a whisper. 'I don't buy it, Sam. Nothing's going back to the way it was. Jacob's damaged, and Leah….'

'Leah.' Sam heaved a sigh, wondering how it was possible that that woman could still evoke so many conflicting emotions in him.

'She's… off. I thought this was about her hitching a free ride outta this town but… something's changed.' Jared rubbed a hand over his stubble. He needed a shave, and at least two days' worth of sleep. If wishes were fishes. 'She was protective of Jake, Sam. Of Jake. I've never seen her wolf act like that. Like she cares. Loyal.'

He spat the word like it tasted bad, and the Alpha couldn't blame him. The idea that Leah had chosen Jacob because she actually supported his decision made his stomach churn too.

'Maybe Seth might come back. He's got Sue to think about, and his friends, his crush Sarah. But I wouldn't hold out for Leah. Something tells me that if Jacob heads to Canada again she'll go right along with him.'

Jared seemed to hesitate, and Sam didn't have to wonder what the younger wolf was thinking. Sue had suggested it first, before the council had settled for the Lee-lee tactic. But the very idea of sending him to talk Leah down had made Sam's blood boil.

'It wouldn't have done any good.'

'He might be able to convince her.'

'She left him, too.' Sam said, wondering if he sounded as miserable as he felt.

'He's not hurting over it, Sam.' Jared said cautiously, 'It might work. I hate to say it man, but the only reason Embry hasn't crossed the boundary line is because of some promise she asked him to make. He won't leave… but he might be able to convince her to come back.'

The news did little to set the Alpha's mind at ease, and Sam didn't know what was worse; feeling powerless as the strongest and fastest wolves in his tribe laid his family to waste, or having to watch as the woman who would always own a part of his heart fell in love with the boy who looked like the spitting image of his father.

His brother.

Sam growled, surprising Jared. But unlike Paul, the Second had enough common sense to stay silent. It had been a cruel experience, learning that an Imprint didn't lessen the intensity of a wolf's jealousy. Was this what Leah had felt every time she'd had to watch him with Emily?

The idea made him sick.

The Alpha's eyes trailed back to his unmoving Imprint, and he watched as Emily crumbled. She's been too strong for too long, that's what Sue had said. She just needs some time to fall apart. The words hadn't helped at all. His Imprint wasn't eating, and her nurse had subtly implied that Sam should pay attention for any signs that she might be considering suicide. Miscarriages were not uncommon with first pregnancies, and neither were their subsequent bouts of depression.

'Sam.' Jared sighed, 'I hate to do this man; I do… but we need you. Everyone's falling apart, and I don't know how to keep shit together. Quil and Brady are being such Debbie Downer's I've had to keep them from patrolling together, and Embry and Paul's infighting is getting to the cubs. Not to mention all of our wolves are on edge. Jacob's wolf triggered something that night. I don't know how to explain it - it just feels… somethings wrong.'

Sam could feel it too. That sense of wrongness that seemed to grow heavier with each passing hour. He'd spoken to the elders about it, but all old Quil had done was mutter nonsense about curses and reincarnations while Billy had rolled his eyes and called him a superstitious old kook.

Not a very productive meeting.

Sam thought of a sunset, remembering the moment he'd broken far too many promises to count while his wolf dragged him towards Neah Bay. Leah's tears had been like white noise then. Unimportant. Smothered to irrelevance by the overwhelming pull of his Imprint. The urge to do the same now was crushing him, but he knew that if he deserted his pack now, when they need him most, they would come to hate him as much as Leah did. They would lose all trust and respect for him.

He would not let that happen again.

'I'll be there in a few hours.' Sam promised. 'I need to just stay with Emily for a while, but I'll be there.'

Jared sighed again, and the Alpha could feel his relief. 'Thanks Chief. That'll help.'

Sam stopped him before he could leave, 'What was it Jacob said that didn't sit right with you?'

Again, Jared hesitated. 'He said that Leah belongs wherever she wants to be…. It just struck me as odd. I didn't think Jacob even liked Leah.'

Sam nodded, turning away from his Second.

He should have known better than to ask.

'Give her some time.'

Chenita glanced up from her meal to find two brilliant orbs of green watching her with intense concern. She didn't much like the Quileute leader, not because of anything he had done, but simply on principle. A warrior was proven true by the strength of his bow, and this magic man won his battles through the use of magic. It was a cheat.

But the spirit warrior was sincere. Kind. And after months of observing the way he treated his wife and his subjects, Chenita had grown to trust him. She thought that his patience and thoughtfulness, his strength and wild heart, made quite a strong match for her changeable and strong-willed little sister.

'She has a temper, but she will forgive you eventually.'

'She won't forgive me.' Chenita said honestly. 'She's never looked at me like that. And I can't say I blame her for it.'

The young warrior watched as her brother- through-marriage sat before her, elegant and regal. 'The last few months have been hard on her. Harder, since she's been with child She just needs a moment to come to terms with what has happened.'

Chenita frowned. 'I thought she was happy here.'

'She is.' Kaheleha said, 'With me. But… my people have not been very welcoming. The night her mother died - the night we married - the moon turned to blood. The elders considered it an ill-omen, and the other spirit warriors blamed her for the bloodshed that began not long afterwards. She's been very lonely here, even the other women refuse to befriend her.'

Kaheleha's face gave little away, but Chenita sensed the turmoil the man was hiding behind his piercing green eyes. She gasped quietly when she understood. 'They've been holding her responsible for the killings… because of me. Why didn't she tell me?'

'She hates to upset you, even when she is furious with you.' the Chief's son said with a slight shake of his head. 'My wife is soft, but stubborn.' He shot her a small smile. 'Be patient. Sakari will want to make peace eventually. In the meantime, we will find a way to help your people.'

'Oi! Hey, you! You! Embry! EMBRY!'

Realizing that it would be uncouth to keep walking away after being identified so loudly by name, Embry turned around, smirking at the sight of the tiny (but determined) woman charging towards him. The young wolf glanced around impatiently, noting that the street was empty and that the grey skies had darkened considerably during his brief visit with Sue Clearwater.

He offered the young woman a friendly smile. 'Hey Julie.'

'Don't hey Julie me.' She glared at him, not seeming to care that he was easily three times taller than she was. 'You were going to walk away from me.'

'Woman, it's about to rain!' he exclaimed, gesturing towards the heavens. 'I'm not trying to get caught in a storm.'

'Yeah I'm sure a little drizzle will ruin that invisible T-shirt of yours.' The little firework scoffed. 'Where's Seth and Leah?'

His wolf whined. He ignored the damn beast. 'Ask Sue.'

'I'm asking you.'

Embry stopped. 'What makes you think I know?'

'Wow,' Julie crossed her arms, 'Somehow you're a worse liar than she is.' Smirking, she tried again. 'I'm not blind Call. Nice tat, same one as Leah, Seth, Sam, Quil Ateara and half the reservation. So tell me, did you all coincidentally order the same design at the tattoo parlor, or has the lead artist just been feeling particularly uninspired this year?'

When the young man gave no response Julie continued. 'I know something's up. We were supposed to meet up yesterday, but Leah's nowhere to be found. So what the hell is going on? And don't say nothing. I'm sick and tired of nothing. Leah might feel remorseless about lying to my face, but I hold you to a higher, more angelic standard.'

Amazingly, the young woman drew a soft smile from him, something that hadn't happened in days due to the pack's dire state of affairs and – dare he say it – his girlfriend's sudden exodus from her self-proclaimed captivity in Sam's pack.

'I swear Jules I'd love nothing more than to show you. I'm a hundred percent sure your reaction would be priceless. But I can't, and neither can Leah. So just drop it.'

'Can't, or won't?'

'Literally can't.' Embry emphasized. 'But stick around. Maybe one day you'll figure it out, yeah?'

When Julie looked like she was about to argue Embry turned away.

'No one calls me that, you know. No one calls me Jules except Leah. And she earned it. It's reserved. So don't do it again, unless you plan on actually being good to her.'

Embry turned back her, brows furrowed in surprise, and Julie grinned. 'I remember how you used to follow her around the rez, how you used to show up places just to check if she'd be there. You practically worshipped her… So I guess if someone had to pull through, I'm kinda glad it's you.'

Embry's mouth dropped. 'She told you?'

'Puh-lease,' Julie rolled her eyes. 'Like she even had to. She's fucking obvious. She left the moment Quil said your name, and then she showed up dressed in a giant man's oversized clothes the next day. I mean, the two of you could have at least tried to make it harder to figure out.'

Embry didn't know what to say, so he simply watched as Julietta's smile faltered. It was a loaded ten seconds of silence before she spoke again. 'Just don't hurt her okay? She deserves better than that.'

Before Embry could respond the young woman turned away from him, heading towards Sue Clearwater's house.

Obvious, Julie had said.

It made him feel some kind of nice way.

Is there a reason you're still not talking to your sister?

Leah took a moment to ponder Kaheleha's question. No. Why?

Something tells me that she needs you.

My pack needs me right now. Emily has her pack. And Sam.

Sam is not you. Kaheleha said sternly, and Leah could feel the disapproval in the ancient's words. A closer look at the man and she could sense his fear. He was rattled, uneasy.

You promised her the two of you would never be separated. In any life. Kaheleha said. Don't break your promise.

What's wrong?

I warned you young hurricane. I showed you what would happen if you chose this path, and yet you have ended up making the very mistakes I was trying to stop you from making. Leah, listen to me. you must rejoin your brothers and destroy what is growing inside of that girl. Convince Jacob to stop this madness, or that boy will die. I will die with him, and so will everyone else you love. Our sacrifice would have been for nothing; do you understand?

I don't understand. Leah shook her head.

Sakari, do you still not remember what we did?

At Kaheleha's words, Leah felt the pull of another vision, and the wind began to dance around her. It was that familiar song again, the one Harry had taught her, but the words were different this time. A chant.

The words to a spell.

'Verbally abusing pregnant women, are we Leah?'

Jacob stuffed his hands into his short's pockets as he walked towards the she-wolf. Leah was sitting on a giant root of an old oak tree, her bare feet dipping into the edge of a stream. At the sound of Jacob's voice her eyes snapped open, and the strange tune she'd been humming stopped. Jacob could have sworn a cool draft of wind hit him the moment her clear eyes found his.

'I thought even you would be above that.'

'What can I say,' Leah sighed, looking almost… relaxed. 'Different rules apply when the pregnant woman is Isabella fucking Swan.'

Or Emily, Jacob didn't say, because he had a feeling those words would shatter whatever peace Leah seemed to have found these last few days.

The new Alpha took a moment to observe the grey wolf. Despite her attempts at cleanliness, the dirt and sweat of the last two and a half days still clung to Leah's body, and her hair was a tangled mess. Even her clothes were coated in grime and filth. And yet it was as though her skin had regained some color, and the shadows underneath her eyes did little to retract from that new light in them. With some surprise, Jacob realized that the word he was looking for was beautiful. Leah looked beautiful without that trusty scowl latching onto her face.

You look happy. He almost said, but the words 'You made her cry' left his mouth instead.

'She had it coming.' Leah said matter-of-factly, 'And they were crocodile tears Fearless One, fake as the rest of that godforsaken coven. Edward coddles her too much. You too, Black. Someone had to knock some sense into her.'

Jacob sighed, too exhausted for this conversation. 'And that someone was you?'

'Let's be honest Almighty Alpha. 'Leah watched as Jacob crouched beside her, noting how absolutely fearsome he looked now that he was as big as a bus. 'You weren't going to do it.'

'It wasn't your place.'

'Who's going to watch your back here if I don't?' Leah asked, and Jacob was struck with the realisation that she genuinely seemed to care about him.

He didn't know how he felt about this new-and-improved Leah Clearwater. Sure she was much, much easier to endure than the old one, but she was highly in danger of becoming likeable. And he really didn't want to like Leah, it would only make him consider taking her earlier request seriously. A pack with only the two of them was bound to be a bad idea, too intimate for two wolves with broken hearts.

Not to mention Embry would probably kill him.

'I don't want you here to fight my battles Leah. That goes for Seth as well.'

'Well boo hoo.' The she wolf said. 'We're pack Jake. The point is that you don't have to fight your battles alone. No one else is gonna have your back in there, not those fucking leeches and definitely not Isabella Swan. You're my Alpha, and I'll be damned if something happens to you while I'm here.'

Jacob frowned, glancing away to pick a twig from the muddy ground. He pulled at the leaves before tossing the piece if wood into the stream, and then he found another one, repeating the process. 'I'm not used to you being the one solving problems Leah. Usually you're the one demanding unnecessary smoke breaks and making life harder for the rest of us. What gives?'

'So let me get this straight. You're not worried because I'm being a nuisance, you're freaked because I'm proving to be a valuable addition to your pack?'

Jacob nodded. 'Yes.'

'You're an idiot.' She said, and Jacob watched in horrified awe as Leah's face... well, cracked.

Leah Clearwater, smiling? Bizarre.

'Different isn't a bad thing.' Leah sighed, stretching out her arms. 'Took a long time for me to realize it, but I have. You're family now Jacob, real family. And the rules change when it's family.'

'What about your family?' He asked. 'The people you've left behind.'

'I haven't.' Leah said passionately. 'This won't last forever. And I'm not leaving my mom behind. Seth and I, we're all she's got.'

'And Emily?" Jacob asked, hating himself for broaching the subject but knowing that it had to be done eventually. With less of them in the link now he could hear almost all of her and Seth's thoughts, and since claiming his birthright he could feel her emotions too. Her cousin was in all of her dreams, in vivid HD.

He ignored her sudden glare, noting the way all of her defenses had gone up at his question, but he wouldn't drop it. 'You talk a big game about hating her, but you miss her, more than you miss Sam.'

'I don't miss Sam.' Leah said, expecting her heart rate to expose her words as a lie.

It never did.

Jacob shot her a confused look. 'Still. The giant gaping wound that is Sam and Emily is eating you up. If you're gonna be a part of this pack, you're gonna have to find a way to let go of that. Its baggage that you don't need. I'm gonna be stuck thinking about Bella for the rest of my life... You don't have to do that shit too.'

'Maybe a funeral will be better closure than a wedding.'* Leah said sadly, 'or a baby.'

'I don't think that's true you know.' Jacob said. 'And honestly, I don't think you believe it either.'

Jacob stood, rubbing the dust from his hands as he prepared to leave again. She and Seth had been covering for his ass and letting him sleep too much. It was time he actually proved his worth as their Alpha and picked up his weight. 'And for the record Lee, I don't think it's true that you can't have kids. There's nothing wrong with you. Not physically at least.'

Even though the words sounded horrible, Leah shot him a soft smile.

The Alpha phased, thinking about the words she had said to him the day before: I'm happier here Jake, as part of your pack, than I have been in years.

At least something good had come from all of this drama.

'I can't do it.' Sakari finally admitted. It had been weeks of attempting the spell. 'I can't reverse her spell, not without shedding blood.'

'We are not doing that.' Kaheleha said sternly, wiping the sweat from his own brow.

Around them the wind began to calm, but the ocean water was still in an upset. They had been channeling the elements for hours, hoping that the power of water and wind would be enough and that combining the two forces would increase their power like a hurricane, creating a powerful enchantment to safeguard Chenita and Chief Tututsi's descendants – one of which was currently growing in Sakari's womb.

'Blood for blood. My mother was fond of such spells. It is the only way.'

'No.' The prince repeated, unyielding. 'You would never forgive yourself. I would never forgive myself. It would rip my soul apart.'

The young witch nodded, knowing her husband's words were true. 'What are we going to do Kaheleha? The spell was sealed in blood. Only blood from the line that sealed it will be able to break it.'

'Your mother's blood is your blood.' The prince frowned, 'I am not going to let you do a spell that will kill you.'

'My mother didn't seal the spell.' Sakari said quietly, 'My sister did.'

Kaheleha stopped. For a moment the two watched each other in silence. Kaheleha's eyes wide with shock, Sakari's dulled with guilt. 'What did you say?'

'My mother uttered the incantation but it was Chenita who completed the spell. She made the sacrifice. She took part in the ritual by committing the murder.'

'Are you suggesting that we kill your sister Sakari?' Kaheleha asked, aghast at his wife's somber tone.

'I can prevent the death of her children, or I can prevent her death. But I cannot do both. I don't have the power.'

'Is this because she killed-'

'No.'

He paused. 'Is it because of what the elders suggested-'

'No!' Sakari rose to her feet. 'You think I'd consider killing my sister because I'm jealous?! It's the safety of our tribe that is at stake, husband. If I thought letting you marry Chenita would stop these deaths, If I thought you wanted her, I would let you marry her in a heartbeat. You wouldn't be the first man of power to take more than one wife. But this is about the safety of our people. It is our two tribes versus the one life. I hate it, but of course I am considering it! That doesn't mean that I want to do it. She is my sister, I love her. But there is no other way to break this curse.'

Sakari felt sick just saying the words, but they were true. The young princess turned away from her husband, the Second-born son of a great Chieftain, and she knew that she would have to lay her shame at his feet.

She had been thinking of doing it long before she'd found out the truth about her mother's death, but she had never found the courage to say the words. She searched for it now in the splendor of the grey shore she now called home, in the brilliant twilight that was so haunting and yet so beautiful at the same time.

'My mother knew what she was doing…. 'The young woman sighed, bone-weary and soul-tired. 'She was not a good woman Kaheleha, she was spurring Chenita on and hoping that my sister would be incited to murder. She wanted my sister to kill her, if only to implicate her in this evil. She knew what she was doing.'

The young woman turned back to her husband, fear and shame at war in her watery eyes. 'There is a reason I never let my sister leave my sight without blessing her. I left her a bracelet and a bow to protect her when I came here to marry you. The magic I concealed in them was powerful, but it was not pure. I thought it would be the only way to keep her safe. I never imagined that she would use the bow to kill my mother.'

Kaheleha frowned. 'Sakari, what are you saying?'

'There was a place that my mother used to take me… when… when I was a child. A lake, hidden deep in the forest. It was an evil place, not suitable for children, but she didn't care. Daka wanted absolute power. And she did whatever she had to do to get it. She killed Chenita's mother to become the wife of a Chief, and then she used that place's magic to steal my father's heart...' she swallowed, 'she taught me how to do it.'

'Sakari...' Kaheleha breathed heavily, his green eyes wide and horrified. 'Don't say it.' He begged, shaking his head. 'Don't say it.'

'You had the power to protect me.' She said slowly, every word painful to admit out loud, 'I just wanted a way out. I needed to get away from her.'

She saw he understood, and she watched as the distrust and betrayal grew there in the place of his love.

'You bound me to you?' Kaheleha whispered.

'It didn't make you love me.' She said quickly, needing him to understand though she knew what she had done was as horrible as her sister's transgression. The murderer, and the witch. Two sisters who had committed unforgivable sins. 'It only inspired unconditional devotion, an overwhelming desire to please and protect. It's called an Imprint. I'm sorry, it was the only thing I could think of to get away from her without-'

'Woman, be quiet.' The prince yelled, pacing furiously. Sakari watched as he walked in agitated circles around her. But she knew that he would not leave her, although she was the cause of so much of his pain. 'How do we break it?'

'Do you want to?' she asked earnestly.

'I thought I chose you.' he said, and it hurt her that he did not seem capable of being angry at her. 'How far does this magic go? Will it affect our children?'

'No.' Sakari said, turning away from the betrayal she could see in his face. 'No it will not affect them. But Kaheleha… Do you not see? The spell would not have worked if you couldn't protect me. If you didn't have the strength to keep me safe from my mother's evil plans for me, my attempts at binding us would not have worked.'

'Would it have chosen someone else?'

Sakari shook her head. 'I don't know.'

'Gods!' Kaheleha exclaimed, 'Sakari, do I even love you?' the prince paused, a shadow flashing in his eyes. 'Why are you telling me this now?'

Sakari ignored her own ache at his rejection. He had every right to be furious at her, to want to leave. But they had far bigger problems than the shady foundation of their marriage.

'Kaheleha...' She started, 'You promised that you would keep me safe, and you do. You and your men have the power to help my sister and our people. The spirit warriors can stop these murders, they can defend themselves, and others. These bloodthirsty creatures are terrified of them.

'I might not be able to break Daka's curse, but maybe we can protect my sister's descendants. Our descendants. Between your magic and mine, we can make our sons to be very strong. They can protect my sister's children.'

'Sakari...'

'I am not asking you to say yes, not yet.' Sakari said quickly, watching her husband carefully as his eyes took in the sunset. Sakari wrapped her arms around her husband's torso, pressing her cheek against his back. 'Just consider it. Give it a few days of thought, and if you still think it is a bad idea then I will never mention it again.'

The prince was torn at her words. Until that moment, he had always thought of his wife as a perfect creature, flawless in every way. Kind. Generous. Warm. Sensitive. But the woman who held him so tightly was almost a stranger to him. And yet he loved her, too deeply for words. He had known that he loved her the very moment he had laid his eyes on her. It had been her beauty that struck him first, but it had been more than that. It had been the way she'd held herself. The humility he'd sensed in her, the kindness with which she'd treated others.

'Do you want me to leave?' She asked after a long moment, and Kaheleha exhaled shakily. Hating her, loving her, needing her. She was in every breath that he breathed. He could not imagine being separated from her, not for any reason.

'No.' he said, 'Is that me or the Imprint?'

'Perhaps it is both.'

A/N: I know, I know. I suck. I'm sorry for the lateness, I was feeling uninspired, not to mention exhausted. But here is the latest chapter peeps, and I hope you like it. My apologies for the lack of Callwater here, just needed to lay some groundwork first. But please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

I hope you are all having a wonderfully festive holiday after this BEAST of a year.

Happy New Year!