To Have And To Hold

The Hardest Lessons, Part I

Chapter Eight: The Hardest Lessons, Part I

MAXIM

After we got back to my room, I could see in Anabelle’s expression how much Igor’s words hurt her. Wanting to make her feel more comfortable, I offered her one of my clean shirts to change into, which she appreciatively took, asking that I turn my back while she put it on.

A second later, she said I could turn back around, which I did, asking how her back was feeling. She replied that it was aching a bit, leading me to reluctantly ask if I could take a look to make sure she didn’t need me to request something to put on it.

I could tell Anabelle felt uncomfortable about my request, hesitating for a long moment before agreeing for me to see the marks Igor had left on her. Sitting on the end of the bed, Anabelle faced the dirt wall ahead of her, pulling her long brown hair to the side, nervously playing with it as I sat down and carefully lifted the shirt...

I was aghast at the sight of what Igor had done—Anabelle had apparently received several beatings at his hand as I counted at least a dozen lesions, both old and new, that had been left by his vicious lashings. There were four flaming red marks that were obviously fresh and painful for her, leading me to link my mother to ask for something to put on them.

“Anabelle, I’m so sorry,” I devastatingly exhaled out, gently placing my hand over an area that was healed over, “I will do everything possible to make sure Igor doesn’t touch you again.”

There was a knock on my door—a guard handing me a jar of cream when I opened it. Returning to my attention to Anabelle, I gently applied some of it to her wounds to hopefully ease her pain. My heart broke several times when she winced from certain areas being touched.

Once I was finished, I went to lower the shirt down, chuckling as Anabelle thanked me, but then quickly admonished me—warning me to leave the shirt up or there would be stains on it that would never come out, which would drive her crazy.

Instead, she pushed herself up towards the head of the bed, laying down on her stomach as Anabelle pulled a pillow down on top of her arms, gently laying her head down on it. She urged me to do the same, which I did—conversation flowing between us with such ease as we each learned more about the other’s life before our arrival here.

The more we talked, the less fear I heard in her voice, her heart revealing itself through the darkness that plagued her thanks to Igor’s vile treatment. Anabelle was warm, kind, intelligent, and loving—and as we continued talking late into the night, I could see that deep inside, she was strong and resilient—amazingly strong and resilient...

“The hardest lessons are the ones your soul needs most, right?” she philosophically sighed out, before earnestly telling me, “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me today, Maxim. You've saved me and my soul. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I softly returned, tossing my pillow on the floor, “We should probably get some sleep. I can make—”

“You need to sleep up here, Maxim—with me,” Anabelle cautiously whispered, “In case a surprise visitor shows up. We need to keep up appearances. Besides, there’s enough room up here for us both and I trust you. I hope you trust me too.”

“I do trust you, Anabelle,” I sincerely whispered before retrieving my pillow and facing her again as we said goodnight. Closing my eyes, I made another decision—I wasn’t the only one that was escaping from here—I was taking Anabelle with me!

***********

RAVEN

As our girls night was wrapping up, Jace showed up in the kitchen, greeting Constance with a tender kiss before asking me if we could go for a walk. While I was confused, I agreed to his request, linking Talon to let him know I was going to be delayed a while longer...

As we walked towards the water, Jace complimented my dress—a favorite of mine that Auntie made—a long, light purple maxi dress with a rounded neck and pleats along the center that held small white daisies. He laughed when I complimented his attire, a light blue t-shirt and jeans—adding that I was glad I began a love of tattoos as I found his so beautiful—but my words were true. Jace looked so very handsome in blue.

Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, “With everything that has happened as of late, I have felt a bit out of sorts, Raven. I’ve missed you and our connection terribly. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel neglected in any way. Seems I have faltered in the balance I was trying to achieve.”

“I’ve missed you as well,” I earnestly told him, “We knew the balance between loving our mates and the magical connection you and I share would be difficult at times. The Power of Three’s return—especially Auntie’s return—brought with it unexpected challenges for all of us with the Blood Horizons, Amelia, and Freida, but it has also brought so much joy and love to our family. Most of all to you, Jace, which makes me so very happy. I’ve loved watching you reconnect with your mother. Almost as much as I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with Auntie.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Jace softly laughed, “Who knew that not only would my feelings about witches completely change, but I would end up being the son of The Fairy Queen and Delta to the Firebird Phoenix? The two most powerful witches ever known. And as if that weren’t enough, it turns out that I’m a hybrid with magical powers of my own!”

I joined in his humor, laughing under my breath, “And you found a beautiful mate in our Constance—your Goddess. No wonder you’re faltering in your balance. You’ve had more overwhelming changes in your life than anyone.”

Rubbing his reddish-blonde beard thoughtfully, Jace replied, “I think we can both admit I needed many of the hard lessons I’ve had since you girls re-entered our lives. I look back at my life before that and while always striving for the greater good, I was blind and jaded in so many ways, Raven. You girls, my aunts, and my mother have taught me so many lessons that have saved me from myself in many ways and enabled me to be the man I always wanted to be deep down inside.”

As we continued our walk, conversation endlessly flowed between us with ease as Jace and I discussed all the changes in our lives, our mates and family, our continued training with all the experienced sorceresses at our disposal now—Jace working on mastering his hidden sorcery talent while I was working on my understanding and utilization of the vast powers of the Firebird Phoenix and combining mine and Auntie’s magic.

I realized during our evening stroll that I too had missed the strong bond Jace and I share, more than I had been willing to admit to myself. The love I have for him overflowing in my heart, leaving me feeling happy and completely content inside.

“Thank you for this, Jace,” I affectionately stated, my arm weaving around his waist, “I’m not only enjoying every moment of our time together, but I’m suddenly realizing that I’ve really needed this time with you. I love you so very much.”

Kissing the side of my head, Jace whispered in my ear, “I’ve needed this too. I love you, Raven, and I promise, I will work harder to carve out time for us amid our continued chaos.”

Smiling warmly, I promised him, “I’ll do the same. But for now, it’s late. We should probably get back to our mates before they feel neglected.”

His eyes appeared a bit anxious after my suggestion, leaving me a bit worried as Jace seemed hesitant to end our time together, but then the handsome broad smile I loved crossed his face, “You’re probably right. While I’ve missed you tremendously, I don’t want to appear greedy. Why don’t we take the path through the forest over there to the right? It’s a quicker route.”

I nodded in agreement before we made our way into the forest, continuing to chat about various things until I saw a soft white glow ahead of us, stopping me mid-sentence—my curiosity and concern piqued, “What is that ahead of us there? Are there maneuvers being done out here this evening?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but it does look like something is going on in the clearing,” Jace disconcertingly replied, “Let’s go take a look.”

Cautiously walking closer to the light, a dark shadow appeared, coming towards us as a very familiar voice called out, “I suppose I should probably say something before my beautiful Raven decides to defensively send a bolt of pink my way. What do you think, Jace?”

“I believe that is a good call,” Jace chuckled, “Though asking for my assistance may backfire on you. Turns out I’ve missed our stunning sorceress more than I realized. I’ve made a promise to Raven that we will spend more time together, which means you are going to have to share her a little more from time to time, I’m afraid.”

“I knew I should have asked Madeline,” the deep voice laughed out, “But in truth, I’ve felt Raven’s sadness in the loss of your presence as of late, so I’ll willingly encourage more time together for you two—a little more—and reluctantly, of course.”

“T—Talon?” I confusingly called out, “Is that you? What’s going on here?”

My tall, dark, and handsome mate finally came into view, wearing a black pair of dress pants and my favorite dark purple button-down shirt, his stunning, wide pearly white smile beaming at me as Talon softly returned, “Jace was gracious enough to lend a helping hand this evening, my love. Distracting you while I finished up a little surprise.”

Jace leaned over to kiss the side of my head again, murmuring, “Every word I’ve said on our walk is true. I love you, Raven and have enjoyed every moment with you this evening, but now it’s time for me to hand you off to Doc, who has put forth a great effort to make this a very special and memorable night for you.”

Nodding his head at my mate, who was now standing in front of us, Jace grinned, “I have high standards set for this beautiful lady, Talon. Don’t let me down. Enjoy your evening.” Talon laughed again, appreciatively returning with his own nod.

I watched—stunned and dazed—as Jace took his leave of us, slowly turning back to Talon, “I—I don’t understand what’s happening. You have a surprise for me?”

Taking hold of my hand, Talon slowly pulled me closer, kissing my lips softly before lovingly encouraging me, “Come on, I’ll show you.”

I was already stunned, but once we walked into the small clearing, I was left completely flabbergasted and in awe, frozen in place as I looked around at what my Talon had done. There was a large circle of red rose petals and dozens of candles with a beautiful purple lantern and huge bouquet of colorful flowers sitting towards the back of it, atop a white linen covered table with two chairs and a large bottle of what looked like the Sassy Sisters’ party punch.

It felt like all the air left my lungs as I continued to look around with wide eyes. Talon placed his hand gently on my back, urging me forward as he lovingly whispered in my ear, “Do you like your surprise, my love?”

“It’s—It’s beautiful, Talon,” I breathlessly whispered, my breath hastened, “What’s the occasion?”

“This is to celebrate you, my beautiful black bird,” Talon sweetly returned as he slowly guided me to the center of the circle before turning me to face him, “and everything that you’ve brought to my life. Not only have you made every dream I’ve ever had come true, Raven, but with you, I have exceeded every expectation of what my life was truly meant to be by teaching me what love is truly meant to be.”

“Talon!” I heavily exhaled out, “That’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever said to me! Thank you! And thank you for this lovely surprise!”

Taking both my hands in his, Talon tenderly breathed out, “Raven, the moment I laid eyes on you, I fell desperately and hopelessly in love with you. Before that, I was simply existing, realizing then that truly living couldn’t happen until you opened your eyes and were well—to be by my side forever. And when I was finally able to look into your beautiful caramel gaze, you opened my eyes, my heart, and my mind in ways I never knew were possible. With you in my life, I’m a better physician, a better hybrid, and most of all, a better man. You complete me in every way, in every facet of my life, yet you ask for so little in return—not even the one thing I know you have wanted most.”

I gasped as Talon pulled a small box from his pocket as he got down on his knee, devoutly declaring, “No creature has ever graced this earth that is more beautiful than you are, Raven. Inside and out, you radiate more beauty and love than any man deserves, which is why it has taken me so long to find the perfect symbol to represent every amazing quality that you so freely give not only to me, but to everyone who is fortunate enough to have you in their life.”

My hand flew up to my mouth when Talon opened the box, which contained a diamond-shaped marquise rose amethyst ring with an open diamond scrolled halo and tapered pave band that also contained diamonds—the sparkling antique look of the stunning ring taking my breath away. No ring would ever appear more beautiful or more perfect to me, nor would any words said by anyone mean more...

“There isn’t one day that will pass where I won’t faithfully send my grateful regards to fate and the Moon Goddess for the most precious gift in making the most beautiful woman in the world mine,” Talon lovingly declared, “Marry me, Raven-- nothing would mean more to me than for you to agree to complete our circle and become my wife.”

I’ve never had a brighter smile cross my face as I tearily exclaimed, cupping his face in my hands, “Yes, I will marry you, Talon! There is absolutely nothing I want more!”

I laughed as my love let out a loud sigh of relief, sliding the gorgeous ring on my finger before placing his hands on my hips, standing up to capture my lips in a passionate kiss.

After we enjoyed our long, loving embrace, I looked around the clearing again, soaking in every detail of our perfect moment to imprint in my memory forever. All of it was so romantic—and so very Talon. I was incredibly fortunate in my gift from the Moon Goddess as well—the amazing love of my life, my Talon, who completed me in every way...

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the spoils of his surprise—toasting glasses of party punch before releasing the purple lantern into the air—as Talon ignored the fact that there were two chairs, pulling me into his lap as we watched the beautiful light climb up high in the dark sky, staying in the clearing until most of the candles burned out—making quick work of the clean-up so we could continue our celebration—making love until almost dawn, our naked bodies and hearts intertwined, basking in our afterglow before drifting off for a few hours’ sleep, where I had another surprise waiting for me...

I found myself at Mystic Fire where my parents, Sarika and Loki, were waiting for me with open arms, elatedly congratulating me on my engagement. Mother gushed over my ring before Father lifted me high in the air, twirling me around, both looking so happy—but no one could be near as happy as I was...

***********

MAXIM

Turns out Anabelle made the right call as we were both startled awake by Igor, who greeted, “Well, it appears you are quite taken with Anabelle, Maxim—but I’m afraid it’s time for our workout. I prefer getting an early start, so rise and shine, my young lad!”

Sitting straight up, I instinctively pulled my shirt down to cover Anabelle’s bare back, wanting to protect her modesty and prohibit Igor from taking anymore pleasure from his work as she lay frozen in fear.

Laughing under his breath, Igor dismissively stated, “I apologize if Anabelle’s lessons caused any detriment to your evening, Maxim, but it appears Ursula’s cream is doing its job. She should be healed soon enough and your shirts should work well for her until Anabelle proves she has earned a little reward from me. You will be changing into your wolf, so what you have on will do—let’s be on our way.”

I leaned over, placing a quick peck on Anabelle’s cheek, “You just lay here and rest while I’m gone. I’ll come back as soon as we finish our workout.”

Looking back over at Igor, I pointedly asked, “No one will bother Anabelle while I’m gone, right?”

“I gave you my word, Maxim,” Igor slowly drawled out, “Anabelle is yours—no one will touch her. She will be left undisturbed while you’re gone.”

**************

I quickly realized that Igor was a man of his word. He showed me no mercy whatsoever. It didn’t take long for me to also realize that he was determined to inflict as much pain as he possibly could to instill one of his hard lessons in me. From the moment I shifted into my wolf, Igor charged at me snarling with a heated intensity in his gaze and demeanor—his violent side on full display, leaving me feeling like I was fighting for my life...

The Rogue Alpha succeeded in his mission—at first. It took six of his overpowering vicious strikes at my face and chest before I managed to figure out his pattern. Pushing every ounce of the pain he inflicted upon me aside, however, I was unrelenting in my own determination and drive, thrilled when I finally got the opening that I had been waiting for to strike back...

I didn’t hold back when I headbutted Igor while ferociously bringing my front paws up to slam against his chest, lifting him straight up into the air, allowing all the pain—all the anger I had towards him—to powerfully send his hulking jet-black wolf sailing across his private ring to land hard on his back. That angered him—infuriated him, in fact—but I wasn’t giving in—or giving up my fight.

Stealthily circling the outside of the round dirt floor, we glared at one another with deadly gazes. Igor snapping his jaws hard in anticipation of his move, while I let out a low growl, watching him and waiting for my moment.

My head dipping down low, I braced myself, knowingly anticipating and readying myself for Igor’s sudden leap into the air. The same move he made on me in a previous attack, but this time, I was going to make sure the outcome was very different.

Taking his mighty hit full on, I diverted the force of the painful blow to my chest and rebounded, thrusting my front paws into Igor’s chest while simultaneously kicking my hind legs into his lower underbelly—determinedly staring straight into his cold, black glare as I made the move, which again sent him flying backwards, all four paws flailing before Igor hit the ground hard, tumbling four times from my forceful strike.

Igor let out a deafening, deadly growl as he scrambled back up to his feet. The sound of it stopping me in my tracks before he ran into his small private grotto, vanishing from my sight. Seconds later, however, his harsh voice loudly echoed throughout the room, “Shift and get dressed, Maxim!”

I stood still, staring at the entrance and worried that I had pushed him too far. Realizing my best course of action was to do as Igor asked before he came out, I dashed over to my pile of clothes in the corner of the room. I wasn’t sure what to expect when Igor returned, but what I saw as I threw on my shorts was the last thing I expected—

Igor was jovial—smiling—laughing even as he disbelievingly shook his head, “There are few who surprise me, Maxim, but that move was brilliantly executed, young man! Come have a seat at the table over here—breakfast will be served momentarily while I critique a few things—but overall, very well done, son. It seems all you needed was a little talk and a little intimidating provocation to bring out your incredible talents—and your Anabelle, of course! The viciousness you just displayed reminded me of myself in my youth! Very pleasing to me, indeed!”

Much to my relief and disgust, Igor was pleased and I came out of our workout unscathed for the most part. But it sickened me to hear that my tactics resulted in a reference to me being like him, only strengthening my resolve...

Rubbing my throbbing left cheek, Igor had no doubt left his mark of a hard lesson learned, but unlike Anabelle, it was only a temporary one. Now all I had to do was find the opening I was really seeking—the one that would enable Ursula to get us out of here without Igor finding out until it was too late...