Heart of the Pride by Anaya Phoenix (top 10 novels to read txt) 📕

"No, nuh uh. This isn't real. You aren't some weird man tiger thing, and I'm not your weird lady monster wife person thing. Ok? Because that's not sane and its not real and I'd appreciate it if you told me the truth." She denied shaking her head and clenching her fists together.

"We are, for the first time since you were born we are telling you the truth." Her father said softly and she shook her head, tears coming  to her eyes.

"Izzy-" He didn't get much out before she blasted from the couch and ran outside, then kept on running.

     He'd found her where he took her the first time they snuck out together. Her knees were were tucked into her chest and she sobbed into them, her arms surrounding her head. The sun was setting and  it looked as if the flowers were catching fire. He sat down next to her, not saying anything just offering his body heat. Her  body shook with the force of the sobs until her body couldn't cry anymore. Her eyes peeked up, they were red but still beautiful.

"It's a lot to take in." He said softly, watching as the swollen moon rose up. She sniffles and her eyes teared up with tears she wouldn't let fall. He said nothing more, he wouldn't overwhelm her with the sound  if his voice.

"You're a tiger?" Her voice was foreign to him, gone was it's boldness and strength. In it's place was fear and uncertainty.

"Certain nights, yes. I shift into  300 pound tiger and run through the woods." She looked up to the moon then to him, asking him  a silent question.

"The moon doesn't trigger my phase, but it does make me stronger when it wanes." She nodded softly and then looked at the flowers surrounding her. Her fingers reached out and touched the petals gently, he watched her making sure to take in everything about her. Her face was still as she looked at the flowers, almost serene. As if the flowers gave her some sort of peace. She looked  at him, then. Her eyes were stronger, though they still showed the signs that she was crying.

"Can I see?" She asked, her voice cracked a little but her eyes wouldn't acknowledge it. He nodded and stood, standing a significant distance from her. He spoke the ancient Italian words that would trigger his change  and let the magick that was needed flow through his veins. His animal form popped from his skin until his bestial side stood there. He was mindless in this form, a true beast, but she calmed him. She truly was his.

     She knelt before him, her mouth agape as she took him in. His beast took pride in the fact that she couldn't take her eyes away from him. She crawled to him, until she was face to face with the tiger. Her hand lifted, awe clear on her face, and she placed it on his head. He purred in delight and shoved his head further into her tentative hand, wanting more of her touch. She laughed a little and rubbed his head with both her hands. He licked the side of her face, his tail flicking with humor as she squealed and wiped the face off.

"At first I thought you were beautiful, but I'm taking that back. That was just gross." She grumbled and wiped the spit off. She threw her arms around the tiger, making him jump a little in surprise before he settled down and rubbed the top of her head with the side of his face.

"What am I gonna do, Hobbes? Everything is all muddled up in my head." He huffed at the nickname and flicked his tail before standing up. She let go of his neck and looked at him, surprise shining in her eyes. He thought of the words that would give him back his human skin and closed his eyes, knowing when he opened them he'd be able to hold his Izzy.

     She was truly at  a loss for words, his tiger was beautiful. it didn't have the traditional coloring if a tiger, they were deep exotic colors that would blend into the forest easily. His black stripes reminded her of  the chocolate on her favorite cookies, and the pitch black under it reminded her of the dark that was descending upon them. He sat there grinning at her, his chin in hand and his elbow on his thigh.

"I'm beautiful, huh?" He asked  in a smug tone and she scoffed at him, rolling her eyes.

"I said I was going to call you beautiful, which meant you were beautiful. But then you had to go and try and eat my face." His face seemed to sober up then as he moved closer to her, he put his hand on her cheek and made her look him in his eyes.

"That wasn't me, that was my beast. He and I are not the same, we merely share  a body. I am not in control of myself, or my actions, when in that form."

"You seemed pretty in control to me." She said huskily, her body wasn't her own either when she was touched by him.

"I'm only like that with you because you are our mate, we cannot and will not hurt you Izzy. Not intentionally." He said softly, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. The words didn't really reach her mind, not right away at least, because she put her lips on his wanting to taste him more than ever. She still  had a whole bunch of questions but that could wait until after she'd had her fill. He didn't deny her,wrapping an  arm around her waist and tugging her closer. She went willingly, needing to feel and taste all of him. Their tongues danced with each other, their lips moved in frenzy. It had been awhile since they had touched intimately, they had missed it something fierce.

     She could feel her shirt riding up, could feel him move as he layed down flat on his back with her straddling him. She trusted herself nit to take it too far, this was kissing. That's all it was, until she wanted something more... at least  that was what told herself. He slipped his hand under her t-shirt, taking advantage of the little sliver of skin that was shown. His rough hands on her skin made her shiver with delight. Her body sucked,  it was going to betray her again. With  Harlan she slapped his  hand away, with a cute little growl he put his hand back up her shirt. She broke the kiss and looked down at him.

"You do know that means don't touch, right?" He shrugged  a shoulder  and smirked up at her.

"Maybe."

     They'd walked back to his house hand and hand, ready to hear whatever the he'll else God decoded to throw her way. She was drained emotionally, wasn't sure how much she could take  but she owed it to her family to hear them out. And that was what she would do. When they entered her parents both stood, both wearing looks of concern and sadness. It broke her heart. She wallked, with Timmy in tow, to the couch opposite them and sat.

"Why now?" She asked softly, needing to know.

"We didn't think it'd be you, in tins family we've never had a set of twins. I didn't know which one it was. We figures since Bella got more attention and was more assertive about getting what she wanted that it would be her." Her mother explained softly, her eyes were red. She'd been crying.

"They told  me when we'd turned fifteen, when they pulled me in the room for the special birthday surprise that was for me only." Izzy remembered that, she'd felt disgusting after that. She didn't think it fair that only Bella got the cool gift, while she was stuck with normal gifts. She can have it now, Izzy thought ruefully.

"So I'm the chosen one, what happens now?" Anger sparked and poured from her parents as they turned a glare to Timmy.

"Normally nothing, you two would've had a wonderful life living together and making adorable little grandchildren for us. But Timmys mom kinda put a staunch on that idea." Her father growled, his fists clenching. Wow, angry dad sure is scary.

"What? What is he talking about Timmy?" She asked, the words her father said just floating into her mind. His eyes went to hers and she sucked  in a breath at the anger and grief that lurked in them.

"Remember the night we went to the cliff? And you fell asleep and when you woke up we were in my bed?" She heard her father choke on the air he was breathing, but this was more important.

"Yeah?"

"While were sleeping my mother injected you with nightshade, a third  of the amount to actually weaken you. I thought I'd hearh something but when I woke up she wasn't in there. Then remember that huge breakfast she made? She laced the whole thing with another third of the nightshade, when you ate it it entered your blood stream. That night when you left ny house she followed you to yours, while you slept she injected you with the final amount that would weaken you." Throughout his explanation his fists and teeth were clenched, revenge  and murder clear in his eyes.

"When she took you from the hospital... what she injected you with was my blood, traditionally we would trade blood and make a whole  big thing of , but she... thought otherwise." All was silent then, as if one word would break her.

"Soo... what? We've got the same blood, big whoop."

"Izzy, when she injected you with my blood... She made you like me." She blinked at him owlishly not, exactly, getting what he was saying.

"I'm-I'm sorry, I must not be picking up what you're putting down. She made me like you or made me like you."

"She made you like me."

"Ok, ok. I must not be tasting the right flavor  of kool-aid. Did she make me Like you or did she make me like you?" His brow furrowed an  He pondered her question for  a bit.

"She made you like me."

"Hold the phone-"

"Izzy!" Amelia yelled, slamming her hand down on the floor. Izzy chortled and shook her head, then sobered and looked to Timmy again.

"So I'm like you. I'm a tiger?" She asked quietly, taking slow deep breaths.

"Yes, you're like me." She closed her eyes and took one deep breath, the calm before the storm she'd liked to call it. She took one more deep breath, right before the storm hit.

    Jaime got up, somehow seeing  her actions before she did, and grabbed her around her middle. She bucked and kicked, trying  to break hold from his grip, all the while screaming words that would make sailors look like children trying to be grown ups. They all watched as she had her breakdown, they watched as the fight slowly left her body and as her words got slurred up with tears. She curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees and pulling them as close as she could, the feeling of her muscles tightening was  a good feeling. Anything beat depression. Jaime put her down into the circle that her siblings and friends had formed on the floor and let her cry into them.

     They were the only ones in this that hadn't lied, the only ones in this situation that made sense. They rubbed her hair and wiped her face as she sobbed on the floor. Her parents left, too cowardly to watch as their lies and untruths unmanned their daughter. Timmy left, too disgusted with himself to watch  as his mate, the one he was to protect, broke in front of him. He knew he could do nothing, he knew he shouldn't even try. She cried until the only sounds she made were small guttering whimpers.

"Whenever you're ready we're here, just know that."