Chapter Text
Isolde had fallen into a cycle of cheap nights, of heated passion which went against everything you stood for as a Grimm? The intoxicating allure of the forbidden had become a dangerous addiction, a stark contrast to the principles I had sworn to uphold. He was Wesen; he was royal and, for the most part, her cousin's boss. A creature of immense power and influence, a world away from her own. He was cold, arrogant, and everything she should despise. His very presence was a walking embodiment of the corruption and entitlement she fought against. Yet, despite the inherent conflict, despite the voice of reason screaming within her, she continued to fall into bed with him.
It was a desperate escape, a temporary balm for the constant pressure and danger of her life. The thrill of the clandestine, the raw physicality, offered a fleeting reprieve from the grim realities she faced daily. This was a no-frills arrangement, a pact of mutual, unspoken understanding. No feelings, no attachment, a strictly sexual encounter right up until the moment it wasn’t. Or, at least, that was the agreement for him. For her, a dangerous precipice was forming, a descent into emotions she had no right to feel and no business indulging.
Then, Adalind Schade changed everything with a single, earth-shattering revelation. The man who had held her captive in his arms, the man whose touch she had come to anticipate with a traitorous flicker of longing, was the father of the Hexenbiest 's unborn child. The implication was immediate and devastating. He was never going to love her; she was just a distraction. A convenient outlet for his baser desires, a fleeting amusement in his royal existence. The truth was a bitter pill; the harsh reality of her foolish indulgence crashing down upon her. Life, it seemed, was finally beginning to catch up with the choices she had made in the shadows. The cycle that she had so readily entered was now threatening to consume her whole.
Sean Renard would ruin her.
Travelling Nurse Isolde Kessler had recently returned to Portland, Oregon, a year prior at the earnest request of her mother, Marie. The primary impetus for Isolde's relocation from Minneapolis is to assist her cousin in navigating a significant transition into their shared family heritage. This decision was undoubtedly influenced by the pressing reality of Marie Kessler's declining health. It is widely understood within the family that Marie is facing a grave illness, with the spectre of cancer, if not the reaper, haunting her steps, indicating that her time is likely limited.
The upheaval in Isolde's life in Minneapolis was necessitated by her mother's medical needs. For some time, Isolde's insurance has been covering the costs associated with Marie's chemotherapy treatments, highlighting the financial and personal commitment Isolde has demonstrated towards her mother's well-being. This return signifies a period of intense familial responsibility and underscores the deep bonds within the Kessler family as they face this challenging chapter together.
Nick, she had grown up beside him. He was five years older than she. Her mother rarely spoke her of her father, whom she had only met as an adult. He had tracked her down at college, as she studied to get her nursing degree. This was her way of rebelling against her mother’s lessons as the veil lifted, revealing the Wesen that lived amongst them.
A year on, and Portland had grown on her. Her apartment might have been on the small side, but it was a stone’s throw from the hospital. Just in case Nick or Juliette wound up there again. Not that this was where she spent most of her nights, no, they were spent in his bed. Especially with the recent revelation that Nick's mother Kelly had not died that night, all those years ago.
“No, get him out of your mind. It’s over,” Isolde muttered, knowing that she had broken that promise more than a few times already this month. “I mean this time”
She hoped that she did, Isolde needed to focus on her job and ensuring that her cousin, Nick, did not end up back on her ward. Hearing Monroe’s panicked tone as he called her or having Rosalee turn up on her doorstep on the brink of tears had not been the highlight of her week.
“I’m done with all this Wesen drama” This was not the life that she had envisioned for herself; her father had disappeared from it once again. Farley had not returned her calls, nor answered her texts, but this was not the first time that he had pulled such an act.
“Sean, this isn’t the time,” Isolde said, her frustration a hot, tight knot in her chest, bleeding into her words and warping her bored tone into something sharp. The air felt thick, stifling.
“You missed our weekly rendezvous,” he replied, his voice a low rumble of curiosity, tinged with a hint of hurt. He imagined the rough wood grain of the door against her back, the slick slide of skin, the desperate friction.
“Oh, you noticed, did you?” She shot back sarcastically, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. Jealousy coiled in her gut, a bitter serpent. She blinked back the prickling heat behind her eyes, fighting the urge to spill tears for a man who wasn't worth a single drop.
“Of course I would; now are you going to correct this error and come over tonight?” Sean’s voice was direct, cutting through the charged silence. He couldn’t grasp the finality, the closing of a door that had felt so open.
“No,” Isolde finally whispered, the word a fragile shard breaking off in her chest, tearing at her already fragile heart.
“No? Care to explain?” Sean’s voice sharpened, echoing the disbelief.
“Sean, I’m done with you, with our whole arrangement,” she pushed through, gritting her teeth against the raw ache. The venom she wanted to spew back at him wouldn't come, replaced by a dull, heavy weight. “Much like I’m done with conversation, I need to get to work.”
"Isolde..." She nearly mistook the sound of her name for a sigh, so soft was the way it left his lips. No, she couldn’t allow herself to be pulled back into that old pattern, or she would forever be trapped.
"Don't call me again," she stated, the finality of her words echoed by the sudden, leaden drop of her arm after disconnecting the call. Her eyes welled up with betrayal, hot tears coursing down her face as she staggered back, finally collapsing against the wall with Isolde. Her mask shifted, revealing her true emotions as everything collapsed around her.
Remembering the passionate nights that she had spent underneath the half Zauberbiest but that was now over. She hadn’t anticipated falling in love with the man. Between the silken sheets, memories of the previous week in his home resurfaced. There was an animalistic edge to Sean, as his cock rutted, hard, deep and fast as he used her. Oh, but how she loved it, throwing her head back, moaning which each thrust as he bottomed out, before diving right back in.
His teeth scraped against her neck, a rough, grating sound, before sinking in with a sharp bite. Even now, the healing wound throbbed, a dull ache that pulsed intermittently against her skin. He recoiled, a surprised gasp escaping him, and she saw a thin trickle of crimson bloom on his lip. After that, a heavy silence descended, broken only by the faint, ragged sound of his breathing.
His clawed fingertips digging into her hips, bruises had blossomed, leaving a trail of where he had been. As she rocked back against him, refusing to be a passive party to the building pleasure that they were creating. Her hold on him became more intense, a desperate grip as he entered her once more. "No," Isolde said, a firm shake of her head accompanying her words as she actively pushed away intrusive memories, locking them deep within her mind.
The clandestine meetings had ceased, marking the end of their affair. As dread began to consume her, her face contorted in a silent scream. This was the price that she was willing to pay, to cut Sean Renard out of her life and out of her bed.
The memory of Adalind’s beautiful face kissing his was reminder enough that her choice to end this illicit liaison had been correct. She could hear Nick now, if he ever discovered who her lover had been.
Her work contract was up for renewal; this was her chance to start afresh in a different city. To forget all about Sean Renard. Nick would understand in time; he had Monroe, Juliette, Rosalee, Hank, and even Wu to fall back on. This city didn’t need three Grimms when it barely could handle two before Kelly's seemingly miraculous return.
Sean stared down at his phone; had she just ended things? Normally he would shrug it off, find another pretty girl to take to bed, but yet, an unfamiliar sensation emitting from within his chest. A tightness that compelled him to drive over there and face her, but yet his feet refused to listen.
“I’m not ready to let you go yet”
“You are mine, Isolde”