The Death Eater's Valentine

CHAPTER TWELVE: Backsliding







Hermione wasn’t sure why she was shocked to see Lucius still sitting at the table talking to Severus, but she was. How long would he continue to press her? When would he figure out what was needed in order for her to forgive him? Sure, she was being a bit unreasonable and a lot stubborn, but she felt that she had the right after what he had pulled.







She had opened herself to him that night in the cave, allowed her vulnerability, her attraction for him to be known and he had taken advantage. It made her sad to be honest. While the encounter had been intense and somewhat…kinky, at least compared to what she had known before, Lucius had been a considerate and tender lover, seeing to her needs again and again before seeking his own release.







He had even carried her home and tucked her into bed as though caring for a child. It had been a wonderful, sweet memory, the best Valentine’s Day she had ever spent, at least until he had shown his true colors once more. She wondered if it were possible for them to leave their Death Eater ways behind them completely.





He was watching her as she made her way through the crowd. His silvery blue eyes seemed to burn through her like a laser as she approached. Both men stood when she arrived and she looked between them, suddenly feeling as though she were in some sort of danger.





“What are you two up to?” She asked, her eyes lowering and her gaze darting nervously.







“We need to talk, little one.” Lucius said softly.







“And I already told you that I don’t want to.” She said.







“Then you leave me with little choice in the matter.” Lucius said, a slow smile spreading across his lips. Lucius turned to Severus, “I trust you can take care of the bill?”







“Of course.” Severus said, smirking.







“Wonderful, I will speak to you later, Severus. Come along, Little One.” Lucius grasped her upper arm and tried to guide her from the table but she wrenched free of his grip.







“I said NO!” She whispered harshly. “You are creating a scene, Lucius; I am shocked that you of all people would behave this way in public. With a muggleborn no less, what will your fellow purebloods say?”







“I don’t give a Nifler’s ass what they think.” Lucius said. “Come with me now, or I will take you.”







“You wouldn’t……Ahhhh!” Hermione screamed when Lucius bent low and tossed her over his shoulder. She dangled upside down, her hands fisted in the back of his robes as he stalked through the restaurant, ignoring the shocked and curious stares of other diners.







Severus watched in amusement, waving at the fuming Hermione when she looked up at him from her inverted position.







“Sir, should I call the aurors?” Severus looked over at the server who was standing beside him.







“What on earth for?” Severus asked.







“That man took your witch, sir!” The young man said, his eyes wide.







“She was never my witch, sadly. She was always his.” Severus said, reaching for the bill in the man’s hand and tapping his wand to it. He was almost out the door when the young man came running up.









“Sir!” The young man grabbed Severus’s sleeve as he gasped for air. “Your lady friend, she forgot her bag.”







“Thank you.” Severus said, looking at the red handbag in disdain. He tucked it beneath his arm and pulled his cloak tight around him, praying that no one saw him walking about carrying a lady’s handbag.





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Lucius didn’t even bat an eyelash as he marched down the street with the witch tossed over his shoulder. She was cursing him rather colorfully as she bounced against his back. People on the pavement stopped and stared, some appalled while others snickered in amusement. He disapparated them mid-stride and they popped up in the middle of his bedchamber.







He tossed her unceremoniously onto his bed, watching her bounce indignantly. He quickly cast a spell to keep her from disapparating and warded the door so she couldn’t run.





“This is kidnapping, Lucius.” She huffed, tossing her hair back out of her face.







“This is what happens when stubborn little witches play hard to get.” Lucius said, removing his robes and tossing them into a chair. “If you had simply spoken to me I wouldn’t have been forced into resorting to desperate measures.”







“It is my choice to speak to you or not, Lucius, and I choose not to. Now kindly let me leave.” She said, scrambling from the bed to stand in front of him.









“No.” He said calmly. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he watched her face redden with anger and she reached for her wand.







“You and Severus are the sneakiest, most manipulative, conniving wizards I have ever met.” She said, pointing her wand in his direction.







“Why do you think the Dark Lord favored us as he did, little one?” Lucius said. “Accio wand.” He whispered, disarming her with stunning ease. “Now, you are unarmed and have no where to go, I suggest you sit your sweet little bottom down and hear me out.”







She wasn’t sure why she did it, but to her amazement and his as well, she slapped him. The loud crack of her palm striking his cheek resounded in the room. Her palm stung from the blow and her pulse raced as his eyes darkened and he advanced on her.







“I’m sorry!” She croaked, backing up.









“You most certainly will be.” Lucius growled as he advanced on her. She darted to his right and ran for the fireplace but Lucius was quicker than she gave him credit for and he was able to throw a blocking spell over the hearth before she reached it. She charged for the bathroom door only to have it slam closed and lock.







“Don’t hurt me!” She squealed as he reached out for her, nearly grabbing her skirt before she could dance out of his reach.







“You struck first, little one. Why shouldn’t I get revenge?” He said, following her slowly, there was no need to rush, he would get his hands on her eventually, after all she had no where to run and was still too young to use wandless magic.









“It was a reaction; I didn’t really mean to hurt you.” She said, her eyes widening in fear as her back hit one of the columns that made up the four corners of his bed.







“Well now, this is a rather sticky wicket we find ourselves in.” Lucius said, moving in so that they were nearly touching. “What shall we do about it?”







Hermione gasped as her wrists where forced behind her around the post and bound together with silken cords.





“Gods damn it, Lucius, why is it every time I am alone with you near a bed I end up tied up?” She asked, tugging against the ties despite the fact that she knew she would not get free.







“Because you insist on running from me, little one.” He said, rolling up his sleeves as he stared at her. “Now, you are going to listen to what I have to say, you have no other choice in the matter.”







“What difference does it make?” She asked. “You want to play games and I want a relationship with someone who respects and cares for me. We are on different pages, Lucius; I don’t see why this needs to be hashed out.”







“What makes you think I don’t respect or care for you?” He asked, his brow furrowed.







“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it is because you frequently engage me in insulting crass conversations, you call me mudblood, seduce me without a single date, and invite me over to share with your friends….”









“Wait right there! I did NOT invite you over to share with Severus, that just sort of happened and I might add that you seemed to take to those games pretty well, little one, so do not accuse me of only wanting to play games with you when you participated willingly.”







“As though I had another alternative? It was either play the game or get trampled by the almighty Lucius Malfoy.” She said.







“You loved every minute of it, every swing, every swat, you loved it and you will never convince me otherwise.” Lucius smirked.







“I wouldn’t try to, I did enjoy it, but it also broke my heart that you wanted to hurt me, humiliate me in front of Severus.” She said, her hair had fallen forward around her face, shielding her. Lucius pushed it back over her shoulders, cupping her cheeks in his hand and tilting her face up to meet his gaze.







“I didn’t want to hurt you…I just…I don’t know why I did it but I now wish I hadn’t.” He said, looking down at her. “If I had known it was going to push you away…”







“Lucius, what do you want from me? Do you want me to forgive you? Fine, apologize and I will forgive you. Please, just let me go.” She said softly. Lucius dropped his hands and took a step back.







“No.” He said, shaking his head. “You don’t mean it, you just want me to release you so you can haul ass out of here.”







“Damn you, Lucius….you….you…..death eater!” She snapped. He started laughing and pulled up a chair, sitting in front of her and crossing her legs.







“Is that the best you can come up with?” He asked, his brows lifted in mocking amusement.







“You are just evil.” She said through clenched teeth.







“I never claimed to be anything else.” He drawled. “Why are you so angry? You never gave me any indication that you wanted anything more than a good time.”







“Because until you strapped me to a sex bench I had no idea you were interested in me that way, you were a fantasy, nothing more.” She said.







“Why didn’t you say something first?” He asked. “Why didn’t you flirt or try to entice me like any other young witch would have done?”







“Because men like you do not go for witches like me, and the truth is, I don’t think I could survive you, Lucius. You look like an angel and can make a woman believe she is in heaven when she’s with you only to drag her through hell on her knees in the end. I won’t be another one of Lucius Malfoy’s discarded playthings.” She said.







“STOP SAYING THAT!” He bellowed, leaping to his feet and shoving the chair over, his anger boiling up. “You were not a plaything, I never thought of you that way.” He raked his fingers through his hair as he paced back and forth like a caged beast. “I know that I wasn’t clear up front. I was getting around to it in my own way, but then we ended up trapped in the cave and I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to have you.”







“Then why did you bring Severus into it?” She asked.







“Because I have a tendency to amuse myself at the expense of others? I don’t know…I suppose I thought to test you. You admitted to having an attraction to him in your youth and implied that you would have sought him out for a more carnal history lesson.”







“Only after you goaded me into it!” She said.







“Well you didn’t seem all that adverse to his attentions that night….or tonight for that matter. In fact, the two of you seem rather cozy.” Lucius frowned.







“Unlike you, Severus didn’t immediately start sending flowers and expensive gifts to my house trying to buy me off. He came to my flat and apologized for his behavior like a man. He and I have been having lunch a couple times a week for about a month now and he takes me to dinner on occasion. We are friends nothing more.” She said.







“I went with what I know, the women in my past like pretty things, the more expensive the better.” He said.







“I don’t give a damn about fancy things; I don’t give a damn about your money. You could be a goat herder without a sickle to your name and I would have wanted you.” She said softly, blowing her curls out of her face so she could see him more clearly. “I would have wanted you because despite your deviant sense of humor and arrogant attitude, you are intelligent, interesting and there are so many facets to you I could study you forever and still not know everything there is to know about you.”







“Do you really mean that?” He asked as he came closer.







“I do. Money means nothing to me.” She said, closing her eyes and rubbing her cheek against his hand when he clasped her face.







“That’s good to know.” He said quietly. “I hate goats.







“What?” Hermione opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion.







“You said you would still want me if I was a goat herder, but I hate goats.” He said.







“Lucius, it was just a figure of speech, I don’t want you to herd goats.” She laughed.







“That’s good.” He whispered, brushing her lips with his. “Are you going to forgive me and let me court you properly, without games, without Severus?”







“Do you want to court me? Properly, out in the open where all your pureblood peers can see?” She asked, leaning into him to get closer, firmer contact with his lips.







“Yes, more than anything.” He said against her lips.







“Could you maybe do it without me tied to the stake?” She asked.







“You know witches were once burned at the stake…” He said quietly, sliding his hands to her hips and pressing into her. “Will you burn for me, little one?”





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Come on, could you possibly resist him if he actually got you into his bedroom? Be honest now......