This is Love by Air Traffic Controller
Tom spends a great deal of time staring at that fire, thinking about his options. Simply getting rid of Cain - through compulsion, murder, or other means - will not work for two reasons.
First, as much as he hates to admit it, he does need Cain. He is the pureblood elite's favorite son, and his own top officer. He has performed every task Tom has given him over the years splendidly, never once failing. He has never openly defied him, never even denied him access to her as far as the others know. To punish him when he has not, technically, done anything wrong will look selfish. To punish him when he has gone so far as sharing her attention and time, as allowing Tom to touch her the way he does in the public eye, will simply look cruel and unreasonable - traits people do not look for in their leaders. A great general, one who inspires people to follow him as he needs to, does not kill off his own soldiers over personal squabbles.
Second, he knows she will run the second he even hints at planning to do so again. Those words, at least, had not been a lie. To her, hurting Cain is hurting her, and she will not be hurt by anyone ever again. Whatever her former husband had done to her, it had been bad enough that she will never take the risk of letting anyone else do the same. He has seen her magic and knows that, even if she does not manage to outrun him, she will manage to put up a good fight. Love potions, imperio, even torture will only control her for so long. One of them will end up dead. Or, in his case, this part of his soul and this body will be destroyed.
He cannot afford to lose his best knight. With his wealth and status, Cain can do - and has done - more for him than the others combined. He cannot afford to lose the casino. The connections and favors he can acquire through it are simply too valuable to his future plans to give up. He cannot stand to lose her. Even the possibility, even the thought of it, is something he will not entertain. Of course, there is the option of keeping up their professional relationship while forgoing their personal one, but that is not what he has worked so hard for, and he knows in practical terms he would not be able to resist restarting it.
Less coercive methods are needed. Well, perhaps not less coercive, simply less visible. It has to look like - to feel like - she is choosing him. It has to be Cain that ends their relationship, not him. It had taken time to get his far. It will take time to get where he ultimately wants them to be. Time, and something else, which itself will take time to acquire. So, for now, his only option, no matter how much he had hated it when actually faced with the reality of it, is to share. That does not mean it has to be an even split.
She walks into the office in the morning and sets down her coffee on the desk, looking around more than a bit surprised at what she sees. She'd half expected the place to be torn to shreds. The thought that she might find Tom still there, sleeping in one of the chairs, had popped into her head briefly - but then she'd tried to imagine Tom sleeping and hadn't been able to, quickly making the entire idea seem ridiculous. He had to sleep, right? All humans slept, no matter how much like the devil they looked and like sin they sounded. Or smelled. Fuck, his smell is still here, the sandalwood biting at her nostrils and making her fingers curl around the arms of the chair.
She takes a deep breath to clear her head - unsuccessfully - and looks back at the desk. All of the ledgers and other paperwork are now arranged into neat piles. In the center, right in front of her, sits a carefully written out list of all the outstanding debts owed and to be paid in, creditors listed first, followed by vendors, then finally by customers. An apology, she guesses. For what, she is not sure. For what he'd said? For convincing her to invest in a business which he knew wasn't worth shit? For plotting to hurt Cain?
Maybe it wasn't an apology at all. Maybe it was just a way to distract himself.
Well, he couldn't possibly have slept if he'd managed to get all of this done, that was one thing she knew for certain.
He gets a letter from her Monday evening. Well, it doesn't seem quite right to call it a letter. All the actual parchment has scribbled on it is his name, with one of the official copies of the Ministry business license for the casino enclosed behind it. Bribes and favors were necessary to obtain it this quickly, he suspects. Especially given that it had been operating illegally for several years now, a fact which many Ministry employees are no doubt aware of, which meant all the back taxes and fines had to have been either excused or paid.
Is this her way of saying she still wants him, he wonders? Or simply business?
She stands in front of the fireplace Wednesday, waiting for it to flare up, not knowing what to expect. Would he still be angry? Would he still be interested?
The flames turn green for a second and then he steps out, impeccably dressed as always and holding a very small box in his hand. His grey eyes focus on her, but they are as unreadable as the rest of his expression.
She waits for him to speak but finally gives up and simply asks, "Coffee?"
"Yes, please," he responds, the same slippery politeness to his tone that was there the first day they met. He is hiding, and she does not like it.
"In the study or do you want to go out to the garden?" she continues, trying to sound as polite and unperturbed as possible. "The weather is finally turning up."
"This is your home, Cassandra. Choose."
She would rather be inside, she decides. Then again, she'd also rather not have a desk around. She forces a smile and turns, leading him up the stairs to her sitting room. It is a small room. There is no fireplace. Just an entire wall of windows, stretching all the way up to the towering ceiling, with two armchairs arranged in front of them and a sofa facing them opposite, separated by a low table. On the right side are two double doors, which he figures from their path here must lead into her bedroom.
"Please sit. I will return in a few minutes," she says, waving him in. He raises an eyebrow but does not say anything as he goes to take one of the armchairs. She keeps her promise, returning a few minutes later with a tray of coffee and biscuits floating in front of her that she directs to the table as she takes a seat on the sofa.
He lifts up his cup and sips from it, leveling her with another stare that makes it clear he is going to force her to be the one to initiate the conversation. Even this, she knows, is a power move. A dare to say something he does not like. A challenge to guess what he does want to hear. She decides to start with something neutral, a fact he already knows.
"Thank you for sorting the books," she says before taking a sip from her own cup.
"My pleasure, Cass," he answers with a smirk. "Has everything been settled now?"
She nods, "Sent out the last few Gringotts drafts yesterday. I am having some things rearranged and a few new tables installed Friday while I am there meeting with new liquor distributors and the girls. Macnair contacted them for me. Of course, he will be there to assist and spy for you in case you are worried about being kept out of the loop."
"Wonderful," he says, shooting a wry smile at her as he sets down the coffee cup. "I will come by after the shop closes to take a look."
He waits for her to object. Instead, the corners of her lips turn up for a second before she looks down at the small box he'd left on the side table beside his chair, "Do I finally get to see what you've brought today then?"
So she does not hate him again for what he'd said. Good. It had been a possibility that had been crowding his mind since Monday, since the nearly blank letter. It would have complicated matters much more. Now, he can proceed with his plan.
He clicks his tongue, "Patience is a virtue, Cass. Come here."
She puts down her coffee cup and goes to stand in front of him, not being able to help biting her lip as her stomach tumbles. This is the closest they have been since their dinner. His hands travel up her legs, pushing under the fabric of her skirt and sending a chill through her. At the same time, her skin feels like it is on fire. It is almost a relief when his cold fingers close around her thighs, pulling her forward into his lap.
They are eye to eye now, and she can see that he is searching her face for something as he says quietly, "Do you still want this, Cass?"
Her throat feels like it has closed up. How is she supposed to respond to that? She had never wanted this. He'd dragged her into it. Dragged her into him and his grasp. But she does not want to escape it now. Does that mean she wants to be in it? Or does it just mean she knows how futile it would be to resist, to say no to him, to say no to her own body?
She cannot manage any words, cannot put her thoughts into an explanation - and thinks he would not want to hear it anyway if she did - so she just nods.
"Then there are a few demands I have to make, Cass. First, it - our businesses, the organization - comes first. No popping off for a vacation or filing your social calendar with other things. Even if you have plans, you will cancel them if there's a legitimate need for you to be somewhere else."
Her voice comes back, indignant at the suggestion that she does not take her affairs seriously, "Did you really expect any less from me?"
"No, but I still need to make sure my expectations are understood. Next, the matters we discuss in private remain between us. Just me and you, Cass. Not him. Not the others. Nobody unless I say otherwise."
"The things that happen between us in private will remain between us as well?"
"Of course, Cass."
"You keep my secrets, I will keep yours, Tom."
"Third rule. I will expect to have enough of your company during events that it is clear to everyone what your official role is. Further, when we are with them, you will let me touch you as I wish - within the bounds of social politeness - without complaint. It is my prerogative, given my position, as everyone knows."
"As long as you don't make up your own definition of what is polite," she quips back, a challenge in her eyes. Best to establish that line now, because she is sure he will push it.
"Final provision. You can have him, Cass. You can be with your pureblood prince, as you wish. But when we are alone together, you are mine. No talk of that or him unless it's related to the organization and I bring it up. And when we are with the group, doing as I ask of you comes first. I come first. Understand?"
She does not believe him. Not quite. He had said the same thing before too, and she knew now it had been a lie then. At least half his words, it seemed, were lies or well-crafted truths. But since then she had put her foot down on the matter, which she knew was exactly what had driven his little tantrum on Saturday. Perhaps he realized now this was not a provision she would accept him violating, just like hurting her was not something she would suffer again.
Either way, does she really have a choice in the matter? She is very certain of what the result of refusing him would be. Better to take a gamble on half a chance at a happy ending than ensure a bad one. Besides, she is not the one who has put them into this situation in the first place, and if Cain prefers not to stand up to him anyway then it will be easier for them all this way, she thinks.
"I understand what you are asking of me is for my ultimate loyalty to be to you, and it will be. Not because of this, mind you, so don't go inflating your ego even more. Because I want to be part of it, and I know that is the price. It is a price he already paid, so why shouldn't I?"
He raises his hand to her face, a smirk on his, pulling her lips to his for just a few seconds before shifting back to capture her eyes again and hiss, "Remind me again who you are loyal to."
What he wants to hear pops into her head immediately, because she has heard it come out of countless other mouths. She knows what will happen if she does not comply, because the fact is that everyone he associates with does. Still, there is a second of hesitation before she answers, "You, my lord."
"Again, my little harpy," he says, his thumb coming out to caress her bottom lip. The desire in his eyes is palpable, pupils blown so wide they look entirely black. He looks more like an actual snake than ever before - and if he is the snake, that means she is the mouse, but she does not mind in the moment. She knows what being eaten by him feels like, and the memory is enough to bring goosebumps to her skin.
Her lip quivers before she repeats, "You, my lord."
Progress. There is still so much more to go, but her acquiescence is a victory he relishes in.
"There will be consequences for breaking these rules, Cass. You will not pay them personally, and neither will he per your request. Instead, if you misbehave, I will punish one of them. They will know it is for you, and you will watch."
He knows this will be consequence enough for her, whether out of emotion - he remembers the way she'd begged him not to hurt Lestrange - or logic. Her reputation is already fragile enough and he is sure she knows they will all turn against her even more so if they have to experience pain on her behalf. A consequence which, given her sensitivity to whispers, she will want to avoid.
She does not like that word, misbehave. Too bad contesting it would likely qualify as misbehaving in his mind. Too bad she's too impulsive not to utter the snarky response, "You do know what happens if you misbehave, don't you, Tom?"
"Say you will leave me again and I will have to put a tracking spell on you, Cass."
His tone is playful. His threat is not. With the dozens to choose from, surely he will have some lead time before she figures out the correct counter-charm. Her eyes narrow at the suggestion, knowing it is probably an idea he is seriously entertaining now.
He kisses her again, the hand not on her face drifting up to her hip and pulling her impossibly closer to him. Every nerve ending in her body fires at once and she reaches for his shoulders, using her hold to try to push herself up so she can reach the waistband of his trousers. His hand on her hip pulls her back down before his other hand slips into her hair and pulls it back so he can nip at her neck.
"Take the ward off your bedroom," he orders between bites.
Could he detect it just by being near it? Or had he tried to get in and been thwarted? She had only added it after his unexpected appearance there. Had he been here some other time since then, when she wasn't home? When she was home? She shivers against him, half from the thought and half from the way his lips are moving. She shoves the thought down as his movements make her grind against his lap, an undeniable heat building inside her that she would be willing to do anything to satisfy at this point. Increasing the protections on the manor will be a job for tomorrow. For right now she is focused on other things.
"I am not going to ask twice, Cassandra."
She glares down at him before shifting and standing up, drawing her wand as she approaches the door. Tom Riddle might be a horrible human being, but there is no denying he is good at a great many things - sex being one of them. And the sex between them is bloody fantastic, irresistibly so. Just as she starts the necessary wand movements, he arrives behind her and starts unzipping her dress, his fingers wandering along her newly exposed skin as he does so.
"Maybe don't distract me in the middle of this," she warns.
"Impossible. But maybe I can help too," he hisses in her ear. He pulls her against him with his left hand while lifting his wand with his right. Even as he starts the wand movements, his other hand keeps wandering, eventually sliding forward and pulling her back against him as he fondles her breast. It irritates her that he doesn't seem to need to pay any attention to what he is doing.
"You're just resealing them," she growls.
"Just trying to make sure you still sleep safely, my little harpy," he says back, pressing a kiss behind her ear.
A little laugh escapes from her as she realizes what he is doing, "Safe from everyone except you, you mean?"
He does not answer, instead squeezing her breast in a way that makes her rise up in to his hold and whimper. The ward finally falls a second later - or rather, is transformed by his magic into a different one than she had originally intended. He withdraws his hand only to turn her around and kiss her again. She is the one to pull him through the doors and back toward the bed, her hands reaching for his pants immediately once they are in front of it.
"Not yet, Cass," he says, pulling them back.
"Don't be a controlling prick, Tom," she responds.
"Trust me, you will like me being in control very much," he hisses before kissing her again. His hands lead hers up to his shirt, and she takes the signal by starting to unbutton it.
Her fingers wander along his chest as his tongue explores her mouth. His sharp clavicle leads her to his broad shoulders, then down his frame, her fingers lingering for a second over the scars on his heart, just to see if he reacts, if he pushes her away. He does not, though she has the feeling an explanation for them will still never come. She moves on.
The rest of his body is also unexpectedly hard, not all bones as she'd expected from his lithe frame but instead sinewy muscles seemingly carved from marble. At the same time, his long fingers start to wander across her skin again, along her hips and to her back to press her closer, then up to the back of her dress to start pulling it off. She shoves the sleeves of the shirt down his shoulders. The cold when he touches the bare skin of her back as he unhooks her bra shocks her, making her shiver.
Her hands finally reach his belt again and he does not stop her this time as her own dress falls to the ground. When she finishes, he pulls away to remove his cufflinks and his shirt completely before moving down to shrug his pants off and discard them behind him. She stands in front of him, eyes wide as they gaze over him.
Odd, the fact that they've already fucked twice and this is the first time she is actually seeing his body. She realizes this is the first time he is actually seeing her completely as well. Though it is not nearly as much of a surprise as he's already undressed most of her before, the realization still makes her blush and want to pull her arms up to cover herself, especially in light of his perfection.
He draws her hands back down just when she starts acting on that thought, stepping forward again to run his fingers over the bare skin of her abdomen. When he talks, it sounds as if he is whispering to himself instead of her, "Beautiful."
She does not hate the word for once when it comes out of his mouth like a prayer. The way he says it while gazing down at her with eyes that have gone almost completely black makes her core tighten, the need for release building up to painful levels already.
Tom Riddle does like pretty things, and she is the prettiest thing he has ever seen.
He does not say anything else as he kisses her again, pushing her back and down onto the bed, his arms guiding her up until her head hits the pillow. She whimpers when he separates their lips and their bodies again. He smirks and runs his nose along her cheek until he reaches her ear, "Good, Cass. Don't you dare try to suppress those noises today. I want to hear exactly how you react to me."
Merlin, is it possible to get wetter?
Yes - the answer comes to her mind quickly as he lowers his mouth back down her neck and then to her breasts, licking around her nipple before popping it into his mouth and sucking. She screams and arches her back up. He brings his teeth down in response, biting just hard enough to make her cry out again. Her hands reach up to his hair to try to pull him off, but they are pushed back by a spell he does without even looking, held down to the bed above her head by some invisible force.
He removes his mouth and smirks up at her surprised expression before warning, "Don't interrupt while I am playing with you, my little harpy."
"I thought you wanted to get in to the bedroom so we could fuck," she snaps.
"We will. Eventually," he responds while his hand comes up, a single finger running circles around the all too sensitive area he had just bitten. She bites her lip and tosses her head back when he finally reaches her nipple again and just barely brushes over it. He laughs at her whimper. His other hand comes up to push her hair away from her face and caress it as he says, "Don't worry, my little harpy - this will be fun for you too."
"Just fuck me and you can have as much fun as you want afterward," she tries to bargain.
She bites her lip between her teeth as he starts repeating the same treatment on her other breast, muttering against it, "Do you really need me that badly, Cassandra?"
"I want to - fuck," she cries out as he bites down on her other breast.
"I know. As I said, patience is a virtue. You can beg as much as you need to, but I will take my time to enjoy you."
She thinks he must want to make her cry from the way his tongue sweeps over the marks he just left. She almost breathes a sigh of relief when he lifts his mouth again, but he just moves over to the other side again, making her curse again. Finally, after another round, he moves down her body, lips skimming across her abdomen to her core. The delicate lace of her underwear rips with just a glance, allowing him to remove it without moving her. One kiss to her pelvis is all it takes to make her open her legs wider for him, allowing him room to move down and settle between them.
Her body is already so tense that a few licks of his tongue across her are all it takes for her to come undone, screaming as she gushes around him and he drinks it in, a smirk plastered on his face but his tongue still working at her.
"Hurts, Tom," she whimpers as she passes the line from pleasure to pain due to the overstimulation, too exhausted from the release of all her built up tension to form a full sentence.
He looks up at her, for a moment looking like he's going to keep going anyway, like he wants to hurt her, before moving his mouth down her inner thighs instead, marking them on his way. When he is done, the pressure has already built back up and she thinks he will finally give her what she really needs. Instead, his mouth just clamps down around her again. It takes a few minutes longer this time, but just when she feels she is about to burst, he removes himself and starts working his way back up her body.
When he pauses between her breasts again and she is faced with the fact he may just continue this assault forever, she cannot help but try begging again, "Tom, please, just fuck -"
His hand sneaks between her legs, a finger pressing into her. The sudden intrusion makes her shiver but he holds her down with his palm pressed against her skin.
"Do you want me, Cassandra?" he asks, staring into her eyes, as he teases her with small movements. She moves her lips to answer but he shushes her with a kiss before saying, "Me. Not just this. Not just the organization. Me. Do you want to be with me?"
"Tom, I am not going to stop -"
"Remember the rules, my little harpy. All I am asking is if these appointments, our meetings, us is something you can admit to choosing now. No more deal, Cass. No contingencies. Just me and you."
"I'll hate you if -"
"I know. Now don't make me warn you again, because I won't," he says. She licks her lips and looks away for a second before nodding. "Say it, Cassandra."
"I want you," she tries. He does not move, so she tries again, "I want to be with you."
These seem to be the magic words, because he withdraws his hand from her and moves to pull his boxers down. She expects him to move his body over to align with hers, but instead his arms just wrap around her waist and pull her with him as he flips them over.
She gets the message. He wants her to show him she wants this - and she does, lifting up to guide him in, a sigh escaping her as he fills her. She is so close that every single sensation feels like enough to tip her over, but his hands go to her hips and grip them, forcing her to move slowly. She whimpers and falls down into him as she gets close, kissing him just as an orgasm rips through her. He kisses back, movements soft for a few minutes as he lets her rest, his wandering mouth and the small jerks of his hands guiding her hips keeping her suspended in an infinite state of bliss until he asks, "Ready?"
She nods. He pulls them around again, pushing her down on the bed as he hovers over her, driving into her steadily but roughly. The room echos with the noises coming from both of them, grunts and cries and short praises - yes, fuck, right there, so good, more.
She feels him twitch inside of her and he slows, his movements sensual again. He leans his head down against the pillow to be able to bury himself in her and places his mouth next to her ear, hissing, "We were made for each other, Cassandra."
Another orgasm comes crashing over her and he finally gives into his, spilling into her. When the sensation has subsided, she shifts, still nearly gasping, until they are laying on their sides next to each other. His eyes are closed, the first time she has seen them be, she thinks. She makes the mistake of thinking he is already asleep and tries to move further away, but he just wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her forward against his chest.
"Mine," he mutters, pressing a kiss against her forehead. She is too exhausted to hold out on sleeping just because of this, so she lets her own eyes slip closed too.
By the time they wake, the light in the room reveals that the sun is already in the process of setting. She stands up, summoning a glass of water over to quench her thirst before looking down to find him still lying in her bed and staring at her.
"Do you want dinner?" she asks, stumbling a bit as she pulls on her dress.
He finally stands and starts putting on his own clothes before answering, "Unfortunately, I have another engagement."
"I see," she says, clipped, before turning to face the mirror on her dressing table and fixing her lipstick.
He chuckles as he does up his belt, "You cannot fault me for playing my games with other women as necessary to benefit my plans when you play your games with him to benefit your shiny new public image."
"Play your games, just don't bring any souvenirs back from them to me," she snaps.
When she turns back to him, she sees he has summoned the small box he'd brought. He opens it as she watches. He has been keeping this one for some time, waiting until it can be useful. Inside is the family signet ring her father wore.
"How much?" she asks, reaching out. Her eyes are laser focused on it, clearly entranced.
Before she can touch it, he takes it back. He puts it in his pocket before saying, "Someday we can discuss that."
She understands his answer to mean that it will cost more than money. She still argues back, "That should rightfully be mine. I will tell Borg…"
"Borgin doesn't know it exists, and he won't. As I said, you can have it someday. As long as it remains the sigil of the family you claim."
Her eyes narrow for a second. At this point, she has given into a lot of his commands, but this is one she does not want to bow to. It does not matter that she does not want to marry again. She resents being told she cannot. She looks at the determination on his face and is almost certain that if he could write mine all over her he would.
Fuck, she really shouldn't have let him fuck her.
But is she going to stop letting him fuck her now? Absolutely not.
She's already dug her grave. She's already lying in it. Why get up now?
Meanwhile, in London, Cain receives a letter from Druella requesting his urgent presence. He ignores it, thinking whatever it is can wait until after work, only to receive a howler twenty minutes later demanding he come now. When he arrives, the blood on the entryway carpet gives him a hint as to why she had summoned him. The house elf appears, grumbling as usual, and leads him up to one of the bedrooms. Cygnus is laid out in the bed, unconscious by the looks of it, as Druella dots dittany on the cuts all over his upper body.
Cain rolls up his sleeves and goes to the cauldron that has been set up in the corner. He'd been horrid at potion making during the first few years of school, until Cassandra had tutored him on it the summer before fourth year and it had become one of his best subjects. The only one he'd even managed to get anywhere close to rivaling Tom in. Without the benefit of Cassandra's wisdom, Druella is still horrid at it, a trait that seems to run in the family. At any rate, she is too busy to tend to a cauldron right now, so Cain gets to work brewing the blood restoring potion. He wishes he could go get Cassandra to help, but she is too far away and, anyway, Cain knows better than to disturb her on a Wednesday.
An hour later, with the potion brewed and ingested and the majority of his cuts closed up, Cygnus wakes briefly. Cain leaves the room to let them talk in private. Druella joins him in the sitting room a short while later.
"Sleeping," she explains. She knows what he will ask next and answers it before he can, "He got put on a mission to break into some house in Germany looking for a magical artifact. Needless to say, the house was boobytrapped, and since Nott made him take the lead…"
"I can get him in to St. Mungo's. Off the books, of course."
"There will be no need. Not this time," she says, taking a seat across from him. Cain's jaw ticks and he looks away for a second, the awkward silence hanging in the air for a minute before Druella accepts the fact that she will need to be the one to confront the issue, "We both know his selection was no coincidence. You have to talk to him, Cain. Talk some sense into him. Cygnus is young, inexperienced for such tasks. And I cannot raise my children without a father."
Cain nods, a serious look on his face instead of the usual smile, "I will, Druella."
"You know this is beca - "
He knows this is retaliation for his showing up at the casino and ruining whatever Tom was trying to do that evening. He is a good actor - good enough to trick her - but not good enough to trick Tom, who evidently knows his appearance was a purposeful sabotage instead of a spur of the moment decision based on good intentions.
"I know. Don't ask me to stop seeing her."
"I'm not asking. He's telling."
"I won't."
"Not even for your family, brother?"
"It's a ridiculous demand and everyone knows it. He has no right to take her from me. No right to take her at all. There is no reason for it, no justification. I have done everything he has asked except for this. And she does not want him anyway."
"We all took an oath, Cain. He's our lord. He has a right to everything, regardless of what his reasons are, or whether or not you or her want to give it to him."
"Not her. Never her."
"Don't be selfish."
"I am not the one being selfish, sister. As I said, I will talk to him. I will make sure he does not involve you two in it again."
Tom has a private office in an unassuming little flat at the end of Diagon Alley. It is above a shop in a row of other shops, meaning the area is deserted by the usual time Tom is there to hold meetings with them individually. Cain apparates over, knowing he will be there already waiting for him.
Tom is smirking when the door magically swings open in response to Cain's knocking. He looks up at him, raising an eyebrow as he waives to the chair across from his desk, "Well, this is unexpected. Then again, you seem to have a habit of dropping into places you have not been invited to. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Cain walks closer but refuses to take a seat, just glaring down at him, "It is time for these little games to stop Tom. He was almost killed."
"I am afraid I have no idea to what you are referring."
"So you're really going to pretend you didn't assign Cygnus to the most dangerous task you could think of just to get back at me?"
"As I recall, I put Nott in charge of that mission. If you have an issue with his decisions on it, perhaps you should take it up with him."
They both know he knew what he was doing by telling Nott to lead it. Nott still has a grudge against him from that day at Mulciber's house, and Tom had given him the opportunity to do something about it, which he had of course happily taken.
Cain snarls, "I know you don't understand, but my family is very important to me."
"Thank you for the reminder that I do not have one, Cain," Tom says, standing up. "See, that means I have no one else in my life I care at all about. Just a very singular interest in your girlfriend. Shall we count how many people in your life you care about?"
Cain remains silent, wise enough not to answer his provocation and hand Tom over a list of who would hurt him the most. Tom just smiles and makes his own a second later.
"Let's see. Your mother and father first. Your beloved sister. Her husband. Their child. Their soon-to-be born second child. And isn't there a cousin somewhere from that dearly departed aunt of yours that you are fond of? I am sure she won't be too hard to track down. Aside from family, there's friends like Lestrange. You two have been very close your entire lives, haven't you? And Avery, you two have a certain bond due to your similar natures. I think we can safely add Greengrass. Merlin knows you don't feel nearly as strongly for her as she does for you, but still. My, that's ten already. Wouldn't it be tragic to lose them all? Though even one, I imagine, would be terrible."
Cain spits out sarcastically, "Go ahead and do that - because surely if there is one thing you want to get a reputation for, it is wiping out pureblood lines over personal squabbles."
"Not at all. I would leave you, so the Rosier line would survive."
"Considering she would run once you showed her who you really are, it would not."
"She asked me to protect you, Cain. Nobody else. Besides, do you really think she has it in her to care about all of them? Already her affection for you is only misplaced nostalgia."
"See some sense, Tom. This infatuation you have with her is not mutual, nor is it helpful to your plans since, as I am sure you would agree, ensuring the continuation of pureblood lines - most especially the ancient and nobles lines, of which the Rosier line is one - is an important aspect of our desired society."
Tom's jaw twitches. His glare is enough of an order to stop talking, but Cain does not.
"She loves me. We are going to start a family together. It would be unfortunate if the right of our offspring to carry the Rosier name was drawn into question."
"I assume you would want to do things the proper way?" Tom asks before mocking, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage."
Cain resists the urge to punch him, gritting his teeth as he answers, "Of course."
"First, she doesn't love you."
"Yes, she does."
"How long did it take you to believe that delusion, or do you know it isn't true?"
"She's said she does."
"Then she lied."
"If you are so sure about that, then ask her yourself."
"Second, she's never going to marry you."
"I think she will."
"You think she wants to get married again after how the last one turned out?"
"That was different."
"She killed her husband."
"That wasn't her fault."
"Hence why I am sure she isn't eager to be legally bound to a man again."
"She never wanted to marry him in the first place."
"And you think she wants to marry you?"
"She loves me."
"In your head, she does."
"She does. Ask her."
"If she loves you, why would she let me touch her? I know she told you what our agreement is by now, so I know you know that isn't part of it."
"Because she is scared of what you will do if she denies you, just like all of us are."
"Come, Cain, you are too clever to be that oblivious. You saw the way she looked at me at the last meeting. She is not scared of me, and you know it. I am not compelling her to do anything. What is between us is just as much by her wish as it is mine."
"What is between you is nothing, Tom, and it doesn't mean she doesn't love me."
"Actually, most people would say it does."
"Most people don't know what a manipulative bastard you are."
Tom's jaw twitches again at the word, as Cain knew it would. He sneers, "As if you're so innocent. You are so eager to reveal my faults, did you ever tell her yours? The things you've done? No, you'd rather have her think you're perfect and I'm the big bad monster here - but we both know you've done much more than just follow my commands, golden boy."
Cain falls silent, simply glaring at him in response to his threat. He would do anything for her. She does not need to know the things he had done before her.
"She doesn't love you, and you know it just as well as I do," Tom berates. "She loves the idea of being 16 again and being able to start over, but we all knows it's too late for that."
"She loves me. You can try to convince me she doesn't however much you want, but I am not going to fall for your mind games again."
Tom laughs and says, "It appears you're already playing enough tricks on your own mind if you've convinced yourself to believe that."
"She will marry me."
"What are you going to do, imperio her down the aisle and hope she doesn't undo it when she wakes up? Arrange a secret wedding day and take some felix felicis on it? Slip her some fertility potion and talk her into doing the respectable thing?"
The last one stings. So Tom knows then, what had happened with her first marriage. It stings that she had trusted him enough to tell him too. It stings that he would even imply Cain would do the same to her.
At Cain's silence, Tom hisses, "No? You would never do any of that to Cass, would you?So it seems safe to say that if you want to get to the third step, you'll have to find someone else."
His response is quiet, tempered, "If she says yes, will you stop?"
"Are you asking me for a deal?"
"Yes. As soon as she's wearing my ring on her finger, you stop touching her."
Tom laughs again, even sharper, "Since that will never happen, I might be willing to indulge you if there was something in it for me."
"What do you want?"
"If you do ask and she says she doesn't want to marry you, you stop touching her."
"If things turn out my way and you break your side, we get to leave. No consequences. No tracking us down to force us back. Just letting us live normal lives."
"If things turn out my way and you break your side, you'll kill yourself. Deal?" Tom offers a hand, the charming smile on his face a stark contrast to the seriousness of his words.
"Deal," Cain responds, swallowing as he reaches out to shake it.
"Wonderful. Now to move on to what happens in the meantime. As I am sure you recall, Cassandra has asked us to behave like gentlemen in public - a request that would be much easier for me to fulfill if you were not around so much."
"Are you really asking me to stop seeing my girlfriend in public?"
"I am not asking. From now on, I determine how much time you spend with her. I understand, of course, that she would question it if you didn't spend any time with her, but reasonable limits will be enforced."
"None of this is reasonable, Tom."
"Your safety has made you bold, Cain. Perhaps another reminder is needed that there can still be consequences to your disobedience."
"I apologize. None of this is reasonable, My Lord," Cain spits out.
Tom just twirls his wand between his fingers as he says, "Lestrange is due for a meeting soon, perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone."
"I'm sorry, My Lord," Cain says through gritted teeth. "May I enquire as to what some of these reasonable limits might be?"
"See, so much better already. I knew we could get along, for her sake," Tom says smugly.
Cain almost rolls his eyes. Yes, isn't it amazing how cooperative somebody can be when threatened with the death of their best friend?
"First, naturally, you will not interrupt us again. Second, you will be expected to hand her over to me at all events upon arrival and, certainly, upon request if she should somehow stray back to you. Third, you will be limited to one public date per week, if any, with pre-approval. For now, I shall not impose any limits on your private time together, but should that begin to get in the way, I do reserve the right to change my mind on the issue - so please ensure it does not."
Cain's face is set in a frown as he looks down at the ground. If any. He had gotten stuck at that part. Of course Tom had set up the playing field and then made it uneven. He'd been naive not to realize it wouldn't be a fair fight.
At his silence, Tom simply asks, "Understood?"
Merlin, he's going to break a wall as soon as he gets out of here. At this point, all he wants is to be away from this prick, so Cain says, "Yes, My Lord."
Tom dismisses him, satisfied. The trap is set. Now time for Cain to break them apart himself.
A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed this update! I do plan to keep working on this story. As much as possible, I will try to post new chapters weekly as I have been - however, I can't promise as much consistency anymore because of school.
Question: How long do you like chapters to be around? I know this one and quite a few earlier ones were really long. Wondering if readers prefer that so that everything can be resolved in a chapter, or if shorter chapters would be easier to read instead.