Chapter Twenty-Two
Silence lingered in the air like a bad smell. Ember felt her leg start to bounce due to nerves the longer it stretched on. It wasn't until Severus placed a hand upon her knee did she stop. He was looking at her now, his brown eyes unreadable. Taking a deep breath he slowly released it as he retracted his hand.
"A mermaid?" His voice was slightly sceptical but she pushed her annoyance away. It wasn't exactly his fault he didn't believe her.
"Yes." She replied strongly.
"You understand why I am having trouble believing you don't you?" Severus said softly, trying not to offend. "Because mermaids don't look like you do, and they definitely stay in water. You know, like the ones in the Black Lake back at Hogwarts."
"There are different species of mermaids, Sev." Ember informed him. "Just like with every animal. Plus I just told you I was a hybrid. I'm not a full mermaid."
"What does that mean exactly?"
"I can live on both land and in sea." Ember said, shifting to get more comfortable. Severus just stared at her with a small crease between his brows. "If I was a full mermaid I would live in the sea but I could go on land for a small time. I am a hybrid, mostly human so I predominantly live on land, but I have to at least be in water an hour or two a day to stay healthy."
"So that time you were sick because you were working overtime was because what? You couldn't spend much time in water?" Severus asked. His tone was now filled with curiosity, his natural love of knowledge taking over. Ember nodded her head in answer to his question. "It's why you do some of the things you do huh? What's the deal with fire then?"
"Of course you noticed that." Ember laughed softly to herself. "Fire is a mermaids weakness. If we get hurt by fire it takes us longer to heal than it would for a normal person. I get a little wary sometimes."
"Right." Severus hummed as he sat back against the headboard of the bed, clearly thinking about what he had been told. "Why did it take you so long to tell me?"
"You have to understand, despite being half human my kind are usually hunted by Wizard's. We are very rare creatures, we can bring in a lot of money when being sold or killed for parts. We've learnt to be careful of who to tell our secrets to, who to reveal ourselves to." Ember looked down at her lap, playing with the soft duvet between her fingers. "Besides, it's unusual for my kind to live on land. Most mermaids wouldn't chose this life."
"Why not?" Severus heard the way her tone had lowered. He didn't know what was going through her mind right now, but it didn't seem good.
"Mermaids can live a lot longer than you humans. Around five hundred years to be exact. I don't know how to do it, my mother never told me but you can give up being a mermaid."
"To what? Be fully human?" Ember nodded her head solemnly. "Why would one want to do that?"
"I don't know, especially when you cut your life expectancy in half." Ember said it with such casualness that Severus started. She sighed heavily, her body sagging forward. Ember caught his look and laughed. "Don't worry, they still live longer than humans. How do you think I'm a hybrid?"
"What do you mean?" Severus asked, frowning when Ember just looked at him as though waiting for something. Eyes widening slightly he pointed at her slightly. Ember quickly shook her head.
"Not me, no! Gosh. My mother."
"Your mother gave up being a mermaid?" Severus questioned her softly. "Why?"
"I don't really know. I just don't think she liked her life, the idea of being a human seemed appealing to her at the time." Ember shrugged, rolling so her head was resting in his lap. She smiled when his fingers started running through her hair.
"So if she was a human when she had you, how come you're half mermaid? How are you one at all?" Severus asked, shuffling further down the bed so he was laid on his back and Ember was resting on his chest.
"She still was born a mermaid, it was still in her DNA. It simply was passed down to me." Ember explained.
"And your brother?"
"No, for some reason he was born without it. Fully human." Silence erupted between the two of them again, just wrapped up in each other as their thoughts swirled around inside their minds. Sighing, Ember turned around to wrap her arms around his torso.
"What about your father?" Severus asked quietly, nuzzling his face into her hair.
"He was a human, a wizard. He died many years ago." Her tone was factual again, almost like she didn't care. Or maybe it had just been so long she could talk about it in this way now even if she did miss him. Severus didn't ask, it didn't feel like the time considering.
"So Richard isn't your real father?"
"No." Ember replied, shifting up on her arms so she was further up. Pressing a kiss to his neck she mumbled against his skin. "He's Ben's dad, but he's been in my life for a long time. He's been with my mother for twenty-one years now."
Severus didn't say anything this time, just piecing what he now knew to some of the things he had seen over the past few months. A lot of things made sense now. Ember was laid lazily across his body, pressing kisses to his neck that he wasn't really reacting to. Moving so she was hovering over him she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Relief filled her when he kissed her back.
"I'm sorry to have kept this from you." Ember whispered, dropping down so their bodies were now touching.
"Don't worry, I can see why you did." Severus replied, using both hands to keep the hair from falling forwards by pushing it back and holding the back of her head. "Thank you for trusting me, it means a lot."
"I had to do it now. I'll admit I wasn't exactly sure if I was ready to tell you but, but I had to." Severus frowned at her words. "What happened last week did something to you I didn't like. You became a more insecure version of you who was always on edge, acting like I was suddenly going to leave you. That I was going to either be disgusted with you or scared of you. There are some things I know neither of us are going to like that you will have to do, but nothing is going to drive me away from you."
Severus opened his mouth but Ember quickly pressed her fingertips against his lips. Shushing him gently she moved her hand to his cheek.
"I love you so much. I am in this for the long haul, the good times and the bad times."
"There is going to be a lot of bad times." Severus breathed, eyes releasing the fear he felt inside for just a moment. Ember smiled softly.
"I know, and I will be waiting for you afterwards with open arms each and every time." Her honesty was clear. Closing his eyes Severus let her words echo inside his mind. He could feel her fingers stroking his face and hair gently. "Nothing you do will make me leave. I promise you."
"I believe you."
"No need to sound so down trodden about it." Ember scoffed causing him to laugh. Lowering her head so it was resting in the crook of his neck Ember sighed in content when he wrapped his arms around her. Rolling them over so he was on top Severus kissed her hard.
"Thank you." He breathed, kissing down her neck sensually. Humming pleasantly her hands palmed the mans back.
"For what?" Her voice sounded distant to her own ears, a breathy tone to it as his lips brushed against her collarbones. He didn't answer right away, too busy messing with her mind as he made his way down her body and setting her nerves on fire.
"For trusting me like this. It means more than you know." Undoing the tie on her robe Severus slowly pushed it off, taking his time. Next her nightgown was slipped off her body, leaving her naked and bare. Severus was still fully clothed as he kissed her breasts, his hands stroking her hips.
"Be a bit stupid to be in love with you and not trust you." Ember stated, clasping his hair and tugging until he came back up so she could kiss him once more. His lips moved passionately against hers, her words birthing a fierce need inside of him. "You are wearing far too many clothes, love."
Both yanking off his clothes Severus was just as bare as her, their lips meeting back up. Rolling them over so she was on top, he used his fingers to prepare her as she was bent at the waist still kissing him. She pulled back, moans leaving her mouth as he manually stimulated her until she felt her body shaking with need. The minute she felt herself ready and close did he retract his hand, Ember groaning in annoyance.
Lifting herself up she sunk down upon him, both groaning at the feeling. After a few minutes of adjusting, Ember grabbed Severus by the shoulders and tugged. Understanding, he sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist bringing them unbelievably close. Their hands were everywhere on the others body, sweat forming upon their skin. Severus could only be glad their room was so far away from everyone else's considering the noises they were making, then the sound of the headboard hitting the wall when he spun them round so she was underneath him. It only got worse when he forcefully pushed her onto her knees.
Ember loved him like this, when he lost all control. He didn't get like this often, even during sex he had surprising control over his own mind and body. It was annoying actually, so when he became like this she loved it. The feeling of his hands tightly gripping her hips, the harsh, desperate sounds leaving his mouth and the hard thrusts hitting her from behind at a fast pace.
Using her hand she placed it upon the headboard, attempting to keep it still only to give up a moment later when it didn't work and only served to hurt her arm. Dropping it back onto the bed she gave up and just allowed Severus to overwhelm her body and control it. Severus' hand slipped into her hair, pulling harshly until she was practically sitting up on her knees with her back pressed against his chest. Closing her eyes she focused on the harsh breathing Severus was exhaling in her ear. Focusing on that she felt her orgasm build up to an alarming extent.
Not caring with what she sounded like she allowed the feeling to wash over her, distantly hearing Severus moan out her name. Both dropped exhausted onto the bed, not bothering to move until their bodies had calmed down enough to be able to clean themselves up. Crawling back into bed Ember flopped into her mans arms, falling into one of the more peaceful sleeps she had had in a long while.
Listening to the tick of the clock echoing around the room, Remus continued to stare at the ceiling as his vision kept blurring in and out of focus. The throbbing pain came back full force, hitting him right behind his eyes sharply. His hand felt heavy as he raised it to his head, only to come into contact with something wet. Pulling it back, his eyes squinted at the red coating his fingers.
Groaning, Remus rolled onto his side. Immediate regret filled him, the horrible feeling of needing to be sick hitting him like a train. Gagging, he pressed his face into the cushions of the couch that he apparently was laid on as he prayed internally to not throw up. The room was dark, no light from uthe curtains as they seemed to be shut. There was a small amount of light coming from the door, showing another light in a different room was on. Footsteps could be heard, becoming louder the closer they got.
The light was flicked on, burning his eyes making him groan. "Good to see you're finally awake." The voice of Fenrir Greyback hit him harshly. Not wanting to look weak, or be in a vulnerable position, Remus pushed himself up on shaky arms as Fenrir casually made his way to the chair next to him. "It took you long enough."
Small images flashed into Remus' mind as he tried to remember how he got into this position. Fenrir had turned up out of the blue, again, to talk apparently. He remembered the promise he told himself of not letting the wolf get the best of him next time. It didn't exactly turn out precisely as he had hoped, Fenrir being stronger than him and sadly Remus did not have his wand on him.
Fenrir had overthrown him quickly, smashing his head roughly against the wall over and over again until he blacked out. The man was now staring at him as he perched in his chair, hands holding his ankle that was resting on his knee. Fenrir averted his gaze after a moment to look around the room.
"Your living situation is a disgrace." Fenrir sneered. "As if you live in this squalor." Remus kept quiet, not finding the right words. He had a feeling the other would find a way to twist them to fit his own needs.
"I'd like you to leave." He grated. Listening to the other man scoff he felt himself tense in annoyance. Why couldn't he just leave him be?
"Don't be stupid." Remus closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. "You've been without a pack for too long. You are a disgrace to werewolves everywhere, cub."
"Don't call me that!" Remus snapped, jumping from his seat and facing the other man. "And I don't care if I am a disgrace to werewolves, because of you I am a disgrace to society."
"Don't be dramatic." The wolf laughed. Remus saw red. Now he was laughing at him, right to his face. Clenching his fists he made another demand for the man to leave only to be brushed off once more. "You do amuse me, cub."
"How many times-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence due to being cut off swiftly when the werewolf jumped up from the tatty chair to actually flip him and pin him to the ground.
"Don't test my patience." Fenrir growled, hand clawing at the younger man's throat. Remus could feel the air being constricted painfully the moment his hand touched his neck, his face heating up as the blood rushed to the surface. His eyes stung as he attempted to remove the hand to no avail. "I have given you time, and this is going to be the last time. Next time I leave you will be coming with. No cub of mine is going to be living in a shit hole like this."
Remus wasn't particularly paying attention to the man as he had released his hold upon his throat, causing him to gasp desperately for air. Fenrir grabbed him by the face seconds later, his sharp nails nicking Remus' skin.
"Do that right thing, Remus." His name was spat mockingly from his lips.
"Fuck you!" Remus spat, ignoring the way the man above him tightened his grip painfully. Wriggling he raised his hands, attempting to push the wolf off of him. Fenrir snarled down at him amused at his pathetic attempt, his yellow teeth close to his face. His breath was strong, almost making the younger man wince.
"Careful there cub, you never know. Turn me down next time with an attitude like this and I might not be so kind." Fenrir threatened. "I would be really careful and think about your next step carefully."
Fenrir's grip tightened even more as he stood, lifting his head and slamming it onto the floor. Pain erupted through his skull, bringing forth the pain from earlier only ten times stronger. His vision blurred once more as he groaned and gripped his head. Fenrir simply sneered down at him, spitting hatefully down at him before leaving Remus laid on the ground seconds from passing out once again.
Rolling to his side he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, crawling to the couch only to yank himself up. If he was going to pass out he was going to be comfortable dam it.
Edited.Thought I would mention this because of the response the first time I uploaded it. Remus has not been kidnapped lol its his flat. Fenrir broke in.