A/N: And back to the Death Eaters' clubhouse he now is! Let's get into this drama, my friends :)
(Quick trigger warning for drug use, violence, abuse, tears, terror, drama, more words of this nature...ya get the picture)
(I GOT YOU) UNDER MY WHEELS
CHAPTER 8
The clubhouse looked different. Glancing up at it, Draco couldn't help but shiver. He wasn't sure if the differences stemmed from the fact that he had been gone for several days or if he was simply now seeing it through new eyes, but it somehow appeared darker and more menacing, despite the light and shadows he could see moving around inside.
It seemed to be glaring down at him, haloed in darkness, appearing ready to swallow him whole the moment he crossed its threshold. He shivered again, wishing for the warmth and safety of Seek's arms. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against the ice-cold metal bars of the gate. He did not want to step inside. He did not want to be consumed by that house; he did not want to step back into his regular life. But he also was not sure how to step beyond it. He had no idea if he was even brave enough to try.
Sighing, he pulled out his phone, wondering if he should call Fenrir first, or take the chance that either Pansy or Tracey was still in the clubhouse.
Deciding on the former, he phoned Pansy first but got no response, the call going straight to voicemail. He dialed Tracey next and was relieved when she picked up after only two rings.
"Draco!" she said, sounding both worried and relieved. "I've been waiting to hear from you!"
"Sorry," he said quietly. "Are you still at the clubhouse? I'm outside."
She said something he could not hear, her words muffled as she spoke to someone near her, before returning to the call. "I'll be out in just a second," she said before the line went dead, and Draco tucked his phone away with another sigh. It would be good to see Tracey. She could tell him what to do and help him with his confusion. She had always been good at helping him see things more clearly, and she was unafraid of giving her honest opinion about a subject.
The door to the clubhouse opened, allowing light and noise to spill out. He saw a dark figure hurry down the steps, their bare feet slapping lightly against the pavement.
"Draco," Tracey called as she neared, struggling with the lock to the gate for a moment before finally getting it open and pulling him into an embrace. "Are you okay, love?"
He hugged her back, burying his face in her shoulder and saying nothing for long moments. "No," he finally said, voice muffled. "No, Tracey, I'm not."
"What's the matter?" she wondered, rocking him gently. "Did the other bloke do something?"
He looked up at her with glassy eyes, nodding and praying it was too dark for her to notice his quivering lip.
"What did he do, Draco?" Concern colored her every word.
The question made Draco want to laugh and sob at the same time. "He made me fall in love with him," he whispered, trying desperately to blink the tears away. He had not allowed himself to cry during the drive home, and he was determined to keep from doing so now.
"Oh," she frowned, staring at him with sad eyes.
A sob wrenched its way free before he could stop it, but now that the truth was out, he could not swallow the words back.
He loved Seek. And yet he had still walked away from him.
"Do you really love this bloke?" she asked softly, stroking his hair as she hugged him.
He nodded.
"…then why did you come back?"
He raised his head in surprise, staring at her for long seconds. "Because I had to," he finally said. "Because Fenrir ordered me to."
"You could still leave," she whispered, glancing around to make sure they were alone. "You could leave right now, you don't have to step inside. Just get in your car and drive; he'll never know where you've gone!"
Draco shook his head, trying to ignore the way his insides squirmed at the thought of simply vanishing without a trace. "He'll know," he argued, sounding anguished. "He'll find me. He won't give up, Trace, you know he won't! You know he can't handle losing. And you'll get in trouble! They'll know I called you, they know you're out here letting me inside."
"I'll be fine," she disagreed, a determined expression on her face, but Draco shook his head harder, feeling his long hair whip through the air.
"No," he said fiercely. "I won't have you take the heat for my actions. If—if I do leave, I won't have anyone else get blamed for it."
Tracey bit her lip, cupping Draco's cheeks in both hands before pressing a light kiss to his mouth. "I just want you to be happy, love," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him once more. "You deserve so much better than this."
"So do you."
"Don't tell him," she said suddenly, pulling back to stare Draco in the eye. "When you leave. Do it when no one is here. Wait until the house is empty, pack your things, sneak out, and don't you dare say a word to Wolf. He won't let you leave him, Draco."
"Are you telling me to go?" he asked softly, breaking the embrace to lean back against the gate. Could he really leave?
"I'm telling you to be happy," she corrected. "And I don't think that's possible while you're here. If Wolf doesn't make you happy by now, he never will."
"He used to be good to me," Draco said in a faraway voice, looking in the distance as he spoke. "He used to be so kind. I used to smile around him."
"But not anymore," she whispered, staring at him with understanding eyes. "I think you've both gotten too comfortable with him owning you, Draco."
Draco said nothing for over a minute, just listening to the night breeze rustle through the long grass and whistle through the metal bars of the gate. "We should go inside," he finally said, speaking in an empty, hollow voice. He had so much to think about. "They'll be wondering where we are."
Silently, she nodded, reaching down to slip her hand into his. He squeezed her fingers, grateful for the touch, and allowed her to lead him back up the familiar cement steps to the familiar worn wooden door. There was laughter and music pulsing through the closed entrance, the noise growing as Tracey twisted the knob and pushed the door open with a creak, the sound swallowed by the drunken cacophony awaiting them inside. Half the club members were sat on sofas or perched on stools at the bar, laughing and swearing as they swigged from bottles and threw back shots. In a distant corner, Draco could hear gasps and moans, and he glanced over to see Knot pounding roughly into a female hangaround, her face pressed into a table as he took her from behind.
The sight made Draco's stomach twist with nausea.
"Oi!" a voice called loudly, "Draco's back!"
Glancing over, Draco forced a nod to Wire, who was sitting next to Zed. Daphne was seated in Zed's lap, her pale limbs and nearly white sheet of hair a stark contrast to his chocolate-colored skin.
"Draco," a familiar deep voice growled, and Draco looked over just in time to see Fenrir looming over him before the man forced a sloppy whisky-scented kiss on him; Draco's stomach twisted again.
"Fenrir," he said quietly, clutching Tracey's hand desperately in his own. He did not want to be left alone with Wolf. He had not realized just how difficult it might be to see the man, let alone be touched by him, and he was not prepared for the sudden bout of sickness that rocked him at the feeling of the man's lips against his own.
It now felt so wrong.
Fen stared pointedly down at the hand Draco still had wrapped around Tracey's, and Draco had to force himself to let her go.
The moment he was free, Wolf was pulling him away, one muscled arm wrapped firmly around Draco's waist. "You've been gone so long," he growled in Draco's ear, and Draco shivered at the feel of Fenrir's fingers slipping beneath the hem of his shirt, trailing over bare skin. "Let's go upstairs. I've missed you."
The words made Draco panic. No. No. He didn't want to go upstairs with Fenrir; he didn't want to go anywhere with the man!
"Erm, w-wait," Draco stammered, putting a hand on Fenrir's chest to halt him. "Let's have a drink first. I just drove hours and I've been dealing with legal shit for the past few days. Right now, I just want a drink."
Fenrir pulled back to stare at him, his hand still sliding over Draco's bare skin beneath his shirt. "Sure, baby," he finally said, eyes glassy and unfocused, and Draco wondered if it was just alcohol the man was on, or if it was something stronger. "Sure, yeah, let's have a drink."
The relief Draco felt was instantaneous. "Yes, okay," he nodded, taking a step toward the bar, but before he could walk past Fenrir, the man hauled him back and kissed him once more, forcing Draco's lips open. His breath was hot in Draco's mouth, his tongue sticky with cheap whisky and tasting sharply of cigarettes.
It made Draco's stomach turn.
A loud whistle behind them gave Draco the excuse he needed to break the kiss, turning to see Wire grinning lewdly at them, whistling again as he swayed in his seat. Tracey was in his lap, both of his thick arms wrapped around her waist like an iron bar, holding her firmly against him, and Draco wished he had the power to release her from his grasp.
Fen flipped Wire two fingers, pulling Draco toward the bar with a grin.
"Oi, dickhead!" he called to the prospect behind the counter. "Bottle of whisky!"
The man nodded, avoiding eye contact as he handed Fenrir a half-empty bottle of amber liquid. Fenrir twisted the cap off with clumsy fingers, tossing the lid over his shoulder and taking a long swig before offering the bottle to Draco, who took a reluctant sip.
"Don't be such a bloody poof about it, Draco!" Fenrir laughed, slapping Draco on the back. "Christ, if we're gonna share a drink, you could at least drink like a man! Even the bitches can do better than that!"
Draco glared, the expression only making Fenrir laugh harder. He pitched forward, catching himself on the bar with another guffaw.
"Steady there," a voice at his elbow said, and Draco glanced over to see Gargoyle standing at Wolf's elbow, grinning dumbly.
"Got me more then?" Fen asked, grinning wolfishly, and Draco took a much deeper drink of the whisky, wondering what Fen meant.
"Course," Gargoyle grinned, holding up a tiny baggie half-full of white powder. "Poison cut it himself."
"God bless him," Fen said, snatching the baggie away. He took another swig of whisky before tapping out a small pile of the powder on the dirty bar and beginning to cut it into two lines with a credit card he pulled from his wallet. A sawed-off straw was pulled from his other pocket, and Draco wondered how much coke the man had already done that night.
The bigger of the two lines was snorted and Wolf leaned back with a grin, waving Gargoyle off without looking. "Here," he said, offering Draco the straw, and Draco quickly shook his head. "Come on," Fen said, a vicious tilt to his smile as he stepped behind Draco, pulling Draco's long hair back in one hand and pressing a wet kiss to his throat. "It's a party."
"I'm okay," Draco protested, praying Fenrir wasn't in a pushy mood. "You know I don't like this sort of thing, Fen."
Fenrir hummed, pressing another kiss to Draco's neck. "But we're celebrating."
"Celebrating?" Draco wondered, clutching the whisky bottle tightly between two hands to avoid having to accept the straw.
Another wet, sucking kiss was pressed to his throat. "Yeah, celebrating. You're finally back. I already told you I missed you, baby."
The pet name made Draco shudder; Lord, he hated that word. "I am celebrating," he said weakly, holding up the bottle of whisky.
"Hmm," Fen said, continuing to trail kisses across Draco's neck. "Yeah, but not the right way."
"What's the right way?" Draco asked automatically, regretting his words the moment he said them. He could feel Fenrir's grin against the skin of his throat.
"Blow and a blowjob," the man said in a deep voice. "Best way to celebrate anything."
"I think I'll stick with whisky," he said breathlessly, feeling panic race through him. What was Fenrir expecting from him? And how on earth could he possibly get out of it?
"Well," a voice said to his right, "if he won't, I will." Two slim fingers plucked the half-straw from Fenrir's loose grasp, and Draco turned to see Tracey grinning at him. She held her hair back with one hand, using her index finger on the free hand to plug one nostril, balancing the straw in her other fingers before bending down and snorting the thin white line. She straightened up, inhaling sharply once more before dropping the straw onto the counter and grinning at the two of them.
"Not your line, little girl," Fenrir murmured, wrapping one hand around both the whisky bottle and Draco's fingers and coaxing it up to take a swig of the liquid over Draco's shoulder.
Tracey shrugged, gesturing for Fenrir to hand her the bottle. He passed it over with a snort of amusement. "Hey, it was just sitting there. And we all know that Draco won't partake."
Fenrir huffed a warm laugh of agreement, tugging the collar of Draco's t-shirt to the side so he could bite lightly on the exposed flesh.
Thank you, Draco mouthed silently to Tracey, knowing that she had taken the line to spare him from the pressure of having to do so. No matter how casually everyone else in the clubhouse seemed to treat drugs, they had always made Draco nervous. He had watched far too many of the members and hangarounds, including his aunt, lose themselves to addiction, and he had never wanted to become one of them.
Tracey reached out to squeeze his wrist, nodding in understanding.
"So," she said, dropping her hold, "any more lines for Draco?"
Fenrir chuckled. "Ask Wire. Unless you wanna pay me for the powder."
She rolled her eyes. "They're Draco's lines. And you wouldn't charge him."
Fenrir grinned at her, resting his chin on Draco's shoulder. "He pays me in other ways."
"Where's Pansy?" Draco interrupted, desperate to change the subject.
Tracey's face fell. "She left a while ago. Morgue didn't wanna stay."
"Like anybody here wanted him to," Fen grunted. "Prick has been acting a fucking cunt all day."
"Too right," Tracey said tightly, handing the whisky bottle back to Fen, who didn't hesitate to take a swig. Draco took it from him and took a drink of his own, feeling suddenly worried at the tense look on Tracey's face. Was Pansy okay?
"Oi," a deep voice said, and Draco looked over to see Wire coming up to them, wrapping both arms around Tracey's waist and yanking her back against him. "Where's my line, Wolf, you selfish cunt?"
Fenrir grunted, swaying into Draco as he chuckled. "Fuck off, dickhead. Your old lady already took it."
Wire's eyebrows rose. "You take my line, Trace?"
"No," she huffed. "I took Draco's."
"She took Draco's, you selfish cunt," Wire told Wolf.
Wolf ignored them, too busy stretching Draco's collar even wider and sucking a bruise into the exposed skin.
"Fine," he finally said, handing Tracey the baggie over Draco's shoulder. "But cut me a line first."
His speech was slurring, his words becoming clumsy, and Draco coaxed him to take another swig of whisky, hoping the man would get sloshed enough to pass out before he had the chance to get his hands on Draco in private.
With practiced movements, Tracey tapped out a small pile of powder and began to cut it into lines with the credit card Wire pulled from his pocket. Fenrir stepped around Draco, stumbling into the bar and righting himself with a hand on Draco's shoulder. He picked up the straw from the counter and quickly snorted his line, closing his eyes and shaking his head to himself as he handed the straw to Tracey.
Stepping back to give Tracey more room, Fenrir stumbled into Draco's side, nearly knocking him from the stool he was perched on. He righted himself with a grin, resting a heavy arm over Draco's shoulder as his other hand clutched at Draco's thigh, balancing himself as he swayed drunkenly.
Draco took a sip of whisky, raising the bottle to Fenrir in question, who released Draco's thigh long enough to take a swig and hand the bottle back.
A loud snort snatched his attention, and Draco looked over to see Wire leaning over the bartop, holding the flimsy plastic straw in one hand.
"Oh fuck," he muttered, shaking his head with a grin. "That's some good fucking shit."
"Right?" Fen said, swaying on his feet. "Got tha' shit from Poison."
"God love 'im," Wire said, snatching the whisky bottle from Draco's hands to salute into the distance before knocking back a large swallow.
Tracey snorted, taking the bottle from Wire and throwing back a swallow of her own. "Did he really cut off a bloke's ear?"
"Oh yeah," Wire laughed, leaning on Tracey. "One of the Hallows. Took the fucker's ear clean off, the crazy bastard."
The words made Draco's stomach clench. That could so easily have been Seek.
"Don' worry," Fenrir slurred, eyes bloodshot as they looked around the room, appearing unable to focus on anything for longer than a second. "Tha' missing ear'll be the least of that cunt's troubles. Those dumb fucks'll all be taken care of soon enough."
"What?" Draco's heart was suddenly pounding fiercely in his chest. What did Fenrir mean? Were they planning something horrible for the Hallows?
"Oh yeah," Fen guffawed. "We voted today. We're done with all this waiting 'round shit we've been doin'."
"But what does that mean?" Oh, god. Draco's heart was hammering so quickly he felt dizzy. What were the Death Eaters planning?
"It means," Wire said, leaning closer with a chuckle, "that sometime soon, we go pay them a little visit. After that, no more Hallows."
Draco felt his hammering heart stop dead in his chest before racing even harder, and he had to look down at himself to make sure the frantic muscle hadn't burst through his ribcage and fallen to the floor without him even being aware.
They were planning on taking out the Hallows? All of them?
No. No, no, no, no, no, no.
No. That couldn't happen. They couldn't do that. If anything happened to Seek…Draco didn't even want to think about it. He couldn't even think about it. He could not consider the possibility of Seek being injured, let alone—no, he couldn't even think the word. Nothing would happen to Seek. He would not allow anything to happen to Seek. Draco would warn him. As soon as he could sneak away, he would call Seek and warn him.
"When are you planning on going?" Draco asked as casually as he could, but he could feel his fingers trembling and he was certain his face had gone deathly pale. It felt as though the blood had frozen in his veins; he wasn't even sure if his heart had started beating again yet.
"Later," Fenrir said distractedly, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Some time. We have business tomorrow, so sometime later in the week, prob'ly. Who cares. Oi!" he called loudly, catching the attention of the man behind the bar. "Whisky!"
Another bottle was set before him almost immediately, and Fenrir grunted in approval as he twisted it open.
"What are you planning to do to them?" Draco pressed, needing to know every piece of information he was able to coax free from Fenrir. He needed to know everything; he needed every detail so he could warn Seek.
Fenrir squinted at him, taking a gulp of whisky before passing the bottle to Draco, who did not hesitate to take a drink. "What do you care?" he asked, staring at Draco with narrowed eyes. "We're planning on killing the fuckers. That's all you need to know."
"I don't care," Draco claimed immediately, taking another small sip before setting the bottle down. "I just…don't want you to get hurt."
Fenrir snorted. "Fuck off, Draco, I'm not gonna get hurt. They're the ones who will get fucking hurt." His expression sharpened into a glare. "Especially that little black-haired bitch. I got special plans for that one. That cunt is fucking dead."
Panic settled over Draco so quickly it made his bones ache. Oh, god. Fenrir would be going after Seek. No. No, Draco couldn't allow that to happen!
"Fuck," Fenrir yawned, slumping onto Draco. "I'm fucking tired. Let's go upstairs."
"All right," Draco said hollowly, praying to the God he did not believe in that Fenrir had had more than enough whisky to fall straight into bed without trying anything. He was far too worried and panicked to attempt to fight off any clumsy seductions. All he wanted was to hear Seek's voice and know that he was all right.
Fenrir stood up, balancing on unsteady legs as best he could. He snatched at the whisky bottle, making sure he had his bag of white powder with him—ignoring Wire's crestfallen, covetous eyes—before beginning to stumble his way toward the stairs. He used Draco as a crutch to lean against as they wobbled their way up the steps, the trip taking nearly five times longer than it normally did.
Fenrir struggled with the doorknob, his hand slipping off time and time again before Draco finally pulled his hand away and opened it for him. The other man immediately made his way toward the bathroom, cursing as he tripped into the doorframe before stumbling into the sink.
Draco threw his knapsack on the floor, sinking down onto the bed and trying to control his racing heart. But all he could think of was Seek. He needed to speak to him; he needed to warn him.
"Draco," a deep voice rasped, and he glanced up to see Fenrir standing in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at him with an intense look on his face. "Why're you gone so long?"
Clearing his throat, Draco shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, I never meant to be. It took so much longer than I thought it would. The solicitor insisted on going over every aspect of the will and every single item of remaining property."
"And?" Fenrir swayed dangerously, staring at Draco with blood-red eyes. "Didja get any've that bastard's money then?"
Frowning, Draco shrugged again. "I'm not sure yet, to be honest. I don't think I'll know for a while. He said these things are a very slow process."
"Well, fuck 'im," Fenrir growled, lurching forward. "And speaking of fucking…"
Draco gasped when a heavy weight suddenly knocked him back on the mattress, Fenrir falling atop him like a stone.
"Hmm, Draco," the man breathed, running his hands over Draco's chest. "I missed you. So much."
For a moment, Draco allowed himself to feel touched, nearly convinced that maybe Fenrir really did care for him in his own way. Maybe he really did think of Draco as special.
Until the man continued speaking.
"None've the other bitches give head like you do."
"What?" Draco frowned, struggling to squirm free from Fenrir's suffocating weight. "What? You—what do you mean? You've been sleeping around while I'm gone?" He wasn't sure why he was so upset, considering the fact that he had also been sleeping with someone else in Fenrir's absence, but he was surprised at how much the idea still stung. Maybe it was because what he had with Seek was driven by an emotional connection, not simply a quick sexual urge. Seek wasn't some interchangeable thing, some faceless mouth there for ten minutes before being forgotten.
But did that deeper connection make Draco's actions better or worse than Wolf's?
Draco had no idea.
"No, 'course not," Fenrir argued, holding tightly to Draco and not allowing him to leave the bed. "Just head. From one of the hangarounds. Blonde hair, small tits, can't remember her name. Doesn't count though, she's a bird."
Draco stared at him. It doesn't count? What the hell? Fenrir really thought that it wouldn't count just because he had been sucked off by a woman?
Furious, Draco struggled harder, not wanting to be anywhere near Greyback, but the man refused to let him go. He held him caged against his chest, rolling atop him to better hold him down.
"I don' like birds," he said, speaking in a voice that was clearly meant to calm Draco down. "You know that, baby."
"Yeah," Draco said through gritted teeth, "unless they're sucking you off!"
Fenrir grinned down at him. "I'd rather have you suck me off."
Draco stared at him incredulously. "Yeah, well for some reason, I don't really feel like it at the moment!" Christ, he could not believe the man!
The feral grin on Fenrir's face widened. "Don' worry, baby, I'll put you in the mood." And without warning, he reached down to squeeze Draco through his jeans, ignoring Draco's yelp of surprise and his struggles as he tried yet again to free himself. Draco pushed at Fenrir's shoulder with one hand, knowing he would not be able to shove the man off; he was far too heavy.
Laughing as though this were a game, Fenrir caught Draco's hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing a wet kiss to it and chuckling before suddenly pausing, his entire body tensing atop Draco's.
"Draco," he said in a low, dangerous voice, eyes narrowed as he stared at Draco's hand. "Where the hell is your ring?"
A loud gasp echoed through the room and it took Draco a minute to realize it had come from him. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck! Where was his ring? Oh god, he had no idea! Had he left it at Seek's? He had taken it off days ago and completely forgotten—where was it?
"Did you take it off?" Fenrir continued in that same deep, growly voice, his eyes now fixed on Draco's face.
"I-it's just in one of the pockets of my bag," Draco gasped, praying to god it really was in there. "I take it off sometimes to shower! I must've forgotten to put it back on, I'm sorry, Fen!"
"You take it off?" Fenrir's voice had softened, but that, if anything, only made it sound even more threatening. "You take the ring I gave you off?"
"O-only to shower! I swear! I'm sorry!"
"That ring," Wolf growled, "stays on, Draco. It never comes off. You are mine, and that ring is proof."
"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"
"Were you showering with another bloke?" Greyback demanded, his eyes bloodshot and his words slurred, but his grip on Draco was like iron. "Is that why it came off?"
"No!" Draco lied, shaking his head fiercely. "No, I swear! I wouldn't do that to you!"
"You're mine, Draco!" Fenrir barked, tightening the hold he had on Draco's wrists until it was so tight Draco could practically feel the bruises forming beneath the man's thick fingers. "You're fucking mine, you slut, and I'm not fucking sharing you with some limp-dicked cunt! You belong to me!" He released one of Draco's wrists to wrap that hand around Draco's throat, fingers feeling scalding hot where they touched. He squeezed, making Draco's eyes widen in panic as he grasped at Fen's hand, wondering if he was about to be strangled to death in a house full of people.
"I know!" Draco gasped, struggling to draw breath and unable to fight the terrified tears building in his eyes, running down his cheeks. What was Fenrir going to do to him? "I'm yours, Fen, I swear it!"
"Always," the man growled.
"Always," Draco wheezed, body frozen in fear.
"You belong to me, Draco," he rasped, every word sounding like a threat. "And if I ever find out you were with another bloke behind my back…" he paused, glaring into Draco's eyes, "I'll kill you both."
The words made Draco shudder and he cried even harder in response. "I'm not," he sobbed, feeling nearly paralyzed from the terror racing through his veins, thrumming louder and louder with every hammering thud of his heart. "I swear it, Fen! I swear! Only you! I belong only to you!" Every untrue word felt like poison passing his lips, scraping up his constricted throat and burning his tongue as they flung themselves free.
Fenrir glared down at him in silence for entire centuries before suddenly relaxing, loosening his hold on Draco's throbbing wrists. "Okay, baby," he whispered, pressing a sloppy kiss to Draco's mouth, who was still too frozen in fear to do anything. "Okay, I believe you. Jus' so long'se you know what'll happen."
Draco nodded frantically, praying that the outburst had tired Fenrir enough for him to sleep.
"Hmm," he hummed, settling himself more comfortably over Draco and petting his neck absently as he closed his eyes. "Mine," he mumbled, repeating the word one final time before his head slumped forward and a deep snore sounded. Draco lay trapped beneath him, his heart pounding so hard he was amazed Fenrir could sleep through the sound.
Oh, god. The tears were still streaming down his face and he was still struggling to catch his breath. That had been so close—that had been way too close. Fenrir had never done anything like that before. He had never openly threatened Draco's life or ever laid hands on him in such a way. A sob wrenched its way free before Draco could stop it and he covered his mouth with one hand, desperate not to wake Wolf. He should never have come back to that clubhouse. He should have listened to Tracey and just left. He should have listened to Seek and stayed behind.
At the thought of Seek, a new wave of panic suddenly surged through him, and Draco had to swallow back the cry that threatened to break free. Seek was in danger. And Draco was the only one who could warn him.
oOo
The clubhouse was silent. Everything was dark; the room was as black as tar, the darkness making everything somehow seem quieter. Beside him, Fenrir was snoring gently, his breath warm on the back of Draco's neck. He had been lying in bed for hours, refusing to allow himself to fall asleep.
But finally, everything had gone quiet and Fenrir had finally loosened his hold on Draco enough for Draco to slip free.
Cautiously, he sat up, cringing at the creak of the mattress springs, but Fenrir's breathing did not change. Keeping his every movement slow, Draco climbed to his feet, reaching out with both hands as he made his way carefully to the door, checking to make sure he had his phone in his pocket before slowly pulling on the handle, heart pounding and palms feeling sweaty as the door swung open. The hinges squeaked unexpectedly and he froze, his heart somehow drumming even faster, but he heard no sounds from behind him and he quickly slipped into the hallway, easing the door shut. The downstairs was silent, seeming to magnify the scuffles of his steps and the quiet groans of the stairs beneath his feet as he made his way toward the exit.
Once he reached the floor level, he glanced around, noting that there were several dark lumps lying passed out around the room, including one that looked like Wire half-hanging off a nearby sofa.
Praying that they were all too drunk to awaken for at least several more hours, Draco made his way to the front door, taking even longer to open it than he had his bedroom door, but after what felt like an eternity, he was finally outside and could at last release the breath he had been holding in his lungs.
The cement was ice-cold beneath his feet as he jogged down the steps and toward the gate, needing as much distance from the clubhouse as he could get. Once he felt far enough away, he pulled the phone from his pocket and dialed Seek's number with trembling fingers. With every ring, Draco could feel his muscles tensing, his heart hammering faster, and he wondered how much stress and panic a person could survive before their body gave out from it.
The sound of Seek's voicemail made Draco want to scream.
Ignoring the shaking in his fingers, Draco called him again, willing to wake the man from however deep asleep he was. He needed to warn him.
"Hello?" a groggy voice said, sounding annoyed, and Draco sagged with relief, clutching at the metal gate with numb fingers.
"Seek?" he whispered, glancing around to make sure he really was alone.
"Draco?" The voice was instantly sharper, more awake, and the sound made Draco's knees tremble.
"Yes," he nodded. "Yes, i-it's me."
"Are you okay? What happened?" There was now an urgency in Seek's voice, and Draco could hear rustling sounds in the background, as though the man was throwing back his blankets and climbing from his bed.
"Nothing!" Draco said quickly, hearing the rasp in his voice and knowing the denial was a lie. But he couldn't have Seek come after him; he couldn't have Seek worry about him. Seek needed to worry about himself first. "That's not why I'm calling!"
Seek said nothing for several moments. "Why are you calling then?" There was the barest hint of hope blooming in his words, and it made Draco's heart clench. "Did you decide to come back to me? Are you on your way back right now?"
The question made Draco's eyes slide shut as he took a deep breath. "No, Seek, I'm not," he whispered, imagining the disappointment on Seek's face at his confession; it hurt to think about.
"Oh," Seek said quietly, and Draco's chest constricted at the man's pain. "Why are you calling then? Did you just want to talk?"
"No, something awful is going to happen, I called to warn you." The words flew from Draco's lips like arrows and he wondered if Seek could even understand them. He wasn't even sure what he was saying. "I need to warn you, Seek. The Death Eaters—they're planning something awful for your club! I don't know what it is, but Fen said something about going over there sometime soon and getting rid of all of you!"
A dark chuckle crackled through the phone, surprising Draco. It was not a laughing matter. "Is that all, Draco? Don't worry about it. We can handle ourselves."
"Fuck, Seek, this is serious!" Draco snapped, wanting to scream at the man's nonchalance. "They're angry and they're dangerous! This isn't the time for any of your bullshit biker machismo! They're coming for you, and if—if anything were to happen—if they—if—"
"Draco," Seek interrupted, voice low and comforting. "It's okay, babe, calm down. Nothing has happened yet. Nothing is going to happen. Last time they came, we were outnumbered and we still kicked their arses. It's gonna be fine."
"No, it's not," Draco sobbed, finally allowing himself to sink to the ground. The cold of the cement instantly seeped through his thin jeans, making him shiver, but he ignored the feeling as best he could. "He's coming for you, Seek! Wolf is coming for you! He said something about making you pay!"
"Draco," Seek soothed, "it's okay. Please, just calm down. I can handle myself. Wolf couldn't touch me last time, even with a knife. I'll be fine."
But the words and the tone only made Draco panic more. Seek wasn't listening. "He's fucking dangerous!" he argued, feeling the proof of that in the pained rasp of his throat. Wolf was dangerous. He was merciless. And Seek was not taking Draco's warnings seriously.
"Let them come, Draco," the man said in a low voice. "Let them come. We'll be ready for them."
"God, you fucking bikers," Draco wept, feeling his heart sinking down to the bottom of his stomach. "You're all the same. It's nothing but bloodshed and honor to you, isn't it? Your fucking pride will be the thing that gets you all killed!" It was the very same thing that had gotten his father killed. Why wasn't Seek listening?
"Draco, please don't cry," Seek whispered. "I'm sorry if this isn't the way you wanted me to react. But I'll be fine. So please, babe, don't cry. I'll be okay, I promise."
"You don't know that!" Every biker who had ever been killed had thought they would be okay. Confidence meant nothing after you were dead.
"I'll make sure we're prepared for an attack," Seek continued, still sounding far too calm about the situation. "I'll make sure they aren't able to catch us by surprise. And I know you're scared, Draco. But I can't just back out of this fight. They're coming for me, they're coming for my brothers. But I promise you, that'll be the last mistake those bastards make." There was something grim in his voice, a quiet sort of violence, and Draco knew that Seek wanted the Eaters to attack.
"You're going to use this to go after Fen, aren't you?"
"Yes," was the instant answer. "Tell me which one he is, Draco. Please."
Draco clenched his eyes shut. "Don't go near him, Seek, he's dangerous." God, Draco did not want Seek within ten miles of Wolf, what the hell was Seek doing?
"So am I."
Draco's eyes flew open and he clutched the phone tighter in anger. "He wants to kill you! Do you not understand that? He's going to kill you!" Fenrir already hated Seek so much—he already had a list of reasons to kill the younger man, yet if Fenrir knew the real truth about who Seek was…he wouldn't stop until Seek was dead.
"Then I'll just have to kill him first."
Draco said nothing, covering his mouth to hold back his sobs. Why was Seek just dismissing every single worry Draco had? Why wasn't he taking it seriously?
"Draco," Seek murmured, "Please. I'll be fine."
"Why won't you take this seriously?"
The answer was immediate. "I am! I am taking this seriously! Just because I'm not scared of them doesn't mean I don't take the threat seriously. But I can handle myself, Draco, I'll be okay. And once all the Death Eaters are gone, there'll be nothing standing in the way of us being together." He lowered his voice. "It'll be okay, I promise you. Wolf won't touch me."
Draco shook his head, swiping angrily at his wet eyes. "No, Harry, it won't be okay! He fucking hates you! He won't stop until you're dead! Do you not understand that Fenrir is dangerous?! You stole his truck, you dislocated his arm! You humiliated him and he's not going to stop until you're dead!"
Silence.
Seek said nothing. All Draco could hear was the rustle of the breeze as it tossed the long strands of his hair about.
"Seek?" he said cautiously, wondering why the man had suddenly fallen so silent. Had he finally taken Draco's warnings seriously and suddenly realized how much danger he was really in?
"Fenrir's truck?" Seek finally said, voice low and dangerous. "Fenrir's truck?"
The question made Draco gasp as he realized what he had just admitted. "N-no, Seek, I—I—that's not—"
"Fen…is Wolf?"
"No!"
"You're with Wolf," Seek said, sounding stunned. "You're Wolf's property. You let yourself belong to Wolf? You actually let that disgusting piece of shit touch you?!"
Every word that crackled through the phone line made Draco cry harder. He hadn't even known he still had tears left to cry, but the accusation in Seek's words, the disgust in his tone, made Draco cringe. And the final question made Draco reach up to his throat, where he could still feel Fenrir's fingers wrapped around his windpipe, could still hear the threats Fenrir uttered in his deep, paralyzing growl.
"I didn't let myself belong to him!" Draco snapped. "He decided he wanted me and now he owns me! Wolf owns me, congratulations, you're fucking right! Are you happy? And things were so different in the beginning, but if you think for one second that I actually enjoy him touching me—" His words broke off as a heavy sob wrenched its way free from his pained throat, another reminder of what had happened earlier with Fenrir making his words choke off.
"But you chose to be with him!"
A wild, hysterical laugh escaped Draco. "Chose to be with him?! Do you even hear yourself?! Yes, maybe I went into the relationship blind and naïve to who he really was, but if you think there was ever a fucking choice in the matter, you're delusional! Pets are the ones who are chosen, they don't get to choose their masters! I am nothing but property to him, Seek, do you not understand?! I am his belonging! And he will get rid of me himself before he ever allows another person to steal one of his objects from him!"
The line went silent.
"Draco," Seek finally said, sounding cautious, "what happened tonight?"
"Nothing," Draco muttered, wiping the tears roughly from his cheeks.
"Draco, what happened tonight? Something's the matter. Something more than Wolf's plans for my club. What did that bastard do to you?"
Unable to help himself, Draco traced his throat with one hand, glancing down to notice the dark finger-shaped bruises circling his wrists like shackles.
"He reminded me who I belong to," he responded eventually in a dull voice. "Nothing more and nothing less."
Seek swore loudly. "I'll fucking kill him," he growled. "I'm going to rip that fucker's head off with my bare fucking hands!"
"I'm okay," Draco said in a faraway voice. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?!" Great. Now Seek sounded upset. "How the hell do you expect me not to worry about it?! He's hurting you! I know he is!"
"I'm fine," Draco argued, speaking in a soft, distant voice. He had grown far too used to distancing himself from the things in life that hurt him. This was just one more separation.
"What happened?"
Draco sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back against the gate, shivering as the cool breeze swept over the tears on his cheeks, turning the wet trails to ice. "I wasn't wearing my ring," he said dully. "And he noticed."
"What did he do?"
Silence.
"Draco, what did he do?"
Draco wanted to lie. He wanted to deny everything that had happened—he wished so badly that he could rewrite the past.
But he couldn't. And he was sick of holding everything inside.
"He hurt me," he confessed, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping one arm around them, trying so desperately to hold himself together. "He threatened me. He told me he would kill me if he ever found out I had been with someone else."
The line was quiet for several seconds. "How did he hurt you, Draco? Did he force himself on you?"
"No," Draco hiccupped. "No, he was too drunk for that, thank god."
"What did he do?"
"He—he held me down. He put his hand on my throat. He told me I'm his, and that he would kill me if I ever left." Another sob escaped before Draco could swallow it back. "He'll kill us both, Harry."
A muttered stream of profanities left Seek's mouth. "I'll kill him for this," the man vowed. "I swear to god I'll make him pay for every time he's ever made you cry. Draco—" Draco was surprised to hear tears in Seek's voice, "come back to me, please. Why do you stay with him?"
"Because I'm scared to leave." The confession was whispered before Draco had even consciously decided to answer the question. He wasn't sure when his fear of Fenrir had first started, but it had been growing with every passing day until it was now a mountain of terror looming over Draco and casting him in its ice-cold shadow; he would never escape that damned shadow.
"I can't stand this, Draco, I can't stand knowing that you're still there. I can't stand knowing he's hurt you. I'm coming to get you right now!"
"No!" Draco yelped, glancing back at the darkened clubhouse in worry. "No, Seek," he lowered his voice. "You can't come here, half the club is here!"
"I don't care," Seek said, a determined edge to his words. "I don't care, Draco, you're not safe there. I'm coming to get you. I'm not letting you stay in that house a second longer!"
"He's here, Seek," Draco whispered, glancing around to make sure Fenrir wasn't already somehow sneaking up on him. "You can't come here, he's here."
"Good," Seek growled, and Draco could imagine the man cracking his knuckles. "That means I won't have to track him down."
The words made Draco panic. "He's not the only Death Eater here, Seek! Please! You'll only get us both killed!"
The words made Seek pause as he thought them over, and Draco hoped that he was finally getting through to the man.
"Wait for me outside," Seek said in a soft voice. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Draco, and I'm taking you away from that godawful place."
No, no, Seek couldn't come to the clubhouse, he couldn't show up there! He would be in danger if he went within ten miles of that place! "Tomorrow," Draco said suddenly.
"Tomorrow?"
"Fen told me the club is going on a run tomorrow! I'll pack my things; I'll leave while they're gone. I'll be gone before they get back and they'll have no idea where I went!" Silence met his words; he waited for what felt to be ages, counting every stuttered heartbeat that echoed through his hollow chest.
"Tomorrow then," Seek finally said. "I'll be waiting. If you're not here by the time it starts getting dark, I'll come up to that clubhouse myself, Draco, I don't care how many Death Eaters there are. I—" his voice broke, "I need to know you're safe. I can't stand the thought of you being in that place."
"I'll be safe tomorrow," Draco whispered, wishing Seek was there to wrap his arms around Draco and tell them that everything would be okay, they would both be okay.
"Call me the second your things are packed and you're in your car," he urged, voice still weighted with emotion.
"Okay. I promise."
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Draco."
"Okay, Seek," Draco murmured, relieved to find the tears were no longer flowing. "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you."
"Anything, babe. Anything for you. I'll be waiting."
He heard Seek's soft breaths for several more seconds before the line clicked dead, and Draco stared at his phone in wonder and confusion. He was leaving. He was leaving that house—he was leaving Fenrir. Only one more night, a few more hours to get through, and he would be gone. And once he was gone, he was never, ever looking back.
oOo
Draco was halfway back to the clubhouse when the front door creaked open, making him freeze in place. A dark figure slipped out, moving quietly, and Draco felt his heart rate triple. Was it a Death Eater? What would be his excuse for being outside? Would Fenrir be upset that Draco had left the bed?
"Draco?"
He unfroze at the familiar voice, sighing in relief as Tracey approached him, staring at him in confusion.
"Tracey," he whispered, glancing at the house before pulling her by the elbow back in the direction he had just come from. "What are you doing out here?"
She shifted her weight between feet, and Draco noticed a heavy bag slung over her shoulder.
He stared at her in shock, pulling her even farther from the house and deeper into the shadows of a nearby tree. "Are you leaving?" he hissed, glancing around to make sure nobody else was in sight. The tree they were under blocked out most of the moonlight, and Draco could just barely make out Tracey's hard expression from the close distance between them.
"Yes," she said, a resolute expression on her face. "I've had it with this shit, Draco. I can't take this anymore."
"Tracey…" He had no idea what to say. She was really leaving? He knew that she wasn't happy, but to just leave in the middle of the night…
He stopped as he realized that he was planning on doing the exact same thing the very next day.
"Come with us," she said suddenly, clutching at his shirt, and his surprise doubled.
"Us?"
Two bright lights swept over the dusty black road on the other side of the gate, making him jump before he realized they were just headlights. But when the car slowed down, crawling along the curb before coming to a stop, he stared at Tracey in growing confusion. Us…?
The engine went silent and the lights snapped off before the door to the car opened and a dark figure climbed out, stepping close to the gate. "Tracey?" a familiar voice called softly, and Draco glanced between the two women in surprise.
"Pansy?" he wondered, noting when the dark figure's head snapped immediately in his direction.
"Draco?" The figure rushed toward him, and he stepped toward the gate, continuing to swing his gaze between Tracey and Pansy in amazement.
"We're leaving," Tracey explained, reaching through the metal bars to grasp at Pansy's hand, and Draco was even more surprised to see Pansy clutch it between both of her own before lifting Tracey's knuckles to her mouth for a lingering kiss.
"What…but…"
"Come with us," Tracey whispered, reaching out to him with her free hand. "Get away from this place, Draco. This place will kill you. Come with me and Pansy."
"But…I can't…tomorrow…"
"Come with us, Draco," Pansy said quietly. "You don't have to stay here any longer. None of us do. We can leave right now and never have to step foot in this godforsaken place ever again."
"Wait until tomorrow," Draco pleaded. "I'm leaving tomorrow! As soon as they go on their run! I just need a chance to pack my things and collect the bit of money I have hidden up there." He also needed a chance to retrieve the gold watch his mother had gifted him when he had turned seventeen, the one he had hidden in a hole he had cut in his mattress. He was not going anywhere without that watch.
Pansy fell silent, turning away, but Tracey's mouth tightened.
"No, Draco," she said softly, an edge of anger to her words. "Tonight. Pansy is leaving tonight."
"But—but just a few more hours! I just need a chance to collect my things! You two can come with me!" He wasn't sure if Pansy and Tracey would actually be welcome in Hallows territory, but he knew they both had enough information about the Eaters and their habits, schedules, and secrets to possibly interest the Hallows into offering them protection.
"He hit her," Tracey bit out, voice thick with fury. "Morgue fucking hit her, Draco. She is not staying another night!"
Draco gasped, stepping close to the fence. On the other side, he saw Pansy's shoulders shake as she sobbed, turning away to hide her face.
"Pansy," he said softly, reaching out to her.
Swallowing, she turned back toward him, tilting her face up to catch the moonlight, and he gasped again at the purple bruising encircling her left eye. It was puffy and swollen shut, looking tender and painful to the touch, and the sight made Draco want to tear Morgue's hands straight from his body.
"That fucking bastard…" he whispered, stroking Pansy's arm before rushing to the gate and opening it with trembling fingers.
Once on the other side, he did not hesitate to enfold her in an embrace, holding her tightly as she shook with sobs.
"Fuck, Pansy, I should have been there," he swore.
"It's not the first time," she confessed, pulling back to look at him, and Draco noticed a line of dried blood slicing through her left eyebrow. He swallowed at the bruises on her cheek, bruises in the shape of knuckles.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
She swiped at her eyes. "Because what could either of you have done?" she whispered, sounding anguished. "We can't even protect ourselves, let alone each other."
"I won't let her be hurt anymore," Tracey said, wrapping one arm around Pansy's back. "So we're leaving." She pressed a kiss to Pansy's uninjured cheek, who turned to look at her with so much affection that the sight made even Draco blush.
"But where will you go?" he asked. "Neither of you has any money, what will you do?"
"We have money," Tracey said grimly, and it took Draco all of three seconds to understand what she meant.
"You stole from Wire and Morgue?!" he hissed, looking around to make sure nobody was listening to their conversation. "Do the two of you have a death wish?!"
"What does it matter?" Tracey said in a hard voice. "We'd be dead anyway if they found us. And they owe us so much more than money, Draco, you know they do. Just like Wolf owes you, in ways that he'll never be able to repay."
Draco fell silent, wondering if he dared confess his own secrets to them. "He threatened me tonight," he finally admitted, keeping his voice so low even he could barely catch the words. "He told me I belonged to him, and he would kill me if I ever left. He—he put his hand on my throat. I thought…I thought he was really going to do it…"
Pansy sucked in a sharp breath. "Did he find out where you'd really been the last few days?"
Draco shook his head. "No. But he noticed that I wasn't wearing my ring, and decided it was time to remind me of a few things."
Tracey hugged him with one arm, pulling back to stare into his eyes with a serious look. "Draco…" she said quietly, her many piercings glinting in the silver moonlight, "this bloke you're with…who is he?"
Shrugging, Draco looked away. "Just…some guy."
"He's a Hallow, isn't he?"
The question instantly snapped Draco's attention back to her, and he stared at her with wide eyes, wondering how she could have known.
"I knew it," she murmured to herself.
"How…but…"
She smiled sadly at him in response. "You go out of your way to never mention who he is, and the way you speak about him, like it's this bloke specifically that you're afraid of being with, makes it sound like it's someone forbidden. And…you were so worried. After the fight the Eaters and Hallows were in, when Wolf's arm was dislocated…you were so worried, but not for Wolf. And that was the night you left to go see your mystery man. And then tonight, you got so scared when they started talking about taking all the Hallows out. That's who you're seeing. You're seeing one of the Hallows."
Pansy gasped, both hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Draco…" she stared at him with nonplussed eyes, appearing to be at a loss for what to say.
"That's not all," Draco whispered, deciding he may as well confess to everything. "I'm seeing the man who dislocated Wolf's arm. He's the same one who stole Wolf's truck. I was there that day; I was the one who let him take it. That's how we met."
The two sets of eyes staring at him widened simultaneously.
"Jesus Christ, Draco," Tracey breathed. "He'll skin you alive if he ever finds out."
Draco nodded, dropping his gaze to the hard ground beneath his feet. "I know."
"Is this bloke worth it?" Pansy wondered, reaching out to grasp Draco's hand in one of her own.
A small smile tugged up one half of Draco's mouth, although he could feel that it looked sad. "Yeah, Pans, he is. He really, really is." And god, Seek was. Seek was worth everything.
"Then I hope for your sake everything turns out fine," Pansy told him, staring at him with a desperate concern.
"So do I."
"Call us the second you get out of here," Tracey instructed. "The second you're away from this house and out of danger, you better call us."
"I will," he promised. "Where will you two go?"
Tracey and Pansy exchanged a look. "We're not sure yet," Tracey admitted. "We were thinking we'd hide out in London for now, and then maybe head as far north as we can."
"You could come to the Hallows with me," Draco suggested. "I'm sure I could convince Seek to give the two of you shelter, and I'm sure that you know enough about the Eaters' plans to be of use."
Tracey and Pansy exchanged another glance before Tracey shook her head sadly. "Thank you, Draco, but I don't think that would work out."
"I'll call Seek right now!" Draco protested, unwilling to just allow the two most important people in his life to wander off with no plan and no real way to protect themselves if Wire and Morgue were able to track them down. "Or just go get a motel for the night, somewhere far enough away. On the other side of Hallows' territory, maybe. Stay there for the night, and we can all meet up tomorrow when I leave. We can all go to the Hallows together! I don't want you two out there all alone!"
"We'll be okay, Draco," Tracey said softly. "And we won't be unprotected. Money wasn't the only thing we took from Wire and Morgue."
Draco stared at her. "You stole guns from them too?"
"We took what we had to."
Draco stared at them for several moments before throwing his arms around them both, hugging them tightly to his chest. "We'll see each other soon," he vowed. "The Hallows will take care of the Death Eaters; this whole mess will be over soon, and once it is, we'll find each other."
"Okay," Pansy whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Tracey kissed him as well. "We promise."
Pulling back, the three of them stared at one another for a moment.
"Be safe," Draco offered helplessly, praying that his friends would be all right.
"You too," Pansy said, sounding close to tears. She reached out for Tracey's hand, who did not hesitate to take it. The two women walked to the nearby car, staring up at the clubhouse for the last time before looking away. They shared a single lingering kiss before Tracey left Pansy's side to walk around to the passenger side, opening the door and climbing in. Pansy waved sadly at Draco before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the engine. The headlights flared to life, startling Draco with the unexpected brightness.
The sound of the electric window whirring open captured Draco's attention.
"Be careful, Draco, please," Pansy called softly to him.
"Call us tomorrow and let us know you're all right," Tracey added. "You better be all right."
Pansy sniffed, swallowing back her tears. "We love you."
"I know," he said in a voice that rasped. "I love the both of you too."
And with a final wave goodbye, the two women drove away and the car was swallowed up by the night.
A/N: Escape from the Death Eaters! Hooray! But will escape come drama-free? Ehh, probably not. See you lovelies next chapter!