Disclaimer: See Ch.1
A/N: Sorry about the wait, between work and being sick I haven't had time to write. This is a bit of a short chappie, but a big one none the less, causing the rating to increase (this isn't a happy one). Next chapter's bunny is already running, so here's to a quick next post. And to "deirdre, " Mary Sue, Mary Schmoo, if it bothers you, don't read it.
~*Lycurgus*~
Chapter 5: Past Demons
Severus Snape watched with a combination of curiosity and complete apathy. The curiosity being given to Arduinna and Arduinna alone, while he could care less why the werewolf was acting or not.
But it did bother him that they had been gone for a good ten minutes.
Severus pushed the food on his plate around with his fork for a moment, totally uninterested in food. Frowning at the herbed mashed potatoes that stuck to his fork, he put the utensil down and made his way over to the fireplace, sitting on the couch and looking into the fire.
When he heard the door to the bedroom open and shut behind him, Severus didn't turn around.
Arduinna folded her legs under her and sat at the opposite end of the couch Severus sat upon, also staring at the fire.
There was a long silence between the two before Arduinna deemed it necessary to speak.
"He confuses me." Severus looked over to her when she spoke to see her worrying her bottom lip. "I don't know if he's acting or not. My instinct is to trust him - to say he is not acting. But I know he doesn't like what is between us." She did not look at Severus, only at the fire.
"And what is there between us?" Severus ventured, voice quiet, still looking to an Arduinna who was staring into the fire.
She smiled, firelight dancing on her pale skin and reflecting in her eyes. "I don't know..." Finally she looked to him. "What do you think?"
Reaching across the couch, which seemed to have grown in length since he last took a good look at it, Severus took one of Arduinna's hands. Leaning over a bit so he could reach, he placed a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist.
Arduinna sighed and cupped her hand to Severus's cheek, rising to her knees and making her way across the couch so her face was now inches from his.
She was so close Severus nearly groaned. She was still smiling, her eyes bright blue and liquid in the firelight. He could feel the heat of her body and smell the lavender on her skin and vanilla in her hair.
Severus opened his mouth slightly to speak, but the words never even got to this throat for Arduinna's lips were upon his and her tongue curling around his.
He reacted immediately, arms easily finding their way about her waist and pulling her body against his.
Maneuvering so that she was strattling his lap, Arduinna ground her hips to his and their lips parted as Severus arched his back and gasped.
Arduinna smiled at the reaction she wrought from Severus, looking into his eyes as she trailed her hands down his chest and pulled his buttoned shirt from where it was tucked in to his pants.
Before Severus could really take the matter into account, the shirt was fully open and her hands were roaming over bare skin.
"Gods..." Arduinna hissed, eyes wide as they followed her hands on his torso. The pale skin was pulled tight over sinewy muscles like those of a conditioned racing animal. A growl sounded somewhere deep in Arduinna's throat.
Severus raised an eyebrow at her, not scared of the growl, but curious as to how much wolf was in the human side of her form. Arduinna smiled and leaned down to kiss him, rocking her body against his in a motion that was more like a snake that a wolf.
Severus's hands were on Arduinna's pale thighs and slowly making their way upwards, hooking the hem of her dress between his index and middle fingers as he slid his hands higher and higher along her body. Much to his amusement, and arousal, she wore no undergarments beneath the thin yellow linen and was soon completely nude upon his lap.
Cradling her back with one arm, Severus took a breast in the other hand and brought his lips to it, sucking and biting the nipple softly as Arduinna whimpered and arched against him. He moved to the next breast and repeated the process, Arduinna's breathing becoming shallow.
With a rough jerking motion Arduinna pulled Severus's face upwards and kissed him fiercely. When they pulled away he noticed they were in a curtain of silver-white hair; she had undone the bun at the nape of her neck.
Arduinna grinned down at him wolfishly, a predator's grin, and she had cornered her prey. Her eyes were bright, even though her face was covered in shadow from her hair, making her look possessed by her lust.
Grin still upon her face she slowly tugged Severus's shirt off, teasing him. Even slower she attended to his shoes, then socks, then belt. She stopped at the button of his trousers, hands lingering there a moment as she kissed him briefly before removing the rest of the garments impeding their contact.
Clothes thrown to the side, Arduinna slid off Severus's lap and onto the hearthrug, beckoning him with the same feral grin.
They knelt there together, swaying as their bodies pressed together and they embraced again, lips meeting harshly.
Severus pushed her down onto her back, kissing her jawline, neck, collarbone, and further downwards. Noticing a small tattoo to the right of her navel, he stopped short.
Three cresent moons, one within the other, were burned in a dark blue on her skin. He traced the marks with his fingers, eyes wide and mouth hung open.
Arudinna propper herself up on her elbows and smiled. "They are the marks of my family, my line."
"Have you had them all your life?" Severus looked paler and his voice was dry.
Arduinna looked at him, concerned. "Since I was eleven... Severus?"
Severus leaned back into a kneeling position, still staring at the tattoo upon Arudinna's skin, his mouth slightly agape. She stared at him, brow furrowed, not knowing what to say.
"Oh Gods..." came a soft hiss from Severus and he slumped over, hiding his face in his hands.
"What? What's wrong?" Arduinna leapt up and put her arms around him.
With a heaving, shaking sigh, Severus looked up to her, eyes wide and glassy and expression pale and unreadable. "At the turn of my second year among the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord suspected my loyalty was waning. And it was true, I had figured out how he was using me and was planning a way to escape, but I couldn't let him know that." Severus paused, Arudinna stared at him, face stricken with horror. He swallowed hard and continued. "The Lord had said that he had captured an extrodinary woman, as a gift to his Death Eaters. He requested that he be witness to the enjoyment of her." Severus's hands flew to his face, covering the tears that had started to fall. "I would have been killed if I didn't... I never saw her face, for another man was sitting upon her shoulders trying to force himself into her mouth. I... I only saw... I saw..." He looked at her, his hands sliding down his face. "...three cresent moons." Severus looked to Arduinna to see her eyes screwed tightly shut, her arms clasped tightly around her own body, her form shaking.
"No!" She shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. "NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo!" Severus reached out to touch her, grazing her upper arm and she scrambled away, eyes wide with pain and horror. "NoNoNoNo!!" She kept chanting, like some mantra that would save her.
Severus moved away from her, defeated. He did not know what to do, what to say.
Slowly, mechanically, he dressed himself. Taking one last look at Arduinna he sighed, knowing that this would most likely be the last time he looked upon her with such intimacy. She was now rocking back and forth, still chanting to herself softly through sobs.
Quietly, Severus picked up an afghan which had been on one of the chairs and walked up behind her, draping the blanket over her shoulders. She did not seem to notice as she continued rocking.
"I'm so, so sorry..." He whispered, unsure if she could or would hear him, and then left.
