Chapter Fifteen: An Uneasy Peace

In all the confusion no one, least of all, Rose, noticed Severus stalking toward the group and drawing his wand, a deadly gleam in his eye. He had determined that he was going to stay out of this, that he had offered Alex fair warning of what she was getting herself into and that was enough. She was so certain that she had everything under control. It would be interesting to see how she "controlled" a large group of hostile Death Eaters: Voldemort's elite, at that.

Through recent research he had discovered that any type of disguise used by Alexandria would render her contract moot, leaving her helpless before Malfoy and the violent witches and wizards he often entertained. This he had intended to be the focus of his argument with her on Sunday, but raw jealousy took hold of him and he lost control of his temper. The thought of Malfoy taking her simply drove him past the point of logic.

And, now these men had caused the same reaction. Blind hatred had bubbled up within him like poison in a cauldron. His cover be damned. He had watched them do this to countless other women, never lifting a finger to help, but not Alex. An explosive curse should work to clear away the wizards in the back. Aiming carefully, making certain that there was no chance he would kill her by mistake, he raised his wand.

"What in Mab's name are you doing?" came the enraged shout of Lucius Malfoy from the doorway. Draco stood behind him, his face drained of all color as the wizards cleared a path to the maid and the men holding her. The man with the torn face spoke first.

"Just having a little fun, my Lord," he answered casually. "It's been a long day for us all."

"A little entertainment is always appreciated," hissed the wizard behind her who had pinned her arms tightly behind her back.

"Remove your hands from her at once," Malfoy stated simply, softly, with quiet fury boiling away behind the words. His wand was drawn, but not raised. The threat was clear enough for any fool. They let her go and stepped away, the confusion obvious on their faces.

Rose immediately curled into a ball of humiliation and pain. Her head was pounding and her body alive to every sensation, every breath of air against her bare flesh felt like the sting of some poisonous insect. They had struck her so many times that she was certain her entire face was swollen. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth.

And Severus, her beloved, had just stood there and watched them beat her into submission. Ironic, this unexpected rescue by her enemy - and disturbing.

She quaked with fear as a pair of perfectly-shined black boots approached her, but when Lucius crouched down, it was to cover her with his cape. It was warm and buttery-soft and smelled of him. Rose thought that she had never felt so relieved in all her life.

"This woman is a pure-blood witch from an old family, and she is mine alone," he scolded the men around him. Immediately, they were surrounded by surprised gasps. Embarrassed apologies were heard around the room and, from the corner of her eye, Rose saw several men fall to their knees before Lucius, begging his forgiveness and hers.

"We thought she was just a maid."

"No idea she had any value to you, my Lord."

"Be merciful, my Lord. We didn't know."

Malfoy ignored them, helping her to her feet as she gasped from the sheer agony the motion caused. For a moment, the room spun and she fought to keep her stomach from spilling its contents all over her employer. She fell against him and allowed his arms to encircle her protectively.

"I am ashamed of all of you," he said sternly.

"We had no idea."

He sighed irritably. "Alright, alright. I should have known you would want her. Go find some mudblood or muggle to relieve you of your frustrations. Rose is worthy of better treatment. Draco," he called as he ran a gentle hand soothingly over her head, pulling it away in disgust when he encountered the blood from his associate's face. "Escort Rose to my chambers and call a mediwizard. Do not leave her side until you are certain she's resting comfortably."

"Yes, sir, " Draco answered rather stiffly. It was obvious that he was burying a host of violent emotions as he wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, supporting her easily, and rushing them from the room as if both their lives depended on it.

When they were well out of earshot, Draco finally spoke. "I'm really sorry, Rose. My father's associates are dangerous."

She didn't respond, and Draco took the hint.

When at last they reached Malfoy's chambers, he eased her onto the bed with a gentleness she hadn't known he possessed and immediately summoned the family's mediwizards.

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An hour later, Draco was perched on the edge of his chair scrubbing his face with his hands, trying to rid himself of the positively mutinous thoughts that had been plaguing him since he left Rose's side. The peaceful woman he had left asleep on his father's bed bore no resemblance whatsoever to the bloodied figure he'd first escorted from the presence of those wolves his father entertained.

The mediwizards had repaired the physical damage without much trouble. Most of her injuries were external. The majority of the blood on her hands and arms belonged to her assailants. Draco smiled grimly when he heard this.

One of the bastards had broken her wrist, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Whatever was going on inside her couldn't be good, though, for the cheerful maid he had befriended seemed lost. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone, nor had she responded to any of the mediwizard's spells except to moan in pain - once - when her wrist was being examined. Other than that, she had been as silent as the grave, a glazed look in her eyes.

Damn those men!

The sound of heavy footsteps called his attention to the door which swung open with no preamble. His father's imposing figure stepped quickly into the room.

Apparently, the meeting was over.

"Where is Rose?" Lucius asked sharply.

Draco was on his feet in an instant. "She was asleep in your bed when I left her."

His father's face darkened as he scowled in frustration.

"I'll summon her," Draco offered, reaching in his pocket for the crystal connected to Rose's bracelet.

"No, son. Don't. That would only add to her grievances. We'll be lucky if she isn't packing her things. I'll go and find her." He turned on his heel, and Draco was at his side before he could leave.

"I'll go with you," he stated firmly.

"No. I need to speak with her alone."

Lucius searched the entire servant's wing, beginning with her private quarters, and found nothing but a damp bathroom floor. Evidently, she had preferred to bathe in here rather than in his own luxurious bathtub. That was understandable, all things considered.

But, where was she, now? Her personal affects were still in her room, thank Merlin, but perhaps she was so frightened that she left without them. He spent the next few minutes stalking the halls and looking in seldom-used rooms, thinking she may have sought solitude in one of them.

Eventually, his search led him to the garden. It was lovely under the silver moon, his swans swimming gracefully in the pond. And there was Rose, sitting on the bench at the side of the pond, her head lowered as if in defeat. He placed his walking stick at the door as it had been specifically designed to intimidate. That was his last intention. What was needed here was patience and the legendary Malfoy charm.

She looked so small out there, silhouetted in the moonlight. And for a moment he felt a rare swell of pity as he strode softly to her side and sat down. She sat as still as statue, never even acknowledging him.

"Rose," he called softly.

She raised her head and stared out at the pond. When he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it away - lightly, without malice, as if shying away from a stranger.

"Are they gone?" she asked so softly that he had to strain to hear.

"Yes."

"I suppose I owe you thanks," she stated flatly.

"You owe me nothing," he assured her. "If there is a debt, it is I who owe you - an apology. I was preoccupied, and forgot how dangerous they can be."

They sat in silence for a moment, Rose staring blankly ahead and Lucius studying her carefully. He needed to know, but how to ask?

"Rose, they have assured me that --"

She shook her head slightly, her jaw clenching as she fought the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She knew that he would want to know. "They hadn't quite gotten around to it," she answered, barely getting the words out before the tears came.

She buried her face in her hands. Could this night be any more humiliating?

Lucius sighed in relief. If they had actually succeeded in raping her, she would never forgive him. 'And it would have destroyed her,' came a tiny voice in the back of his mind. He stifled it quickly. For Merlin's sake, she may be a pure-blood, but she was only a servant.

Then why did it bother him so much that she wouldn't let him touch her? Perhaps she simply preferred women. It shouldn't concern him in the slightest. There were others who were more attractive and more cooperative.

"I got the distinct impression that I'm not the first servant they've attacked," Rose began. "They seemed to feel that they had the right."

"Rose," Lucius began.

"How could you let them do that?" she interrupted, her voice still low, but laced with fury.

"The women whom I have employed would do anything for the approval of a powerful wizard. They did not need to be forced," he said sternly.

"Surely you aren't insinuating that I should have just let them--" She stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

"Of course not."

Slowly, trying to make no sudden movements, he drew her wand from an inner pocket of his robe and held it before her. She immediately slid it from his fingers, her eyes finally meeting his, if only for a moment.

"I thought they'd broken it," she whispered.

"I almost left it there. You'd do just as well to carry a broken bottle of Bordeaux."

If she was at all amused by the joke, she gave no indication. "How's his face?" she asked seriously.

"Permanently damaged, I believe."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "Good."

"You are a formidable witch," he commented lightly.

"I can defend myself if I have to. But, I'm no match for a room full of your friends."

"They are not my friends," he stated firmly. "They are business associates."

"They're Death Eaters," she snapped, fixing him with a fierce look. "It's okay to say it around me. I know what you are. I know what they are. I'm under no illusions about what's going on. I said that I would stay and serve you, and I will, but please stop trying to cushion things for me. I'm not a china doll."

Lucius raised his brow at the unexpected tirade. She certainly wasn't a delicate creature, not at all. How different from his other servants, and how frustratingly desirable.

"I am pleased that you choose to stay. Your services have become invaluable to me. To be completely honest, I was surprised to find you still here after I closed the meeting. When I didn't find you in my room, I thought that you had run."

"I considered it," she said softly.

"And then?" he prompted.

"I reconsidered."

"May I ask why?"

Rose looked at the wizard in confusion, her mouth slightly open, and Lucius was forced to looked away from the tempting sight just long enough to collect himself. The sight of her naked, struggling form had aroused him greatly, and he was fighting to master his more primal urges.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked.

"Enlighten me." He favored her with his sweetest smile.

"Those men are not loyal to you because of blood ties or a common cause. They're loyal because they fear your power. Most of them have probably never even seen it first hand. You could have let them have their way and altered my memory, but you didn't. The fact that you compromised your status, even for a moment, to spare me from a fate worse than death--" she placed her hand on his face, gently, looking deeply into his eyes. "I can't tell you what that means to me."

It was almost too much for him, the gentle touch of a soft, warm hand, the trust in her deep brown eyes. He covered her hand with his own, lightly, but she pulled it away.

"I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have."

"I have told you before that your attentions are not unwanted." he stated gently.

Rose felt herself melt under the heat of his gaze, but couldn't bear to be touched just yet.

However, she could allow herself this one sweet luxury.

Leaning in slightly, she covered his mouth with hers, reveling in the smell of his skin, the taste of his kiss. There were no words to describe the satisfaction of hearing a moan of desire escape him. Her mind reeled from it. He truly wanted her, and the knowledge was intoxicating. The kiss deepened slowly, naturally. She, allowing her lips to part for his questing tongue and he, responding with a passion she'd never known him to possess.

It was only when his hand slid from her shoulder to her wrist and she pulled away, wincing in pain, that she recovered her senses.

"Did I hurt you?" Lucius questioned intently.

"A little," she answered, rubbing her wrist gently. "It's alright. The mediwizards mended the bones, but said it might be tender for a while."

"They broke your wrist?" he asked slowly, menacingly.

Rose only nodded.

What had she been doing?

"I should go and fix dinner, sir," she said, unnecessarily smoothing her blouse. "I'm sure the little dragon's starving by now."

"We can order out for one evening. You should join us for dinner."

Rose's eyes froze over. "I'm a servant, sir, not an equal. We'd both do well to remember that."

With that, she left, still unsure of why she had been so cold. Maybe she just wanted to hurt him as she had been hurt.

'Or, maybe,' said a tiny voice in her head, 'you're terrified of what he makes you feel.'

Shaking her head at such nonsense, she escaped to the kitchen.

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Rycca: Tell us how you really feel, sweetie. Don't hold it all in like that. You could get an ulcer. :-) I'm glad that you - um - liked (?) the chapter. Did the beginning of this make you feel any better?

Lady Jenilyn: Sorry to disappoint you, but Draco is little-brother material to Rose, nothing more. I'm glad that you feel he's behaving like a normal teenager. That's what I wanted for him. And your compliments on my writing making me absolutely glow! Thank you!

Marina: Hi! I'm not sure that Draco was too keen on joining the Death Eaters as it was, but if he was leaning that way at all, this probably shook some sense into him. Thanks for the review.

Silverfey: So, your questions about Draco and Severus are answered now. I guess I'm happy that I made you sad (boy, does that look weird). It's a sign that I was able to convey what I wished to convey. So, thanks - I think.

Fleur K: I'm glad that you enjoyed that chapter. I think that things turned out as well as they could under the circumstances. What do you think?

Zariva: Sorry to freak you out like that. I don't think I could do that to a kid. I just don't have the literary balls. I'm really pleased that you like my depiction of Draco and my OC, Alex. That means a great deal to me. As to what this will do to her, it has quite a few effects, but one major change comes from it that I can't discuss just yet. I'm glad that you understand about Severus. It's was illogical for him to attack even with their backs turned, but to try and take them all on in a duel would have been senseless. Thanks for piping up! Hope the update came quickly enough for you.