A/N: As always…I do not own anyone or anything from the HP series! I do own everything else.
_
He turned her around to face her Father and Snape. His hands dug into her arms as he did this, and the grip was tight, yet ever so sweet.
His voice, cold as always, dripped with venom.
"Tobias, I am claiming what was pledged to me all those years ago, do you agree to it, still?"
Tobias looked from Lucius to Eliah, grinned faintly, then nodded.
"Yes, of course, Lucius."
Malfoy smiled slowly, and tightened his grip upon her. She shivered with anticipation at what would come next.
"Father, what does he mean, what was pledged? You pledged to a Malfoy?"
Tobias again, nodded and smiled.
"Yes my dear child."
"And the pledge? What was it?" she threw caution to the wind, and dared to ask this.
"You, my daughter."
She stared at him for a moment.
Pledged to the Malfoys?
Again, she dared to ask a question she knew the answer to, but wanted to hear it's voice, if only to confirm the truth.
"And to which of the Malfoys have I been pledged to? Surely not Draco? He is much too young..."
Snape snickered, but did not say anything.
She glared at him, and then turned to her Father.
"Lucius." was all Tobias said.
She said nothing to this and Tobias took this to mean she needed to understand more.
"Eliah," he spoke softly, yet with the air of authority of a Knight, "You were pledged to him, the moment you were born. Tradition, if you will."
"The Dark Vow?"
Snape again snickered, but Tobias held up a hand to quiet him.
"Only one part of it."
She grinned.
"There's more to it, I suppose?"
Lucius moved against her, and she shuddered at his touch. His grip had lessened a bit, but he still held her firmly in his power.
"Why yes, there is more to it, then just a mere pledge! My dear, you have been pledged to one of the most noble houses in the Wizard world! And, pledged to one of the most noble men from that family!"
She quivered at this, but a part of her still found the will to rebel against it...
...but not for long...she knew Lucius would break her the rest of the way, and there would be no going back.
"And the most notorius." she spat at him.
She felt his fingers grip her arms, yet he said nothing to this.
"In Britain, yes...but not, in America." Snape offered.
"True, he is legend here. But, there is one in America who is more legend then even Lucius Malfoy." Tobias laughed at this.
Eliah smiled slowly. She knew whom he spoke of...oh yes, she knew perfectly well, who that was.
Naxxus Deoria.
The Noble House of Deoria.
Deorum.
Builders of a playground for the Devil himself.
She smiled more at this.
More legend then Lucius Malfoy...
..Lucifer...
The Dark Lord.
Eliah pushed yet another memory away, that of Deoria, and Deorum, itself. Now was not the time for such things.
"What else, does the pledge entail, Father?"
Tobias looked over her at Lucius and chuckled softly.
"Well, the first part...pledged to the House of Malfoy. Second part...pledged to a male of the family, though at first, we were not sure who that would be, but old Abraxus finally settled on Lucius."
Settled on? From the sound of this, Lucius, had not been his father's, nor her father's, first choice.
She wondered vaguely why that was...
"And?" she asked slowly.
"And, the third part...the agreement of marriage when you came of age..."
Snape smirked slightly at that.
"But, he went and married Narcissa, much to his Father's dismay and rage."
She felt Lucius' fingers tighten their grip on her. Almost, as if he were afraid she would apparate away from him...
...but that, she knew, was not an option for her.
"Yes, that is what happened..." he turned and glared dolefully at Snape. "However, the pledge was still there. His father knew it. I knew it. And Lucius, he knew it was there, as well."
"And his wife?"
"She did not know of it. Had she known, we can safely say, she would have had you killed a long time ago."
The iron grip tightened again.
"And now?"
Neither Tobias, nor Snape, answered the question. They looked uncomfortable, in fact...almost afraid.
She felt his lips brush against her neck, then against her ear...his breathe still warm upon her flesh.
"She," he hissed in her ear, "She is no longer to be worried about, or feared."
Eliah had allowed herself to lean into his body, but when he spoke those words...as if she feared Narcissa Black? Hardly. She straightened to ramrod straight, and turned her head to look at him.
"And you think, that I, a Knight, would fear anything from a member of the House of Black? Do not make me laugh!"
As the words tumbled from her lips, she knew she had made a dangerous mistake.
Lucius spun her around to fully face him, and when he had, she cringed away from him.
"You will never speak to me in such a manner!" he snarled, and drug her closer, so that they were inches apart, "You will learn your place in my house...you will learn quickly, Eliah Vivianna Knight, who your lord and master is."
Her eyes wide, she blinked at him. She looked to her Father, but he said nothing.
She knew better to look to Severus Snape for help or even a mere kind word. He was not such a one to offer anything, save for snickers and cruel comments.
She turned back to look at Lucius. He brought his hand up to her face, and thinking he would strike her, she cringed away again. Instead, he allowed his fingers to stoke her cheek...it was a gentle touch, but she knew, as well as anyone there, what was also behind that touch.
He turned her again, to face her Father and Snape. They did not look at her.
"Tell her the rest, Tobias." Malfoy commanded.
Her Father shifted a bit, and finally looked at her. She stared back at him, dimmly aware, that he could not, would not, look her in the eyes.
"The remainder of the pledge is thus, still unconsumated...because of, erm, unfortunate incidents beyond our control."
Snape laughed.
"Marriage to Narcissa Black, being one of them."
"Shut up Severus." Lucius growled from behind her. She found herself, once again, allowing her body to meld with his, and could feel the power this man possessed.
The power that ran through her own being, always aloof, always deadly...it was not only her body, that melded with his...
She quivered anxiously.
"Yes, too true, Snape...however, as Narcissa is no longer in the, uh, picture so to speak, we may proceed with the remainder of the pledge."
She looked at her father.
"Oh? And that is, what?"
"The remaining part of the pledge, is simply the Dark Vow, itself."
She grinned, but did not answer.
"There is also, the question of whether Lucius will take the full Vow.."
Lucius moved slightly against her. She could tell he already knew what he would do...a man such as he was, did not make split second decisions. No, men such as Lucius Malfoy, planned well ahead. Those plans were always detailed, reworked, and spun into existance slowly and deliberately.
And, they were exactly like the Malfoys themselves...
...deadly.
Tobias looked at Eliah for a moment, then to Lucius.
"Will you, Lucius Ares Malfoy, initiate the full Dark Vow?" he asked.
"I will."
Tobias turned his gaze to his daughter. It softened a bit as he looked at her.
"And will you, Eliah Vivianna Knight, accept the Vow that Lucius offers?"
She studied her father, then Snape. They both watched her carefully. Then, she turned to Lucius, himself, and studied his face.
The expression that was etched upon his pale face, was unreadable.
Again, she looked at her father, and he smiled lovingly at her.
Before she would answer, she would know what the full Vow was...
"What is the remainder of the pledge? The Vow? Or, is there more?"
Snape grinned.
"Oh, there is much more, Madame Knight."
She nodded.
"Yes, but what would that be?"
It was Tobias who finally answered her questions. He looked very pleased indeed.
"There is the marriage, of course. In order for Lucius to initate the full Vow, he must be pledged to marry you. After which, the last part will be performed...and that, can only be accomplished by another Dark Wizard."
Eliah nodded slightly.
"You will do that, of course..."
Tobias shook his head quickly.
"No, I cannot do so. Neither can anyone from the Malfoy family. No, it must be done by someone from outside the families."/P
She nodded again.
"I see. Is there someone who has been chosen for this?"
Tobias smiled at her.
"Oh yes, and I think, you will be pleased at the choice."
"Clearly." Lucius growled. He did not seem pleased at all by it.
She turned slightly, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and caught herself wanting more then to look at him.
She shook her head to clear away these forbidden thoughts.
~"Only for now.," The voice inside her head admonished, "He will soon be your husband...your lord and your master. He will no longer be the forbidden fruit, though bitter as that fruit is, your thoughts may go where they will then."~
She shook her head, but the desire and the want remained behind, taunting and teasing her.
Just as she knew he did.
"Who will perform the reaminder of the Vow, Father?"
Tobias smiled widely, but it was a dark sort of smile. There was something in it, that frightened her...
...but what could that be?
"The chosen one to perform the Dark Vow, will be Naxxus Deoria. They have already arrived, and the Vow will be performed a week from now."
"And the wedding?" she snapped out at him.
"Tomorrow."
Her mouth came open, but words seemed to have failed her at that moment.
"Tomorrow?" she stammered.
He nodded quickly.
"Yes, and then, before the Vow can be initiated, he must not be near you. You will be apart for one week, so as to clear up any last lingering doubts. You also, must be pure..."
"I am pure!" she hissed
Her father laughed.
"Oh, I know you are my dear! No, no, I meant only that HE is not to have defiled you in any way."
Snape snickered behind his hand.
"Oh! Lucius not being able to debauch his most prized possession! What will that do to his glorified reputation now?"
Lucius glared at him...the cold, steel grey eyes bore into him like daggers...
She saw the thought go through his mind...
~"You will regret that Severus, oh yes, you will."~
He moved against her, the once iron tight grip lessened, but only a bit. He still intended to make certain, that she could not disappear from his sight.
Nor, his embrace.
Her father laughed jovially, and clapped his hands together.
"Well, I think it is time, that we toast these two, and then get to our rest. A very long day is ahead of us tomorrow."
"But," she ventured.
"No buts, my daughter...you are on the eve of your marriage!" he smiled warmly at her, "Are you excited?"
She glared coldly at him.
"Happy? Oh yes, who would not be happy about being thrown to a rabid wolf?"
Again, the part of her that wanted only to rebel, spoke out for her. The part of her, that wanted this more then anything...wanted Lucius Malfoy more then anything...had always wanted him...did nothing, but lay down before him, submissive and meek as a sheep.
She knew she had gone too far, because he growled coldly into her ear...and his fingers dug painfully into her flesh.
"You will learn your place, my dear, and you will learn who is your lord and your master..."
The part of her that was the meek sheep, moved back into his cold, lethal embrace...like going to the slaughter...
But, the part of her who wanted, more then anything, to rip the flesh from his face, growled back...
"And who, might that man be, Lucius Malfoy?"
He laughed softly and deeply, sending cold chills up her spine, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up...
"I, " he growled and kissed the nape of her neck, "would be that man, Eliah."
She quivered slightly.
He turned her around to face him, his silver blonde hair cascading over his shoulders, and brushing against her hand.
Again, she quivered.
"And you, " he pulled her closer, so that his lips brushed against hers...
"Yes?"
"You...are...mine."
He crushed his mouth to hers, and kissed her feverishly and deeply. Her whole body went limp, and amid the kisses, she found herself uttering an answer, the rebellious part, did not want to hear...
"Yes, Lucius..."
He smiled that evil and deadly smile.
So close now...
"Yes, what?" he demanded from her
She trembled with the desire and the need...
Closer still...
...soon, very soon...
"Yes, my Lord..."
The Dark Vow had been initiated.