"Tighter, Charlie, please, hold me tighter. You won't hurt me."
Charlie grunted. He was well aware that werewolves bruised and broke under the same pressure as humans – in fact, Tess being much fairer than him, her marks showed up much more obviously – she just healed faster than he did. He tightened his hold around her waist as much as he dared. He always strived to make her happy, especially around the full moon. But when she dug her fingers, even with her nails cut short, deep into his back he grunted with pain. She was acting so clingy lately, and it unsettled him deeply. He hated being distanced from his wife.
Nonetheless, he felt himself close to orgasm and buried his face in her shoulder. She swore there was something intense about the smell of his neck, the feel of his shoulder muscles working, and she was starting to convert him. But she fisted his hair and yanked up his head, kissing him hungrily. He went along with it, too far gone to care...
"Is everything OK, babe?" he asked when he lay next to her after it was over.
"Fine," she said shortly.
"Tess, if you're going to lie to me, be a bit more convincing. If this a werewolf thing or just a you-and-Remus thing? Because he can't lie for shit either. What's wrong?"
"What makes you think anything's wrong?"
"You're never this clingy, not even this time of the month," Charlie said. "And you never want to kiss when you're coming."
Tess scowled at him deeply, determined to change the subject. "I thought you liked kissing me," she said coolly. She slid out of bed with the grace that only a werewolf can manage and had her dressing gown wrapped around her before he could stop her.
"Tess, you know I like kissing you, don't try and make me out to be the bad guy," Charlie said resolutely. By now, he was used to Tess and her sudden swings into insecurity. Although this was different to even that. He scrambled out of bed with far less dignity than his wife, wrapping his own dressing gown around him and joining her by the large window which offered a spectacular view of the small woods that bordered their house – and the dragon-training compound in the valley below. But it wasn't the view that had won Tess over. It was the massive window meters from her bed. She had a love-hate relationship with the moon, and often found it soothing to look at when she was agitated.
Charlie wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. He could feel the heat of her body through the thin silk. "I love you," he said quietly. He had long since discovered that quiet, soothing words of love were far more effective then talking in circles with her. "And I'm worried about you. I can feel you tossing and turning all night. I know there's something on your mind. And I hate it – because something's bothering you, and because you can't talk to me about it."
"You won't understand," she said in that it's-a-werewolf-thing voice.
"Try me."
"I feel like something bad's going to happen. I feel like someone's out to get me."
Charlie tightened his arms around her protectively. It had taken Tess a long time after the attack to get over the feeling that the world was out to get her, thanks in no part to the fact that Romania was a leading country in tolerance for Dark and Dangerous Creatures. Even now, a thoughtless comment from a closed-minded person could send her spiralling down to those dark early days of her lycanthropy. "No-one's out to get you, babe," he said soothingly. "Well, apart from the usual." Even in Romania there were people who believed strongly in pureblood status. "It's been four years. The only person who's hurt you has been me... and you're usually encouraging me," he added dryly. He turned her around so she was facing him, tilting her chin so he could meet her eyes. "You've been happy here, haven't you?" he asked.
"Of course. Don't be silly, Charlie. Even before – I loved France, still do, but I didn't feel happy there like I am here... with you."
He kissed her softly. "Good," he said. "Remember that. You have nothing to worry about.
Tess pottered around the house, softly singing a Romanian folk song as she baked. Lupin had a theory that his sweet tooth, which developed as he got older, was a result of his 'vegetarian' diet, his body seeking energy in another form. She had no idea how true it was, but she was finding herself craving sweets more and more as the months – and years – went by. Charlie had said, in perfect seriousness, that she was the number-one maker of Fresh pastries outside of France.
"If I had known you were such a good cook, I would come sooner," a raspy voice came from the front door.
Tess spun around and dropped the baking dish she was holding when she saw her pack-brother, a werewolf that Andromeda Tonks had condescendingly named Junior... and the name, she had gleefully reported, had stuck. "Get the fuck out," she spat.
Junior scowled momentarily. He knew exactly what his pack-sister was thinking. He hated that uppity Black bitch for bestowing the name on him. He wished he could tear her precious grandson to pieces. If there was any way to get his hands on the brat – but security at St. Mungo's and Hogwarts was super-tight, forcing Junior to think of another way to get to Lupin for killing their sire.
And then it had hit him. Tess Green. Now Tess Weasley. Happily married and living a picket fence life – albeit one with a view of a dragon compound – like she was some kind of human. The pair of them, they were revolting, thinking they could marry and have children like they were human. It was an embarrassment to the werewolf race.
But Lupin was devoted to Tess, and Junior decided that was the way he would hurt his pack-brother.
Junior smiled viciously. "Is that any way to talk to your brother?" he asked.
"The only brother I've got is Remus," Tess snarled.
He delighted to see the fear in her eyes. The Black bitch might call him Junior, but it was apparent that everyone knew how vicious he was capable of being... and that he had a settle to score with Lupin. He eyed Tess appreciatively. That civilised look of hers wasn't exactly to his taste, but there was no denying that she was a gorgeous woman with a terrific sense of style. Like his sire, he had no sense of boundaries when it came to his pack. He licked his lips. It had been a long time since he had been with such a beautiful woman.
Tess immediately sensed his desire. Like it or not, Junior was her pack-brother and they shared a certain bond that went beyond even the connection that werewolves shared in general. And their sire – she shuddered, thinking about the things he had done to her... the things he had planned to do to her had Lupin not interceded. "Get out," she said, hating herself for how obviously her voice was shaking with fear.
She reached for the silver blade she always carried with her – a symbol she had copied from her brother as an indication of the hatred she felt for werewolves like her sire and their pack-brother – but despite her own phenomenal reflexes, a werewolf who had been on Wolfsbane the entire of their existence was no match for a werewolf who fed all month long. The blade was wrenched out of her hand and went skittering on the floor in a fraction of a second.
"You bitch!" Junior snarled. "You think you're too good to be a werewolf, huh? You think you're too good for me?"
Despite herself, Tess spat in his face. "Yeah," she taunted. "I do."
Howling with rage, Junior kissed her roughly and Tess felt the vomit rise in her throat at the smell and taste of rotting meat. He pushed her against the table and she felt his erection against her thigh. She pushed against him, for all the good it did her.
Junior grabbed her wrists, his fingers closing in around the metal tracking bracelet she wore. He knew exactly what it was; one of those demeaning tracking devices that the Romanian Ministry of Magic placed on all registered Dark and Dangerous Creatures. Junior had scoffed about it in the seedier pubs of Europe's magical communities – like he would ever wear such a thing – and it infuriated him to know that it was something one of his own pack had lowered herself to. All for the love of that pureblood she had married, no doubt.
He closed his fingers tighter around the bracelet, determined to break it with his superhuman strength. It was an abomination, demeaning to creatures who were way beyond humans. Tess screamed as the bones in her wrist broke under the grip of Junior's hand, although the bracelet didn't give so much as a fraction. As pain coursed through her arm, both from the broken bones and the nerve-shattering pulsing emitted from the bracelet, designed to emit pain that even a werewolf couldn't bear if the device was tampered with, she supposed she could at least be grateful that in moments, members from the Ministry would be here to arrest her for attempting to remove her bracelet...
It was a silent Lupin and Ginny that returned to the bar the next day. "That's Laya," Lupin said. The Eurasian Eagle-Owl was flying in circles outside the window. Lupin opened it and the owl flew in. He caught the letter. For a second, he thought that Charlie – who was, after all, only one country over – had found out that he had been behaving inappropriately towards his kid sister.
Remus,
Junior attacked Tess. Tried to disable her bracelet and broke her wrist. Taken her to St. Bretranions. No idea where Junior is. Come quickly.
Charlie
"Tess has been attacked," Lupin said flatly. "I'm going to Romania."
"I'll come with you," Ginny offered.
"No, you stay here," Lupin said. "Don't argue with me, Ginny. I don't want to have to worry about you as well as her, and I don't care to explain to your brother what you're doing with me. Just stay here until I get back, OK? I mean it – no exploring. Be bored if you must but don't leave these rooms."
"How is she?" Lupin demanded, storming the Romanian Ministry. Far less obsessed with its own self-importance than its English equivalent, it had quickly become obvious that Tess was the victim in the sorry story, despite the fact that it had been her bracelet to go off after an attempted tampering. She had been checked out at St. Bretranions and then transferred to the Ministry, which she was more familiar with.
Augustin Koslov, the Minister for Dark and Dangerous Creatures Integration, directed a brief but pointed glance at Lupin's wrist. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get to it," he said. The Romanian Ministry had a policy to track Dark and Dangerous Creatures so, in the event of an attack, they could quickly have their whereabouts confirmed and be exonerated. It worked remarkably well, helping to create a sense of trust between those Creatures willing to be tracked and the greater magical community, although being voluntary – and even if it wasn't, there was a matter of catching Creatures like Junior to begin with – there were always those who saw no point in being part of the greater community. As a matter of good faith, Lupin fronted up to the Romanian Ministry for a bracelet when he arrived in the country and had it taken off again when he left. But it wasn't exactly his primary concern right now. "How is she?" he repeated.
"He shattered the bones in her wrist," Koslov said frankly. "My colleague at St. Bretranions says it's a bad injury, even for a werewolf. Her healing abilities can't deal with them straight away, and of course she can't be given anything for it without affecting the Wolfsbane. And then of course when the pulse went off – " Lupin shuddered to think about it. He'd experienced the pulse for a brief second to be shown how it worked – the bracelet could only be removed with a complicated spell performed by a full human – he couldn't imagine the agony said pulse must have been on shattered bones for several seconds, even minutes. "From what I was told, she isn't in any pain now, but her mind isn't recognising that. He really hurt her."
"Because of me," Lupin said flatly.
And the English think we're backwards, Koslov thought. Tess Weasley had a fan in him – her intelligence, her devotion to her husband, her work with World Werewolf Alliance – but she still carried around an element of shame for being a Dark Creature that only the English seemed to cultivate – or at least, that no-one cultivated like the English. "Because of – what do you call him?"
"I don't know his name," Lupin admitted. "My mother-in-law dubbed him Junior. Because he takes after our sire. He calls himself Greyback." He thought deeply for a second. "How did he get away from – what was it – half-a-dozen Ministry officials? Including yourself?"
Koslov looked ashamed at that. "Tess was our primary concern," he admitted. "And he was very swift on his feet."
"Tess and I don't operate at full capacity," Lupin explained flatly. "The more you feed, the stronger – and faster – you are." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, seething with guilt and frustration that he couldn't do anything for her. "Can I see her?"
"Of course."
Tess had been put in a small room. She jumped up when she saw her brother. "Remus!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms, her good arm flying around his neck, her cast arm hanging limply by her side. She promptly burst into tears.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered huskily.
"Wasn't your fault," she sniffled.
"You can tell me that a million times and I won't believe you," he admitted sadly. He knew intellectually that no-one but Junior was to blame for the terror he wreaked. But his heart, his conscience – all the things that made him what Junior wasn't, despite their physiological sameness – they told him that if it wasn't for him, Junior wouldn't be targeting those he loved.
"Teddy," Tess said in alarm, her thoughts echoing Lupin's.
"I don't know who is itching more to strike a blow, Minerva or Andromeda," Lupin said as jokingly as he could manage, trying to lighten the mood. "Junior knows perfectly well the security around Teddy is too powerful for him to try and breach. Though I wish for once she'd taken after Bellatrix and killed him off the spot," Lupin asked bitterly. Andromeda loathed killing unless it was in self-defence, and then only if a warning spell couldn't scare them off. Bet she's sorry now, Lupin thought grimly. Not that it brought him any consolation.
He and Charlie took Tess home – well, back to the compound and its super-security that could rival St. Mungos. It would be a while, if ever, before Tess would want to return to their house on the hill.
"Thanks for coming so quickly," Charlie said when Tess went to have a bath.
"She's my sister, how could I not?" Lupin sighed. "I feel so guilty. I thought Andy had scared him off but instead he's been stewing for all these years – "
"Don't, Remus. He had a choice to become what he has. Look at you and Tess. And I'm not sure it's entirely about you... he hates what you represent... and Tess, too. And Greyback had some pretty warped morals, even for a werewolf. Didn't he target Tess for his wife?" Charlie asked. Lupin nodded slightly; loathe to admit the revolting plans Greyback had for Tess. "It wouldn't surprise me if Junior thought he could just... pick up where daddy left off," Charlie said, the disgust in his voice apparent. He looked pensive for a few seconds. "She knew something was up," he admitted. "She sensed something... she felt someone was out to get her. I laughed it off, I thought she was just being insecure. I wish I'd listened."
"And you tell me not to blame myself," Lupin said.
"We have to find him, Remus."
"You will do nothing other than take care of my sister," Lupin said resolutely.
"I'm serious, Remus. He has it in for civilised Dark Creatures and he has it in for you in particular. He will target the people you care about until one of you is dead."
The people you care about. Suddenly, Lupin thought of Ginny. Surely, Junior wouldn't work out that there was a connection between them. And yet – and yet – he hadn't exactly been discreet in parading his gorgeous redheaded companion around Europe, his only concern that civilised magical folk wouldn't stumble across them. It had never occurred to him that he had to worried about uncivilised creatures. He had been banking on the fact that even the most base of dark creatures would respect a werewolf's wrath.
But that would work precisely the opposite with Junior.
"Remus? You alright?" Charlie asked.
"Er – yes. Sorry – I was in the middle of something when Laya arrived. I hadn't thought about it, worrying about Tess, but – "
Charlie waved him away good-naturedly. "Go, go. She'll be fine with me – she'll be fine here. There's no place safer in this part on Europe." That was exactly Lupin's concern; the tavern rooms he had were hardly secure.
He departed swiftly.
"Back already, Remus? I'd have thought you'd be at least a day," Ginny said. Her stomach churned when she saw a werewolf who was feral-looking even by his species' standards. It was during the full moon, but it was the middle of the day, and his face was still covered with thick hair.
This must be Junior. Somehow, the name wasn't nearly as funny as when Andromeda had derided his attempts to take after his sire.
Junior had moped around after his aborted attack of Tess Weasley – how was he to know that not only was that bracelet unbreakable by force, but that trying would call half the Ministry to the house? – barely getting out of there with his hide in tact. No she was no doubt firmly ensconced behind security to rival that which surrounded Teddy Lupin – probably the dragon compound that her pureblood (pureblood! A werewolf denying their species and marrying a pureblood!) husband on hers worked at. All he'd managed to do was break a few bones in her wrist. He smiled grimly at that. Uppity bitch couldn't take anything for it, so hopefully he was in pain.
Which didn't change the fact that he had been unable to do anything but break a few bones and scare the girl. He had wanted to savage her, he had wanted to make her bite, make her feed, turn her over to his side.
It had been easy enough to find out Lupin's location in Bulgaria... and more. It had been just as easy to find out that the man was travelling Europe with a much-younger companion... just as easy as it had been to work out that companion was meant in the sexual sense. The creatures he spoke to spoke of his companion longingly, making it obvious that it was only the threat of his wrath that restrained any of them.
A gorgeous redhead in her early twenties. What was it with those two and redheads?
And didn't the Weasleys have a younger sister? Junior had put the pieces together quickly. Charlie was thirty or so and the oldest, second-oldest, something like that. His kid sister could easily be in her early twenties. And since they had all gone to Hogwarts, Lupin would have taught this kid sister at some point.
Junior had been beside himself with glee when he had put the pieces together. So Lupin was traipsing around Europe, keeping company with a gorgeous pureblood young enough to be his daughter. Despite his disgust for his pack-brother's lifestyle, he knew him better than Lupin thought he did. Such as, he was still deeply hung up on that wife of his. Such as, he frequently used prostitutes, both because the Black bitch would castrate him if he made his infidelities personal and because he didn't want an emotional connection if he couldn't be with his wife. So for him to have a companion for the three-month summer break... Junior's mouth had curved into a wicked smile. He must really care about this girl to take such a risk, to display her so openly, even if it was as far from the civilised English magical community as you could get (at least without crossing an ocean).
An attack on the Weasley girl would be even better than an attack of Tess. To snatch her, to have his way with her, to turn her, to make him like him... Junior had cackled with glee.
And now here he was. She was more striking that bar-room gossip said. Long red hair that was like flowing fire, sharp, intelligent green eyes, an exquisite figure even underneath jeans and a baggy t-shirt... he would soon change that.
"Go away," Ginny said, her voice shaking. She was frightened. She had never realised just how dangerous and threatening Lupin could be – even when fired up with anger, he was restrained.
Junior grinned leeringly. A gorgeous piece, and he could smell the fear on her too boot – a heady combination. "Don't think I will," he said mockingly, and lunged at him.
Ginny started to scream but before she could, his arms were around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and her mouth was on her, kissing her forcefully, the smell of rotting meat soaking in her every pore. The fear and revulsion she felt made her last encounter with Bellatrix LeStrange seem like two friends having a casual chat. Her stomach churned, her body rebelled, but the vicious, vengeful werewolf held her in place, and she knew that there was no way around his superior strength and blood lust, knew that he wanted more than her than simply a tasty snack, knew that she had become the latest piece of collateral damage in his vendetta with Lupin...
... Lupin let himself into the room as stealthily as he could manage, giving his instinct was to burst through the door and scream for Ginny until she was in his arms with a powerful shield spell around them. But if Junior had her, then he didn't dare call attention to himself – knowing he had his pack-brother's full attention would only incline Junior to be more vicious towards Ginny.
His worst feels came true when he entered the room with a stealth that was impressive even for a werewolf and saw the creature mauling Ginny. You didn't need to know Junior – or even what he was – to know that he was forcing himself onto the young woman. Rage filled Lupin – rage and a surging sense of something that he hadn't felt... that he hadn't felt since he had seen his wife fall and had wanted to go after the woman who had attacked the most important person in his life, the woman he loved more than he had thought it was possible for him to love...
He was behind Junior, his silver-bladed knife – the same one which had killed his sire – in his hand in a moment; Junior was too preoccupied with this luscious piece that he was about to snatch to sense anything but his own lust. The first thing he felt was the silver, lethal to werewolves, slide into his flesh, turning skin, bone and lung to ash. He let go of Ginny to turn and face his attacker. "Remus," he gasped.
Lupin responded by lunging the blade into Junior's heart. Junior's yellowy-green eyes blazed with fury at being thwarted yet again – and for the last time – his dying thoughts being that once again the older man had taken something that he was entitled to...
The vicious werewolf dropped to the floor, two large, ashy holes in his scarred, furry body. With disgust, Lupin gave the body a vicious kick and it slid a meter or two across the floor.
That taken care of, Lupin focused his attention of Ginny. She was crying and shaking – perfectly understandable. "You OK?" he asked stupidly. "Sorry. I meant, did he bite you?" Even though Junior wasn't capable of turning her during the day, her oldest brother was testimony to the fact that a werewolf could still do some damage even when not under full control of the moon.
Ginny shook her head and threw herself into his arms. "I was so scared," she sobbed. "I thought he was going to kill me." Of course, she couldn't bring herself to say what she thought he had actually planned to do.
He held her tightly and kissed the top of her head, running his lips through her hair. "It's alright, love," he whispered hoarsely, thinking that if he'd been any later... he shuddered at the thought. "It's alright, I'm here. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I won't lose you. I won't lose you." And despite the fact that she reeked of Junior's foulness, despite the fact that she must be traumatised by his assault, he tilted her head and pushed his mouth onto hers in a bruising, demanding kiss that she was only too happy to return
Charlie slid out of bed and padded into the spare room when Tess had insisted on staying. He had taken it graciously when she had pushed him away, although it was never easy to accept that your wife didn't want you to touch her. But he would have respected her wishes – if not for the fact that she had been crying all night, thinking he couldn't hear, and he couldn't stand it anymore.
She was lying on her stomach – she always slept on her stomach or side, never on her back, and informed her that Lupin did the same thing, which he took her word for – her good arm wrapped around the pillow, the cast arm flung across the bed, crying into her pillow. He eased himself onto his back, drawing her into his arms so her good arm was across his chest. She didn't fight him, which he figured was a good thing. "It's OK," he said, feeling helpless against his wife's fear and pain. "He can't hurt you here. This is one of the most secure sites in the world. Rumour has it even Voldermort ran afoul of the security spells."
"You're lying."
"I'm not lying that that's what I was told, though I have no idea how true it was," Charlie admitted. He rubbed her back tentatively, and when she didn't object to that, he edged his fingers under the hem of the singlet she was wearing to sleep in. She tensed up sharply and he withdrew her hand. "Sorry," he said quickly. He had been warned that this might happened. He had first met Tess soon after she had been turned, and she had been so skittish around men in general after what Greyback had done to her. He had pursued her doggedly for a date, for sure, but he hadn't made a pass at her until he'd been sure she was ready for it, and slowly he'd been rewarded as she became comfortable around him, trusted him. And now – "I'll kill him," he vowed. If nothing else, he hated Junior for making his wife so frightened and unhappy. "I'll hunt him down and kill him."
"Don't be ridiculous, Charlie," she snapped through her tears. "The only person who's ever beaten a werewolf in hand-to-hand combat is Remus. I have enough on my place without having to worry about you going out and doing something stupid."
You sure it was Remus-the-werewolf and not Remus-the-devoted-brother? Charlie wondered. He was sure he was capable of the blind, killing rage that came from wanting to kill anyone who threatened Tess that had driven Remus to kill their sire in order to keep her safe. "I suppose I should be glad that you still care enough," he said mildly.
"Of course I care."
"Really?" He moved his hand to her hair, twisting it lightly through his fingers. She didn't seem to mind that, and given her current state of mind, he took that as her enjoying it. He remembered when he'd tried to kiss her earlier that night and she'd pushed him away. Don't, she had cried. I don't care if you see someone else, but don't... please don't. He understood that it was something she had just blurted out and that she wasn't actually telling him to have an affair, but it had still cut him deeply to hear it.
She squirmed a little. "I didn't mean what I said," she said in a small voice.
"I know you didn't, babe." He didn't add that it had still hurt to hear it.
Nonetheless, she realised that she had hurt him. Guiltily, she remembered how patient he had been with her, even when doggedly pursuing her. "I can't stop thinking about him," she admitted, the most she had opened up to Charlie so far.
"I don't expect you to just forget about it."
"I keep thinking – he's out there – Charlie, I don't think I'll feel safe until I know he's dead." She propped herself up on her good elbow and met his eyes; hers were tear-stained. "I don't think – " she stumbled on the words, and he knew that what she was trying to say was I don't think I can be the wife I should be.
"Tess, it doesn't matter to me. Honestly, it doesn't. Well – OK – it does – " he would be insulting her if he tried to lie that he didn't care that she didn't want him to touch her sexually or romantically – "but you mean the world to me. I don't mind waiting until you're ready. C'mon, settle down," he directed her. She lay her head down on his chest, and he could feel her faster heartbeat through their clothes.
Surprisingly, she fell asleep faster than he did, and he lay awake in the darkness, listening to her breathe and feeling her heart beat. He loved her to distraction, and he'd do anything for her. He only wished he could make her understand that her lycanthropy meant nothing to him.
Ginny was perched on the edge of the bed, dressed primly in blue-and-white striped pyjamas that made her looked younger than her twenty-one years, waiting for Lupin to emerge from the shower. He did after a few more minutes, dressing in his bathrobe, it clinging to her thin frame in a way that made it clear that he was only wearing underwear under it.
He sat down next to her and there was a long, deep silence before he said, "Is this what you want?" he asked. "To be my mistress? Because once we go down this path, once you sleep with me, you can't take it back." He couldn't deny how hot he was for her, how much he cared about her, and he knew he couldn't walk away anymore, but part of him still wanted her to walk away.
Ginny nodded. "I told you that yesterday." Yesterday? She found herself asking herself. It had only been a day since they had been at the stream. Only a day since she had thrown herself at him and he had turned her down flat, less than a day since she had found out that her sister-in-law had been viciously attacked, only a few hours since she had been attacked by the same creature. So much had changed in that day, and yet she knew that she wanted him, knew that she was in love with him deeply enough to become his mistress if that was the only way she could have him.
He nodded slightly; he had known that she would say that. She was a woman of high passion and determination; once she had decided she wanted to be with him and was prepared to be his mistress if that's what it took, there was no dissuading her. "It has to stop when we get back to Paris," he informed her quietly. "It can't continue in London." Too many people knew them in England, and it wouldn't take long of people seeing him with Ginny in even the most innocent-looking capacity for the gossip mill to start up.
"I understand."
"OK then." Lupin wasn't exactly sure how to go about this, and he figured that honesty was the best policy. "I'm used to being with prostitutes," he admitted. "I'm used to asking for what I want and getting it. Prostitutes are... pretty open-minded so long as you don't surprise them with anything. I don't want to fuck this up and offend you with a request that, er, a little... unusual for what you're used to, but... it's been a long time since I was with a nice girl," he said, floundering.
It took a few seconds for Ginny to realise what Lupin was talking about, and when she did, she blushed. She was hardly ignorant of sexual relations, but she knew, even before Lupin had rather badly tried to explain things to her, that he knew many, many things about such relations than a girl like her did. She found herself suddenly nervous but anticipating at the same time. "I don't mind," she said shyly. "You won't offend me. I – I want to learn. You said to me yesterday that a talent is twenty percent raw talent, forty percent desire to learn and forty percent a decent tutor. I want to learn... and I know you won't make me do anything you don't want me to." And saying this, she reached for his hand, taking note that he had already taken off his wedding ring.
He threaded his fingers in her, taking note of her firm, fair young skin contrasting with his scarred forty-two-year-old skin. His brain was screaming that he shouldn't do this, that by sleeping with her he was making her his mistress, a title that was far, far beneath someone of her breeding and that she would only be hurt in the long run. But his heart – his heart –
He leaned in to kiss her. She tasted like the vanilla shampoo and soap she used, as well as her own distinct scent that had become more and more noticeable as it had become harder and harder to fight his attraction for her. "Ginny," he murmured huskily.
"Remus," she replied, flicking her tongue into his mouth, and when she did that, he knew that there was no going back if she wasn't going to walk away. He scooped her into his lap and she wriggled around. The effect was instantaneous; he could feel the strain in his pants immediately. He pushed her onto her back on the bed and slid his hands under her pyjama top. He wanted to take it slow, feel ever inch of her body before consummating their relationship, but he knew he wasn't going to have such restraint. He started to apologise, but then he realised that she wanted this just as much as he did, wanted gratification just as badly as he did. Slow and sensual could come later.
He withdrew his hands from under her top and quickly unbuttoned it, pulling it away and tossing it onto the floor so she was completely naked from the waist up. He trailed a few kisses from her mouth down her neck and shoulders before fixating on her breasts, his mouth sucking and his tongue licking over her nipple while his massaged her other breast with his hand. She ran her fingers through his hair, gripping it tightly, and, arching her back involuntarily, cried out his name. She pulled frantically at the robe he was wearing, and between the two of them, they got the material off, sending it to join her top, so all he was wearing was his briefs. They did little to hide his massive erection, which she could feel against her thigh.
Lupin snaked his free hand down Ginny's body, under her pyjama bottom and the under her panties. He stroked teasingly around her womanhood until she was scratching at his neck and shoulders in frustration. "Please, Remus," she begged. "Pleeeeaseee..."
He abandoned her breast to smile at her, a smile that was loving and lewd at the same time – only he could have managed it. "I could never refuse a beautiful woman begging for my attention," he said, before mashing his mouth down on hers for a bruising, demanding kiss. She flung her arms around her neck, kissing him back with just as much hunger. In one swift movement, he yanked her pyjama bottoms and panties down off her and onto the floor so she was completely naked. "Help me," he grunted, not because he couldn't get his underwear off but because he wanted her assistance in this last action before they consummated their relationship and there was no turning back.
She hooked her thumbs inside his briefs at his hips and dragged them down his legs until he could kick them off and they were both completely naked. She ran her fingers lightly over his skin, cupping his bare ass and then moving around to his crotch, fingering his manhood. She let out a breath when she felt how hard he was – and how big. She hadn't been with someone so endowed as he was, and it made her a little nervous, thinking about her first time with Harry and how uncomfortable it had been and how much bigger Lupin was...
He kissed her deeply, knowing what she was thinking. "It'll fit," he assured her. He stroked her clitoris, very softly and slowly at first, then with more speed and pressure as she began to writhe and moan under his touch, her womanhood becoming slick with desire. She spread her legs wider for him and dug her fingers into his shoulders.
She was close to sobbing with desire after a few minutes, scratching frantically at his back. If she had screamed at the top of her lungs, begging for it, she couldn't have made her desires clearer. He shifted slightly so he was firmly between her legs and teased her for a few seconds, rubbing his manhood against her until she screamed his name and he pushed himself inside her, his member sliding into her slick, tight womanhood. He pushed his way all the way in until his abdomen was completely pushed up against hers.
Ginny went tense underneath him for a few seconds, her body getting used to a much bigger man than she was used to. Lupin gave her a few seconds before he started thrusting as slow as he could manage, but it was what neither of them wanted, discomfort be damned. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist and her arms around his back. She pushed her hips against his in a command to continue. He kept thrusting, faster and harder with every time, his fingers working between her legs in time to his thrusts. He grunted and she moaned in rhythm, their guttural sounds getting more and more frantic as they barrelled towards an orgasm...
Ginny arched her back, tightened her grip of her legs around his waist and dug her nails deep into his flesh and she climaxed, screaming. Burying his face in her shoulder, Lupin thrust hard one final time and spilt himself inside her, his seed flowing in a steady stream of warmth.
He stayed on top of her for over a minute, panting slightly while he gathered his wits before withdrawing and rolling off her, settling on his side, propped up on his elbow. "You OK?" he asked, for a second looking like a concerned teacher and not a – what exactly was he to her now? Her lover? What was the man in a mistress scenario? Master? She giggled at that. No-one was going to be her master, no matter how crazy she was about them. Lupin frowned. "What's so funny?" he asked. She explained. "I don't think it's something you're going to have to bandy about much," he said dryly. "Did I hurt you?" he asked. "Was it uncomfortable? Tell the truth, Gin."
"A little," she admitted. "I mean – a little uncomfortable... at first. I've never been with someone that... big," she said. She curled up into his arms. "I'll get used to it. I'm sure you'll give me lots of practice."
He chuckled and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and running his hands down her back, cupping her buttocks, so smooth and firm. "I think you're going to be a handful," he murmured between kisses. He took one hand and slid it between their bodies to his manhood to teach her how to touch him to reignite his lust the soonest.
"Remus!" she said, shocked when she felt his start to harden again under her touch, directed by his own. She had experience with men who could recover quickly, but not like this. But she didn't sound shocked in a bad way.
"You want this, you can get used to a Dark Creature's libido," he grunted, his own fingers already between her legs. She shuddered with delight, the pleasure and rising desire overwhelming the discomfort.
"With my pleasure," she said, spreading her legs to give him easier access.
Charlie let himself into the house, disarming several powerful security spells that were way beyond the ability of someone like Junior in order to get in. Usually he was hit with the smell of whatever Tess was cooking for dinner – she always got home before him and was a far superior cook, so there had been no contest about the designation of chores there – but this evening, it just smelled like... house. Unhomey house, too. He never would have guessed that four years of living in one place would give it a certain sense of home that this new place didn't have.
"Tess?" he called. "Babe, you home?" He told herself not to panic; even if Junior had someone gotten in – which was incredibly unlikely – there would be serious signs of a struggle that he would have had neither the ability or time to correct if he had any chance of getting out without being caught.
He found Tess in the living room, curled up on the couch, looking somewhat stunned. He sat next to her and put his arm around her; she leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. "You alright?" he asked casually.
"Junior's dead," she said, handing her husband the note that her brother had sent by owl a few hours earlier. Charlie opened it and quickly scanned it.
Tess,
Junior's dead. I killed him myself. I hope this helps you to sleep easy. I'll see you soon.
Love,
Remus.
"Oh, thankgod," Charlie breathed. Without bothering to wait for her permission – instinctively knowing it was OK, the way he knew Tess better than anyone except maybe Lupin – he wrapped his arms around her and moved her into his lap. Junior must have gone after Lupin after taking down Tess had proven to be a disaster. Idiot, Charlie thought – he'd have had better luck trying to attack Teddy at St. Mungo's again. "How do you feel?" he asked.
"Glad," she admitted. Then, more viciously, "I wish it had been more painful. I wish he had hurt him." Of course, it wasn't practical to give a Dark Creature time to gain the upper hand by torturing them, especially since Junior was much stronger and faster than his 'vegetarian' pack-siblings, but still... Tess shuddered to remember what Junior had done to her, what he had planned to do to her...
Charlie drew Tess in closer and kissed the top of her head. "It's OK, he's gone," he whispered reassuringly. "And everyone knows that you're not like him."
She rubbed her cheek against his rough work-shirt, always, always seeking the familiarity of her husband. She was such a tactile creature, and he had always been curious if that was her or a werewolf thing. If it was a werewolf thing, then it had to be an incredibly difficult life for his brother-in-law. He made a mental note to have Lupin over while he was in the vicinity; the man had to be so lonely.
Ginny bunched the bottom sheet in her hands as Lupin thrust hard from behind. She gasped at the force and simultaneously pushed back against him. She craved the feeling of him all the way inside her and gasped in ecstasy every time he plunged the length of his manhood inside her. She felt his nails digging into her buttocks and loved his possessiveness, his sexual hunger for her that she knew went beyond his high libido or his recent dry spell.
Momentarily spent a few minutes later after they both came to orgasm, he lay on his side next to her. "How was that?" he asked, and Ginny giggle, because she knew he was attempting to sound casual.
"You are such a fisher for compliments," she said. "You know perfectly well that it was amazing." She touched her throat briefly; she could feel it start to ache from screaming. And it was the only part of her body that ached, in that good way that you got from overdoing it on something so pleasurable... Lupin shrugged, as if to say that he didn't get a lot of feedback from women who it wasn't in their interest to give favourable feedback – the prostitutes who relied on praise for return patronage. So Ginny decided that, just this once, Lupin was entitled to high praise. "You're amazing," she said huskily. "You – I thought I was doing pretty well, but you... how do you manage it?" she asked, referring to both his skill and stamina.
"Werewolf's physiology and an eagerness to learn," he said. "I always wanted to excel at everything I could... because I had to have something that I was great at to offset... everything else."
She cupped his face and stared into those green eyes. She loved it when he opened up to her like this. She kissed him, and it wasn't long before they were making out in earnest. She ran her hands down his chest – so thin and wiry, with such hidden strength – and then started kissing her way down his chest that made Lupin arch his back and murmur his appreciation. He brought his hands to her hair and before she realised that he was pushing her down, her head was at his crotch and she could feel his hardening erection at her fingertips. Anticipation and apprehension coursed through her simultaneously; she wanted to do this and she wasn't a complete novice to blow jobs, but she already had experience with how big he was and wasn't sure she could fit him in her mouth.
"It's easier than you think," he murmured, sensing her apprehension – and her anticipation. "Just take it in all the way down your throat." And resist the urge to gag or bite, he added silently.
Obediently, Ginny took Lupin in her mouth, slowly working her way up his shaft, resisting the urge to gag. It had been one thing to have him inside her, but sliding down her throat – and yet, it kind of excited her. It turned her on to hear Lupin gasp and whimper in pleasure as his hot, hard manhood slid into her open mouth. She persevered and took him entirely into her mouth and started licking his manhood, even scraping his teeth lightly when it became clear that he could take it rough just like she could. She started massaging his balls as she tended to his manhood, and Lupin responded by arching his back and growling like an animal in the throes of lust. "Ginny!" he cried out.
It didn't take long for her to become comfortable enough with him down her throat to start sliding her lips up and down his erection, withdrawing and taking him in with greater and greater length and speed until Lupin was moaning and writhing uncontrollably. She grinned to herself. She loved knowing she could do this to him.
Lupin reached the point of no return and he gripped her hair roughly for a solid hold on her head, and started thrusting hard and deep into her mouth – unexpected, but not something Ginny couldn't handle. She recognised the drive in him when he was close to an orgasm and the fact that she didn't need to do anything; she simply stayed in a kneeling position while Lupin thrust into her mouth like half an hour ago he had been thrusting between her legs. "GINNY!" he screamed, and spilt himself into her mouth.
There was one thing that could be said for his manhood being buried so deep in her throat; his seed slid easily down her throat, easy for her to swallow.
"I did good?" she asked him coyly when she climbed back up the bed to join him.
"You did good," he said mildly, the glow in his eyes and the smile on his lips telling her that she did more than just 'good'. "I think I should return the favour," he said, and flipped her onto her back, where he started kissing her, working his way down her body the same way she had done to him just before. Her nipples hardened under his mouth and she was shaking with anticipation before he had even gotten to her pelvis. He had gone down on her before, but it wasn't something she was yet tired of – and something she doubted she ever would get tired of it.
He flicked his tongue between her legs, and Ginny sighed in pleasure. A few seconds later, his fingers joined his tongue, caressing, sucking, licking, even biting gently as he ate her out. He might have admitted, with some bitterness, that his ability to please women had stemmed from a determination to be good at all he could be as a means of overcompensating, but there was no denying that he was damn good in bed. And it was more than that – he seemed to genuinely enjoy pleasing women. While he got it academically that there were plenty of women out there who saw a woman's pleasure as not their problem, his truly didn't understand the selfishness behind the logic.
His tongue and fingers working their magic on her, Ginny sighed and wriggled in pleasure. But Lupin had more tricks up his sleeve. Procuring a bottle of lubricant, he made sure his fingers were ready for her – slick and warm – before sliding one hand under her bottom and, caressing sensuously between her buttocks for a few moments, he eased a digit up her backside.
Ginny gasped at the new, unexpected sensation – but one that was not exactly unwanted. Her upbringing told her that it was wrong, wanton, but when her lover began fingering her there, she couldn't deny that it was a pleasant feeling. More than pleasant – the simultaneous attention was exquisite. "Remus..." she gasped, torn between wanting to tell him to stop because it wasn't something girls of her breeding were supposed to do and not caring what he did to her when it felt so good.
"I'll stop when you want," he murmured, his face buried between her legs, making it clear by his wording that simply telling him no wouldn't be enough; she had to make it clear by her tone, her actions, that she truly didn't want this.
And they both knew she couldn't do that.
Lupin slid in a second, then a third finger, all the time ministering to her in a more traditional way. Ginny bucked wildly at the simultaneous sensation going on down there, and she first gripped fistfuls of Lupin's hair in her hands, tugging wildly, then scratched at his shoulders and back in a way that only seemed to egg him on – and egg her on as well. "Remus!" she cried out as she bucked and only Lupin's superior strength kept her on the bed. "Oh, God, I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!" she cried out...
It was the most explosive orgasm she'd ever experienced, and after it was over, she lay shaking on the bed. She felt like she was made of rubber, she felt exquisite. She was simultaneously distantly and acutely aware of him turning her onto her stomach and pushing her a little up the bed. "This will be a little uncomfortable," he admitted. You'll get used to it, enjoy it. "I'll stop when you want."
Though she had known that his erection would be somewhat more significant than his fingers, though it had been very recent since he had demonstrated that he was much bigger than anything she was used to, she hadn't expected it to be quite such a tight fit. Even well-lubricated, his manhood was uncomfortable as he deflowered her in a way that girls of her breeding weren't meant to know about, let alone allow. And yet – and yet – she wasn't exactly adverse to the idea, despite the discomfort, especially when he brought his fingers down to her clitoris and began stroking her. She moaned lustily and when she inadvertently pushed back against him, pushing him deeper inside her, she wasn't exactly sorry. She found herself gripping the sheets again as Lupin continued with his claim on her virginity and she knew she would never be the same girl again... and she kind of liked the idea...
Ginny stirred in her sleep. Lupin was dead to the world, asleep on his stomach the way he liked, one bare arm flung casually over her. She wriggled out from under him and, wrapping herself up in the robe, went to sit by the window.
Four days. Four days of solid bedroom activities. Her body ached from the demands Lupin had made of her – demands that she had been more than willing to concede to. What had it been, twenty, two dozen times? He had a voracious appetite and had had her until he was sated... and she hadn't exactly minded. She blushed to remember how often he had taken her, and how many ways... the way he had directed her to open her mouth to him, the way she had taken him all the way down her throat and enjoyed it... the way she had been jolted from slumber in the middle of the night to find him on top of her and inside her, and the way she had loved it... the way she hadn't protested when he had taken her anally, the way she had enjoyed it the second time... and the third... despite the ache now that it was over. The way she had responded to his voracious appetite with one of her own, one she hadn't thought she had possessed.
She had permitted things she shouldn't even know about, and she had loved every moment of it. She knew it wasn't something she ought to be able to brag about, that she had sated a werewolf's voracious sexual appetite... but she had, and she had enjoyed it. Every sordid moment. At least, sordid by the standards she had been brought up in.
She wondered how her brothers would take it to know what she had been up to these last four days. She wondered if it was nothing new to Charlie.
She curled up on the window sill, staring out at the moon. She felt so conflicted. She had loved every moment of the last four days, loved the sex, the new and scandalous things Lupin had introduced her to, loved the moments in between when he was momentarily sated and looked at her like she was the greatest woman in the world – sexually, emotionally, intellectually. She remembered what she had said six weeks ago, about Harry. I used to lie there and want something to happen. That connection she had talked about – that drawing together of two people – she understood that now, because she had it with him.
She was head-over-heels in love with a man old enough to be her father, a married man, for all the technicality that the marriage was. She knew she shouldn't, but she loved him, and loved being with him, and she felt torn between what she wanted and what she knew she ought to find repugnant.
She didn't realise how much time had passed as she stood there, staring into the darkness, before Lupin wrapped his arms around her. She jumped, startled. "Sorry," he murmured into her ear. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"You could never frighten me," she said softly.
He kissed the top of her head chastely, completely at odds with the bedroom antics that had finally wound up only hours before. "You alright?" he asked softly, the worry – and fear of rejection – in his voice clear. "I'd have thought you'd be exhausted."
She leaned against him, basking in the warmth of his body. "Just thinking," she said.
"About us?" he asked. She nodded slightly. "Are you sorry?" he asked pointedly.
"No," she said resolutely. "I just... feel like I ought to be ashamed," she admitted. "Girls like me aren't supposed to know about the things we did – let alone enjoy them. And certainly not with – um – "
"Married half-breeds old enough to be your father?" Lupin offered. He sighed. "I should never have agreed to this," he said.
Worried that he was trying to break it up with her, she reached for his hands. They were beautiful, despite the scars that peppered them – perhaps because of that, because she knew that they were a result of his isolation as a child, his parents desire – and then his own – not to bite others. "I'm glad you did, Remus," she said softly. "I'm not sorry that I'm with you – I'm only sorry that it has to be this hard... and that it has to end. But what I feel when I'm with you – I've never had that with anyone, not even Harry. You were the one that told me you needed to have that something special or you would always be haunted with the feeling that something was missing."
He settled behind her and kissed her head again. "I said a lot of things that I'm beginning to wish I didn't," he said.
"Well, don't. You didn't succeed in – in making her stay away and you won't succeed in making me go away, either." She was unable to bring herself to say Tonks's name; she felt a sudden stab of jealousy towards his wife., as if Tonks was the other woman, when in reality it was she who was. "We only have six weeks, Remus. I want to enjoy them."