CHAPTER 9: CASUALTY OF SCHISM

Tuesday, July 8th, 2031 (afternoon)

Scorpius had gone to settle things once and for all with Eleri at her flat. To his surprise, it had gone smoother than he'd expected thus far: she'd listened to him without interruption, and hadn't broken into sobs or fits of screaming. He took this as a good omen.

"I'm really sorry," he contritely offered again, after explaining that he couldn't see her anymore and was breaking their deal. "I promised Rose – only her from now on."

El was stiff in her seat, staring down at the tall glass of lemonade on the table before her, wiping the condensation from the sides with slow, measured strokes of her index finger and thumb, working her way around the surface. Her face was a perfect Slytherin porcelain mask – calmly enigmatic. "I'm sorry, too, for suggesting this… us, to continue. It was wrong. I got greedy."

He took a sip from the glass she'd laid out for him, letting the cool, sweet-tart liquid swill over his dry tongue and down his throat. "Are you going to be alright?"

A single dip of her dark head. "I've always known how things were between us, Scor. You don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl. It was… fun… while it lasted."

He took a big gulp then, and laid the glass back on the table, feeling some relief. "Alright, then. I guess… I should go. Don't want to overstay my welcome, and I'm sure you have things to do. So... I'll see you around." Because really, what more was there to say? He'd told her everything – been upfront with his feelings, even. And they'd finally reached that awkward pause in the break-up conversation where it was time to part ways before someone said something uncomfortable or hurtful. Better to leave on a good note. He stood and tucked his chair in. "Thank you for everything, El. You're a beautiful woman, inside and out. Some wizard is going to be very lucky to have you someday for his own."

Her lips tugged into a slight frown. It was the only outward emotion she'd shown during the entirety of their discussion. "Right."

Feeling that familiar guilt that came whenever he ended things with a woman, Scorpius turned and let himself out. This time, though, the remorse was worse than usual, and the skill he'd cultivated over the years to be able to disconnect his feelings after severing a relationship was absent. All the way down the hall and out the front door to the end of her drive, his chest throbbed and his eyes burned with unshed tears. He was letting an important part of his life go in ending things with El today, and it really, truly sucked to infinity to know he had been forced to hurt her - someone he honestly cared for - in the doing.

He and Eleri had been best mates since the beginning of their school days; sitting next to her at Slytherin's table after their sorting, she'd been the one to insist he go to the Hospital Wing to get his broken hand mended, and had even escorted him there with Zabini, asking directions from the portraits and ghosts along the way. She'd been a constant in his life for all the years since, there for him through every disappointment and every triumph. She'd been his support - his friend. If there was ever a girl he should have been deeply in love with and taken for a wife, it should have been Eleri Nott. Yet those feelings hadn't developed on his side, no matter how many times they'd ended up in bed together. Yes, he loved her, just not in the mother-of-his-children, holder-of-his-soul type of way.

It made him sad to know that their friendship would now have to come to a permanent end. They could be acquaintances, but never be as close as they once were, for it would hurt Rose too much – something he couldn't abide. His mate was his future now, and her needs would always come first, no matter what sacrifices he needed to make to insure that.

Raising his wand, he stepped to Apparate home. Just as the sensation of being tugged away overtook him, he heard a heart-wrenching sob come from inside El's flat, followed by the sound of tinkling glass as it shattered against a wall.

X~~~~~X

Tuesday, July 8th, 2031 (night) – Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (morning)

After a hard afternoon and evening of emotional self-flagellation over Eleri's sadness, the last thing Scorpius had wanted to tackle was Rose caught up in her nightmares again. He'd been hoping for a nice, relaxing dream session tonight with some talking and sharing and laughter, and then a round of hot, heavy snogging and petting, but it seemed fate was dead-set against him. Her nightmare greeted him the moment he tried to penetrate her mind, and he knew he was going to have to brave the terrors to pull her out again.

Gathering his mental fortitude, he stepped through...

It was the same scene as the last time: a nice, white house with blue accents, neatly trimmed yard, pastoral and quiet view, and the full moon in the sky illuminating the out-of-place bloodied hand print on the front door. He entered, and once more found the inside to be a wreck, as if a fire had swept through it. He avoided the obvious pitfalls and opened the door to Rose's bedroom. This time, he was in the hallway of the dungeon at Hogwarts. A seventh-year version of Rose was kneeling and facing one stone wall near a corner, rocking her upper body back and forth as she moaned.

With soft step, he approached and knelt down behind her. "Rose, baby? It's me, Scorpius. Can you hear me?"

"Why do you always hurt me, Scor?" she whimpered, her hands covering her eyes. "Why won't you let me see? I want to trust you, but I can't see. Let me see, please!" Her tone had grown progressively more upset as she talked, until the last came out as a wailing plea.

Scorpius very gently wrapped his arms about her. "I'm going to take you out of here now. Hold onto me, baby."

"Save me, Scor. Let me see," she begged.

He kissed her cheek. "I'll save you, baby. Hold onto me."

Again, he needed his Veela's help to break through the nightmare and pull them both into his safe, nice dream world. His bestial side, however, seemed very upset by the scene before him – agitated, even – and he snarled at Scorpius.

This is your fault, you bastard, his other half accused, irate.

Before he could ask for an explanation, Scorpius felt his Veela yank them all out of the nightmare.

X~~~X

It was a warm spring day, and the scent of flowers carried on the breeze. Scorpius opened his eyes and found he was lying on the ground on a blanket, the bright sun above shaded by the towering oaks above him. In his arms, laying over his body was Rose. She was just now waking up, her long, dark eyelashes fluttering as her lids opened. She took a deep breath, sighed with contentment and nuzzled against his bare chest.

Gods, this felt right. They fit so well together, their curves and angles matching like lock and key.

Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he inadvertently raised her into full consciousness. With a gasp, as if she finally recognized where she was, she jack-knifed up into a seated position and looked about with fear. When she noted her dream partner lying at her side, her guard dropped and she sighed – this time with disgruntlement. "You really need to wear a bell or something," she drawled, scooting back to put some space between them.

Scorpius played it cool, swallowing his disappointment and channeling that energy into flirtation instead. Locking his hands behind his head, he assumed a indolent pose and threw her his most charming smile. "Hey, baby. Miss me?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "About as much as one can miss a persistent tropical rash."

"Ah, so you like it warm and wet, with just that little bit of itch to make it fun?" he teased. "That, I can definitely give you."

Rose pursed her lips to keep back a giggle. "I'll just bet you can."

"So, did you speak with your mum or Aunt today?" he asked, wanting to get the messy business out of the way fast so he could get down to the really good dirty stuff after.

Her amusement abruptly fell away. "Yes."

He waited for her to continue, but she merely looked off into the distance through the trees, not giving away any interesting tidbits about those convos. "And?" he prompted.

Her cheek gave a small spasm – clearly a nervous tick. "And, I learned some things," she hedged.

"What things, precisely?" he politely inquired, not wanting to provoke a fight, but wanting out with it so he would have a chance to undo any damage those discussions might have done in his absence. Gods knew what the women in her family would have told her to make that big brain of her start churning and scheming.

Readjusting her position, she looked at the sun dress he'd chosen for her this time – a very feminine, sweetheart-cut dress that fitted her waist, fell to her knees, and hung by thin shoulder straps that were tied off. Its sapphire blue fabric made her eyes pop, and the white flowers that decorated it gave her a soft, romantic air. Her unbound breasts, lean torso and strong hips were accentuated by the flattering cut of the outfit, and she was barefoot and bare-legged. Overall, he thought her quite ravishing. Rose, it seemed, actually liked this outfit. "Pretty," she deflected the conversation, playing with the hem of the dress. "Is this silk? It feels like it. I would swear it was sil-"

Scorpius knew that whatever she was hiding, it was because she hadn't liked the answers she'd heard from her mum and Aunt. "Rose," he sighed with mounting frustration. "Spill it."

"Okay, fine," she snapped. "But before I tell you, I want a promise that you won't get angry at me for asking questions that I have every right to inquire about."

Intrigued, he sat up on his elbows and stared at her. "Alright," he easily agreed. "I won't get angry with you for wanting to know everything – but that's because I understood that particular quirk of yours years ago."

Like she had when they'd been first years together at school, she merely stuck her tongue out at him and frowned. He'd always believed that particular expression was her last resort, when she was unable to think of a good comeback.

"Right," she began, taking a deep breath, "Well, I asked for my mum to tell me her history with your dad, and to describe for me her mating again – not just the physical stuff, but the feelings. I wanted to know if she'd felt… coerced… into falling in love with him." When he raised an eyebrow at that, she obviously felt the need to defend her position. "I mean, we both know that their childhood wasn't amicable in the least, and it seemed much too odd to me that such diametrically opposed, antagonistic personalities could ever find common ground enough for a romantic relationship to bloom. I thought that maybe it was Veela magic that had changed her somehow when they'd been kids."

"How could it have been?" he countered. "The Malfoy Veela don't awaken until the man's twenty-fifth year. That's the curse."

She shook her head. "Not in their case. It seems that the first time they got together, they were both virginal, horny little teenagers in sixth year. Your dad had been injured by Uncle Harry in some sort of wand duel and was convalescing in the Hospital Wing overnight. Mum snuck in after hours to visit. She told me that they'd gotten into a whispered fight because he wouldn't accept her apology for Uncle Harry injuring him, and that her hand had somehow touched his in the ensuing argument, and WHAMMO! Veela magic took hold of both of them. They'd ended up popping each other's cherries, shagging like bunnies right there in the hospital cot, covering it up with a Silencing Charm. Apparently, his Veela had wanted her for its mate from the first moment they met, and it saw an opportunity that night and somehow, enchanted them both."

Scorpius frowned. "That shouldn't have been possible."

"Mum thinks it was because… well… your dad had taken the Dark Mark that year," she cautiously stated. "She thinks that maybe his Veela had been jarred awake earlier than usual by the trauma of knowing that your dad had signed on for what amounted to a suicide mission, and that maybe it had been trying to get her up the duff - to fulfill its biologic need to impregnate its chosen mate, just in case it died in the coming war."

"But your mum didn't get pregnant then, did she?" he asked.

Rose shook her head. "No. When I asked her that same question, she said they hadn't used any contraceptive spells or potions, but for some reason, she didn't get pregnant. Now that she's mated to your dad, and she understands the function of the Three Marks – especially the last one, which she explained in painful detail to me, by the way – she speculated that the reason she hadn't conceived that night when they'd been kids was because your dad's Veela was too weak from forcing itself awake so early. It couldn't even fully manifest and didn't mark her then for its mate because it didn't have the energy. All it could do was enchant them both with its lust." She shrugged. "So, no baby-making and no permanent marking."

Scorpius considered what she'd said. "Then how come my dad mated my mum, Astoria, if his Veela had already chosen your mum for its prime mate?"

Rose's cheeks pinked a pretty hue. "She was already pregnant with me when your dad went through the Veela ritual upon his twenty-fifth birthday. From how she explained it, if a female candidate is pregnant at the time the ritual occurs, the male Veela's magic somehow knows and understands that she's no longer available for breeding."

Everything clicked together in his head. "So dad's Veela had no choice but to pick an alternate witch: my mum." He mulled that over, feeling a bit sorry for his mother for having come in second best. Oh, he knew his father had loved Astoria Greengrass, and that she'd never wanted for anything while they'd been married and mated – especially affection, as his father had been quite romantic with his mother, as Scorpius recalled from his early childhood days. But, now it was clear to him that his mother had never been his father's other half of his soul, as a mate should be. That distinction had belonged to Hermione Granger alone, it seemed. He wondered if his mother had known, and felt pity for her.

"When my mother… died," he stumbled over the word, still finding all these years later how painful it was to admit that his beautiful, gentle mother was gone, "my grand-mere told me that my father's Veela had gone on a rampage. They'd almost had to put him down with poison, because magic doesn't work on a fully feral Veela." He glanced at her through the fringe of his lashes. "Your mum came to see him soon after, and when she left… grand-mere said it was a miracle. Your mother somehow calmed him. He was never the same, though. It took him a month to get out of bed, and another year to actually begin leaving the house on short jaunts and working for the family's company. I always assumed it was because he was sad from my mum's loss, but now I think…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I think he was mourning not just my mother, but all the lost years with your mother, Rose – his originally-intended mate."

She nodded. "That makes sense. My dad told me that when my mum went to Malfoy Manor that day to offer her condolences, she'd come home hours later and everything was different between them. She'd simply fallen out of love with my dad, like a switch turning off." Tears wavered in her vision, but did not fall. She sniffled and held them back. "Whatever happened between your father and my mother that day, they both changed. I suspect that your father's Veela recognized her and remembered who she was to him, and that's what had helped him get back under control. Maybe they even… you know… had sex that day. Reaffirmed some connection that helped to bring your dad back from the edge."

I would have done exactly that, his Veela snarked in his head.

Scorpius nodded in agreement to both Rose's supposition and his Veela's thought. "You know, dad waited fourteen years to perform the ritual again and take a second mate. I bet he was hoping for the Veela magic to choose your mum, and that's why he never dated again after my mother's death – why he was so withdrawn from the world for all that time. He didn't want to muck up the chance that the magic would choose someone else."

"Hmm… that's... definitely plausible. And really rather romantic," Rose concluded, seeming impressed, biting her plump bottom lip.

Scorpius' gaze locked onto her mouth. Slytherin's beard, he loved those pillowed lips of hers. He intended on kissing them tonight until she was breathless and begging…

I need to touch her, his Veela impatiently growled, and he could feel its psychic pacing back and forth in his head. I want to hold her.

"You know," she interrupted his thoughts, giving him a surprisingly genuine smile. "Your dad's alright in my book, Scor. I'm glad things worked out between him and my mum, even though it did hurt my father." She seemed a little saddened by that fact. "Some things were meant to be, I guess. And dad's happy with Susan in a way he could never have been with my mother, so it worked out for all of them."

Adjusting her seated position, she tucking her legs up closer to her body and shifting her weight a bit, which caused her breasts to thrust as her back bowed for a moment. It was an unintentionally sexy movement which drew Scorpius' attention straight-away to her breasts.

Luscious, pale curves barely hinted above the clinging bodice of her dress. Each mound was cupped and lifted by the design, and the cleavage in between had him envisioning naughty fantasies involving tunneling through those soft pillows of flesh with his cock.

Thoroughly distracted by the bounty laid out so temptingly before him, his Veela saw the advantage in the diversion and took over the body. He shoved Scorpius aside and easily held him back. Instantly, Scorpius felt the strange transformation overtake him again as the beast came forward: the tingling through every nerve as his form altered. He instantaneously sprouted a pair of heavy, eagle-shaped wings from his scapula, released a chemical through his system that created a unique type of bio-luminescence inherent only to Veela to give his flesh a pearlized sheen from head to toe, magically grabbed shadows from about them and wrapped them about his cheeks and eyes, and slid an extra layer of special light-reflecting cells over his retina, causing his eyes to shine a molten silvery color as a result of the dim shadows. It happened in a blink or two, but Scorpius was aware of every part of the alteration as it occurred, recognizing the components that made the fascinating change possible.

Unfortunately, the transformation also tended to leave him dizzy for a second or two, giving the Veela ample time to establish its dominance. In full control of their movements, the Veela sat them up and stretched his white and black wings wide. "Hello, my pretty mate," he murmured the greeting in a seductive, dark tone.

Rose froze in her personal amusements playing with the flowing fabric of her dress, and her eyes jerked to his with all of the alert wariness of prey. "Veela," she greeted with surprising calm. "H-how are you?"

"Lonely without you," he charmingly flirted, giving her a big grin.

Her lips twitched as if she wanted to smile, but her natural reserve kicked in and controlled it.

"How have you been today? Did you sleep well after last night? Did you rest and eat enough today?" it asked in that deeper baritone that was its true voice. "My boy-o failed to ask you such things, I noticed."

Hey, don't try to make me look bad, Scorpius chastised his other side, put-out by such a rude comment. We're a team, remember?

His witch blinked, seeming to consider how to reply. "I'm perfectly fine. Thank you." Her eyes narrowed a bit and she appeared very puzzled by something. "Not that I need a caretaker mind you, but… you really care about me, don't you? It's not just about getting in my knickers, is it?"

Scorpius could feel his Veela's pain from her doubt like a shot across his heart. "Of course I care about you. You're my whole world," it easily admitted. "Your safety and health are my top priority, babe."

Rose shook her head. "We don't really know each other enough to care like that."

The Veela sniffed with amusement. "I've known you since we were eleven years old. All those years in school, I watched you - and I loved everything I saw, even your foul temper and scheming ways." He threw her a provocative smirk and waggled his eyebrows. "I love the way you fight, you know - gets me hard for you." Leaning back on the palms of his hands, he positioned his body in such a way that she had a full view of not only the way his bared, muscular torso flexed, but also the thick bulge in his jeans – already prominent, just by being around her. "I'll confess to you something, mate: I loved watching you and Scorpius argue. Your eyes would sparkle and your face would light up in a way it never did for anyone else. Such a strong heart and will are why I chose you."

As planned, Rose's attention was divided between his words and the sight laid out before her. Scorpius knew she'd heard his Veela, but at the moment, her eyes were magnetically drawn down the length of his body to rest upon the sight of his swollen erection. With a sneaky roll of his hips, he thrust that portion of his anatomy towards her and her radiant blush overtook the apples of her cheeks, traveling down her throat. Her nervous swallow and the way her eyes flared in response were quite noticeable – and flattering. She obviously liked what she saw, as told by the way she licked her lips and the hungry gleam in her eyes.

Shaping the dream by will, the Veela intentionally called up a small breeze to caress her breasts in that moment, and Rose shivered, tilting her head back, her lips parting in a small, breathy gasp of desire.

Salazar's bones, she was a stunning woman - gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, magically powerfully, strong willed, and from her scent, very fertile. Rose really was a proper Veela mate in every way, and he could feel his beast's paramount approval. But more than that, he felt its abiding love for her, too, simmering beneath the surface. Scorpius inherently knew that there was nothing this creature wouldn't do to assure its mate's safety, and no ends it wouldn't seek to achieve her return affections.

He'd, personally, never known such an attachment to a woman – until now. Yes, he'd fallen for Rose back when they'd been kids, but that had been the immaturity of a young man's first infatuating love. After graduation, they'd parted ways and he hadn't seen her again, and he'd never grown that fond of any of the women he'd been with since. El had been the closest, but even that relationship had fallen short of real love. Rose had been absolutely right in her accusations that his adult life had been lived through a series of shallow one-offs. He wondered if it was because his Veela had already chosen a mate for him, and had somehow tainted him to forming bonds with other women…

Of course it was, you moron, the Veela rolled its eyes at his stupidity. I may have been forced to sleep during those years, but there was no way I was going to let you attach us to someone else.

The revelation was like a punch to Scorpius' gut. What did you do to me? he angrily bit back, feeling quite manipulated by the thing that was supposed to be sharing his life, not abusing it.

His Veela seemed utterly unconcerned with his anxiousness. Planted a suggestion in your head was all, it owned up with a mental shrug. 'Lust, not love.' Not for anyone but our Rose.

You tricked me? You bast- he started to curse his other side, but Rose's next words sidetracked his conversation with his other half.

"I'd forgotten that you're the same age as me and Scor," she admitted to the Veela, pulling her gaze from his hips to look down at the blanket in a clear attempt to regain some control. "Sometimes, you feel older than the two of us, and sometimes younger. Do you… have a name of your own?"

"I am Rose's mate," he pointedly stated, pushing off his hands and slowly crawling in a predatory glide towards her. "That's all that matters."

Easy, Scorpius cautioned, watching Rose's eyes widen with growing trepidation and sensing his Veela's desires growing hotter the closer they came to her side. Gentle.

I know, it snapped, annoyed with him. I'm not an idiot. I've been paying attention to your suggestions lately.

"Why me?" she whispered with some fear as he pulled up just shy of touching her. "I still don't understand why you chose me. You've been with so many others – much prettier, more feminine witches. I've seen the images in the society papers. And we fought so much in school. We were really cruel to each other, then. Don't you remember? And… and… and I have plans for my future. I don't want a baby yet, but your Veela markings will force it. It just doesn't seem a… a practical match to me - not at all. We don't like each other and we want different things."

"Tell me something, babe," he bid, speaking in an even tone, stopping just shy of melding them together, "why do you think Draco's Veela awoke early to mate your mother when they'd been children?"

Her brows lowered in defensive confusion at the sudden switch in topics. "What does that have to do with what we were just talking about?"

He tilted her chin up with two fingers, forcing her to meet his eye, and gave her an encouraging smile. "Humor me."

She bit her bottom lip again and Scorpius could feel the overwhelming lust roll through his and his Veela's senses once more. That small act caused him to wonder all sorts of things about how her teeth would feel marking his skin for the first time – her claim, which would brand his flesh for all time. He'd ensure she gave it to him during their first coupling, in the moment she orgasmed, right over his heart. He wanted her teeth imprinting there, where the skin was stretch taut over the muscle of his pectoral…

"Well, my best guess is because Mr. Malfoy's Veela wanted to breed before his host bit the big one."

His Veela cocked its head in that strange, bird-like gesture that it sometime adopted, and again, Scorpius wondered where that biologic trait derived. "Wouldn't any female have done, in such a case?" he queried her. "Draco had all that year to find one. So, why did he choose your mother?"

Her rounded, left brow arched. "I think we've established that she was its prime candidate – hence their recent mating. Perhaps that was just the first and only chance it had to be alone with her. Really, how should I know? I wasn't there."

His head tilted in the opposite direction. "As a Veela, let me tell you what I think my father did: he most likely woke up early for two reasons – one, because he was afraid that he would never know the chance to love your mother if his host were killed by the Dark Lord, and two, because she'd come to him in great distress and he couldn't help but want to calm and reassure her. I'm guessing he used his magic on them both to break down the barriers between them so they could finally admit their feelings for each other and get to it. So, what's wrong with that? I would have done the same in his position."

What are you doing? Scorpius demanded of his internal beast. Don't provoke a fight with her! She's in a relatively good mood, for once!

Rose seemed conflicted. "I never thought of him – Mr. Malfoy's Veela - as your father, but he is in a way, isn't he? Even though you're derived from a magical curse, not heredity, it's still heredity that drives the curse." She shook her head. "How odd… and utterly confusing." Glimpsing at him through the fringe of her lashes, she seemed rather off-balance just then. "Veela lust magic too closely resembles the Imperius Curse, in my opinion. It's worse than cheating, bordering on rape."

She bit her bottom lip again, and he gently reached up and stroked the soft, pink skin with his thumb to call her attention to the small hurt she was doing to herself. Their eyes met, and the electric current of instant desire arced between them. The Veela inched closer, releasing his touch upon her chin and oh-so-lightly ran his fingers over her neck, across one bared shoulder and down her arm to her hand, as it grasped the blanket in a white-knuckled grip. "If I knew I only had one chance to make love to you, I'd take it, no matter the cost. I'd give anything to imprint upon your touch and your smell, to taste every inch of your perfect body and to know the feel of your soft pussy holding me tight as I mated with you."

"Did you not just hear what I said?" she argued, blushing scarlet as desire made her pupils widen and her breath hitch. "The Veela's magic took their choices away from them both. It forced them to desire sex, whether they actually wanted to or not."

Scorpius' Veela met her stare, unflinching. "What if I were to tell you that a male Veela can't take a woman for a mate who doesn't scent of lust for him, no matter his feelings for her? She must be equally attracted to him for there to be a connection. Does that change your opinion now – knowing that your mother wanted Draco Malfoy as equally as he wanted her?"

She dropped her gaze, but he followed with a dip of his head, holding her eye, refusing to let her escape the question. "Tell me your thoughts, mate," he requested, his voice like velvet darkness between them. "I value them."

Rose shrugged. "Alright, so deep down inside, they wanted to shag," she murmured, swallowing with growing nervousness. "Still, Veela lust magic is like Amortentia times a million. Even if my mum had wanted your dad, it didn't mean she'd intended upon acting on that desire – until the magic forced her to do so. It stole her choice in the matter, and that's why it's wrong."

The Veela leaned forward and placed his mouth next to the shell of her ear, allowing his lips to graze the tender, peachy flesh. "Your mother cared for Draco, Rose, and she sexually wanted him, and all before his Veela woke up. I'm positive that it was those feelings that drew my father to the surface that night - not the other way around." He nipped her lobe, lapping over the small sting an instant later. She let out a husky moan that had his hips uncontrollably jerking and his sac tightening. Her body's clean, lightly floral scent, fresh from an earlier shower – coming through the dream, as he concentrated - pervaded his senses, kicking his cock from his normal state of erect whenever he was near her into demanding, hardened steel in less than a heartbeat's time. "The Veela reacted to her needs and desires, and to her distress. He awoke early to give her his comfort and love," he explained in a whisky-rough hum against her throat. "The only way he was able to do so was to share his powers with her – his lust."

Her lightly panting breath blasted across his neck, as she turned her face into his, cheek-to-cheek. "You're saying, that Veela magic is meant to - what?" she asked around a shudder of delight as he bit down very lightly over her pulse. "Enflame, not ensnare?"

Pulling her fully into his arms, the Veela bathed kisses up her throat to her ear again, whispering to her his darkest secrets. "Know this, mate of my heart: my father must have loved your mother a great deal to have done such a thing, for waking up early is an excruciating experience. It's suffocating, scalding heat that you either push through or you drown. It's raw, choking pain, and every breath is fire and blood. And no matter the outcome, none of you are ever the same again."

"How do you kn-?" she began, but he cut her off by capturing her lips in a heated kiss, unable to hold back his natural impulses any longer.

In that moment, Scorpius sensed his Veela's pain went deeper than even he understood, but the emotional barriers were back between them, and it was clear his bestial side would not discuss anything more on the issue with him. It nudged him to back off, in fact. Mentally giving in, he let them both experience their mate instead, taking comfort from her touch and presence, heightening the encounter for all involved with his willing participation.

With heated passion and a desperate longing, it didn't take long before he and Rose were practically crawling into each other's skins. Reckless tongues clashed, greedy hands grasped, hungry mouths ate and impulsive bodies strained, and this time, Scorpius wanted a front row seat on the action. He pushed forward so they could share the experience.

"Not smart," his witch warned in a hissing whisper around pulls of lips as he laid her back into the blanket. "This is… really not a good idea."

Scorpius and his Veela together countered by running a hand over her hip, following the curve of her waist and cupping her breast through the fabric of her silky dress. She gasped as he ground his erection into her belly at the same moment. "You want us, we want you," they murmured in one perfectly blended voice, enticing her by licking her swollen bottom lip. "No more denying it, baby."

She shivered and pushed her hips forward to rub against one of his solid thighs. "Scor, I-"

"Admit it," he cut her off, lapping at her lips. Kneeling between her legs, he gripped her hips, cupped her bum and pulled her up into him until he was cradled between her thighs, his hard length resting right where it belonged. "Admit you want us, mate."

Shaking in what he scented on the air as a combination of lust and fear, Rose grudgingly nodded. "Okay, yes, I want you!" she groaned as he bit over her throat again, careful not to Veela Mark, leaving only a small teeth imprint behind. "But this is crazy. I'm not supposed to-"

His Veela actually growled in warning, overtaking Scorpius' shared possession again for a moment. "You're my mate. You are supposed to!" To prove his point, he smoothed the hem of her dress up over her hips, leaving only the thin scrap of her knickers and his clothing to serve as barrier between them. Reaching between them, he stroked her first over, then under her satin panties, pushing them to the side. Her cunt was soaking wet, slick with liquid heat. "Desiring each other is what we are fated to do, Rose. You feel it, just as I do. See?" He pressed his fingers through the slit, gathering the heaven-scented proof of her arousal and smeared it all up and down, rubbing it in circles over her clit, even as he continued attacking the delicate skin at her neck. She gasped, and dug her nails into his biceps, clearly turned-on by his aggressive need. "You're so wet for me. I could mount you right now and just slide in without any resistance." He could feel the muscles of her backside tense up as he rimmed the entrance to her vagina, preparing to push a finger inside. "Would you like that, mate - me fucking this snug, little pussy deep and strong, and filling you up as no one ever has?" He brought his lips to hers and buzzed across them, looking her in the eye. "Say the word, and I'm yours."

"It's just sex," she stammered, her breath catching, staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Y-you've had this with so many others-"

"I haven't," the Veela countered, cutting her off, insinuating that it was its host with the notch count, and that the Veela was innocent of her accusation of slagging about with other women.

You… I can't believe you just said that! Scorpius was stunned by the betrayal.

It's true, though, isn't it? his Veela retorted. You were the one slagging around with that Nott witch – and those other women all these years.

But you knew! You were right there, watching the whole time! You experienced the sex right along with me, and you never said anything, Scorpius contradicted. Hell, you could have stopped me with Eleri, if you'd really wanted, and we both know it. What kind of game are you playing at?

The Veela didn't reply, tuning him out and concentrating fully upon its mate. He thrust his finger into her, parting the silky, creamy channel and then held perfectly still, reveling in the tightening of her inner muscles about him. "Only you make me want until I'm crazed, my pretty mate. No other woman makes me react this way."

He struggled with the buttons on his jeans with his free hand, tearing them open. Wearing no pants underneath, he shoved the coarse material aside and gripped her wrist, bringing it to the source of his need. When her smooth palm ran over his dripping erection, and her fingers curled around the width, hot lust slammed into his gut, boiling his blood and inching him towards climax. His sac grew heavy and burned with the need for release. He groaned and flared his wings wide, stretching them to their limits. "Yes, touch me my mate, please," he begged, beginning a smooth rhythm with the hand embedded in her, inserting a second finger to join the first. His thumb brushed her clit in a gentle, circular pattern as he rubbed against the sensitive upper lip of her channel, right against the spot he knew would stimulate her orgasm.

Rose moaned and began swaying her hips in time to his thrusts. "Kiss me," she pleaded as her strong hand began stroking his thick, throbbing cock. "I need you to kiss me."

He leaned down, but hovered over her mouth, not yet pressing them together. "Admit it, mate. This feels good between us – and all without Veela tricks. This is just you and me."

Us, Scorpius angrily countered and used a tremendous amount of energy to push forward to share the body once more. "Us, all together," he forcibly corrected, becoming irate with his Veela, who seemed to be trying to undermine his part in this mating.

Whatever you're doing, stop it, he demanded of the creature he shared his life with. You'll ruin this for the both of us. She doesn't trust you like she does me.

He could feel his Veela's irritation at that truth and its reluctant yielding to the idea of them working together.

Dropping their mouth to hers, Scorpius and his Veela again captured her lips in a combined scorching kiss, thrusting their hips to meet her hand's downward strokes at the same time as plunging their fingers into her and stretching wide in a scissoring motion that had Rose wailing with pleasure. Her hand on his penis sped up, and her thumb stroked over his very sensitive knob on every upward pull.

Rationally, Scorpius knew this was only a dream – but to his five senses, it felt so undeniably real that as soon as their tongues twined about each other and her thumb caressed him over his weeping slit, he orgasmed with a surge of his hips, unable to control his release. Hot, shimmering semen splashed across her hand, dripped down her wrist, to land upon her inner thigh. "Rose," he moaned into her mouth as his body shuddered, continuing to spurt more ejaculate again, and again, and… oh, fuck, again! "Baby, oh yeah!" he groaned with pleasure, thrusting his fingers into her harder. His witch arched her spine, crying out at the heightened stimulation. "Come for us, mate. Come."

Riding his hand with abandon, she let his cock go to wrap her arms about his neck, all of her lower muscles drawn tight and trembling. "Scor! I need more. I can't… can't reach it…"

"You can," he breathed against her lips, meeting her eyes. "Trust us."

He removed his hands from her and slid down her body, tearing her thong to shreds with a yank and pulling it off. Widening her thighs, he got his first glance at her pretty, soft petals. They were bare, with only a bit of trimmed curl residing at the top of her slit. And they were covered with her juices. Dipping right in, he lathed a path from the bottom of her divide all the way to the top, flickering under her soft clit and circling it. She tasted and smelled of rain and the ocean and sunlight and spring all mixed up together to create her own unique musk. It intoxicated him as nothing ever had, and he delved in to feast.

"Oh, Circe!" she cried, her voice filled with tears, her fingers shoving into his hair and holding on. Her legs quivered with a mounting thrill that could not be denied as he bathed her cunnie with his tongue, sucking upon the velvety lips with gently pressurized pulls. Lapping around her entrance to her sacred womb, licking through the slick slide of her silky moisture, he drew her delicious cream up and over her beautiful pussy, wildly smearing his cheeks and chin with her essence.

Gods Above, if only this was real! The dream made it safe for both of them to experiment, and it reflected reality as much as possible, but it still wasn't truly Rose that he was eating out. This was a pale reflection of the real deal, and although he doubted very much that at this point if she'd let him touch her this way if they were really face-to-face, he would take what he could get in the here and now and count himself lucky.

"I'm afraid of letting go," she whimpered around a small sob, trying to pull his head away. "It's too much, too fast."

We need to slow the pace a bit, Scorpius advised. We're scaring her.

No, I need to mark her - tonight! the Veela whined, its whole being vibrating with violent need. I need to!

Rein yourself in, he forcibly commanded, having had enough of his other half's irrational behavior. You heard her earlier: using Veela magic without her consent is like rape to her. She'll hate us – hate you especially.

Mentally, he felt the Veela grit its teeth.

What's gotten into you tonight? he asked, concerned. This was not the ordinary amount of whinging and irritation he'd grown accustomed to since they'd first been 'introduced' on the night of his birthday. Something was really festering in his Veela's psyche, causing it to behave badly.

The Veela silently fumed, reluctant to say.

Work with me for now, he coaxed his other half. We'll talk later. Unless, of course, you don't mind me making her come - all on my own, without you?

His beast internally roared at the challenge and together, they brought Rose screaming to the edge of blissful insanity.

Urging her legs higher, he placed her pretty feet upon his shoulders and opened her up wide. Tunneling inside her opening, he stroked her with his tongue in very slow, purposeful rhythmic pulses, curling the tip upwards upon each withdrawal right at that one spot where the skin texture was a bit rougher, stroking over it and making her shiver in response. High, tight little mewling cries escaped her lips and her fingernails tightened in his hair, gripping hard.

Her honey flowed across his tongue as her inner muscles clenched around his surging invasion. He pushed her higher, hotter with incrementally increasing thrusts, while working two hands in two different directions – one to rub sensuously over her tiny clit, the other to gather her juices and rim her tiny, sensitive back entrance. He massaged both while his tongue fucked inside her pussy, bringing her closer towards that wave of light and heat.

"Rose, look at us," Scorpius and his Veela commanded, wanting to see her eyes as she came.

Drowning in the depths of her blue ocean gaze, he drew up the length of her seam, latching onto her tiny nub at the top and suckling. Her shaking body teetered on the edge, tightened up. "Oh God, I'm coming!" she wailed, throwing her head back and squeezing her eyes tight. "Yes, yes!" she screamed, and fell under the spell of his bringing.

Thrusting his tongue back into her, he experienced the rippling of her cunt across his sensitive pink length, and tasted the froth of her delicious silken cream. Her low moan was drawn out from the depths of her soul as her satisfaction was finally met. This was heaven – bringing her sexual gratification, tasting the honey of success, knowing he'd thoroughly fulfilled her.

When her tired body relaxed and her limbs went limp, Scorpius climbed up her form and gently kissed her, pouring his whole heart into letting her know that he loved her. And he did. He loved her, despite their disagreements, and her stubbornness, and his arrogance. Theirs would be a tempestuous relationship, but he had no doubt that he could make it work – if only he could win her heart. "Did you like that, baby?" he whispered around light kisses, stroking her hair back from her sweaty brow and over her ear, down her neck. He couldn't stop touching her.

Slumberous lids raised and a lazy stare met his, even as her lips lifted with teasing. "It was adequate."

"Adequate?" the Veela growled, coming forward to establish primacy. "It was only my first time doing that, babe, and you came damned hard. Give me some credit."

She blinked several times, before she understood his meaning. Her eyes widened. "Oh, Circe! You're a virgin, aren't you? You, the Veela - not Scorpius, obviously."

He tilted his head in that odd raptorish manner. "Technically, yes. I've been with Scorpius during his… previous relationships… so I could watch and learn what to do, but never alone with a woman. Not until you."

Her cheeks, already painted crimson from their earlier exertions grew brighter. "I've never been with a virgin before."

He stared at her, and Scorpius waited, feeling a strange pang in his chest at the thought that he hadn't been able to give that part to Rose back when they'd been kids. In truth, he was a bit envious that his Veela would have that opportunity... Bloody hell, he was jealous of his Veela! And he didn't like the way Rose was looking at him right then, as if she were coming to understand something about his other half that changed everything she'd believed before.

Her fingers caressed his cheek, and the Veela turned into that touch as if it were a gift. "I need you, my mate," he sighed. "I can't help wanting to Mark you. It's so powerful an instinct."

"Give me time," she earnestly requested. "If… if we get to know each other better, then maybe… But, I like what we've done tonight. Can't we ease into it like this? I'm inclined to try it, if you are."

His eyes widened and he flexed his shoulders, giving his wings their freedom again. "Are you accepting the mating then?"

She swallowed and bit her bottom lip again, her expression uneasy. "I'm adjusting to the idea, but please give me more time. We've rushed this. I want to get to know you both better."

Scorpius used the Veela's momentary disappointment to share the body again. "We'll wait for you for as long as we can. But Rose, don't take too long," he cautioned, tenderly stroking her face. "The instinct to mate you grows stronger every day. It's… almost like living with perpetual fear and sexual need combined. It's painful."

A crease appeared between her brows. "Fear? Why?"

Shut the fuck up, boy-o, his Veela viciously snarled with fury. You open that door, and she'll know how to get out of this mating! I won't give her up to any other. She's mine!

You're underestimating her, Scorpius calmly debated. She's a former Ravenclaw – which means she can think several steps ahead at any given time. She knows about the Three Marks already from her mother. She's bound to put it together that the point of the First Mark is to claim her, so other Veela can't challenge the mating, and without it, she's vulnerable and not truly ours. I don't doubt she already knows this or won't come to understand it soon enough.

Let me Mark her then, the Veela insisted.

No, Scorpius countered. Not without her permission. She'll hate us if you force it. You heard her – forcing her with Veela magic is the one thing she'll never forgive. And you need my willing acquiescence for the Three Marks to take anyway. Without us working together, they won't stick. That's the way this works. Just... give her the time she's asking for. We can afford it. There aren't any unmated male Veela around, so there's no immediate rush. Calm the fuck down, already.

His Veela seethed, but couldn't refute the facts so it stayed back, allowing Scorpius to take control of his body to avoid acting on its compulsions. He could feel its mounting frustration and anger, and knew it needed a time-out.

"Scor?"

She drew him back to the here and now. Exhaustion pulled at him, as well. It was almost time to call it quits for the night.

"Sorry," he apologized, feeling the Veela transformation reverse itself until he was just a man in his own body once more. "He's too excited to show all of his love for you at once. It's a little overwhelming at times."

Her shy smile beguiled him. "I admit he's growing on me. I didn't think it was possible. Something inside of me has been frightened of him from the get-go, even before we met, when my mum and your dad explained our mating that day at the Tea Shoppe. But lately, that feeling is slowly starting to fade. I think it's possible to like him."

Scorpius kissed her, needing to reassert his part in their relationship, not liking how interested she seemed in his Veela more than in him. It was a sweet kiss, imparting his feelings for her - the ones he housed for her alone, without his beast's input.

Rolling off of her and pulling them so they were on their sides instead, facing each other, he fixed her dress back over her thighs. "I know this whole mating thing has buggered up your life, Rose, and I'm sorry for causing you so much distress. But I want you to know that I'm thankful for every second you give us." Tucking his tired penis into his jeans, he buttoned back up. "We'll work together, he and I, to give you the time you ask for, and I'll do what I can to help you feel more at ease with the Veela. I want you to like us both, to like our touches, and to enjoy being courted by us. I want only pleasure for you. I hope you believe that."

Snuggling close, they lay there for a while in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they took in the other. Rose's head was cradled upon his arm and her hand rested upon his hip, and all he could think in that moment was that he was glad she'd been his chosen mate, no matter their differences and difficulties. She was everything he could ever want in a wife, too.

"Can I tell you something without it going to your head?" she asked.

"Of course."

Between one beat and the next, her cerulean gaze glinted with mischief and her cheeks bloomed berry-ripe once more. "I'd heard the rumors around about your size, but… wow." Her grin was Cheshire Cat-worthy. "You're packing a monster there."

Scorpius laughed, feeling his face light-up with embarrassment. "Like it, do you?"

Glancing at him with a sultry come-hither look, she angled her face closer, practically purring with renewed sexual interest. "Yeah, I do."

They kissed, their arms going about each other, and it was the first time she'd initiated contact. His heart sang with joy, and his Veela was temporarily reassured and pleased.

"Sweet dreams, baby," he whispered against her lips.

Scorpius let go of the dream, ending it on that perfect note.

X~~~X

Waking up in his bed, he felt more fatigued than ever before. Pulling Rose out of the nightmare and then sustaining such an intense dream had done him in. His Veela was already settling down for roosting, its mental energies even more depleted, as it had done most of the work rescuing their mate from her internal torments, and then sustaining the magic for the dream-walking.

And yet, despite how tired his brain was, Scorpius could not find immediate rest. His mind whirled over everything that had happened, and worry beat behind his eyelids. What was going on with his other half? Why had it been so angry at him, and then tried to undermine his position in Rose's eyes? That shouldn't be possible. Veela were supposed to work with their host towards attaining their mate's acceptance.

As for Rose's feelings... what would happen if she started to fall for the beast more than the man? Could that even happen? To his dismay, he had the impression that if things repeated as they had tonight, such a thing might be possible, seeing as how his Veela was establishing itself as a separate entity from him. That seriously worried him.

He vowed to speak with his father about it immediately after a short nap.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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