CHAPTER ELEVEN ASIDE: THIRD SECOND CHANCE
Wednesday, July 9th, 2031 (night) – Thursday, July 10th, 2031 (early morning)
The weight of the Veela's body atop Rose was pleasant. His naked flesh rubbing against her chilled skin was so warm. His feathers brushing against her were like soft, fluffy silk, and the feel of his cock, heavy and iron-hard, was a delicious weight between her thighs.
The rich, sweet taste and scent of him was pleasure beyond anything she'd ever known, as well. The velvety smoothness of chocolate combined with the fresh, ripe flavour of strawberries tantalized her, made her wrap her lips around his tongue and suck every time he thrust it forward into her mouth.
"You smell and taste so good," she sighed around their kisses. "Is it Veela magic?"
The Veela grunted a denial and shook his head.
She pulled back to give them a bit of space, a little breathless. "In the restaurant that night of our first date, you gave off this same scent into the air, too. It was just for a second or three, but I caught it. Or, it caught me. I'm still not sure which. In any case," –she glanced at him through heavy lids- "when it's just Scorpius alone, I don't smell chocolate or taste strawberries. When you're combined, it's there, but less potent. It's really strong now that you're alone with me. I'm guessing it's something inherent to your particular biology as a Veela?"
He threw her a wicked grin. "Still bookish. Put a pair of glasses on you and a blue and bronze uniform, and you're sixteen again, babe." He wiggled his hips against hers. "You were hot even then, you know."
As she recalled how awkward and ugly she'd felt during her school days, her embarrassment crept up her cheeks. "I was not."
His fingers stroked the underside of her jaw. "You've always been beautiful to me, Rose. From the first moment I saw you, you captured me. I could never stop watching you, even when I was supposed to be considering other possible mates. I constantly nudged Scorpius to seek you out and to find reasons to talk to you-"
"You mean fight with me," she grimaced.
He tilted his head again in that odd, bird-like jerking motion and his eyes grew distant. Rose recognized the look by now: he was talking to Scorpius in his head. He blinked those silvery eyes and focused on her again a moment later. "He... we... didn't know how to talk to you then. We didn't know what to do with you. All we knew was, we both wanted to be near you and to have your attention anyway we could get it."
"Scorpius, you're here?" she hesitantly asked, confused by the use of the Veela's pronoun choice, when his voice was not that odd blending of sound with Scorpius' voice.
The Veela's face went cautiously blank, but there was a despair lingering in his unblinking gaze. "Do you... want him here with us... so you don't have to be alone with me?"
Rose was floored by his earnest offer, and saddened by the despondency that radiated from him.
With a gentle hand, she reached up and traced over his face to ease the wrinkles that creased his brow and around the edges of his lips and eyes. It was human skin she touched, but that was only on the outside, because he'd been born to share a body with Scorpius Malfoy. He was Veela, however, and on a very fundamental level, they were not the same species. In effect, being with him was like being with a werewolf. He could look human, but his heart and magical ability was that of a beast, at least according to the Ministry.
Except, her Veela's soul was not as feral as it might have been had he been born in his own body, rather than magically cursed to share an existence with a human, she was beginning to realize. His early awakening had changed him, she believed. Just as Scorpius had been influenced by the Veela's innate sexuality and its temperament issues, so the Veela had been influenced by Scorpius' human heart. They were symbiotic entities living in one form, separate but always together.
Which meant she was, in effect, involved in a threesome. Ooh, boy.
Well, at least it wasn't one she needed to fear any longer, as she finally understood both sides of this amazing man-beast; the memories they'd shared with her had filled in the events of their shared past from his perspective, and allowed her to experience his emotions. That had been the break-through they'd needed to settle their negative past, and to give them both a crucial shot of courage where the other was concerned – at least enough to take this chance now.
"As long as Scorpius is fine with us being alone together, so am I," she braved. Caressing his cheek, watching as he turned into her touch, she smiled. "I want to know you, too, Veela. I care for you both."
He inched closer to her, drawing her into his embrace so that they touched at almost every point. His voice trembled as he spoke. "You care for me. But you love him."
Again, she was struck with how terribly insecure her Veela was, especially when it pertained to her feelings towards Scorpius. "Not yet, but it's close. But, Veela, I feel the same for both of you," she admitted.
He snuggled closer to her, his wings wrapping around them to cocoon her in silken sensation. "So, you don't want him more than me?"
"No, why would you think that?" she asked, tightening her hold on him, astonished by his question.
He moved back enough so they could look at each other again, but instead of meeting her gaze, he dropped his attention to her lips. "Because you wanted him when you were younger, and he was your first lover, and he's... human. When you look at him, you don't see a monster looking back at you."
An ache bloomed in Rose's heart.
"Veela, look at me," she bid. He lifted his eyes to hers with reluctance. "Yes, I was afraid of you at first. You know that. But it had nothing to do with your physical attributes." She reached out and touched the soft wings wrapping over his shoulder. "I like these Veela wings very much. Humans can't grow these - not without magic. They're absolutely beautiful, and they're the softest things I've ever felt." Her fingers caressed his cheek next. "And your eyes... I've never seen such breathtaking eyes. It's like looking at living mercury, always shifting and luminous like the moon. They're mesmerizing." She moved to his mouth and indicated he should open up. When he did, she traced down one of the sharp canines at the side of his mouth. "And these Veela teeth are... well, they're actually really sexy. Predatory, masculine."
"Sexy? They turn you on, then?" He seemed astonished by the compliment.
She blushed. "I liked the way they felt scraping over my throat in the dream."
He groaned at the memory, pressing his forehead to hers.
"In any case, I've never been physically afraid of how you look, and I don't see you as a monster," she finished her explanation. "Together, you and Scor are mighty hot, and I'm pretty sure you're well aware of what you do to me and every other female on the planet. I've never been immune to either yours or Scorpius' charms. What I was afraid of was the Veela mating magic and how it could so easily take away my will. It forces the mate to be connected with someone she doesn't know, and alters her feelings by using magic and pheromones so she'll desire a stranger. Being forced like that made me feel like my will was insignificant - as if I didn't have any rights to my person. That the Ministry backs the idea that the mate must submit to the bond - even threatens her if she doesn't - only made the situation harder to accept. You know me; I don't like being told what to do. I like my control. Personal autonomy is important to me."
He nodded. "I know."
"So, then I hope you won't be upset when I admit that I'm still afraid of how much influence that magic may have over these feelings I have for you," she confessed. "I want this love growing in my heart for both you and Scorpius to be real and earned on its own, without outside influence. Does that make sense?"
"Yes."
She nervously ran her fingers over the curve of his shoulder as she talked. "And, I was afraid of being emotionally hurt by you and Scorpius, too. I didn't know you at all, and Scor... well, let's be honest: he hasn't been known as 'Mister Fidelity' in the news over the last several years. I know now why monogamy wasn't on his menu - because of that compulsion you put on him just before you went back to sleep that night in our seventh year - but until tonight, I only knew what I saw or read in the news or heard as a rumour." She sighed. "The case against you both was pretty bad, you have to admit."
His wings drooped a bit as he mumbled his agreement.
"But, Veela, I need you to know that I've never hated you, or been afraid of the fact that you look different," she reiterated. "You're quite beautiful, actually. Like some kind of angel." She ran her palms over the curve of his shoulders and down over his biceps. "A shaggalicious angel who's naked... in my bed... lying on top of me. And not taking advantage of the situation yet, I might add."
He peeked down at her with silvery lust and a bit of amusement. His magnificent wings regained their spry enthusiasm, lightly flapped with excitement. "You asked about the flavour and scent I give off. It's natural. Because of the curse, we're sharing this form. When I woke up this last time, Scorpius' human body and magical aura changed, merging the Veela and the man together in such a way that we would become that which would attract our mate - you - in every way possible."
Rose arched an eyebrow at him, feeling a bit naughty. "Are you saying this" –she stroked once down the length of his gorgeous torso, flattening her palm over the solid muscles and tracing them- "is all for me?"
His wings lifted higher and spread wide, even as his eyes began to glow with molten silvery-gold light. "Until the day I die," he vowed.
Rose's heart gave a hard thump.
The Veela tossed her a sinful grin. "Unless of course you'd rather I just keep this bit of fun" -he guided her fingers down the plane of his ripped abs until she brushed against his hard, hot cock- "to myself?"
To her amazement, his comment made her chuckle, rather than set her off, as it might have before tonight. She wasn't intimidated any longer, she realized. Instead, she found him strangely amusing... and irresistible as hell.
"I could definitely like you," she murmured, teasing him back.
His smile fell. "And maybe love me?"
Her heart ached at the trepidation in his gaze.
"I think," she began, reaching up to trace over his nose, his lips, his chin, "I'm half way there already. Everything I know about you now - about us - it's made me realize how important both you and Scorpius are to me, and how much it would hurt not to have either of you in my life. I'm... willing to try for more. Not the Marks yet, because of the baby issues and my career, but... if you'll agree to it, I want us to go exclusive – the three of us. I want us to make it work. I want our second chance, too."
There was heat and hope, along with a touch of arrogant male satisfaction reflected in his expression. "My mate," he growled with longing, sitting back on his haunches, pulling her up with him. His wings lowered so that the light from the window nearby shown upon her. "Will you let me take this off?" he asked, skimming his hands along the hem of her thin summer tank.
Rose nodded and lifted her arms.
In a smooth, slow glide, he stripped her of her top, tossing it away once it had cleared her fingertips. Her unbound breasts were fully exposed as he reached for her. Smoothing his palms up the sides of her waist, he cupped her tight, firm mounds between his big hands, feeling their weight and discovering their sensitivity.
A breath of pleasure was torn from her as his thumbs grazed her nipples, circling the areolas. Leaning back on her palms, she tossed her head on her neck and gasped louder as he repeated the motion. The arousal in her belly grew hotter, stronger. She felt flushed and oversensitive, every touch of his fingers like a stroke across her overheated pussy. "Oh!" she cried as he bent his mouth to her shoulder, pressing wet kisses, even as his fingers lightly pinched and stroked her taut nipples. "Feels so good. Don't you dare stop!"
"Won't," he promised, his soft lips and talented tongue tracing a wet path up the curve of her neck, stoking the fire across every nerve he touched.
Rose arched and moaned as her lover's head dropped lower, and as his lips wrapped around a breast, suckling with light pressure. The heat from his laving tongue had her hips minutely rising off the mattress, desperate to rub against the front of him.
How much different it felt to have his touch like this upon her in the real world; it was even more incredible than her dreams! The sensations were heightened; every stroke of skin-on-skin made her head spin and her body tingle. Between her thighs, her moist juices spilled over to saturate the front of her knicks.
An aroused growl rumbled from the Veela's throat. "I smell you getting hotter, babe," he murmured as he turned his attention to the other breast.
Another sultry wave of the Veela's unique scent poured off of him, wrapped itself around her, cocooning her in a rich, fragrant aphrodisiac. The pheromone sunk deep into her pores as he saturated her with it. She sighed with delight. The smell wouldn't last but a couple of days, her mum had explained – which was why the male Veela gave it off so often around his mate – but it was enough to let other Veelas in the area know she had already been emotionally and physically claimed by him, with or without the Three Marks. It was a warning for them to stay away - a temporary marking, of sorts.
"Any more of that and I'm never getting your scent out of my sheets or my hair," she quipped.
"Good," he purred, biting down on her breast with light pressure, leaving behind a love bruise. More of that combined "candy shoppe-sweet" fragrance filled the air as he rubbed his cheek against her nipple. "I want everyone to know I'm your mate." He glanced up at her through dark lashes and gave her a sexy smile. "And that you finally let me have you."
Her heart sped up under the cage of her ribs. "Okay, that shouldn't make me want to cream my knickers, but it does," she gasped.
His tongue peeked out and swiped once, twice over her taut, reddened bud, and then his wicked Veela teeth scraped over the sensitive point. "I'm dying to sink my teeth into you right here," he murmured, and wrapped his lips around the nipple to once more give it a hard suck. He released it just as quickly, pressing a kiss to it after to soothe. "When it's time, Rose, would you let me give you the Second Mark here, above your heart?" He grazed the spot again, careful not to puncture the flesh with his sharp canines. "That way, every time you stood naked before a mirror, you'd see it, and every time I was inside you, I could kiss it."
"Oh. God," she whimpered, the visual causing her body to clench with need. She'd been thinking about how it would feel to have him bite her.
After mating Draco Malfoy, her mum had told her all about the intense pleasure derived from the Second Mark. The thought of having her skin punctured and then a freaky type of venom pumped into her veins had frightened Rose before, but now, the way her Veela talked about the act of Marking with such reverence made it seem like something erotic and beautiful.
"Yes." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
He smiled around a final kiss, and then lifted his mouth to hers. "Can I take these off?" he asked, slipping his thumbs into the edges of her knickers.
The Veela's polite consideration was touching. He was delivering on his promise to take things slowly, if she wanted. He wants this first time to be perfect, she realized. The thought melted the last of her reserve.
"Yes," she whispered, lifting her hips so he could slide the thin fabric off her thighs and down her legs.
Climbing back up her body, he fixated on the split of her thighs. "Spread your legs for me."
Her cheeks flaming, she swallowed her shyness and did as he asked, bending at the knees and opening up for him as she leaned back on her elbows. As the Veela reached out to stroke between her slick folds, she reminded herself of the fact that he'd already seen and touched this part of her person. Even though that had been a dream, it had felt very real to both her body and mind, and so there was no cause for embarrassment.
Instead of attacking her core with eager determination, as she'd anticipated, her Veela lover worshipped her with tender, barely-there caresses. She hazarded a glance at his face; he seemed completely enraptured by her feminine centre. His eyes were fever bright, his cheeks were rouged, and he licked his lips with excitement. His gaze assessed every inch of her core, as if... He's memorizing you, she caught on as he smoothed both of her fleshy, denuded lips wide and traced the edges.
"You're gorgeous here, and your scent makes me hungry," he murmured, moving his mouth forward and placing a sweet kiss across her mons.
A gasp was torn from her as his tongue darted out and gave a lashing swipe at the pouting lips of her sex. From just that small touch, bright tendrils of electricity sparked up her spine in tingling waves, causing the muscles in her vagina to ripple and her clit to pulse.
Her Veela groaned as the heady scent of sex rose between them. "I love this pussy," he murmured, lifting his lids and staring up at her over the length of her body as he began licking with slow, devastating results. "I want every drop of cream, Rose." He dropped to her entrance and circled the opening. "I want your juices flowing down my throat." His hands gripped her inner thighs with pressure. "Give me all your sweetness."
He dove in and feasted, and his ravenous intensity nearly knocked the breath from her. She fell back into her pillow in a long exhale, and her lover exploited the new angle by cupping her arse and lifting her to his devouring mouth. The black tips of his white wings bent forward to stroke over her nipples at the same time as he lapped over every inch of her cunt and thrust his tongue deep into her, fucking her with it to a hard, greedy rhythm.
Rose's world spun out of control. Ecstasy and agony melded, raced through her veins, the pressure steadily escalating towards what would promise to be a fiery combustion of sensation. Every stroke of his feathers, every suckle of his lips made the blooming desire in her womb spread until her toes curled from the pressure and her hands grasped the sheets under her in a white-knuckled grip. "Yes… my Veela!" she cried, reaching out to clutch his soft hair.
He speared his tongue into her and moaned with pleasure at her claim. "Mate," he growled as he licked up the divide with his silken tongue, making her thighs tremble with a powerful pulse, driving her to the very edge of sanity. "Say it again. Tell me I'm yours!" His demand was followed by his lips covering her engorged clit with such a heated, nipping pressure that incendiary liquid lust tore through Rose's system, ripping through what remained of her reason and logic. She screamed and shuddered, arching her back as she came in an explosive, mind-stealing rush.
"Mine! Oh God, you're mine!" she shouted to the ceiling, the words torn from her very soul.
Her Veela lover caught her in a tight grip as he lapped at her core, groaning with satisfaction as he licked up every bit of her. He drew out her climax by stroking over her breasts with his soft feathers.
Caught in the storm of continuing sensation, Rose struggled to breathe. It was too much stimulation, and for a brief moment, dark spots swam before her vision. She was going to pass out! Merlin almighty, she'd never gone dark from sex before! She was going to lose consciousness if he didn't stop sucking so hard on her clit...
Sensing her sudden distress, her Veela released his draw on the tiny bundle of very sensitive nerves at the top of her slit, and rubbed a soothing hand over her belly, settling her throbbing, fluttering womb. His touch grounded and calmed her, even as he continued to lightly stroke over her rosy lower lips, lapping up the last of her release.
Slowly, Rose came down from the high. Her heart rate leveled out, her breathing eased, and her temperature cooled. The Veela loosened his hold on her. With a final kiss to her quivering clit, he climbed up her body. Silvery eyes filled with lust and love stared into her heart.
"Say it again, my pretty mate. What you screamed for me. Say it again."
Mouth suddenly dry, she swallowed to moisten it. "You're... mine," she whispered, beginning to truly believe it for the first time. "You're my Veela."
"Forever," he promised her, lowering his hips and sliding his thick, heavy shaft back and forth through her wet seam, slicking it up, provoking her sexual hunger once more.
Gods, how was it possible to want him again so soon? Usually, she was good for a day or so after an orgasm as intense as the one she'd just experienced, but her body was responding to him now as if it were hungry for more. As if one climax at his enticement hadn't been enough. Her hips rose to meet the gliding momentum of his pelvis, enjoying the torturous burn of renewing need each time he clipped her clitoris.
The dark gold curls surrounding his length soon became drenched by her arousal combining with his. He was so hard, shaking from head to toe with barely-suppressed desire. "I need to be in you now," he groaned as he lowered his pelvis and tucked his broad crown against her tender opening. "Can I?"
Rose nodded, so ready for them to do this.
Without further pause, he pushed forward through her small entrance. "I love you," he moaned as he penetrated her in a slow glide, "Mate… I love you."
A sob of pleasure-pain left Rose's throat as the wide head of his cock inched through the tight ring of skin, opening her up and stretching her to the limits of her comfort. Gods, he was so long and thick... no wonder it had hurt their first time!
Not wanting to recall how their first sexual experience had left her in tears in the afters, she pulled her Veela down to her, seeking his kiss, wanting them to be as physically close as possible during this moment. They both needed to forget that hurtful time, and tonight would give them a second chance to do so. Tonight, they would finally enjoy love-making without the regret.
To her amazed delight, her graceful lover filled her in a series of small, careful thrusts, each swell forward taking him deeper into her core. He paused only when he'd buried nearly the entirety of his substantial length within her, the end of him sensually caressing the back of her channel.
Pressing his sweaty forehead to the bend of her neck, he paused to give them both time to adjust. His sharp, panting breath was hot against her skin. His arms shook and his wings trembled, signaling that his reserve was barely contained, however. "Veela?" she whispered, concerned by his restraint, not wanting him to curb his desires out of some misguided fear of a repeat of her and Scorpius' first time.
Firmly, he shook his head. "It feels... fuck, so good! I'm going to come," he warned her. "Don't move."
Oh, well, that was completely a different scenario than she'd assumed… and something she was in an excellent position to fix. Her fingers feathered through his soft, shaggy hair, and she rolled her spine to force her pelvis away and then back towards him, tightening her inner muscles around him at the same time, creating the perfect friction. "Come," she commanded. "Let go."
His whole body jerked forward, lodging him deeper inside her, and the shaking in his whole body intensified. "Not yet. You haven't-"
"Now," she countered, pressing nipping kisses to his throat and continuing her small pelvic thrusts. "Now, my Veela! I want to feel you come deep inside me. I want to feel you let go."
His bestial growl was loud, and beside her, the sheets tore from the strength of his grip. He pulled his hips back, slammed forward, swore loudly. He did it again. A third time and his wings gave a forceful downward flap, creating a powerful breeze that stirred things around the room. His back bowed as he pushed up onto the palms of his hands and threw his head back, roaring as he orgasmed, his hips sealed tightly to hers.
He was absolutely beautiful in his release. As the rushing warmth of his seed filled her, his triumphant cry was part feline, part raptor, and unlike any animal's call she'd ever heard. It was a conqueror's declaration, but also a joyous sound, as if he was proclaiming to the heavens that he had found his life's greatest satisfaction at long last. Every muscle in his body was taut as he held his position above her, attesting to his strength.
Silhouetted as he was against the backdrop of the moonlight coming through her window, Rose couldn't help but compare him again to a guardian angel.
His orgasm lasted longer than average, and by the time he had come down from the rapture, Rose could feel he'd filled her and saturated the sheets beneath them, too. She'd expected him to be exhausted by such a healthy release, as any male might be, but she quickly found out how very wrong she was in such an assumption.
Still holding the weight of his body off of hers, his broad shoulders hunched forward, he stared down at her with a dark, ravenous hunger. "Mate," he hissed, and pulled his hips back until only the head of him remained at the entrance of her body, poised and ready. "MINE,"he savagely declared, those curved canines of his bared with feral triumph.
He shafted into her then, watching her from above as he fucked her with strong, fast, deep strokes. Taken aback by the sudden, vigorous stimulation, Rose tossed her head back on her pillow and could do no more than wail her pleasure.
She'd wanted him to let go, and now that he was, it was too much sensation! He was utterly dominating her pleasure... and in doing so, owning her in a way she hadn't expected - a way her heart couldn't fight. With every touch, every kiss, every surge of his hips, her Veela mate reached deep inside her and melted away her secrets. With his mouth, his hands, and his beautiful cock he stole pieces of her very soul. He excited every nerve in her body, pushing the limits of her sensuality, causing her to beg, to plead for more.
Sweat dampened every crease of her body as he drove into her over and over, powering inside with a commanding force that left her nearly breathless. Oh, God... how had she lived without this? Why had she denied him for so long? He hadn't even fully mated her, and this was the Veela's first time having sex, and yet it was the most phenomenal sexual experience of her life!
Digging her nails into his biceps for purchase, she curved her lower body towards him, giving him the perfect angle to bring her screaming.
Even as her body flexed and clenched around his prodigious length with orgasm, he kept up the pistoning action, driving her into an immediate second, and then a third climax. Fire and lightning burned through her veins, crashed before her eyes, and shuddered through her core. It was a storm of shattering sensation that swept her mind away, leaving her heart a shredded, raw mess.
Rowena help her, but she was lost... so lost to him now. She felt naked and vulnerable, while at the same time, she felt protected and loved. She was terrified and yet, she wanted to laugh. Nothing in this world had ever felt as good or frightening as what he'd just done to her.
Drugged with pleasure and knocked off balance by the overwhelming surge of feelings, Rose burst into tears. "Veela!" she sobbed, needing an anchor to hold onto so she could restore her equilibrium, "Scorpius!"
His warm body covered hers, his strong arms held her tight, and his soft feathers caressed her skin. The cheering scent of chocolate and strawberries drifted around them, helping to calm her. "We're here, baby," Scorpius and his Veela both responded, their combined voices lulling and gentle. "We've got you."
She clung to him, burying her face in his neck, trembling from head to toe. "Oh, Scor… it was so good, and so scary, and… and I flew! I flew so high, and it burned, and it was beautiful!"
And she was babbling like an idiot.
"Baby, it was amazing for us, too," he said softly, rubbing his cheek against her hair. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "We didn't hurt you then?"
She shook her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
He nuzzled her ear, and gave an odd, contented trilling noise that vibrated against her throat. The sound made things low in her belly twist and her heart flutter. "Good. So, you liked making love to us, mate?"
Flushing, Rose nodded and let out a little laugh. "Absolutely, yes. I was insane for not doing this with you sooner."
He chuckled and kissed her head. "You had good reason, but you're right: you were mad to have resisted us this long."
She giggled at his audacious boast and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
Tucking his wings in, he rolled them onto their sides. As he moved, he was careful of his feathered appendages and of not disconnecting their bodies. She flung her leg over his thigh.
Sharing her pillow, they stared at each other in silence for a while, and she watched the minute shift as Scorpius moved to the back of their shared consciousness again. The shadows thickened, his hair grew longer, and his eyes were brighter. It happened in a blink, but Rose was beginning to recognize the change. It made it easier to know who she was talking to.
"I loved making love to you too, my Rose," the Veela admitted in a shy whisper. He reached out to grab a strand of her hair and played with it between his fingers. "It was..." He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Wonderful."
Placing her hand above the smooth skin over his heart, she felt the rhythmic beat, strong under her fingers. "Thank you for giving us the time to get to know one another like this."
One dark eyebrow twitched and his lids raised to half-mast. "It's what you wanted."
She nodded. "I know, but I also realize that it's hard for you to hold back. Veela biology compels you to claim your mate, you said."
"True," he confirmed around a yawn, "but I want your love, not your resentment." He threw his arm over her waist and pulled her closer. "That's all I've ever wanted, babe. That's what the bargain we made was all about."
She came wide awake at that, realizing that it was true: he'd been just as forced by the Veela bonding magic as she had been, but rather than fight it or give up in despair, he'd tried to make the best of their situation by negotiating for intimacies with her that would draw them together. He'd been trying to get her to fall in love with him before he'd Marked her.
But she'd already been falling in love with someone else then.
Corwin...
Crushing guilt made her shut her eyes and turn her face into the pillow.
She'd really done it this time: she'd cheated on the man who was still, for all intents and purposes, her boyfriend. She and Cor hadn't officially broken-up. There had been no discussion of them not seeing each other anymore. In fact, he'd left their last conversation ardently declaring he'd loved her, and begging her not to give into Scorpius yet.
Gods, she'd become the one thing she'd sworn she would never, ever be in a relationship: a dirty skin.
Gentle fingers touched the nape of her neck, smoothing down her spine. "What's wrong, babe?"
"I..." She stalled, turning slightly to glimpse his face from her peripheral vision. If she told him her thoughts, it would ruin the moment, and taint his memories of his first time. She didn't want to do that to him just to appease her own guilt. It would be wrong. Swallowing down her disgrace, she attempted a smile for him instead. "Nothing. Just tired. Feeling a bit vulnerable after such fantastic sex."
That was the truth as well, so she didn't feel bad using it as a buffer excuse.
As for Corwin, she would end things with him tomorrow. It was time to accept that what they'd had had no future. She was going to go exclusive with Scorpius and his Veela, as she'd offered earlier. Their hearts and bodies had been deemed by fate to be companions long ago, on the first day they'd both attended school at Hogwarts together. Fourteen years later, it was high time to make a real go at their souls mating, too.
Was she scared? Absolutely. Would she let that fear ruin what they could have together? No. If there was one thing she'd learned from her mother's own mating to Draco Malfoy, it was that second chances were rare and special things, and to waste them would bring nothing but the deepest regret.
"Will you... can you... give me the First Mark tonight?" she asked in a rush of breath.
The Veela's lazy lids abruptly snapped open, and he propped himself up on his elbow. "But you said you weren't ready for that just yet," he reminded her, Scorpius coming forward and combining with the Veela during this important discussion. Their conjoined voices carried the weight of both surprise and wariness. "You were explicit when you said you didn't want to be Marked tonight."
Rose licked her lips, staring into her lover's beautiful silvery eyes. "We have to combine blood for the First Mark to take, right? My mum said you split your bottom lip, and then split mine with your teeth, and that we kiss. Is that how it works?"
His breath was coming fast as he nodded, and the intensity in his stare spoke of a lusty hunger. "When we Transitioned, our blood was part of those changes we talked about, Rose. It carries an aphrodisiac designed to affect only you." His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath, scenting her growing arousal. "Before tonight, we might have been able to give you the First Mark without being tempted to go further, but now that we've had each other, we'll most likely both lose control and end up fucking like mad."
Well, that didn't sound so terribly bad. She'd already decided that sex with Scorpius and his Veela was beyond heaven and earth-moving...
White, curved canines flashed as he gave her a carnal smile, and said, "It'll be very difficult to stop from giving you the other two Marks with our cock buried deep inside that sweet pussy of yours once we've shared blood."
The proof of his excitement at that thought was currently steel-hard against her thigh.
"Oh," she replied, dropping her gaze in disappointment. She might have allowed the First Mark tonight, but the Second and Third Marks… no, not yet. "Well, then we shouldn't rush this. It's not like we have a wand to our heads or anything. We can take it slow."
He stared at her for a long while in silence before opening his mouth again. "Rose, we need to complete the mating within the next few months. If we don't..."
He abruptly sat up, turning so that he could bend both knees to rest his arms across them. A blink later, and Scorpius was alone in the body again. The Veela wings that seemed to be attached to his scapulae were magically vanished as if they had never existed. His hair was its usual short cut, and the shadows around his face and body disappeared. His skin lost its pearl-like luminescence, and his eyes returned to their typical matte shade of arctic grey. Everything else about him remained the same; his physique didn't shrink or grow. He was simply Scorpius Malfoy once more.
Which meant, he was still the most beautiful man she'd ever laid eyes on.
She could admit it now: she'd always found her childhood rival-slash-crush to be her physical ideal, and growing into his adult body had only made Scor more magnificent. He was simply gorgeous from top to bottom - a paragon of male sensuality and health. Every inch of him was strong with muscle, his features were a unique blend of charm and ruggedness, and his reputation spoke of a man with powerful sexual hungers who knew how to work what he had to maximum efficiency. According to the gossip rags, women threw themselves at him, literally.
Which was part of the problem. Her jealousy had always been an ugly thing where he was concerned. Truthfully, Rose didn't even want to know how many women had shared a bed with him. Something inside her would probably die from the knowledge...
He spoke to her then, his tone soft, contemplative. Rose focused not only on his words, but also on his expression and body language as he talked. If there was one thing she'd taken away from her confrontation with Eleri it had been that she'd been not just a terrible listener, but also someone who missed vital social cues during conversations because of her thoughtless disregard for the other person's feelings. She vowed that she wouldn't make that same mistake again.
"I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Veela mate since the Transition," he stated. "This whole thing has been confusing for me, too, Rose. There's so much I've had to adapt to, like sharing my brain and body with another entity. I've changed everything about myself, literally, in only a few weeks. The Veela's turned my world upside-down, too."
Rose sat up, clutching the cotton bed sheet to her chest, unsure if she should touch him or not, for fear of interrupting. She opted to wait and remain silent for the time being, instead.
Scor plucked at the covers with one hand, staring off into the distance. "I was really bitter at first about the whole Veela curse thing when my father explained it to me, and my Transition was really hard. I was so violent and angry and filled with lust that night that I trashed my room and... well... I believe I know now why that happened: those were the repressed feelings of the Veela. Over the years, those feelings had built up and up - just like what happened to you when your fears had been repressed by the memory charm. When the Transition forced the Veela fully awake, the anger and desire were finally set free, and it was like a volcano exploding. At the same time, my body was changing to prepare itself for you - to make our magical auras resonate, to make my body stronger, and to slow the aging process." A sarcastic grin graced his cheek. "It wasn't pretty, and I definitely don't want to have to ever go through that again. How my father endured it a second time, I'll never know."
Rose frowned. "A second time? Oh, you mean with my mum!"
He nodded. "He must have really been desperate to have a second chance to be with her, because going through the Transition has to be the most painful thing a man can ever endure. It's like... being born, giving birth, and going through puberty all at once, and in only a matter of an hour or three. There were moments in there I seriously wanted to Avada myself to make it stop hurting."
Now she did touch him, her compassion rising to the forefront and causing her to hurt for him. Reaching out, she laid her hand on his shoulder. When he opened his arm and indicated that she should move closer, she did so without hesitation. Snuggling against his chest, she leaned on him, wrapping her arms around his torso.
"It's okay, baby," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "It's done now."
"You mentioned something about needing to finish the mating soon," she reminded him, concerned by that comment. "What did you mean?"
His ribs expanded as he took a deep breath and then contracted as he let it out in a fast rush. "It occurred to me after a conversation I had with my father and grandfather earlier today that it took my dad three months to mate my mother, Astoria. I never really considered why until today, but I think I know now: it's because he was heartsick that he couldn't have the mate he'd really wanted - your mother. He was rejecting the mating alternative... and I'd bet anything that doing so was causing him pain, maybe even killing him." He reached out with his free hand and petted her hair as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Baby, the longer we go without Marking you, the more dangerous it is... for all of us."
"Dangerous, how?" A sickening, hollow finger of dread was beginning to grow in her chest. What did he mean? Would he sicken and die if she took too long to let him fully mate her?
He seemed to struggle within himself, as if he and the Veela were at odds over this subject; he'd gone stiff against her and against her ear, his heart was pounding under his ribs. He shuddered. A moment later, the brush of feathers curving around them, encompassing her in a white blanket of soft down alerted her to the fact that the Veela was back in control of Scor's body.
In a quick move, he had her turned and on her back, pressed into the mattress.
"Veela-?"
His lips covered hers, shutting down any protest. His tongue took possession of her mouth, thrusting and tangling around hers to a coaxing rhythm. A moan escaped her throat at his hard, relentless possession. This was not like the sweet, patient kissing they'd shared at the start of the night. This was primal, covetous - a claiming. The Veela was obviously intent on owning as much of her as he possible could before the sun rose in another hour or two.
His hand reached between them and ripped the sheet away, once more keeping her from hiding any part of her from him. The growl he made as his naked, hot body lay across hers was of pure sexual hunger.
"Mine," he rasped, pulling his mouth away, trailing wet kisses over her throat. His hands captured her wrists and pulled them up over her head, where he entwined their fingers. "You're mine." He ran a curved fang up her throat, careful not to puncture, just to tease. "Say it, Rose," he demanded as his lips hovered over her ear. "Say you're my mate."
"Veela," she sighed, straining against him, the ache blooming between her thighs growing as his heavy cock rubbed against the top of her mons. His knees straddled the width of her hips, and his pelvis curled as he glided over her.
"Say it," he growled with heavier insistence. "Say you belong only to me."
She arched her spine and rubbed the taut points of her nipples against his chest. The friction was amazing, causing her pussy to spasm and her mouth to water. "You say you belong to me," she countered.
He dragged his mouth over the bottom of her jaw, and up her chin to buzz her lips. Through a half-lidded, lustful gaze he stared into her soul. "Give me your mouth, my female."
Her lids flared with suspicion, and her attention dropped to his lips. As she watched, he bit his bottom lip with one of his fangs, breaking the skin and causing blood to well to the surface.
Fear tightened her chest, and her eyes met his again. "You said-"
"I belong to you," he vowed. "Forever, only you, Rose."
Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm not ready for-"
Scorpius came forward to join the Veela then. "We'll only give you the First Mark, baby. Promise. We'll control ourselves no matter what it takes. Just... please... we need at least this much. Just this."
She hesitated as his tongue lapped over the cut, keeping the blood from dripping down his chin... down into her mouth.
"Rose, trust us."
There it was - the one entreaty that would make or break them.
The one expectation that had kept her and Scorpius Malfoy apart for so very long, and that had kept this mating from truly happening had been trusting each other. Could she do this? Did she dare? There would be no going back either way now that he'd made the request. If she accepted, she'd be one step towards irrevocably binding her life to his. If she declined, he'd be hurt by the rejection, which could destroy all the good they'd accomplished tonight towards a resolution of their long-held feelings.
Her heart poised on the edge of this life-sized cliff, terrified and trembling, knowing that this was their real second chance, right here. All she had to do was...
She lifted her chin and raised her lips for him to take.
Her lover's grip relaxed and his shoulders loosened. Very slowly, he dropped his mouth to hers, using his sharp canine to bite through the thin, pink skin of her bottom lip. "Love you, pretty mate," he whispered as he pressed them together and gave her the First Mark.
At first, Rose felt nothing but the sting of his slice, and the press of his mouth. A breath later, his mating magic wrapped itself around her much as her Veela's soft wings had earlier, and then melted through her skin and deep into her bones in waves of molten silvery heat. Liquid ecstasy ignited and flowed through her veins, causing her entire body to flush. Ribbons of electric desire whipped around her, making her earlier ardor seem tame in comparison.
This... this was soul-stealing magic, the kind that promised her endless nights of passion, of dark, sinful pleasures. It burned her, enveloped her will and her mind, and turned her into a creature of sudden, slavish sensation. "Oh, God!" she whimpered, panting for breath around his tender kiss, her grip on his hands tightening. Unconsciously, she arched into the body that Scorpius and his Veela currently shared, pressing their cores together. "What's happening? I can't... think."
"Don't," the conjoined voices crooned around pulls of wicked lips. "Just feel. Feel that you're our mate." The two men groaned as they pumped their tongue between her lips again and again. "Feel how much we need you. Feel the burn with us, baby."
Searing need lashed at her. She couldn't breathe as the fire of need consumed her. She was burning up, just as her lovers were. "Scor, Veela... please!" she begged, straining against the body that covered hers. She was frenzied, crazed by the need to have him inside her. Whimpering, she opened her legs and tilted her pelvis up. His long, hard length slid into position, poised at her dripping wet entrance.
A rumbling growl vibrated through his chest as he tucked his wings in and rolled them so she was on top. "Fuck me," the Veela demanded, taking over Scorpius' body again. "Ride me, babe. Take me. Want me!" He angled his hips and locking their palms together, pushed her chest away from his using the formidable strength in his arms. As her upper body rose off of his, her lower body moved into the perfect angle to take him. He pressed inside her, parting her sore body, stretching her wide. She was so wet, so slick that his penetration was smooth as silk.
Tiny mewls of pleasure broke from Rose's throat, as every inch of him slowly filled her snug pussy. Her sex rippled around him with small tremors as she fought to hold back the orgasm that threatened to take her. He wasn't even fully inside yet, and she was going to come! "God... I'm going to... Veela!"
"Come for me, Rose." His hips flexed and with a surge upwards, he forced his cock deep into her, until he was at last buried to the hilt. "Come hard, babe. Give it all to me."
She did. She climaxed with a scream the instant his broad crown caressed the back of her channel, throwing her head back and giving herself over to the explosion of light and heat that wrenched her sanity away. Everything inside of her clenched, her body throbbing around his heavy erection as she jerked back and forth on him, fucking him even as she came.
A primal snarl left her lover's lips, his lips pulled back and his sharp canines flashed again, and then he began to move beneath her. With astonishing power, his hips thrust upwards into the clenching depths of her vagina, rocking into her very core. Letting go of her hands, he gripped her waist to hold her steady as he took her harder, faster. Whipping spirals of pleasure tore through her and all Rose could do was hold on, bracing her hands on his straining pectorals and ride out the storm of his lust.
"Say you're my mate," he demanded again, his chest heaving and his body shaking as he shuttled into her from below. "Tell me that no one else will ever touch you like this! Promise it, Rose, before I lose my fucking mind!"
"Yes," she hissed with pleasure, digging her fingernails into his skin, feeling the swelling in her clit as her arousal was once again kindled to life. "I'm yours. I don't want anyone else like this, just you and Scorpius." She stared down into the heart of him, his silvery gaze filled with a rapturous pleasure and pain, and spoke from the heart. "I'm falling so deeply in love with you that it scares me. I've never felt this before."
His strokes slowed as he reached up to cup her cheek. "My mate..." He closed his eyes and shuddered, fighting to regain control. "Come here."
She bent low over him, allowing their upper bodies to touch again. Below, he continued to pulse up into her in a rocking motion that was more loving now, less about burning hot, and instead about smoldering to completion. The power of the First Mark continued to wash over her, but her body was guided by his now, and he was showing remarkable restraint.
His arms wrapped around her and in a quick roll she was back underneath him. His white wings with their black tips flared wide, enveloping them as they held each other close. He continued to pump his hips, but the urgency had abated, presumably as a result of her confession. Now he took things slower, making love to her with tenderness.
Relaxing into his seduction, Rose parted her thighs and raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Her arms wrapped around his neck and smoothed through his long, silky hair. That odd trilling-purring noise returned as he bent his mouth to hers and kissed her with love and with heat. His tongue wrapped around hers and danced with slick, erotic intent.
She shivered, feeling the sweat between her thighs dampen the hair of his legs and the flood of moisture gathered between the folds of her pussy soaking the curls surrounding his cock. Securing her hold on her Veela lover, she wrapped herself around him, locking her ankles at the sway of his back. He groaned as she tightened around him.
"Pretty mate," he sighed, surging harder into her. "So hot and sweet. I love fucking you. I love making love to you." He nipped her bottom lip, rubbing their blood together again, causing a resurgence of the aphrodisiac's power to soar through her veins. "I love you."
"Veela," she cried, arching against him as the desire returned full force. "It feels so good! More, please!"
His dark chuckle was wicked and filled with promise, even as his hips continued their steady pace. "As much as you need. Forever, Rose."
He continued to torture her with controlled thrusts, bringing her two more times by caressing over her clit with his thumb, changing the angle that he sunk into her, and circling his hips. He was very careful to keep his mouth away from her throat and her breasts, she noticed, avoiding the temptation to give her the Second Mark. Riding an aphrodisiac-tempered wave to make sure she was sexually aroused was one thing, but having her whole body and aura changed to prepare it to accept a Veela child wasn't something she was quite ready for yet.
When he finally joined her as she reached another peak, that animal-like cry was drawn from his throat once more, and his wings expanded to their full glory, beating strong and causing a picture on her wall to fall to the floor from the force of the air currents he created. He came deep inside her again in an explosion of wet, sticky heat that overflowed her channel and bathed their thighs as it seeped out between their connected bodies.
Thoroughly exhausted as the rays of the rising sun streaked through her window, suffusing the room in shades of pale pinks and golds, signaling the end of their long night, they collapsed together. Her Veela kissed her damp brow, and was careful to tuck his wings around her and pull her into him as he rolled them onto their sides. Rose yawned and snuggled against his chest, loving that he rested inside of her still, keeping them coupled.
"My mate," he tiredly muttered with satisfaction and relief as his breathing evened out, his heart slowed, and sleep finally took him. He began lightly snoring a second later.
Rose smiled. "I love you, too," she whispered.
Even if he couldn't hear it, it felt good to say it. It felt right.
Just as she slipped into the comforting darkness herself she heard that lulling trill-purr issue from his chest, and felt his wing stroke against her cheek in a loving caress.
TO BE CONTINUED...
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
a Skin (female)/a Skinner (male) = Newest British slang for a person who cheats in a relationship. I'm told it's derived from the idea that to be cheated on is like being skinned alive - very painful, and so the person who commits this sin is referred to as a "dirty skin" or a "rotten skinner".
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So, what did you think, dear readers? Was it everything you were hoping for? Was it hot/sexy enough for you, or did it fall flat?
Oh, but don't stop reading now! There's still much more to come in this story. It's already outlined to completion, you know. Here's a sneak peak of the next few chapters for you...
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"I'd like to know what you meant when you said last night that we needed to finish the mating soon."
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"So what do you plan to do about Corwin now?"
"I have to tell him that it's over between us. It's going to hurt him, but it's the right thing to do."
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"No, don't do this, Cor, please! Stop!"
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"I smell him on you. I smell his seed inside you! You let him fuck you! You let him have what was ours!"
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"Merlin Almighty, Petal, what-? Who did this to you? Good God, are those... bite marks?"
"Grandpa, I need mum! Please get mum!"
"His Veela... he went mad..."