The other side of the bed was cold. But not cold in the way she liked it. Cold as in...

Alone.

Evelyn reached out a hand to feel for Tom but all she felt was bare sheets. The smell of musk lingered in the air but it wasn't fresh. He'd been gone for a while, possibly all night.

She sighed and sat up in bed. The sheets curled around her waist and it was then that she noticed the black t-shirt on her. It was a soft material, luxurious yet casual. She smiled as she brought the fabric up to her nose and sniffed. Musk. Darkness. Tom.

Memories of the night before still ran through her mind. His fingers moving in and out of her, playing her body like a piano that would only ever be tuned for him. His mouth placing hot kisses on her head first, then her neck. His hand closing around her throat until she saw stars. His deep voice saying he couldn't stay away from her, not even in sleep. Saying he wouldn't...

He wouldn't leave her. And yet he did.

Evelyn ran a finger through her loose hair. Their activities mussed it up but she couldn't bring herself to care. Tom had sucked the juices of her innermost part. He probably could care less about tangled waves.

If he even cared about the rest at all.

She could never be sure with him. She had originally thought Tom to be some apathetic, cold, unfeeling man. Sometimes, it still felt like he was. His dark eyes were always assessing things while his face remained stoic and aloof. Tom rarely wore an expression other than serious.

And yet, there were times when she swore she saw the faintest hint of a smile on his face. There were times when his black irises were softer and his voice calmer as he spoke to her. There were times she thought his heart might not be too cold for love.

And then he would go and ruin it all by doing something like leaving her alone in bed after giving her one of the best nights of her life.

Typical.

Tom, she called out in her mind.

He answered instantly. Little Dove. His voice sounded the same and yet she could hear the exhaustion hiding around the edges.

Where are you? Where did you go?

Which question do you want answered?

She paused and then replied, Where are you?

I'm grabbing breakfast for the beautiful girl in my bed. There was no tenderness in his voice and yet his words still made her smile like a lovestruck teenager. Perhaps that was because it was exactly what she was. Lovestruck for a man who sometimes seemed like he couldn't feel love at all.

The world was funny sometimes.

And where did you go before breakfast?

Hogsmeade. I received a report from one of my spies that there was activity there last night. I went to check it out.

Last night? But she was with him for most of the night, lying with him until the early hours of the morning. It was just before midnight when she appeared at his doorstep and then they spent some time doing... other things. Why didn't you check it out earlier?

Don't be stupid. She hated when he said things like that but reminded herself that Tom's nature didn't always include kindness. He must have felt her repulsion because when he spoke again, it was a little softer. I didn't want to leave you until you were asleep. I hoped to make it back before you awoke.

Well... I'm awake.

"I noticed," a voice from behind her said. She turned around quickly to see Tom carrying a muffin in his hands. It looked almost comical to see. His expression, like always, was serious and dark. His chin was upturned like he had much better things to do—and perhaps he did if he had to spend the early hours of the morning in Hogsmeade. And yet his eyes... his eyes were soft. Looking at her as if her sitting in his bed with tired eyes, messy hair, and orgasm-flushed cheeks was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

Tom held up the muffin in his hands. "Mattheo said you liked blueberry."

She smiled. Tom may not have grinned every time he saw her, he may not have gushed at her like other men would have, but he showed his affection in little ways, like figuring out what breakfast she liked and bringing it to her in bed. It seemed so small, so insignificant, and yet it wasn't. Not to her.

"Yes, I do like blueberry," she said softly when she realized that he was waiting for an answer. "Thank you."

Tom nodded and gruffly handed her the muffin before sitting next to her on the bed. "Are you well?" he asked after she began eating. "Do you hurt?"

She looked at him with confusion. "No. Why would I?"

Tom cocked an eyebrow. "I take it you haven't looked in a mirror this morning."

Evelyn shook her head and set down the muffin before walking over to the en-suite bathroom. It, like the rest of his room, was dark and made of stone, the washbasin and bathtub both made of older porcelain. But Evelyn didn't care to explore those. She was too busy staring at her reflection.

"Thomas!" she scolded with a gasp as her trembling hand raised to her throat where two marks lay: one faded, the size of his hand, and one deep purple, the size of his lips. He marked her. And the smirk that lay on his face suggested that he knew and was proud.

"Now there will be no question as to who you belong to. They'd be stupid to go after you."

"Or perhaps you are stupid for giving me a hickey when I have classes to go to."

The expression on his stoic face was unreadable. "If anyone gives you any trouble, let me know." Yes, so they can end up just like Angus McLaggen, torn to shreds in the depths of the forest. "Don't lie to me, darling. You know you like it. I can feel your arousal from here."

She placed her hand on the larger mark. As she did so, she could practically see the moment that it happened, the moment when Tom's hand roughly cut off her air supply as his fingers pumped into her. His veins protruded from his hand in a way that had her wanting to jump him again.

Tom's eyes darkened. "Whatever you are thinking, stop. I have business to attend to and cannot afford the time to ravish you properly."

Evelyn curled her toes and leaned against the washbasin to steady herself, hoping that the cold porcelain would take away some of the building heat in her body. "Business?" Her voice was higher pitched when she spoke.

He nodded. "I have to find the radical in Hogsmeade. I'll spend the next several days pursuing any leads."

"So you'll be gone." She couldn't help the dejection in her voice.

"Temporarily. If you need me—" he tapped his head "—you know how to reach me."

He began to fasten his cloak. Evelyn's heart sank when she realized that he was leaving now, that the half-eaten muffin on the bed was his attempt to say goodbye. "Wait!" she called out when he opened the door.

Tom turned back at her with confusion. "Yes, my darling?"

Evelyn bit her lip before whispering, "Be careful."

Tom strode over to where she stood, hovering in the bathroom doorway. He cupped her cheek before placing a soft kiss on her lips. The whole time, his face was stoic but his lips were sensual. "Be safe, Little Dove," he murmured.

Then, instead of going out the door, he apparated away, leaving behind the faintest trace of shadow and a girl whose heart still fluttered from his presence.

. . .

Several days passed. Evelyn didn't see Tom during any of them, though she did sometimes feel his presence in the back of her mind. Like a shadow watching as she went to her classes or spoke with Mattheo. Because without him, that was all she did.

He checked in on her occasionally. Goodnight, my darling, he whispered once. Pay attention, Little Dove, he said another time when he caught her daydreaming about their night of passion, wishing that there were more. And once—only once—she thought she might have heard him whisper faintly, I miss you, Evelyn. But the voice was so quiet she wasn't sure if she was making it up.

She probably was. Such warmth wasn't normal for Tom. He might have acted differently around her but that might have been too much of a stretch, even for him.

"You made Tom pussy-whipped," Mattheo said at dinner as soon as she joined him. It was the beginning of a new week; the weekend had been long without him. Too long. It gave her time to turn to her thoughts which, lately, were... dangerous.

Evelyn focused her energy on her cousin. Well, as much energy as she could. Her mind was still miles away, focused on a hard jawline and a cool voice. "Mattheo!" she scolded. "That term is improper."

He wrinkled his nose. "Man, you really were raised by Walburga and Orion."

"What do you mean?"

"Draco's mum, Narcissa, says that Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga were the most dreadful, proper purebloods she'd ever met. She said they were so nasty, they'd beat her and her sisters if they acted out of turn."

"That sounds like them," she mumbled sullenly. "But even if you weren't raised by them, you shouldn't say 'pussy-whipped'—whatever that means."

Mattheo rolled his eyes and took a bite out of a turkey leg. "It means that there's black rose currently sitting on Tom's bed."

"What?" She was shocked, to say the least. That wasn't there when she went by that afternoon to drop off some of her books. Evelyn could already feel her heart beat excitedly. Was he here? Was he back?

She tried to feel him out with her mind. She'd been practicing that a lot lately, seeking out the cord of their bond in classes. Now, finding him was almost second nature, like finding a piece of herself deep within her soul. She was beginning to feel his moods, though that wasn't saying much. Tom was always stoic and cold, at least when he wasn't with her. She never even detected any anger.

But when she sought him out, he still felt distant. Far. Gone.

Evelyn's shoulders sagged and she withdrew from the bond. She attempted to block him out so he wasn't worried by her dejection. It was like imagining a wall between their bond, like holding onto the cord so he couldn't reach out through it. She wasn't sure if it worked but she'd been practicing anyway on the off chance that it did. Bonds like these weren't exactly common enough to be found in the library. Even Tom wasn't sure why it existed.

"Why were you in ou— his room?"

Mattheo raised an eyebrow at her misspoken word. She just scowled in response. "That's where Tom keeps the galleons hidden. They're in a little sack in his sock drawer—he has pretty big socks, did you know that? Of course you did. Anyway, I need money to buy firewhis—" She gave him a pointed look. "Lemonade."

"Mattheo, I hate to break it to you, but if you're taking galleons from Tom, it's probably the ones he wants you to—"

Now, now, Little Dove. Don't go spilling my secrets, Tom's smooth voice said in her head. Her legs shook just from the sound. Lately, the longer she went without him, the more she... needed him. And since she couldn't give herself any relief, all she could do was suffer. Today, it seemed, her need was particularly bad. Just the sound of her voice had her wanting to moan.

The sack in the sock drawer isn't where you keep most of your galleons, isn't it?

Let's just say that I turn a blind eye to Mattheo's thievery in exchange for not having to give him an allowance.

"Hey! No head talking!" Mattheo cried, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"What?"

"You're talking with Tom right in front of me! You have the same foggy, lovestruck look in your eyes that he gets when he's talking to you. You—"

"Tom is lovestruck over me?"

Mattheo glowered at her. "Don't change the subject. It's not cool of you to talk to him when I—the much cooler and smarter and handsome-r brother—OUCH!" He jumped up and rubbed at his cheek, which turned red. Somehow, he had been jinxed.

Evelyn used her hand to cover up her laugh. Did you have to jinx him?

Darling, my little brother must know that telling lies is unacceptable. She giggled and turned to Mattheo. "Are you... alright? Should I...take you...to the...hospital wing?" She could hardly get her words out through her laughter.

He sneered. "Tell loverboy that if he still wants someone to fetch his flowers for him, he better quit it with the long-distance jinxes."

"Tell him yourself when he comes back."

"You mean if he comes back. There's a good chance that he won't come back until this faction is gone and at this rate, that won't be soon. The bastards know how to stay hidden and Tom doesn't like to make reckless moves."

The thought made her heart drop. Would Tom really not come back? Would he just leave her here? The idea of a school year without Tom seemed more unthinkable than it should have been. She'd gone her whole life without Tom... so why was it that the idea of spending more than a few days without him seemed like pure and utter agony?

I'm not leaving you, Little Dove, Tom's voice murmured in her mind. Quit your worrying.

She smiled to herself. Promise?

I promise I shall never leave your side. I told you that I cannot stay away from you. Foolish wizards won't change that.

Good. Because she was already going insane without him.

"Matt—" His head snapped up to hers instantly. "—Do you mind if I tuck in early? I'm not feeling well."

His eyes widened with panic. "Oh no! Are you sick? If you're sick, he's going to kill me! That's not an exaggeration, Evie, he's killed a lot of people—OWWWW!" His other cheek was now red. "It's true! He doesn't even care about his own brother, not when it comes to you! Do you want to know what he told me?" Mattheo's voice dropped as he puffed out his chest in an effort to impersonate Tom. "'If even one little hair on her head is harmed, I will not hesitate to send you to the basilisk.' The basilisk, Evie! Do you know how much that snake hates me? She'll kill me in a second!"

She bit her lip to hide back her smile and instead cupped his cheek. "Poor baby," she murmured. "At least it'll be a quick death."

That's my girl. Now, she grinned.

"I'm fine, Matt, just tired. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" He nodded, still a little fearful. She gave him a tentative smile before leaving the Great Hall and swiftly walking to her dorm. Or rather, Tom's dorm. Her dorm didn't even feel like hers anymore.

It was crazy how much could change in a semester. Evelyn had only been at Hogwarts for a few months—it was almost Christmas, after all—and yet her life was completely different. She had a family member, a real living, breathing family member who actually wanted to be around her. She had a man she was utterly obsessed with, a man she was living with for Merlin's sake. She was speaking with others when she used to go months without speaking to anyone at all. She hardly remembered the memories of her beatings, hardly remembered her sadness during the day. Evelyn felt older, in more ways than one. And while there were some times—like on the long, lonely nights—when the sadness of the world still seemed to outweigh her, pressing in on her until she suffocated under its weight, there were also times when the happiness seemed to outweigh it too.

Now, however, she didn't feel happy. No, as Evelyn ripped off her robes in favor of a nightgown, she realized she only felt one thing: longing. Pure and intense longing for a man who could have been in another country for all she knew.

The nightgown helped with the heat that overtook her body but it didn't take away the tension she felt in her core. She curled onto the bed and hoped that it might help, hoped that sleep would take away some of the ache in her groin as it normally did. But tonight, even sleep seemed to evade her.

Wild flames licked up and down her body and yet she could feel no reprieve. Memories of Tom flooded her brain. Memories of his fingers inside her, his hand around her throat, his lips biting her, his thumb stroking her—

Without even realizing it, Evelyn's hand had started to move down to the hem of her lacy panties. She groaned in frustration. Tom, she whined, hoping desperately that he wasn't too far away.

Little Dove. Then, Is something the matter?

Yes. Oh, Merlin. How could she do this without completely embarrassing herself? Without opening herself too much to rejection? Well, she supposed it didn't hurt to take a risk. The worst thing he could do was say no and then she would be free to remedy the problem herself.

Tom, I need you.

Need me how? But his cool voice revealed the truth: he knew exactly how she needed him, he was just attempting to hold himself back. His words were tense and she knew that if she were with him, his eyes would be dark and his jaw would be clenched.

I need you, Tom... Please.

It was silent for a few moments. She was beginning to think that her words were being ignored.

But then he appeared in front of her with clenched fists, dark eyes, and an expression that conveyed only one thing: hunger.

He stared at where she lay on the bed, her body curled up as it attempted to dispel the heat in her veins. Evelyn's arms were above her head, allowing him to see where the nightgown had ridden up on her thighs, the fabric giving a small tease to the panties underneath. Her chest was heaving in anticipation, each breath shifting her breasts.

"Tom," she whispered. "Please. I need you."

Her words seemed to break him out of his trance. He suddenly appeared on top of her, sneering as he looked down at her face. "Did you touch yourself?" His voice was dark, almost deadly.

"No."

"No, what?" His hand clasped around her throat and she gasped. It seemed to settle into where his fingerprints still lingered on her skin.

"N-no, sir."

He smirked. "Do you know what I think you need? I think you need to be taught a lesson."

His fingers clenched for several moments and she began to see stars. "W- what lesson?"

Tom's hand suddenly left her neck. His mouth appeared by her ear, where he whispered, "You need to learn who is in charge, darling. I'm going to ruin you."

As he placed warm, wet kisses down her throat, Evelyn moaned. "I'm yours to ruin, Tom."

***NSFW Content***

He growled. "Such a good girl. I was going to fuck you like a slut but you've been so well behaved. Perhaps I should reward you."

Tom's fingers glided down her thigh, tracing circles around her core but never fully touching it. "P- please," she breathed.

He pulled back and stared at her with dark eyes. She wiggled under his piercing gaze. "Take off your clothes," he commanded deeply. She couldn't do anything but comply, slipping the nightgown over her head before sliding the panties down her legs and laying back on the bed while she awaited his next command. It was the first time she had been naked in front of him.

The room was still cold, hardening her nipples. Tom's gaze was even colder as he stared at her up and down. His apathetic face revealed nothing. He said nothing, either, just staring at her. Evelyn shivered at the weight of his gaze.

And then he was on top of her. Evelyn gasped as Tom's clothes seemingly vanished, disappearing off his body. He lay on top of her, his jaw clenched as his eyes raked down her frame. "Look at you," he purred. "Needing my cock like the little slut you are."

She moaned and tried to arch her body into his but that just resulted in a sharp sting to her pussy. He slapped her. And yet the pleasure from that little touch far outweighed the pain. "I'm in charge, darling."

"Yes, sir."

He grinned. "Good girl. Pick a safe word."

"S-safe word?"

When he spoke, his breath was a whisper that melted her to her very core. "In case things get a little too... rough."

Her mind was so clouded she could hardly think of a word so she just blurted the first thing that came to her mind. "Basilisk."

Tom smirked. "Very well." Then, his hand found its way to her folds, spreading them only to pull back with a hiss. "Fuck. You're so wet for me darling."

Evelyn reached down and grabbed his wrist before he could insert any fingers. He looked up at her with fire in her eyes but she quenched it by whispering, "I want you- No. I need you inside of me, Tom. I can't... I can't go much longer without all of you."

He bent down and bit her neck so hard she was gasping. "Are you sure, Little Dove? This is the last time I will be gentle with you." Then, he looked deeply into her eyes. "But you don't want me to be gentle anyway. Otherwise, you'd be in someone else's bed."

She nodded vehemently. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

And with that, something unleashed inside of him.

Tom growled and grabbed her throat roughly, pushing her into the sheets of the bed. Evelyn gasped but her mouth was soon filled with his fingers. They tasted of desire, of frustration, of... her. Her juices were sweet and unexpected. Before she could even react to the taste, Tom's tongue was diving inside of her mouth, lapping it all up while she struggled to breathe from his harsh hold.

"Enough foreplay," he hissed. "I want to fuck you until you're begging me to stop and even then. I want your legs to shake so hard from trying to hold in my come. I want to watch it leak down your thighs while you come undone again and again."

"Then do it," she breathed through his grip.

"You're mine, Evelyn Black. You will always fucking be mine."

She grabbed his face with her hands. "I don't want to be anyone else's."

Tom grabbed her wrists with his hands—which were large and cold yet free of any callouses. He moved them on top of her head and tightly held them down. With his other hand, he palmed her breast, pulling and tweaking at the nipple until it stung with pain. Then, he did the same thing to the other until they were both perky and burning for Tom.

Evelyn lifted her hips, attempting to ease some of the friction between them. Her pelvis graced his bare cock and she gasped. It was hard and large, larger than she thought possible.

Tom squeezed her throat. "Did I say you could move?"

"No, sir."

"So then don't. Fucking. Move. Just take what I give you like a good girl."

"Yes, Tom."

His fingers let go of her wrists. "You might want to hold on, Little Dove. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

She hardly had any time to grab his shoulders before he was sheathing himself inside of her, stretching her to the point of fullness. She gasped at the stinging pain. It felt like the inside of her stomach was getting bruised. Evelyn couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes.

Tom looked down at her, giving her a moment to adjust. He gave her a short, sensual kiss. His lips distracted her from the almost unbearable pain. "You can take it, darling," he murmured against her lips. "You were made for me. You can handle it."

She shook her head. Right now, it hurt.

"Look at me, Evelyn."

She looked into his eyes, into his deep, black, beautiful eyes. His face was so serious and yet they held so much emotion. Desire, satisfaction, hunger... and something else.

"Don't look away. Look at me." She nodded and Tom soon withdrew his length only to slowly push it back in. Evelyn hissed in pain. "You feel so good. So good, pretty girl."

She let out a breath and Tom thrusted out and back in again. "Who do you belong to?" Tom asked.

"Y-you." She winced.

"That's right," he murmured, stroking her cheek where a tear had escaped. "You're mine. You can take it. You're doing so well."

She nodded. Tom again moved in and out of her. Slowly, as he murmured in her ear, the sensation of pain began to be replaced by the sensation of pleasure. She felt full and yet... yet, not quite satisfied.

Tom seemed to read the look on her face. "Want me to fill you up, pretty girl? Want me to go so far inside you that you can't walk anymore?"

His words had her moaning. "Yes. Please, Tom."

"Good girl." Then, he pushed deeper inside of her. It felt like her body was being split in two. She whimpered. "Darling, keep looking at me."

She brought her eyes back to his. Tom rested a hand on her chin. "You're doing so well, doll. I'm going to go farther. Keep your eyes on me, yeah?"

"Okay," she whispered.

His hips thrust forward until he hit a point of resistance. Then, he pointedly looked into her eyes and pushed further. She cried out and it echoed in the room. "Fuck, Evelyn," he cursed. "You're so tight."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's fucking incredible." He looked into her eyes before beginning to drive his hips in and out, pounding into her pussy more forcefully than before. Soon, the pain completely went away, replaced only by pleasure. "That's it, darling. Take it like a good girl."

Inch by rock-hard inch stroked inside of her, hitting spots she didn't even know existed. Their breaths mingled together in the dungeon room, whimpers of pleasure resounding between them.

Tom's pace quickened and Evelyn had to bite her lip to hold back the screams. He snarled and took her mouth against his. His teeth ripped her bottom lip free. "Don't you ever hold back those pretty little sounds from me. I want to hear you scream my name so everyone knows who is making you feel like this."

And so she did, crying out Tom's name into the abyss. Soon, the pressure inside of her began to build. "Tom, I think I'm about to..."

But she didn't finish her sentence before crying out in ecstasy. His groan soon followed as she felt his cock pulse with stream after stream of come. She moaned again at the feeling, some twisted part of her liking how he claimed every single part of her, even her insides.

She knew who she belonged to now, truly. Her heart, her mind, her soul, and now her body was Tom's. It had always been Tom's but now... now it felt real.

She sighed. "That was..."

"Oh, did you think I was finished with you?" Tom asked with a dangerous smirk. "No, darling. We're just getting started."

His hands roughly grabbed her waist and turned her over. Her face pressed into the pillow while she felt her body being covered by his. Tom's hands pressed into hers, pushing her down into the bed even more. Before she could ask what he was doing, he was swiftly entering her from behind.

If the last round was Tom being gentle, then this round was him at his roughest. His balls slapped against her pussy as he pounded into her over and over, never ceasing. One of his hands wrapped around her hair and used the grip to pull her off from the bed and into his lap. Through it all, he never ceased his pursuit of her body, his hips thrusting into her continuously. Breathy moans escaped and mingled with his own.

"Tom," she cried, using one of her arms to reach up and grab a fistful of his hair.

He growled. "This pussy is mine." Then, with the hand that wasn't still gripping her hair, he feverishly touched her clit. Evelyn soon fell apart and Tom wasn't far after.

All through the night, he worshipped her body. Sometimes, he was sensual, like the time he leaned back on the bed and placed her on top of his cock, guiding her hips as she rode him under his control. He stared at her like she was a goddess and he was but a worshipper who was lucky to make love to her. Other times, he was rough, like when he apparated them to the Chamber of Secrets (something she definitely did not know about until that moment), where he fucked her from behind on the cold stone while the snores of a basilisk mixed with their moans. And sometimes, Tom pleasured her without making love, showing her exactly what he could do with his fingers and his tongue, speaking parseltongue against her folds. He tweaked her nipples until she came with just a touch on her breast, massaged her scalp while she sucked his cock, and even spooned her while his cock was still inside, allowing her just a moment of reprieve before he took her again.

By the time he was done, she could hardly keep her eyes open. Her legs had stopped working several rounds ago but Tom didn't seem to mind, carrying her wherever she needed to go. His arms found their way under her legs and he hoisted her up, carrying her to the bath. Honestly, she thought he was ready for more so when he gently placed her in the bathwater and sat behind her without moving to her pussy, she was shocked.

Tom quietly took a bar of soap and ran it along her body. She couldn't help but notice the way he pointedly avoided her pussy. To be honest, she didn't want him to clean it. She liked knowing round upon round of his seed lay in there, claiming her body as his.

***NSFW Content Over***

His hands massaged shampoo and then conditioner into her scalp, taking great care to pull apart any tangles caused by his rough hands. Tom brushed through it until the candles were low and the bathwater chilled and yet he seemed content to still remain there, touching her as long as she let him. And she would let him. Because if that night taught her anything, it was that Tom was a drug she was becoming all the more addicted to.

Their night may have been about physical passion and yet she knew that it was more than that. The bond between them glowed brighter than before, that unexplainable connection shining more with each round they made love. It felt deeper, richer, and more powerful. Like it could never be broken. Like nothing could be more right in the world.

Evelyn leaned her head back on his shoulder, thoroughly exhausted and completely sated. "Tom?" she whispered.

"Yes, Little Dove?"

"What... what was that?" It was hardly a coherent question but he would know what she meant.

Tom bent forward and laid a soft kiss on her shoulder. She shivered and leaned into it more. "That, my darling," Tom whispered with the same amount of wonder her voice held, like the new level of their bond amazed him as much as it amazed her. He reached up to her face and stroked it lightly, almost as if he couldn't quite believe she was with him. "Was me loving you."

She smiled and turned around to face him. The water sloshed at the edges of the tub. "Will it always be like this?"

The corners of his lips upturned slightly before he placed a kiss on her lips. "Always. I'll make sure of it."

"Good," she whispered, laying her forehead against his. "Because I like the feeling of you loving me."

He chuckled. It was a deep rich sound that would have sent licks of heat to her core had she not spent several hours basking under his affections.

"You won't get pregnant," Tom muttered after a few moments of silence. "If you were worried about that—"

"I wasn't."

He frowned slightly. "Evelyn, you're too young to have—"

She reached up and cupped his face with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm not worried because the chance of me being able to have children is very low."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I mean that one time, my grandmother landed too hard of a blow to my stomach and permanently damaged my uterus. St. Mungo's believes I'll never be able to bear children." Tom's silence was... deadly. And it worried her.

"If you don't want to be with someone who can't give you an heir, I understand—"

"I don't fucking care about that," Tom growled. His eyes were dark as they stared at hers. "I'm going to kill them, Evelyn. No one hurts you and gets away with it."

Perhaps his words should have worried her—because she knew he meant them—but honestly? They didn't. The idea of being free from them felt... wonderful. Like she would finally be free from the lake that had been drowning her.

Still, Evelyn shook her head, if anything because it seemed like something she should have done. She cupped his cheek and tried her best to give him a smile. "I'm fine, my love. I've had many years to come to terms with it."

He gave her a lopsided grin that didn't reach his eyes. "I'll still kill them."

She kissed him gently. "And I'll let you. But it won't change what is already done."

He nodded against her forehead and remained silent, no doubt planning the murder of her grandparents.

Shortly after, Tom drained the bathwater. He dried her off with a fluffy towel before carrying her back to the bed. He brushed through her hair before dressing her in a pair of his black, button-down pajamas.

"Sleep, darling," he murmured before settling in next to her and pulling her to his chest. "I'll be here when you awake but I'll have to leave again tomorrow."

She frowned but didn't say anything. Honestly, she would need some time to recover from their night anyway. Perhaps then she could regain feeling in her legs again.

Evelyn curled deeper into his chest, enjoying the way his arm wrapped around her. The steady rhythm of his heart against his ear was soon lulling her to sleep. Her eyes shut of their own accord even though she desperately wanted to savor any moment

"Tom?" she whispered before sleep could overthrow her.

"Little Dove?"

"I love you." Because she did. Endlessly.

She expected him to remain silent. She expected him to say nothing back, knowing the difficult history he had with the word. His father had never known love and had certainly never shown it to his sons. This might have been the first time Tom had ever been told he was loved. She never would have expected him to say it back. That seemed unrealistic, it seemed—

"I love you too, Evelyn darling."

I think this is the longest one yet? Definitely the spiciest at least lol. And how bout that ending! I'd love to know what you think, luv you all xx