When Tom awoke, he was surprisingly warm.
He was used to being cold. Mattheo would joke that his blood ran 10 degrees colder because he didn't have a heart. Whether he had one or not wasn't his concern. Tom liked it cold; he found it comforting in a way. It reminded him of those blissful days before his father died, when Voldemort's cold hands were placed on his son's head as he attempted to give him advice. "You will do great things, boy," his father would hiss. "Great things."
Tom had never planned on settling just for great.
When Voldemort died, Tom began keeping things cold. At first, it was to remind himself of the family he had lost (not that he had ever been the sentimental sort but familiarity in a time of pure and utter chaos was preferred). Then, it was because he liked it. Mattheo hated it, of course, but he got used to it quickly. Mattheo was always the agreeable sort, making friends with everyone but the Rosier girl. Hell, he even got Evelyn to joke around with him and eat all of her meals with him and she was apparently notorious for keeping her distance from everyone.
Now, Tom's room had a charm that made it colder than the rest of the dungeons. Being under the Black Lake helped already but he wanted to make sure there was always a chill in the air. Yes, the cold was nice. Familiar. Comfortable.
So when he woke up surrounded by warmth and the smell of petrichor and vanilla, he couldn't help but be surprised at the fact that he wasn't immediately repulsed. Perhaps if it was anyone else lying on his chest with her arms around his waist, he would have been repulsed. But Evelyn wasn't just anyone.
He didn't move for a few moments, content to just lay there while she breathed deeply. He knew she didn't sleep well without him for the same reason he didn't sleep well without her. Their souls couldn't be apart for very long. In fact, he felt restless even in sleep unless his mind reached out to hers and joined her in dreams that felt a little too wonderful to be real.
Evelyn let out a content hum before snuggling deeper into his chest. Her hair was splayed out across the bed and he couldn't help but run his hands through the silken strands. Mine, he thought. She's mine.
He couldn't believe he said he loved her. Even now, he wondered if the only reason he said it was because of some charm or bewitching spell. Love and Tom didn't exactly go together. No one loved him. He was unloveable; he'd known that from the moment he was born, destined to be looked at only in fear. Even Mattheo, his own brother, was terrified of him. His father respected him at best, his professors had succumbed to his charms, and he had no friends, only followers.
Tom wasn't made for loving. He wasn't made to be loved.
His father taught him the importance of power, loyalty, and respect but never love. Even Mattheo didn't believe in the concept, not really. They were taught that it was weak, that it meant nothing.
And yet he told her he loved her like it was the simplest thing in the world.
It had to be a trick. A spell. Something. She was toying with him, using their connection against him in a bid to get power. That was the only explanation.
Love wasn't real... wasn't it?
He shook his head. No, it wasn't real. It couldn't have been. This was some trick, some form of accelerated lust.
But damn if being with her didn't feel incredible.
She consumed his every thought. Her grey eyes haunted his very soul. His body longed to be with hers. Her mouth molded to hers like it was meant to be there all along. He felt a physical ache whenever she wasn't near. Some part of him knew that she was his, that she was meant for him in a way that couldn't be explained. Every part of her appealed to him, from her looks to her intelligence. Even to her soft, sweet smile that made him want to light the world on fire as retribution for anyone who ever tried to dim it.
Evelyn. His sweet, loving Evelyn. His Little Dove.
Tom reached out into her mind, seeking the cord inside of his chest that connected them together. She was stirring but not quite as quickly as he liked. If the small bit of light filtering through the window was any indication, he would need to leave soon. He had a plan for today and he couldn't delay it, not even for Evelyn. He wasn't any closer to finding the leader of the blasphemous faction. To think that they could defy him... well, it wasn't something he could tolerate for much longer.
"Little Dove," Tom murmured in her mind as he stroked her hair. "Wake up."
After a few moments, Evelyn stirred. She stretched, gently thrusting her hips into his side in a way that made his cock strain against the thin pajama pants. Then, she open her eyes and allowed him to see the silver that had haunted him from the day he met her.
A flush instantly filled her cheeks. Post-orgasmic bliss looked wonderful on her; her pupils were dilated and her cheeks a rosy pink that he couldn't help but quirk his lips at. He was surprised to find that her under eyes contained no dark circles. He'd kept her up almost all night, bouncing between lovemaking and fucking all in a bid to consume as much of her as he could.
Just the memories had him aching to be inside her.
"Good morning," she murmured. Evelyn's voice was soft and a little hoarse. Probably from all of her screaming.
"Good morning, my darling," Tom replied while cupping her cheek and stroking it with her thumb. Because even though he still couldn't bring himself to believe in love—not even for her—something inside of him couldn't help but be a little weakened by her presence with him. "How did you sleep?"
"Like a rock. You don't get tired, do you?"
He smirked. "Why would I sleep when I could make you come all night long?"
And just like that, he watched Evelyn's eyes go from tired and happy to dark and lustful. She was just as ready to begin again as he was. She's perfect.
"I have to be somewhere today but I'll be back tonight." He couldn't tell her anymore; it put his plan too much at risk. It was better if she stayed in the dark. Thankfully, Evelyn wasn't one to pry. She trusted him, perhaps too much. If she knew what was good for her, she would stay far, far away from him.
But Evelyn liked things bad. Very... very bad.
She really was perfect.
She pouted to herself for a second—an action that made him want to suck her lip while pounding into her tight pussy. Fuck. He needed to get her wrapped around him before he combusted.
"Alright. Be careful." He quirked an eyebrow at her and she sighed before caressing the dark mark that lay on his inner left forearm. It had been there since he was two years old, since his father sensed the rich power that lay beneath his son's skin, power even greater than his own. "I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, Tom, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of yourself. You're powerful; someone might try to take advantage of you."
Yes, someone like you, perhaps, he wondered. Evelyn continued, "I love you. I don't want to see you get hurt."
His arm wrapped around her small body and rested on the small of her back. Tom used the grip to pull her even closer to him. Her pelvis pushed into his. A loud groan elicited from his mouth.
"The only thing that is hurt, my darling, is my pride." Evelyn frowned again and he sighed. "But if it makes you feel better, I will be careful."
Satisfaction flooded her face. She's about to find a different kind of satisfaction.
Tom couldn't wait any longer. He thrust up until his cock settled against her pussy. She gasped and rolled her eyes back. "Now," Tom murmured, moving his hand from her cheek to her throat like he knew she liked. "Do you want me to fuck you like a whore or make love to you like a queen?"
Evelyn pursed her lips in thought. "You'll be back tonight?"
"Yes, Little Dove."
"How about a queen now and a whore later?"
Tom grinned wickedly. "You are divine."
. . .
Several hours later, Tom was along the edges of the Forbidden Forest, his plan in action. He'd been within the dark confines of the forest ever since that morning.
Merlin. That morning. That wondrous morning when he spent an hour—far too long but a delay that was worth it—making sweet, lazy love to Evelyn. He was insatiable. Every time he made her come, every time he made her eyes roll back into her head while she gasped his name and clutched his shoulders, he told himself he'd leave. But then he would kiss her and taste the sweet nectar of her mouth and it was impossible to go without at least one more round of touching her. He couldn't get enough, not of the noises she made right before she came, not of the way she looked at him every time he thrust in her, and certainly not of the way her pussy wrapped around him like it was made for his cock.
Tom had never felt love before, not even from his brother. But spending the morning with Evelyn, lying on top of her while he kissed her until her lips were pink and they were gasping for air—well, that was the closest to love he would ever probably feel. Whether it was a spell or not, he still wasn't sure. But whatever it was, it felt damn good.
She consumed him. And the scary part was that he—the fucking Dark Lord—didn't mind being consumed as long as it was her.
Evelyn was beautiful. She knew she was beautiful; she'd been told so all her life and she wasn't dumb enough to not believe it, not when her eyes were perfectly capable of looking in a mirror and seeing how stunning she was. Tom wasn't one to place stock in beauty—acknowledging its worth (especially since he had often used his looks to get his way) but never particularly caring for others. But Evelyn...
She outshone the stars.
Tonight, though, as she wandered the grounds of Hogwarts, she looked particularly beautiful. The moonlight reflected off the grey of her irises. The waves in her long hair were more visible than usual and he wanted nothing more than to wrap the strands around his hand and pull them until she screamed. Evelyn was wearing just a jumper and jeans—a poor choice for the winter—and he could tell even from this far away that she had forgotten her wand. He had half a mind to reveal his hiding spot and punish her for walking alone at night in clothing that could never protect her from the cold without a wand no less. Hell, he could see her pink, wind-whipped cheeks from his hiding spot almost 100 meters away.
"Such a naughty girl," he murmured when she tucked her a piece of her hair behind her ear. Yep, she was definitely getting punished later. She didn't look around, didn't even notice the man with a knife in his hands following her.
But he did.
Evelyn seemed to be in her own little world, not noticing the tall, cloaked figure halfway in between Tom and her. She looked up at the moon and sighed before continuing to walk.
Suddenly, the cloaked man stepped on a twig. Evelyn's head whipped around and he watched as her eyes widened when she saw the man. She let out a shaky breath before he heard her enter his mind. Good. She was learning to control her legilimency, what little of it she had.
"Tom," her voice said softly in his head. He detected a little whimper in her tone that made him want to step out from the trees and slaughter the man where he stood.
"Little Dove." He had to work to keep the fury out of his voice. If his plan was to work, he couldn't interfere. No matter how much he wanted to.
"Tom, I think someone is following me." Good. Very good. All thoughts of punishing her immediately left his head. She might have been walking alone but she entrusted him fully with her safety, not hesitating to reach out to him. She could have tried to remedy the situation on her own but she didn't. If he was to have any sort of a future with her, he needed to know that she understood how powerful he was. Only he could keep her safe. Only he could protect her. Trying to interfere with his affairs, with his enemies, would only get her killed.
"Trust that it will be taken care of, my darling. Keep walking."
"But..." She trailed off, apparently trusting in his judgment enough to push her questions aside. Evelyn sighed before wrapping her arms around herself and continuing to walk toward the castle.
"Do you think I will allow anything to happen to you?"
"No. I trust you, Tom."
She shouldn't. He was dangerous. And yet... yet he knew he would never harm her. "Then know that you are safe. I will protect you. Always."
"Okay." She was quiet for a moment. Then, "I love you, Tom."
"Why do I feel like you're saying goodbye?" He teased because he couldn't bring himself to say those three little words again. Three words so short but so powerful, powerful enough to vanquish his father in mere seconds.
"Because you never know when one day I may be. And when that day comes, I want to face it knowing I've told you what I felt every chance I've gotten." Now that made him frown. He thought they'd gotten past this. He thought she was better, happier—
The man moved closer to Evelyn. He began to feel her fear seep through the bond, a sharp, bitter feeling that left a bad taste in his mouth. I'll protect you, he vowed, though he did not send the message to her. You are mine, Evelyn Black. You cannot leave me that easily.
The cloaked figure once again revealed the knife in his hands, lifting it up the closer he reached Evelyn. As her footsteps quickened, so did his. He was clearly eager to get her hands on her, to please whatever master he served by killing the woman Tom had dedicated himself to so fully. The man was swift, he had to give it to him. But not swift enough.
The Death Eater raised the sharp knife when he got within a foot of Evelyn, so close that she probably felt his breath curling around her body. The blade glinted off the moonlight. But when he tried to bring it down, he found himself on the ground, a red light glinting against his body as he convulsed.
Cruciated.
"The thing about following someone," Tom drawled as he bent down into the Death Eater's face, "is that you should take care not to be followed yourself."
He grinned sadistically as he took in the man. Tears now fell down his face.
Tom bent down and grabbed the knife from his clutches. When he threw it to the side, it clattered. A pathetic excuse for a dagger. Then, he grabbed the man's knife and watched as his face filled with fear when Tom snapped it in half, the magic flowing in the air as if it never existed.
The Death Eater was wearing a skull mask on his face. "You don't deserve that anymore, do you?" Tom's voice was cold, taunting. Filled with power.
He bent down and snatched it off his face, watching as the mask disappeared into thin air. The man underneath was a frightened middle-aged pureblood. Wrinkles surrounded his face, evidence of his exhaustion from days of following Evelyn.
Yes. Days.
Tom knew, of course. He sensed shortly before she called him back to take care of her needs last night. Tom received a report from one of his spies in Hogsmeade that a few pureblood Death Eaters had been sighted but that in itself wasn't abnormal; his followers often stationed themselves there in hopes that they would get a glimpse of the man soon ascending to power. But one day, just two days ago, he had sensed something dark following Evelyn as she went through her day. A wizard was attempting to follow her with a charm. It wouldn't work, of course; Tom had warded her the day he met her. If someone was trying to track her location with magic, he would know and the charm wouldn't work. But he knew that it meant that someone would only get stupid soon and try to get their hands on her.
So he lured him out.
Evelyn hadn't been alone, not since he felt the charm. He hadn't planned on seeing her, not until the threat was gone, but last night she had been begging, and, well, no sane man would be able to resist the whimper in her voice. He wondered if he had ruined his plans to lure out the insolent Death Eater until he felt the charm attempt to track her earlier this morning. And so, his day of staying away from her but not so far away that she would ever be in any danger was born.
Tom followed her to her classes, meals, and even into the girl's lavatory, always out of sight but always within reach. He promised that he wouldn't leave her side; he meant that promise.
"P-please," the man groaned through the Cruciatus curse.
Tom ignored him and turned to Evelyn. She looked shocked as she stared at the man but when her eyes drifted to him, she seemed... relieved. He was torturing a man in front of her and she looked as if she just laid eyes on a chocolate cake.
"Are you alright, Little Dove?" Tom murmured, using the hand that wasn't holding his want to cup her cheek and stroke it lightly.
Evelyn nodded, though she didn't seem entirely convinced. "You came."
"I always will." She gave him a soft smile, one that didn't reach her eyes but one that told him she would be okay, perhaps not now.
"How did you know he was following me?"
"I've been following you all day, Evelyn darling. You haven't been alone."
"But... but..." Her eyes flooded with confusion before they filled with a wave of cold anger, anger that wasn't too far off from his own. Tom had always been told that Mattheo was all fire and he was all ice. Evelyn, it seemed, was less like her cousin and more like her lover. "You used me as bait," she seethed.
"Darling, bait implies that you were ever in any danger, which you weren't. Perhaps if you would have had your wand, you might have felt better, but I've been here the entire time."
She glared at him. He wanted to laugh at the sight. "What would you have done if something incapacitated you? And he did something while you were distracted?"
Tom chuckled. "Little Dove, I am far too powerful for that. Nothing will ever happen to you, I can assure you that. This man," he kicked the body on the ground, "is just a little hiccup to our evening."
Evelyn sighed. It was an angry sound, not a relieved one. "I still don't forgive you for offering me up to a man with a knife."
Briefly, Tom stopped the torture. The man was almost unconscious with no weapon and a snapped wand, still twitching on the ground. He wasn't a concern.
He stepped up to Evelyn and peered down at her with darkness in his eyes. "You were fine," he growled. "Quit acting like a brat before I fuck that attitude out of you right here for everyone to see."
But instead of backing down, she turned up her nose and held his stare. A queen, indeed. "You wouldn't dare." Before he could counter that, yes, he truly would, she stopped him. "You wouldn't allow the entire castle to see something you view as yours. So why don't you 'quit acting like a brat' and just admit that you were reckless with my life!"
Normally, he would have killed her on the stop and tossed her body into the lake for speaking to him like that. But luckily for her, she was Evelyn and he couldn't bring himself to do something like that, not even in anger. Plus, he knew the real reason behind her biting words: she was afraid. She truly thought he had left her to die.
So Tom decided to let his rising anger drop and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer so he could whisper in her ear. "I value your life more than my own. If I thought you were ever in any danger, I would have intervened. So I'll forgive your attitude for tonight and tonight only but just know that if this happens often in the future, you will find yourself tied up in the Chamber of Secrets, fucked so hard you will scream for release. Do you understand, Evelyn?"
She sighed but nodded sullenly. "Alright. But don't do it again. And I expect a better apology than that."
He smirked. "I'll make it up to you in the bedroom later. Now, go up to the castle while I finish off our friend, Walker, here."
"Wait." She grabbed the arm where his Dark Mark lay and he couldn't help but notice how the magic inside seemed to respond to her touch, like she was its master as much as he was. Interesting. "I want to stay here for a little."
He looked at her questioningly but didn't object, instead walking over to the man with his wand pointed. "Tell me who you work for and I might let you live."
"My Lord," the man groaned, "we both know that I am not living through the night."
"Yes, but you can determine if it's very painful or extremely painful." He turned to where his girl stood behind him. She had begun shaking, though whether it was from cold or from fear, he didn't know. Her eyes were wide as she watched. Evelyn stayed firmly behind Tom, accepting his role as her protector. He felt his chest swell with pride just at the thought.
"You attempted to hurt your future queen. Your death was always going to be painful." The man whimpered. Tom grinned. It was a cold, callous expression. "Now, I suggest telling me everything you know... Unless, of course, you'd rather tell the basilisk. I'm sure she's dying to hear all about why you were so eager to kill her mistress."
He could feel Evelyn's confusion. "Basilisk? Mistress?"
"An ancient monster dwelling within the castle walls that would kill anyone who even dared to look at you wrong. She's very loyal to you already. Just say that word and she will destroy the Wizarding World. I know my followers—the intelligent ones—would do the same."
"Really? You are convinced that they would kill their friends so easily for me? Their neighbors?" Oh, he was more than convinced. He had already made it more than clear to his inner circle that Evelyn Black was to be protected at all costs. They would easily lay their lives on the line for her, especially when the alternative was worse than death.
"You are to be their Dark Lady. If any disrespect you, their lives are forfeit."
"You would kill them? Innocent people just to suit my whims?"
Instead of replying in her head, Tom spoke aloud. His voice was deep and serious as well as truthful. "I would burn them for simply looking at you wrong. Do not test my love for you. It wins over anything else. Especially their feeble lives."
There it was again, that little word. Love. Four letters against eighteen, almost nineteen, years unraveled beliefs. All for a woman who looked as if she fell from the heavens herself right into the clutches of a demon who was all too eager to destroy her.
He looked into her eyes. They sparkled in the moonlight. Beautiful. She was simply beautiful. Perhaps too beautiful for his world of darkness and yet he couldn't help but wish for her light anyway.
It was at that moment that Tom realized it was no spell. He loved Evelyn Black.
Endlessly.
Tom didn't realize that while he was wrapped in his thoughts, Evelyn had come out in front of him, stepping in between his wand and the man on the ground. He sighed in frustration, realizing that he would have to convince her to go back to the bedroom so he could torture the man for information without her trying to stop him. Of course she would try to change him. He was the Dark Lord. He was evil. He was darkness. Who wouldn't try to "fix" him?
Evelyn. Evelyn wouldn't try to fix him. Because at that moment, she surprised him, making him realize even more just how utterly perfect for him she was.
"You wanted to hurt me?" She quietly asked the man. Her voice sounded like the echoes of a piano in a dark corridor. Beautiful, haunting. "Take me? Kill me?"
The man nodded slowly with tears in his eyes. "Y-yes," he whispered with a mixture of fear and hope in his voice. "I apologize, My Lady. You can look in my head and see that it wasn't personal. I only did it out of duty. Please have mercy on me. Please."
Evelyn muttered under her breath, "Legilimens," before her eyes became hazy for a few moments. Then, she pulled away. Her face remained stoic—reminding him, for a moment, of himself. His beautiful queen.
"I believe that you did try to kill me out of duty," she said quietly. But he knew her well enough to know that this voice? This voice was cold and deadly. "But I also believe that you wanted to pleasure yourself with my body after you saw what I looked like."
She turned to look at Tom for a second. He saw a look in her eyes, a look that he had seen in his own many times. A powerful look. A lethal one, too.
"Violence I can forgive," she muttered. "But sexual assault is something I cannot forgive."
Evelyn glanced back to Tom. "Bring him to your chamber. Torture him in whatever way you wish and feed him to your basilisk when you're finished."
He smirked. This was a very different result than he expected. He expected an argument, a plea for kindness, mercy. Judging by the horrified look on the man's face, he did too.
"Whatever you wish, My Lady," Tom purred.
Evelyn's eyes softened as she stared at him. "One more request."
"Anything for the woman feeding my basilisk." He meant it in more ways than one. Judging by the way her eyes darkened with lust, she knew it. After this sexy display of power, he would need several long hours to reward her properly. His Dark Lady. His Queen of Vengeance.
She was divine.
Evelyn bent down to stare at the man. Honestly, he seemed more fearful of her now than of him. Good. Let the word spread that we are not a couple to mess with. Mercy is only granted to the deserving.
"When the basilisk has finished with her supper, cut off his cock and send it to his wife. She may want to know that he is sticking it in places it doesn't belong."
The man whimpered but Evelyn ignored it, flicking her wrist at his pathetic cries. She walked with her head held high to the castle, leaving Tom to enjoy the rest of his night. Torture and fucking the dark queen of the Wizarding World? He was in heaven.
Tom grabbed the man and apparated to the Chamber of Secrets. The blood from Angus McLaggen still hadn't washed out from the stone, a sight that made the man in front of him urinate in fear.
"Well, you heard the lady," he taunted. "Better get to talking if you don't want this to last for days. My serpent and I are rather patient when it comes to what we want.
The basilisk was somewhere behind him. Her mental connection to Tom meant that she knew exactly what her mistress had promised her. And she was more than excited to tear apart the man who tried to tear apart Evelyn.
Nothing was quite as loyal as a serpent. Terrifying creatures, yes, but loyal to those who held the power. In their world's case, that would be Tom and his future wife.
As Tom began to slowly drain the wizard to death—first cutting out his tongue for daring to speak to Evelyn, then his hand for attempting to cut her with it, before finishing the night completing her vulgar request—Tom reached out to his love's mind, making sure that she was safe in his dormitory. She was there, lying in bed and waiting for his return.
Tom murmured in her mind, "You were incredible."
She was silent for a moment before saying, "I feel incredible. Is that wrong?"
"Perhaps. But I've never cared much for being right."
"Comforting isn't your area of expertise, Thomas."
"Oh, my expertise lies in a much more pleasurable area." He grinned and sent her a mental picture of exactly what he would be doing to her later. Bending her against the bed, taking her against the wall, speaking parseltongue against her folds, tying her against the headboard and using her until she was dripping between her legs from all that he did. Oh yes, a very fun night was ahead of him indeed.
A wave of lust flashed through the bond. "You're insatiable."
"I'll prove just how much tonight... I love you, Little Dove."
"I love you too, Thomas."
And even while the wizard's screams echoed against the chamber walls, all Tom could think about was those five little words.
Bad weekend means darker chapter lol. But I did spend today planning exactly what's happening in the rest of the story so woohoo! Expect drama, danger, death, love, sex, overprotective shadow daddies, hilarious younger cousins, and lots of bonus chapters (bonus as in they take place after the main story I have designed but they're scenes I want to include so badly that I'll just place them after the epilogue). Hope you're as excited as I am!
Let me know what you think in the reviews. I appreciate all of the support I've received so much 333