In the Shadow of Azkaban

Volume II: XLIII

I held my forearm for the entire interaction after Xilia peeled off one of my scales. My skin underneath had turned a shade of pink, and the new tissue was tender to the touch.

I winced every few seconds up until shaking Xilia's hand. In that moment, I was thankful that Ominis couldn't see me. I hadn't needed him exploding from from noticing the wound.

I turned away from Xilia, and Ominis was standing there with his arms out. The space between us closed when I nuzzled myself into the place between his neck and chest. His arms encompassed me. I felt his body fold over mine while my head rested under his cheek.

Ominis' voice was light when he asked, "Shall I walk you to your quarters?" I pulled away and realized that Xilia and Marat had still been lingering there. Observing. I despised their judgment.

My eyes darted over to them and back to Ominis. "I would like that very much, Omi." He interlocked our arms, and I followed him swiftly out of the chamber.

The corridor extending back the main foyer felt exceptionally long. Ominis stared straight ahead and said quietly, "You will sleep in my room tonight, darling."

I hadn't responded. I just leaned into his figure a bit more. I couldn't bear to be away from him, and there was no reason to trust this family. Hence, keeping my mouth shut until we were alone.

We glided up the stairs and entered Ominis' chamber.

Sebastian appeared asleep on Ominis' bed. His chest rose and fell slowly and evenly. I frowned at the sight. I thought we were going to have some sort of privacy. We only had two more days until the wedding, and then we would be able to leave here. Thank Merlin.

As soon as the door shut, Ominis faced me and grabbed my wrists. "Did she hurt you?" His voice was frantic, and he had a look of fear wash over him. "I have no reason to trust Xilia."

I hesitated before drawing in a large breath to say, "I hadn't wanted to allude to anything when we were alone with her and Marat, but yes. She did." My voice wavered while I pulled my sleeve up and ran Ominis' fingers over my forearm. I could hear the audible gasp when he felt one of the scales was now absent. I bit my lip, worried for his reaction.

The pain emitting from his voice was intense, "I shouldn't have let you go alone. I thought you would have fought back, if anything happened. I won't be able to forgive—" I cut him off.

"No, Ominis. Do you remember when you accidentally struck me instead of Sebastian?" His breath drew in loudly at the memory. I continued, "This is the same circumstance since it wasn't planned. No one meant for it to happen. You cannot apologize for something you hadn't purposely done." My eyes searched his clouded gaze. The palms of my hands reached for his cheeks.

"And if I fought back, she would have just removed even more of my plates. Or worse, she could have killed me." I gulped at the thought.

She truly held no regard for me, and I would not put that type of reaction past her anymore.

He bowed into my touch, his chin digging slightly into the heels of my hands. "I understand, but I am sorry. I'm allowed to feel remorseful." His fingers encircled my wrists, and he pulled my arms down and wrapped himself around my body.

"I love you. My sole purpose is to care about you, for you. And to protect you from harm," his head cocked in Sebastian's direction.

"The good news is that we still have one more blood binding process, so Kassia has the ability to add a scale forged from your own skin.  After we complete the ritual, attaching new scales can become more complex. You have to peel them from a Basilisk and create a potion to assist in the adherence to your already present scales. It can be risky." Ominis sighed at the idea.

I inhaled sharply at the thought. A Basilisk? I knew that I wanted nothing to do with that if I could avoid it. My voice was tense when I asked, "What happens if I lose more scales? Could I die?"

There was an uncertainty that threaded itself through Ominis' tone, "Theoretically, yes, from blood loss. But the other issue is that the markings are tied to your magic."

He hesitated before continuing, "If you lose even one scale, it can affect your ability to cast spells properly. It causes your magic to deplete faster and be extremely unpredictable. At least that was at Kassia had said." He ran his hand through his hair in distress after he divulged the information.

Ominis approached me and bent down slightly to place his hands behind my knees and back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he picked me up and brought me over to the open bed. He set me down gently on the sheets, and he begun undressing me.

He gingerly removed my shoes and tights. It felt nice to be tended to. Ominis had always known exactly how to soothe me. I turned over to my side, and he unzipped the dress I was wearing. I pulled it off my shoulders and shimmied it down my hips. I slipped it off my legs and flicked it onto the floor.

I curled up into the bed with the covers all the way to my chin. Ominis removed his own clothing and laid beside me. His hand traced the pattern of the scales extending down my skin.

"Beautiful," he mumbled. He took his fingers to my hair and brushed it back away from the nape of my neck. He leaned against me and pressed his lips to the skin. Ominis' breath was hot against me, "I am so fortunate that in two days time, I will be able to call you mine. Forever."

His lips drew upward into a smile against my skin, and I could not help but feel giddy. I leaned into him, and I drifted to sleep thinking about our future together.