Succumb (A Severus Snape Fanfiction)

|chapter two|

"Do you know what I do for the Dark Lord? Have you heard the rumors?" I asked, side stepping away from him.

"I can help you, love. You don't have to continue down this path-"

"I have no choice but to continue down this path. I can't stop, Severus, I can't stop hurting people. If you stay I'm just going to hurt you too, and I can't live with that. So just get out while you can."

"I'm not giving up on you that easily. So just shut up and let me kiss you already, you stubborn woman," he said, his voice full of exasperation. He stepped in closer once again, and this time I didn't stop him as pressed his mouth against mine and kissed me with such vehemence that left me dizzy and craving so much more.

The edge of the counter was digging into my lower back, but I could barely even register the discomfort. The only thing that mattered was Severus and the way his hands felt as they slid down my torso and beneath the hem of my tank top, his fingers skimming along my flesh in a way that sent shivers throughout my entire body. I slid my hands over his chest and over his shoulders, my fingers eventually finding their way into his hair. I tugged at the dark locks wrapped in my fingers as I pressed myself closer against him, smirking as a satisfied growl rumbled through his chest. And then, as quickly as the fervor between us began, it ended.

I hissed as pain ebbed from my dark mark through the rest of my arm. "Shit, shit, shit. I was supposed to be at the Malfoy Manor by ten. I completely forgot," I groaned. Severus stepped back, and I already longed to feel his hands on my body again. There would surely be some kind of punishment awaiting me as it was though, most likely the Cruciatus Curse. It certainly seemed to be one of Voldemort's favorites.

"Training, I presume?" Severus asked as he straightened out his clothing.

"Yeah," I lied as I rushed into my bedroom in search of anything clean.

"Odd.. I remember the Dark Lord mentioning the end of your training just last month," Severus drawled, leaning against the door frame as I shimmied into a pair of wrinkled jeans I found on the floor. I looked away from him, keeping my eyes on absolutely anything else.

"What do  you want me to say, Severus? It's not like I really have a choice either way," I bit back as I rummaged through the closet for a t-shirt. He was trying to start a conversation I desperately did not want to have with him.

"There's no need to lie about what you do for the Dark Lord. I'm well aware of the consequences of what we are doing, Kathryn."

"What we are doing? It seems your still under the impression that my loyalty has not changed."

"Are you saying that you are loyal to the Dark Lord now?" Severus asked.

"I am loyal to no one but myself. I serve Voldemort for survival. If all goes well, the Potter kid will kill his old ass, and I will be free to do as I wish. And if he doesn't, I fully intend of taking care of it myself. Until then, I'll do whatever I must."

"And what of your loyalty to the Order?"

"Like I said before, the Order go fuck themselves. I'll admit, the little "meeting" I was invited to was quite nice. You all had me. I actually thought I had found my place finally, but oddly enough it seems the only person who is not trying to kill me is Voldemort," I retorted as I pulled on my sneakers.

"Are you really so naive to think he doesn't plan to exterminate you the moment he is finished with you? Why do you think he wishes for you to produce heirs once the war is over, Kathryn? He will wait until you have a few children, he will drain you of every ounce of power you have, and he will kill you. Then one day, when those children are older, he will do the same to them," Severus said, his tone icy and dripping with frustration as he glared at me.

"Shades are some of the most powerful creatures in history. If you were to fully lose yourself to your power,  you would be far more powerful than Voldemort could ever imagine being. The Dark Lord is smart. Do you honestly think he doesn't know that love is what has kept you grounded this long? If he wanted you to fully embrace the darkness, he would have locked you away in the Malfoy's cellar and broke you. He wants to keep you weak, because he sees you as a threat."

"Well, I don't suppose he will have to bother with exterminating me since you've already agreed to do it," I scoffed, furiously cramming my wand into my pocket.

"You speak as if I could ever actually do it," Severus shouted, startling me into silence. "I almost couldn't kill Albus, so how in the world do you think I could ever fucking hurt you, Kathryn? I love you, and I wish I could go back and change how I reacted the day you said it to me. I've never- you are the first woman to ever say that to me. I was in shock, I reacted badly, and I apologize for that."

"I lived my entire life before you believing that I could not be loved. It seemed that life always found some cruel way to remind me of that, and then you waltzed into my office one day and everything changed. For some unexplained reason you wanted me, and I couldn't understand why. I still don't for that matter. I messed up, but I am trying to fix it. Quit being so damn stubborn let me fix this, Kathryn. Please."

For a moment, everything else ceased to matter as I stepped toward Severus. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, to apologize for being such a bitch the past few months, but a jolt of pain shooting through my arm brought me back to reality. "I've got to- He's already going to kick my ass.."

"Yes, you should probably get going," Severus replied, his tone revealing nothing else as he dropped his gaze to the floor. I grabbed my wand out of my pocket to apparate, but I paused. I was already in deep shit anyways. I closed the distance between us and crashed my lips against his, trying to convey everything I felt but didn't have time to say.

"It is impossible to not want you," I said softly as I broke away and rested my forehead against his. The pain in my arm was becoming excruciating, and I was beginning to wonder if I could actually lose my arm from ignoring it. I stepped back, putting some distance between us and giving Severus a pained smile before he disappeared from sight as I apparated to Malfoy Manor.