Ellison slouched in her chair, giving the restraints around her wrists as much slack as she could. Marcus had left almost an hour before and she had been trying to get free ever since. After rubbing her wrists raw, she had resolved that breaking free wasn't going to be an option. She had set her efforts to wiggling free instead and had been twisting and contorting her wrists for half an hour to no avail. She jerked her hands back in frustration, a sharp pain shooting through them as the rope cut into her skin once again. She let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as she laid her head back against the chair. If only she had her wand.
Suddenly a thought came to her. What if she didn't need a wand? She had heard of wandless magic ... had even seen it performed before. Tom had used magic without his wand on multiple occasions. She herself had never tried it though, and her teachers had stressed the dangers of inexperienced witches and wizards attempting it. She wasn't inexperienced though. She was a seventh year, and one of the smartest in her class for that matter. And considering it was her only option, it couldn't hurt to try. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.
"Diffindo," she thought in her head. Nothing happened. She squeezed her eyes tighter. "Diffindo," she whispered aloud. Still nothing. Gritting her teeth she spoke in an audible voice, "Diffindo!" A sharp pain shot through the back of her hand, but the rope that had clung to her wrists fell in a heap to the floor. She held her hand up, examining it. There was a deep cut across it where her spell hadn't quite hit its mark. She wrapped her sleeve around it, holding pressure to stop the bleeding. He would be back soon. For all she knew, he was standing right outside the door. She couldn't risk trying to escape. No ... not until he came back. That would be her best, and only, chance at getting away. She bent down and picked up the rope that had restrained her just moments before. She would have to make it look as though she were still tied up. Placing her hands behind her back once again, she wrapped the thick cord around her wrists, holding the ends in the palms of her hands. Now all there was to do was wait.
~
A light 'click' sounded from across the room as the door opened. Marcus walked in, crossing the room to where she sat. Stopping in front of her, he smirked.
"Are we going to play nice now?" He asked in a mocking voice. Giving no reply, she simply stared up at him. He was probably a full foot taller than her, with broad shoulders, and large biceps that stretched against the white shirt he wore. While Grayback had been inhuman looking, Marcus was rather handsome. His hair was a honey brown and his eyes were pale blue. Looking at him, no one would know what he actually was. That, Ellison thought, was what made him so much more dangerous.
"What happens if he doesn't come for me?" Ellison asked finally. Marcus smiled.
"I happen to know that he's already on his way.
"How does he know where to find me?" She eyed him closely. If it were true, and Tom really was on his way, she needed to stall. He chuckled, kneeling down until he was eye level with her.
"You wouldn't be very good bait if we hadn't left a trail for him to follow, now would you?"
"We?" She hadn't considered the possibility that there were others. He smirked, standing up.
"There were several that followed suit when I left. They don't appreciate being told what to do by a wizard either," he replied, a hint of contempt in his voice.
"How do you know he's on his way?"
"He's being followed ... you both have been, since the moment you stepped off the Hogwarts Express." Ellison glanced away. The thought she and Tom had been watched the past three days made her sick to her stomach. Picking up on her uneasiness, he leaned down again, studying her expression intently. Reaching up, he brushed her cheek lightly. She flinched, eliciting a smirk from Marcus. She stole a glance at him. His eyes were filled with something Ellison couldn't place, but knew she didn't like. He leaned in closer, pressing his lips against her neck. "Tell me love, have you ever been with a real man?" he whispered against her ear. Ellison squeezed her eyes shut, wishing desperately for Tom to come barging in as he had that night in the Shrieking Shack. But it didn't look like he would be this time ... at least not soon enough.
"Wh-what happens when he gets here?" she stalled, her voice shaking. She felt him smirk against her neck, his hot breath against her ear as he replied.
"He's going to watch helplessly as I kill you." His words had come out matter-of-factly. No sign of emotion or remorse in them.
"He'll kill you."
"Maybe so ... but killing you will destroy him." Suddenly, a loud bang resounded above them. "Ah ... that would be our guest." He said against her ear. Now was her chance. In one swift motion, she pulled her knee up, thrusting it into his groin. He crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain. Standing up, she grabbed her wand from his back pocket and propelled herself towards the door. A hand grasped her leg, jerking it backwards. Falling forward, Ellison hit the ground hard, her wand rolling across the concrete floor. The hand dug its nails, which were more like claws, into her flesh, and drug them down the length of her leg. She gasped in pain, a loud scream escaping her lips. Marcus released her leg and rolled her onto her back, straddling her. She kicked and flailed underneath him. Grabbing both her wrists, he slammed them above her head, grasping them in one hand. He smirked at her helpless state and leaned down. Brushing the hair away from her neck, he pressed his lips against the warm skin. "We could always get started a little early," He whispered against her ear gruffly. She bucked her hips underneath him, her futile attempts to get free making him chuckle as he ran his tongue down the length of her neck. Ellison stiffened underneath him as his larger than normal canines brushed against her collarbone. He pulled back, flashing the sharp teeth as he gave her a nasty grin. She closed her eyes, readying herself for the pain she was sure would come...
But it didn't.
Suddenly, the body that hovered above her went limp and fell, in a heap, on top of her. She opened her eyes. Marcus, who had been about to attack moments before, lay motionless across her ... dead. She squirmed frantically from underneath his lifeless body and crawled to where her wand lay. A hand touched her shoulder, and she whirled around, frantically pointing her wand at the person it belonged to. Tom stood over her, his hands raised, a mix of surprise and concern on his face. Ellison lowered her wand, letting out a choked sob of relief.
Tom bent down, grabbing hold of her arms in an effort to help her up. She gasped as pain shot up her leg, and fell, Tom catching her before she hit the floor. Lowering her down gently, Tom looked her up and down, his eyes stopping as they landed on her bloody leg. Following his gaze, she looked in horror at the deep gashes that ran down her calf, blood pouring freely from them. She felt nauseous. Tom's eyes traveled back up to hers'. His demeanor was composed as usual, but there was concern in his eyes.
"Can you aparate?" He asked calmly. She nodded, grabbing hold of him. "Hold on tight." Something grabbed her waist, jerking her forward as darkness swirled around them. She braced herself for the impact, lifting her leg up, careful not to put any weight on it as their feet met the hardwood floors of her living room. Off balance, she pressed both feet to the floor instinctively, wincing as pain shot through her leg again. Tom steadied her, helping her on to the sofa. She laid down, the nauseous feeling she had felt worse than before. "Do you have anything here for this sort of thing?" he asked, an edge in his voice that hadn't been there before.
"Essence of Dittany ... in the cabinet above the sink." She said through gritted teeth. Tom returned within seconds holding a small bottle. He opened it, pouring a few drops of the brown liquid on her wound. She winced in pain as it burned her skin, but as quickly as the burning had begun, it seemed to disappear, taking the stabbing pain with it. Tom sat the bottle on the end table and examined her leg. Glancing up at her, he gave her a stiff, reassuring smile.
"The bleedings stopped but there's going to be a scar. She nodded. She had known there would be. They had learned in their first year that all wounds inflicted by a werewolf, whether in its wolf form or not, would leave a lifelong scar. Standing up suddenly, Tom paced across the room, stopping in front of the window, leaning against its frame. The sunset shown through the glass, lighting up the entire room, and Tom's face, in an orange glow. So much had happened in the course of a day, and Tom's expression showed it. He looked tired. Strained.
"Tom..." she said, studying him intently. He ignored her. Ellison pushed herself into a sitting position. He glanced in her direction, doing a double take as she stood to her feet.
"You shouldn't be up," he said, concerned.
"Tell me what's going on," she said, limping towards him. Making his way towards her, he grasped her arms, gently leading her back to the sofa.
"Sit down."
"Not until you tell me what it is you're thinking," she argued. Tom stared at her, considering his next words carefully.
"I," he began, running his eyes over her face before meeting her gaze. "I thought I had lost you today." His words had come out flat. As if he were stating a fact. But his expression seemed even more strained than before.
"But-" she began, but he cut her off.
"And I don't know what I would have done if I had." He paused for a moment, searching her face. "And that fact terrifies me ... The fact that you hold that much power over me. The fact that I don't think I could stand to lose you." He was gripping her shoulders tightly, his words tumbling out as if they had been dying to escape for so long. He released her, retreating to the windowsill from which he had come. Silence filled the room once again.
"It's okay to be scared Tom," Ellison began, after a moment. "You don't always have to be so fearless." Tom's back was to her, but she knew he was listening. "It's a scary thing, caring for another person," she pressed on, taking a few steps towards him. "If it helps, I'm afraid to..." Tom turned his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"What are you afraid of?" he asked flatly.
"Of being vulnerable..." she paused, thinking for a moment. "Of feeling too much - too strongly - about ... things." He glanced away, his eyes tracing the skyline.
"This morning," he began, training his eyes on the golden sunset, "you said you thought you were falling in love with me." A knot formed in her stomach. She had known this would come up eventually. "Did you mean that?" A moment of silence elapsed between them before Ellison answered.
"I think I've always been in love with you ... as a friend of course." She added quickly before continuing. "But ... something's changed. It's different now, and I don't know ... I don't know how to explain it." She stole a glance at Tom, who had turned around to face her, and quickly looked away, fixing her eyes, instead, on the hardwood beneath her feet. Tom made his way towards her, closing the gap between them in a few strides. She looked up from the spot on the floor she had been examining, and met his gaze.
"I've never loved anyone before," he began, his expression unreadable. "I don't think I would even know it if I were in love."
"You will - I mean would ... know it ... if you were." They stood in silence for, to Ellison, what felt like an eternity.
"What does it feel like ... falling in love?" Tom asked, finally speaking.
"Like finding part of yourself ... part of yourself you didn't even know you were searching for." she said softly, her voice little more than a whisper. Silence engulfed the room once again.
"You were certainly something I wasn't searching for," Tom finally spoke. She looked down at her feet, her heart sinking. This was it. "But something I'm so glad I found." She glanced up, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "You replaced a part of me I had lost ... a part of me I thought I didn't need, or want. But I'm starting to think I might've been mistaken." He paused, as if lost in his thoughts. "This is ... hard, for me-"
"I don't need you to feel the same way," Ellison began.
"But I do," Tom cut in, gazing intently at her. Reaching up, he tucked a curl behind her ear. She grasped his hand, giving it a light squeeze as she held it against her cheek.
"I've told you before... don't do this if you don't mean it."
"I most certainly do."
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MERRY (belated) CHRISTMAS! Here's Chapter 20!
I hope you're all liking the story so far! Let me know what you think about the direction its headed in (I'm always open to new ideas!)