Page 49 of Penance

“Draco?” Her voice is a whisper in the darkness, but it hit’s me like a knife to the chest. “Don’t leave me alone. Please.”

Damn her.

Goddamn her.

“Mercy.” Her name feels strange to my tongue. “I was going to let you sleep. I’ll take the couch.”

She takes a shaky breath, shaking her head.

“Please. Please stay. I can’t be alone right now.” Her voice breaks, and I hear a soft hiccup that she tries to suppress. “I’m scared, Draco.”

“I’m not leaving,” I tell her. “I’ll be right out in the living room. I’ll still—”

Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head.

“Please stay.”

I stand there, torn between the cold, calculating part of me that demands I walk away and the unfamiliar warmth that’s spreading through me at her touch.

What the fuck?

What the fuck do I do?

This isn’t part of the plan.

“Please?” she says again.

My hands clench, the tattoos etched into my skin stretching taut.

I don’t belong here, in this room, with this… innocence.

“Okay.”

I’m giving in to her.

Why am I giving in?

My knees touch the edge of the mattress, and I slowly lower myself onto it, the frame creaking softly under my weight. I crawl in behind her, close enough to be present, but far enough away that I can’t feel her warmth.

It doesn’t last long.

“Thank you,” she says, and then she’s moving, sliding along the mattress and pressing herself against me until her back molds against my side.

I don’t pull away, don’t retreat. I stay, so that she’s not alone.

What are you doing, Draco?The voice in my head is a low hiss.

I should be on the couch, planning my next move, not laying here, drawn into her like a moth to a flame. Yet, here I am,letting her cuddle up against me, using me for my warmth and my protection.

What the fuck is happening?

Chapter 11

Mercy

My eyes flutter open, and I’m greeted by the sight of Draco’s arm, draped possessively around my waist. His tattoos seem to writhe in the dim light, a dance of shadows that I can’t rip my eyes away from. I’m nestled against his chest, his heartbeat steady against my back. It’s an odd type of intimacy, one that sends a shiver down my spine.

How did I get here?

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