30

"You'll do no such thing." The tip of my wand jabbed into his neck, harshly forcing him against the same bedpost I had leaned against just a few minutes ago. Contrary to the atmosphere in the room, the melody coming out of the music box still went along its usual, calm pace.

His eyes darted back and forth between my eyes and my wand steadily, head tilting in a mixture of nonchalance and enjoyment. He huffed.

"You know I have to— seeing as I don't know what you're planning with it. Have to make sure I won't regret it later on, you know?" He drawled, an innocent smile on his lips that turned into a devious smirk just seconds later.

"Well, what's keeping me from not killing you on the spot, then?" I hissed back, another jab of my wand against his throat. "You know, to make sure I won't regret it later on?" His own words fell out of my mouth in a low whisper; eyes narrowed onto his.

Malfoy's head cocked to the side, my eyes trailing down to that sharp jawline of his when he said, "I don't know, what is?" in an equally low voice. His tongue poked the inside of his cheek before a victorious smirk plastered across his lips.

My eyes remained steady on them, pretty pink and parted as his tongue flicked over his bottom lip. Eyes only diverting when his hand went to cup my chin, tilting it upwards harshly for our eyes to connect once more.

I ignored the heat crawling up my neck; instead raised my chin even higher in defiance to urge him to let go.

He only hummed at the gesture, an eyebrow quirking as he repeated his question. "Hm?" He wondered. "What is it that's keeping you from... how did you say—?" He thought for a moment — "killing me on the spot?" There was an edge to his voice, though overall, he seemed... amused by the words escaping his mouth. "I think those were the words you used."

I scoffed, nose scrunching up in annoyance at his mockery. If he thought I wouldn't follow through with my words, he was dumber than he first led on.

"You're playing with fire, Malfoy."

"I'll wait until I get burned."

The hand still holding my wand against his throat quickly moved to push his own hand – still cupping my chin – with a singular, harsh shove. A grunt escaping my lips at the motion as I took a step back, his arm limply falling to his side.

It only took him a moment to adjust to my movement, and while my arm was already stretched out in front of me, purple sparks flying out of the wand in my hand as the spell was about to roll off my tongue, his own wand found its way into his grasp.

It was a singular, dry scoff escaping his lips at the sound of my wand hitting the floor. My brows knitted together tightly, eyes following its movements as it rolled across my floor, the only thing stopping it the leg of Daphne's bed.

My gaze snapped up to his, nose twitching in irritation at the arrogant look on his face. He pocketed his wand, instead opted for his hand that grabbed me by my neck, pushing me across half the room until my back hit the window looking out into the black lake.

I tried not to seem as humiliated as I actually was. Instead tilted my head, a few wild strands of orange falling into my face at the motion.

"'Been practising, have you?" I wondered smugly, and Malfoy raised his brows in surprise. It was quiet between us for a moment, his hand still on my throat, though his grip loosening as he thought about his next words.

The calm tune coming out of the box on my nightstand didn't falter at the thick atmosphere in the room. It was still playing in the background, prominent now, that a short silence had fallen between us.

"There's no need to practise to overpower you, Hayes," He glowered. "You think so high and mighty of yourself— about time somebody showed you the ropes." His face inched closer to mine, a threatening tone in his voice. "I've been nice to you up until now; clearly, it's gone to your head—"

"Nice to me?" I scoffed in disbelief, the glare in my eyes speaking for itself. "What makes you think I need your mercy? Your pity?" I spat. "Trust me; if I wanted you dead, you'd be six feet under with your mother and father mourning by your grave." His nose twitched in irritation at the mention of his family, though I cut him off before he had the chance to retort. "I don't need you to be nice to me, Malfoy."

His grip around my neck tightened, airflow scarce though I didn't dare let him know his action fazed me. Malfoy's breath was fanning against my lips in forceful gusts, prominent anger slipping past his mask of skilful nonchalance.

"Do your worst," I muttered, challenging him with a gleam in my eyes and a tone in my voice I couldn't fully interpret either.

"My worst?" He arched a brow of his, a smirk on his face again, and previous anger displayed washed away like my words never bothered him, anyway. It was the fact that I knew they did that kept me from crumbling. "I don't think you can handle my worst."

"Try me."

It wasn't a second after the words recklessly slipped past my lips that he shoved me into the glass behind me once more, one hand of his gripping my hair, tilting my head upwards while the one previously around my throat pinned me against the glass by my waist.

"Yeah?" His breath was heavy as he muttered the words, narrowed eyes darting back and forth between my eyes and lips as it seemed he couldn't decide whether to kiss or kill me.

Unfortunately — with his white hair falling over his forehead messily, his hand on my waist and his minty breath mixing with mine in between our lips only inches from one another's; with the scent of his cologne and shampoo that seemed to smell of fresh apple's lingering in my nose — I was in the same predicament.

And so, my mind went blank when my lips collided with his forcefully. Blank like it did the first time this happened at the exact same spot— blank like it did that night on the Astronomy Tower when all he had to do was have his teeth scrape along my neck for me to be ready to fall to my knees before him willingly.

I didn't, of course. And I'd like to think I had enough humility to never do so, either. Though, with the way his tongue skilfully played with mine — far better than the way he tried to three years ago — and his hand roughly massaging my hip, gradually moving further towards my arse in order to slip it past my skirt, I wasn't sure.

His cold skin collided with my flushed one, swiftly moving his hand underneath my thigh in order to lift my leg against his own body. My back arching off the glass as his lips moved down to my neck, I threw my head back with a muffled sound.

And then, when his lips parted to suck my skin, and he traced his teeth along my neck, something was different. A muffled gasp escaped my mouth, breath hitching painfully obviously in my throat at the feeling of those same fangs from a few nights ago digging into my skin.

A moan — a mixture of pleasure and pain alike — slipped past my lips, and I could feel the way his lips turned into a smirk against my skin.

"A little courtesy of mine," He muttered, head dipping out of the crook of my neck. "It seemed you— liked them, last time?" His lips parted in a soundless laugh, teeth visible for the first time, making me wonder how I didn't notice the two pointy ones before.

Though it's not like it mattered now, with our heavy breaths mixing mid-air and his hand still flush with the skin on my thigh. "You know what I like more, Malfoy?" I muttered, hand absentmindedly playing with his hair, and he raised his brows, urging me to go on. "Less talking."

He huffed in amusement, though didn't waste another second to connect his lips with mine again. His teeth dragging out my bottom lip between them, he suggested, "I can get rid of them if you want—" in a teasing voice. Pretending to reach for his wand to lift the charm.

My hand went to grab his arm, a glare in my eyes that he matched with a raised brow as he stopped in his tracks. I shook my head at his suggestion, muffling a "Don't," with my lips already on his again.

It was my hand tugging on his short hair, messing with it in every way imaginable that coerced a groan out of him, trying his best to mute the sound by digging his teeth into my bottom lip sharply;

His groan turning into a particularly heavy breath instead as our lips disconnected, my forehead still against his. "You know," He breathed, chest heaving and lips slightly parted after. "I told you you'd say it, didn't I?"

My eyes batted open to connect with his, a slight furrow in my brows as I tried to remember the incident he was referring to.

—

"Don't get it twisted, Hayes," He said, and I felt the sharp edge of the knife against my cheek turn back into the dull end of his wand. "Just because I'd fuck you doesn't mean I wouldn't kill you."

A little delayed, I scoffed at his words. "Who said I'd let you?" I shrugged, then.

"You'll say it," He stated casually, his hand trying to tame the mess his hair was in. "Trust me, Hayes. You'll say it."

—

My head tilted at the memory, a cruel smirk growing on my lips as I recalled it. "Oh?" I wondered, my lips still only inches from his before I brought more distance between us. "Is that what this is?" I asked in amusement; a brow quirked as an innocent smile spread across his own features.

My tongue traced along the inside of my teeth as I thought. "You think you can play with me?" I huffed light amusement in my voice at the thought alone. "Fuck me in order to feel like you've achieved something?"

The words made his brows twitch, and a scowl form on his face as he glared at me. "Well, I can't blame you but—" I thought for a moment, his eyes still right in front of mine, the confusion in them prominent. "—but you don't use me to boost your own ego, Malfoy. You want to play?"

An innocent smile on my lips, my hand cupped his chin lightly just for my fingers to trail down his neck, chest, and entire upper body, noticing his body react to my touch all on its own.

Movement halting right by the buckle of his belt, my eyes having followed my own hand, they snapped back up to meet his. "I'll show you how I play."

It took nothing more than a light shove for me to brush past him, an accomplished smile on my lips at the defeated expression on his. As quick as he could, he adopted his nonchalant facade once more— a smirk covering up his bruised ego.

"And I'll show you just who's going to be the one to say it," I added, walking over towards the door and opening it with a gesture supposed to urge him to leave through it.

"Oh yeah?" He huffed, his head shaking slightly as he buried his hands in his pockets. Tongue poking the inside of his cheek, he brushed past me with a smirk on his lips, long strides as he passed through the doorway.

"We'll see about that." 

A/N: Sorry guys this was supposed to be smut but it just DIDN'T feel right lmfao I promise I will make it up eventually. when the time is right. 

Also, Nemesis updates will be a little scarce up until I finish Moira. It shouldn't take me longer than a week from now on. But once I complete Moira I'll have more time and therefore will update Nemesis more frequently again! It's a double-edged sword but I think it'll be worth it. <3 

If you miss my writing, make sure to give my original fiction Moira a try! I promise you won't be disappointed hehe 

I hope you liked today's chapter!  :)