Chapter 1: Midnight's Tormented Visitor
Severus lay sprawled across his bed, the cool sheets clinging to his bare chest as it rose and fell with each restless breath. Two days had passed since Minerva vanished, and her absence gnawed at him like a persistent ache. His mind churned with worry, replaying their last sharp exchange, her emerald eyes flashing with defiance. Where the hell had she gone?
A sudden, sharp knock at the door shattered the silence. Severus bolted upright, his heart thudding as he strode to answer it, clad only in loose trousers. He flung the door open and froze, his breath catching in his throat. There she stood—Minerva, but not as he’d ever seen her. Cat ears perched atop her head, a fluffy tail swaying nervously behind her, and a collar with a chain encircling her bruised neck. Her body was a map of torment: blood, bites, burns, and bruises marred her skin. Naked and trembling, she looked both feral and broken, her green eyes wide with fear and a flicker of desperate hope.
“Severus…” Her voice was a cracked whisper, barely audible over the shiver in her frame. Her ears flattened against her head, tail twitching erratically.
“Minerva, what in Merlin’s name—” He stepped aside, gesturing her in, his gaze raking over the whip marks on her back, the raw damage between her thighs. His healer’s mind cataloged the risks— infection, shock, irreversible harm if pushed further. “Who did this to you?”
She stumbled inside, collapsing against the wall, her tail curling protectively around her leg. “Don’t… don’t touch me there. I can’t— I won’t survive it again.” Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks, her voice raw. “Please, Severus, no fucking. I’ll do anything else. Anything.”
His brows furrowed, a mix of anger and concern tightening his jaw. “You think I’d force you? You think I’m some beast who’d take advantage of this?” His tone sharpened, cutting through the tension. “Do you fear me, Minerva?”
She flinched, her ears twitching as she stammered, “N-no… I don’t…”
“Liar,” he snapped, stepping closer, his dark eyes piercing. “Don’t play the timid kitten with me. I know you better than that. You’re lying, and we both know what happens to liars.”
Minerva recoiled, scrambling to the corner, her tail lashing wildly. “No, please! I’ll do whatever you want—just not that! I can… I can use my mouth. A blowjob, anything, just don’t—” Her words broke into a sob, her hands trembling as she reached for him, desperation overriding her pain.
Severus’s voice rose, sharp and commanding. “Stop it, Minerva! Calm yourself!” But as the words left his lips, a jolt of electricity crackled from the cursed collar around her neck, forcing a pained yowl from her throat. She dropped to her knees, claws digging into his trousers as she tugged them down, her movements frantic, almost mechanical. Her lips hovered near his cock, her breath hot and uneven, but Severus gripped her shoulders, pulling her back.
“Enough!” he growled, his hands firm but not cruel. “You’re not in your right mind. Whatever they’ve pumped into you, it’s controlling you. I’m not some animal to rut you into ruin.”
Her eyes, glassy with drugs and terror, met his as she hissed, a low, feline sound of frustration. “I can’t stop… it burns if I don’t…” Another shock from the collar made her whimper, her body jerking.
Severus’s expression darkened. He hauled her to her feet, ignoring her weak struggles and the sharp scratch of her nails. “You’re not a toy to be broken further.” His voice softened, just a fraction, as he scooped her into his arms, her tail thrashing against his side. “We’re cleaning you up. Fight me if you must, but I’m not letting you drown in this filth.”
In the bathroom, under the warm spray of water, Minerva hissed and spat like a cornered cat, her ears pinned back, but Severus held firm, washing away the blood and grime with a gentleness that belied his stern demeanor. “You’re safe,” he murmured, even as she snapped at him, her strength waning. “I’ve got you, you stubborn feline.”
Dried and wrapped in a thick blanket, Minerva lay against him on the bed, her back pressed to his chest. Her tail flicked restlessly, but her trembling eased under the weight of his arm around her. “I’m not them,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “I’ll tear apart whoever did this, but not you. Never you.”
Her ears twitched, a soft purr escaping despite herself, as the warmth of safety began to seep into her battered frame. But in the quiet, Severus felt the heat of her nearness, the unspoken tension simmering beneath their shared pain. He knew the line they danced on—her body still raw, yet the pull between them undeniable. For now, he held back, but the fire in his blood whispered of a storm yet to come.
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