✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

79 | AEIPATHY

AEIPATHY
(n.) an enduring and consuming passion

DREAD FILLED EVERY INCH OF TESSA AS SHE STOOD UP SO FAST SHE KNOCKED HER CHAIR BACKWARD. She spun around to face Sebastian who had readied himself as though he was going to attack whoever was outside. Before he could do anything, Tessa stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

     Sebastian's eyes never strayed from the flap of the tent as he said, "Move over, néos drakaina."

"No," Tessa said firmly. "Bash, you need to go back to Romania — now."

His eyes flickered back to meet hers, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm not leaving you — "

"I can't let you get hurt," she cut in. "Especially not when you have a duty to your people over me."

"You can't make me leave — "

"Actually, I can," Tessa said, swallowing hard.

Understanding dawned on Sebastian's face as he realized what she was going to do. "Tessa, don't you dare."

Voice shaking slightly, she said in the firmest tone she could muster as the beast roared to life within her soul. "I, Teressa Camille Valentine Potter, direct heir to Cecily Pendragon the Great Sorceress, order you, Sebastian Dimitriou, to return to Romania immediately."

A battle of emotions conflicted across his face, but with his jaw tightening, Sebastian had no choice. "Stay alive," was the last thing he said before he vanished before her very eyes.

"We're coming in," yelled out a rough voice from outside.

Tessa shared a panicked gaze with Hermione before she pointed at Harry. "We have to do something — quick!"

With a jerk of a nod, Hermione directed her wand to Harry and sent a burst of light to his face. At the explosion, he cried out in pain as he buckled over on his knees. Hermione tried to point her wand at Tessa, but it was too late — the Death Eaters had already invaded their tent and saw her face.

"Well, well, look who we have here," one of them crooned with a wicked grin at Tessa.

She spat at his feet and glared at him. "Go to hell."

"We're already living in it, sweetheart." Hands roughly grabbed onto either of her arms, fingers digging tight into her flash as one of them pulled her wand out of her pocket.

Tessa attempted to struggle her way out of their hands, but the one to her right held the tip of her own wand against her temple. "Try to escape and I'll make you watch as I hurt your little friends, then I'll kill you after."

"No," the one at her left spat. "We don't touch the girl, the Dark Lord has specific orders she remains unharmed. And I want that money — it's 100,000 Galleons for each of the Potters."

"Get up, vermin." Another one yanked Harry off the ground, and when Tessa peeked to see his face, it was swollen and barely recognizable from Hermione's jinx.

"Get — off — her!" Ron shouted outside, earning him a sharp punch to the jaw.

Hermione screamed, "No! Leave him alone, leave him alone!"

"Your boyfriend's going to have worse than that done to him if he's on my list," Fenrir Greyback rasped. "Delicious girl . . . What a treat . . . I do enjoy the softness of the skin . . ." And when the two Death Eaters holding Tessa brought her outside the tent and the werewolf saw her, he laughed cruelly. "We meet again, Teressa Potter."